THERE are some boat crews that refuse to drop anchor at night in this wide section of the Mekong River. It has nothing to do with dangerous tides, unpredictable weather, or even concerns about running aground. The Vietnamese mariners are frightened of ghosts, and they suspect the spirits of more than 50,000 Thai soldiersContinue reading “Go with the flow …”
Author Archives: Sarah N
Good cheese and good cheer …
THERE’S no shortage of great places to dine in the Yarra Valley. Almost every winery in this esteemed grape-growing region — said to be Victoria’s first winemaking enclave with a history stretching back more than 160 years — has a restaurant or cafe worth visiting at meal times. So it wouldn’t occur to mostContinue reading “Good cheese and good cheer …”
Liverpool beyond the Beatles …
I HAVE never been a big fan of The Beatles. I know the words to the Fab Four’s biggest hits, learning by osmosis during a childhood when the radio frequently featured tunes by the lads from Liverpool, but that’s about as far as my interest goes. So when I find myself spending a day deepContinue reading “Liverpool beyond the Beatles …”
Sentosa Style …
FOR a small island, Sentosa delivers an impressive array of holiday attractions, hot hotels and beaches lined with palm trees. I’m sitting with my toes in the sand, a cocktail in hand, and peering out from the shade of a palm tree to the cool blue of an ocean lagoon. But I’m having trouble believingContinue reading “Sentosa Style …”
Warsaw, by night …
Where … The heart of Warsaw’s Old Town When … Friday, December 7, 2012 at 10.58pm What … My second visit to Warsaw sees me exploring the delightful Polish settlement a few weeks before Christmas when the squares around the Old Town are wearing lights to celebrate the season. The square in front of theContinue reading “Warsaw, by night …”
Hong Kong Indigo …
INSIDE my hotel it’s cool, calm and quiet but right outside, the streets of Wan Chai are buzzing with activity. It’s the sort of hustle and bustle that defines Hong Kong, as the residents of this prosperous neighbourhood dart around to complete afternoon errands before darkness settles and they retire to the apartment buildings thatContinue reading “Hong Kong Indigo …”
From the ashes of war …
WARSAW has an air of prosperity. The shops are full, the restaurants are busy, only a few people are begging on the street, and there’s lots of construction happening with architectural treasures surrounded by scaffolding and temporary walls around the big dig marking the route of the Polish capital’s new underground line. While Warsaw isContinue reading “From the ashes of war …”
Majestic migration …
IT’S when the weather turns cold that the whale-watching action heats up in Australia as pods of the marine mammals head north to escape the icy chill of Antarctica. Every state plays host to humpbacks and southern right whales from May and November, with destinations from Bruny Island in Tasmania’s southeast corner to Cape LevequeContinue reading “Majestic migration …”
Wanders of the Incas …
I HAVE always been intrigued by Machu Picchu – the ancient settlement built on a peak in the Peruvian Andes and an Inca city hidden from the world for centuries and only revealed by American archeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911 – but I could never imagine getting myself there. I thought the only way toContinue reading “Wanders of the Incas …”
Surf coast …
GEELONG was named in 1827, surveyed in 1838 and proclaimed a city in 1910 with everyone from pastoralists and lighthouse keepers to gold miners and mariners playing a part in growing the port settlement. That history is celebrated in Geelong and around the Bellarine Peninsula with vintage estates and thoughtfully curated museums recalling the daysContinue reading “Surf coast …”
Discover Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula …
THE Mornington Peninsula offers a feast of opportunities for people looking to escape. Sarah Nicholson reports on the best of the best. BEST FOR GOLF FORGET the best in Victoria, or even the best in Australia, the Mornington Peninsula is one of the best places in the world for golf. While it’s hard toContinue reading “Discover Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula …”
Black Saturday survivor …
KIM Rycroft is a Black Saturday survivor. The Narbethong resident, and the force behind Saladin Lodge, one of the region’s most delightful B&B properties, lost her home in 2009 when one of the February 7 fires burst out of the Black Range State Forest and tore across her bucolic block. Rycroft lost the historicContinue reading “Black Saturday survivor …”
Stalin’s building …
JOSPEH Stalin had some strange ideas when it came to giving gifts. Instead of providing his loyal subjects – by that I mean the residents of the Soviet states he intimidated into submission – things they could use like an endless supply of toilet paper or semi-regular deliveries of fresh meat, he gave them buildings.Continue reading “Stalin’s building …”
Warsaw, in winter …
Where … Wandering between Warsaw’s Old Town and my hotel, the Hyatt Regency Warsaw, on a chilly winter’s day When … Friday, December 7, 2012 at 10.35am What … A nighttime blizzard dumps a layer of white on the Polish capital and I bundle up in coat, gloves, hat and scarf to take to theContinue reading “Warsaw, in winter …”
Bosphorus, by boat …
WE finished our Turkish adventure today with a cruise on The Bosphorus to take in the view of this metropolis from the famous stretch of water that divides Asia and Europe. For a peaceful hour we followed the curves of the coast, looking at the elegant old houses that line the shore, and keeping clearContinue reading “Bosphorus, by boat …”
Sacred ground …
ON April 25, 1915, the first young Australian waded ashore at Gallipoli to begin what became one of the greatest episodes in our military history. The first to go ashore were four infantry battalions from the 3rd Brigade, First Australian Division – the West Australian, South Australians, Tasmanians and Queenslanders Charles Bean described as comingContinue reading “Sacred ground …”
Mediterranean fire …
IT’S October in Turkey, which would typically mean the weather was cooling down and giving the locals a breather after a steamy summer, but the autumn days on the Mediterranean are still hot with lots of blue sky crowning those magic water views. Another advantage of these glorious days are perfect sunsets, and we hadContinue reading “Mediterranean fire …”
Cotton on …
THINK you’ve had a hard day at the office? Imagine harvesting a field of cotton by hand. We have seen lots of cotton during the past few days on the road, and most of it’s being harvested by big tractors that spit the fluffy white balls into oversized bins, but this was the first timeContinue reading “Cotton on …”
Becalmed in Bodrum …
ANOTHER day, and night, in Turkey with nothing much to do but enjoy the changing colours of a Mediterranean settlement. We’re in Bodrum, another seaside spot set on the sands of the Aegean Coast, and with a cruise ship in port I decided the best place to be was on the balcony of the hotelContinue reading “Becalmed in Bodrum …”
Colours of Kas …
ALL you need to enjoy a lazy day in Kas is a chair and a balcony to put it on. But make sure that balcony has a view of the water – that’s not hard, as most of the hotels in this tourist town are perched on the hills that rise from the Mediterranean toContinue reading “Colours of Kas …”
Silk Road stopover …
HAVE you ever thought about the evolution of the modern-day hotel? Probably not, and I don’t blame you, as tourist digs tend to look the same after you spend a few days on the road and are hardly worthy of grand anthropological study. But I visited a compound today, Sultanhani Caravanserai on the road southContinue reading “Silk Road stopover …”
Whirling perfection …
IT’S official, I’m perfect. I had long suspected as much, but it was confirmed today when I visited the Mevlana Museum in the Turkish city of Konya. There’s a sign above the front door explaining “those who enter here incomplete will come out perfect” and after walking through the grand Ottoman doors, and exiting theContinue reading “Whirling perfection …”
Arequipa’s curious discoveries …
THE life of a nun never appealed to me. When I was little, and there were a couple of “Boston buns” knocking around my Catholic primary school, the vow of poverty was an instant deal-breaker, as I couldn’t imagine giving up my yellow Walkman or my collection of Judy Blume novels. A few yearsContinue reading “Arequipa’s curious discoveries …”
Soaking up the views …
SOAKING UP THE VIEWS IN SINGAPORE … When designing new buildings to decorate the Singapore skyline, architects like to think outside the box. Examples of this include the Singapore Opera House, with two domes that look like giant fly eyes; the Supreme Court, with a “UFO” on the roof; Parkview Square and its Gotham moodiness;Continue reading “Soaking up the views …”
When second is best …
IT’S fair to say America’s Grand Canyon is the world’s most famous gorge. But when it comes to deep, the Grand Canyon is a couple of spots from the top sitting third on the list of the globe’s most cavernous ravines. There are two canyons in the Peruvian Andes that are considerably deeper than theContinue reading “When second is best …”
Climbing to Canyon …
TRAVELLING in Peru is all about altitude, and today we got our first serious helping of high. We started the day at 2335m in Arequipa, tonight we’re sleeping at 3635m on the edge of the Colca Canyon, and we crossed an Andean mountain range that took us up to 4910m to get here. It costContinue reading “Climbing to Canyon …”
On shaky ground …
IT was back on to a plane today for our first flight in Peru with a LAN Airbus taking us Arequipa. This is the second-largest city in Peru, a destination that’s growing at a rapid rate with tourists using it as a launching point to see the Colca Canyon, and we had a driving tourContinue reading “On shaky ground …”
The big five-oh …
AFTER sitting on 49 countries for the better part of a year I’ve finally added the 50th destination to the list of places I’ve been. I’m in Peru for a couple of weeks, on an expedition organised by LAN Airlines and Adventure World, and starting this visit with a day in Lima to get usedContinue reading “The big five-oh …”
Explore the outback …
MY father, John, loves the Outback. The more sunbaked the landscape, the happier he is. And while most of us dread a dirt track full of potholes and corrugations winding through hundreds of kilometres of dusty land, that’s his idea of a great day out. So he was jealous that I saw the Flinders RangesContinue reading “Explore the outback …”
High country history …
→ When visiting an historic hilltop hamlet it’s only right to stay in an historic cottage … THERE are not a lot of options when it comes to accommodation in a little spot like Walhalla. The Star Hotel offers pub-style digs, there are a couple of B&Bs around the place, and those who really wantContinue reading “High country history …”
Far Near Or Here 