Category: History
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Morocco gets on my goat!
This is not fake news or fake photos. There we were, driving along a flat, dry part of the western Moroccan landscape dotted with small farm houses and solitary argan trees (agania spinosa), endemic to Morocco. I squinted at the tree in the distance, with its limbs spread out in the sun and great clumps…
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Street wise: Hanoi, Vietnam
www.sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi.comA quick fix blog this week as I am away on a yoga retreat in the Blue Mountains, a couple of hours west of Sydney (I knoooow, what was I thinking) and am short on blogging time this week. A post on the yoga experience might even make its way here if I survive bending,…
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Slow Travel: Cruising Vietnam
An up-close and authentic view of real life in Vietnam is happily experienced while cruising the rivers with stops along the way in villages and hit of the big smoke – Hanoi. Take it slow . . . Torrential! And that’s the perfect word for the monsoon rains that lashed our ship for 20…
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Singapore: Shophouses shine…
There was a time in Singapore when everything old is old again and must be torn down. After the devastation of Singapore during WWII, the region struggled to rebuild and restore pride for the locals. Well, Singapore quickly became an economic gateway for the Asian region and a powerhouse for modernity, architectural innovation and post-war…
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How to: have your cake and eat it too
After ten days sailing on the Red River in North Vietnam we came back to earth (land) and entered the mighty maelstrom of a late afternoon Hanoi happening. It seemed so crowded, so noisy, we had to find some a peaceful place. I’m used to busy cities and love to throw myself into the middle…
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USA: how to indulge in Waikiki
At a recent visit to Hawaii, staying a the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort, I had time to seek out a couple more experiences at Waikiki. I decided to sleep, swim, read and eat – three necessary holiday activities that I have not practiced for many years. I was a bit rusty, but I made an…
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Greece: Back to Basics
SLOW TRAVEL #2 The first Greek island I visited more than 35 years ago was Poros. I had spent some time in Athens and jumped on a ferry that was a kind of hop on hop off boat for the times. We passed Aegina and then Poros came into view. It had only taken about…
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The State I’m in!
Or how I love old cinemas, eccentric architecture and overwrought decor. Shame on you 1960s through to 1980s in Sydney. Just tore down old buildings willynilly to ‘modernise’ the city. And as the bricks tumbled, down came more than 20 old-style, elegant cinemas in Sydney including the Roma, Lido, Lyceum, Regent, Palace and sadly on…
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ART – seeking silos
Silo, so high, so far Outdoor art is the art of the 21st century. Graffiti has graduated! The Silo Art Trail that snakes through the wheat belt of Victoria is an inspired outdoor gallery. A couple of hours outside Ballarat and you are on your way. The concept of having the towering (up to 27m),…
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Nevada USA – vintage all the way
It couldn’t be further from Las Vegas than from here to the moon. But hey! this hotel is looking very Nevada-ish old-school neon with extra curricular enticement. Before walking through the doors of the historic Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall I’m stepping on the stars in the footpath. Wayne Newton, Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper and…
Travelgal on the move 