"Short stories and travel reports from my life adventures around the globe".
Ho Chi Minh Complex. Hanoi, Vietnam. April 2018. “Ho Chi Minh!” I told the grizzled old moto taxi driver. He replied with a serious nod, then handed me the passenger helmet he kept on his right handlebar. I fitted it over my head, clambered on and we were quickly away, weaving between the traffic down […]
Read MoreHoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi. April 2018. It was a hot and sticky overcast afternoon in Hanoi as I set off for some exploring around one of the city’s two great lakes. They say if you only have time for one, it should definitely be Hoan Kiem, a tranquil 12 hectare freshwater lake that holds a special […]
Read MoreBun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim. April 2018. As anyone who’s ever been to Vietnam will surely attest, the food is just phenomenal. Having already sampled some of Hanoi’s tasty Banh Mi sandwiches, I was keen to delve deeper into the national cuisine during my time in the capital. One evening, after a full day […]
Read MoreHanoi Old Quarter, Vietnam. April 2018. I remember feeling so chilled when I hopped off the airport bus and took in my first deep breath of Hanoi. Sometimes life can be so sweet. And in all honesty my adult life has rarely been sweeter than in the spring of 2018. I’d just finished a one […]
Read MoreThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Read MoreThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Read MoreChattanooga Nostalgia. Cover photo courtesy of Imilious. May 2009. “Woo, woo, Chattanooga, there you are! There’s gonna be a certain party at the station!” And so goes the 1941 big band swing tune Chattanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. Written by the American composers Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, the song stands as a playful […]
Read MoreWashington DC Nostalgia. May 2007 & May 2009. Once upon a time, in what often feels like a galaxy far far away, my friend Henry lived and worked in Washington DC. I’d known Henry since our days living in the Belgian city of Leuven, where we used to meet up to watch live football. That’s […]
Read MoreHard Days Night Hotel, Liverpool. May 2019. As a diehard Beatles fan who’d come to Liverpool to conduct as much Beatlesy business as I could, there really was only one place to stay. It just had to be the world’s only Beatles inspired hotel. When I was planning my trip to Liverpool, I simply couldn’t see past […]
Read MorePaddy’s Wigwam (Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral). May 2019. So this was one of CNN’s ugliest cathedrals in the world? This was the “hideous eyesore” that stands only as a personal insult to those who have to pray in it? This was the building that thousands of TripAdvisor moaners had ranted about to the point of near self-combustion? […]
Read MoreSt Luke’s Bombed Out Church, Liverpool. May 2019. Head onto my search bar here at Leighton Travels, type in church, and you’ll get a bunch of articles zipping up from across 40+ countries. But few can compare to the unusual backstory and indeed sight of St. Luke’s Bombed out Church in Liverpool. Better known to visitors as […]
Read MoreSefton Park, Liverpool. May 2019. It was another sunny day in Liverpool. Thus Steppers and I took full advantage with a visit to the city’s much-loved, history-laden Sefton Park. The park dates back to 1867 when The Liverpool Corporation purchased it from the wealthy Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. They had acquired the land […]
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