"Short stories and travel reports from my life adventures around the globe".
Temple of Literature. Hanoi, Vietnam. April 2018. No matter where I go, I aways seem to bump into my old buddy Confucius. Indeed I’ve been to perhaps a dozen temples across the world dedicated to the famous philosopher. I’ve also photographed statues of the celebrated old sage in Thailand. And visited Hyanggyo School, constructed in his […]
Read MoreThang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Hanoi, Vietnam. Cover photo courtesy of Jean-Pierre Dalbéra. April 2018. I’d never seen a water puppet performance before. In fact, I hadn’t been aware it was even a thing until I started planning my trip to Vietnam. The more I read, the more I realised seeing a water puppet show […]
Read MoreHoa Lo Prison, Hanoi, Vietnam. April 2018. If you’re visiting Hanoi and have the means to treat yourself to a luxurious stay, one might consider the Hilton Hanoi Opera. I’m sure you can picture the place, without even looking. Rooms feature elegantly handcrafted traditional Vietnamese furniture. Moreover, there’s a giant swimming pool, a full range of […]
Read MoreHo 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 MoreFlorida Nostalgia. The summers of 1989, 1991, 1994. Hey folks, I’m gonna try something different today. In fact, this is is not your usual programming. After eight instalments documenting my U.S. travel nostalgia, I found myself tempted by the prospect of concluding the series with a piece that goes even further back. Now when I say […]
Read MoreIowa Nostalgia. May 2012. I think I can state, as an absolute fact, that I would never have gone to Iowa if it hadn’t been for Bill and Mary. Forgive me for being a touch hokey, but they really are wonderful people. Salt of the earth types if you will. We met in Slovakia back […]
Read MoreChicago Nostalgia. May 2012. It’s hard to say what my overriding emotion was as I rattled through the streets of downtown Chicago towards my hotel. I reckon I was fifty percent beside myself with unfiltered excitement. But also fifty percent dog tired following the long and exhausting flight from Amsterdam. It didn’t take long to […]
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 MoreMemphis Nostalgia. May 2007 & May 2009. It felt good to finally get out of the damn car. Ok, the journey from Nashville had only actually taken four hours. But hey, I’d never enjoyed car journeys. Plus I was simply itching to get to grips with Memphis. Stretching my legs and taking in my surroundings, I remember […]
Read MoreNashville Nostalgia. May 2007 & May 2009. The American city of Nashville had never been on my radar. And it almost certainly never would have been, had I not befriended a guy called Jon who hailed from Music City. I met Jon in Bratislava way back in the summer of 2002 when we began working […]
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 MoreCentral Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. September 2020. I really love the old French Art Deco buildings across Cambodia. From the shapely structures of Siem Reap and Battambang, to the crumbly, balcony-laden houses of Kampot and Kep, we had seen dozens of the country’s most impressive colonial creations. One afternoon, in Phonm Penh, we mapped out […]
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