Top Dog.
I noticed him as we started walking. He skirted around us, no eye contact. I tried but he kept right on going. ‘Not very friendly’, I said to Sue. But the majesty of the Soulor beckoned and I soon forgot him. Up, up, up we went. But every breather break was rewarded with views. Behind us the Col d’Aubisque, it’s yellow-walled hotel tiny at the … Continue reading Top Dog.
Doing A Boucle.
Every day we did one. The extraordinary ordinary Jim called it. It was low-key and lovely. First we drove out to the starting point in Le Wally. A little grey Renault. Single track roads. Almost no traffic. ‘It could not get more French’, said Jim. A very new driver, I gritted my teeth, gripped Wally’s wheel, and preyed I would meet nothing coming the other … Continue reading Doing A Boucle.
Cassoulet, not Cathars.
It rained for a lot of the month we stayed near Castelnaudary. It was too wet for Cathar castles, but luckily the weather never interferes with foodie plans. We were in cassoulet country. Even being mostly vegetarian couldn’t stop me. I was on a quest to find the bestest bean-and-meat-laden stew in the region of Castelnaudary – one of the towns that claim to be … Continue reading Cassoulet, not Cathars.
Incense.
Sitting atop a karst mountain, looking down on the limestone peaks and boats bobbing along the Ngo Dong River – a huge expansive view, a view to drown in, – my gaze was drawn down to the girl sitting quietly next to me, painting a jar of incense at the foot of the Quan Am. A narrowing. Honing in like ants on a sticky trail. … Continue reading Incense.
Zen and Zzzz’s in Vietnam.
Hanoi, Vietnam March 2020. The Vietnamese are masters at the art of catching Zzz’s. Oh to be able to sleep like that, draped over a motorbike, perched on a chair, sitting behind a stall. Jokingly they say they can sleep anywhere. These pictures seem to prove it! Continue reading Zen and Zzzz’s in Vietnam.
Food Stories 3. Danang – Foodie Heaven.
Danang, Vietnam, January 2020. Food is very important to the Vietnamese. They eat a lot. And when they’re not eating they’re thinking about eating. ‘I eat out twice a day’, Anh told us. Nearly all Vietnamese eat breakfast on the street. ‘We get up very early, we’re not really awake and no-one has time to make noodles for breakfast’. Any morning, any place in Vietnam, … Continue reading Food Stories 3. Danang – Foodie Heaven.
Son My.
Quang Ngai, January 2020. Jim wanted to go. I was only six when it happened. Son My had no place in my consciousness. Jim was eighteen. ‘I was angry at the Americans, angry about the war. I can’t be so close and not go’, he told me. So I went – because he wanted to, and maybe to learn something. We hired bikes and cycled. … Continue reading Son My.
The Charm of Being in a Place Where There is Nothing To Do.
Quy Nohn, Vietnam, January 2020. We went to Quy Nohn only because we were trying to get to Kum Tum. We knew nothing about it. And sometimes that’s the best place to start from. No expectations. No musts. Just endless possibilities. We drank iced coffees and sugar cane juice at a beachside cafe, sitting under fluttering blue umbrellas, watching food vendors touting their wares to … Continue reading The Charm of Being in a Place Where There is Nothing To Do.
Village Life. Visiting the Jarai and Bahnar People.
Kon Tum, South-West Highlands, Vietnam. January 2020. The cow burned on a fire. Black and bloated. A shirtless lad poked it with a tree branch while an old man occasionally flecked water over it’s rigid body. Plumes of smoke created a heat haze and masked their somewhat macabre business. Other men squatted on their haunches and rocked back on their heels, smoking cigarettes and barbecuing … Continue reading Village Life. Visiting the Jarai and Bahnar People.
Corona Stories: Alison.
Every person has a different Corona story to tell. I talked to some of them to gain some understanding. To imagine myself in someone else’s shoes. Maybe you’d like to imagine yourself in their shoes too. ‘Not a single one of us signed up for this. It is what it is. We’ve got to make the best of it’. Alison and her fourteen-year-old son, … Continue reading Corona Stories: Alison.
Wondering Woman 