Travel

Before we disembarked for China there was an incident which typified cruise life. I bumped into Dorking Man in the lounge where we were requested to convene. We arrived that early that we were the only two in the lounge but we were on different tours. We started to chat only to be informed that [...]

We are now leaving Vietnam for China. The country has made a strong and favourable impression on me. It is a fascinating fusion of state one-party capitalism and budding capitalism. Even in our short stay we encountered a young boy no more than 15 running between coach drop-offs trying to sell his [...]

There are certain occasions when cruising and boat travel comes into their own and yesterday was one. In planning my trip a friend advised that I should not miss Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site and he was right. My day started with my customary brush with authority. As I made my way to the [...]

When I take my morning constitutional on deck 9 I always see a hulking man in his sixties, an American with a thick Brooklyn accent, with a slim girl who must be half his age. They were on the tour of Ho Samui and at a poolside disco when he, rather the worse for wear, danced in an uncoordinated [...]

John Betjeman in his poem the Village Inn penned these lines: “and village bores more sure to roam To  village inns than stay at home“ You could substitute cruise ships for village inns for you are at sea at the mercy of the floating bore. Our next port of call is Ho Chi Minh city, [...]

Visiting a place by ship has distinct advantages over other transport. No baggage to carry and the cruise ship has simplified immigration procedures so you only need their key card, no passport.  Yesterday I returned to Thailand for the third time in 3 weeks to visit the picturesque island of Koh [...]