Tagged: single mom

Up with the Larks

So we’ve arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos, and, as ever, I’m still trying to work out whether the benefits of night buses — saves a...

Bang Bang, Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng, Laos. Sullied paradise. Stoner playground. Backpacker hell. Apparently not the ideal destination to explore with child in tow, silkscreen landscape, gorgeous river and...

Lao Saunas

Lao Saunas

Laos wouldn’t seem the most obvious place for a sauna, particularly not in the lowlands, during dry season, but after a pedicure from doctor fish...

On Eating Insects

On Eating Insects

So Z and I have eaten our first round of insects on this journey — in Vientiane, Laos. Baby crickets, deep-fried to a quite delectable...

Age-Appropriate Reading (Again)

Z is scrutinising Lonely Planet South-East Asia with an expression I can only describe as panic. “Mum,” he says. “I really don’t think it’s a...

Dinosaur Bones

So today we got to hold real dinosaur bones! And get a sneak preview of some very large, very impressive, and as yet unidentified skeletal...

In Praise of Crap Towns

In Praise of Crap Towns

Here we are, in Savannakhet, Laos, the third-largest city in the People’s Republic, as all 120,000 inhabitants would, I’m sure, be pleased to tell you,...

Anyone the Wiser?

I have seen some unusual bathroom set-ups in my time. But this, on the Vietnam-Laos border at Lao Bao, has me completely stumped. The ladies...

Age Appropriate Reading

The creator of the immortal line “The bitches mortared the piss hole and it didn’t blow up!” has, this evening, completed his reading of Chickenhawk,...