Monthly Archives: March 2012

All that Jazz ~ Thredbo Jazz Festival, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW

It doesn’t matter what continent you are on: there is something about mountain air that sharpens the senses. Colours are brighter, the air is cleaner, sounds are clearer… I know my spirits rise. Add to that: sunshine, a crisp Australian sparkling white wine, and some spirited jazz musicians, and you have an unbeatable experience. Last…

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A Day on the Mekong River ~ Luang Prabang, Laos

“The mosquitos are our friends.” These were the words of Beatrix, our pranayama (breathing exercise) teacher as we sat in a small, hot, darkening room in Nong Khai, Northern Thailand. Her voice embodied calm, as only a yogini’s can, as it floated through the buzzing, humming, mosquito-filled evening. These words spun around my head as I sat…

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Watching Water: Twofold Bay, Eden, NSW

It is off-season here in Eden. The days are very quiet, and the evenings are even quieter. The kids are back at school and the humpback whales are feeding in Antarctica. The local caravan parks are almost empty of visitors and it’s easy to get a parking space on main street or an outside table…

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Food for the Soul ~ Alms Rounds, Luang Prabang, Laos

I received a postcard from friends this week: a picture of women in Laos on their knees giving alms to the monks. It reminded me how much I love Laos: the songs, dances and smiles of the people, the brilliant hand-woven fabrics, the colourful markets, the ethnic villages, the beautiful countryside… I’m less fond of the border…

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Three Markets ~ Three Countries: Shopping in the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Myanmar, Laos: Golden Triangle Part 2)

“By the way, you DO have your passports with you, don’t you?” our guide asked (in Thai) after the van we were in had pulled away from our hotel. At least, that is what I finally figured out she had said – by which time we were already five or ten minutes down the highway. Negotiating…

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