Vignettes of the World
My Travel Journal
Being an island, Phu Quoc’s economy was heavily dependent on fishing before the people realized that the pristine waters by the creamy beaches bore enormous potential for tourism. Besides fishing, Phu Quoc was known for agriculture and pearl culture as well. I managed to visit …
One of the most looked-forward to tour in this trip was Island Hopping in the southern waters of Phu Quoc. From the scenery to the activities to the food, this one-day shuttling between the open sea and beautiful islets served every purpose for which I …
One cannot understand the human face of the Outback without a fair appreciation of the state of affairs concerning the Aboriginals in Australia. In this last entry on the Outback, I attempt to provide a brief overview of the historical issues that have direct bearings …
I always think that the ocean bears enormous powers of healing. I would be coming to the Khem Beach many times during this trip. In my first evening in Phu Quoc, I took a walk and arrived at Khem Beach a little before dusk hour. …
The Coconut Tree Prison is the most unhappy place in Phu Quoc, and that is an understatement. It stands testament to the ubiquity of political division that haunted the nation during much of the 20th century. In the Coconut Tree Prison, this political division manifested …
I stepped out of the airplane and could smell the ocean already. It is properly “winter” time even for this part of the world. The humidity greeted me all the same, in a somewhat tamed tropical heat. I hoped for some really sunny days on …
Phu Quoc, meaning “prosperous land” in Vietnamese, is an island that lies south of Cambodia and west of Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand. Known as the “Pearl Island,” this largest island of Vietnam is blessed with pristine waters and long stretches of beautiful white …
Australia’s Aboriginal art features distinctive and unique elements that are full of unspoken meanings. They convey the contemporary reinterpretations of the native worldview. I visited an art gallery, Yubu Napa, in Alice Springs. This gallery features all kinds of Aboriginal themed handicrafts, besides the display …
There are half-day tours that take you around the historical, cultural and natural sites in Alice Springs. I opted to keep things simple after three days of intense tours in the Outback. In the morning of my day of departure, I walked from my hotel …
In the beginning, Alice Springs (Mparntwe in Eastern Arrernte) was home to the Arrernte Aboriginals for 20,000 years, long before the arrival of the European settlers during the 1860s. The Arrernte Aboriginals hunted and gathered food in this area. The Lhere Mparntwe (Todd River) determined …