...and here I am a short while ago sitting out front of Nguyen Hien eating rice with fish and egg, sweat running down the centre of my back, and this old gentleman comes up to sell me lottery tickets. Not a bead of perspiration appearing on his face and he’s wearing a jacket with a […]
I have just re-read what I wrote about Dr. Laurie just after he passed away and it made me realise that since I’ve been back in Sai Gon there has been an expectation in the back of my mind that my mobile would ring and there would be Laurie inviting me to come and drink […]
...make the effort and start carrying my small camera with me wherever I go again!! Sai Gon is one big photographic opportunity!!
being back in Sai Gon is all that I expected it would be. this time I decided to be take a very pragmatic approach to how I dealt with things here because last year when I came back I have to admit that my emotions got the better of me to the point where I […]
I have begun a new album on my Picasaweb site which you can access from here
The old lady in this picture sleeps in this spot every night right next my favourite Bun Mam eatery in an alley off Vo Van Tan St in HCMC. In fact, I took this image from where I sat eating. She would usually sit and smoke a cigarette before turning in for the night and […]
Sadly, Dr. Laurie passed away at 5.25 pm yesterday in Royal Brisbane Hospital. He had been ill for a long time and when I spoke with his wife yesterday afternoon he was in a coma, but his family were all there with him. Laurie was our doctor in Sai Gon and became our good mate. […]
Over at Tha Loi, my mate Jaap is building a robotic vehicle from the ground up. Can’t wait to play with it when I’m back in Sai Gon
Ha Noi is a remarkable city in which to capture images. This marvellous example of Ha Noi art deco architecture on Ly Thuong Kiet St. was built in 1936 for Dr. Vu Ngoc Huynh Buy a new blouse and select meat for the evening family meal in one easy visit Look up, your destiny awaits […]
Boat building on the beach at Da Nang is still done the traditional way. These photos were taken a couple of weeks after typhoon Xangsane hit the central coast of Viet Nam, and this fishing village on the foreshore bore the brunt of the storm’s ferocity. A new boat under construction Meanwhile, an older boat […]
I came across this video clip on the blog belonging to Vo, Thi Minh An. It is gut wrenching, to say the least, and it brought a lump to my throat. It reminds me of the times I spent with children like this at the Hoa Binh village in the grounds of Tu Du hospital […]
No matter how remote the region, wherever you travel in Viet Nam it pays to take along a survival pack like this one. Even if you don’t smoke the local ciggies make excellent payment for motorbike repairs and other things. The Vodka Ha Noi, well I never leave home without it. (Tip: the small bottles […]
Ah, this is great although i agree with the comments that an all male nude beach is not all that appealing, to me at any rate find video here
I don’t have a shame file on royby.com, but if I did this article would be in it. For some strange reason I have always been under the impression that the reason overseas companies move to developing countries to manufacture their goods was because the labour is cheap (sorry to put it so indelicately). If […]
It seemed strange to see this USAF jet freighter sitting on the tarmac at Noi Bai International Airport near Ha Noi yesterday. The guess is that it has something to do with the APEC summit and the imminent visit of George W.
Now that I look back at my previous posting I feel ashamed that I felt I had any cause to complain about anything because I don’t have to look very far in this country to realise just how blessed I am. ——————- Last night I slept in an air-conditioned room in a huge bed with […]
I have never particularly enjoyed staying in resort type accommodation, I happily admit to that in advance, and in Viet Nam I much prefer to stay at locally owned and operated guest-houses or “Nga Nghi” where the usual tariff is around 100,000 VND per night for a room with clean linen, a/c, your own bathroom […]
...and use it when taking a motorbike ride in the Mekong Delta during the wet season. During a recent ride from HCMC to Ben Tre we were stuck in the open in fierce tropical downpour and I forgot that I had my passport in the side pocket of my cargo pants. When we checked in […]
