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    Wicked Wikipedia

    Personal Publishing Reviews Social Issues
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    Y'all know Wikipedia, dontcha? That wonderful bastion of philanthropy, the so-called ‘free’ encyclopaedia staffed by selfless sharers of essential information—one of the world’s ten most popular websites, written by the people, for the people?
     
    Well, I got news for you—Wikipedia is wicked, and I don’t mean that in a ‘so bad it’s good’ way. I mean wicked, as in nasty, calculating and, worst of all, corrupt.
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    If you can't beat them,...

    Personal Photography Publishing Vietnam
    I’m sure I’m not the only photographer who has watched with dismay as online stock photo (or microstock) libraries have mushroomed over recent years. Why dismay? Well, I used to sell my travel stories to clients as a package of words and images, of which the images would often be worth half or more of the fee. Yet since these image libraries have expanded to cover every destination and topic under the sun, and since their images are available for use at US$1 or less, most publications I work for now want me to provide text only, which means I’ve lost about half my previous income.
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    Cruising the Red River Delta

    Photography Publishing Vietnam Writing
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    Watching the view unfold from a sun lounger

    Usually when I travel, I’m updating a guidebook, so I’m rushing around from dawn to late, checking hotels and restaurants for inclusion in the next edition of the guide. But a few weeks ago I lucked out, spending ten days on a Pandaw cruise around Ha Long Bay and the Red River Delta in Vietnam in order to write and photograph a story about it for the company’s magazine, as it was a new route that they wanted to publicise.
     
    Loved it! Sprawled on a sun lounger, taking in the endless change of view, from towering karst outcrops to container cranes, brick kilns, fields of rice and passion fruit, locals waving from the riverbank. Wandering around small villages, watching water puppet shows, seeing conical hats made, listening to traditional songs sung by teenagers. Writing a few notes about the experience and getting to know my fellow passengers, gorging on gourmet food three times a day. Following are a few images from the trip.
     
    If you want to read the full story, take a Pandaw cruise and read it in the Pandaw Magazine while aboard, or sign up as a subscriber on their website—www.pandaw.com.

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    The way up

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    Red River abstract

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    Making conical hats

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    Enjoying a glass of bia hoi

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    Container crane in Haiphong port

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    Youngsters watching the boat from the riverbank

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    View from the wheelhouse

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    Clouds over the Red River

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    Girls in ao dai at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

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    Ron testing the local hooch

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    Upturned eaves at Tay Phuong Pagoda

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    Graduates throwing caps at the Temple of Literature

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    What's New in North Vietnam 2014

    Publishing Social Issues Vietnam Writing
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    Schoolkids riding through the Ho Citadel



    Having suffered perhaps more than any other nation in the 20th century, Vietnam is making up for lost time in the 21st century. The economy is growing fast, communications (especially roads) are improving everywhere, new hotels are being built and tourists are arriving in ever increasing numbers. 

    Though few of the following places are 'new' as such, they are all either new to the Rough Guide for the next edition (2015), which I've just spent several months updating, or have been subject to change recently, such as the restoration work at My Son, a temple complex of the Cham people near Hoi An and Da Nang.
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    Restoration work at G Group, My Son

    Restoration at My Son
    The My Son complex of Cham temples located in a lush valley around 40km from Hoi An is one of Vietnam's World Heritage sites and brings a steady stream of visitors every day to view the ruins of a once-powerful civilization. However, many of the ruins were in such a decrepit state that they gave little idea of how the site once was. Now a sensitive restoration project by UNESCO has brought back to life Group G of these temples, and ongoing work is transforming the ruins of Group E, which dates back to the 8th century.
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    An Ambition Realized

    Publishing Vietnam
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    Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark






    Like most writers and photographers, I have always seen National Geographic as the pinnacle of excellence for travel writing and images, so have often dreamed of seeing my work in their hallowed publications. A few years ago, out of the blue, I got that opportunity when they asked me to update the National Geographic Traveler Guide to Vietnam. And while that made me feel proud, I still longed to see an image of mine in a Nat Geo publication as well.

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    Google kills Frommer's kills me

    Publishing Writing

    The life of a guidebook writer can be full of surprises, such as world-famous clients suddenly disappearing overnight.

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    I was just about to go out for a Friday evening meal with a few friends, to enjoy a few beers and some witty conversation, then thought that before I left home I should check my email to keep my inbox clear for the weekend.

    Big mistake.