Without doubt Vietnam has some of the world’s tastiest cuisine. Intrepid’s Jacqueline Donaldson discovered that eating and preparing everything from sweet pastries to steaming bowls of pho is intrinsic to the Vietnamese way of life, just as trying new things is an essential ingredient for a full-flavoured adventure…
“On the last night of our Spirit of Vietnam Southbound trip, our tour leader Phuong took us all to a wonderful restaurant about 10 minutes by cyclo from our hotel. Having eaten spectacular food in all of our Vietnam stops, Phuong promised that our final dinner in Vietnam would be an experience we wouldn’t forget.
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What is Australia’s national dish?
Italy is synonymous with pizza, Spain is famous for its paella and Thailand has its spicy tom yum. Could Australia’s claim to culinary fame be the salty black sticky spread we know as Vegemite, or is it the sweet lamington, a cube of cake covered in chocolate icing and coconut? Intrepid’s John Kirk goes in search of the favourite ‘fair dinkum Aussie tucker’…
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Renowned for its majestic mountain beauty, the remote north Indian region of Ladakh is also famous for its auspicious Hemis Festival. Held each year in late June or early July, the monastic festival entertainment includes masked dancers and much celebration, as Express reader Lauren Matthews discovered when she visited the ‘land of high passes’…
“The first night we were in Hemis for the festival we heard faint music coming from a tent on the other side of the river, so a couple of us decided to check it out. We followed the tunes to a tent where we found several locals dancing around a table to Ladakhi grooves as well as some Bollywood classics, including “It’s the time to disco”, a song that continues to ring in my ears to this day.
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How do they do it? Spinning an entire crockery set on a stick, trick cycling and balancing on flimsy ropes or tossing huge porcelain pots around like basketballs. Chinese acrobats always entertain with their amazing skills, but don’t feel too disheartened if they leave you questioning your own coordination, as they have been practicing since the 3rd century BC when it started with juggling daggers!
Intrepid’s Rachel Wasser loves joining her groups in China for a night of acrobatic entertainment and knows you’ll see nothing like it at home…
“A visit to the Beijing Acrobats is an experience that enhances any China tour. It’s a part of Chinese culture that you have heard about for years, or maybe even witnessed somewhere else, but viewing it from the audience in Beijing is something else entirely. Watching the kids balance on sticks in their mouths and spin discs on every limb is incredible. The climbing and jumping and spinning are all just dazzling!
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