October 2026

The Locals call the Capital City “UB” for short. Even they have trouble using the full name all the time! Before I came to Mongolia I had trouble remembering the name of the capital and even pronouncing it. Now I still have trouble with the spelling. There are so many “a”s.

I would not describe UB as a beautiful capital city. In fact it is reminiscent of a Soviet bloc city with lots of traffic jams. I was surprised how many cars there were. Even though they drive on the right hand side of the road, a lot of cars were Right hand drive like NZ and Japan. This was because Japanese imports were cheaper and more reliable than their Russian counter parts.

The Mongolians themselves were beautiful people. They were warm, friendly and very helpful. Our guide Michelle was probably the best guide we have had with all our journeys. She was western educated with a University degree obtained in USA and she was vey down to earth. A real person. She communicated with the drivers and tour hosts very well and they returned the favour by being very helpful and considerate. The whole tour group got on so well it felt like an extended family. Michelle is starting her own specialised tour company, so if you intend to travel to Mongolia here are her details: [email protected] or IntheGo travel LLC on facebook.

14 August 2026

We went to Mu Cang Chai (MCC) early June 2026. Mu Cang Chai is a small rural district in North Western Vietnam. It is 300 km from Hanoi and closer to the tourist town of Sapa. It is famous for the rice terraces and well known to local Vietnamese tourists but not to foreign tourists. In fact during our 6 day visit we encountered less than a handful of foreign tourists. because we chose to visit in the Wet season. There were few Vietnamese tourists as well. This was quite a contrast to when we visited the rice terraces in Yunan China where it felt like we were in a middle of a music event! And that was the plan, just me, wife, driver and guide free to explore the beautiful land and meet the locals.

The Photostudies

Gallery One

Gallery Two

Visiting the rural parts of Vietnam reminded me of our visits to Myanmar. The people were very friendly and welcoming. We felt very safe and the food was fresh and clean. One of the guesthouses we stayed at was right opposite the Muong Hum Sunday market. This is where the minority people shop. It is so nice to visit the “real Vietnam” as opposed to a touristic commercial view. We were so priviledged to have this experience. From a photographers point of view they didn’t mind having thier photographs taken, contrary to Morocco…….