Phnom Penh, the Pulsating Capital of Cambodia

Phnom Penh, the Pulsating Capital of Cambodia. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

I had few expectations about Phnom Penh before we went to Cambodia’s capital to do a story for a travel magazine. I think that’s why I liked the city so much. The images in my mind – of wide boulevards and ramshackle, French colonial-style buildings, dappled with mildew, and skirted by big verandas – were … Read more

Ho Chi Minh City, the City Still Known As Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Perhaps for the same nostalgic reasons that Mumbai’s locals prefer to call their city Bombay, Ho Chi Minh City, as it was renamed in 1975 after the fall of Saigon, is, we quickly discovered, still fondly referred to as Saigon by the locals. We don’t care what it’s called – we loved it. Although I’m not … Read more

Meeting the Mask Makers of Dan Sai, Isaan, Thailand

Exploring the Isaan: the Mask Makers of Dan Sai, Thailand. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Located in a lovely valley amid gently undulating hills, Dan Sai, in the Loie Province of Thailand’s Isaan region, is a town of dilapidated wooden houses that is famous for Phi Ta Kon, a boisterous three-day rainmaking festival, also known as the Ghost Festival, which coincides with a grand merit-making event known as Boon Luang. At … Read more

Our Home Away from Home in Dan Sai, Isaan, Thailand

Our Home Away from Home in Dan Sai, Isaan, Thailand. PhuNaCome, Isaan, Thailand. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Just outside of Dan Sai, a diminutive town in the northwest of Thailand’s Isaan region, we stayed at PhuNaCome, a beautiful boutique resort set amid lush rolling hills typical of the countryside of the Loie province. Boasting traditional Isaan-style accommodation overlooking a small lake, and promising hands-on experiences, including mask-making and farming activities, it’s our … Read more