Sacred Dancers of Angkor in Siem Reap – The Authentic Apsara Dance Show

The Authentic Apsara Dance Show. The Sacred Dancers of Angkor. Siem Reap, Cambodia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

An apsara dance show is a priority for most visitors to Cambodia’s Siem Reap. The Sacred Dancers of Angkor, the original apsara dance performance, offers a more authentic experience in the form of an incredibly enchanting performance, as well as the chance to support the preservation of this ancient art form. A precursor to the entertaining spectacle that is … Read more

Dreaming of Dancing Boats, a Sunset Timelapse in Hoi An

Time-lapse video of Hoi An, Vietnam. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

I know we’ve told you before, but we really love Hoi An on Vietnam‘s central coast. And now we’re dreaming of dancing boats after I put together this sunset timelapse in Hoi An that I shot when we were living there last year for three months.

Hoi An is often dismissed as merely a tourist town by people who pass through quickly, only spending a few days. However, when you live in a place for a few months or more, you get to scratch beneath the surface, peeling back a place’s many layers, and discovering different sides of those cities and towns.

That’s what happened in Hoi An – we’re not just smitten with the jaw-dropping beauty of the town. As a result, Hoi An is our most favourite little town in Vietnam, if not Southeast Asia.

As a photographer, the joy experienced hitting the Hoi An streets every morning and afternoon to make photographs is just irresistible. I was addicted and found myself doing it again and again each day.

My favourite time to photograph there (like most places) was the late afternoon – the magic hour – and on a good day the light was so luminous it was breathtaking. I couldn’t help but try to make a sunset time-lapse in Hoi An.

We have a lot of stories and images on Hoi An that haven’t been published here on Grantourismo as we need to wait until our commissions appear in print. You can expect to see a couple of stories on the cuisine of Hoi An in Feast magazine and The Guardian newspaper soon, we hope. Once they’re out, we’ll be able to share more stories with you here, and hopefully have a chance to post some articles very soon.

In the meantime, enjoy what I saw every afternoon for three months here – no wonder we never wanted to leave!

Fancy doing a Grantourismo style tour of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam? Subscribe to the new monthly Grantourismo newsletter for the chance to win a Backyard Travel Insiders Saigon: Cuisine Architecture and the Arts Tour.

Vietnam Visa on Arrival

Travelling to Vietnam? Click through to arrange your Vietnam Visa on Arrival through our Visa Partner, the most respected Vietnam Visa agent. Visa approval letters take just 2 business days, although urgent visas can be arranged in as little as 4 working hours and up to 1 working day. More visa information here.

Eat Learn Love Cambodia – Culinary Travel Writing Tour

Eat Learn Love Cambodia – Culinary Travel Writing Tour. Monks eating lunch, Battambang, Cambodia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

How would you like to come and eat, learn and travel with us, and fall in love with Cambodia, on a culinary travel writing tour in May? We’d love you to come visit! Over eight days and nights in May 2015, in partnership with Asia-based Backyard Travel, we’re offering EAT LEARN LOVE CAMBODIA, a culinary travel writing … Read more

Spiritual Travel – Transcendental Experiences in Cambodia

Spiritual Travel – Transcendental Experiences in Cambodia. Monks collect alms, Battambang, Cambodia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

You don’t have to be religious to undertake spiritual travel and seek out transcendental experiences. Here are some ideas for travellers seeking enlightenment in Cambodia, the predominantly Buddhist country that is home to stupendous Angkor Wat. Spiritual Travel – Transcendental Experiences in Cambodia Sunrise at the largest religious structure in the world There is something uplifting … Read more