Proof of Life

It’s been a while, I know.

Two years, in fact.

In my defence, I had a lot on my plate!

Through a quirk of fate and connections, in September 2017 I snagged the best job in Ho Chi Minh City – managing editor of AsiaLIFE Magazine, a glossy expat lifestyle magazine.

Not only was it a dream job, it was a part-time work-from-home set-up, so I had time to continue working on our food tour business, spend time with the kids and manage an unfortunate bout of dengue.

I got to review the city’s best bars and restaurants, meet movers and shakers (including Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler), artists, chefs and dog-rescuers, and investigate wonderfully quirky topics, like Saigon’s Harley Davison sub-culture, the home-grown acupressure treatment known as Dien Chan, how expats can adopt in Vietnam, and the city’s (animal) wildlife.

I also stayed at some of Vietnam’s most luxurious resorts, including Azerai in the Mekong Delta and Banyan Tree Lang Co in Central Vietnam.

It was a wild ride, but it came to an abrupt halt late last year, when the print edition of the magazine ceased production.

While dealing with the loss of my fabulous magazine job, I was dealt another, completely devastating, blow. My dear friend, calligraphy master Minh Hoang, died from antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, aged just 33.

It’s taken some time to pick myself up again.

But now I’m back. From outer space, if you like. And I’ll be blogging regularly again, because we have some new adventures lined up.

By: Barbara

A career girl who dropped out, traveled, found love, and never got around to going home again. Now wrangling a cross-cultural relationship and two third culture kids.