Tim Richards
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timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Tim Richards
@timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
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Travel writer living and working on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia. Rail travel […]

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Breakfast noodles aboard the Mekong Serenity! Delicious.

#cambodia #cruise cc @LifeTimeCooking
Bowl of noodles with chillies, lime and sauces on the side.
November 16, 2025 at 12:32 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Durian ice cream, anyone?

#cambodia #food
Yellow ice cream in a glass bowl.
November 15, 2025 at 1:28 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Turns out breakfast is half an hour later this morning, so I'm killing time on the pool deck. We're moored next to the silk-weaving village we visited yesterday. Nice morning on the Mekong, cool breeze.

#cambodia #cruise
Buddhist stupa and other structures seen from the deck.
November 15, 2025 at 12:12 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
For #fensterfreitag - here's the facade of Royal Casa Furniture in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (snapped while passing by in a bus):

#cambodia #phnompenh
Facade of commercial building with tall green windows.
November 14, 2025 at 6:33 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Phnom Penh looks very vertical on the left bank of the river.

#phnompenh #cambodia #river
Tall modern buildings along the riverside.
November 14, 2025 at 5:24 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
As we're in Phnom Penh now, the boat's chef are laying on a full Cambodian dinner. Entertainingly, for each meal they put a full demo of the dishes (real food, not plastic) on a table outside the dining room.

Here's a pic of some dishes and the menu - what would you choose?

#cambodia #food
Cambodian dishes on a table. Menu of Cambodian dishes.
November 13, 2025 at 12:28 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Woke up to find us docking at Phnom Penh. New city!

#cambodia
Docks and city buildings.
November 13, 2025 at 12:16 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
About to cross the Vietnam-Cambodia border aboard the Mekong Serenity. Could tell we're nearing the border as the number of anchored barges has increased. I think this will be the first I've crossed an international border on a riverboat.

#vietnam #cambodia
November 12, 2025 at 7:05 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
What do we think of infused hibiscus water?
Three breakfast beverages, including infused hibiscus water.
November 12, 2025 at 12:24 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Today in beginner's Vietnamese, we are covering basic condiments:

#vietnam #breakfast
Salt and pepper shakers marked Muôi (Salt) and Tiêu (Pepper). #Vietnam
November 11, 2025 at 1:00 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Good morning (from) Vietnam! I'm starting to see the benefit of being on an Australian-owned ship - eg they know how to make a long black.

(Also there's rumoured to be Vegemite on board, but we'll say no more of that.)

#vietnam #mekong #coffee
Cup of coffee against a backdrop of the Mekong River.
November 11, 2025 at 12:28 AM
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We've started chugging along the Mekong River aboard the Mekong Serenity. Interesting tropical sunset sky out there.

#vietnam #mekong #cruise #travel
Sky of differing pale blue shades, above a tropical riverbank and the river itself.
November 10, 2025 at 9:10 AM
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I've just bought a book about the Mekong to read while on a river cruise upon the Mekong. This seems apt.

#vietnam #cambodia #cruise
Cover of the book 'Mad about the Mekong'.
November 10, 2025 at 3:55 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Banh mi for breakfast at the Park Hyatt Saigon. They didn't hold back on the coriander! One approves.

#vietnam #saigon #food #breakfast
Chicken banh mi on a white plate, with lots of coriander sticking out.
November 9, 2025 at 11:55 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) after some flight delays. There's an interesting citrus fruit in my hotel room:

#vietnam #saigon #food
Fruit with a dark green skin and orange flesh.
November 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
There's a branch of Axil at Melbourne Airport now! Nice.
Cup of coffee with explanatory card detailing its Colombian origin.
November 8, 2025 at 8:40 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
I quite like the colour of the carpet here in the Boccata bar in the lobby of the Novotel/Ibis at MEL. Is it green or is it blue?

#melbourne #hotel #colour
Attractive carpet between a bar and armchairs.
November 8, 2025 at 7:00 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
A reminder about my Travel narrative book about Poland's communist-era relics: The Kick of Stalin's Cow. I wandered around Poland digging up the past, talking to Poles who remembered the era and visiting some wild architecture.

You can buy it as a paperback or […]

[Original post on aus.social]
Cover of The Kick of Stalin's Cow, featuring a lopsided statue of Lenin.
November 8, 2025 at 6:45 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Off to Melbourne Airport, staying the night there before my flights to Vietnam tomorrow. Typical that I should have to tackle a a cold wet day when I'm on my way to hot places.
Interior of Melbourne tram.
November 8, 2025 at 12:46 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
For #fensterfreitag - windows in the old and new sections of the historic General Post Office building (now home to an H&M outlet) in Melbourne, Australia.

#melbourne
Modern glass structure which intersects with a neoclassical building.
November 7, 2025 at 1:28 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
Unusual flag I saw flying outside a Fitzroy primary school yesterday. I know what it is, but you have a guess! (The Southern Cross should give a clue.)

#flag #melbourne
November 7, 2025 at 1:24 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
At Black Cat, Fitzroy.

#melbourne
Colourful walls bearing art and a ceiling fan.
November 6, 2025 at 2:32 AM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
New frond opening on our Kentia palm. Tough plant, we've had this one for 22 years and it's thrived on benign neglect.
Frond opening in front of a window with a city view.
November 5, 2025 at 9:23 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
I see the Aussie use of the word 'thong' is still alive and kicking.
Melbourne tram wrapped with an ad for thongs (flip-flops).
November 5, 2025 at 9:18 PM
timrichards.aus.social.ap.brid.gy
The lift lobby at 385 Bourke Street has these funky animated designs moving along its ceiling. Impressive what can be done with screen technology nowadays.

#art #melbourne
November 5, 2025 at 2:25 AM