I realize now that Vietnam (and Asia, for that matter) is a beast I’ve yet to understand. It’s been a roller coaster like I’ve never experienced.

Next week I’ll be going to Japan. Believe it or not, I hope to get a little rest there and get my thoughts in order. I’ll also try to recapture your hearts after I get back to Vietnam.

I’ve been planning to do this for a while now. But I’ve also been planning on finally finishing and fixing the current “new” in my All Stars theme, which still needs to be attributed correctly to the sources of inspiration. I also want to finish the about page. But none of this happened before I left Holland. In any case, removing ads was an easy change. I hope to finally address some of the other points this week.

Why remove ads? I didn’t think they brought in enough money to be worth the screen real estate that they were taking up. in my All Stars is a small blog. On good days I get about 500 visitors. The best I’ve seen is 2000. Normally it’s around 350. This kind of traffic does not result in a decent profit. And so, as you can see, AdSense will have to wait till those figures improve.

As of today, until further notice, I make no money off of my online activities.

One thing that baffles me every time are the children here in Vietnam. They’re fantastic little critters. They’re full of cheer and very smart. And easy to photograph. Easy because they like it and they’re hella photogenic. And they are everywhere. More than 50% of Vietnam’s population is under 25.

So this is ideal for an easy welcome-back series. Here you are. Eight of my favorite children photos of the last month here in this beautiful country. Let me know what you think. And thanks for sticking around.

I landed just before 6 o’clock in the morning, local time. Qatar Airways was fantastic. We were transported by bus to the main terminal, and so I just a few breaths of genuine Qatar air. And even before 6 in the morning, this stuff is hot. Another something that had slipped my general understanding is that Doha lies on the edge of a desert. Not like those in California. I mean a real desert like those in the Nights of Arabia.

It’s also the first airport where I’ve witnessed Islam being practiced in very visible, open rooms along the sides of the main terminal. Great views of the surrounding areas. And it has free Wi-Fi. But the bathrooms are disgusting.

Question to Mr Oil Sheik: If you make such a great airline, beutiful cities, and free Wi-Fi, why can’t you go that extra step to profide decent bathrooms?

In any case, I’m hoping to compile a short little presentation of my experiences flying the Amsterdam-Doha-Ho Chi Minh City route. Next stop: Vietnam!

We’re on a roll with the interview series! Backpackers.com has been through a lot of changes, and more recently became a dedicated blog focused on events and destinations. One thing I find interesting is that they managed to get a blog on such a “high-level” domain name. It goes to show how long Pia Taylor, editor of Backpackers.com, been in the game. This is one thing we discuss in this edition of From the Travesphere.

I must say that I find the feel of Backpackers.com somewhere between something corporate and bloggy. For instance, it lacks an about page yet does have a privacy policy, but indeed has the writing style of a true and tested blog. In any case, I don’t do interviews with Travesphere bloggers I don’t admire, so I say check out the site and subscribe to the feed. It’s a gem.

Let’s first start with some questions about Pia, the traveler. When did you first become interested in traveling?

I’ve loved travelling since I was a little girl. My dad is a musician and in those early days was doing gigs around the country (South Africa) as well as neighbouring countries like Namibia and Zimbabwe. We’d often tag along (my younger brother and I), and so I got to see some beautiful places. That, and visiting my relatives in England and Denmark a number of times sparked a love of new places, sights and sounds that has never left me.

What do you enjoy most about traveling?

The independence of having everything you need in one backpack and the freedom to explore new places on a whim.

What are a few of your favorite places you’ve traveled through?

Thailand is probably my favourite so far. The people are so friendly, the scenery so breathtaking, and the food I can not get enough of. I’d go back in a flash. Malawi was also fantastic. Hot summer days spent splashing about in Lake Malawi, having lunch at the local villages, snorkelling among tropical fish. Heavenly.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

So many places. Right now I’d love to visit Japan; their food, their culture, their architecture all appeals immensely.

Do you have any favorite travel equipment you would recommend?

Quick-dry towel, quick-dry clothing, a moneybelt to stash your cash and a Pacsafe to tie around your backpack when you’re sleeping.

Do you have an essential Pia’s tip?

When you’re on the road, stop and smell the proverbial roses. Racing around from sight to sight just makes you one more tourist visiting one more stop. Sit down, breathe deep, and take it all in.

I agree entirely. This is something I’ve discussed before. In any case, let’s talk about your blog. What inspired you to start travel blogging?

Travellers on the move generally don’t have time to wade through pages and pages of waffle. They want ‘bite-sized’ chunks that they can absorb during their brief stop at an internet cafe. Enter the travel blog format: perfect for highlighting travel news, interesting articles, freebies - stuff we’re interested in, and imagine they would be too. So we decided to shelve our previous format - a global travel directory - and start blogging.

What would you say your blog’s focus is?

Mainly festivals and destinations, placing emphasis on how to travel within a restricted budget. Most backpackers are fun-loving folk who want to get out there and enjoy themselves. They want to know where to go, how to get there, who’ll be there, and how they can score free tickets. We try to provide as much of that info as possible.

Backpackers Travel Blog is a little less than a year old. What was it before the blog?

Backpackers.com has always been a global online travel resource for backpackers and like-minded budget travellers. We started out as a comprehensive international travel directory way back in 1996, introduced travel forums and then an online hostel booking service. Last year we ditched the travel directory in favour of the more accessible blog format.

Besides blogging, what do you do for a living?

Blogging is my day job! That, and the overall management of Backpackers.com.

How do you see the travesphere changing?

I see travellers turning more and more to social networking sites and their favourite travel blogs for travel tips and information. No doubt they will still buy the trusty guide books, but will hopefully rely on them less heavily and start to explore based on other travellers’ recommendations. As more people write their own travel blogs, a wealth of independent first-hand travel information is making its way into cyberspace, becoming an invaluable travel resource generally unsullied by commercial agendas.

What’s next for Backpackers.com?

In the near future, we’ll be introducing a round-the-world online flight booking service for backpackers and a bit further down the line, I’ll be heading to Europe to gather backpacker intel.

Sounds interesting, especially considering that it might be one of the first such site combinations. Thanks for your insights and for stopping by!

A few issues have also come up regarding the current network policy. This has led me to rethink it, especially the “lack of policy.” This is what I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion on. I have had some feedback from both users as well as members of the independent panel that there needs to be more clarity on what is within acceptable norms regarding advertising affiliations.

I personally have issues with in-text advertisements. In fact, all mixes of content and advertisements are sketchy as far as I am concerned. I suggest the addition of a clause that deals with this. I believe such mixes are too destructive on the user experience. They are slightly deceptive, very obstructive, and in my opinion screams “I do it for the money.” Please let me know what you think of this, especially if you disagree.

Another thing I would like to make a requirement is that member blogs provide a feed. This is especially important for future network integration. I hope to add features such as “latest network content” sometime soon, but this is only possible with RSS feeds. But again, please let me know if you agree or disagree.

In any case, the network is going well. Aside from expanding, I hope to soon also add some more “community” features. I really want to get members involved in the process. Give as well as take, et cetera. In any case, more on that later.