Naughty stuff in Chengdu (China)
January 1, 2005
At a Chengdu bookstore, I was surprised to find a translated copy of Fahrenheit 451, the classic novel about censorship. There’s also a riverside
Why must we buy China’s food (Korea)
December 15, 2004
That’s the tagline of one of our young friends from Korea. He is angry over a recently published history that downplays the historic Korean kingdom
Nostalgia (Singapore)
October 2, 2004
I was talking to YuXin about how nostalgia plays an important part in people’s life as they grow older. I often tap on nostalgia to endear myself to
To make a little girl smile (Thailand)
August 12, 2004
I often meet fellow travelers who ask me how many countries I have travelled to. I tell them this once in Bangkok. The Korean enclave at Sukhumvit
Special feelings (China)
February 17, 2004
The public buses in Chengdu are called “City Boats”. I was on one of these City Boats with Loumin, both of us needing to take the same route home.
A strong miss (China)
February 5, 2004
By the lake, I was talking about something trivial - caravans on the ancient Silk Road. Cute Li Yun turned to you and said
The Lantern City (China)
January 4, 2004
Last weekend, we wanted to see lanterns. We went to Zigong, a city famous for its lantern show. The people here are experts at making lanterns
Mutton soup in the ancient capital (China)
September 20, 2003
My friends in China are often disappointed at me for not visiting the famous tourist spots - the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an. I
The dancer (Korea)
June 23, 2003
On the way out the palace in Seoul, I stumbled into the backstage of an event. This is where I found the dancer. It looked like a youth cultural
Taking the wrong bus (Korea)
June 20, 2003
About one hour before the check-in for my flight to Korea, I decided to learn Hangul. Blame the airport bookshop. The book was titled “Learn Hangul
For a glimpse of (Burma)
June 15, 2003
I was in Northern Thailand close to the point where the borders of Burma, Thailand, and Laos meet. At the guesthouse, someone was organising a trip
Chairman Mao was a good boy (China)
March 8, 2003
In Changsha, I took a bus to Hunan Number 1 Teacher Training College. This is where Mao studied when he was younger. He was also the high school
A close shave in Shanghai (China)
December 15, 2002
“Friends…eh…” The consulate official was suspicious. What should have been a simple matter of adding more pages to my passport had turned into an
The island of mystery and magic (The Philippines)
March 16, 2002
Have you ever ended up in some place and never wanted to leave? It happened to me on a little island in the Philippines. I was in Siquijor, an
A song for every person you meet (China)
December 30, 2001
The other day, I met a Diane. I had “Oh Diane” (by Fleetwood Mac) on my iPod and I played it for her. Diane had never heard that song. It amused
The áo dài calendar (Vietnam)
December 23, 2001
In Hue, at a travel office, I saw a calendar featuring women in áo dài. I made a mental note to buy a similar calendar before leaving Vietnam. My
Time to go back (Laos)
December 12, 2001
I was at a temple in Luang Prabang, writing some things. It was quiet and peaceful. And a bit cold. I fell asleep. I heard some voices. I opened my
The Vietnamese dub (Vietnam)
December 10, 2001
Walking around late one night near the train station in Nha Trang, I stopped at a small street-side drink stall. A group of people huddled around a
Here no longer be dragons (China)
September 12, 2001
There are some mysterious places in this world. I call these the “here be dragons” places. Medieval European map makers coined this term. They used
The last disco in Yunnan (China)
August 23, 2001
After this town is Tibet. My original plan was to make it an early night but I kept hearing the thumping from the hotel disco. And I end up at a
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