Skip to content

Mar 31

6 Comments

Fulfilling a Long-Held Wish in Greece

This trip should have transpired a quarter-century ago. Soon after starting the new school year in the summer of 2001, my brother and I had secured coveted spots on a weeklong tour to Greece planned for that October. We were excited about the prospect of going with friends to a faraway land that had played such a major role in world history. The handful of Australian and Kiwi art teachers leading the group had put together a detailed itinerary covering Athens’ iconic Acropolis, more than a few museums, scenic and archaeological sites, and even the postcard-perfect island of Santorini. But then 9/11 happened, and, understandably, all overseas school trips were canceled. Read more

Feb 15

24 Comments

Mexico City to Mérida: A Culinary Adventure

In a nondescript yellow building off the main plaza of Santa Elena, a sleepy little town on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, Doña Mirna gently set down bowls of sopa de lima on the table. There was one each for Abdiel — the blue-eyed Cuban driver who took us on day trips from the city of Mérida — Bama, and myself. Here at Restaurante La Central, we were most intrigued by this classic Yucatecan soup featuring the sweet local lime. “I also use herbs, tomatillos, guajillo chilies, and strips of chicken,” Doña Mirna said with a smile. Around us, the simple but cheery dining room reflected the grandmotherly matriarch’s heartfelt warmth. Read more

Dec 28

21 Comments

A Brush with the Maldives

Anthony Bourdain once said in an episode of Parts Unknown on the Greek Islands: “My rented villa is pleasant enough. But to be perfectly honest, lonely. Is it worse to be someplace awful when you’re by yourself, or someplace really nice that you can’t share with anyone?” Read more

Sep 21

33 Comments

Below the Pyramids of Palenque

As we stood on the edge of a grassy square facing Palenque’s Temple of the Cross, Bama and I suddenly heard an eerie growl from the nearby jungle: a long and guttural roar, disturbing enough to make anyone stop in their tracks. Read more

Jun 7

38 Comments

Reflections on Our Trip to Mexico

Sometimes, even when traveling on the far side of the world, it’s possible to find similarities with home where you least expect them. That is what we recently encountered in Mexico. Biting into the sweet vanilla crust atop a concha bought at La Vasconia, Mexico City’s oldest bakery, I drew an immediate parallel with the pineapple buns of my Hong Kong childhood. Read more

May 31

26 Comments

Bali’s Lake District and Beyond

It took Bama three trips to get the shot he wanted of the pagoda-like meru at Bali’s most iconic Hindu temple, Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. Persistent rain, not unusual given the fickle weather in the island’s north-central highlands, had dampened his first two visits years ago. Now, he stood transfixed at the postcard-perfect scene before us: bright blue skies with scattered wisps of cloud over Lake Beratan, the temple’s famed meru appearing to float on its calm, mirror-like surface. The dark palm-fiber roofs of both towers had been recently rethatched, and beneath their eaves, lustrous gold-painted wooden carvings shimmered in the early morning light. All was quiet. Read more

Apr 26

19 Comments

An Istanbul Stopover

My first brush with Turkey (now officially Türkiye) happens out of pure necessity. En route to Mexico, Bama and I may be genuinely fatigued after stepping off a long-haul flight, but the idea of holing up in an overpriced airport hotel and doing absolutely nothing is out of the question. Not when we have 20 hours to spare in one of the world’s great historic cities — and the only one to straddle Europe and Asia. Read more

Apr 15

33 Comments

Finding Magic in Mexico

How far would you go to visit a dream destination? It seems surreal now, sitting in our living room with the suitcases unpacked, to think that we’ve spent the past two weeks in Mexico. Just a few nights ago, Bama and I completed a marathon two-day slog that began halfway across the world. My seatmate on the 16.5-hour flight between Mexico City and Istanbul (with a stopover in Cancún) couldn’t believe we were in Istanbul for a 16-hour layover before the 12-hour flight back to Jakarta. “That is such a long journey,” she exclaimed in wide-eyed shock. “¡Qué horror!” Read more

Feb 23

18 Comments

Lake Toba, a Second Time

Half an hour after stepping out from Silangit airport’s tiny arrivals hall into a parking lot bathed in morning sunshine, the promised hotel pickup was still nowhere to be seen. It was hardly an auspicious start to a hectic five-day assignment on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Joining me this time was British photographer Martin Westlake, who’d also shot my Bali food story six months before. Our flight had left Jakarta at 6:45 a.m. on a Monday and we were keen to hit the ground running. Read more

Jan 5

14 Comments

Wandering Hong Kong at Year’s End

The server was getting impatient. Hovering over our table, she made it clear from her thinly veiled annoyance that we’d taken a little too long to order our food. Bama and I were having our Boxing Day breakfast at a no-frills cha chaan teng (local diner) in Cheung Sha Wan, a working-class neighborhood of Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula. We’d crossed the harbor to track down Gold Garden Café and its puff pastry egg tarts made to a traditional recipe. “Did they just come out of the oven?” I inquired politely. “No, you’ll have to wait till 11 for that. The ones we have now are still kind of warm.” Read more

← Older Entries