Jun 14
Like the country it represents, Lao cuisine is often overlooked in favour of its larger and more popular neighbours. With a remarkable penchant for fresh vegetables and herbs, it is a blend of subtle, sour and spicy flavours, graced by the presence of galangal, lemongrass, mint, dill and coriander, to name just a few. Read more
Nov 28
Queen Street in the rain
The skies are thick with clouds when we pull up at colonial Fort George. From the passenger seat I catch a glimpse of its palisade fence, barely a minute away through the trees. It seems like an ideal place to kick off a tour of Old Niagara. But the moment we get out of the car, it begins to rain. Heavily. Read more
Jul 18
Heavenly morsels
It’s been exactly ten days since I moved back to Hong Kong. Although my Spanish adventures are over for now, I still have many stories to share from the past month of European travels. Here is a little introduction as I begin blogging about life in this pulsating Asian metropolis. Read more
Jul 14
It’s easy to eat well in Salamanca. Whether it’s bar-hopping on Calle Van Dyck, the best tapas street in town, or sinking your teeth into the local jamón, this student city is an affordable stopping point on a gastronomic tour of central Spain. The local dishes can be heavy, but don’t let that stop you from buying a slice of chorizo-filled hornazo or digging into a tender chunk of grilled veal.
After nine months as a resident salmantino, I’ve drawn up a quick list of some of my favourite places to eat and drink – gratuitous photos included. Read more
Nov 29
Early on a Sunday morning, a red van pulled up to our hostel for the beginning of a 7-hour adventure. The weather was finally beginning to clear up and we had booked ourselves on the “X-Day Trip”, run by an alternative tour company with the best name I’d seen in a long time. Headed by Bruno, a graphic designer turned tour operator, We Hate Tourism Tours was hatched when he noticed that young visitors were leaving Lisbon without having seen many of its best parts. Read more
Nov 10
The Spanish call it the “City of Song and Saints”. Situated in the wilds of Castilla y León, and within easy reach of Madrid, the historic town of Ávila is a prime destination for a weekend day trip. Recently a friend of mine described it as a miniature version of Carcassonne – that legendary walled city in the south of France – and within 30 seconds I was sold. Read more
Jul 18
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and the live band behind me is playing a soothing blend of jazz tunes. We are sipping fresh mint tea in Café Belga, a hip café and bar on Brussels’ unassuming Place Flagey. Outside the beats of the Portuguese festival fill the square while revellers congregate around tents serving everything from grilled sardines to pastéis de nata. Read more
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when I shed the trappings of a tourist and began acting like a local. Maybe it all started when I went to the bar opening on the second night without my camera in tow. Or perhaps it was more to do with the fact that I knew enough Spanish to get me by. Read more
Jun 17
In the rain, the wet cobblestones reflect the glow of the street lamps and the darkening skies above. I am in Lavapiés with my high school friend Chelsie, who lives in a flat in this gritty, bohemian inner-city neighbourhood. Read more
Plus Ultra 