Month: September 2018
Book reviews
Books
Book review- The Sympathizer
Lots of books have been written about the Vietnam War but most of those have been about the US experience. The Sympathizer is a novel about the war from a Vietnamese perspective, but even this is a little complicated. The protagonist is a South Vietnamese captain and aide of a special police general, both of whom flee […]
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Museums
Southeast Asia travel
Thailand travel
Travel
Visiting Bangkok National Museum
Bangkok is visited by millions of tourists every year, but museums are probably not at the top of the list. However, Thailand is an old country with a lot of history and culture, which is reflected by the Bangkok National Museum, the country’s main history museum. Located near the Grand Palace, the Bangkok National Museum […]
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Book reviews
Books
Book review- The Epic City
Up until the 1970s, Calcutta used to be India’s wealthiest and largest city. Since then, Calcutta (now Kolkatta) has experienced a steady decline as it has relinquished its economic crown to the likes of Bombay, Bangalore and New Delhi. But despite this, Calcutta is still a proud city that has a legacy of producing literary […]
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Cities
Southeast Asia travel
Thailand travel
Travel
Bangkok’s shrine on a “hill,” the Golden Mount
Bangkok is a city with a ton of things to see, eat and do. But one thing you can’t really do is hike because Bangkok is flat and has no hills. The closest activity to a hike is to climb up the Golden Mount at Wat Saket. This is a small, man-made hill that was […]
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Hikes
Hong Kong travel
Travel
World’s greatest urban hike – Hong Kong Island
The sight of Hong Kong’s phalanx of skyscrapers in its business district from above is a sight I never tire of despite having seen it numerous times. I’m sure that most people who come to Hong Kong never fail to be impressed by this as well. Hong Kong Island has the world’s most numerous collection […]
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Sri Lanka travel
Travel
Sri Lanka’s Galle Fort
Despite being a small island next to a giant country, Sri Lanka boasts a lot of historical sites, lush mountains, national parks with elephants, and beaches. The country is really special for travel; so special that I wrote two articles about it. I mean how many countries in Asia, especially small island nations, can you go hiking, relax […]
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Book reviews
Books
Book review- The Harmony Silk Factory
The Harmony Silk Factory is the story of a man told through the different perspectives of three characters who were close to him. Johnny Lim is a wealthy Malaysian-Chinese merchant with a checkered and mysterious past who was the father of the first narrator, the husband of the second, and the best friend of the […]
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