Blogs from Asia - page 13025

So, I wish I had something exciting to report... But I haven't been too touristy, I've tried to do some work and remember that it isn't vacation. So yesterday, which was Tuesday, because I'm trying to keep track, I decided to venture forth for lunch. I walked around, had an iced coffee off the street, it was tasty. Being a "farang" which is foreigner, I got the plastic cup to go with it. Just like in Peru, people love little plastic baggies with straws to drink out of. I don't know if it is cheaper or what the deal is... Regardless, I got the cup and straw. People seem to go for straws here. Then I tried to find one of the restaurants listed in the book. I finally find it and it is closed. So, ... read more

The day began just before we landed in Singapore at 3:45am. Once in the arrivals hall we did what any self-respecting luxury traveller would do and found a quiet corner, unrolled our sleeping bags and went to sleep for another 3 hours before getting the unfeasibly clean Mass Rapid Transport system into town. We’d chosen the Little India area as our base and our hostel was called ‘The Inn Crowd’ - a place we’d recommend with air-con in the dorms, free Wi-Fi and plenty going on all the time. We went down to the Harbourfront and found ourselves in a land of spotlessly clean shopping and entertainment malls and small hyper-polite people. We saw an advert for a new attraction called ‘Tiger Live’, which pays homage to all things Tiger-related (the iconic beer that is rather ... read more

Today is a good day. Yes, this is it. Some of you may have heard me talk about chasing that feeling of being grounded and content? Today I feel it. Although I've been in KL for almost a month now, seeing friends and relatives still seem like a neverending feat! Can't remember the last time I've slept in any one place for more than 2 nights in a row. I get it. Some of the questions I've set out seeking answers for are finally answered. ... read more

Time has really been flying by in Vietnam. This bustling country with the second fastest growing economy of Asia is certainly a contrast from the laid back, relaxing atmosphere I experienced in Laos. Vietnam has been a welcome change and with unique culture and social characteristics apart from the partially homogeneous nature of Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Over a thousand years of Chinese influence has left its mark in many parts of the country, both culturally and socially. It's been less than 100 years since the Vietnamese switched over to the Roman alphabet from Chinese characters. During the French colonial rule the Vietnamese accepted many influences of the west in an attempt to partially assert themselves against foreign domination. Many political and social leaders believed that the best way to free themselves from French-rule was to ... read more

Four Thousand Islands is the name given to the southernmost region of Laos where the Mekong River, having already wound its way thousands of kilometres from the mountains of Nepal, decides to broaden and pokily thread its way among a nest of islands. The number of islands is certainly not the nice round number of 4000: it differs depending on the season. In the wet time, the Mekong swells, submerging some of the islets and rubbing the silt off the banks, turning its waters from green to turbid brown. In the dry time though, as now, mopheads of jungle pop up everywhere, and you'd even be forgiven for mistaking a water buffalo, plying these byways with just nose and eyes levelled above the surface, for one of the four thousand. It is here in this gentle ... read more