They say that history is written by the victors, not by the vanquished. History books can be rewritten or destroyed entirely. It’s a lot harder when the stories are tied up in buildings; they have their own stories set in stone. Ea Hoe Hean Club As I was looking for the original Tiger Balm factory in Singapore (see previous post “A Tale of Two Brothers’) I came across references for the Millionaires Club. Well, I wanted to learn more about that – who wouldn’t? And once you head down that particular rabbit hole, it’s hard to stop. The Ea Hoe Hean Club, popularly called the Millionaires Club, was founded in 1895, and while it may have originally started as a social club, it soon turned to political ventures. Several of its members were actively involved with ... read more

I always get lost in Singapore. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I once worked with a guy who said I must have a magnetic nose, because I always knew the direction of north. That talent fails me here, maybe due to Singapore’s location near the equator, or the different view of the stars. Regardless, I was annoyed that I had forgotten my compass, and immediately set out to buy another one. And anyone who thinks you don’t need a compass to navigate Singapore’s busy and well-mapped streets has never been in a Singaporean shopping mall. Orchard Road – the main shopping district – is about two miles of solid shopping malls. You can start in one mall, and exit two blocks later from an entirely different mall without every coming outside. In some places ... read more

Wat Phra Yai, commonly called “The Big Buddha,” is probably the most photographed sight in Ko Samui. It is on the top of every “Must See” list, and seems to be popular with Thais as well as with tourists. The temple is located on the small island Ko Phan, but, no worries, there is a causeway you can walk across to get to it. In fact, if you hadn’t looked at a map you might not even realize it was on an island. Entering the temple grounds is more like coming into a county fair than a religious site, but maybe that’s not all bad. There are coffee shops, and art galleries, and T-shirt stalls, and an ice cream stand, and a store selling hand-made soap, and, well, you get the picture. There is no ignoring, ... read more

Going to the Autumn Moon Festival in San Francisco’s Chinatown is probably about as close to Hong Kong as you can get without leaving the US. It is crowded, colorful, raucous, and there are lots of interesting things to eat. The main streets are closed to vehicle traffic, and vendors of all sorts set up booths in the street selling noodles, Chinese newspapers, and sweets. I wandered up Grant Street, the more touristy street, sampling noodles and trying not to get trampled. Pacific Street crosses Grant, and at one end of Pacific there was a stage. In between dance numbers, a Chinese healer, with interpreters in two languages, claimed to cure any number maladies and injuries. At the other end of Pacific Street, a lady sang Chinese opera. She was very enthusiastic, but I can’t say ... read more

Perhaps you need to be of a certain age to recognize City Lights Bookstore as the Holy Grail of the free speech movement. Well, at least one of them at any rate. Founded in 1953 by the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti as a literary meeting place, today it offers three floors of books, with lots of chairs scattered around and signs inviting you to sit and read. City Lights was one of the touchstones of the Beat Generation. These decidedly anti-authoritarian folks were frequently well-educated, often military veterans, left-leaning free speech advocates. Two years after the bookstore opened, Ferlinghetti started City Lights Publishing. Authors such as Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and others found a home here. In 1956, City Lights published the Allen Ginsberg poem “Howl.” It contained the line “I saw the best minds ... read more