Trying to imagine how Vijaya looked during its heyday is difficult when you see what it’s like in the present. The day after we went to Tháp Bánh ĺt and Tháp Bình Lâm, we ventured even closer to what used to be the center of […]
All posts tagged: architecture
The East Mebon & Pre Rup: Stately Legacies in Eastern Angkor
In the late ninth century CE, the Khmer people witnessed the establishment of a new capital of their fledgling empire under the rule of Yasovarman I, whose predecessors previously ruled from Hariharalaya. Called Yasodharapura (modern-day Angkor), the new center of administration began seeing the construction […]
Candi Bubrah & Lumbung: Overlooked and Underrated
Wildflowers can be interesting and pretty. But if there is an orchid sitting next to them, people’s attention would almost certainly be fixated on the latter due to the extravagant colors and shapes of its blooms. The same thing can be said about two ancient […]
Along the Colonnaded Street of Jerash
Several months ago, after so many years of dreaming, I finally got the chance to visit ancient Roman ruins for the very first time in Baalbek, Lebanon. Due to their sheer size, the city’s Temple of Jupiter and Temple of Bacchus are considered the largest […]
A Valley Between the Snows
Lebanon has been amazing so far. While Beirut is enchanting in its own way – a city full of contradictions that make it even more appealing to explore – and Bsharri provides us with a jaw-dropping view of the lush and historic Qadisha Valley, our […]
Killing Time in Semarang
The city of Semarang, the capital of Indonesia’s Central Java province, is the place where I was born. However, since the age of 1.5 years old I have been moving around the country with my parents following my father’s assignments from the government institution he […]
Tai Kwun: A Reinvented Police Station
It is an unseasonably warm winter morning in Hong Kong, and as opposed to the thick coats the locals are usually spotted wearing around this time of the year (as though the city were located at a much higher latitude), T-shirts and shorts are still […]
Beauty Has A Name: Punakha
On the morning of our second day in Punakha Valley, we looked up to the sky before leaving our hotel; the sun was mostly obstructed by grey clouds, although it wasn’t as windy as the day before. “There’s a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal,” […]
Thimphu: Up Close and Personal
“Happiness is a place.” This is the slogan of Bhutan’s tourism campaign which I saw in increasing frequency as soon as I arrived in this Himalayan kingdom. Many people travel long distances to Bhutan in search for happiness, something they can’t quite find amid the […]
Bhutan: A Sunny Welcome
The Drukair Airbus A319 which took us from Singapore began making its descent, but seated by the aisle meant the Bhutanese sky and clouds were the only things I could see from the windows on both sides of the plane. As James was kept busy […]
Changdeokgung: The Finest of the Five
Donning a dark blue and light pink hanbok (Korean traditional costume), our guide Jae greeted us at the gate to the Secret Garden at Seoul’s Changdeokgung Palace. Together with around 40-50 other visitors, most of them wearing thick jackets with their hands tucked firmly in […]
Trowulan: Beauty in Red Brick
I am standing in front of Candi Tikus, its red brick structure almost entirely below ground level as if the earth was purposefully dug out so that it could fit inside. A flight of stairs made from the same material acts as the only entrance […]
What an Amazing World! 