Twelve items make a dozen, and twelve months make a year. But what do twelve years make? A few Google searches brought me to the conclusion that while everyone agrees that ten years is a decade, it’s harder to reach a consensus on what to […]
All posts tagged: travel
A Serendipitous Rendezvous with Pura Taman Ayun
We were on a mission. A few months prior to our visit to Bali in June 2024, James went on a business trip to this island and had a local delicacy that he raved about when he came back to Jakarta. Called oret or urutan […]
The Unyielding Kalyan Minaret
Imagine being a 12th-century ruler who controls an important city on the Silk Road. You would want to build something great to impress not only your neighbors, but also those coming from places farther afield, wouldn’t you? After all, they have travelled weeks and months […]
Magical Palenque
Apart from the act of traveling itself, planning a trip is also something I mostly enjoy, for it brings me ‘closer’ to a place even before seeing it in person. But I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Having to look up the details […]
The Ark of Bukhara: Inspired by the Stars
The Spanish-built Afrosiyob high-speed train whisked us through a landscape that gradually changed from one filled with endless cotton fields at the peak of harvest season, to vast steppes, before eventually giving way to barren hills. We left the wonders of Samarkand behind and arrived […]
Breathing New Life into Hong Kong’s Heritage Buildings
I don’t remember exactly how it started, but apart from my penchant for ancient sites, now I also have a soft spot for urban renewal projects. These are initiatives and programs aimed at revitalizing dilapidated parts of a city to make them more lively, more […]
When Night Falls in Kaohsiung
During the day, the oppressive heat and humidity of the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung can be a real challenge for those who are not used to them. However, when the sun goes down, not only do temperatures drop to a more bearable level, but […]
A Walk around Samarkand
On our penultimate day in Samarkand, grey clouds persistently hung over the city. But we had anticipated this and decided that we would spend the day visiting the sites further away from the city center, on foot. I have mentioned this before, but we do […]
Teotihuacan: Vestiges of an Ancient Metropolis
In the second century CE, the Roman Empire was at its height, and so too was the Parthian Empire directly to its east. In East Asia, the Han dynasty reigned over ancient China, a period marked by advances in science and technology, among other things. […]
A Silent Witness of Kaohsiung’s Upheavals
Imagine having a front-row seat to a spectacle that lasts not merely for a few hours, but for centuries. The southern tip of a hill that guards the northern side of the narrow entrance to Takao Harbor (in present-day Kaohsiung) had always been a prime […]
Shah-i-Zinda: The Turquoise Necropolis
There are many ways to remember those who have died. However, it has been proven over and over again that a very special person usually gets a unique memorial that itself will be remembered for many generations. Of all the things mankind has constructed to […]
Museo Nacional de Antropología: A Great Place to Start
Visiting a new country with a completely different culture and where the people speak a language you don’t understand can undoubtedly be daunting. But everyone has their own way of getting their bearings. And for James and I, we usually visit the national/most important museum […]
What an Amazing World! 