At midday in Kyoto James and I were enjoying a quirky Japanese TV show – a miscellany of over-excited hosts, cartoonish animation, and video game-ish…
New Hopes Rising from the Ashes
On a particularly sunny day in June 2023, James and I revisited the National Museum of Indonesia as we were curious with how it looked…
How Good Meals Saved the Day – A Kintamani Story
In November 2022, when the skies of Bali were mostly gray, I found myself standing in the courtyard of a large Hindu temple complex I…
Da Nang and the Friendly Dragon
A Vietnamese restaurant located in a once-lively mall in a gentrified neighborhood of Jakarta has for years become my choice whenever I crave food from…
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…
Architectural Gems of Old Cirebon
Six giant golden shrimps shine brightly under the sun, perched above the half-moon portico of the fine white building. The Indonesian flag flies proudly over…
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…
An Enchanting Land Called Uzbekistan
Please forgive my absence in the past two weeks as I have just returned from a trip to one of the countries I most want…
Tainan: Taiwan’s Oldest City
Thanks to Taiwan’s extensive railway network, especially along the west coast, it only took us around one hour to get to Tainan from Kaohsiung Main…
Saigon through More Appreciative Eyes
Earlier last year, I had the thought of going to New Zealand in April. However, due to the absence of direct flights from Jakarta to…