For liberté, égalité, fraternité

Moving to Paris four years ago turned out to be an unmitigated disaster from which I had to ask my mother to bail me out. (It’s a funny story, maybe I’ll tell it sometime) I have been thinking a lot about the recent attacks and what Paris did for me. All I can say, and …

Where do you want to go today?

I awoke, groggy, in a white washed concrete room. The only window faced a dark corridor. Hot viscous air was buffeted at my face in frequent intervals by a revolving fan. Reaching my limit of permissible heat I dressed and made an exit. The cheeky reception boys were entertaining the last few breakfasters. ‘Good morning!’ …

Top 5 foods you can’t miss in Japan

When booking our flights to Japan I considered adding some elasticated shorts to my meagre wardrobe. With only three weeks to satisfy 4 years of Japanese food cravings, sacrifices had to be made. Mainly around the waistline. Japanese cuisine is more varied than one might think encompassing so much more than just sushi and tempura prawns. …

Thoughts from paradise: Palawan, Philippines

I’ve been struggling to decide what I want to say about the Philippines. I visited two places. Palawan island which is a long strip of jungle fronted by golden sands jutting out to the west, and Manila which is everything an antithesis ought to be. Ever since I built the Philippines into my Asia itinerary, …

An Urban Trek through Seoul

The road that led uphill insisted we were just over a kilometre from N Seoul Tower. The other seemed to wind like a loose grey curl of hair, down the western shoulder of Namasan Mountain.

Seoul Food: Top 5 Eats of South Korea

My arrival in Korea was a gastronomic breath of fresh air. Seoul has an incredible range of treats on offer, although is bit of a vegetarian’s nightmare, focussing mainly on meat and rice in various forms. Each meal is served with a hearty portion of kimchi and various side dishes, often pickled vegetables. Here’s a …

Same Brain, New Look

I've been a little quiet for the last week or so, partly a result of location; good Wi-Fi is difficult to come by in paradise, but also because I've been busy. We crammed The Philippines and South Korea into just over two weeks which has been exhausting and, more importantly, I've been working on a new …

Rediscovering an Old Frontier

Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia ‘There are two tracks on the map but you want to take the green trail not the red one. The red one is dangerous and there is a lot of ups and downs. Don’t take the red one. The green one, it’s only a kilometre, quite easy’ he said. ‘Walk slowly, take your …

My Right to Eat Fried Chicken: A Defense

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia There we were again. Standing at that long intentionally yellowed plastic counter of KFC, staring at a pictograph depiction of the menu offering different multiples of fried chicken and combinations of sides. ‘I only eat street food’ like Dorothy’s mantra, is repeated over and over between the walls of hostel dorms. It’s …

Cautionary Tales from the Tracks

Siberia, Russia I recently began daydreaming about leaving home again. I decided that for my next trip I should take off for two months. Hopefully that will be enough time to traverse the northern coast of Africa, snake off into the Middle East, blunder my way over northern India into Nepal, and finally re-enter China. …