My nightlife on this trip has included a lot of billiards, mostly because a game like billiards provides a good venue for a solo traveller […] Read More
Month: December 2004
I just checked my work email for the first time in a week, and I was very moved by all the emails you sent me, […] Read More
I met a Malaysian woman at breakfast this morning, and she and I will head north tomorrow to the mountain villages around Sapa. She’s in […] Read More
I just received word that I have been shortlisted for the 50 most eligible bachelors of Singapore issue of cleo! I’ll have to cut this […] Read More
The tourism opportunity represented by the rapid changes taking place in Laos is not lost on the people there. My monk and novice friends, for […] Read More
ON the beaten path… There were many many tourists in Vientiane. My first impression was that there were more tourists than local residents, and I […] Read More
Yesterday, I met a young novice (monk-in-training) while taking pictures by the river. Phong Sawaph is his name, and the first words out of his […] Read More
I stopped into my favourite Internet cafe to check email, and I was hugely relieved to see Crystal and Jimmy are OK!!! in my inbox. […] Read More
I’m too far inland to have felt anything myself, but two of my colleagues are travelling in southern Thailand. Thankfully, I heard from Tracy last […] Read More
I have to revise my earlier prediction about updating this blog. As it turns out, not only are there Internet cafes everywhere, but I’m actually […] Read More
Bangkok was fun but hardly relaxing. It’s a shopping and partying destination mostly, and I’d like this trip to be about winding down, not winding […] Read More
It’s Christmas day here, ahead of the US. I’ve tried a handful of times to reach Angie’s sister, but I haven’t had any luck, so […] Read More
Bangkok is a bustling, crowded, smoggy, lively, dirty, vibrant place, on par with any major world city. The roads are packed with cars, Tuk Tuks […] Read More
Well, I’m off to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam until 9 January. I had been planning to buy a motorcycle in Hanoi for my trip down […] Read More
I called Thavy tonight to see if she was up for having dinner before I depart. She was game, and we met at one of […] Read More
I have a few butterflies about my trip. It’s been a while since I was a solo tourist with complete control over my itinerary. I’ve […] Read More
Despite the fact that it’s the rainy season here, Christmas seems to be very popular in Singapore. It makes sense. Singapore revolves around shopping. Christmas […] Read More
Friday night I went with D and some of her cabin crew friends to a club called Thumper. There were seven of us in all, […] Read More
Last month, Singapore Idol was the talk of the town. In the week leading up to the final episode, I couldn’t get into a lift […] Read More
I visited the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Embassy today to apply for my visa. Last week I bought my plane ticket to Bangkok, and yesterday […] Read More
A month ago, my mom packed up all her worldly possessions and headed west. After several decades in the Philadelphia area, she’s migrated to Silver […] Read More
Doh! Today I went to buy extra memory sticks for my camera, so I can take lots of pictures when I head north to Thailand, […] Read More
I left Thavy a voicemail on Thursday night, not knowing she’s in Japan until next week. By coincidence, her friend Shelly called me Friday to […] Read More
I set an alarm clock here every day. My morning hasn’t been dictated by an alarm clock since I was a schoolboy. Someone – I’m […] Read More
In the Straits Times today, there was an unusual amount of attention paid to the US, and an unusual amount of it was unusually unflattering. […] Read More
You hear people talk about the concept of an identity crisis. Every once in a while I have what you might call a geography crisis. […] Read More
Nearly everyone in Singapore speaks more than one language. Many speak three or four. The “official national” language is Malay, but there are three other […] Read More
From the CIA World Factbook Land Area: Slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington D.C. Arable Land: 1.64% Permanent Crops: 0 Population: 4.3 […] Read More
I’ve missed a couple days of posts because I came down with my first cold since I’ve been here. Thavy and Shelly called Wednesday night […] Read More