Women of the Woods
The Malay name orang utan means “man of the forest”, and, after a visit to the Semanggoh Orang Utan Centre, it’s easy to see why....
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Orangutans and Betel Juice
They say you learn something new every day. And today I learn that gambier, AKA catechu, is a common ingredient used by Asians in chewing...
The Man who Mistook his Capital for a Cat
This is Astana, the little place which James Brooke, the first “White Rajah” of Sarawak, built for himself in his capital, Kuching (“Cat”). A Victorian...
In Which the Family Dines in Considerable Style
It was my Dad who said it first. “That singer,” he whispered, over the sound of a particularly special Malaysian band. “Is she actually a...
Sign Language
One of my spawn’s many endearing qualities is that he generally, as here with his new friend Solène, looks as though butter wouldn’t melt in...
The Rockefeller of the East
This is one wing of the Georgetown mansion of Cheong Fatt Tze, the last great mandarin of China, known in New York, where he did...
Smells Like Drains, Tastes Like Syllabub
Ahhh… The sweet scent of durian. Known across South-East Asia as “the king of fruits”. Celebrated at festivals across Malaysia and Indonesia. Freighted cross-continents by...
Into the Deep
Why learn to dive? Well… Scuba diving opens up an entire new world. There’s the fluid, graceful movement in three dimensions, moving up or down...
Penguins in Bangkok
We didn’t come to Thailand for the penguins. But there’s something surreally magical about stepping out of 35 degrees of sweaty, humid heat and coming...
Vertigo, Bangkok
This is the view from Vertigo, the aptly named, open-air bar which sits on the sixtieth floor above the Banyan Tree hotel, Bangkok. And I...