Bamboo hills, a hidden nook off the DUKE Highway in Kuala Lumpur, is a popular food haven with an assortment of restaurants and event spaces. Our stop for the night was Ginger @ Bamboo Hills. It was quite a long journey from our base in Cyberjaya, but the delicious food was definitely worth the hour-long…
Category: Asia
Santubong River Cruise: Dolphins, Crocodiles, Legends
To glide along the Santubong and Salak Rivers is to journey through a world where myth, wildlife, and human resilience seamlessly intertwine. As our boat drifts across the calm estuaries of the Kuching Wetlands National Park, a massive 6,610-hectare protected mangrove sanctuary, the skyline is dominated by the majestic, cloud-capped silhouette of Gunung Santubong. Local…
The Missing Ingredient
Sitting in an air-conditioned restaurant in Subang Jaya last Sunday, I thought the food I grew up with – the palappam, putu, with coconut sambal and sardine peratal – tasted delicious, but the atmosphere was all wrong. There are no sounds of family members talking over each other, no scratchy radio blasting Hindi music, filling…
Annah Rais: The Living Longhouse
I had heard a lot about longhouse living and experiences, but apart from seeing the traditional houses at the Sarawak Cultural Village, I could rarely claim to have had an authentic experience, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to visit the Annah Rais Longhouse, located just about an hour outside Kuching. Our group,…
Sapporo Winter: Cozy Bars, Comforting Brews
There is a distinct, ethereal beauty to Hokkaido in December. Last winter, as the sun dipped early and the biting northern winds swept through Sapporo, our evenings blurred into a wonderful, unscripted routine: escaping the freezing air by ducking into the nearest glowing doorway. In Japan, after-work drinking is a ritual of letting loose, but…
Traditional Trades: Dobi
Dhoby Ghaut, Penang: A Living Legacy Just off Jalan Air Itam and York Road in George Town, Penang is a hidden enclave that has been around almost as long as the establishment of Penang as a British trading post. Dhoby Ghaut – once Penang’s laundry district was established in the early 1800s. This riverside settlement…
Winter Walk: Hokkaido University
Japanese Universities were not usually on the radar for most of my contemporaries when we were at the tertiary education level. I am not sure if history has anything to do with it, or language, or culture, but I must say a walk through Hokkaido University in early Dec 2025, made me wonder why I…
Hello Sapporo!
The easiest and fastest way to get to Sapporo City from Chitose airport at ¥1,200 (about USD8 or MYR30)
Southern Comfort: Johor’s Maritime Gems
Explore the unique maritime cultural heritage of islanders off the coast of Johor in my latest article. Check out their island inspired food using locally sourced seeds, fruits and plants, cultural performances and traditional art including Zapin Pulau performances that mimic the movements of marine life, with costumes inspired by the colours of the sea…
Happy Halloween 2025! 🍸🍹🍻🎃
Have never been big on Halloween parties, preferring to stay in and be a couch potato instead of wading through a sea of ghosts, ghouls and witches. But this year, dinner plans with a friend, who is back home from New York for a few days, saw us bar hopping – Gen X style ……
Food Trail: Nasi Campur Kampung
Comfort food … a treat when you travel through small towns along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. This particular restaurant, ‘Sedap Wehh’, which means ‘really delicious’ when loosely translated from Malay, is located on Jalan Bypass or Jalan Pintasan in Kuantan, Pahang. It features a wide spread of proteins, greens, gravies, and other Malay…
The Wishful Dip: Lata Tok Muda
There is nothing better than plunging into the crisp, cool, clean waters of a waterfall with a natural slide to boot … especially after a 20-minute hike on a sweltering hot day. Alas, my colleagues and I just had to contend with dipping our hands into the clear waters of Lata Tok Muda in Kampung…