‘Tokong Swee Nyet’ in Kampug Pulai, Gua Musang, Kelantan has been a place of worship for Chinese settlers who moved to the area about 600-years ago. These settlers (mainly from the Hakka clan) were in search of fortune from gold deposits found in Sungai (river) Galas. Their descendants, who have over the centuries intermarried with…
Category: South East Asia
Drive Thru: Central Spine Rd
One of my favourite drives – low traffic and amazing scenery! The partially opened Central Spine Road that will link Kuala Lipis in Pahang to Kuala Krai in Kelantan once it is completed. It currently terminates just outside Gua Musang town.
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Wishing my Chinese friends, family and followers a Happy & Prosperous New Year! A special shout out to those born in the year of the pig. To everyone else in Malaysia and around this region – enjoy the holidays! Guan Yin temple, Raub, Pahang, Malaysia.
Acculturation: The Asian Mother Mary
The staple of every altar in the home of our Roman Catholic friends and family are Jesus, Mother Mary and St Joseph (if he was lucky to be a part of a Holy Family image or statue. The poor man is often forgotten). The most common portrayal of Mother Mary is of course that of…
Mythical Langkawi (via Ferry)
It’s been 15 years since we last visited Langkawi Island, the mythical island believed to have been cursed for seven generations by a young woman – Mahsuri – who was falsely accused of adultery. Locals believe the curse has been lifted as the island began to prosper over the last few decades after at least…
Killing Fields: Choeung Ek
In all my travels, this is the most disturbing spot that I have visited: the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and in particular the ‘Killing Tree’. Against this tree trunk, the head and tiny bodies of babies and toddlers were smashed as their helpless parents who were awaiting execution watched. At the of the tree…
Thin: Tea-time treat
Tea-time is a big deal in my family home. My mum and our neighbours used to team up to bake, steam or cook up a variety of delicious sweet and savoury afternoon snacks and delicacies. Us kids used to be the guinea pigs for experimental cookouts – we didn’t complain very much until we grew…
Place in The World: Home
Cliche but true – home is where the heart is.
Flock in Line
One of my favourite shots in Ubud, Bali. A flock of ducks form a line as they make their way across the lines of paddy beds of this rice field. We booked ourselves into a house in the Paddy fields of Tegalalang, Ubud. We had to walk through the lines of paddy beds and irrigation…
Dome in the Rough
The buttercream yellow facade of Psar Thmey stands out amidst the chaos of Phnom Penh
The Fading Façade Of A Quaint, Reverent Place
No this is not a haunted house, but a chapel that served at least three generations of Catholics in the town of Kuala Krai in Kelantan, East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia. This year we spent Good Friday at this old dilapidated chapel along Jalan Geale located along the Kelantan River near…
Food Trail: Kelantan
Kelantan, previously a territory of the Siamese empire is probably one of the most underrated food destination in Malaysia and is usually given a miss by most tourists – including Malaysian travellers. It’s close proximity to Thailand in the north gives the local cuisine a different taste and aromatic twist compared to other parts of…
