Fellowship of the Wanderlusters

The living room was dimly lit, the furniture was from a forgotten era, and the room smelled of age. Sitting on the bygone era sofas were six travelers, from different countries. Their presence, youthful excitements, and lively chatters injected life to a room that had seen its glory days.

Unconventional Beds

In these 12 years of wandering life I have encountered all kinds of accommodations and slept in all sorts of beds; rocking trains, luxurious buses, swinging hammocks, third-class boats, bedbugs infested beds, etc. But I have also slept in some really unusual beds.

Wanderlust in Motion

For many people, watching movie is a form of escape from reality. Movies take us to a different reality, and some even take us to places. I love watching movies, even more so movies set in exotic destinations and movies about travel. Some movies are so well made that they created a traveling boom for…read more

Observing Equanimity

As the bus, carrying only a dozen passengers, left BTS Bus Terminal in Kuala Lumpur, my thought had already covered the 250km to my destination; an oasis of calm in the middle of an oil palm plantation near the town of Kuantan on Malaysia’s east coast.

Looking for My Khaosan Road

I came to Bangkok for the first time with my family when I was 15 years old. Like any typical Asian family travel, we joined a tour. We were bused from sites to sights, and the only thing I remember was getting sick from the boat ride to Pattaya. I had never heard of Khaosan…read more

Outer Travel Inner Journey

The autumn of 2005 I did something that changed my life – I walked the Camino de Santiago. For 37 days I traversed over 800km from Roncesvalles, in the Pyrenees, to Finisterre, at the Atlantic coast of northwestern Spain.

Postcards 4U: Swinging game

Finding Lucky

There is nothing compare to the warm and relaxing sensation of sitting by the beach and watching the sun slowly sets on the horizon. And there’s no sunset quite like the one in Borneo. 2014 was the year I explored my own backyard, Sarawak, and I was surprised to find treasure trove of cultural gems…read more

Chat with a coffee farmer

Salento is fast becoming a must-stop for travelers in Colombia. Drawn here by the spectacular Valle de Cocora and its quaint streets dotted with bohemian cafes, it’s one of the best places to unwind and rest. One of the activities offered in Salento is visiting a coffee farm. There are a few that charge a…read more

Postcards 4U: Magical realism

Top 10 Man-made Wonders

This February I celebrate 10 years of traveling and life on the road. To commemorate this milestone, I’ve come up with a series of Top 10 posts. These choices are based solely on my personal experience. Top 10 man-made wonders

Top 10 Countries

This February I celebrate 10 years of traveling and life on the road. To commemorate this milestone, I’ve come up with a series of Top 10 posts. These choices are based solely on my personal experience. Top 10 countries

Chat with a Tibetan driver

I woke up to a chilly morning and struggled to get out of bed. Dawn in Litang, at over 4,000 meters above sea level, was cold even in summer. After checking out of the hostel, I walked to the bus station to get a transport to Daocheng. But transportation in this Wild West of China…read more

Postcards 4U: Forbidden past

Dear U, Growing up in nanyang (south of the ocean, typically refers to Singapore and Malaysia), there was no shortage of Hong Kong TV series. I remember watching a lot of period dramas and kungfu series, many of which were either set in the Forbidden Palace or had it as the backdrop to the story….read more

This is… Zhangjiajie

Ever since I watched the movie Avatar, I’d been smitten by the surreal landscape of the Hallelujah Mountain. Little did I know that the inspiration of that magical place actually came from a very real place on earth, in China to be exact.

Is blood thicker than water?

Why China? Unlike many places in the world, China had never really pricked my interest. The easy answer was that Chinese were infamous for their lack of civility. But digging deeper, I began to wonder if that was the only reason.

Postcards 4U: Mind game

Dear U, One of the images that can be seen all over China (if you are not too busy being a tourist) is a group of elderly people playing Chinese chess in gardens, parks and even pavements.

This is… the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu

One of the most awe-inspiring sights you can ever experience in China is the Great Wall. Built over 2 millenniums ago, it has withstood countless assaults of wars, erosion, disrepair, pilfering.