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9 places to eat and drink in Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor, the largest religious structure in the world and Cambodia’s most popular tourist attraction. Although it was little more than a village when French explorers such as Henri Mouhot “re-discovered” Angkor in the 19th century, Siam Reap is nowadays the country’s second-largest city. It has a population of 245,000. I visited Siem Reap a couple of months ago. I stayed there for three days (two nights), which was enough to visit the temples of Angkor, and also wander around the city. During my stay in Siem Reap, I had the opportunity to try the local cuisine. Today, I’m…
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9 coffee shops in Ho Chi Minh City
Although Ho Chi Minh City (abbreviated HCMC, also known as Saigon) is not the capital of Vietnam, it is nonetheless the most populous city of the country, with a population of around 9.3 million. The capital city Hanoi has a population of around 8.4 million, whereas the entire country’s population has reached 100 million. Following the partition of French Indochina, Saigon became the capital of South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975, whereas Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam. After the fall of Saigon and the reunification in 1976, the communist government renamed the city in honour of Hồ Chí Minh. Even today, however, the name Saigon…
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5 great places to stay in Bali
As I mentioned in my previous posts, I recently went to a yoga and surf retreat in Bali. The retreat was in Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula. After the retreat, I set to explore the island, as well as a couple of smaller, lesser-known ones. Among the places I visited were Ubud, Nusa Lembongan, Seminyak and Jimbaran. Today, I’m recommending 5 places to stay in Bali and what to do and see there. Uluwatu The name Uluwatu comes from ‘ulu’, which means ‘land’s end’, and ‘watu’, which means ‘rock’. Uluwatu is home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, built at the edge (‘ulu’) of a 70-meter-high…
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9 things to do and see in Ubud
As mentioned in my previous post, I recently went to a yoga and surf retreat in Bali. The retreat was in Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula. Home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, Uluwatu is nowadays famous for its world class surfing spots. On the other hand, inland Ubud is widely considered the Mecca of yoga. Because of this, I headed there for a few days after the retreat. Today, I’m recommending 9 things to do and see in Ubud. Yoga Ubud is not short of yoga retreats and yoga centres. The Yoga Barn is probably the most famous yoga centre in Bali. It is within…
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10 (+1) places to eat in Ubud, Bali
I recently went to a yoga and surf retreat in Bali. The retreat was in Uluwatu, on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula. Home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, Uluwatu is nowadays famous for its world class surfing spots. On the other hand, inland Ubud is widely considered the Mecca of yoga. Because of this, I headed there for a few days after the retreat. As well as doing (more) yoga and visiting the town’s main sights, I discovered many nice places to eat in Ubud. Over the next few months, I’m planning to share a lot of tips about Bali and the places I’ve visited during my…
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12 Haruki Murakami books to read
Earlier this year, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. This was later followed by the post ‘9+1 Japanese literature classics’. Neither of these posts included any books by Haruki Murakami. The reason was that I was planning to publish another post specifically discussing some of his works (those I’ve read so far that is). Here it is. Novels by Haruki Murakami My fascination with Japan, which I am yet to visit, began in childhood. However, I was in my 30s when I first read a Japanese novel, Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Since then, I have read many more Japanese novels. Through those, I have learned a lot…
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9+1 Japanese literature classics
A few months ago, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. Since then, I’ve read a few more books from the Land of the Rising Sun (but I’ve still not been there). Among those, there are a few Japanese literature classics, which I would specifically like to discuss today. In writing this post, I’ve made two rather controversial decisions. First, to include works by Kazuo Ishiguro. Born in Nagasaki, Ishiguro moved to the UK at the age of 5, and has been a British citizen since 1983 (Japan does not permit dual citizenship). Even though he writes in English, and most of his books have little to…
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23 Japanese books to read in 2023
World Book Day 2023 will be on 2 March 2023. To mark the occasion, I have compiled this list of 23 Japanese books to read in 2023. A fan of Japan (a country that I am yet to visit) and literature, I have read quite a few Japanese books in the recent years. A year ago, I joined the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature on Meetup. This is a book discussion club that meets online once a month. Before each meeting, a Japanese book (that has been translated into English) has been selected for the attendees to read, whereas during the 90-minute meeting the attendees share their thoughts, impressions and reflections…
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Beyond K-pop: the culture of South Korea
The recent increase in the global popularity of South Korean culture is commonly referred to as ‘K-wave’, ‘Korean wave’ or ‘Hallyu’. It’s been almost 3 years since ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This was a historical moment: ‘Parasite’ was the first South Korean film to have been nominated in these categories, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, I have watched many more films from South Korea, a country that I’m yet to visit, and I have been slowly riding the ‘Korean wave’. Today, I’d like…
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Where to eat in Dubai (light meal or a feast)
A couple of months ago, I travelled to Dubai together with my friend Jini. We visited our friends Jigna and Ed, who moved to the UAE a couple of years ago. Although my recently published post ‘top 7 tips for a trip to Dubai’ included recommendations on where to eat in Dubai, I think that a separate post is warranted. Where to eat in Dubai (light meal) Cafe Bateel Our friends live at the Dubai Marina, a very pleasant place to walk around, full of cafes and restaurants. I was a regular at Cafe Bateel, which happened to be right next to their apartment. I would usually have a coffee and…