Name: Sawah Breeze House (Sawah means rice paddies) Location: Kasihan, just south, and within easy reach of Yogjakarta, on the Indonesian island of Java. Description: The small cottage is next to another cluster… Continue reading
“. . . Candi Borobudur . . . is a prayer in stone.” – Professor Soekmono, the Indonesian archaeologist who directed the Borobudur Restoration Project A short, steep climb in the dark took… Continue reading
“Coffee has to go through a series of processes and changes to reveal its true identity. If we pay attention, we can taste decisions on species, variety, processing, milling, roasting and brewing. Every… Continue reading
“Art enables us to find ourselves, and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton – Warehouse 421 Located in Mina Zayed near the Dhow Harbour, Warehouse 421 has been my favourite… Continue reading
“We have come to forget that our minds are shaped by the bodily experiences of being in the world – its spaces, textures, sounds, smells and habits . . .” – Robert Macfarlane… Continue reading
Jazirat al-Hamra or Red Island, now part of the mainland, was once a peninsula that, with high tide, became a small island just off the coast of Ras-al-Khaimah. The inhabitants made their living… Continue reading
“A very particular feeling of nostalgia and melancholy, characteristic of a certain type of Portugueseness, permeates the city and its people, imparting a permanent yearning for an unfulfilled past. It is a city… Continue reading
We have always known that, one day, we will have to leave the United Arab Emirates. Visas are tied to jobs and sponsors, and no matter how long one lives here, eventually one… Continue reading
The people who jostled for space in front of the gates of Bangkok’s Grand Palace, shortly before opening time, were entertained by a rather sturdy Thai woman with short hair, and a no-nonsense attitude.… Continue reading
“If someone was murdered or died in an accident, this was categorised as a ‘raw death’. The belief was that the deceased would become a ‘green ghost’ – the most feared of all… Continue reading
“How dreary it would be if you could go everywhere and do everything. There would be nothing left to dream about, and dreaming, in my view, is often the best part of travel… Continue reading
“There are experiences of landscape that will always resist articulation, and of which words offer only a remote echo.” – Robert Macfarlane – I gawk at the faded murals, and feel a wild… Continue reading
“When you realise how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back, and laugh at the sky.” – Buddha – Name: Inle Lake Sanctuary Location: Unlike what its name suggests, the lodge… Continue reading
“To the Burmese, the Shwedagon Pagoda is a symbol of the continuity of our country, its constant presence a reminder that no matter what happens in life, we can count on our spirituality… Continue reading
“If you expect life to be easy, challenges will seem difficult. If you accept that challenges may occur, life will be easier.” – Rob Liano – The Shephard squinted, and waved his… Continue reading
“The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportional to the quantity of coffee he drank.” – Sir James MacKintosh – My knuckles turn white, as I tighten my grip on the steering… Continue reading
Name: Upper House Locatation: Clarens, Eastern Free State, South Africa Description: It is a small guest house, where all the rooms have private entrances with secure parking, and access to the lush garden, where… Continue reading
“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” – Emma Smith – When we received a phone call in March to inform… Continue reading
“In 2007 I was living in a converted factory on the edge of the city. At that time the Jo’burg inner city was a no-go zone, crime ridden, filthy and all but forgotten.… Continue reading
“I laugh at the way some people think graffiti is all selfish tagging and vandalism. Thoughtful street art is like good fiction – it speaks out on behalf of everyone, for us all… Continue reading
