Inside South East Asia

What I like about Jom Jelaja Koperasi, Malaysia’s homestay program run by Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM), is it offers a sampling of the local culture, customs and traditions in a bucolic village.  I remember solo backpacking in Penang 4 years ago, but this time, it is a totally different travel experience.  Beyond the usual heritage and food tour of the …

We were winding past jungle-clad karts limestone massif and honey- colored rice fields.  It is winter season in Northern Vietnam; local farmers with sun-kissed skin till their farms, domesticated ducks meander on the winding streams, water buffaloes graze the vast pastoral lands, while the cold breezes permeate the bucolic atmosphere.   We are thrusting back time to the mountains of …

They say the road to Ringlet is scenic, but today, the sky is as dark as the shadows so I can’t attest to that.  Sitting on the back seat of an old-fashioned car with two strangers, I was prying where the driver would take us.  Tonight’s unexpected road trip is courtesy of a stranger-turned-friend.  Our driver is a priest whom …

You won’t have seen Vietnam if you haven’t seen Hue – the political, intellectual and cultural heart of the country. Situated in Thua Thien-Hue Province, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was the seat of the Nguyen Empire, the last feudal dynasty of Vietnam under the leadership of Emperor Gia Long who ruled Southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th …