Edinburgh: The Intellectual Influencer
The Contradictions - Let's play a game! - What game? - Associations. - Ok. - I'll go first. Scotland. - Kilts. - Wrong. - What do you mean wrong? - Kilts are not Scottish. - Yes, they are. - No they're not. - Well, suppose they weren't, it's still what I associate the country with. - I tell you,
Behind the doors of Hà Nội
They say when one door shuts in front of you, another opens. It may not be instantly evident, but they say it is how the Universe works. I reckon, it is something like the butterfly effect. There are doors like heavenly gates that invite you to
War and Peace in Vietnam
“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam. That a woman’s voice can drug you? That everything is so intense, the colours, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you are looking for, you will
Chat with Monks in Chiang Mai
The East tempts with its comforting promise of Zen. Minimalism. Meditation. Monks in orange robes. A sitting Buddha. Chat with monks. A peaceful world where salvation from our algorithm-conducted western lives awaits. Or does it? Chiang Mai I arrive at dawn. The morning nurtures hope as I set
The duality of Bali
The ritual Each morning, Martina wakes up at 5 o’clock to prepare the food for her baby, cook rise for gods and demons, and pray. Martina is my host at the local home where I am living in Ubud and her morning routine resembles that of most
The ABC of Huaraz: Adventure, Beep, Ceviche…
"Beep!" —the familiar sound of the klaxon indicates danger. I turn—nothing. "Beep!" —again and again, a symphony of horns orchestrates the streets of Huaraz. The beep around here absorbs a vast amount of meanings. Some of them seem logical. For example, allowing other drivers to know you