A great way to enhance your stay in the city of Kuching, Sarawak is to take a cooking, crafts, painting, or traditional dancing class. These are affordable and taught by affable experts who speak English, and Melton Kais’ painting classes can even include a home stay on premises if you wish. Cooking, Crafts, […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'By Country' Category
Letter from Melaka: Malay nightlife and culture as viewed from Jim’s Cottage Pub
Jim’s Cottage Pub is at the eastern end of the city of Melaka (Malacca), Malaysia, way past all the points of interest to tourists. Here, the barmaids are pretty much all past a certain age, wear miniskirts, drink and smoke with the customers, and don’t muck around with them. It’s strictly old-world convivial, where no […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis Book review: Timothy Hallinan’s ‘The Fourth Watcher’
Following up on his excellent novel A Nail Through the Heart, Timothy Hallinan’s The Fourth Watcher (2008, ISBN 978-0-06-125726-1) is a continuation of the ongoing saga of travel writer Poke Rafferty and his family, ex- bar girl Rose, and adopted daughter Miaow. Hallinan is rapidly becoming a fixture in the Bangkok Fiction genre, whose prosaic […]
Read the rest of this entry »Massage parlors for men in Vietnam: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Vietnamese streetside massage shops offer everything from foot massage to manual stimulation, but do not offer full service, in sexual terms. Read on, as our handy guide will help you to navigate this labyrinth of services and to get what you’re paying for. The good Streetside stall massage shops typically offer body, face, and foot […]
Read the rest of this entry »A go-go girl’s path to success, regardless of what the guidebooks say
Carmina works as a dancer in a bar in Angeles City, Philippines. Possessor of a deep, sultry voice, she was occupied as a performer-hostess at a men’s club overseas for more than 10 years, and made a very good living. Her specialty was singing jazz standards, and she can rattle off any Cole Porter tune […]
Read the rest of this entry »Eating bugs in Thailand: Supplementing your daily caloric intake the upcountry way
Westerners visiting Thailand for the first time may quickly encounter a dramatic indicator that they’re no longer in the western world: the streetside bug cart. Loaded with trays filled with a number of delicious insect delights, these carts serve primarily Thai people who’ve emigrated to Bangkok from outlying provinces such as Isaan and the northern […]
Read the rest of this entry »Exotic Fruits of Thailand: What’s this thing called, and how do I eat it?
Westerners from even the more abundant agricultural nations will quickly become transfixed by the breadth of palate to be sampled in the fruits commonly found in Thailand. Fruits here are categorized as either seasonal (e.g. durian, lychee, longan, mango, mangosteen) or year-round (banana, jackfruit, papaya, pineapple). Here is your guide to the most common, encountered […]
Read the rest of this entry »Men’s rooms TV ads: more noise pollution in Bangkok?
Bangkok, already one of the world’s noisiest cities, might be in the process of getting louder. U.S.-educated entrepreneur Palin Lojanagosin intends to start putting ads in washrooms on television monitors. These will not only be placed above sinks, but above the toilet stalls themselves. All of us have come to grips with the notion that […]
Read the rest of this entry »Buying property: Own your own piece of Thailand? It can be done, but with caveats
(Note: Also read WoWasis post about construction scams in Thailand) Many Westerners who fall in love with Thailand have expressed a desire to own property there. Although the process is probably more complicated than in your own country, it is doable, as thousands can attest. Here are some of the basics, and remember to consult […]
Read the rest of this entry »Day and Resort/Hotel Spas in Vietnam
Vietnam is quickly becoming a spa destination, particularly in the Resort/Hotel variety, with good choices in Hue, Nha Trang, and Saigon. Day spas are beginning to appear, but choices today are slim, relative to the proliferation of day spas in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. There are plenty of “mom&pop” massage venues in Saigon and Hanoi, […]
Read the rest of this entry »
