The sharper edge to traveling in Asia

Archive for the 'By Country' Category

Malang, gateway city to East Java, Indonesia

The pretty Dutch colonial city of Malang is a great place to spend a couple of days, with good restaurants, nice hotels, interesting things to see in the city, and a good city from which to book tours to nearby temples and the extraordinary volcanic region of Gunung Bromo.  Malang Top 4  1) We found the […]

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Candi Kidal & Candi Jago temples in Java, Indonesia

These two small but interesting templesare best visited on a day trip from the nearby city of Malang, roughly 20 km away. Candi Kidal has wonderful examples of Javanese sculpture. Construction was begun in approximately 1250 as the funerary temple of King Anusapati. The temple is located at GPS S08°02.181’ E112°42.500’  Candi Jago, while in a state of […]

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Magnificent Panataran Temples in Java, Indonesia

The temples at Panataran are noted for their architecture as well as for their extraordinary sculptures, and are located in a beautiful setting. Considered by several scholars to be among the best examples of East Javanese architecture and sculpture, they were initially constructed in 1200 ACE, but took another 300 or so years to finish. […]

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WoWasis Book review: Timothy Hallinan’s ‘Nail Through the Heart’

One of the gripes voiced by veteran readers of Bangkok Fiction is that the common plot of western man-meets-bargirl has become so hackneyed that it’s really served its time, and should either be upgraded or retired. We’ve started to feel the same way about its replacements, the girl gets trafficked or children are molested by […]

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Bold color fashions from Bangkok: Introducing Muung-Doo’s Masiri Tamsakul

Masiri Tamsakul’s striking, colorful fashions seem to literally leap out at unsuspecting Bangkok fashion enthusiasts, their playful, yet elegant lines showing themselves off boldly in timeless designs, ready for urban, resort, and elegant occasions.  As a child, she enjoyed drawing and sketching, and later developed a passion for advertising, getting her BA in Mass Communications […]

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Bangkok’s Fashion Trio: Introducing Chai Jeamamornrat, Patsarun Sriluansoi, and Sunshine of Headquarter Bangkok

It’s always exciting to see the work of a young, talented designer, and here, the experience for Bangkok fashion enthusiasts is trebled at Headquarter Bangkok, where three extraordinary designers have pooled their creativity to create three distinct, but complimentary lines at their own boutique.  They use high-quality fabric from Japan and Hong Kong, among other […]

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From Thumbelina to India: Bangkok Fashion Designer Nat Mangkang of Kloset

One of the leading lights of the Bangkok fashion industry, Bangkok-born Nat Mangkang chuckles today when he recalls his studies in the field of Human Resources.  “I was always reading fashion magazines,” he remembers, “and I acquired a number of friends who loved fashion as much as I did.”  Soon, his friends were asking him […]

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Sassy Bangkok fashion wear for everyday use: Introducing Kay Sachakul of The Oddyssee

When Prin “Kay” Sachakul says she wants her fashions for young women to be accessible for the average Thai lady, she means it. In the world of Bangkok fashion, she’s an iconoclast. Rather than locating her shop at a glitzy complex, she put her first shop on the second floor of the slightly down-market Siam […]

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Extraordinary houseware designs through sustainable materials: Introducing Bangkok’s Pawinee Santisiri of Ayodhya

If “doing well by doing good” is a measure of success, Khun Pawinee of Ayodhya must be doing well indeed.  Her Ayodhya designs make resplendent use of water hyacinth, a plant that is normally seen as a fast-breeding threat to navigable waterways.  She employs hundreds of families in processing the vines for production, providing economic […]

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Bangkok Fashion’s New Traditionalist: Adisak Rojsiriphan of Zenithorial

Adisak Rojsiriphan is an important player in Bangkok’s fashion scene. With influences as varied as Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, Le Corbusier, and Philippe Stark, you wouldn’t be surprised to discover Adisak’s masculine fashions to have a firm basis of construction, a strong foundation over which to build a decorative façade of color, […]

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