Ignorance remains bliss in Indonesia’s Aceh province in Sumatra as the city of Lhokseumawe has proposed a Sharia law that would ban female motorcycle passengers from riding face-forward. Deeming the position “improper,” according to the mayor, women now must ride side-saddle. Sumatra recently banned tight trousers on women, as reported in an article appearing in the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Culture & History' Category
Dhaka, Bangladesh: the worst traffic in Asia?
Here at WoWasis, we hate traffic. No seriously, we really hate traffic. We do know of some workarounds, like taking the BTS Skytrain or MRT subway in Bangkok, and rarely going anywhere in town that’s not serviced by those, or water taxi routes. As bad as Bangkok is, we weren’t prepared for the traffic hell […]
Read the rest of this entry »Banisanta: a sex workers’ hell in Bangladesh
Just south of the southern Bangladeshi city of Mongla is a tiny town on the Pushur River, consisting of a number of houses and shops made of mud, straw, wood and tin. It’s called Banisanta, and it’s home to dozens of professional current and retired sex workers, mama-sans, barkeeps, shopkeepers, and their children. Its evolution […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘The Dwarf,’ a Korean novel by Cho Se-hui
Originally written in 1978, Korean writer Cho Se-hui’s novel The Dwarf (2006, ISBN-10 0-8248-3101-2) isn’t an east grasp for westerners. The story represents characters in black and white, and the tale, of workers vs. management, is didactic. Two things helped us here at WoWasis through this otherwise well-crafted novel, translator Bruce Fulton’s afterword, and the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Historic Wat Preah Vihear mines to be cleared as Thai-Cambodian controversy continues
In a story reported in the Bangkok Post of December 21, 2012, Thailand and Cambodia have begun thawing relations related to skirmishes surrounding the historical Wat Preah Vihear temple. Although sitting in Cambodian territory, the temple has been claimed by both countries. At a meeting of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Working Group (JWG) held in Bangkok […]
Read the rest of this entry »Top 5 palaces and shrines in Seoul, South Korea
Seoul’s palaces represent fascinating, colorful, and artistic elements of Korean culture
Read the rest of this entry »Only one day in Seoul? Visit ‘Biwon’ the Secret Garden at the Changdeokgung Palace
Maybe you’ve only got one day in Seoul, a common occurrence for people who find themselves with a free day between layovers at Incheon Airport. If you’ve got a day or even a few hours, the one thing you don’t want to miss is the Secret Garden, located in the back of the Changdeokgung Palace. […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Brother One Cell,’ Korean prisons by Cullen Thomas
Cullen Thomas’ Brother One Cell makes for compelling reading on both Korea and prison life
Read the rest of this entry »Jeju Top 10: the Best Museums and Sites on Korea’s island of Jeju
Going to Korea’s Jeju Island? You’ll be astounded by the wealth of museums, parks, and historical sites on the island, all within a half-day’s driving distance of each other. In terms of museums alone, Jeju’s offerings constitute the largest concentration of outstanding museums that we here at WoWasis have seen in Asia, and many of […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Land of Exile: Contemporary Korean Fiction’
If you’re going to delve into the genre of Korean fiction, the Expanded Edition of the compilation Land of Exile: Contemporary Korean Fiction (2007, ISBN 978-0-7656-1810-8), translated and edited by Marshall R. Pihl and Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton, is a pretty good place to start. There are sixteen short stories in this book of 336 […]
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