The Rockefeller of the East
This is one wing of the Georgetown mansion of Cheong Fatt Tze, the last great mandarin of China, known in New York, where he did...
Tagged: children
Smells Like Drains, Tastes Like Syllabub
Ahhh… The sweet scent of durian. Known across South-East Asia as “the king of fruits”. Celebrated at festivals across Malaysia and Indonesia. Freighted cross-continents by...
Into the Deep
Why learn to dive? Well… Scuba diving opens up an entire new world. There’s the fluid, graceful movement in three dimensions, moving up or down...
Penguins in Bangkok
We didn’t come to Thailand for the penguins. But there’s something surreally magical about stepping out of 35 degrees of sweaty, humid heat and coming...
Vertigo, Bangkok
This is the view from Vertigo, the aptly named, open-air bar which sits on the sixtieth floor above the Banyan Tree hotel, Bangkok. And I...
Zorb Balls and Sky Coasters
Thinking of taking the kids to Thailand this year? One of the huge benefits of the general nervousness right now is the instant availability of...
Imagine Peace
Junior remarked the other day, “I do hope the shirt war doesn’t start again while we’re in Bangkok.” And my mother asked me over the...
If Bangkok was a Colour…
If Bangkok had a colour, it would most definitely be pink. Hot pink. Like a bar girl’s brassiere, or those gorgeous metallic fuchsia and violet...
"Mum! FEET!!!"
It is amazing how fast children adapt to and internalise the conventions, taboos, the social norms and etiquette of another culture. And not just by...
At the Orphanage
Our first volunteering stint as a family brought us to Baan Kingkaew orphanage, a home for orphaned children aged from three months to six years...