Out of the Dorm and Into the Oven
It’s a sunny day in Doi Saket as we follow Pimmas “Pam” Singtham’s black pick-up through the rice paddies. The sky is an improbable blue and the mountains are indigo stains over yellow and green stretches of farmland. When we arrive at our destination, Pam hops out, a pretty, sprightly 25-year-old dressed in jeans and a white top embroidered with flowers. “Welcome!” she says, and shows us around t … Continued
The Power of Feminism Why We Still Need to Fight for Women’s Rights
“We’re living in a world of obscene inequality,” says Kate Lappin, Regional Coordinator of the Chiang Mai-based Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). “Right now, 85 people own more wealth than half of the world’s population.” It’s the opening plenary session at the second Asian Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF), held at the (fittingly named) Empress Hotel here in Chiang Mai. Over 3 … Continued
Your First Friend: A Day in the Life of a Tourist Policeman
Unaffiliated with any local police station, The Tourist Police are the guys who should be available for foreigners in trouble around the clock, and yet here in Chiang Mai, they’re the police we see the least. Intrigued, I decided to pay them a visit and spend a day finding out what being a Tourist Policeman is all about. Here is my story.
Hangzhou: China’s Garden City
The most Googled city in China, with over 70 million domestic tourists per year, home of UNESCO World Heritage Site’s West Lake, subject of Marco Polo’s 13th century lyrical waxing (calling it “the city of heaven” and “the finest and most splendid city in the world”), Hangzhou is China’s official capital of tea, silk, knives, umbrellas, fans, scissors, silk and porcelain.
In the Valley of the Dolls
The fluorescent lights take a second to flicker on, popping and buzzing. As they reach their full power, the colours begin to take hold. Reds and golds, greens, purples and yellows, all accented by beads and mirrored sequins. It is all a bit too much to take in at first. But slowly, as my eyes adjust, the figures and faces attached to them begin to take shape.