It's a balmy afternoon on a sun-drenched island in the world's largest archipelago, Indonesia. And as island life goes here, things are quiet. The only sounds that interrupt the peaceful swash of the turquoise tide are the crinkling of palm fronds in the wind and the occasional over-sized lizard tap dancing in the brush. At …
Category: Southeast Asia
Exploits in Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s Ramadan Bazaars
I passed the closing hours of Ramadan last week in Jakarta, where the indefatigable prayers of imams tolled out from loudspeakers mounted on minarets nonstop into the night at such a pitch that they continuously jarred me out of sleep. Back in Kuala Lumpur, the final prayers of the season rung out until 11 or …
First weeks in KL: Bersih 2.0 protest to bazaar Ramadan
If I were to write a narrative of my first (nonconsecutive) weeks in Kuala Lumpur, it would be one of heady political chaos followed by a contemplative decrescendo into the month of Ramadan. It would start out in KL and it would begin with a bang – namely originating from the disbursement of tear gas …
Continue reading First weeks in KL: Bersih 2.0 protest to bazaar Ramadan
Drifting through Koh Chang
There are two separate words for the color blue in Thai. Travel to one of the many coconut tree-lined islands that have made Thailand a premier tourist destination and you’ll catch a glimpse why. When I’m asked “Why do you like Thailand?” an answer usually follows supporting these picturesque places brochures are made of. A country full of blue …
English Classes for Sex Workers in Bangkok
For the past month, I had been fussing over an old story about SWING, a volunteer organization that offers a variety of counseling services and English lessons to sex workers of every gender in Bangkok. And after a bit of cleanup and some calls to Thailand, I churned out a story for CNNGo, CNN's Asia-travel …
Justin Calderón 