Exploits in Southeast Asia
Win Khine was already 15 minutes late and his draft of Myanmar beer had begun to quickly warm in the steamy Yangon evening air. He had skipped out of work that day, apparently because his love for whiskey had once again taken hold. Despite best efforts to impress his boss, who Win Khine liked to affectionately …
When I first visited Myanmar in 2011, power cuts were frequent, ATMs were exasperatingly inaccessible for customers of non-domestic banks (forcing visitors to budget their entire trip ahead of time!) and SIM cards were, quite insanely, around the 500-dollar mark. At the time, Hillary Clinton was scheduled to arrive in the next two weeks, tasked …
Continue reading Myanmar 2 years on: Overseas banking and the telecom revolution
This video brings the minute details of Myanmar to life, as seen through the lens of a scratchy ant farm tank. The photographers, Little Big World, have shot in an assortment of other great countries and cities as well, such as Toy Thailand and Forbidden Little City. And you thought the world couldn't get any …
The Philippines spent “300 years in the convent, 50 years in Hollywood," Stanley Karnow observed in his book In Our Image: America’s Empire in the Philippines, a turn of phrase now often recited across the archipelago, proof of its resonance in reflecting the Southeast Asian nation's unique colonial history. It is a past that has made the country …
Continue reading America’s imprint on the Philippines — the good and the ugly
Bidayuh, Iban, Melanaus, Orang Ulu, Chinese and Malay -- the ethnic composition of Kuching, the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, can feel as diverse as the exotic flora and fauna showcased on postcards sold in Bornean shops. Similar to many other cities in Malaysia, visitors are hard-pressed to discern the actual ethnicity of …
Continue reading Musing over Sarawak’s tourism appeal, Malaysian Borneo
Justin Calderón 