The Spoon That Knows What It’s Doing
The first thing you notice about a bowl of bubur cha-cha in Singapore isn’t the sweetness, though that arrives soon…
2026
Read More
The Bib Came Before the Crab
I was handed a bib and a stack of wet towelettes before I’d even finished ordering. The woman at the…
One Tuesday, Maxwell Food Centre, Half Past Twelve
I remember the exact sound of my first proper hawker centre meal in Singapore. Not the taste — though that…
When the Komodo Dragons Aren’t the Main Event
The harbour at Labuan Bajo smells like diesel and salt and, depending which way the wind pushes, grilled fish from…
The Sulphur Reaches You First
The first thing I noticed about Mount Bromo wasn’t the crater or the dawn light or the famous view across…
The Wrong Side of Ubud and What It Actually Taught Me
The first thing I noticed about the road between Ubud and the coast wasn’t the scenery. It was the smell…
Java, Bali & Lombok Campervan Crossing: Day 11 to 14
We hadn’t planned for the ferry to feel quite so final. That’s the thing about crossing from Bali to Lombok…
Java, Bali & Lombok Campervan Crossing: Day 6 to 10
The horn sounded at Gilimanuk like a water buffalo clearing its throat — low, patient, entirely unhurried. We had been…
Java, Bali & Lombok Campervan Crossing: Day 1 to 5
It was a Wednesday in Surabaya, and the air was doing what Surabaya air usually does — thick, warm, carrying…
The Shirt Didn’t Survive Kemang
The humidity hit first, the way it always does at Soekarno-Hatta. It was late morning on a Tuesday in early…