A Wall of Scent at Dawn
The smell hit me before I saw the island. I was standing in the bow of a creaking wooden ferry…
Indonesia
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Ibu Fatmawati’s Wrists
The first thing I noticed about Ibu Fatmawati’s hands was that they were wet. Not damp from washing — wet…
Nasi Goreng, Smoke, and a Wok in the Ruins
Banda Aceh is a city that smells like cloves and wet concrete. The air at the intersection of Jalan T….
The Alley Where the Smoke Never Clears
I smelled it before I saw it — a block away, maybe two, carried on a breeze that had nothing…
The Ark of Pork: Finding the Best Satay Lilit of My Life in a Ubud Side Alley
The consensus in my guidebook, repeated by people I trusted, was clear: Bali was for chicken satay and fish satay….