Cuandixia- 500 year old Ming Dynasty village
Cuandixia was an unexpected surprise. At the doorstep of Beijing, this 500 year old village harking back to the Ming Dynasty is still ‘alive and well’ and still holds many descendents of the Han family that founded this village. A perfect weekend away would involve 2 nights stay at Cuandixia, sipping beers while playing cards … Read more
A walk through a traditional Chinese hutong
This is a walk through one of the few preserved hutongs on China. Hutongs are small alleyways but are also taken to refer to the traditional architecture of old China. I would describe hutongs as ‘quaint’. Cooling in summer but freezing in winter. And … Read more
Chinese New Year in Beijing
This year we spent Chinese New Years (CNY) doing what most Beijingers don’t do- we stayed in Beijing. Most people either leave for their hometowns or go vacationing elsewhere to escape the constant sound of fireworks. However, I think Chinese New Year in Beijing is absolutely wonderful. The streets are deserted, the air is relatively … Read more
A floating village on Tonle Sap lake, Cambodia
On 11 August 2011, a group of Rotary Peace Fellows from Chulalongkorn University visited Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia. Our purpose was to learn more about the post-conflict reconstruction issues in Cambodia. A big issue for Cambodia is that the fisheries industry is one of the biggest in the domestic economy and thus our visit … Read more
The Killing fields of Cambodia- Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh
WARNING: SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND THE BELOW PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTIONS TO BE DISTURBING. On 7 August 2011, we headed to the killing fields of Choeung Ek which is just30 minutes outside the centre of Phnom Penh. Prior to the rise of the Khmer Rouge, Choeung Ek was actually a Chinese cemetery which became the Khmer … Read more
Tuol Sleng S-21 Torture camp, Cambodia
7 August 2011 I visited the killing fields of Cheoung Ek, just outside Phnom Penh. It was sobering to see the shelves of skulls and learn how the excavation of more bodies have ceased as there were insufficient number of genocidal monuments to house the bones of those killed during the Khmer Rouge‘s regime during … Read more
Photo-journal of Mae Ai, North Thailand
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The Golden Triangle- where Burma, Thailand and Laos meet
Today we visited the Golden Triangle where Burma, Thailand and Laos meet, with the Mekong Riverproviding some form of a border between each country. Needless to say that if you wanted to swim across the countries or dock your motor boat at the other side of the Mekong, you can. The unclear nature of the … Read more
Slavery and statelessness, and its forgotten victims
When we think about the abolition of slavery, we often think about the courage of William Wilberforce and the anti-slavery movement in America. We think of how humans have progressed from the abuse and racism that undergirds the violence of slavery, and we feel a sense of history in how we have progressed so far. … Read more
Cabbages&Condoms and Bangkok tour
The last week has been filled with rather random activities- catching up with old friends, visiting an interesting development project in Bangkok, attending a Flo Rida concert and then ending with a tour of Bangkok’s main tourist sites. Now that I think about it, its been a very full week! … Read more
A glimpse into Beijing- photos
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Feichang Fresh “A Beijing Love Song”
Mandarin speakers, Beijingers……Check this video out!! All about the good life in Beijing…. Lyrics: 我们又来了 We’re back 非常非常非常fresh Extremely extremely extremely fresh 大家都举手来 Everyone put up your hands 准备好了吗 Are you ready? Chorus: 每到黎明听着你的声音来把我叫醒 Every morning I wake up to your voices 对这城市我是怀着十分激动的心情 I’m full of excitement towards this city 北京的灵魂氛围难以用语言来表达 Beijing’s spirit and atmosphere … Read more
My first week in Beijing
After getting over feeling extremely daunted in a completely foreign land and unable to communicate with people, Beijing has slowly grown on me. Our introduction to Chinese bureaucracy is still ongoing- we sent 7 boxes via freight to China (the day before we left) and they are still held up in customs after 1.5 months. … Read more
