This gallery contains 20 photos.
Unfortunately, when I arrived in Phnom Penh that weekend, King Sihanouk had just passed away, and his body been ceremonially laid in state in the Royal Palace. As such, most of the Palace compound – about three quarters of it, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
“[A]lready all we have built in Phnom Penh appears old under the effects of the burning sun; the fine, straight streets we have constructed are devoid of any human presence and overgrown with grass; one could believe that this is … Continue reading
This gallery contains 20 photos.
While Bangkok was never colonised, it was the seat of a colonial empire that encompassed most of what we now know as Indochina, and parts of present-day Malaysia and Burma. Up until the early 20th century, the Kings of Siam … Continue reading
This gallery contains 31 photos.
Surprisingly for a city that has never been colonised, Bangkok has a surfeit of colonial architecture, belonging to the full range of European Imperial styles. Because it was never colonized by any one European power, all the European powers are … Continue reading
This gallery contains 12 photos.
Timeless Elegance Bangkok is also known for another legendary and venerable institution in Southeast Asia – almost as old and venerable as the Grand Palace itself. This is the Oriental Hotel, versions of which has stood on the same site … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
“There it was, spread out largely on both banks, the Oriental capital which had yet suffered no white conqueror…” Joseph Conrad, The Shadow Line River of Kings I had fully intended to arrive at the Palace by river that morning. … Continue reading
This gallery contains 28 photos.
Across the Kali Mas (Mas River), East of the Jembatan Merah (or Red Bridge), sits a different world altogether from the one the Dutch lived and worked in. Here, there is a sort of dignified stillness and anonymity, associated with … Continue reading
This gallery contains 25 photos.
The colonial is everywhere in Surabaya, even as it lies buried underneath a layer of outwardly nationalistic symbols and slogans. Behind the banners in Bahasa, and past the hordes of chugging motorcycles and cars, the Dutch East Indies still lurks, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 11 photos.
Paradise on Earth If it weren’t for the Hotel Majapahit, I would have had trouble remembering that Surabaya even existed, so entirely overshadowed has the city been by the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and by other tourist hotspots like Bali, Lombok … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
“ ‘What do you think of that?’ asked Rienkie’s mother, pointing at the painting. ‘A real Indies sky, don’t you think?’ And only a few people could reproduce an Indies sky, she went on to say. To do that you … Continue reading
