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“Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that … Continue reading
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In 1883, the celebrated author and explorer, Isabella Lucy Bird had this to say about her extended sojourn in Malacca, to which she had decided to wend her trans-continental journey, on a whim: “Malacca fascinates me more and more daily. … Continue reading
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Malacca doesn’t have a Grand Hotel per se, but it does have Majestic Hotel, which is almost as historic, and has been recently refurbished so it recalls these other Grand Hotels in the region. The “peranakan” or mixed architecture of … Continue reading
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Malacca is the first European colony, and the most colonised city in Southeast Asia, having been taken over by the Portuguese in 1511, and having had not just one colonial master, but three (the Dutch from 1641, and the British … Continue reading
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I haven’t posted anything for Dream Of A City for two months now, aside from the chapters for The Grand Tour and Manhattan in 12 Streets, which don’t strictly count. Admittedly, I’ve been going through a bit of a rough … Continue reading
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Oud Batavia lingers today in a few isolated neighborhoods in Jakarta. The greatest concentration of historic buildings is to the North, in what is now known as Kota, or “City.” Here lies the old administrative and commercial heart of colonial … Continue reading
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So the question is this: how does one re-create something that is no longer there? The Hotel Des Indes was the oldest and the grandest of the Grand Hotels in Southeast Asia, having been opened in the 1860s. It was … Continue reading
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Jakarta was a weird one. I debated for sometime whether or not I would actually visit it – since the fundamental criteria for it being part of the Grand Tour was missing: Jakarta’s Grand Hotel – the Hotel Des Indes … Continue reading
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Hanoi was captured by the French in 1873, and relinquished to Ho Chi Minh in 1954. Compared to the 1000 years of Chinese rule over Vietnam, the 80 years of French Colonial rule seem like a mere afterthought. However, having … Continue reading
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The best time to visit the Old Town is at dawn, when the streets are stripped of their human detritus and the ancient facades are finally revealed in their full, crumbling glory. There is much to admire here, architecturally: quaint … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 