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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
This gallery contains 35 photos.
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
This gallery contains 4 photos.
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
This gallery contains 4 photos.
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
This gallery contains 21 photos.
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
This gallery contains 25 photos.
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
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In Hanoi, I stayed at the legendary Hotel Metropole, now known as the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel. This hotel was very special to me. Because it was here, three years ago, just past midnight on New Year’s Day 2010, that … Continue reading
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天报月密問來往／水色山光相送迎 “Heaven tells the Moon secrets and asks how it’s been; ／ Scenes of Lake and scenes of Mountain welcome each other.” － Couplet, Inscription at Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain) Temple Hanoi is the 9th stop of my Grand Tour. … Continue reading
This gallery contains 42 photos.
Downtown Yangon is like an open-air museum; an ode in brick, mortar and cast iron, to the British Empire (and the British Raj, of which Yangon was the Eastern-most point, until Burma became a colonial possession in its own right). … Continue reading
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No. 92 Strand Road Speaking of timelessness… The delicious irony about all the legendary colonial hotels in the region is that change had come often drastically to these grand old dames, in order that they may look as though no … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 