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Patrick Dowd has returned from Peru. Read the Peru travelogue from the beginning.
Category Archives: seAsia
The Beach, a novel
I read a novel, The Beach by Alex Garland. I had previously seen the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. It is an easy, fun read, good for a long airplane ride. What struck me is that I followed the same route … Continue reading
Bang Rajan, movie
Watched the movie, Bang Rajan, subtitled The Legend of the Village Warriors. The movie, in Thai with English subtitles, tells the story of rural resistance to Burmese forces in 1765. Two separate armies of 100,000 each were dispatched to attack … Continue reading
Malaysia summary
Malaysia appropriately celebrates its multiethnic character. It’s a lively melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures. Georgetown and Malaka were particularly interesting in this respect, especially their food dishes. Both have recently been recognized as World Heritage Sites … Continue reading
Hellfire, photo
A Buddhist monk walks through Hellfire Pass. I visited Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. The museum and this walk commemorate the deaths and suffering of Allied prisoners of war while building the Siam-Burma Railway (aka Death Railway) for the Japanese military. … Continue reading
Thailand summary
For me, a highlight of my visit was seeing a friend from college days. As a bonus, I traveled with him in his car throughout western Thailand and visited his wife’s family. I visited temples and monasteries, mountain vistas, rivers, … Continue reading
Singapore summary
I stayed downtown, walked around Chinatown, Little India and the Colonial Area. I visited many museums and took a harbor cruise. Everything is very clean, neat and organized, maybe too organized. Crime is low, water potable and English is widely … Continue reading