When we reached Sitiawan to join the amassing forces of the Ho Clan for this historic reunion, Uncle Moses, true to his past vocation as principal of the Anglo-Chinese School, had prepared an educational tour for all of us. His second-in-command was, appropriately enough, a man named Joshua. Joshua was a stout, devout Methodist who ran a travel ( Read more... )

Our expulsion from Eden began early. During breakfast, dark clouds significantly larger than a man’s hand had begun to build on the horizon. By the time we got back to the villa to pack, we were being buffeted by a full-on tropical storm at sea. Palm trees flailed in the gale, rain pelleted the windows with horizontal force. A housekeeping staff ( Read more... )

“Luxury is the enemy of observation, a costly indulgence that induces such a good feeling that you notice nothing. Luxury spoils and infantilizes you and prevents you from knowing the world.”

Our first stop as a family was the luxury island resort of Pangkor Laut, owned by the ubiquitous YTL Group. To reach it, we traveled by hired bus to the ( Read more... )

Mention “Family Vacation”, and you will get one or all of several reactions. You might feel a thrill of excitement in the pit of your stomach, like the quivering mounds of artificially-flavoured jellies we used to consume on masse during such trips. Images of long car trips; shards of chips and bits of silver gum wrapping on the car seats; mum ( Read more... )