The oldest Chinatown in Europe is in Amsterdam

I started this blog in 2006 as a way to share my travels and perspectives with family and friends. Since then I’ve written over two hundred posts and there are always ones that are still a work-in-progress. Last week, I decided to do a bit of spring cleaning and found some tips I had collected … Continue reading The oldest Chinatown in Europe is in Amsterdam

Believe whatever people say about SNCF

I’ve written a lot about traveling to the south of France in the last few years as I’ve been spending a lot of time with my extended family. It’s a straight shot from Geneva to Marseille – a 3-hour hop on the TGV, France’s high-speed railway, which can go over 300km/hr, and then a quick … Continue reading Believe whatever people say about SNCF

Chin-glish as east and west meet in HK

One week ago today, I was in Hong Kong for a quick trip to meet up with family. After having traveled and lived in Asia for the last few years, Hong Kong should’ve been a pretty easy vacation destination. It’s well-connected, modern, and has a great variety of food. I’ve been through Hong Kong airport … Continue reading Chin-glish as east and west meet in HK

Living in a grey period – enjoying the black and the white

I was just visiting my blog and realized that it’s been about a month since I last wrote something. Well, let’s see, what’s been happening? For one thing, we went to a cooking class last night to learn a few French dishes. If you’re in Geneva and want to go to a cooking course, check … Continue reading Living in a grey period – enjoying the black and the white

No snow = no skiing

You can’t be in Switzerland without going skiing. That’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past few months, but when it hasn’t snowed for over 5 weeks, it’s hardly tempting to go up to the mountains. But then again there are other reasons to get out to the mountains… three things come to mind … Continue reading No snow = no skiing

A new year, a new set…

2011 started off with a big bang in a Copacabana-style new year’s party and new resolutions. Going skiing was one of them for me given that I haven’t been to a snow-capped mountain in over 5 years. I was hoping to go after coming back from France for the holidays, but unfortunately the weather has … Continue reading A new year, a new set…

Winters can be beautiful

It’s amazing how winter can be beautiful. The last couple of weekends in Geneva have been an absolute treat… the sun was shining and the temperature was balmy. With an average of 16C, the weekends were warmer than normal and that meant people were out walking, drinking, running, shopping, etc. – any way to get … Continue reading Winters can be beautiful

The Return of Euro-Work

Geneva. This is where I’ll be for the next 6 months. International development work especially with the United Nations is generally sporadic and short-term – that’s why I’ve been moving around a lot these past few years. I finally made it back to Europe – in 2005, I spent almost half a year in Eastern … Continue reading The Return of Euro-Work

Shouldn’t parks be green?

Having lived on and off in different countries in Asia since 2000, moving from one country to another for short periods of time to renew visas (i.e. the visa-run) is a fact of life for lots of tourists and foreigners. Last week my tourist visa to Indonesia expired so I took a short (i.e. one … Continue reading Shouldn’t parks be green?