Breaking point has been reached: the Israel-Palestine conflict has spilled over into the domain of mass entertainment. Continue reading Why Hatari politicising Eurovision was the right thing to do
Sri Lanka’s southern coast is replete with delicious, wholesome vegan and vegetarian food – you just need to know where to look! Continue reading Where To Eat Vegan Food in Sri Lanka, and Chinese
One student of mine said her boyfriend was ugly because he was too dark. They used to call him Blackie. How does one approach that? Continue reading Old China vs New China
The terrain is constantly being redesigned, reshaped, remoulded, in a bizarre and at times saddening demonstration of power of machine over nature. Continue reading Man vs. Land—geo-cultural differences between China and Europe
Stalls sell frogs’ legs and chilli squid alongside dried kiwis and skinned pineapples, bulbous wooden instruments and chariots made of sugar.
WeChat is a god. Continue reading China: The importance of being sincere
In many Asian countries, foreigners enjoy a liberty unavailable to them at home. It is fun to use ‘Monopoly money’ and drive liberally. However, it is important not to let such freedoms lead to hooliganism. Do not drop your guard. Continue reading How to be a responsible tourist in Sri Lanka
While it is becoming increasingly regulated, policing is still conducted by corrupt individuals who act outside the law. Appeals typically result in chaos, humiliation and dead-ends. Continue reading Police Harassment in Sri Lanka: fines, bribes and batons
And they’re off, bike screeching, phone in hand. Something glints in the sky and our motorbike keys land on the floor in the middle of the road. Someone shrieks. We stare at each other, nonplussed. A quarter of an hour ago we were listening to an Englishman sing the Blues, shaking our egg shakers and feeling merry. Now we are pissed off, a little shaken, and very bored. Continue reading Police Harassment in Sri Lanka: An Anecdote
Somewhere between 8 and 20 million native Kurdish speakers live in Turkey, though to honour this man and his kin ‘Turkey’ should be in inverted commas. To them, this is not Turkey and they are not Turkish. It is northern Kurdistan, a land traumatised by history. Continue reading Kurds in Turkey: We Live Under The Same Sky
Past these dwellings, down a steep bank, the Göksu, or “blue water”, flows softly into the Euphrates, the longest river of western Asia. Continue reading A Midnight Visit from Turkish Gendarmes
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