John M. Edwards trades in his Jeepney for a cab ride to a connecting flight through the traffic-jam capital of the world: Manila! On my way back from Cebu in the Philippines, with my then preggers girlfriend, we received word from the crackling cockpit that our plane was making an unscheduled stop in Manila, so all passengers could connect from another airport to their intended destinations. “WHAT?!” my now-ex girlfriend Susan Shrike (not … [Read more...]
Wrinkles and Dimples
Entering through the gates of our destination, I stopped in my place. Through the gleam of nature in the dainty courtyard was a tiny old woman, approaching us. She was welcoming us but my heart wavered, quickening a beat or two. An earlier encounter with an old Chinese woman was one I would not soon forget. It had been only days earlier when we were waiting at a bus stop, fully laden with our backpacks, moving onward. People were going about … [Read more...]
Sumatran Blend, Ripples on the Edge of Time: Toba or not Toba?
An American backpacker treats Sumatra, Indonesia’s “Lake Toba”--filled with crunchy Elysian entrepots --as a writers’ retreat where backing off comes with the territory “Characters are just like black marks on paper. . . --William Gass, Fiction and the Right of Life I arrive by high-speed hydrofoil across the Malacca Straits to Medan, the ersatz capital of Sumatra, during Ramadan. I was, of course, on my way to flop down and relax at the … [Read more...]
Body Laotian
John M. Edwards sings the Buddha electric, embarking on a quest in the Laotian capital for the world’s most unique body posture. People thought I was a lunatic for coming all the way to Laos, a landlocked nation without any beaches, for a “vacation”? Even I thought I was out of my mind. After a couple of days lying on the wavy grass in the hazy egg-yolk-shaped sun of Vientiane, a Southeast Asian Wild West boomtown, though, I was bronzed … [Read more...]
Uncovering Seoul
The best travel experiences are those of discovery. It does not have to be a life-changing discovery as those recounted in a lot of romantic stories nowadays. Simple, small discoveries will do. It was with the longing for a simple discovery that my friends and I planned our winter trip earlier this year. We were all born and raised in a tropical country where the sun shines all year through, so we wanted to find out what a snowy winter would … [Read more...]
The Journey of a Lifetime
As I hastily climbed the stairs of my neighbor’s house, gasping for air with sweat dripping across my forehead, I had one goal in mind: to win this game of Hide and Go Seek. I had no idea that this simple game would change my life forever. Continuing up the stairs I had the mentality of many young children - my life seemed invincible and the thought of death was distant and abstract. Thinking that I would outsmart everyone, I climbed onto a … [Read more...]
Corregidor: A Legacy Of War
Roiling thuds from warship mortars, swishing sounds from fighter planes, the wailing and myriad of death probably depicts the actual scene of the blood-spattered battle in the summer of 1942. All of it reverberates in my mind while my passenger ship passes through the waters of Corregidor. Taking a quick video of the battle site, I can imagine how frightening it was: below a pale grey sky, a huge black smoke perhaps darkened overhead, old … [Read more...]
Myanmar or Burma – What’s in a Name?
The excitement and optimism in the Yangon air these days is palpable. In 2011 the impossible happened. The half century of rule by an oppressive military junta was over and longtime political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi had been released and duly elected to parliament. It was shortly after her election that I met with Burmese friends in a crowded coffee shop on Bogyoke Aung San Road, not far from Scott Market. We were there to talk … [Read more...]
The Hills of Northern Pakistan
In summer the heat slams down onto Pakistan like a sledgehammer. The sun boils with a malevolent intensity as the temperatures rise, and rise, and rise. Houses become ovens and to go for a walk is to be physically assaulted by a heat which is like a cruel, merciless entity. Street dogs flop over, their sides heaving as they suck in the soup-like air. Birds migrate to the hills. Even flies, rendered idiotic and clumsy by the heat, blunder … [Read more...]
Tips for Being in Kuala Lumpur During Ramadan
Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country. During the month of Ramadan (usually in August), devout Muslims fast during the day, say several prayers and then break their fast with a special evening meal. This important time of year is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and it begins with the crescent moon phase. Fasting is obligatory for Muslims, with the exception of pregnant women, the ill, children or diabetics. From sunrise to … [Read more...]
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