Travelling Around Borneo During the Southeast Asian Haze

My trip to Malaysian Borneo in September 2015 began in Kuching, the capital and most populous city in the state of Sarawak (the city was formerly known as Sarawak in the 19th century). ‘Kuching’ derives from the Malay ‘kucing’, meaning ‘cats’, and the city has since become known as the ‘City of Cats’, which makes…

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Exploring Yangon: First Impressions of Myanmar

I visited Myanmar in 2015 and, unlike in other Southeast Asian countries, US dollars were the preferred form of currency. But the dollars also needed to be crisp and pristine. If you go to a foreign exchange counter or bank and try to exchange creased, ripped, or scribbled dollar bills, they can be rejected. The…

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