EVERYTHING'S CONSIDERED

He couldn’t be a converso. But he could be a Gitano.   He has the song that echoes of his fathers. It was a primitive cry. A sort of spiritual chant but somewhere along the rustic lines and the shattering jondo...

  Why do I find it hard not to be charmed or even excited by the sound of  shattering ice when some liquid is poured on to it, or when the sizzle of meat hits a searing grill, the ping...

  There’s a new wind blowing in Bangkok.   It’s not that it’s going to storm. It’s a kind of breeze, refreshing enough to cool down the sweltering heat, and the kind that stimulates a visiting traveler’s imagination.   Taking advantage of a break...

Bangkok is bewildering and bewitching, but most of all Bangkok is hot. In the glare of the tropical sun, it could either catapult almost everyone out of the one’s comfort zone or even spoil its ever swelling number of...

  Bouillabaisse .  For first timers, getting the correct pronunciation is hard. Yet it’s even harder to spell it. For first timers, it’s also easier to have a bowl of soup in Shanghai, Japan or even in Malaysia, where slurping...

  Half an hour past midnight, my travel partner is still on the other end of the line – talking fast and laying out the plan.   Quite frankly, it’s a series of plans. Or, more precisely: a mezze expressed in descriptive...

  There was nothing but the gentle lapping, splashing and sedating sound of the waves, and the occasional cry of a passing gaff-rigged motorboat or the crisp April zephyr blowing from the shore of Punta Engaño on the Island of...

    Upon reading this, I would probably be at 36,000 feet in a triple 7 Air France jet liner 12-time zones away from you.   Somehow I won't have to press the arret button as many times, as I did during the...

 The hallucinogenic effect started to kick in – hard.  I blamed that man, hunching over the ebony Yamaha piano. Despite his being 75, something told me that behind the white tuxedo, the bow tie and the hearing aid he wears...

  In ever-sunny, ever-carefree Bangkok, don’t let the beguiling temples, the vibrant markets, the swanky attractions surrounding the enchanting Chao-Phraya river and those infamous Thai smiles consume you. Allow your senses to be your guide in exploring the charms of...