Ah, for ‘no more walls’ between Japan and foreign travellers – the time has come
I am sitting in a ryokan (Japanese inn) by the Pacific Ocean as I write this. The sun is just rising, the birds are flitting about in the early light of dawn, the beach is deserted, a contrast from yesterday afternoon when surfers were out riding the waves.Last night, we had an amazing dinner. In Ja [...]
Letter from Tokyo: Start-ups shaking up travel scene amid new optimism
I am writing this as I am listening to the start-ups pitching at our first WIT Japan Bootcamp in Tokyo while facilitating discussions – yes, we all have to multi-task these days.And I am amazed at the energy and enthusiasm in the room and among the entrepreneurs vying for the judges’ attention.I [...]
Letter from Shanghai: Scent of a hotel, toasted loo and lobster in a jar
It being the first time I have stayed at a Waldorf Astoria, I figure I should write about it.Especially about that toilet seat that flips up automatically every time I open the door to the cubicle. Quite spooky at first encounter. I think I jumped. I developed a fear of self-opening toilet lids afte [...]
Are you a ‘leftover’ woman? And are you self-critical? Read on
Is the universe telling me something or what? On the flight to Bangkok to open our second WITX event and I am reading the IHT and what should I come across but two articles that speak directly to the topic of how women are redefining not just travel but societies, economies and workplaces.First is a [...]
Indonesia’s online potential huge but education is necessary and critical
Holding a Web In Travel in a new country is as much about us learning as it is about us bringing information, knowledge and ideas to the market. And so it was with WIT Indonesia.In my time covering travel in Asia, I’ve always felt Indonesia was the most undiscovered, unexplored, untapped destinati [...]
Getting into the Jakarta state of mind
I am writing this at a petrol station in the centre of Jakarta, in a darkened Golden Bird car. My driver (left) had asked me if it was okay for him to stop off at a surau so he can do his evening prayers.I said, “Yes.” What’s another 10 minutes when I’ve been in the vehicle for two hours alr [...]
And now the happy news – new search for happiness will lead to more travel
I suppose it was fitting that I should be reading “Vacation Rules: A Guide To Travel Happiness” on the flight to Berlin.This was the city after all where unhappy people sought to bring down a wall that divided a nation. And so the cry of “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall” in 1989 reshap [...]
A blend of East and West at AIME, and a few ideas to change your thinking
Walking around AIME (Asia Pacific Incentive & Meetings Expo) in Melbourne this week and a few trends are evident.One, the Asian quotient of the show is growing not just in terms of Asian exhibitors wanting to sell to Australian buyers but Asian buyers looking to buy not just Australian content [...]
Psy and Penang and what they have in common
Try as I have, I can’t seem to get away from Psy.So there I was on my home island to usher in the snake year with my family and along comes the news that the Gangnam phenomenon had been hired to perform at the Prime Minister’s Chinese New Year gathering in Penang.For those who are unaware, Penan [...]
No, I am not getting rid of my BB and here’s why – WITX set for Bangkok, April 26
Everytime my friends see my Blackberry, they say, “It’s time to ditch that.” That’s even before it got scratched and dented and now has bits falling off – actually bits have fallen off but hey, it still works.One friend even took a photo of it because he couldn’t believe how anything cou [...]
