Photo: Dreamstime
By Cindy Fan
KOH PHANGAN, THAILAND—I believe in signs. You know, those uncanny moments in life, undoubtedly of divine orchestration, that kick you in the pants to do something whether you want to or not.
That’s how I found myself at the world’s largest beach party, painted head-to-flip-flop in fluorescent DayGlo, guzzling vodka soda from a beach bucket.
By Cindy Fan
KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – Craig tells me to put my head into the hole in the ground and I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. All morning, he’s told me to look up trees, into shrubs, under thorny bushes.
On hands and knees, I cautiously poke my head in and abruptly come face to face with a wee fairy penguin, the smallest species of penguin on earth. He looks equally amazed by my sudden appearance as I am with his, and we regard each other with wonder. I’m giddy – yet another animal to add to my growing list. Read on…
By Cindy Fan
BANGKOK—May Kaidee is dressed to the nines, her regal Thai costume and golden bangles perfectly in place on her petite frame as she flits around her restaurant kitchen giving instruction. She’s as brilliantly colourful and quick as a hummingbird, her expressive hands constantly in motion. Sweaty students squeal when the chili paste hits the scorching woks like napalm, sending a fiery burst of cough-inducing spice into the air. It’s absolute pandemonium when May breaks out into her signature cooking song, calling for all to join in.
“Sap sap sap sap sap,” she sings over the chaos and clatter. Yummy, yummy, yummy. . . Read on…