I’m starting to prefer staying in the suburban outskirts of a city. Apart from getting more reasonably priced accommodation, it’s nice to be able to retreat from the frenetic centres to somewhere more quiet, if not totally peaceful. As long as there’s accessible transport to ferry me across to the centre when I want [...]
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Travels through Asia – dining in Kolkata
I had to visit the Michelin-starred Yauatcha in Kolkata’s high-end Quest Mall. Prices are around a third what you would pay at its twin/sister restaurant in London. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and still on the look-out wherever I go for the champagne/rose tea served there. Special shout out also goes to the Bohemian Restaurant at 2/4, [...]
Travels through Asia
Miu's Coffee House. Hanoi, Vietnam At the start of 2017 I said that I wanted to travel to Asia and Asia-Pacific that year. From May I got to work in reporting and public information for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (or, more simply, OCHA) in South Asia (Pakistan and Bangladesh). At [...]
Deployed to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
It began with an email: ‘the UN team has contacted us and they are requesting your deployment as soon as possible, initially for six weeks…how quickly would you be able to travel and assume your responsibilities in Dhaka or Cox’s Bazar?’ This was on Saturday evening, 7 October, 2017. Just over one week later, I [...]
Musical interlude
I thought I'd do a super quick round-up of music that's recently caught my attention. I've never been a fan of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' or any version of it. Way too mournful and dour for me, though that may be a bit rich coming from someone who has both studied and liked ancient classical Greek [...]