PHOTO: Orangutan Best Buddies – So Like Humans

Human like behavior of orangutans at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre on the island of Borneo

Humans have long been fascinated by all members of the ape family. Orangutans, second largest of the apes after gorillas, rank extremely high on our fascination meter. There’s no mystery about this. We look at orangutans and see ourselves. I felt the same way when I visited the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and watched the … Read more

Visiting Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…But Not for a Marriage Blessing

A corner pagoda at Thean Hou Temple with terracotta ridge beasts perched on the roof beams

I first met David Hogan, Jr., the publisher of the award winning Malaysia Asia Travel Blog, during a visit to Malaysia’s Penang Island. On that occasion, he took me to one of the island’s most popular “hawker centers,” where we ate our way through outdoor food stalls that stretched for blocks. Some years later David … Read more

PHOTO: Historic Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Grande Dame of Malaysia’s Capital City

The historic Kuala Lumpur Railway Station

I rounded a corner and stopped in my tracks. The old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station stretched before me in all her glory. Her lacy white skirts were tatted with horseshoe, ogee, and keyhole arches, while her chhatri-topped towers were held aloft like frilly parasols, providing protection from the brutal Malaysian sun. This spectacular example of … Read more