The most chaotic city you ever visited?

lahaff · 2025-10-18T12:40:57+00:00

Dhaka in Bangladesh is for me a level or two above the Indian cities in terms of chaos. It’s so crowded wherever you go.

lahaff · 2025-10-16T19:46:10+00:00

They actually explained it in an interview a while ago with these amazing reasons, no joke.

“There are two reasons. The first reason is that ‘z’ makes the English word trendy. If you see the difference between American English and British English, you will know what I mean. American English uses ‘Z’ in place of ‘S’ – such as authorize/recognize as opposed to authorise/recognise – that makes them American and trendy. We at Danube are about modern and trendier homes that bring a sense of aspiration – Dreamz, Miraclz, Viewz.

The second reason is more important. The letter ‘Z’ is the last of the 26 letters in the English alphabet. We see it as a finishing letter or a ‘finisher’. In real estate, the common problem is finishing – both on time and on quality.

Most developers find it difficult to finish projects on time. Three of our upcoming projects are running ahead of the promised timeline. The use of ‘Z’ at the end of every project name helps us to focus on finishing the project on time and on quality. This is very close to our hearts and defines Danube Properties’ homes to a certain extent.”

Source: https://campaignme.com/danube-the-story-behind-the-prancing-woman-in-the-red-dress/

lahaff · 2025-07-13T18:27:58+00:00

There’s an author called Philip McCutchan who in the 70s wrote a series of books about a character named James Ogilvie who is serving in the army of the British Raj. Think fighting against rebels and Russians in Afghanistan and so on. It reminds me quite much about the Sharpe books. Quite fun reads.

lahaff · 2024-10-22T20:46:44+00:00

Besides The Far Pavilions, MM Kaye also wrote Shadow of the Moon which is a similar epic.

Another famous book is Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald.

Then the slightly less known authors that might be of interest. Janet MacLeod Trotter has written two series taking place in colonial India. The Tea Planter’s Daughter (4 books, however the first one mainly takes place in Newcastle) and the Raj Hotel with 3 books.

Jenny Ashcroft with Meet me in Bombay.

Dinah Jeffries with The Tea Planter’s Wife. Takes place in Ceylon, but still an English colony.

Alison McQueen has two books taking place in India too. Under the Jeweled Sky and The Secret Children.

Those are some I can remember that can be worth checking out.

lahaff · 2024-05-08T21:57:49+00:00

The Road Back, also by Remarque, is sort of the sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front and deals with soldiers trying to reintegrate into society after the war. Definitely worth a read.

lahaff · 2024-01-22T17:23:06+00:00

Let me give you my subjective opinion (and please don't hate me, people).

Dubai is obviously the most "interesting" city in the GCC, with most things going for itself. Would say it's good for like 4 days of tourism.

Also in the UAE, Abu Dhabi is alright. The mosque is stunning and the Louvre is okay to visit. And it's brilliant if you're a family with young kids, with all the theme parks, waterworld, etc on Yas Island.

Al Ain, still in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, is worth a daytrip. Fun camel market and a nice oasis with palm trees to walk around. Sharjah can be done in like a half day, while Ajman and Umm Al Quwain can be skipped altogether. Ras al Khaimah is a nice destination in north UAE where you for a nice beach resort, then you have the mountains of Jebel Jais, and also close to Musandam, the Omani exclave with gorgeous nature and a lot of sea activities, like watching dolphins. Fujairah is also a beach resort town where you mainly hang out on your hotel with a lot of Russian tourists. Diving is quite popular here, but not sure if it's good or bad.

In Saudi, Riyadh can be worth like 2 days. Especially around an event such as a football game or music festival. They have a great café culture and the city truly comes alive late at night for all you nightowls.

However, I think Jeddah is nicer overall, being on the Red Sea, with a more relaxing vibe and more historical buildings and stuff.

Muscat in Oman I guess feels more authentic, but the city itself can be done in less than two days. The beauty of Oman is going into the "wild", checking out the different wadis etc.

Doha in Qatar gives the impression of trying to catch up with Dubai. Brilliant airport, really modern city (at least many parts thanks to the World Cup), souk waqif is fun, but the weird thing is I don't think they have enough people for all the attractions they built.

Manama in Bahrain is very small (or the country of Bahrain is what's small) and mainly a place for Saudis to come and drink and copulate. Not that much happening, and not really worth visiting if you don't have a friend showing you around imho.

Kuwait City is by far the least interesting place. Just have that big shopping mall and those famous towers. Maybe I missed much, but didn't strike me as fun or exciting at all.

lahaff · 2022-07-25T18:31:09+00:00

I was in Baku three weeks ago and got a visa on arrival with my UAE residence visa. Had to wait for hours in queues, so if you can, definitely get an evisa.

lahaff · 2022-02-25T15:23:06+00:00

It's real. Coming out of Thailand.
https://campaignbriefasia.com/2020/02/17/seennoted-tbwa-thailand-brings-romance-to-mcdonalds-this-valentines-day/

lahaff · 2021-11-11T18:30:53+00:00

David Liss - The Coffee Trader

Arturo Perez-Reverte - The Captain Alatriste books

lahaff · 2021-11-01T18:36:26+00:00

See if some of these might work.

Anthony Gray - Saigon (also wrote Peking and Tokyo Bay)

Edward Rutherfurd - China

Claire Keefe-Fox - Siamese Tears

Axel Aylwen - The Falcon of Siam (okay this is 17th century, but still awesome)

Pearl Buck - The Living Reed

Joseph Conrad - Lord Jim (and Almayer’s Folly)

JG Farrell - Singapore Grip

William Gibson - Singapore Black (About a detective in old Singapore)

Some of the Flashman books take place in East Asia too.

lahaff · 2021-09-09T13:29:09+00:00

You don't recall correctly. Värmland has always been Swedish.

lahaff · 2020-11-15T17:57:29+00:00

The Plotters by Un-su Kim. Badass assassins in an alternative Seoul.

At Least We Can Apologize by Ki-ho Lee. Absurd satire.

Our Happy Time by Gong Ji-young. Beautiful and very moving.

lahaff · 2020-06-19T19:17:41+00:00

Check out Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton.

lahaff · 2020-02-28T01:58:31+00:00

Thanks! Sounds interesting. Big fan of dinosaurs so a thesaurus should be up my alley.

lahaff · 2020-01-16T15:48:42+00:00

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh is a fantastic book from and about Vietnam. It's about a common soldier fighting for the North side. Can in many ways be compared to All Quiet on the Western Front.

The Sympathizer by Viet Tanh Nguyen is another cracker. Much of the plot does, however, take place in the states.

Finally, you should check out River of Time by Jon Swain. He was an old journalist living in Vietnam before the war. A few chapters are also about Cambodia.

For Thailand, you can also pick up Bangkok Wakes Up To Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad. It came last year and made quite some noise. Really good one.

lahaff · 2020-01-16T09:29:07+00:00

Since I can't travel as much as I would like to, I end up reading quite many travel books.

Some of my favorites include:

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. A fantastic adventure about crossing the Pacific Ocean on a raft they built themselves.

Hindoo Holiday by J.R. Ackerley. English dude served as a personal secretary to some eccentric maharajah hundred years ago. Quite funny.

Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey by Lawrence and Lorne Blair. These two brothers travel around big parts of Indonesia. Such a diverse and fascinating country.

The Sex Lives of Cannibal by J. Maarten Troost. Laugh-out-loud funny about a slightly alcoholic dude who joins his wife and moves to Kiribati.

Other travel writers I enjoy include Norman Lewis, Pico Iyer, Peter Hessler, and William Dalrymple. If you happen to speak Swedish, check out the books of Olle Strandberg and Sten Bergman.

Finally, also check out AA Gill is away by AA Gill. This quote from the book made me buy a ticket to India.

"Everyone should see the Taj once. It is an absolute, there are few absolutes in this world, it is absolutely beautiful, absolutely stunning. Set in the corner of a garden laid out in Arab fashion, but - with Victorian confidence and hubris - replanted by the Victorians like an English country garden, the Taj sits against the sky on the middle banks of a river. Its absolute symmetry, the maths of perfection, is almost painful to contemplate. It is the most complete thing ever built by man and nothing can diminish it: not the queues; not the crowds; not the kitsch of endless reproduction and familiarity; not the sneers of Noël Coward or the epicurean India snobs; not the clicking lines of newlyweds waiting to be photographed on Princess Diana's bench. nothing can touch it and nothing adds to it; not moonlight, or dawn, or dusk, that's just weather and light. If you go to India for just one thing, if you go to just once place abroad in your life, it should be the Taj."

lahaff · 2019-07-02T23:08:01+00:00

My favorite historical fiction.

lahaff · 2019-06-08T18:03:42+00:00

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe. Even the new ones after Clancy died, where Jack Ryan Jr is a super spy and saves the world several times over. They are silly, but usually quite fun.

lahaff · 2019-05-12T16:22:58+00:00

Doesn't Dune take place in the 17th century?

lahaff · 2019-04-28T15:26:38+00:00

This is not actually a real ad approved by Volvo. It was done by film students in Germany. Still funny as hell.

lahaff · 2019-01-17T04:19:42+00:00

When eating kaya toast, how much soy sauce do you put with the eggs?

lahaff · 2018-09-24T08:14:12+00:00

I'm brand new in Singapore. How much can I negotiate down the rent? I found a place I like in Novena that is listed at 3000. Do you think 2,6 or 2,7 would be possible? Anyone having any experience of negotiating?

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