a hungry ghost visits penang

This was originally submitted as an entry to the 2017 World Nomads Travel Writing Scholarship. The original submission can be found here.  THE BEST COFFEE POWDER SOLD HERE IN RETAIL So reads the sign on the wall behind the counter at Toon Leong in English and Mandarin. It’s not hyperbole. On all 5 days I …

just smile and nod

In China the Lunar New Year is referred to as the Spring Festival because it heralds the coming of spring. No such luck in tropical Malaysia, where the weather all year ranges between ‘hot’ and ‘Jesus fucking Christ on a stick it’s hot.’ Around Chinese New Year it's always blazing, and this week has therefore been …