Cheng Ho Gardens
Posted on 28. Jul, 2017 by Paul Sochaczewski in Personal essays
CHENG HO GARDENS China reveals an imaginative new tactic in its takeover of the South China Sea. NANYANG AUTONOMOUS REGION, China “I’m going to show you our plans. I trust that you will be discrete with the information.” My host was Horace Wee, chief executive officer of Nanyang, the newest Special Administrative […]
Read MoreWe vs Them
Posted on 05. Apr, 2017 by Paul Sochaczewski in Personal essays
WHEREVER I TRAVEL I’LL REMAIN AN “OUTSIDER” The “we vs them” reality is ancient and universal. BANGKOK, Thailand Since forever, groups of people have recognized the difference between their “own kind” and “outsiders.” In a best case scenario, the welcoming of “other” ideas can be positive — strengthening of the gene pool primarily, also […]
Read MoreNegativity Land
Posted on 28. Mar, 2017 by Paul Sochaczewski in Golf
NEGATIVITY LAND Why do we take such delight in golf’s screw-ups instead of the great moments of success? EVERY COURSE, Everywhere A golfer faces more Dark Side moments than Luke Skywalker. We take a morbid delight when golf legends screw up. And we wallow in our own masochistic moments of crash and burn. Why […]
Read MoreFlying Phallus Fights Forces of Evil
Posted on 11. Mar, 2014 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
FLYING PHALLUS FIGHTS FORCES OF EVIL How does the male reproductive organ, “exuberant, slightly askew and sometimes frothy,” protect villagers? NABJI, Bhutan “I can make you a new phallus, no problem.” “But we’re leaving in the morning.” “Trust me.” Figuring that we could always use a bit more protection against demons in our house […]
Read MoreNapalm Be Gone
Posted on 08. Sep, 2013 by Paul Sochaczewski in Golf
NAPALM BE GONE That boom you hear in Vietnam is an explosion of golf courses DALAT, Vietnam My favorite golf course in Vietnam owes its existence to a puppet king, a French architect who restored Roman ruins, and a rich American who craved virgins. * * * I spent part of the Vietnam War […]
Read More“Trust Us. We Know Better Than You Do”
Posted on 19. Jul, 2011 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment
“TRUST US, WE KNOW BETTER THAN YOU DO” Brown-brown arrogance is the new standard LOIKAW, Burma Bishop Sotero Phamo argues that “the only way for our rural people to join modern society is through education.” Speaking enthusiastically in his diocese headquarters, which houses what is certainly the best school in the region, Bishop Sotero adds […]
Read MoreA la Recherche de Pondy Perdu
Posted on 12. Jul, 2011 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
A LA RECHERCHE DE PONDY PERDU A visit to Pondicherry invokes a bit of France, and a lot of new India PUDUCHERRY,India As Bastille Day events go the reception was rather tepid – a lackluster speech from the French consul, a few plateaux of fromage and saucisson, and a distinct lack of either fireworks or […]
Read MoreHappy birthday Alfred
Posted on 11. Jul, 2011 by Paul Sochaczewski in Alfred Russel Wallace and his assistant Ali
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALFRED Is a man’s most valuable possession his bow and arrow or a butterfly or a memory or simply time? What do you give a guy who lived a hundred and fifty years ago? JIRLAI, Aru, Indonesia What do you give a guy who lived a hundred and fifty years ago? I write […]
Read MoreWilderness in Singapore? Who woulda thought?
Posted on 11. Jul, 2011 by Paul Sochaczewski in Alfred Russel Wallace and his assistant Ali
WILDERNESS IN SINGAPORE? WHO WOULDA THOUGHT? Singapore proved a Coleoptera paradise for Victorian explorer Alfred Russel Wallace; new creatures still emerge BUKIT TIMAH, Singapore Visitors come to Singapore to shop or to learn about other cultures, to close a business deal or attend a conference. A century and a half ago, though, one of Singapore’s […]
Read MoreJumping Through Buddhist Hoops in Burma
Posted on 30. Aug, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
INLE LAKE, Burma “Come on Brochette, jump through this hoop. Arnold Schwarzenegger can do it – it can’t be that hard.” My friend’s ginger cat in Geneva was doing what cats everywhere do – exactly what she felt like. Which at this moment was not jumping through a hoop. I was trying to accomplish a […]
Read MorePutting the Bounce in the Ball
Posted on 30. Aug, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Golf
Playing golf near the rainforest which revolutionized the game MANAUS, Brazil Normally when I play golf, I clutter my head with an excess of swing thoughts – turn, extend the arm, swing to two o’clock, and so on. But standing on the first tee of the Manaus Golf Club outside the Brazilian city of Manaus, […]
Read MoreArticles
Posted on 12. Jul, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Articles
Some notes on these articles This section includes just a few of the more than 600 by-lined articles I’ve had published in the International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Traveller, GQ, Geographical, Reader’s Digest, Travel and Leisure, Travel and Leisure Golf, DestinAsian, International Wildlife, Earth Times, BBC Wildlife, and many other publications. Some of these […]
Read MoreLast Great Elephant Hunter Achieves Indochine Glory
Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
He’s notched up 298 pachyderms, and a lucrative product endorsement contract BUON MA THUOT, Vietnam. Stardom can be defined in many ways. For Ama Kong it is a number, 298, the sum of wild elephants he has captured. Now 90, with failing eyesight but still with a healthy head of hair, Ama Kong is […]
Read MoreInduced Labor? That’s Real Golf Commitment
Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Articles, Golf
Golf nuts push the envelope “Honey, great news about the pregnancy, but would you mind inducing labor so I can play in a tournament?” Really, how many men would have the courage to say that to their wives? Well, Ivan Morris of Limerick City, Ireland did just that so he could play in the Interprovincial […]
Read MoreThe Keys to Golfing Success? Try a Red Shirt and the Right Locker, and Listen to Your Mother
Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Articles, Golf
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THE KEYS TO GOLFING SUCCESS? TRY A RED SHIRT AND THE RIGHT LOCKER And it never hurts to listen to your mother LANAI, Hawaii I was pedaling up a hill on a rented mountain bike, sweat evaporating under the fiery sun, glorying in the lunar-like scenery and cursing myself for not bringing enough water. I […]
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