Fitzroy, Tejate, and the Angel Trail [October 24]
Recommendations from Me
I’ve been feeling nostalgic recently, as I do whenever I spend long periods of time away. Often, I find my nostalgia is tied to places I’ve spent time, or idealised versions of them. For that reason, this month, I just wanted to write about 4 of the cities that hold a special place in my memory.
I spent a month of 2023 living in a rain-soaked Kuala Lumpur with a close Malaysian friend. Our small apartment was crammed into the 10th floor of a 26 story tower in the centre of Bukit Bintang. In many ways, this district mirrors the wider city. The streets are centred around tall air-conditioned shopping malls with bustling basement hawkers centres. The malls are connected to each other (and to the cleanly functional public transport network) through convenient elevated walkways. The monorail zips over smoking street food stalls, and the inexpensive apartment blocks built to house migrant workers. The city serves as a vital melting pot of various Malay, Chinese (Fujian, Lingnan), and South Asian (Tamil, Bengali) cultures, cuisines, and peoples. Each day thousands from across the city flock to the Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery for a wholesome and delicious plant-based buffet, where the 30+ dishes include faux Char Siu, sambal, and Dou Sha Bao. Inside the temple, a statue of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, is placed next to the Taoist deity Shangdi; both are fixed with steady expressions, suggesting an uneventful calm.
Oaxaca de Juárez is a small city in the South of Mexico, which sits at the meeting point of three large valleys. It's hard to walk for 10 minutes in the city centre without meeting a hundreds-strong wedding party; without exception these parties feature large marching bands, dancing circles, and three meter tall effigies of the newlyweds. Masses of attendees weave through the narrow Cochineal-stained streets, but the sound travels much further; to the food markets where Zapotec abuelas sell tejate, mole, and savory tlayudas; to the city’s rich botanic gardens and imposing Spanish baroque cathedral; to the photobook library in the Alvarez Bravo Museum of Photography where I spent my afternoons. While the city is generally safe, newcomers to Mexico might find themselves pausing on the side of the road, as yet another truck carrying armoured and assault rifle-armed police officers drives by.
At midnight in the Da’an district of Taipei, cafes overflow with patrons. Some friends talk energetically and drink local craft beer; a few first-date couples sit together, a little awkward, quizzing; meanwhile most customers sit on large communal tables, writing quietly on their laptops. Across the street an opaque experimental music performance titled Tinnitus plays to a captive audience in a busy record store. Many local artists lean into this 80s retro aesthetic, which is closely mirrored by the blocky concrete buildings of downtown Taipei; most were constructed before the economic miracle, and still have a divisive, grey, industrial charm. For me, the heart of the city lives in a Douhua stall on Ningxia road, where smoke from the night market glides across, and the neon green of the betel nut sign reflects faintly in the falling rain.
I spent two months in Melbourne when I was 18. This period came at the end of my first long trip away from home and it was the first big city I’d ever lived in. I had met up with a good friend, and we'd decided to stay in a hostel on Victoria Street, in the middle of the Central Business District. I tried hard to find a job but didn’t have the right visa, and was constantly running out of money. The winter was cold and wet, but it didn’t matter much. I was full of excitement to be free, and to be running around a big cosmopolitan city on the other side of the world. At 18, I fell in love with the cool, chic streets of Fitzroy, nursed slow mornings at independent cafes in Brunswick, explored the galleries and underground bars in the CBD, and spent a few cold and sunny days walking through the city’s botanic gardens. At the end of each day, I’d return to the hostel to cook with friends and watch international family drama films. I remember the fire alarm going off at 4 a.m. on a weekday, and all of us—hostel guests and Victoria Street residents—standing outside in our pajamas. It felt so sweet and silly. I remember the simple, pure joy of being there, with the rest of my life ahead of me.
Recommendations from Others
Matt 2021
‘George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier is essential reading.’
Frances 2022
‘Beautiful places to visit in Kent and Sussex: Cuckmere Haven, Hever Castle, and Sissinghurst/’
Steffan 2021
‘Arizona to do list: 1) go to the highest peak in AZ, Humphreys Peak (3850m); 2) Lake Havasu RV park, for meeting rural Arizonans; 3) Devils Bridge walk in Sedona; 4) Angel Trail in Zion National Park; 5) Lake Powell for a great American boat party; 6) Horseshoe Bend, the most beautiful natural river bend in the world.
Jonas 2022
‘Tips for Cologne: i) Das Ding, a student club open since my Mum studied in Cologne; ii) Odenien and Stadtgarten, good Clubs for Techno/Drum & Bass; iii) the cathedral of course; iv) Bai Lu noodles, great place for eating spicy veggie noodles.’
Shije 2022
‘If you like grand city lights from skyscrapers you can go to Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, The Bund (Wai Tan) in Shanghai, and the Civic Center in Shenzhen.'
Felipe 2022
‘Places to visit in Ecuador: I: Mindo (nice rivers and forests in the mountains, near Quito); II: Climb Pichincha (a mountain in Quito); III; go to Tena (the Amazon); IV Otavalo; Rio Pita.’
Cover photo - Namib Desert, Namibia.
P.S. It's clearly not October anymore, which means that I'm playing a bit of catch up. You can expect the November edition to be released soon, and then a special December edition where I describe the books I most loved reading this year. I so love to be able to write this newsletter and send it to my closest friends, thank you, a lot!
