Hoiana is one of Vietnam’s trio of beachfront casino resorts. (Company provided photo)
Best in class beachfront casino resorts may lift Vietnam into the first tier of Asian gaming destinations. The Grand – Ho Tram outside Ho Chi Minh City, Hoiana near UNESCO World Heritage site Hoi An and Corona on the island of Phu Quoc set regional benchmarks gaming (and non-gaming) by the sea.
In the cool mountain air of a 130 million year old rainforest, Resorts World Genting is Asia’s largest and most unique integrated resort. Just 58 kilometers (36 miles) from Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, RW Genting feels worlds away. Malaysia’s only legal casino has to be different because the majority of the national population are barred from gambling.
A visit to Malaysia’s Resorts World Genting, Asia’s first integrated resort, after early trips to Singapore and the Philippines, adds to evidence that Southeast Asia is the new engine of regional gaming growth. The ASEAN group combines new resorts, an increasingly wealth population and attractive resorts, with more on the way. Watch this space for more coverage of this intriguing destination.
Greetings and salutations for Felix Unger Day. May your linguine never be garbage.
This year’s FU Day falls amid the US 2024 presidential race, featuring a codependent odd couple of white men pushing 80 from either end as the major party front runners. Polls show a majority of the country would rather have different nominees on each side; instead, the erstwhile world’s greatest democracy is giving the electorate a big, fat FU.
As The Odd Couple hypnotist episode quotes Shakespeare, “The fault lies not within our stars but within our selves.” Or as Felix Unger himself said, “Let it be on your head.”
Goenawan Mohamad in conversation with Pamela Allen at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. (Photo credit: Reskiana)
“Like crime, poetry doesn’t pay.” – Indonesian man of arts and letters and press freedom icon Goenawan Mohamad explaining why he turned to journalism from poetry at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali.
This year’s Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali runs October 18-22. This five day twentieth anniversary edition features a top drawer lineup of Indonesian and global talent.
“Over the years, our festival has cemented its reputation as a world-class event that continually presents award winning, internationally recognized authors, thinkers, and activists, along with exciting new voices from the latest literary zeitgeist to intellectual commentary and current affairs,” festival founder and director Janet de Neefe says. “This year is incredibly special as it’s our twentieth anniversary, and our 2023 program will be no less exceptional.”
International literary luminaries coming to Ubud include groundbreaking Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo, additional Booker awardees Geetanjali Shree and Shehan Karunatilaka, and Pulitzer Prize winning historical novelist Geraldine Brooks.
Indonesian superstars include best selling novelists Eka Kurniawan and Dee Lestari, Laut Bercerita(The Sea Speaks His Name) author Leila S Chudori and legendary journalist and man of arts and letters Goenawan Mohamad. The program also features climate change and sustainability experts and activists working on five continents.
Back in its traditional format, the Ubud Festival remains a great opportunity to see and hear some of the world’s top writers and other creative artists up close and personal in one of the world’s most inviting destinations.
Muhammad Cohen 