“Shortsighted People are Amorous. Sometimes just a stronger pair of glasses will cure an amorous man; and if someone had the power to imagine a face or form twenty years older, he might go through life undisturbed.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human”, 1878.
“Happiness of Marriage. Everything habitual draws an ever-tighter net of spiderwebs around us; then we notice that the fibres have become traps, and that we ourselves are sitting in the middle, like a spider that got caught there and must feed on its own blood. That is why the free spirit hates all habits and rules, everything enduring and defininiative that is why again, he painfully tears the net around him, even though he will suffer as a consequence from countless large and small wounds for he must tear those fibres away from himself, from his body, his soul.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human”, 1878.
The Lottery
Grandiose plans
Clinched if only the lottery were won
Computerized swindle
Dashes them on the rocks
The struggle forgotten
Frustration rockets
Hopes dwindle
Only to be rekindled before the NEXT BIG DRAW
Robert K. Stephen
“From the Future of Marriage. Those noble, free-minded women who set themselves the task of educating and elevating the female sex should not overlook one factor: marriage conceived of in its higher interpretation, the spiritual friendship of two people of the opposite sexes, that is, as marriage hoped for in the future, entered into for the purpose of begetting and raising a new generation. Such a marriage, which uses sensuality as if it were only a rare occasional means for a higher end, probably requires and must be provided with a natural aid: concubinage.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human”, 1878.
Southeast Asia Tour Wrap Up
Aside from a two-week tour of Vietnam in 2016 this was my second Asian incursion. Being a frequent traveller to Europe has taken the thrill out of international travel for me but I say this in a complimentary way. Europe ceases to cause that WOW factor. Instead, it is like returning home. A feeling of ease and comfort.
Asia, on the other hand is NEW to me. I am not wandering around mouth agape pointing here and there like the Smith family from Kansas City in Times Square but I am in a bit of a cultural shock which I embrace as exciting not intimidating.
The long flying time even in economy bulkhead seats is a negative and I would seriously consider premium economy or business class as a mandatory alternative particularly if you’re a tall person who has difficulty in sleeping in airline seats.
Shocking Singapore
Aside from the Bangladeshi construction workers there is an apparent dearth of toiling sweaty masses. A lack of homelessness and panhandlers. Prosperity. Modernity. Still remnants of a British colonial heritage and a vibrant ethnic minority. Love the shophouses. Yes, there is a Little India and an old-fashioned Chinatown. Shopping malls, beautiful roads. High-rises. Benevolent paternalism. Museums and art galleries. Stellar cuisine. Fascinating interracial/ethnic history. Much more to see than the inner city and worthy of another visit! Superb cuisine. Shangri-La Singapore best breakfast in Asia and beautiful rooms and gardens. Why stay anywhere else?
Eastern and Oriental Express
Luxury in a sardine can. As you travel through Malaysia witness the jungle and a country in transition with rural villages and poverty, a developing middle- and working-class high-rise culture apparent. A Kentucky Fried Chicken in every town. Excessive luxury for 3 days reaches an overwhelming point. NOT ANOTHER FIVE COURSE DINNER please. Spend the extra on a stateroom if you are travelling as a couple as a Pullman room nearly impossible for two.
Bangkok
Fascinating mix of glitz and poverty. Stick to the Chao Phraya River for transportation if possible. Check out Icon Siam Shopping mall particularly upper floors for authentic local cuisine. Stupendous cuisine. Peninsula Bangkok superb.
Cambodia
The basic Third World vibe. If I was back in 1973 as a long-haired backpacker this is where I would head. A country waiting to be discovered before it is corrupted with tourism. Such gentle welcoming people. How in earth did Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge ever flourish in such a country? There is more to Cambodia than Angkor Wat and I would dearly love to discover it. Damn it! Too old to backpack it. It is where the action is like the Eastern Europe Iron Curtain I travelled extensively in.
Due to the blustering and threat mongering of President Donald Trump of the disUnited States some Canadian provinces have prohibited the sale of American wine and spirits. This has been a severe blow to Californian wineries but has created an opportunity for Canadian wineries to benefit from this prohibition and show their stuff. But can British Columbian Cabernet Sauvignon help fill the vacuum before Canada becomes the 51st state?
100 cases produced. Aged 12 months in 30% new French oak and 70% neutral French oak.
What says Maison Smith Montpetit 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon to all the Orange Toadish authoritarian brouhaha?
Aroma: Blueberry and yet more of this fruit with aromas of fresh baked blueberry pie. Blackberry too with a tad of coal and raspberry. Rich, thick and powerful.
Palate: Tannins indicative of a full-bodied wine but not a bruiser. Blueberry reigns supreme but God forbid do not think jammy! A bizarre but joyous upward sudden lift of graphite, dark chocolate and raspberry. Long solid finish.
Personality: Elbows up British Columbia Cabernet Sauvignon baby! Move over Cali Cabernet Sauvignon and thank the Trumpster for that!
Food Match: Roasted eggplant/cherry tomato and feta cheese pasta.
Cellarbility: Drink now as youthful as it is. Will improve through to 2029.
Price: $43 CDN.
RKS 2026 British Columbia Wine Rating: 94/100.
(Maison Smith Montpetit Bottega and Vineyards 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, British Columbia VQA, Cawston, British Columbia (Produced by Mythology Vineyards, Osoyoos, British Columbia), 750 mL, 14.7).
“Friendship and Marriage. The best friend will probably get the best wife, because a good marriage is based on talent for friendship.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human”, 1878.
“Marriage as a Long Conversation. When entering a marriage one should ask the question: do you think you will be able to have good conversations with this woman right into old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory, but most of the time in interaction is spent in conversation.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human”, 1878.
“Desire to avenge and vengeance. To have thoughts of revenge and execute them means to be struck with a violent-but temporary fever. But to have thoughts of revenge without the strength or courage to execute them means to endure a chronic suffering, a poisoning of body and soul.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human”, 1878.
21October 2025: Siem Reap: At the Supermarket, Plantation and a Farewell Dinner
Last full day of the tour anticipating a brutal day of travelling for the return to Toronto tomorrow. Had a leisurely buffet breakfast and several cups of tea. I will say the eggs I had for breakfast (and the one over my beef Lok Nok last night) were the best I have ever had. Produced by a local cooperative. Dark yolk and tasty. North American eggs are tasteless whether purchased from the farm or the supermarket and whether free range or organic. EURO eggs are superior to North American eggs but these Cambodian eggs are something else!
I took a walk in the environs around the hotel. A busy commercial section with numerous shops and businesses low key and basic. Restaurants, car repairs, footwear shops and so many pharmacies. Third world streets in action. I did stop at a shop La Plantation selling Cambodian spices including the famous Cambodian pepper KAMPOT sold to gourmands throughout the world. A very fashionable shop with two levels. It could have been in Toronto or New York in its design and merchandise. I purchased a variety of Kampot peppercorns.
I returned to the hotel for a lunch of Khmer beef and noodles which was excellent. Headed out down the main street outside the hotel to a supermarket. Two levels, modern and immaculately clean. Purchased dried jackfruit, 12 Monkey Cambodian tea and some more generic Cambodian peppercorns. Went to the swimming pool for a couple of hours and watched the entertaining rotund Americans bobbing in the pool and downing beer. I noticed all the men had mostly whitish beards. I thought they had the look of Santa Claus.
Before our closing dinner poolside several of us dropped in for a glass of champagne at the Champagne Bar and the American crowd was there beer in hands and baseball caps on the men’s heads. You could hear their conversations a mile away. Poor manners but highly entertaining!
ABC International finally delivered with its farewell dinner. Their Sicilian farewell dinner in May was a culinary disaster and my fish stunk. Two people were severely ill after that dinner, so I wasn’t expecting much in Cambodia but what a SPREAD! Sea bass, grilled chicken and beef, prawns, a variety of noodles and cheeses and a wide selection of desserts. And even a spectacular classical Khmer dance by performers costumed in silk brocades. The wine was of low quality and only two glasses per person…good old ABC International! That woman so ill from eating that fresh vegetable salad in Bangkok was going at the same type of salad with a passion (for illness) ! Hopefully her innards did not explode on the plane trip home! We learnt that two of our travellers had spent the night in a local hospital with severe influenza. I had passed by that hospital and declined on the opportunity to sell my blood at a kiosk outside it!
Off early in the morning to Siem Reap airport as gleaming and deserted as it was. A flight to Bangkok, connection to Hong Kong then a 16-hour flight to Toronto. Insane boredom. I can’t remember much more than not eating anything except some ice cream on Cathay Pacific and thinking like a child every hour saying, “ARE WE THERE YET”.
Final reflections to come!
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity