On the way back to our hotel in Hoi An one afternoon, a young woman offered to pop my zit. The […]
Author Archives
Monica Graff
After two decades of copyediting for scholarly publishers, I decided to put down my red pen and pick up a black one. Now I write essays, some of which have been published on various websites and in print anthologies.
Cambodia #3: A Drop in the Bucket
From her seat in the tuk-tuk, Nita held her palm above her eyes and scanned the roadside. She looked not […]
Cambodia #2: Ant Pee and the Silver Lining of Agrarian Communism
Despite our early start, we didn’t beat the heat. Cambodia was in the chokehold of a record-setting heat wave, and […]
Cambodia #1: Pay It Forward
Two shots of rice whiskey and twelve hours of sleep didn’t help. My head and chest felt like pressurized powder […]
Himalayas #9: The Final Frontier
Back at my desk in Montana, I stare at the Rocky Mountains and try to remember the rooftop of the […]
Himalayas #8: The Birds and the Bees
In Italy it’s the Catholic churches. In India it’s the Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries. You can’t swing a squirrel […]
Himalayas #7: Finding Hope
Once upon a time, there was an American socialite named Hope Cooke who longed to travel to distant lands. She […]
Himalayas #6: Why Not?
One might wonder why it’s easier to bathe a cat than it is to enter Sikkim. I certainly did. But […]
Himalayas #5: Mugshot Bazaar
We got in the jeep and proceeded to Rangpo’s upper bazaar. Dustin dropped us off in front of a string […]
Himalayas #4: Border Crossing
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.” Nidup, our quick-smile guide with a Buddha belly, walked up to a bank-teller-like window […]
Himalayas #3 A Darjeeling Tea Tour
“Did you see that man in the pith helmet,” I asked Chris as we walked down a grassy two-track into […]
Himalayas #2: Glenburn Tea Estate
The next morning, I found a gazebo with a table and chair where I could sit alone in the early […]
Himalayas #1: On the Way to Darjeeling
Getting to a place like this isn’t easy. When you look at a map of India, Sikkim is a tiny […]
India #6: Loving the Ganges to Death
Floating down the Ganges one magical evening, I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with what I hoped would be […]
India #5: The Sheen of the Taj Mahal
Call me a cynic, but the fairytale romance sounded Bollywood to me.
India #4: The Little Tout
It’s hard to feel connected to a country when touring by train. You’re separated from most of it by glass […]
India #3: The Maharajas’ Express
The Maharajas’ Express. Just the name makes you think of a turbaned prince draped in silks and jewels charging across a […]
India #2: Ringside in a Rickshaw
“There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes wide open.”
India #1: You’re Going Where?
Chris and I weren’t sure this was a trip we really wanted to take anymore. But, too late. Reservations had been made and deposits paid. The next day we’d be in Delhi.
Scotland #4: Knot Tying at Balfour Castle
If you would have asked me last year who got married nowadays in a castle, I would have said Madonna or Princess Di. Certainly not me.
P•O•S•T•M•A•R•K•S 