Have your cake and eat it too is about food, and Malaysia, in that order. Posts are beautifully presented, photos are gorgeous, and the theme is a perfect way to learn something about Malaysia through its cuisine.

You could start by reading about the various holidays and festivals celebrated in Malaysia:

The seasons sure do fly, and although we theoretically only have one season in my country, ie, summer, we do have the entire year dotted with festivals that make this country the united colors of benetton as it were. In my country, in January & February, it’s usually Chinese New Year-ish, then we have the Hindu celebration of Thaipusam, where devotees fast and pierce themselves with hooks and such, and carry the portable deities called Kavadis. In the March - April months, we have a mixture of Qing Ming, Lent, Easter, etc… more minor, those, and don’t warrant a public holiday. At some point, the Chinese have their dumpling festival, and then we have the Mooncake festival, Deepavali, and Christmas.

Phew! If that’s whetted your appetite, delve more into some Malaysian celebrations with Buka Puasa, about breaking the Ramadan fast, and Moony Moony Moony about innovative kinds of Moon cakes already on sale in preparation for the Chinese new year.

Read more:
More blogs from Malaysia on Blogs of the World
Penang street food
Navigating Chicago’s cultural stew

Konichiwa! Alive in Kyoto is written from Kyoto, Japan, by Nils Ferry who is originally from California. He’s a Kyotophile and he offers a good insight to Kyoto through his posts and his amazing pictures.

My favourite section is the Japan/Kyoto category for its beautiful photos and/or descriptions of very Japanese elements such as sakura, the Shichi-Go-San ceremony or the Fire Festival.

This is a great blog to do a little bit of research before a trip, but also to enjoy learning about Kyoto from wherever you are, for example, your comfortable armchair.

Read more:
More blogs froom Japan on Blogs of the World
Okinawa, the far South in Japan
Tempura is Japanese… or is it?

Focused on the traditional Indian markets, especially from the southern part of India, “Indian Bazaars” struck a chord somewhere with me, evoking memories of innumerable such bazaar trips back in India. Kiran writes on the blog featuring a different bazaar (Hindi for market) each time - including arts, crafts, spices, fishes, flowers and antiques.

In Kiran’s words:

“Craft and Spice Bazaars of rural India have often fascinated tourists from the western countries. However, I have been writing mostly about the simple selling spaces in urban India that people frequent for their day-to-day needs - whether it is vegetables, or flowers, or clothes or puja items.”

Indian Bazaar poses questions on various aspects of the market scene in India like “How do urban dwellers perceive bazaars? Are they still places that excite us?”. The blog describes the typical Indian market scene in a unique and compelling manner.

The post on Sassoon docks detailing the fish market in Mumbai and the nitty gritty aspects of shopping in India is a great place to start with!

Read more:
Italian pasta - the Mumbai street version
A local’s introduction to Rajasthan
More blogs from India on Blogs of the World

Every month we feature a blog from Rising Voices, which supports local groups and underrepresented communities around the world in using citizen media to join the global conversation.

Today’s blog is from the Nari Jibon project in Bangladesh and is called Rafiq’s Eye. Unfortunately it’s not being updated any more, but there are some great stories where we can learn more about life in Bangladesh.

In this blog Rafiq shares stories of his life: his mother and his wife and children:

In my student life (specially when I was studying in college and university) I saw many unhappy families, bad relationship of husbands and wives in their conjugal lives that lead me to make decision of not getting married. I really decided not to get married but when I saw Tora (My wife later) I forgot about my decision.

Outside of family life, Rafiq also writes about issues facing Bangladesh such as keeping the Bangla language alive and living through a cyclone.

Too bad we won’t hear more stories from this blogger!

Read more:
More blogs from Bangladesh on Blogs of the World
Which language should I learn?
Henna artist to graphic designer

Sash Milne has achieved something which remains a dream for many - her job as a screenwriter allows her to work from anywhere in the world. She currently lives in Batu Karas, a remote village in Indonesia, and her blog Barefoot Ink is all about slowing down to the pace of life over there, with some travel stories as well.

We asked Sash some questions about life in Indonesia.

How did you end up in Indonesia? And why Batu Karas?

I ended up in Indonesia because I was feeling trapped and a bit uninspired living in a big city in Australia. A friend of mine got a job in Batu Karas and asked me if I’d be interested in moving there with her.

Batu Karas is a tiny village on the south coast of Java - it’s extremely remote; no supermarkets, no shopping, no movie theatres within 8 hours of the village - it sounded perfect. I made my decision quickly and within a few weeks I had packed up my life and boarded a plane to the island. I’d never been to Indonesia before in my life, and it is the best decision I have EVER made!

What’s the biggest difference compared to life in Australia?

The biggest difference in terms of my lifestyle is the speed at which life travels. Life is slow and relaxed in the village whereas in Melbourne life was fast paced and I was forever rushing to get from one event/job/meeting to another. Now, there is nothing to rush for, life goes at a relaxed pace and every day achieving one thing is a massive event - there is little to do so it took a few months to really slow my brain down, but now, I wouldn’t have it any other day. It’s exhausting doing nothing!

Could you describe a typical day?

My typical day starts with a hot cup of tea on the beach around 6.45am accompanied by good conversation and a cigarette with some local friends. Then, depending on the surf we go in the water or I go home to do some work. Around 10 I meet friends for breakfast of eggs or noodles and then it’s time for the beach. In the heat of the afternoon I work (write) under the fan in my bedroom until low tide, which is when I get my longboard and head out into the surf to cap of the end of the day. The evening involves chess, delicious food and bonfires with good friends.

What language do you use to communicate?

We use a combination of Indonesian and English every day. Some of the locals speak very good English (the younger generation) but are very encouraging when you try to speak their language. The villagers communicate with their local language (Sundanese) on a day to day basis - but it is an extremely complicated language and I just can’t seem to get a grasp on it!

Is it difficult to blog from there? Do you have any problems with internet access, electricity…?

It’s not too hard to blog from Batu Karas, I have an internet connection at my home which is very slow, so uploading photos takes some time. It’s all about patience, the electricity goes off often and the internet often struggles - but when you’ve slowed down to a snails pace that’s never much of a worry!

What about the culture and religion?

I love that the village where I live has such a different culture and religion to where I come from. It is something to be celebrated and I feel extremely lucky to have been welcomed so whole heartedly by friends who are very willing to answer any of my questions about their religion, culture and customs so that I can grow to understand what they believe and what it is that is the foundation for their lives.

Intrigued about life in Batu Karas? Check out Sash’s day in pictures, explorations of the surrounding villages or this post on a rare newspaper and a Javanese theatre artist.

All photos in this post courtesy of Sash Milne.

Read more:
Photo tour of West Sumatra, Indonesia
More blogs from Indonesia on Blogs of the World
An Indonesian wedding with a difference

Katzilla writes The Stars They Just Blink for Us from Makati City in the Philippines, when she can make time from her busy schedule.

Must-read is the latest post, a great summary of Philippines scenery, Valentines day and Chinese New Year celebrations all in one.

Thanks to Oliver for submitting this site. Want to recommend a Blog of the World? Tell us about it here.

Read more:
More Philippines blogs from Blogs of the World
Photo tour of West Sumatra
Thai takeaway on Food of the World

Mongol Angle takes a light-hearted look at Mongolia. It’s rare to find a Mongolian blog written in English, so this is a great opportunity to see Mongolia from the inside.

And in case you’re still asking where Mongolia is, the answer is here.

Perfect if you want an introduction to Mongolia, here’s a Mongol Angle SWOT analysis with handy links to everything you should know about this remote country. Geography was never this fun (or funny) at school!

Inside a Mongolian ger. Credit

Read more:
How to make Mongolian boots
Modern day Mongolians - professional Mongolian women
Asian blogs on Blogs of the World