About US

Once a year go someplace you’ve never been

The Dalai Lama

Welcome to Heritasian.com, a website dedicated to the learning of history and cultures of SE Asia. My name is Cee Jay and I’m the Editor In Chief of the Heritasian blog. And for the few who may be interested here is a brief story of why I am doing what I do……

My Story

It was at careers evening in 3rd year at high school. My dream was to be an archaeologist because of my love of history, and my passion for Indiana Jones movies at the time. But when it came to solid career advice the well meaning but clueless careers advisor was stumped.

No one had ever asked about archaeology before.

She did however suggest to me a youth training scheme at the local flour mill, maybe I could try that instead perhaps?

My heart sank but not enough to put me off my obsession for history. I ended up romping my history exam; and I never did end up working at the local flour mill.

However unable to pursue my dream of digging up dirt in Egypt dented me more than you could know. When it came to college I chose the most unsuitable subjects, except for media studies which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I spent the first part of my life knowing next to nothing about my own mixed heritage. My dear mum is from Penang, Malaysia but until the end of my schooling, she had never been back home to visit her family. For myself, I grew up feeling solely British. Despite being smaller in stature than my peers, and despite having the most ridiculously Asian hair you could ever bestow on an individual I was happy in my ignorance. I didn’t want to know anything about this “other side of me” in a part of the world I had never been to or would ever go to.

However, my life was shattered when one day my parents decided we were all going back to Penang for a month’s holiday. I pleaded with them that I would be okay looking after myself on my own. And when that failed I suggested I go for only two weeks.

They were having none of it. Not quite kicking and screaming but I was dragged off to Penang. I would not be getting my way.

And you know what? I loved every minute of it.

We were met at Penang Airport by sixty or so relatives, all of them eager to want to see me! It was the most humbling experience of my life up to that point and one that remains firmly etched in my mind even now.

I enjoyed it so much that I was back on my own the following year, and for years on end after. After my second trip on my return to the UK, I suffered a bout of post-vacation depression. I needed to come back to the real world – the idea of me just upping and leaving for SE Asia on some permanent vacation was not going to happen.

I started working in a pub in the centre of Wigan (oh boy what a comedown) but I enjoyed it anyway. Until I was unduly sacked – it was an inside job – I was stitched up I never did do what they said I’d done.

Nevertheless, because I’d found it fun I enrolled in a Hospitality and Catering Management degree at Salford University. And then worked in the hotel industry for a good decade or more, eventually moving to London.

But years in hospitality takes its toll. So I sold my house and shipped off to Southeast Asia. I chose Chiang Mai, Thailand. The sensible option would’ve been Penang. But I’m not a particularly sensible person – more seat-of-your-pants is what describes me.

By serendipity, coincidence or sheer luck I ended up working for an online media company. It was only then I began to realise the power of the internet. Before Thailand, I’d never even used email. And now here I was managing a team who were putting out content daily. I worked there on and off for ten years.

I left that company and did a few things. I worked in some small organisations. But it never worked out. My bosses were nutjobs – or maybe it was me. Either way, I needed to do my own thing. It was frustrating not being able to do things the way I wanted. I guess the entrepreneur muse was calling me.

Overlooking the Straits of Melaka one day I just knew what I needed to do. My whole life had led me to this point. I was going to combine my interest in history, culture and travel. I was going to use my online media skills. I was going to use all those contacts I’d made since I’d been living in Chiang Mai to set up a tour company. I was going to take the world by storm.

And that’s when I decided to write Heritasian.com.

Why This Blog Is Different

I’m not even sure that Heritasian.com is a travel blog at all. I mean I go places, I take photographs, I write about interesting locales but it doesn’t look like the other travel blogs I see out there.

First off I don’t like writing about me – except for what you are reading now that is. Writing travel pieces that are full of “I this”, or, “me that”, sorry – no can do – it’s just not who I am.

You’ll find next to zero selfies of me on my blog posts. I’ve shunned being in photos ever since my rave days in the 1990s – when the last thing I wanted to see was a photo of myself.

Another thing….for a travel blog I don’t do much travelling – lol. This blog is primarily focused on Chiang Mai and Penang. I’ve lived in Chiang Mai for over two decades, and as for Penang, well I’ve been visiting since the first time I was forcibly dragged there years ago. Writing about both places is me just writing about my normal beat.

What does get my creative juices flowing are the stories, the history and the culture of places. And so Heritasian.com is a blog many people are likely to pass over – in favour of the more exciting Buzzfeed-type travel article.

And that is fine by me. I’m not here attempting to be some Travel Influencer.

When all is said and done Heritasian.com is just another blog in that oh-so-oversaturated travel niche. But as I’m reminded of that corny Thai catchphrase, “same same but different”, I’m hoping Heritasian.com can morph into something truly original in my unique seat-of-the-pants kind of way.

Cee Jay (Chief Editor)

PS I’m way too much of a wuss for archaeology. I don’t like to get my hands dirty.