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 through travel and tourism.

How This Site Began?

My name is Cee Jay and I’m the Editor In Chief of the Heritasian blog. Like many things in life, this site was born out of frustrations and the need for change.

I remember at careers evening in 3rd year at high school. I wanted to study archaeology because of my love of history, and wanted to be like my hero at the time Indiana Jones. However, when I sought advice about studying the subject at A level the careers advisor was perplexed.

No one had ever asked about that before.

She did say they were offering youth training schemes at the local flour mill and maybe I could try that instead. My heart sank but not enough to put me off my obsession for history. I romped my history exam; history was the only subject I ever cared for besides writing that is.

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

But I was too dumb at the time to even think careers existed in the media. I didn’t want to work at the local rag for the rest of my life that’s for sure. This was the 1980’s. No internet, no smartphones. No Udemy, no Coursera and most definitely no WordPress.

A few years later I was dragged off to Penang in Malaysia kicking and screaming (yes you read that correctly!)

My mother hadn’t been to her home country for 17 years. For me I didn’t even want to meet relatives I’d never met before or would ever meet again. Plus I was conflicted about being of mixed heritage. I just wanted to be like my friends. I seriously wanted to dodge that holiday, but sometimes parents know best and I was forcibly overruled.

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

So much so that I was back on my own the following year, and for years on end after. I returned to the UK and after a bout of post-vacation depression I started working in a pub in 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 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 I guess. But I’m not a particularly sensible person – more seat-of-your-pants is what describes me.

Serendipity, coincidence or sheer luck I ended up working for an online media company in Chiang Mai. 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 where I guess I was second in command. 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 passion for 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.

It’s a blog most normal people wouldn’t give a hoot for. Who on earth cares about Peranakan culture? Or the old Sukothai Kingdom? Or the history of Dragon Boat festivals?

Or, without going on ad nauseam, some obscure Buddhist temple sat on a mountaintop in the middle of nowhere? Not many people for sure.

Except you. Because if you’re reading these words then well frankly, you’re my kind of person.

When all is said and done Heritasian.com is just another blog in that oh-so-oversaturated travel niche (a guy has to earn a living you know). 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.

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

Cee Jay (Chief Editor)