Carolyn Hong

lives in Ba Kelalan sometimes, in KL sometimes. A former journalist who once chased the big stories for a regional newspaper, she now hunts for the small stories in Malaysia’s smallest places.

34 posts

Getting to know Malaysia, one trip at a time

4 min read

On a Friday afternoon, photographer Chok Yen Hau was at the market in Wakaf Che Yeh near Kota Bharu. It was his first ever trip to Kelantan. Entranced by the co...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Taking freedom with the press

4 min read

“Here, the young people operate the old machines, and the old operate the new machines,” said Ee Soon Wei, with a deadpan expression that hid his am...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

The letter in English: Ipoh’s place on the Sun Yat-Sen trail

5 min read

It all began with a letter written in English. The unusual choice of language intrigued Chan Sue Meng when she came across it among the musty papers kept by her...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Through the eyes of a refugee child

5 min read

When Universiti Malaya anthropology lecturer Kamal Solhaimi Fadzil began his project last year, he was not sure it would get anywhere. It seemed a tough job, an...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Gerakbudaya – A book-based cultural movement

4 min read

“That’s my boss,” Chong Ton Sin said when he caught me glancing at the Che Guevara poster on the wall of his office. Actually, there were two...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

A Muslim woman answers the call to travel

4 min read

The Haj pilgrimage is familiar to most Malaysians who would have seen photographs of the millions of Muslims who make their way to Mecca to pay homage. But how...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Where there’s a will, there can be light

4 min read

It is a cold evening, not unusual for the hamlet of Long Rusu where the temperature often falls below 20°C after the sun sets. Mountain weather is chilly an...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Christmas in the mountains of Sarawak

3 min read

Shopping malls nowadays may be decorating for Christmas as early in the year as possible, but they are not alone in their enthusiasm! Christmas also comes very...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Towards Healthier Rural Living, One Solar-powered Water Filtering System at a Time

4 min read

It began as a final year assignment for engineering student Ganesh Muren. He had to work on a project to showcase what he had learned during his years at Inti C...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

The Bead Goes On

4 min read

It was like entering a treasure cave when Litad Mulok finally let me into the small building located across from her house.Arranged on long tables were thousa...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Maintaining a Forest in Shah Alam by and for the People, Hopefully Forever

4 min read

Peak Garden with its lovely views of KL.Slashing and chopping doesn’t come naturally to Alicia Teoh, a tall and elegant city girl. But that doesn&rs...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong

Within Reach of Nature

4 min read

My first glimpse of Miri many years ago was of a seahorse standing in a roundabout at a busy intersection. It seemed comical to me then to see the seahorse bein...

by Carolyn Hong

Carolyn Hong