INDONESIA One of the finest places in the world from which to watch a sunrise is also one of the most accessible and climbable active volcanoes anywhere. Gunung Bromo simmers in East Java, its landscape other-worldly in its beauty. Visitors begin their climb up 253 stone steps carved audaciously on the slope in the middle of the night to arrive, panting but esctatic, to a magnificent play of colours on the top Down spreads over the Laotian Pasir ‘sea of and’, the dramatic vistas of the Tengger massif and Bromo’s hissing crater, all of which is as unreal as it is unforgettable.
INDONESIA Bali has our heart but this is the island on which we want to get marooned. Separated from Bali by the Wallace Line, almost at the cusp of the Indomalayan and Australasian biomes, both prolific yet distinct ecozones, Lombok is administratively a part of the sleepier Nusa Tenggara Barat or NTB province, its lowlands fertile and highlands forested. The Mount Rinjani volcano broods over fabulous beaches and waterfalls, and an introverted indigenous Lasak culture. The Gili Islands lie off its west coast. Lombok is what Bali must have been before it became the world’s hippest island destination. Go before more people arrive at the same conclusion.
SINGAPORE And you thought Singapore wasn’t about spas? Banyan Tree didn’t and when one of the world’s most talked about spa brands chooses this ‘homecoming’ for an urban spa that dares to meld modern glamour with its hugely successful Asian-spiritual themes, it’s time to take notice. Naturally, they get away with it in grand style, on the 55th level of the 2,561 room Marina Bay Sands Hotel, part of the massive 20 hectare ‘integrated resort’ overlooking the super scenic Marina Bay. The Banyan Tree here came up toward and end of multi-phased construction featuring a casino, mall, museum, elevated garden, art installations, hotels and restaurants with eye-popping first time ever stats, all of which the spa leaves outside. Inside, Banyan Tree’s fabled tranquility and treatments reign unequivocally.
MYANMAN The Mandalay to Began river journey can be cone in three nights or eleven and it goes without saying, the longer the better, for Myanmar’s hidden treasures are experienced luxuriously in newly refurbished cabins on this journey, which ends with the roar of the Gorges of the Far North. The cruise begins from the Sagaing Hills, floats up to Mingun, Katha, Shwegu, Kyan Hynat and Mogok, before nudging upto Mandalay on a you’ll-never-forget sunrise, with excursions to picturesque villages, local markets, a forest reserve, ancient pagodas and a monastery along the way. A country that’s not easily seen unravels in slow motion.
THAILAND A national park that was established over 30 years ago, the Similans are a group of islands in the Andaman Sea and a part of the Phang Nga Province of southern Thailand. Dive sites here are the stuff of legent, divided over the northern, southern and central similians topographically, and then there are the Outer Islands. Highlights include great boulders with massive swim-throughts coral in unusual shades of yellow and turquoise, and big fish descending to uncharted depths. Anita’s Reef, Christmas Point, Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock are rated among the finest dive points here, and East of Eden in central Similan qualifies for a prime place in the world’s best lists.
SINGAPORE The tiny island nation, known as much for its spanking cleanliness as its high costs, hosted the world’s first street food congress and why didn’t anyone think of it before? – in early June. It was a smart way to re-focus on the love for affordable eating that unifies Singaporeans. The best place to experience it? Lose yourself in the labyrinthine sights, sounds, smells and flavours of Chinatown and you can’t go wrong. If you want t get specific join the queues at Tian Tian, the Hainanese chicken rice stall to beat all Hainanese chicken rice stalls, and we are talking about a delicacy that’s as close to a ‘national dish’ as things can get in multicultural Singapura. A filling plateful, spiced with chilli sauce and served with a bowl of chicken broth, comes for about Rs.150/-. That’s Stall NO.10 at the Maxwell Food Centre on Kadayanallur Street.
MALAYSIA Here’s a truly Asian wellness retreat that does away with TV and wi-fi but goes all out to cocoon guests in private luxury (through you may have peacocks and hornbills visiting your balcony). This award winning island spa offers wide-ranging traditional therapies but it’s their Chinese and Malay healing techniques that are of special interest to us. Apart from an energizing Chinese Foot Pounding, enjoyed originally by concubines of days past, bath houses (featuring Malay ‘circulating’ baths) and nap gazebos beg surrender. A batik sarong is gifted at the end as a well timed reward.
PHILIPPINES Here lies the cleanest and greenest province in Philippines, its extraordinary flora and fauna distributed over pristine wildlife sanctuaries, marine reserves, coral reefs and the Puerto Princesa underground river and national park (a mountain-to-sea ecosystem and Unesco World Heritage Site) all of which remains tourist-friendly with zero commercialization. Paradise? Certainly. Palawan is the main island and smaller atolls are scattered about it, from Mindoro in the north-east to Borneo in the southwest. Be sure to visit Kayangan and Barracuda (lakes), Secret Lagoon and Marimegmeg (beaches), Entalula and Malcapuya (islands), every one of which deserve the ‘unspoilt’ and ‘incredibly beautiful’ prefixes.
MALAYSIA Okay, so where do you find the best satay in the satay capital of the world? Descendents of the old and famous Majid Satay, the ‘raja satay’ of the sixties, this corner shop no.5 at Jalan Kerja Ayer Lama in Kuala Lampur’s Ampang Jaya suburb is open only from 6.30 pm to 11.30pm, although everything may not be available as the evening wanes. Their chicken, beef and lamb satays cost betwen RM 0.8 to 1.5 per stock. The sauce is creamy and not over-spiced and, best of all, there’s no oil smoothing it.
CAMBODIA It’s one the most photogenic destinations of the world and what better way to see it than with photography workshops, an itinerary tailored to the most photogenic hours of the da, and a ‘secret’ agenda that helps you avoid crowds but meet monks at Angkor Wat? There are ‘mixed’ and ‘advanced’ tours that allow you to choose our pace, and guidance is offered on technical, aesthetic and ethical issues you will encounter as your aim your lense. Natural light will be your constant companion, and your must come prepared for early mornings and steep hill climbs. Add a trip to ‘undiscovered’ Beng Mealea and several unplanned roadside halts and ou will have an Angkor album to cherish forever.
THAILAND We love Thailand’s beaches – who doesn’t? but the exceptional popularity of this too-tourist-friendly nation has meant that most of the its fabled beaches are full of people like us. Come over, then, to the Koh Mun Nork, a little known resort island of no more than a dozen villas in the Gulf of Siam – it’s less than three hours away from bustling Bangkok, and that includes a 45 min trip on the lone boat heading for it mid morning, the only way to reach this patch of paradise. Guests are treated, not to high luxury, but friendly service and nice food.
VIETNAM Vietnam’s imperial capital of nearly 150 years. Hue sprawls on the banks of the Perfume River, hardly a few miles inland from the South China Sea, a tropical land frequently muted by drizzling rain now a Unesco World Heritage Site, Hue’s famous walled citadel and the ruins of the Nyugen emperors’ Forbidden City are a vast complex of pavilions, temples and moats, which lie to the north of the river. Sadly, these remarkable remnants of a powerful feudal era sustained extensive damage during the Vietnam War but what’s left is still captivating, and best seen on a hired cycle or motorbike, or the unique cyclo, the local version of the trishaw, where the passenger perches upfront. Finally take a river boat to the architecturally impressive Tombs of the Emperors that sprawl to the south of the city.
LAOS The formidable Mekong river braids 14km wide to create the Si Phan Don archipelago of the beautifully named Four Thousand Islands in Laos, Kayaking is a sterling way to take in the enchanting landscape here. America born traveller-writer-lecturer Steve Van Beek ventured east in 1966 and, by his own admission “neglected to return home”. Now, he shows less devoted visitors some of the wonders of his adopted land is this 5 day trip. Highlights include paddling to the upper edge of the Khone Phapheng waterfalls (more water than the Niagara), a picnic at the Flooded Forest, where trees have been bent by the force of the water, watching dolphins feed at the Cambodian border, and a walk along an abandoned French railway line.
VIETNAM The Mekong is more than mainland Southeast Asia’s grandest river, it’s a life force that has shaped and changed the diverse territories is feeds and floods, spawning remote river line cultures that have lasted a millennia. The Vietnamese sampans belong in these waters just as a kettuvallam would in Kerala and, by quite a similar detour to tourism, some of them are now traditionally yet stylishly designed, their small and tidy aesthetics ideal for exclusive itineraries that can last from overnighters to four days of slow time on the river, freshly cooked river fish on the sundeck, cycles for non-land excursions, and row boats to navigate down small canals and arroyos.
CAMBODIA Is it any surprise that a guy called Chai is super-popular? Chai’s off-road Trip (CORT) Adventure, is the much liked one man enterprise run by a diligent proponent of responsible tourism. He organizes your cycles and your itinerary, going the extra mile with his fantastic local knowledge and sheer enthusiasm. Chai includes trips over the rolling Siem Reap countryside leading to floating villages, local markets and the reservoir and West Baray. Yes, of course, he can customize Angkor for you, too, and he speaks excellent English. This is the real Cambodia and when your shop, you pay low-income rural families directly.
LAOS The former capital of Laos, situated at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong, is the setting for one of Amanresorts, deeply luxurious yet localized experiences. This beautifully ventilated, picture perfect property in the erstwhile French colony of Luang Prabang is housed in buildings of that period. It’s just a stroll away from the former Royal Place, the Phousi Hill and Luang Prabang’s lively night market. There’s a spa to be enjoyed, a thoughtfully catalogued library and fine dining of authentic Lao Cuisine at multiple venues that beg guests to take up their offer to arrange private dining.
