|
Bali
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
 BALI, INDONESIA - The traffic jam was stretched for almost half a mile. Cars and trucks filled with school children patiently waited as the religious procession slowly made its way along the rural back road...
|
|
|
Laos
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
|
LUANG PRABANG, LAOS - A favorite day outing with tourists who come to this remote part of Asia is to take a boat ride down the murky Mekong River - its waters are the colour of a cup of mocha coffee - to the artisan village of Lao Lao and then on to the Pac Cu, or Buddha caves.
|
|
|
Vietnam
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
CAI BE, VIETNAM – The crew of the Cai Be Princess welcomed us aboard their long flat boat with a warning: “mind your head.”
|
|
|
Singapore
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
 SINGAPORE – The shiny new Bentley that Vera Ming-Andersson – public
relations manager extraordinaire – sent to fetch me at Changi
International Airport rolls to a stop just short of the St. Regis
Hotel’s opulent entrance.
|
|
|
Maldives
|
 BAA ATOLL, MALDIVES – We are lured to this nation of turquoise water and lush tropical islands by lovely brochure photos featuring luxurious thatched-roofed resort villas suspended on stilts and by promises of sun-drenched days and romantic orange glow sunsets.
|
|
|
Korea
|
|
By Travelife Staff
|
 20 things Travelife.ca writers suggest you put on your “must do” list when in Korea
|
|
|
Cambodia
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
![]() SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - Mr. Happy is not happy.
|
|
|
Thailand
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
|
BANGKOK — While we wait for our lessons to begin at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel’s world renowned Thai Cooking School, members of the class introduce themselves to each other.
|
|
|
China
|
|
By Spencer Wynn
|
|
DEGE, CHINA — “Shimmering like crystal in a mid-day sun; blinding snows melt and rivers run.” These could be the words used on a glossy brochure to promote any number of European or North American ski destinations.
|
|
|
India
|
|
By Amy Chung
|
 JAISALMER, INDIA – The bottom half of my body was beginning to numb.
“What was I thinking?” I thought to myself.
I’ve been galloping through the Indian desert of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in 50C heat for over a day now in an attempt to live out my Arabian Nights fantasy. Though I’m looking like a less-than-regal Cleopatra.. .
|
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
By Jane Holt
|
 HONG KONG – While strolling through the forest of glass and steel towers
that have taken root in this bustling world city, I discovered a
“house. Not an ordinary house, mind you. In fact, Hullett House doesn’t even
look like a house – more a small colonial office building wrapped in
stucco.
|
|
|
Malaysia
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
 LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA – The sun slowly rises over the tallest peak on Friday Mountain, signaling another glorious day is about to begin on this tropical island outpost. Despite the early hour, the Andaman Sea beach outside the Four Seasons Langkawi Resort is hot to the touch. Debris, washed ashore overnight, is being swept up and bagged by an army of local women dressed in denim overalls
|
|
|
Taiwan
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
 TAMSUI, TAIWAN – The concierge at Taipei’s Sherwood Hotel questions my decision to make an early morning trek to this riverside town located at Taiwan’s northern tip. “September mornings much too hot in Tamsui,” the dutiful concierge tells me. “We Taiwanese call Tamsui the ‘Breath of the Tiger’ because it is so hot there in September – better wait and go there later in the day when the wind cools town.”
|
|
|
Japan
|
|
By Adam Waxman
|
 Despite the tragic events that have shaken Japan, Adam Waxman finds the country’s spirit to be as enduring as the sacred sakura
|
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
|
HONG KONG - Every 12 year cycle, according to the Chinese calendar, it’s time to celebrate the Year of the Horse. Bettors in race crazy Hong Kong, can’t wait that long - it's always the year of the horse here.
|
|
|
Japan
|
|
By P.J. West
|
|
NAHA CITY, OKINAWA - We open our umbrellas in the sunniest place in Japan - for protection against a torrential downpour.
|
|
|
Korea
|
|
By Janice Lees
|
|
JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA - We were traveling the beautiful coast road that wraps around this tourist island headed to the airport after a few days of R&R when someone in the car pointed at the rocky shoreline and asked “what’s that?”
|
|
|
Laos
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
|
LUANG PRABANG, LAOS - The first thing that strikes you about this city is that there are no traffic lights - mainly because there is very little traffic. Quaint Luang Prabang, a 16th century city, appears frozen in time – a peaceful place where ox and motorscooters hog the road.
|
|
|
Malaysia
|
|
By Travelife Staff
|
|
GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - The slender man standing behind the trishaw, this old colonial town’s version of the more famous rickshaw, invited my partner and I to let him show us the sights of this mini-Singapore.
|
|
|
Singapore
|
|
By Marc Atchison
|
|
Singapore, long considered the melting pot of Asia, is boiling over with a new-found excitement these days thanks to its ongoing transformation from staid business capital to Asia’s new sun and fun central.
|
|