Travel notes ed peters provides local news for the jetset
Have a Go
Beyond adventure tourism and eco tourism is the trend of volun-tourism – taking part in projects which benefit the local community instead of just spending vacations sitting on a beach or surfing the night-life.
Matching eager volunteers to needy communities in Thailand and Laos, North By North East runs a variety of schemes, including cultural conservation, rural development, tsunami relief, education and medical assistance. Spend a few days or several weeks, and experience the personal satisfaction of giving something back to the countries you visit.
Browse www.north-by-north-east.com for costs and full details.
Hotel Watch
Hard on the heels of renovations to Lord Jim’s and The Verandah restaurants at The Oriental Bangkok, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (www.mandarinoriental.com) is re-opening after an extensive US$140 million revamp.
When it first opened its doors in 1963, the Mandarin was the tallest building in the (then) British colony. It has since been dwarfed by a myriad of high-rises, but when it comes to hospitality, the Mandarin is still head and shoulders above the rest.
The balconies have been enclosed to give its 502 rooms and suites even more space. The hotel is now capped by the stylish M bar; three-time Michelin star chef Pierre Gagnaire will be overseeing the gourmet dining on the top floor restaurant; while Sir Terence Conran handled the much-loved Mandarin Grill’s redesign.
All in all, the hotel has just gotten bigger and better. As the immaculate doorman intones: “Welcome back!”
Inside Track
Jackie Chan is best known as the kung fu master of the movie world, but now the all-action star has taken on a new role as Asia-Pacific Tourism Ambassador for the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The hero of blockbusters such as Around the World in 80 Days and the Rush Hour series will now be touting tourism as a means of fighting poverty in the region.
“I will do my best to promote tourism in a healthy and sustainable way, so as to help people who are less fortunate – when I slide down a building, I will make sure it becomes a tourist attraction,” says the 52-year-old actor, who always does his own stunts and is renowned for playing the “good guy”.
Local Hero: YanGon
Tin Aye Khine is the Guest Services Director at The Strand hotel (http://ghmhotels.com) in Yangon, the city’s most venerable place to stay, and a tourist attraction in itself.
She recommends, “One of the most popular things to do is to take a walk around town to admire the colonial buildings which have stood the test of time and whose stone facades look so beautiful in the sunlight.
“We provide a special guide map for our guests. Scott Market was also built in colonial times, but it remains a thriving hub of commerce. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, it is fascinating enough just to walk along the aisles and see what the different stall-holders have to offer.
“And of course, the Shwedagon Pagoda’s golden exterior must surely be one of the most glorious sights in Asia.”
RUB A HUB DUB
Having clocked a quarter of a century in operation, Singapore’s Changi Airport (www.changiairport.com.sg) is celebrating its 25th birthday by doing what the island nation does best – with a shopping festival. Visitors who spend more than S$250 can enter a lucky draw; the grand prize is the latest model Maserati GranSport Spyder.
In Bangkok, the end of September sees the soft opening of the capital’s brand-new international airport, Suvarnabhumi, which boasts the world’s tallest control tower (132m), a 600-room airport hotel and – once fully operational – the ability to handle the movement of 100 million passengers a year.
Bangkok’s current international gateway, Don Muang, will continue to be used by low-cost carriers, so golfers at the runway-side Kantarat course are still going to have to be careful not to slice.
DOWN BELOW
Located about 45 minutes drive from Xi’an City, the inconspicuous Han Yang Ling Museum has been around for some time. However, the opening of a gigantic new subterranean museum 2km away – built over part of an imperial tomb – has rekindled huge interest in this barren region’s archaeological treasures.
The underground museum showcases exquisite terracotta, jade and gold pieces from the Han Dynasty but, unlike the original museum, exhibits many of the artefacts in situ, partially- or fully exposed in the heavy loess soil. Visitors walk over raised glass walkways through which the imperial treasures are clearly visible.
These splendidly crafted funerary objects include thousands of 1m-tall terracotta warriors and cavalry. There are also troupes of exquisitely crafted miniature clay animals and magnificent urns.
Entrance is 90 yuan and includes entry to the new underground site as well as the original Han Yang Ling History museum and four other nearby sites. The only access is off the old Xianyang airport road. Open daily 8.30am-7.30pm in summer months.
NOT MANY KNOW…
You’ve heard of Coca-colonisation; now here comes chippy colonisation. Britannia rules the fries at Bangkok’s first pukka fish ’n chips shop, Oh My Cod! (www.fishandchipsbangkok.com), and is run by a true Brit, Chris Rodgers.
Located in Banglampoo, Oh My Cod! has been running a roaring trade since it first opened. Indoor and outdoor dining areas, plasma TVs, and a warm and friendly staff topped with exotic English cuisine pull in diners by the score.
For 190 baht, tuck into cod, chips, mushy peas and traditional favourites like All Day Breakfast. However, local fare such as Tom Yam Kung and other Thai dishes tickle the palate too.
TRIP LIT
As Reader’s Digest maintains, laughter is the really best medicine, and comic authors are now tickling travellers’ funny bones harder than ever.
Anyone who’s wondering what it’s actually like to live and work in Asia need only dip into the Hardship Posting (www.hardshipposting.com) series, a collection of anecdotes compiled by peripatetic former advertising executive Stu Lloyd.
For more humour, don’t take the Jetlag Travel (www.jetlagtravel.com) guides at face value – its titles (Phaic Tan, Gastronesia and Sherpastan) are side-splitting spoofs on conventional travel tomes.
For best traveller’s tales from real life, take a peek at Not So Funny When It Happened (www.travelerstales.com), edited by veteran explorer Tim Cahill, which is one of the best compendiums of actual snarl-ups on the road with uproarious contributions from Bill Bryson and Dave Barry.
