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ed peters provides local news for the jetset
TRAVEL GADGETS
Anyone with a passion for gadgets will love this trio of groovy techie accessories. For tunes wherever you lay your hat – the CyrusLink Link Dock (www.amazon.co.uk) is a high-performance iPod docking station, with top-flight sound quality and even comes with a remote control.
Inanimate objects have a habit of hiding themselves from humans – the Loc8tor (www.loc8tor.co.uk) tags keys, glasses, remote controls and anything else that might tend to slip down the back of the sofa.
Finally – storage problems?
The Lexar JumpDrive Firefly memory sticks (www.lexar.com) can hold up to 4,000 images, 65 hours of music and 540 minutes of film.
Just perfect for capturing those special travel moments!
HOTEL WATCH
The world of hospitality continues to dazzle its guests, serving up more designer marvels for eating, hanging out and – of course – spending the night.
In Bangkok, the aptly named Dream (www.dreambkk.com) has been pulling in so many celebs they practically blot out the light. Chef David Hamilton whips up a storm at Flava, while the opulent rooms owe their inspiration to a heady mixture of surrealism and rock ’n’ roll.
In the Maldives, the past few months have welcomed the opening of a trendy trio. W Retreat & Spa (www.whotels.com) on Fesdu Island has been dubbed “a hip playground where style flirts with soul in a white-sand wonderland” – a statement guests in the resort’s 78 pool villas have heartily endorsed.
Set to be a magnet for those of a romantic inclination is the Anantara Resort Maldives (www.anantara.com), a luxurious five-star boutique hideaway spread across five acres of tropical terrain on Dhigufinolhu Island on the South Malé Atoll.
And the latest kid in the sandbox is Angsana Resort and Spa Velavaru (www.angsanaspa.com), nestled in the Maldives’ Dhaalu Atoll, where 79 villas wend their way around the island.
BAGS OF STYLE
The ultimate designer label is surely one that nobody else has. Step forward EverQuest Design, whose laptop bags, BlackBerry cases, shoulder bags and similar items incorporate material taken from equipment used on historically significant voyages around the world.
Examples include a bag with a flap made from the 1990 Soyuz-TM-8 space mission landing parachute, an America’s Cup laptop case and a key-holder fashioned from a piece of rope used on an Everest climb.
Every item is certified authentic by a member of the expedition, and the manufacturers – besides trumpeting the value of travelling with a piece of history – are also confident of their wares’ investment potential.
Check out one-of-a-kind travelling accessories at www.everquestdesign.com
LOCAL HERO
If you happen to live in the Maldives, what do you do for fun? For Christopher Stafford, vice-president and general manager of the newly opened Anantara Resort Maldives, it’s all about the archipelago’s greatest natural asset – the sea.
“Manta Point is about 40 minutes by boat from the capital Malé. It’s a great diving spot, but comes into its own at sunset when pods of dolphins congregate there,” says Mr Stafford, who is also a keen kayaker. “At dusk, anything up to 100 dolphins might swim past the point – it really is magical to watch and sums up the true natural beauty of this part of the world.”
PAINTING THE TOWN RED
Fresh from a highly successful exhibition at the Indiana University Art Museum in the US, the Guilin Chinese Painting Academy (5 Wenlian Nong Cheng Lu, tel +86 (773) 390-2889) is showcasing its works in a new expo on its home turf.
˚ e Academy is one of the best known in China, and its artists demonstrate strong diversity in their themes and techniques as well as in their life experiences – the oldest member of the academy is in his 90s, the youngest in his 30s.
As vice-director Dai Yanxing explains: “We share a common desire to expand the cultural legacy that historical Guilin has bequeathed us – to explore new ways to give expression to the contemporary humanist spirit, and to do so according to each artist’s unique perspective on life and art.”
TRIP LIT
One of the most inspirational travel books of recent years, Fi~ y Great Escapes: A Global Guide to Creativity takes the wanderings of a collection of writers, composers, painters, fi lm-makers, philosophers, sculptors and photographers as its theme. Author Jonathan Lee has added a selection of potentially inspiring locations for the 21st century, including destinations in China, ˚ ailand, Laos and Cambodia. ˚ is travel book makes for great armchair reading (from www.PaddyField.com).
By contrast, Kimberly Fayet Whiley’s Taxi 
Guide to Hong Kong and Macau (www.thetaxiguide.com) is utterly practical, with bilingual listings of the cities’ most important addresses, as well as a host of nitty gritty information such as helpful phrases and emergency phone numbers for quick reference.
Others in the series include Shanghai and Beijing, with the Bangkok and Pearl River Delta editions in the pipeline.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW…
Some antiques that are for sale in Asia are genuine, but have been looted from temples and other historical sites, especially in Cambodia. And it’s not just sculptures, but more portable artefacts such as glass and stone beads, prehistoric tools and ceramics.
Heritage Watch (www.heritagewatch.org) has recently mounted a campaign to combat the illegal trade and, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, is also encouraging people to patronise recognised Heritage Friendly Businesses – just “look for the logo”.
THE X-FACTOR
From Fukuoka to Hiroshima, Japan’s fad-crazy kids have gotten a new set of wheels – and the trend is spreading to the rest of the world too. Actually, “wheels” is something of an understatement, as the Xlider combines skateboard and skates in a very cool and zippy package.
The Xlider is fi tted with top quality bearings to keep the ride super-smooth, and learning to “xlide” – turns are achieved by shi˝ ing body weight backward or forward in a similar way to skiing or surfi ng – only takes a couple of hours.
Fitness gurus are already recommending the device as great aerobic exercise. It’s so compact it can even be used in a corridor. Get full details at www.xlider.eu
THE CHILD WITHIN
Dropping by Café 151 on Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh for a coffee or a snack will do a lot more than quenching your thirst or satisfying your hunger.
The not-for-profi t café is run by the Global Child (TGC), a charity whose school for impoverished kids – many of whom previously worked as garbage collectors or survived by begging – shares the premises.
TGC is open six days a week and besides basic education, provides instruction in classical and folk dancing, karate, computer studies, ethics and manners. ˚ e school will celebrate its third anniversary this year, and currently supports 25 students with eight full-time staff . Find out more about TGC and its work at www.theglobalchild.org
GUIDEBOOK GURUS
For many travellers, a copy of a Lonely Planet guide is considered as essential packing as their toothbrush – particularly when visiting Southeast Asia. But few stop to consider the individuals behind the books.
The recent release of ~ e Lonely Planet Story by founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler is set to change this somewhat.
An interesting mix of autobiography, corporate history and travelogue, the book reveals the full story of how the company’s husband-and-wife founders went from two backpackers with 27 cents in their pockets to owners of one of the world’s largest independent travel publishing companies.
Here, they share a few of their memories and thoughts on the state and development of today’s travel.
Why “Lonely Planet” – and is our planet is truly lonely?
TW: As the book explains, the name was actually a mistake – it should have been “Lovely Planet” a˚ er a rock song! But actually, yes, the earth is lonely – it’s the only inhabited planet in our solar system and a long way from anywhere.
Why are Lonely Planet guides better than the competition?
TW: As an Australian-based company, the domestic market was always too small to be profi table. From the outset, we always had to avoid being parochial and ensure our guides appealed to an international readership. We are also lucky to have remained an independently-owned, purely travel company.
Has the internet improved or harmed your business?
TW: It certainly speeds things up and people expect things to be instantaneous with today’s information. For example, there’s no point putting an airline schedule in a guidebook – just go to the website.
What is the main reason for your success?
MW: We entered the market when there was nothing else like us, and we had time to establish ourselves before any real competition. We also do so well because of our passion – Tony and I are still involved on a daily basis, and “out there” for six months of every year.
Why would you encourage people to travel?
TW: Not only is it interesting, fascinating, educational and all that, it is such a means of communication between countries and cultures. You are suddenly meeting people face to face, and that is so important in today’s world.
What is your most frightening travel moment?
MW: We have been very lucky and never had anything go seriously wrong. ~ e worst was when our daughter su˝ ered very bad food poisoning in Guatemala. Fortunately, she was better within 24 hours, but it was terribly scary at the time.
What and where would be your favourite breakfast?
MW: I used to love our Sunday breakfasts in Singapore when we would go down a little alley behind our hotel, and eat toasted white bread with local jam. However, if I had to narrow it down, it would be atop a mountain in Nepal, surrounded by friends, and all the Sherpas and porters, about to head o˝ on a day’s trek.
What’s your strategy for overcoming jetlag?
MW: I’ve tried everything, and nothing seems to work. Tony, on the other hand, doesn’t su˝ er as much, as he can just go to sleep anywhere and anytime.
Is there a country that Lonely Planet has yet to cover?
TW: We do cover everywhere in some fashion, even if there’s not a whole book about it. And these things change. For example, we are thinking of doing a country book on Mali in Africa – we went last year and thought it was fabulous. But the opposite also happens. Our information on Central Africa is nowhere as detailed as it used to be.
What’s next for Lonely Planet?
TW: Diversifi cation will be the key, with more TV, more business on the internet, more things on digital publishing; we don’t want to be so dependent on guidebooks alone. People are always going to want travel information, but whether they want them as a guidebook is in question…
The Lonely Planet Story by Tony and Maureen Wheeler is published by Periplus Editions. Available for US$16.95 at all leading bookstores.
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