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Travel Notes
ed peters provides local news for the jetset
ALL ABOARD
Life on the ocean wave could hardly be balmier than aboard the brand-new traditional Turkish “gulet”, Velaa, a 30m yacht sailing the Maldives archipelago from the Banyan Tree at Vabbinfaru (www.banyantree.com).
the Velaa can accommodate as many as a dozen guests in six mahogany cabins and is bound to appeal to bothdivers and simple pleasure sailors.
Cruises last up to three nights, taking in bothNorthand SouthMalé Atolls, dropping anchor near the best dive sites (which abound with grey reef sharks, eagle rays and tuna) and some idyllic islands for a leisurely picnic.
HOTEL WATCH
Looking for somewhere special to stay? the range of choices is ever increasing, as a swathe of new openings in the region proves.
The Four Seasons Koh Samui (above, www.fourseasons.com/ kohsamui) features a forest spa among a host of other delights, while the Library is the island’s other latest outpost of casual elegance from Design Hotels (www.designhotels.com).
For funky, inner-city design, make a date at The Luxe Manor 
(www.theluxemanor.com) in Kowloon, Hong Kong. the rooms – with surreal Salvador Dali decor – are as amazing as the “Italian haute cuisine” at the hotel’s restaurant, Aspasia.
Lastly, discover the Racha (www.theracha.com), a resort on Koh Racha Yai just offPhuket. the hotel’s latest and most unique offering is a five-storey villa housed in a lighthouse – with luxe trappings and 360-degree views to boot.
ON THE HUNT
For the world’s hippest hotels, spas, and destinations, there’s nowhere more up-to-date than Cool Hunter (www.thecoolhunter.net), a site by 20-something Josh Spear and his team of über-trendy journalists.
the site is always the first with all that’s new and slick around the world. with over a million hits a month, Cool Hunter’s popularity has spawned a magazine (launching in April this year) as well as a book deal.
So what’s cool now? the refurbished underwater spa at Huvafen Fushi (www.huvafenfushi.com) in the Maldives and outer space-themed kids’ rooms at the Ramada Karon Beach (www.ramadaphuket.com).
IT’S TIME
Four decades on since its genesis in London in 1968, Time Out – the world’s coolest mag for hot listings – hits the streets of Singapore this March, helmed by Time Out New York veteran editor, Billie Cohen.
Packed with insider tips, Time Out Singapore will showcase the best of the city monthby month– be it arty, party, moody, foodie or just plain alternative. the launch issue kicks offwith an exposé of late-night Singapore, including where to eat, shop and kick back from dusk until dawn.
Available at all good newsstands and selected outlets. For more information, visit www.timeout.com/sg/en/
GET WET
Friday the 13thmay be regarded as unlucky in some parts of the world, but this April in thailand, it’s a public holiday marking the thai new year or Songkran.
During the three-day festival, residents pour onto the streets to dowse each other with water using a variety of hoses, buckets and water pistols in one of the world’s most uproarious public celebrations. Visitors are more than welcome to join in, and may find themselves greeted by an icy but friendly sluicing when about town.
Traditionally, Chiang Mai – the driest of the kingdom’s provinces – celebrates longer and wetter than anywhere else, but it’s a major nationwide water fest. Songkran goes under different names in thailand’s neighbouring countries: Chaul Chnam, in Cambodia, Boun Phimai in Laos and thingyan in Myanmar, but they still party just as wet ’n’ wild!
HISTORY ON FILM
Looking for something a little unusual to do in Phnom Penh? the answer is the Bophana Centre for Audiovisual Resources (www.bophana.org), a highly laudable project that aims to collect memorabilia from the past, much of which the Pol Pot regime sought to obliterate.
Originally launched in France, Bophana has, to date, recovered a diverse selection, including reels from the Lumière brothers (who made the world’s first films), clips of festivities on the Mekong circa 1950, and – a touch ironically – Khmer Rouge propaganda films and radio broadcasts.
the centre’s entire inventory is available via a French, English and Khmer database. Open to the public 2pm to 7pm daily. Closed on Sundays. 64 Street 200, Okhnia Mén, Phnom Penh, tel +855 (0)23 992174
LOCAL HERO: SOUTHERN GENT
Wondering when’s the best time to visit Yunnan? Almost anytime, says Gerard Burgermeister, former Swiss diplomat and owner of the luxurious Yourantai B&B (www.yourantai.com) in Jinghong (Xishuangbanna) in the state’s southernmost tip. Spring and early summer, however, are particularly good for fans of flora and exploring the 
surrounding hills on foot.
“From March to mid-May, it’s getting warmer and progressively greener with very little rain,” explains Burgermeister. “March is excellent for trekking, with the added highlight of many flowering orchids. April is warm and still good for hiking, and the water-splashing festival makes it a particularly fun monthto be here.”
TRIP LIT
Few countries have undergone such an amazing metamorphosis as China in recent years, and three very different books, from boutique publisher, Asia 2000, showcase just how the country is changing.
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Ray Hu was born in Taiwan and grew up in the United States, and his evocative travel memoir Brave Land tells of his own wanderings and the personal experiences of relatives in China during the 20thcentury.
Over three months, Bill Purves travelled on foot from Hong Kong to the Mongolian border, avoiding the tourist spots and getting instead an intriguing grassroots vision of the country, which he records in the memorable China on the Lam.
And delving in the realm between fact and fiction, Alex Kuo’s anthology Lipstick and Other Stories is a gripping and highly provocative read. For more details, visit www.asia2000.com.hk
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