All by Jillian Huntley
If you are looking for a hotel in Bangkok that combines art deco with the opulence of a bygone era, then the Shanghai Mansion in Chinatown might fit the bill. And if you are lucky enough to be there during Chinese New Year, you’ll have a front row seat to an extravagant street party that is one of the best to experience in Bangkok during that auspicious festival.
Lhong 1919 at the Wanglee Pier on Bangkok’s riverside is an historic steamship pier and warehouse complex that’s been preserved and now houses boutique shops, art galleries, and eateries. It’s easy to reach by either river ferry or tuk-tuk and provides the opportunity enjoy a few relaxing hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Ipoh, the capital of Malaysia’s Perak state, has become a popular stopover for older travellers interested to view its street art which depicts the history and heritage of this once-booming tin mining town with opium and gambling dens and streets where wealthy Chinese kept their mistresses. These days it’s also rivaling Georgetown in Penang as a destination for food and coffee lovers.
When you’ve been travelling in Turkey, have you ever wondered about the meaning or purpose of the cobalt blue-eye glass amulets and ornaments that you see in souvenir shops, people’s homes, businesses, hotels, restaurants — in fact almost anywhere? They are to ward off the ‘evil eye’ and ensure that you have a safe visit and onward journey. The belief in the power of these amulets extends back many centuries.
If you have an overnight stopover in Singapore on a journey through Asia, and you are looking for somewhere quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city, then why not try Changi Village. It’s close to the airport and offers some easy habourside walks for exercise, or if you have half a day to spare, a 15 mins boat ride takes you to Pulau Ubin, a tranquil island sanctuary where you can cycle or just relax and enjoy nature.
Bali is preparing to reopen to both domestic tourists this month and international travellers in September. Government authorities are implementing ‘cleanliness, health and safety’ initiatives to attract people back to the island. We look at what’s being planned and how visitors can contribute to helping Bali achieve sustainable tourism and ensure that its environment is preserved for future generations.
A self-organised themed tour is a different way to travel but can be a satisfying and enjoyable way to learn about the culture and history of Asian countries. This tour focuses on the Peranakan culture of the Straits Chinese and takes travellers from Singapore to Melaka and Penang in Malaysia where there are many opportunities to learn about how these entrepreneurial pioneers of the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to the development of those countries.
Re-creating dishes at home that you’ve sampled on visits to Asia is a way to bring back memories of trips away, and partially satisfy the travel bug whilst we are confined to within our own borders. Many of the dishes of Southeast Asia are easy to cook at home and provide a way to recall enjoyable culinary experiences from your favourite destinations.
In these days of social distancing, health experts recommend that we no longer shake hands given that is a common means by which viruses and other germs are passed from one person to another. For many in Asia, that’s not a problem as local cultures have traditionally used other means of greeting and saying goodbye. For those in the west, there is a lot to be learned from those countries that do not use the handshake as a means of greeting.
It’s ironic that the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, is located in Indonesia, a country that is predominantly Muslim. Borobudur is also Indonesia’s most visited tourist attraction – a fact that worries many concerned about its preservation. But the Indonesian Government in partnership with UNESCO have done much in the past 50 years to preserve this ancient site for future generations. It’s a destination in Asia that older travellers will enjoy.
Indonesia’s second largest city, Surabaya, is home to one of Asia’s most elegant colonial hotels — the Hotel Majapahit. It’s East Java’s version of Singapore’s Raffles Hotel. With room rates on offer at about a quarter of the price of the Raffles Hotel, it provide travellers with the opportunity to enjoy the stylish elegance of this meticulously maintained historic Southeast Asian hotel at a more affordable price.
Yabbiekayu is a small eco-resort near Yogyakarta, Indonesia, that offers older travellers the chance to relax and de-stress in a rural environment of sustainable living. It provides the opportunity too to learn a little about Javanese culture and visit some of the nearby UNESCO World Heritage listed places such as the Buddhist temple of Borobudur and the Hindu temple of Prambanan.
