/3-March_20

AIRASIA INFLIGHT MAGAZINE TRAVEL 3SIXTY°

56 MA RCH 2012

Theme Parks

PUMPED UP FOR THRILLS South Korea

Touchdown AIRASIA INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

MERMAIDS OF JEJU

SIEM REAP Trang, Thailand

ANDAMAN JEWELS

PP15075/07/2012(029856)

AirAsia’s

www.airasia.com/travel360

100

th

Dragon Aircraft

03 2012

HELP SAVE THE EARTH. READ THE MAGAZINE ONLINE AND STOP STEALING ME! www.airasia.com/travel360

CHECK-IN Contents March 2012 56

NAVIGATOR

56

DAWN OF THE DRAGON AirAsia 100th Dragon Aircraft

66

THE MERMAIDS OF JEJU Jeju Island, South Korea

74

ISLAND IN THE SUN Trang, Thailand

84

HEART OF DELHI New Delhi, India

92

PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE Parachutes for Planes?

98

TRAVEL LOG A Different Kind of Footsie

30

46

46 HIT LIST

28

We Are Highly Amused

110 KIDS SPACE March On for Fun

BOARDING CALL

STYLE FILE

06 CAPTAIN’S ADDRESS

A Sprightly Spring

I Like To Move It, Move it!

08 INBOX The Buzz from our Guests

10 RED FORT News from AirAsia

128 MY AIRASIA Ain’t No Mountain High Enough!

FLIGHT PLAN 18 SPOTLIGHT Stuff you’d Love to Know

24 HOT DATES

100 OFF THE RACK 102 VANITY FARE Floral Tributes

104 JETSETTER Dino Ferrari

IN FLIGHT 112 PLANE FUN Puzzles & Games

Photos Taken by AirAsia Guests

116 GET COMFY Joy of Flying

PORT OF CALL

March Events to Keep a Lookout for

118 ROUTE MAP

26 COMPASS

124 AIRASIA SALES OFFICES & STATIONS

Big on Smart

28 QUICK BITES Sup on Spring

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114 PICTURE PERFECT

126 TOUCHDOWN Siem Reap, Cambodia

30 PAGE TURNER Where Books Live

32 MONEY MAKER Making a Market

34 PRESCRIPTION Food for Life

36 SCORE BOARD Connecting the Dots

38 HYPER TECH In the Offing

40 SLEEP INNS Asean’s Best

100

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AIRASIA INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR ART DIRECTOR WRITERS PHOTOJOURNALIST EDITORIAL ASSISTANT GRAPHIC DESIGNER CONTRIBUTORS ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES

Kathleen Tan R. Rajendra Kan Seak Hong Beverly Rodrigues Chitra S Adam Lee

Theme Parks

PUMPED UP FOR THRILLS South Korea

Touchdown

MERMAIDS OF JEJU

SIEM REAP Trang, Thailand

ANDAMAN JEWELS

Fazlina Bee Binti Abdul Rashid Fadillah Kamarudin Alice Yong, Captain Lim Khoy Hing, Efi Hamzah, Maria Visconti, Pete King, Shilpi Shukla Indran Balavishnu (Malaysia) indran.balavishnu@pharpartnerships.com Mairianne Reardon (Singapore, UK and International Markets) m.reardon@pharpartnerships.com Charuphan Pojchanart (Thailand) charuphanp@airasia.com

AirAsia’s

100th

Dragon Aircraft

03 2012

HELP SAVE THE EARTH. READ THE MAGAZINE ONLINE AND STOP STEALING ME! www.airasia.com/travel360

ON THE COVER AirAsia 100th Dragon Aircraft

Vikhram Radhakishnan (Indonesia) vikhram.r@pharpartnerships.com Tel: +6 03 7962 5813 (Phar Partnerships Malaysia) E-mail: sales-T360@airasia.com Travel 3Sixty° wishes to thank Lovatts Crosswords & Puzzles, MPH, Pansing Marketing, Quikmark Media EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES PUBLISHED BY

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All rights reserved. The opinions and statements of contributors in Travel 3Sixty° do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or AirAsia Berhad. Travel 3Sixty° and AirAsia Berhad are not responsible or liable in anyway for the contents of the advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations contained in this publication. We reasonably assume that all articles are factual and not plagiarised or intentionally libellous. The editorial team reserves the right to edit and / or re-write all materials according to the needs of the publication upon usage.

Reproduction of material from Travel 3Sixty° in any form is strictly prohibited without the written permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by sufficient return postage. All information correct at the time of printing.

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FOR QUERIES, ASSISTANCE AND FEEDBACK, YOU CAN REACH US HERE: airasia.com/ask Have a question regarding travelling with AirAsia?

Get your answers here at airasia.com/ask! We’ll help you out via chat, twitter.com/askairasia or E-mail if you need further assistance AirAsia on Twitter for information & assistance on simple requests: www.twitter.com/AskAirAsia For exciting news, bytes and tweets from AirAsia: www.twitter.com/airasia AirAsia on Facebook: www. facebook.com/AirAsia. For AirAsia promotional updates, travel stories & news: www.facebook.com/airasia AirAsia blog to share travel experiences and stories: http://blog.airasia.com Find us on Weibo at http://t.sina.com.cn/airasia Folow us on RenRen at http://page.renren.com/airasia

03 CAPTAIN’S ADDRESS 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT! Having buckled up and settled comfortably in their seats, most guests look forward to arriving at their destination as fast as possible.

Some try to sleep, others read while a few like me, love staring at clouds, wondering how it would feel to walk on those soft, downy pillows floating in space. But for a few, sitting in a spot without doing anything for more than 10 minutes is akin to sticking their tongue into a meat grinder. You can’t blame them. We live in a society that is forever on the go, and sitting still doing nothing can be hellish.

Sitting still doing absolutely nothing other than breathing and blinking doesn’t augur well for your wellbeing either while travelling.

Prolonged inactivity onboard may cause Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Research done at 6

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McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada confirms that “muscles in the lower legs help push blood in the legs and feet back to the heart. Sitting still for extended periods of time without using these muscles puts pressure on leg veins and blood tends ‘to sit there’, which could increase the chance for clots to form.” The clots can block blood circulation and cause serious health issues (refer to page 116 for more on DVT).

And that’s why you’ll see fun loving and spirited AirAsia Flight Attendants (FAs) entertaining you on your journey. The FAs call up guests to the front of the aircraft to participate in games, sing or dance with them with the objective of getting the guests to move about in the plane, when it is safe to do

so. Even if you do not participate, chances are you’ll at least sit up and crane your neck to see what the commotion is all about. The fun on board is not merely to help kill time, it also helps avoid DVT. So the next time you see our FAs suddenly appearing in funny hats and crazy wigs, calling on you to join them for some impromptu fun and laughter, do join them. You’ll win some prizes, you’ll be entertained, you’ll get some appreciative claps from the rest of the guests, and most importantly, you’ll arrive at your destination feeling fresh and energised.

All you have to do is just “Move it! Move it!”

Managing Editor R.Rajendra

03 INBOX 2012

www.airasia.com/travel360

I was thrilled to read Enter the Dragon!

(Jan 2012), as we flew from Phuket to Saigon recently. The interesting facts and lore about Asian dragons fascinated my 7-year-old son, Colin, as much as me. We read it aloud together, learning about the Chinese loong from my son’s birth country, the Vietnamese rong from our current home, and the yong from Korea where we'll move to in a few months time. Thanks for helping us learn about the cultures we live in! ~ Lauren Jackson, Saigon

I was fascinated reading 10 Awesome Years and Counting (Dec 2011). There is no gender bias with cockpit crew appointment, retirement age has been increased and opportunities abound for staff to climb the ladder. All these make AirAsia’s success over such a short period an amazing story! Even flight attendants are given the opportunity to become pilots with the right training. Finally the courteous staff, both on ground and air, made my family and I love your airline from the word ‘Go’. The world now looks to AirAsia for unbeatable flying experiences at affordable prices. ~ Shehabudheen, via email

LETTER OF THE MONTH!

I read the very informative article titled South Korean Sojourn (Jan 2012) during my last trip to Kuala Lumpur. South Korea has always been a destination my husband and I wish to fly to. The article was very useful, particularly the writer’s reference to www.seoulmates.com and www.visitseoul.net. Whenever we travel, we have two aims: Food and making new friends. We, unfortunately, do not know anyone in Seoul. Her reference to these websites offer us the chance to make friends with the locals there when we do make the eventual trip to Seoul. ~ Margiyu, Surabaya

LETTER OF THE MONTH WINS A RM918 VOUCHER TO BE REDEEMED AGAINST AN ATC 0912 28” LUGGAGE* THE OTHER TWO PUBLISHED LETTERS WIN A RM100 VOUCHER EACH FROM LUGGAGE EMPIRE. *T&C apply. *Luggage shown here for illustration purpose only. Colours may vary.

HERE’S THE BUZZ ON AIRASIA’S FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND WEIBO PAGES I can't wait to fly with you again.

Thank you for bringing me to the lovely Island of Bali, the green scenery in Kota Kinabalu, and the magnificent Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. My next stop - Yangon!

Red Allaga

Lovely livery. Really like the way AirAsia is written on the tail which should become a standard for every aircraft. AirAsia, please consider this for fleetwide and have motifs from Asia on the main body of the fuselage.

Mayur Mac Patel

I love the service where @airasia responds to our question on Twitter. Saves us up to RM1.95 per min per call! :D @askairasia.

Sheryee

Not long until my first flight with AirAsia. SO excited, never been out of Europe before, so it’s gonna be an amazing experience!!!

Alex Skidmore

@Airasia thank you for not charging a bomb when I booked my flight less than 24 hours on your website.

Glo-w

@kathleen. Can you please also open a new route to Xi’an? Xi’an is a 3,000 years old historical city, and also a hub for the Northwest region in China, with 20 mil passenger traffic in one year. It’d be very beneficial to a low cost carrier like AirAsia.

Wuying

I‘ve just turned 25 months old! I visited Thailand when my mom was 4 months pregnant with me. Then I revisited Thailand again when I was 13 months old. I went to Redang island when I was 1 year and 7 months old. Because of AirAsia, I can travel around with my family and next, we are flying even further to Sabah in August!

Caonicole

Like what you read in Travel 3Sixty°? Share your thoughts with us! To show you how much we appreciate your feedback, we’ll give the best letter of the month a fabulous prize and the other two letters will receive a RM100 gift voucher each from Luggage Empire. Email your feedback to travel3sixty@airasia.com. Travel 3Sixty° reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length, and only letters regarding articles published in Travel 3Sixty° will stand to win a prize.

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03 RED FORT 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

100TH DRAGON SOARS FOURTH FROM LEFT: Azran Osman-Rani, CEO AirAsia X; Dato’ Fam Lee Ee, member of BOD AirAsia Berhad; Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun, Deputy Group CEO, AirAsia Berhad; Dato’ Aziz Bakar, Chairman AirAsia Berhad; Tan Sri Dr Tony Fernandes, Group CEO AirAsia Berhad; and Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial posing for a photograph after the eyedotting ceremony to bring AirAsia’s 100th Airbus A320 to ‘life’, flanked by AirAsia flight attendants.

In February, AirAsia welcomed its 100th Airbus A320, revealing a dramatic dragon livery celebrating the zodiac of this Chinese New Year. A team of 20 painters used approximately 600 litres of paint and worked around the clock for 12 days to produce this amazing livery, which depicts strength and good fortune. To bring AirAsia’s 100th dragon to ‘life’, Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO, Dato’ Aziz Bakar, AirAsia Berhad’s Chairman, Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun, Deputy Group CEO, Dato’ Fam Lee Ee, member of

BOD, Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, and Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial, all performed the eye-dotting ceremony that completes the dragon, as told in ancient myth.

This 100th dragon will fly between Kuala Lumpur and Macau, and will serve Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong, cities in Indonesia and destinations throughout China during its rotation. Currently, fleets in Malaysia and Thailand are 100% Airbus, while Indonesia will be fully Airbus by the end of March 2012.

“We have weathered many challenges, persevering in the most difficult of situations. This milestone underlines AirAsia’s commitment to continue to invest in new aircraft for the benefit of our customers.” ~ Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad.

REST & RELAX

COMPILED BY : BEVERLY RODRIGUES

For a thoroughly relaxing flight, opt for AirAsia X’s Premium Flatbed seats, which are designed to business class specifications with a 20” width and 60” pitch. In full recline, it stretches out to 77’’ for maximum comfort. These seats are also fitted with universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and builtin personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. And what’s more, when you book a Premium Flatbed seat, you’ll even get to enjoy complimentary products and services like Pick-A-Seat, Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage, a baggage allowance of 20kgs and a complimentary meal. AirAsia X will even throw in a pillow and blanket so you get the best rest possible. www.airasia.com

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FAIR DINKUM MATE!

G’DAY SYDNEY! Beginning April 1, AirAsia X will fly daily from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney, making it the airline’s fourth Aussie route after Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth. To celebrate this long-awaited route, AirAsia X offered incredible promo fares from as low as RM199*one way on Economy and from just RM999* one way on its Premium Fly Flatbeds earlier this January. Sydney will be available for Fly-Thru bookings from Indonesia (Bali, Medan, Surabaya, Jakarta), Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket), Singapore and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City). This service allows guests to purchase two flight sectors and connect smoothly via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

• The Sydney Harbour Bridge, nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ due to its arch-like design, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the widest long-span bridge. Adventure buffs can climb this mega structure, and choose from three different climbs that cater to varying stamina and appetites for adventure. www.bridgeclimb.com

* Promo fares include airport taxes and fees.

NEW FOCUS, NEW ROUTES In January, AirAsia X announced a realignment of its network with a focus on core markets. Due to escalating jet fuel prices, implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme and declining demand for air travel from Europe – a result of the current economic situation and steep airport taxes – AirAsia X has been forced to withdraw flight services to London and Paris at the end of March. Visa restrictions in India together with increase in airport and handling charges have also prompted the airline to withdraw services to Delhi and Mumbai come late March.

These factors are not conducive for the low cost model, and this difficult decision was made to ensure that AirAsia X’s ability to offer the low fares it is known for, is not compromised.

“We intend to concentrate capacity in our core markets of Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea where we have built up stable, profitable routes within an infrastructure that supports low cost services. We intend to open up new routes within these markets, as well as add frequencies on existing routes.” ~ Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X 12

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• The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. Today, visitors can catch world class performances and even take a backstage tour that details the real-life dramas behind the curtain. www.sydneyoperahouse.com • The Rocks Markets offers some of Sydney’s best shopping with over 200 stalls selling unique fashion and accessories by local designers, original artworks, locally-produced homeware and lots more. The Rocks Markets opens every weekend from 10am till 5pm. http://therocks.com • Hunter Valley is the place to savour Aussie wines and enjoy locally-produced gourmet food like handmade rind cheeses, jams, chocolates, olive oil and gelato in a pastoral vineyard setting.

The best time to visit is during harvest time, around summer at the end of the year. www.winecountry.com.au

FOOTIE FANS DREAM BIG BIG, AirAsia’s global loyalty programme is an innovative product that goes above and beyond to offer members exciting perks and goodies. In March, five lucky BIG Shots (BIG members) who participated in a contest run by BIG, won a pair of tickets each to catch the Queens Park Rangers’ home match against Liverpool live at London’s Loftus Road Stadium. All they had to do was collect at least 50 BIGGIES (points equivalent to RM100) in a single transaction.

BIG loves to spoil its members, so be sure to apply for your BIG card at www.tune2big.com and start earning BIGGIES today.

FLYING HIGH WITH CATERHAM F1 TEAM Catch the new and improved Caterham F1 Team car at its home race, the 2012 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, from March 23 till 25 at the Sepang International Circuit. The Anglo-Malaysian team, who ran under the Team Lotus name in 2011, will be back in its home country and proudly sporting the iconic green and yellow on track at the second round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship Purchase your race tickets at www.airasiaredtix.com Nor Fairolzukry with Johan Aris, CEO of BIG.

TESTIMONIAL

AN EXPERIENCE MONEY CAN’T BUY In December, AirAsia held another BIG contest via Twitter, and sent the lucky winner – Nor Fairolzukry Ahmad Rasdi – to London to watch the Queens Park Rangers (QPR) battle it out with Manchester United (MU) in the British Premier League. Here’s what he had to say.

“I received a message from Tony Fernandes telling me that I’d won a full expenses paid trip to London to watch QPR versus MU at Loftus Road Stadium from the Directors Box with him! I’d been dreaming of watching a British Premier League match live, and finally my dream was coming true! I flew with AirAsia X to London. I was like a little kid when I saw London all Nor Fairolzukry with Tony. ready for Christmas with pine trees and Christmas sales. Of course, I shopped with my BIG Card (Visa Prepaid)! In the morning, I made my way to Loftus Road, the QPR stadium. Tony greeted me warmly at the exclusive C-Club and introduced me to important people like Amit Bhathia, QPR Holdings Ltd ViceChairman; Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun, Deputy Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad; and football legend, Sir Bobby Charlton.

The view from the director’s box was amazing, and I sat in Tony’s designated seat! I saw how ‘big’ Shaun Wright-Phillips is, and how fast he moved as he danced around MU’s defense.

This money-can’t-buy experience also allowed me to see the likes of Joey Barton, Wayne Rooney, Nani and Faurlin! Thank you BIG for the simplest and fastest rewarding contest. It was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of my life.”

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VALUE FOR MONEY AirAsia was named ‘Value Airline of the Year for 2012’ by Penton Media’s Air Transport World® (ATW), a leading monthly magazine covering the global airline industry. The editors at ATW have cited AirAsia’s pioneering efforts in the low-cost aviation industry, including innovative solutions, efficient processes and commitment to connecting people and serving the underserved markets, as reasons for this recognition.

“AirAsia continues to confound analysts with its success, while its one time naysayers have not been heard from in years. Tony Fernandes is the Freddie Laker of Asia and he is to be congratulated for his persistence in the face of a host of obstacles to develop an airline that is the talk of every boardroom and government in the region. Where once a farmer would look up at a vapour trail with envy, now that vapour trail is a reminder to book his family’s next holiday on AirAsia.” ~ Geoffrey Thomas, Chief Editor of Air Transport World

Classical dancers in Colombo.

Scenic Trang.

MORE TOKYO In response to the growing demand for travel to Japan, AirAsia X will boost flight frequencies to Tokyo starting from June 22, with daily flights to the capital.

This move was also initiated due to the airline’s realignment plan, which focuses on increasing services to Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. So far, AirAsia X has flown over 100,000 guests to Tokyo, and is looking forward to connecting even more people to this buzzing metropolis.

FOUR TIMES THE FUN Starting 2012 with a bang, Thai AirAsia has launched four new routes from Bangkok: Trang, Nakhon Phanom and Surat Thani in Thailand, and, Colombo in Sri Lanka.

As a gateway to some of the country’s best beaches, Trang has earned the reputation as a honeymooners’ paradise. Meanwhile, Nakhon Phanom with influences from Laos and Vietnam, appeals to culture buffs as it is home to Wat Phra That Phanom, and connects to Laos via the third ThaiLaos Friendship Bridge. For a truly hedonistic vacation, guests can fly to Surat Thani, which offers access to some of the best diving at Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, full moon and black moon parties at Koh Phangan, and amazing spas at Koh Samui.

Flying further afield to Colombo in Sri Lanka, Thai AirAsia will enable Thailand’s large Buddhist population to make pilgrimages to Lord Buddha’s tooth relic temple located in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Kandy.

DON’T MISS!

Tokyo’s sakura or cherry blossom season begins around March 28 and runs till approximately, April 5. During this time, locals flock to parks and hold flower viewing picnics or parties called hanami beneath the beautiful blooms.

Book your flights at www.airasia.com

“In 2012, we will focus on building our connectivity within Thailand and the region to ensure that guests have more options for low-cost travel. At the moment, we are looking to explore China and other cities, which are economic centres in the region. We are confident that there will be an influx of people travelling to Thailand from these destinations, which will contribute to tourism revenue in Thailand.” ~Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia 16

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GO TEAM TRANG! As part of AirAsia’s sports marketing initiatives for 2012, the airline has signed on as sponsor of the Trang Football Club. AirAsia will fly the Division 2 team to compete in matches nationwide, bringing them closer to their dream of competing in the Champion League.

03 SPOTLIGHT 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

THE BEST IN MUSIC, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY AIRASIA REDTIX. Get your tickets at redtix.airasia.com

UNDEROATH LIVE IN KUALA LUMPUR MAR 10 US metalcore band Underoath

FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ASIA MAR 17 Fresh from a record-breaking series of sold out shows in Australia, Future Music Festival makes its Asian debut in Malaysia this month with The Chemical Brothers (DJ set) headlining the event at the Sepang International Circuit. Among the international acts performing at the festival are Tinie Tempah, The Wombats, Grandmaster Flash, Cosmic Gate and Eddie Halliwell. Regional and local acts include Shinichi Osawa (Japan), Nikhil Pearl (India), The Great Spy Experiment (Singapore) and Malaysia’s very own Kyoto Protocol and Goldfish & Blink.

will perform live in Kuala Lumpur this month. The six-man Florida-based outfit has evolved from a run-of-themill metalcore band into a dynamic and energised rock group that blends emotive melodies with charged punk rock rythms. Catch their performance with special guests Love Me Butch, 2Side1Brain and Tres Empre at KL Live.

2012 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX

WORDS: CHITRA S

MAR 23 – 25 The grid heats up again as teams battle it out on the circuit at the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix. Bigger and better with six F1 champions in the line-up, this is one race you do not want to miss. Look out for Malaysia’s Caterham F1 Team Catch the action live at the Sepang International Circuit.

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MAGICAL MALAYSIA FESTIVAL 2012 MAR 23 – 25 Let some of the world’s finest magicians cast their spell at the Magical 1Malaysia Festival 2012, at Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. With two international gala shows daily – The All-Star Magical Matinee and The Concert of Illusions, showcasing magical artistry from close-ups to grand illusions, the event features over a dozen illusionists including Mahdi Moudini, Jay Scott Berry and Michael Ammar.

IMAGE: ADAM PRETTY, GETTY IMAGES

IT TAKES THREE

IMAGE: MARTIN ROEMERS, PANAS PICTURES

Aswara Dance Company presents 3 Faces, a triple bill featuring a combo of bharatanatyam, makyung and contemporary dance. Weaving stories through dance, the three-act performance features an Indian classical dance with Nethranthi Nerathile, the traditional Malay art form of makyung through excerpts from Dewa Indera, Indera Dewa and the contemporary dance styles of Plan B. The performance choreographed by Aswara’s artistic director Joseph Gonzales will be staged at the Experimental Theatre, Aswara in Kuala Lumpur from Mar 1 to 4. www.aswara.edu.my

PICTURE PERFECT The World Press Photo Exhibition comes to Penang, Malaysia, this month.

Adjudicated as the best images at the 2011 World Press Photo Contest, visitors can view award-winning images from across the globe where the best works of some 160 photographers are showcased, covering topics from news to entertainment. The exhibition is on at the Penang Town Hall from Mar 11 to 19. www.worldpressphoto.org/events

FOREVER FABULOUS If you are in New Zealand’s South Island, and thinking of splurging on luxurious digs, look no further than Queenstown’s Eichardt’s Private Hotel.

The property located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu with stunning views of snow-capped mountains, made it into the ‘Top 8 Forever Fabulous’ list of Tattler UK’s Travel Guide 2012. The tastefully furnished suites at the hotel all feature super kingsized beds, fireplaces and bathrooms with generous baths and double vanity, separate showers, heated mirrors and floors. www.eichardtshotel.co.nz

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THE BEAUTIFUL RUN Attention runners! Sign up for the 5th Borneo International Marathon – dubbed The Beautiful Run – for its scenic route through Kota Kinabalu and some of the city’s attractions including the beautiful Likas Bay. Participate in the Full Marathon (42.2 kms), Half Marathon or the 10-km run, and do your bit for the less fortunate by pledging your support to any of the seven charities associated with this year’s run, which flags off on May 6.

Entrance fees start from RM40 (school category). www.borneomarathon.com

IMAGE: MELBOURNE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL

GET YOUR GROOVE ON The Timbre Rock & Roots festival, featuring a stellar cast of musicians, is back for the third consecutive year. Staged at the Marina Promenade in Singapore, this year’s event has an impressive line-up of artists including funk & soul band Earth, Wind & Fire, legendary guitarist Buddy Guy, blues musician Keb Mo – all Grammy Award winners, ska revivalists The Specials and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Put on your dancing shoes and head on down to the festival, which takes place on March 30 and 31, 2012. www.rockandroots.com.sg

GOOD EATS & FINE WINE

CHAI TIME Back by popular demand, Guru of Chai and Krishnan’s Dairy featuring Jacob Rajan from New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company, and co-presented by the Singapore Repertory Theatre and staged at the DBS Arts Centre this month. Winner of the Best Play, Best Actor and Best Composer at the New Zealand Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, Guru of Chai is a tale of love, loss and enlightenment while Krishnan’s Dairy is a hilarious yet touching story that follows the life of an Indian immigrant couple who run a corner store in a foreign land. Catch Guru of Chai from March 6 to 17 and Krishnan’s Dairy from March 21 to 31. www.srt.com.sg

Keb Mo

IMAGE: TIMBRE ROCK & ROOTS

Savour fine meals and enjoy delicious tipples at the internationally acclaimed Melbourne Food & Wine Festival as it celebrates its 20th year with 20 days of eating and drinking from March 2 to 21. With 300 events across Melbourne and Victoria, the festival is a great way to sample local produce, wines and gourmet treats like artisan breads and cheeses.

Highlights include international chef and winemaker dinners, cellar door and farm gate tastings, as well as family foodie weekends with hands-on cooking classes for kids. www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

JAZZING IT UP IN JAKARTA Don’t miss the chance to watch some of the biggest names in jazz perform live at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta. Erykah Badu, Pat Metheny, David Sanborn, Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Koz and The Manhattan Transfer are just some of the acts scheduled to perform at the festival. Indonesia’s largest jazz festival also includes performances by some of the country’s very own jazz talents. Catch these performances at Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran, Jakarta from March 2 to 4. www.javajazzfestival.com

Erykah Badu

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03 HOT DATES 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

MAR 2012

INDONESIA

AWE MARIA EXHIBITION MAR 1 – 14 Victoria Renaux Abdoulaeva showcases a collection of sacred art inspired by the spirit of Lake Toba at the National Gallery of Indonesia. www.galeri-nasional.or.id

MALAYSIA

PENANG WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL MAR 30 – APR 1 Eighteen bands from across the globe, including Beoga from Ireland, Guinee Percussions from Africa and Loyko from Russia descend on Penang’s beautifully-landscaped Quarry Recreational Park, Botanic Gardens to celebrate music in all its sweet diversity. Music workshops kick off in the afternoon, followed by daily night concerts at 7pm. www.ticketxpress.com.my

THAILAND

L’ARC~EN~CIEL WORLD TOUR MAR 2 Japan’s celebrated J-Rock band, L’Arc~en~Ciel,

COMPILED BY: BEVERLY RODRIGUES

performs hits like Niji, Ready Steady Go and Stay Away in Bangkok’s Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani www.thaiticketmajor.com

HONG KONG

HONG KONG FLOWER SHOW MAR 16 – 25 With the hyacinth as its theme flower, this horticultural event promises gorgeous floral landscapes that’ll have you wishing for a green thumb too. www.lcsd.gov.hk

JAPAN

HINA MATSURI

SINGAPORE

SALANGAI OLI – SANGAMAM

MAR 3 On Girls’ Day, ornamental dolls representing the imperial family, attendants and musicians in traditional court dress are displayed in homes in the hope that daughters will grow up healthy and happy. www.jnto.go.jp

MAR 4 Classical Indian dancers and winners of the reality TV show Salangai Oli stage an original production featuring bharatanatyam, kuchipudi and odissi at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. www.sistic.com.sg

PHILIPPINES

MALASIMBO ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL MAR 2 - 4

INDONESIA

BALI SPIRIT FEST MAR 28 – APR 1

Nourish your body and spirit in Ubud, Bali with yoga, global music, dance, meditation, healing exercises and loads of positive energy.

Featuring music

by Joe Bataan, the Afro-Filipino king of Latin soul from New York, and visual art by artists Risa Recio, Agnes Arellano and Billy Bonnevie, this festival at the foothills of Mt. Malasimbo in Puerto Galera, Luzon is bound to be spectacular. www.

AUSTRALIA

SCULPTURE BY THE SEA MAR 1 – 19 Cottesloe beach presents creative sculptures by over 60 West Australian, interstate and international artists at Perth’s largest free outdoor art exhibition. www.sculpturebythesea.com

clarksubicmarketing.com

www.balispiritfestival.com

AUSTRALIA

HOW TO TRAIN YOU DRAGON ARENA SPECTACULAR MAR 28 – APR 1 Cressida Cowell’s children’s novel How to Train Your Dragon comes alive in this state-of-theart production filled with fearless Vikings and firebreathing dragons at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. www.brisent.com.au

ELSEWHERE… MALAYSIA 2012 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix MAR 23 - 25 www.formula1.com

Raptor Watch Week MAR 10 & 11 www.mns.my

SINGAPORE Mosaic Music Festival 2012 MAR 9 - 18 www.mosaicmusicfestival.com

HONG KONG 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival MAR 21 – APR 5 www.hkiff.org.hk

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03 COMPASS 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

BIG ON SMART Travelling smart not only saves you hard cash, it also opens up possibilities to get great bargains and freebies! Just a tiny bit of planning will take care of all possible problems, ensuring a truly enjoyable break.

FLY FOR FREE

AirAsia’s first-of-its-kind and biggest ever global loyalty programme offers something no traveller can resist – free flights!

Called BIG, the programme allows guests to collect AirAsia BIGGIES (points) with every transaction they make. With enough BIGGIES, guests will be able to redeem air tickets to a destination of their choice in Malaysia as long as there are seats available. The BIG card also doubles as a prepaid payment card, which means you can collect BIGGIES at stores and establishments that accept VISA. Double BIGGIES are up for grabs when you purchase petrol, groceries and a number of other essentials. For details and to sign up go to www.tune2big.com

IMAGE: INMAGINE

SNUFF THE COLD

MUST-DO MONEY SAVERS

WORDS: SHANTINI SUNTHARAJAH

Savvy travellers understand that saving on unnecessary items means more cash for the important stuff like great accommodation, good food and of course…. shopping!

Save a bundle with the following ideas:

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Track Exchange Rates It’s time to watch exchange rates the moment you book your travel tickets. With the world economy in a constant state of fluctuation, currency exchange rates can vary wildly from one day to the next.

You wouldn’t want to end up with less bang for your buck just because you waited until the last minute to convert your cash.

Choose All-Inclusive If you’re going on a resort holiday, opt for all-inclusive holiday packages. This will save TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

you a pretty penny in the long run as meals, service tips, tours and other activities are normally bundled into the overall price. However, beware of seemingly cheap holiday packages, which usually come with plenty of hidden fees and costly extras.

Great affordable and genuine packages are available at www.airasiago.com Option For Off Season Do a little research, discover when peak season is at your favoured destination and avoid it. Everything – from accommodation to museum entry passes – is more expensive during this time. You can also time your vacation so you arrive just before or after the peak season (known as the ‘shoulder season’). This way, you get to enjoy some of the perks, like good weather, without having to shell out tonnes of cash.

The common cold is so-named for a reason: The flu virus is among the most widespread ailments among travellers. One effective way to avoid catching a cold is to turn into a cleaniness freak when you travel. Carry a hand cleanser at all times and don’t be afraid to use it. You should also attempt to sanitise your hotel room by wiping down the TV remote control, door handles, light switches and other common surfaces using an antibacterial wet wipe.

LITTLE KNOWN TRAVEL GEMS

IMAGE: INMAGINE

If you’re tired of tourist-clogged venues, hit these little-known travel spots, as listed in Secret Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s-Best Hidden Travel Gems, a new travel book by National Geographic.

DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS Culinary tourism has emerged as a favourite holiday trend especially for globetrotters keen on combining their love of cooking with passion for travel. Cooking holidays allow food lovers to discover more about the local eats at their destination, exotic cooking techniques and interesting culinary history. Tour packages can include a whole host of food-related experiences including food sampling, wine making, baking and exploring local food trends. Foodies and anyone interested in experiencing a unique vacation should speak to travel agents to find out about various packages offered in different parts of the world. Alternatively, find more information on sites like www.holidayonthemenu.com.

ALASKA AND CANADA Animal and nature lovers will fall head over heels for the vast, combined expanse of Alaska’s Elias National Park and Canada’s Kluane National Park.

Expect to find 20 million acres of protected, natural beauty and, be prepared to catch sight of spectacular wildlife including black bears, mountain goats, caribou and even dolphins. www.nps.gov/wrst & www.pc.gc.ca THE CARIBBEAN An abandoned old fort in the Carribean may not sound like much but this former British colonial structure sits on a flat-topped mountain by the sea. The unusual surroundings give this site an almost unearthly feel that is sure to leave an impression. Visitors will also be treated to unsurpassed views of a volcano on Sint Eustatius, a neighbouring Dutch island. www.stkittstourism.kn SUFFOLK You haven’t experienced England until you’ve visited an English countryside village. Suffolk, with its cobblestone square, authentic pubs and quaint little stores is the place to go for a good dose of old-time English charm. It even boasts England’s largest collection of half-timber buildings. www.discoverlavenham.co.uk

CHILD-FRIENDLY TRAVELS Children, especially the little ones, are prone to be irritable because they don’t handle change well. The good news is that it’s possible to turn your kids into great travel companions by introducing changes in their daily routines while still at home. For instance, take them out for an exploratory meal. Pick a restaurant that features the cuisine from your intended destination and make the meal an enjoyable one by telling your kids about the various ingredients and cooking methods used. In the weeks before the trip, create variety by exploring new sections of your home city or town. Little weekend jaunts will go a long way toward teaching your kids that variety and change can be fun too.

HOLIDAY MORE! The next time your boss denies you a holiday, leave this article on her desk. Studies show that there are many benefits to taking a holiday.

Here are just some of the benefits, apart from that great tan!

• A healthier heart!

• Lessening in blood pressure and depression!

• Increased productivity and creativity at work after the holiday!

• Ability to deal with problems in a calm and composed manner!

CHEAP BUT CHIC Michelin ‘starred’ restaurants are normally prohibitively expensive but there’s one little place in Hong Kong that bucks the trend.

Nondescript Tim Ho Wan at Hong Kong’s busy Mong Kok district is a dim sum canteen that was bestowed one Michelin star in 2009. You’ll probably object to the long queues in front, but the consensus is that just one bite of the delicious, delicate prawn, chicken and pork dumplings will have you queuing up all over again! Tim Ho Wan is at Shop 8, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. Call +852 2332 2896 TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

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03 QUICK BITES 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

SUP ON SPRING

The month of March typically heralds the return of spring, a season that signals rebirth, renewal and regrowth. Here are some refreshing suggestions that will help put a spring in your step and brighten up the days ahead.

JUST RIGHT AT THE OUTBACK With its casual ambience and contemporary décor of original Australian art pieces, Outback Steakhouse is known for its generous portions of scrumptious food. The restaurant’s signature starters of Typhoon Bloom (deep-fried handcarved onion) and Buffalo-style Chicken Wings are simply irresistible. Its juicy steaks and ribs are downright delicious, thanks to a secret Outback spice blend that adds the oomph to the cuts while other compelling choices include chicken, pasta or seafood dishes. Top your meal off with ‘Chocolate Thunder from Down Under’, a dessert to die for!

Outback Steakhouse is located in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok. www.outback.com

MAKAN TOUR

WORDS: ALICE YONG

PADDY APPROVED

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To keep the Irish happy (and locals too!) on St Patrick's Day (March 17), Chef Valmurugan of Samplings On The Fourteenth, Berjaya Times Square Hotel Kuala Lumpur has conjured up a special Irish-themed menu. Kick off with Oyster Kilpatrick with Sautéed Spinach and Crispy Beef Bites, savour Chicken Essence with Goose Liver Ravioli & Pearl Vegetables before enjoying a main of Pan-roasted Red Emperor Fish Fillet or, the Grilled Australian Tenderloin with Merlot and Bone Marrow Jus. Raspberry Chocolate Cake with Fresh Winter Berry will round off your evening on a sweet flourish. www.berjayahotel.com/kualalumpur TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

Rated by TripAdvisor as the #1 activity to do in Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia, the folks behind Food Tour Malaysia are ever-ready to give visitors a real taste of the country’s vibrant food scene. Billing themselves as the Indiana Joneses of food in Kuala Lumpur, they are the first to come up with off-the-beaten track culinary tours where only the bravest food tourists would dare to venture. www.foodtourmalaysia.com

BREAD IDEAS Knead and bake your way to success with master baker Dean Brettschneider's definitive book, New World Baking: My Time in Shanghai. Learn how to produce his trademark Deluxe Fruit and Nut Loaf, Orange Pine Nut Polenta Cake, Italian Bomboloni and other baked goods that have taken cosmopolitan Shanghai by storm. www.marshallcavendish.com/genref

KHAO SUEY In Chiang Mai, Thailand, a very popular noodle dish is the khao suey / khao soi. Deep-fried egg noodles are doused in a spicy massaman-style gravy and garnished with pickled cabbage, shallots, lime wedges and a dollop of chillie paste.

Reminiscent of laksa, this is a wholesome dish that can be eaten at any time of the day.

Locals say that the dish has a strong Chinese-Muslim influence due the massaman-style gravy.

AIRASIA PRE-BOOKED MEALS Don’t be left out when the meals onboard get sold out! Pre-book them online to enjoy a host of benefits.

You also earn BIGGIES when you quote your Big Shot ID when making the booking. Here’s how you stand to benefit with a little planning upfront.

• Enjoy great discounts – save up to 15%.

• You’ll be served first onboard.

• All pre-booked meals are served with a bottle of mineral water (100ml).

• There’s greater variety of meals to choose from.

• You are assured of getting your favourite meals.

• You help in cutting down waste and thus make the world a greener place!

Go to www.airasia.com for details.

BIG IN JAPAN Believe or not, Kit Kat has a worldwide following of five million fans. Fans are totally hooked on the Japanese variations of this fourfingered chocolate covered wafer that comes in lots of quirky flavours such as macha (green tea), sakura (cherry blossom), adzuki (red bean), blueberry cheese, strawberry, tiramisu, creme caramel and even wasabi! Remember to grab some on your next visit to Japan.

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies four times a week to Osaka and three times a week to Tokyo (Haneda). Go to www.airasia.com for flight details.

“The best khao suey I tasted in Chiang Mai can be found in the Muslim enclave along Chang Klan Road.

There are many stalls and shops along the road near the Chang Klan Mosque (between Chang Klan Road and Charoen Prathet Road). And it is halal too!” ~ Bibi Sabrina Yahaya, AirAsia guest.

SWEET INSPIRATIONS Whet your appetite with these new culinary shows on Asia’s first lifestyle channel in HD – Li (Astro B.yond ch 706).

Charly's Cake Angels No cake's too tall and no request's too small for the familyrun Charly's Bakery in Cape Town when it comes to creating fantastic cakes for weddings and birthdays. Premieres March 11 @ 10:00pm.

Zumbo Watch master pâtissier Adriano Zumbo and his team bring unique desserts to life in this six-part series. Enjoy interesting glimpses into the world of the ‘Sweet Assassin’, his technically challenging creations and the goings-on behind one of Sydney’s busiest kitchens. Premieres March 11 @ 10:30pm.

Cooked Embark on a South African-inspired culinary escapade with filmmaker, chef, and television personality Justin Bonello. From some of South Africa’s premier restaurant kitchens to exotic locales, Bonello puts his culinary skills to the test.

Premieres March 7 @ 1:30am. www.litvchannel.com

CUTTING EDGE Winnie Loo, Malaysia's international awardwinning hairstylist and owner of A Cut Above hairdressing salons is as adept at wielding kitchen knives as she is at handling scissors. Bosom buddies vouch for Loo's superb spicy asam fish, chicken curry and braised chicken with mushroom. The enterprising businesswoman, devoted wife and doting mother claims to have a ‘fetish’ for Vietnamese and Thai cuisine.

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03 PAGE TURNER 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

WHERE BOOKS LIVE

Here’s a look at some of the world’s most amazing libraries, past and present; great books for the month, as well as and an interview with Lindsey Kelk of the I Heart series.

LIBRARIES OF THE WORLD to evoke the original library’s spirit of erudition, this new establishment houses millions of books in specialised libraries, and includes art galleries, museums and even a planetarium.

After 10 years of restoration, the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, once the residence of the Nizam of Hyderabad, has opened as a luxury hotel.

Constructed using Italian marble and shaped like a scorpion, this palace-cum-hotel houses an Imperial Library with over 5,900 books, rare manuscripts and one of the finest collections of the holy Quran in India.

The State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, houses special collections on chess and the arts, as well as diaries of Melbourne’s founders and the folios of the illustrious explorer Captain James Cook – believed to have been the first European to reach the eastern coastline of Australia and circumnavigate New Zealand.

WORDS: BEVERLY RODRIGUES PHOTO BY DAVID ILIFF. LICENSE: CC-BY-SA 3.0

The National Library of China in Beijing is the largest library in Asia with a collection of over 23 million volumes. It also houses one of the richest collections of Chinese literature in the world and has over 30,000 oracle bones and tortoise shells carved with ancient Chinese characters.

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The Abbey Library of Saint Gall is one of the oldest monastery libraries in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded by St. Othmar, who established the Abbey of St. Gall in 719 AD, this library boasts medieval manuscripts dating back to the 8th century.

Egypt’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina was built in commemoration of the Ancient Library of Alexandria, celebrated as the greatest library of the ancient world till it was razed to the ground circa 48 BC. Erected

The Picture Book Library in Iwaki City, Fukushima, Japan was designed by architect Tadao Ando and houses a collection of international children’s books including works by Maurice Sendak and Marie Hall Ets. The modern and minimalist library made bright by the thousands of colourful picture books lining its walls attracts hundreds of people daily.

The ancient Library of Celsus in Ephesus (now part of Turkey) was built to house 12,000 scrolls and serve (rather unusually) as a tomb for the Roman senator, Celsus. Funded by Celsus and completed in 135 AD by Celsus’ son, the ruins remain as one of the world’s last examples of ancient Romaninfluenced libraries.

The Vatican Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world. Though founded in 1475, its existence dates back some 2,000 years to the beginning of the Catholic Church. It currently houses over 1.1 million books and 75,000 manuscripts, as well as the oldest complete manuscript of the Bible. www.vaticanlibrary.va

The Dewey Decimal System developed by Melvil Dewey in 1876 organises books for easy retrieval, and is used in 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries!

STOREHOUSE OF FACTS TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

The Sumerians are believed to be the first people to train clerks in record keeping.

The scribes who handled the vast records were known as ‘keepers of the tablets’.

The Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, erected the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, Mesopotamia circa the 8th century. His collection of thousands of clay tablets and fragments that includes the Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to be the first systematically organised library in ancient Middle East.

PASS THE BOOK If you have old novels you want to donate, good reads you’d like to share or even coma-inducing books you need to ditch but don’t want to just throw out, here are some cool suggestions to find those books a good home.

• Register books for free at www.bookcrossing.com, ‘release them into the wild’ by leaving them somewhere quirky to be found by a stranger, and then follow their travels around the world as other BookCrossers ‘catch’ and ‘release’ your books. It’s also a great way to meet other bookworms.

• Exchange used books at www.bookmooch.com.

Each time you give away books, you earn points to be redeemed against other BookMoochers’ books. Once you’ve read a book, you can either add it to your bookshelf or put it back into the BookMooch pool.

• Sell your books on www.half.com and get good deals on other used books.

• Donate your books to an organisation with a literacy mission like

www.BetterWorldBooks. com. All donated books

are processed for sale, donation or recycling, and for every book purchased at this website, the organisation donates a book to someone in need. This company saves millions of books from landfills and offsets its carbon footprint from shipping with certified offsets.

DON’T LET ME GO Catherine Ryan Hyde Here’s a powerful book that delves into difficult topics like addiction and loneliness in a light-hearted yet poignant way. When Grace’s mother succumbs to the lure of drugs yet again, Grace’s normally isolated neighbours band together to save her from the foster care system, and find READ comfort in becoming true neighbours.

OF THE

MONTH!

GREAT ESCAPE Lindsey Kelk talks about her great escape that turned into the successful I Heart series.

BUDDING TALENT

1Q84 (BOOK I, II & III)

I’ve been writing since I could write. My mum still has all my stories. They were very deep and meaningful insights into the world of a superhero teddy bear called Tellina!

Haruki Murakami 1Q84, published in three volumes in 2009 and 2010, is considered by many to be one of Murakami’s most ambitious works. This intricate and surreal novel follows the seductive assassin, Aomame, and unpublished novelist, Tengo, as they navigate the alternate reality of 1Q84 pursued by an abusive cult.

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE NIGHTS Benjamin Buchholz Abu Saheeh returns to an Iraq transformed by American military presence and is busy rebuilding his life and enjoying the company of Layla, a lively, pop culture-loving teenager. But unexpected developments threaten to stir up painful memories and drive Abu to carry out dangerous deeds.

I was in a bit of a rut with work, my boyfriend and life in general. I’d just been on holiday to New York and was flat broke. For the want of a better life, I wrote an escape. That’s how I Heart New York came about.

ANGELA CLARK’S CHARACTER A good chunk of her was based on me in the beginning; we had a similar situation before she ran off to New York and started living this amazing life. Now she’s really her own person. It’s weird because people assume she is me, but she’s much braver than me and more violent.

She drinks more. A tiny bit more.

BLOGGING & TWEETING AS ANGELA CLARK

THE FLINT HEART Katherine & John Patterson with illustrations by John Rocco When the Flint Heart – a magical charm that grants incredible power at the expense of the wearer’s compassion – transforms Billy Jago into a merciless brute, Jago’s children embar embark on a fantastical journey to reverse the encha enchantment.

BE THE MIRACLE Regina Brett IMAGES: ADAM LEE

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE I HEART SERIES

Harness the power of positive thinking with this book

by Brett. Here, Brett offers 50 inspirational lessons from her own life to show that change is possible if you just believe hard enough and focus your energy at home, in the office or within the community.

That was my publisher’s marketing decision, and I thought it was a great idea. I get invested in characters and love keeping up with them, so I was really happy to have Angela’s adventures exist outside the book. It makes it a more immersive experience and I think that’s what people are looking for these days.

I HEART LONDON I Heart London is the last book in Angela Clark’s series.

She’s really changed since she left London two years earlier. I wanted to see how she would deal with her old world meeting her new one. When she left, she really didn’t know who she was and now she’s professionally successful, engaged, and has great friends. But does that mean she knows who she is and where she’s going?

FAVOURITE READS The Secret History by Donna Tart, Oryx and Crake

by Margaret Attwood, Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis, The Hours by Michael Cunningham and Remember Me To Harold Square by Paula Danziger.

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03 MONEY MAKER 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

MAKING A MARKET

Utilising marketing tools effectively takes more than mere creativity; it requires strategic thinking. Only then can businesses create a market and build a niche of their own.

WATCH & WAVE One of the best modern inventions in recent years is the RFID-enabled payment technology such as MasterCard PayPass and VISA PayWave, which enables contact-less credit card purchases, creating convenience in a just a wave!

Enter Watch2Pay in January 2012 that takes the convenience up several notches!

This is a watch fitted with prepaid MasterCard PayPass technology that allows consumers to swipe their watches anywhere PayPass is accepted. Austrian watchmakers LAKS offers Watch2Pay devices that come with one standard-sized MasterCard PayPass prepaid card (to use at places without PayPass), and a smaller version of the credit card (for stores with PayPass) that are both linked to the same prepaid account. The cards are valid for two years and retails in England at £99.

Since its launch, MasterCard has reported that consumers with Watch2Pay spend an estimated 25% more that other card users. www.watch2pay.com

SNAIL MAIL FROM SPACE China is trying to get its citizens offline and into the real world via letters routed through a spacecraft and postmarked ‘Space City 1’. When someone sends and email to the Tiangong-1 spacecraft’s computer currently orbiting Earth, it gets routed to China Space Post Office in Beijing. It’s then printed and inserted into a space-themed envelope before being sent through normal mail. Source: www.chinapost.com.cn

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percent of the world’s mail is handled by the US Post Office. Its nearest competitor is Japan with only 6%. www.didyouknow.org

90

times per week is the number that an average consumer mentions specific brands in conversations with friends, family and co-workers. www.bazaarvoice.com

5

percent of the whole world’s wealth is all what half the world’s population earns www.didyouknow.org

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percent of online consumers use search engines to help them research products that lead to purchase. www.bazaarvoice.com

6 EFFECTIVE MARKETING MOVES

WORDS: EFI HAFIZAH HAMZAH

MOVE MORE MARKETING DOLLARS TO SOCIAL MEDIA

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Statistics show that companies are shifting budget dollars to social media and other digital marketing initiatives, and away from print and radio advertising, as consumers spend more time online.

TRACK BRAND REPUTATION ON THE SOCIAL WEB IN DETAIL Social media offers an infinite platform for TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

consumers to voice their opinions, making it super important to actively monitor your reputation on the Web.

INCREASE ONLINE EXPERIENCES TO MEET DIVERSE CONSUMER NEEDS Having a Twitter or a Facebook account alone is no longer enough.

Surround consumers with links like a blog, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr. This allows consumers to interact

based on their online preferences. However, quality trumps quantity and such implementations have to be performed strategically to maximise opportunities without compromising content or communications.

PURSUE MOBILE MARKETING This is a marketing imperative of the future. With mobile advertising and marketing apps such as Foursquare, businesses can reach out

to consumers through mobile presence now.

MAKE GEO-TARGETING AND LOCALISED MARKETING A TOP PRIORITY Local discount websites like Groupon and review sites like Yelp allow consumers to find deals and reviews about businesses in their neighbourhoods. Creating targeted, local marketing campaigns using these tools secures your presence in the field.

CO-MARKET TO BOOST RETURNS AND LOWER MARKETING COSTS Small businesses can benefit most from economies of scale by partnering with complementary businesses to develop comarketing programmes.

Promotional partnerships not only reduce costs but can lead to increased exposure to newer audiences.

Source: www.entrepreneur.com

03 PRESCRIPTION 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

FOOD FOR LIFE

Eating to Live or Living to Eat? But why not make eating a pleasurable activity that will also ensure a long and healthy life? With a few simple adjustments, what you consume daily can also do wonders for your overall wellbeing... and it need not taste like dry cardboard!

BRIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH Ageing is a natural process but our brains need not suffer ill-health as we grow older. Here are some tips to keep our brains bright as we age:

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IMAGE: WWW.SXC.HU

WORDS: EFI HAFIZAH HAMZAH NOTE: ALWAYS CONSULT A DOCTOR BEFORE YOU EMBARK ON ANY ALTERNATIVE THERAPY OR EXERCISE REGIME.

SLEEP The brain needs energy to function properly. Adequate sleep boosts memory and allows your brain to process information.

CALL FOR CLEAN EATING Life happens and with it comes rushed meals. We tend to bin healthy food for whatever is fastest. Time has come for us to give our digestive system a clean break, and do a Clean Eating Challenge for at least three consecutive days in a month. Here are 5 simple rules for Clean Eating.

HURRAH FOR WHOLE FOODS Add oats, wheatgerm, and fresh berries into your breakfast menu instead of grabbing a muffin. Choose packaged foods that contain ‘real food’ ingredients, and listed ingredients on the package should be familiar enough for you to comprehend and use when cooking from scratch.

bed of warm brown rice is restaurant quality but can be whipped up faster than a takeout.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING Set a regular meal schedule and try not to let more than about four hours go by between meals or snacks. Steady meal timing helps regulate your digestive system, blood sugar and insulin levels, and appetite.

EASY DOES IT Eat slowly and put your fork and spoon down between every other bite.

Relish the flavours and textures of your food; this will make you eat less and feel full longer.

NO FUSS, NO MUSS

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

Keep your meals simple. Delicious, healthy food need not contain many ingredients. Just be sure that there are whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fat at each meal. Veggies and shrimp stir fried in sesame oil over a

Eat when hungry and stop when full.

Eat only till you’re satisfied, not stuffed.

This regulates your meal plans too so you don’t eat too little or, overeat.

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Source: www.shape.com

CALORIFIC COUNT

89

calories burnt per hour of typing on your computer.

207 calories burnt per hour of moderate general housework.

236 calories burnt per hour of gardening.

177

calories burnt per hour of playing guitar.

SOCIALISE Talking and interacting increases memory and cognitive skills, according to University of Michigan psychologist, Oscar Ybarra. His studies show short-term social interaction of 10 minutes boosted participants’ intellectual performance equivalent to those engaging in so-called ‘intellectual’ activities for the same amount of time.

AROMATHERAPY Natural scents offer a direct path to the brain and research shows that some chemical constituents of aromatherapy oils, particularly sandalwood and frankincense, can cross blood-brain barriers and increase oxygen flow to the brain, says Michelle Schoffro Cook, doctor of natural medicine and author of The Brain Wash. Extra oxygen increases energy and immune function, and regulates moods and learning.

Sources: www.cognifit.com, http://ybarra.socialpsychology.org

03 SCORE BOARD 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Thanks to the Internet and advanced web capabilities, we have never been more connected in life – be it in a hunt for the latest sports gear, news or facts.

RUN & REAP

IMAGE: INMAGINE

The competition in sports branding has become so challenging that reaching specific consumers has become an exigent task. But what many see as a taxing feat, a group in the Philippines has confronted head-on with great results. It’s called Finisher.me.

The site is a social network specifically for running enthusiasts that gives sports brands an alternative to expensive traditional marketing methods like sponsorships by connecting them with runners for exclusive freebies and promotions. Runners need only sign up with a unique username and picture to promote their Finisher.me page online.

The site’s partnering brands award exclusive freebie bags to the registered runners after each race. It’s a win-win situation: Runners get great stuff and the brands are constantly promoted online between events. www.finisher.me/home.php

TWILIGHT TRAINING Nice to look at but hard to do. See what these Twilight leads had to do for their rippin’ hard bodies: ROBERT PATTINSON AKA EDWARD CULLEN Weight and resistance training that includes jumping squats, shoulder presses, crunches, jumping lunges and burpees (a full body exercise); and a balanced diet.

TAYLOR LAUTNER AKA JACOB BLACK Weight and resistance training that includes Swiss ball pikes, reverse crunches, leg curls, gymnast hanging leg raises, burpees; and a high protein diet of meat & sweet potatoes.

HEIGHT: 185 cm (6’1”) WEIGHT: 78-80kgs.

HEIGHT: 177 cm (5’10”) WEIGHT: 77-79kgs.

WORDS: EFI HAFIZAH HAMZAH

SHOE-IN TO WIN

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The next big thing for hikers is Timberland’s Radler Trail Camp shoe. It’s foldable and zip-able, perfect for serious hikers’ basic requirement in packing light and tight. Versatile, durable, flexible, sturdy and eco-friendly, the soles are made of 42% recycled rubber lug that aids traction while its upper part is made of durable water repellent fabric. Folded in half and secured with a zip, the shoe can be stuffed into a tight space or clipped onto a backpack. www.shop.timberland.com TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

KRISTEN STEWART AKA BELLA SWAN Yoga, Pilates, horseback riding, aerobics, light weight resistance training; and a balanced diet.

HEIGHT: 163 cm (5’4”) WEIGHT: 47-49kgs.

CHESS CHECK • There are 400 ways of playing the first move on each side in a game of chess.

• There is a whopping 197,281 ways of playing the first two moves on each side.

• It escalates to an estimated 318,979,564,000 ways of playing the first four moves on each side.

• The game offers an estimated 169,518,8 29,100,544,000,00 0,000,000,000 ways of playing the first ten moves on each side.

Source: The Principles of Chess in Theory and Practice, author: Famous chess player James Mason, published 1902

QPR’S GREATEST EVER MATCHES! QPR 3 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2

Shaun WrightPhillips of QPR in action with Kyle Walker and Scott Parker of Tottenham Hotspur.

MARCH 4, 1967 – LEAGUE CUP FINAL, WEMBLEY STADIUM Third Division leaders QPR were massive underdogs before this game against Albion.

But Rangers turned a 2-0 half-time deficit into a thrilling 3-2 win! Albion dominated early on and QPR left winger Clive Clark scored twice for the Midlands side in the seventh and 36th minutes. Rangers seemed dead and buried at this stage.

QPR manager Alec Stock preached a simple message to his players at the half-time break. He said: “Whatever the result, keep on playing football and be a credit to your club and to the game of football. Remember, this is a big occasion.”

Stock’s encouragement inspired an incredible fight back. Firstly, Les Allen floated over a free-kick for Roger Morgan to scamper into the middle and head home on 63 minutes.

Twelve minutes later, Mike Keen’s clever through ball picked out Rodney Marsh near the left touchline. The West London talisman dribbled past four bemused Albion defenders before firing in off the base of the post for his 37th goal of the season.

Finally, in the remaining eight minutes, QPR centre-back Ron Hunt pushed forward amidst a scramble in the Albion box. Hunt slid in to challenge goalkeeper Rick Sheppard, who lost possession, which enabled Mark Lazarus to follow up with a gleeful goal.

QPR 2 LEEDS UNITED 0 APRIL 24, 1976 – FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE, LOFTUS ROAD

WORDS: TONY INCENZO IMAGES: BACK PAGE IMAGES

QPR had won its final match of the 1975/76 season and was on top of the First Division.

There was now a 10-day wait to see if Liverpool could win its last fixture and pip Rangers to the title.

It was a joyous celebration in Shepherd’s Bush, although the earlier match against Leeds had been fraught with tension. After some superb attacking moves, Rangers finally made the breakthrough on 62 minutes at the Loft End. Defender Frank McLintock crossed from the right, Don Givens flicked the ball and Dave Thomas threw himself forward to head spectacularly into the top left hand corner.

The memorable second goal came with eight minutes remaining through the magical left foot of QPR legend Stan Bowles. Dave Clement, Frank McLintock and Don Masson started the build-up play before Bowles picked up possession on the right hand touchline.

Although Captain Gerry Francis made a strong supporting run and screamed for the ball, Bowles decided to go it alone. He shuffled past a bank of lunging defenders before scoring with a crisp low shot.

However, QPR eventually lost the title by a point to Liverpool, which played its final match later and won 3-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

QPR 1 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0 APRIL 3, 1982 – FA CUP SEMI FINAL, HIGHBURY STADIUM A scrappy goal by Clive Allen sent QPR through to the FA Cup Final for the only time in the club’s history. QPR went into this semi-final as underdogs, lying ninth in Division Two. Albion was 15th in the top flight with star striker Cyrille Regis hitting superb form.

Rangers battled hard and scored the winning goal on 72 minutes. Terry Fenwick and Gary Micklewhite were involved early in the move, and then Hazell sent a low pass into the box. Albion defender Ally Robertson raced across but his attempted clearance cannoned off Clive Allen’s knee and exploded into the net.

Finally, referee Keith Hackett sounded his whistle and QPR had done it! QPR went on to play Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. The match finished in a 1-1 draw before Spurs edged the replay 1-0.

ERRATA

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS

IF YOU READ THE ARTICLE ON THE QUEENS PARK RANGERS FEATURED IN OUR JANUARY 2012 ISSUE, YOU PROBABLY WOULD’VE THOUGHT THAT OUR EDITOR IS SPORTS-CHALLENGED! IN FACT, HE WOULDN’T KNOW SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS OR SHAUN DERRY (OR BE ABLE TO TELL THEM APART) IF THE TWO MIDFIELDERS BOOTED A SIGNED BALL RIGHT THROUGH HIS BEDROOM WINDOW. AND SO, THE TRAVEL 3SIXTY° EDITORIAL TEAM APOLOGISES PROFUSELY FOR THIS ERROR.

SHAUN DERRY TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

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02 HYPER TECH 03 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

IN THE OFFING With gadgets that seem to have come straight out of Hollywood movies, technology is fast turning fantastical fiction into commonplace items. From wearable computers to technology that is transmitted onto what you wear, the future is looking pretty exciting!

GOOGLE GOGGLE For Apple, a wearable computer is an iPod nano watch around the wrist. But for Google, the device is way up the body – on the face! Created by former Apple employee Richard DuVaul, the HUD or Heads Up Display resembles a normal pair of glasses but with buttons on the arms. The wearer will experience a Terminator-like augmented 3D reality of images and information about his environment.

Probably named Google Goggles, it will have built-in GPS, and be able to surf the Internet and connect to your mobile phone. http://9to5google.com

"In line with my earlier predictions, supercomputers will achieve one human brain capacity by 2010, and personal computers will do so by around 2020. By 2030, it will take a village of human brains (around a thousand) to match $1000 of computing. By 2050, $1000 of computing will equal the processing power of all human brains on Earth." ~ Scientist, inventor and futurist, Raymond "Ray" Kurzweil who wrote books on health, artificial intelligence (AI), transhumanism, the technological singularity and futurism.

WEAR WHAT YOU SAY Microsoft is venturing into fashion with the Printing Dress. Asta Roseway from Microsoft Research and Sheridan Martin Small have designed wearable technology in the form of a dress made from black and white rice paper with type-writer keys buttons cut with a laser. Tweets can be projected onto the skirt, as well as any text and images the wearer is retrieving or putting up on the Internet. www.microsoft.com

SELF-HEALING ELECTRONICS

WORDS: PETE KING

In the future we might not have to send electronic devices for repair. Its circuit would heal itself – with liquid metal. In the journal Advanced Materials, scientists and engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say that damaged chips could break open little pools of healing material and fill in the gaps, thus restoring electrical flow. This will be a boon for Green devices and for the space industry. http://news.illinois.edu

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TV IN TOW For tech giants Google and Apple, the next step after the smartphone is the TV. Google and TV makers LG, Samsung and Sony are putting out Google TVs. Google is also ensuring this will materialise by buying over Sage TV, which makes digital video recorder software, and by building more than 150 apps to run on its TV. Rival Apple is already building its own Apple TV. Like what Apple did to music with iTunes, it is trying to do the same with TV content.

PINTEREST If you found short-form texting and the 140 characters limit set by Twitter exasperating, rejoice now, as there is a brand new pint-sized social network called Pinterest. Instead of writing lengthy descriptions on a topic, you put up and share the interest onto a themed board as an image called a Pin. Anyone coming onboard can take quick and time saving looks at topics they like, and follow other users. http://pinterest.com

TOUCHED

BY THE SMART ONE

It’s the age of the smartphones with features that merely need you to slide and glide for superb performance.

IPHONE 4S It's not the iPhone 5, merely an interim iDevice, which comes with an 8MP camera that shoots HD videos and sharper pictures. Its best feature is the voice assistant Siri. You can talk to Siri and have her answer back and obey your commands. www.apple.com/iphone/

MOTOROLA ATRIX 4G

LG OPTIMUS 3D

Motorola is quite ready to call the Atrix 4G the world's most powerful smartphone. Justifiably so, as it connects to 4G and the PC via a docking station. Plus, its webtop app can run the smartphone's other apps right on a PC.

This is one of the few smartphones that display images in glasses-free 3D by just pressing a 3D hot key, which also brings up a 3D-only menu. Besides playing 3D games, you can shoot 3D videos and play them on a 3D TV via DLNA or HDMI.

www.motorola.com

SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS The closest rival to the iPhone, the Galaxy Nexus also runs the latest and coolest version of Android.

Nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, this operating system turns this phone into the smartest device yet. It has no Siri but still does whatever you tell it to – in 20 languages!

www.lg.com

SONY XPERIA ARC S

NOKIA LUMIA 800

Running on Android, this smartphone uses Timescape to access Facebook, Twitter, messages and missed calls by just tapping on a picture. Another all-in-one app, the Mediascape also uses a contact’s picture to organise photos, as well as keep videos and music in one place – in the phone or online. The smartphone’s Infinite button can get you more songs and videos online.

Nokia's first smartphone that runs on Windows Phone 7, the device uses large tiles and letterings for easy access. Like iPhone 4S's Siri, its voice recognition can make calls, check calendar, dictate text and search the Web. Pictures shot with its 8MP camera are displayed bright and clear on the 3.7-inch AMOLED screen. www.nokia.co.uk

www.sonyericsson.com

www.samsung.com

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03 SLEEP INNS 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

ASEAN’S BEST From heritage hotels deep in Java to chic stays in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, here’s our pick of some of the best hotels for work and leisure around the region.

EDITOR’S CHOICE!

In a place like Chiang Mai, a centrally located hotel is often favoured by travellers as a convenient base from which to explore all that the city has to offer.

When informed I’d be staying at Le Meridien Chiang Mai during my trip to Thailand’s second largest city, I immediately googled its location and found it situated right smack in the city. At first I had my apprehensions, as I wasn’t sure if the hotel’s location along busy Chang Klan Road would be the best choice. But when I finally arrived in the city, I knew it was an excellent choice as the hotel, though right smack in the bustling district, rose above the noise and buzz around it.

Arriving at Le Meridien Chiang Mai but even before I could step out of the taxi, I got my first taste of the Le Meridien hospitality. It seemed like several porters, all at once welcomed me – one greeted me, another happily loaded my bags onto the trolley and a third led me into

WORDS: CHITRA S IMAGES: ADAM LEE

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CENTRE OF DELIGHTS

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the cavernous lobby. The din from the street hardly mattered anymore because as I was ushered through the huge double doors, I was embraced by the Le Meridien ‘arrival experience’. This experience is made up of four components: The sci-fi sounding transitional portal, which is actually the artwork-emblazoned doorway, a sensory experience – a combination of a signature scent by New York perfumery Le Labo and carefully selected piped-in music in the lobby, UNLOCK ART™ programme – I was presented with a unique key card with images created by specially-commissioned artists, and the ‘elevated’ experience – instead of regular elevator music, I was entertained with a soundtrack composed by Grammy Award-winning producer Henri Scars Struck.

Le Meridien Chiang Mai is a fusion of the brand’s European heritage and northern Thai hospitality.

Whisked on a quick tour of the property, I was pleasantly surprised by the Lanna-inspired modern

art installations – the work of local artists. Attention to details was an integral part of the hotel’s trademark where what seemed a geometric-patterned lobby carpet turned out to be a design element based on a map of the city! The hotel’s 383 rooms comprised Deluxe, Deluxe Accessible, Deluxe Studio, Preferred and Royal Club rooms as well as Junior, Diplomatic and Royal suites. Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau is just one of the hotel’s famous guests.

The largest room is the Royal suite that measures some 250 square metres! I stayed in the Deluxe room. At 36 square metres, it is the hotel’s smallest but certainly with its own charm. Once I had checked into my room, I plonked myself onto the plush sofa beside the window, which looked out to the city and the majestic hills of Doi Suthep. The sofa was so comfortable that I actually nodded off! Later, after having toured the city, I returned to my room to find it all tidied up, with a bathrobe and bedroom slippers neatly placed at the foot of the bed, which made me feel right at home. During my three-day stay, I had a glimpse of the larger rooms and suites, which were luxuriously furnished and designed to make guests feel pampered despite this being a business hotel.

For tired travellers who crave privacy, the Le Royal Club is a relaxing lounge on levels 20 to 22, a little enclave with amenities including WiFi access, complimentary daily breakfast, afternoon tea, all-day snacks and evening cocktails. While on the topic of food, the hotel’s award-winning Favola Italian restaurant is just the place for intimate dinners. I dined at the restaurant and sampled a pizza baked in a wood-fired oven, handmade pasta and scrumptious tiramisu – all portioned for one but large enough for two. Like everything else at Le Meridien, a lot of attention has gone into designing the menus at the hotel’s food outlets – Favola, Latitude 18, Plunge and Latest Recipe.

On the eve of my departure, the hotel invited me to experience its signature Chakra spa treatment.

It turned out to be the perfect remedy for tired feet and aching muscles. A masseuse kneaded my sore muscles and placed heated stones on my ‘energy centres’ to restore balance to my chakra. There is also a well-equipped gym in the hotel and an outdoor pool with panoramic views of the city below.

Unassuming facade aside, my stay at this 5-star hotel was truly an experience to be cherished. My initial apprehension proven wrong, I found the hotel’s central location worked in my favour, as the city and its ancient shrines, centuries-old temples, boutiques, bazaars and markets were all just a hop, skip and jump away.

LE MERIDIEN CHIANG MAI A Chang Klan Road, Tambol Chang Klan, Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai, 50100 Thailand T +66 5325 3666

www.lemeridien.com/ chiangmai GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Chiang Mai daily from various destinations. Go to www.airasia.com for details.

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I DREAM OF JAVA

WORDS: BEVERLY RODRIGUES IMAGES: ADAM LEE

Semarang’s Balemong Resort offers a glimpse of Central Java’s extraordinary architectural heritage, and I was absolutely thrilled to spend a night at this gem of a property. Originally conceived as a gallery showcasing Javanese antiques, artefacts from the Dutch period and an exquisite collection of centuries’ old Javanese houses (joglo) salvaged from around the province, the resort is a true cultural delight.

In late 2011, Balemong Resort flung open the doors of its traditional teak Solo and Kudus-style houses, allowing heritage buffs to marvel at the craftsmanship and symbolism behind the elaborate hand carvings.

This also allowed visitors a peek into how the people lived in the past in such grand abodes.

When I arrived in mid December, the resort had just opened, and generously offered me the freedom to pick from its gorgeous variety of joglos. The spacious six-room Sasana Kamukten, built in 1852, would have been a dramatic choice and perfect for encouraging fanciful delusions, but I opted for the two-room Sasana Narendra, which is great for two couples or a family of four.

While smaller, this Kudus-style joglo is adorned with equally magnificent woodwork. A foyer with an ornately-carved partition leads into an even more spectacular reception area where symbols such as the swastika and lotus merge with vines that twine in fluid curves of faded green and gold. Fainting couches and daybeds allow occupants to lounge while admiring the artistry of the house.

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I was pleasantly surprised to find that the old world architecture here blended seamlessly with modern comforts. Both rooms were fitted with air-conditioning and LCD TVs, and came with ensuite bathrooms complete with modern toilet and rain shower.

What’s more, the service I received was exemplary.

Not only were welcome drinks and platters of tropical fruits delivered to my house, but I was even served breakfast in my joglo. For a wider selection, guests have but to venture to the resort’s restaurant – Sasono Kembul Bujono – to enjoy delicious local delicacies like lumpia Balemong (traditional spring roll), bebek goreng Balemong (crispy fried duck with steamed rice and spicy vegetables) and gurame (sweet and sour, crispy grilled fish).

A minor drawback for the business traveller would be the limited Wi-Fi coverage, restricted to the reception area. But, if you’re visiting for pleasure, forget the outside world. Leave your laptop at home, turn off your phone and just lose yourself in this Javanese paradise.

BALEMONG RESORT & GALLERY A Jl. Patimura No. 1B Sisemut, Ungaran 50511, Central Java, Indonesia T 024-692 5511

www.balemongungaran.com GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Semarang daily from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Go to www. airasia.com for details.

ONE OF A KIND Strategically located in the heart of Petaling Jaya’s business and commercial district, the One World Hotel offers a new dimension in service and quality with service standards that are warm and gracious, yet efficient and consistent. Just a 45-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or a 15-minute drive away from Kuala Lumpur,

OASIS IN THE CITY Located in the Novena enclave, Oasia Hotel Singapore welcomes guests to experience the charm and hospitality that was developed around three core values – thoughtfulness, respect and care to reflect the best of Asian hospitality – all central elements that make up the Oasia brand.

With the promise of a restful and rejuvenating stay, the hotel is literally an oasis of calm and charming elegance. Designed

the hotel’s lobby welcomes you into a world of luxury and grandeur. Embellished with Asean artefacts and finished with carved wood furnishing and opulent Crema Valencia marble, first impressions of the hotel are of enduring style and understated opulence.

Rooms at the One World Hotel are wellappointed in a contemporary style and done up in earthy tones of amber and beige, while a host of amenities such as three telephones,

by acclaimed Japanese designer, Takashi Sugimoto from Super Potato, in collaboration with Singapore architectural firm, Ong & Ong, the hotel boasts cutting-edge architecture and clever use of natural elements in the overall design.

A high ceiling lobby, large wooden seating area and an attractive stone wall welcome guests, all features that are distinctive of Super Potato design. On the eighth floor of the hotel is a real ‘oasis’ where a tranquil terrace accented by bamboo and stones set in natural

personal voice messaging system, shower and long bath facilities, rain shower, private bar, temperature control, 32” and/or 42” LCD TV, among others, offer guests convenience all day long. High-speed wired and wireless broadband networks enable Internet connectivity from anywhere in the hotel, providing ultimate convenience to business travellers. Dining options at the hotel include Cinnamon that serves local and international cuisines, Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant that specialises in authentic Cantonese and Teo Chew dishes, and Kura Japanese Restaurant that offers Japanese fare. Guests can also chill out at The Sphere Lounge, Poolbar & Grill, Long Bar or, at Havana Club for drinks and premium Cuban cigars. But if you still need to go look for some fun out of the hotel, the adjoining 1 Utama Shopping Centre is a massive mall with endless shopping and entertainment options.

ONE WORLD HOTEL

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Visit www.airasiago.com for attractive room rates at this hotel.

surroundings houses a 24-hour fitness centre, tropical roof terrace and sunken deck chairs in the pool.

Styled by Super Potato, the four Club Suites and 100 Club rooms are designed to provide new levels of unobtrusive comfort and luxury. The 312 Deluxe and Superior Rooms styled by Ong & Ong boast spacious bathrooms with rain shower, 40” LED interactive IP television and an iPod compatible sound system. All rooms are equipped with high speed Internet access.

Zaffron, located at the lobby level, is the hotel’s all day dining restaurant and features an international a la carte menu and daily buffets. Additionally, three other restaurants – a Japanese, Chinese and Italian – are located on the first and second floors of the hotel.

A multitude of shopping malls can be found nearby including the Korean-themed Square2. Orchard Road, Singapore’s internationally renowned shopping and entertainment district is only two MRT train stations away. Local eateries such as Newton Food Centre are also within close proximity.

OASIA HOTEL SINGAPORE

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A First Avenue, Bandar Utama City Centre, 47800 Petaling Jaya

A 8 Sinaran Drive, Singapore 307470

Visit www.airasiago.com for attractive room rates at this hotel.

03 HIT LIST 2012

www.airasia.com/travel360

WE ARE HIGHLY AMUSED

Want adrenaline pumping through your veins but not quite ready to jump off a bridge or paraglide? Then, head to the amusement park! Not some dismal playground with cotton candy kiosks but real, kick-ass parks with the latest technology and attractions that will have your head buzzing with excitement long after the ride is over. Oh, and some suggestions on how the little kiddos can have a whale of a time too.

WORDS: EFI HAFIZAH HAMZAH

ACHTUNG ADVENTURERS Europa Park in the city of Rust in Germany has so much to offer, including a new attraction, Twilight Saga that will be unveiled in September 2012. In 2013, the launch of yet another attraction by renowned director Luc Besson will take place. It will feature a theme park of 12 European countries including Scandinavia, each with its own themed rides plus shows and foods that are native to the particular country.

ATTRACTIONS SILVER STAR It’s a ‘hypercoaster’ and is Europe’s highest and third fastest roller coaster. The ride is

sponsored by Mercedes-Benz and on the ride’s grounds is a small museum that features a full scale replica of a Mercedes-Benz Formula One car.

EURO-MIR This is a high speed, steel track spinning roller coaster based around the Russian Space Missions. The spinning is controlled and only happens during some parts of the ride but what will keep your heart pumping is the background techno soundtrack, and the fact that this will be one of the longest rides you’ll ever have in your life – 4 minutes 33 seconds!

SWISS BOB RUN This bobsled roller coaster ride features mini cabooses that are sent freewheeling down a twisted pipe, much like having an adventurous version of a bobsled ride.

EUROPA PARK www.europapark.com

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HAPPY IN HONG KONG Hong Kong has always kept up with global lifestyle and entertainment trends but with its own personal flavour.

Hong Kong Disneyland is very much like that. Although you know you’re experiencing an established American brand, you’ll not miss the delectable Hong Kong flavour that spices up the theme park with a distinctly Oriental feel.

ATTRACTIONS TOY STORY LAND RC Racer is an adrenaline-pumping trip on Andy’s toy car roller coaster ride that zooms through a 27-metre high, U-shaped track!

FANTASY LAND HIGHLIGHT A fairy tale comes to life as you step through the castle doors of this park. The small uns’ and the romantics will enjoy the happily-ever-after aspect of this land of princes and princesses.

TOMORROW LAND This indoor roller coaster ride of space exploration will have park goers battling aliens with Buzz Lightyear and, interacting with Stitch.

ADVENTURE LAND All of Disney’s best jungle-themed creations are here, The Lion King and Tarzan being the anchors of the show. Guests can revel in the magical and exotic jungle world as they take a slow and leisurely ride on a boat that snakes through the attractions.

Watch out for animatronics along the way!

MAIN ST. USA Get transported back to the turn of 20th century America in this quaint little street packed with cute stores, diners and old fashioned car rides.

The Flight of Fantasy parade is a must-do event here; almost all the characters from Disney parade down the street seated on floats with huge inflatables above them! Stick around till evening and watch the fabulous fireworks come to life.

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND park.hongkongdisneyland. com

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Hong Kong daily from various destinations.

Go to www.airasia.com for details

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MALAYSIAN MARVEL Sunway Lost World of Tambun in Ipoh, Perak, is an exciting place for nature enthusiasts and animal lovers, offering water park and theme park activities for endless hours of fun!

ATTRACTIONS

WATER PARK The action here is a fun-filled one that is great for everyone. There is the Jungle Wave Pool, Sandy Bay, Adventure River, Cliff Racer, Tube Raiders and Kid’s Explorabay. The Cliff Racer, in particular, is a wild water ride and offers endless hours of splashing fun!

TIGER VALLEY Get up close and personal with Siberian tigers and be captivated by their beauty and agility.

Visitors will also be amazed at the animal’s majesty and how well they are handled during feeding time.

AMUSEMENT PARK If getting wet is not your thing, head for the Amusement Park. Storm Rider, Dragon Flight, Perak Parade, Giddy Galeon and Adventure Express are but some of the great rides available here.

TIN VALLEY Ipoh is also known as ‘The City that Tin Built’. This educational attraction offers first-hand experience of how tin was mined in the past.

SUNWAY LOST WORLD www.sunwaylostworld oftambun.com

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Kuala Lumpur and Penang daily from various destinations. Go to www.airasia. com for details.

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LOST WORLD PETTING ZOO With over 4,000 animals from 55 species, guests can pet, feed and play with many of these amazing creatures.

BOM-BASTIC BALI For those who like it wet, head to Waterbom Bali, home to 17, world-class water slides! Located in Kuta, the water park is a beautifully landscaped Balinese garden, sprawling across 3.8 hectares of land.

THE MACARONI The name is a dead give-away! It’s an enclosed pipeline that gives you the thrill of what it feels like riding a tunnel in super speed – spinning and reeling your way through!

THE BOOGIE RIDE A kid-friendly ride on a special sled mat that takes you head first to the glorious finishing line.

WATERBOM BALI www.waterbom-bali.com

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Bali daily from various destinations.

Go to www.airasia.com for details.

ATTRACTIONS THE CLIMAX Start in a little chamber 19 metres above the ground and set off for the adrenaline rush of a lifetime! With a G-force of 2.5, your heart will be racing as you hit a near vertical dip before going back up a loop towards the end.

THE BOOMERANG Loop down from a 20-metre drop! And just when you thought the rush is ending, get swept back up again! Screaming your lungs out is part of the Boomerang fun, culminating in a super half-pipe slide.

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SENSATIONAL SINGAPORE Singapore buzzes with excitement – be it shopping, eating, clubbing or amusement-seeking.

Here are two reigning kings of the theme park world that are attracting fans by the droves!

Universal Studios Transformers The Ride is the ultimate 3D experience at Resorts World Sentosa.

RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA www.rwsentosa.com

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Singapore daily from various destinations. Go to www. airasia.com for details.

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Resorts World Sentosa Home of the Universal Studios Singapore®, this nook of Sentosa offers fantastic excitement with roller coaster rides, themed shows, aquatic activities and not forgetting, Singapore’s main joie de vivre – dining, shopping and clubbing.

ATTRACTIONS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE Seven zones of Hollywood to be experienced – the Hollywood

Boulevard, New York city, Sci-fi City, Ancient Egypt, the set of Jurassic Park’s Lost World, Shrek’s Far, Far Away and Madagascar. Soak up the Hollywood experience as you hop on the Ride The Movies™ roller coaster.

MARINE LIFE PARK Get into a wetsuit and dive with dolphins, snorkel with rays and get in direct contact with some of the ocean’s amazing creatures.

MARITIME EXPERIENTIAL MUSEUM & AQUARIUM Interactive, innovative and multi-sensory, visitors get to experience the history of Asian shipwrecks and treasures in a safe and modern way.

FESTIVEWALK A true hit for insomniacs! This area is a 500-metre, 24/7 thoroughfare offering dining, shopping and clubbing options.

Sentosa This 500-hectare resort island is home to an exciting array of themed attractions, award-winning spa retreats and resort accommodation, alongside lush rainforests, sandy beaches, world-renowned championship golf courses, a deep-water yachting marina and luxury residences.

ATTRACTIONS IMBIAH LOOKOUT Get 360-degree views from this lookout near Mount Imbiah on Sentosa. This spot is particularly great to drink in nature’s beauty.

FORT SILOSO TOURS As Singapore’s only preserved coastal fort, Fort Siloso stands as a window to the colonial past and a poignant reminder of the war years. Navigate the old tunnels, watch a recreated gun firing, examine 17th Century guns and cannons and browse through 245 photographs, documents and film clips on display.

MEGAZIP ADVENTURE PARK This SGD2 million attraction offers a mix of adventure and thrills on the flying fox and high rope course. This attraction also appeals to families, as it has a tandem facility that allows the young uns’ to hitch a ride with mum or dad.

SENTOSA 4D MAGIX This state-of-the-art theatre offers a whole new generation of movie magic. Through the synchronisation of a full spectrum of visual effects, surround-sound, individually-controlled motion seats and special ‘live’ environmental effects such as a water spray, this is an experience that will fully engage one’s senses!

JEWEL CABLE CAR RIDE Featuring a stunning fleet of 67 metallic black and chrome cabins, the ride from Mount Faber on the mainland to Sentosa Island offers a 360-degree bird’s eye view of the lush greenery on the hilltop, the harbour and city from 120 metres above sea level. After dark, each cabin is illuminated by Jewel LEDs, creating the effect of sparkling jewels as they zip through the night sky.

WAVE HOUSE SENTOSA This 7,650-square metre simulated wave surfing attraction sits in the heart of the high-energy Siloso Beach. Here, professional surfers can attempt stunts that cannot be achieved on real waves, while visitors will be able to experience the thrill of surfing on artificial waves that curl up to three metres high in the two wave pools – the FlowRider and FlowBarrel.

UNDERWATER WORLD AND DOLPHIN LAGOON This attraction is the place to go to learn about marine life such as the dugong, sea dragons and many more. The oceanarium on Sentosa is home to more than 2,500 fishes from 250 different species. Venture into the ocean depths on a moving travellator that ferries guests through an 83-metre-long acrylic tunnel. All around, sharks, stingrays, eels and schools of fish glide past.

IFLY SINGAPORE With a transparent wind tunnel offering spectacular views, iFly Singapore is the world’s largest skydiving simulator that offers an adrenalinepumping experience at a flying height of 17 metres!

SENTOSA www.sentosa.com.sg

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Singapore daily from various destinations. Go to www. airasia.com for details.

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CEDAR POINT www.cedarpoint.com

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TILT-A-WHIRL One of Cedar Point’s favourite family rides; this classic twirling ride leans, turns and hangs for a spinny, giggly, tummy-tickly experience.

OH MY OHIO

FROG HOPPER Kids are raised above the midway point and then encounter little bounces on their way down.

Riders must be between 36” and 54” tall to ride.

Get all the action you seek at Cedar Point in the Midwestern state of Ohio in USA. There are 17 roller coaster rides, 15 thrill rides, 20 family rides, 19 kid’s rides and 3 water rides! This is the place for the ride of your life.

SNAKE RIVER FALLS Take a ride 82 feet into the air before experiencing the ultimate plunge – an 80-foot, 50-degree drop! Your boat will create the ultimate splash, drenching you and providing relief in the summer heat.

ATTRACTIONS

DINOSAURSALIVE! This attraction features 48 lifesized animatronic dinosaurs. It’s a multisensory and interactive display set with an excavation site and a kid’s dig area where a Ruyangosaurus is featured alongside the flying reptile, Angustinaripterus with a wingspan of more than five feet.

TOP THRILL DRAGSTER: One of the fastest and first ‘Strata Coasters’ in the world that races up to the sky at a blurry speed of 193 kilometres per hour reaching 120 metres high!

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MAXAIR This ride gives a whole new meaning to ‘airtime’! Strap in with your feet dangling in the air in a giant ring and then, it is a 150-minute ride of spinning in pendulum that peaks at 73 metres high!

03 COVER STORY 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

DAWN DRAGON OF THE

IMAGES: ADAM LEE

A symbol of power, strength, wisdom and growth, the dragon is the perfect creature from the Chinese zodiac to adorn AirAsia’s 100th Airbus A320. In conjunction with the 2012 Chinese New Year celebration that also heralds the Year of the Dragon, AirAsia welcomes this mythical creature that is said to bring good fortune, joy and prosperity wherever it goes.

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ART IN THE SKY Air travel had always been considered a luxury for many until AirAsia stepped into the game and totally transformed the accepted views on flying. Suddenly, people from all walks of life, regardless of their economic standing, could afford to fly to a multitude of destinations worldwide. Students could afford to go home during their college breaks, foreign workers could return to their motherland often and families could afford to take vacations together. The affordability also enabled businesses to flourish between countries where trade started to grow with the arrival of greater accessibility between nations within the AirAsia network of destinations.

Having created accessibility and affordability, AirAsia is also committed to making the travel experience memorable.

Despite it being a low-cost airline, the emphasis has always been on creating a fun, friendly and exciting experience. For many, getting into an aircraft is a momentous experience that will forever be etched in their memories long after they return to their daily lives. One of the first images to be carved into their minds is the sight of an aircraft parked on the tarmac, waiting for the guests to embark. Suddenly, this huge metal bird is within touch, its plumage painted with the proud colours of AirAsia, or emblazoned with graphics that promote tourism attractions of a destination, celebrated personalities, sporting activities, world renowned products or even the spirit and work culture in AirAsia.

From merely travelling across the sky in metal tubes, AirAsia has turned the experience into a joyful expression of art.

The fuselage of the aircraft becomes the canvas for the airline to tell a proud story. In true AirAsia fashion, the ordinary has been transformed into something quite extraordinary, celebrating creative and innovative ideas that have become the trademark of AirAsia!

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON PLATFORM: Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun (partially hidden), Deputy Group CEO, AirAsia Berhad; Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial; Dato’ Aziz Bakar, Chairman AirAsia Berhad; Tan Sri Dr Tony Fernandes, Group CEO AirAsia Berhad; Azran Osman-Rani, CEO AirAsia X and Dato’ Fam Lee Ee (going down the stairs), member of BOD AirAsia Berhad, posing for a photograph after the eyedotting ceremony.

PRECEDING PAGE: The 100th Airbus A320 with the dragon livery parked on the tarmac at LCC Terminal in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

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THE MAKING OF...

From two to 100 aircraft in 10 years! That’s an amazing achievement for AirAsia, especially when everyone said we’d never make it. Our 100th aircraft was a historic moment for us – and it’s something we want to share with all our fans. It took a 20-man crew 12 days to paint the livery and we went behind the scenes to film the process for your viewing pleasure. It’s simply amazing!

Check out the video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=C1bJeSRdPLM

DANCE OF THE DRAGON The dragon is revered in Asian culture and it is a symbol of good luck, especially for the Chinese.

A carefully coined phrase in Mandarin was painted on the sides of the engine turbines, which reads 百龙腾飞. This phrase means ‘100 Dragons Flying High’. This is a very auspicious phrase that not only bodes well for AirAsia’s guests, it also represents continuous growth and prosperity for the airline.

IMAGE: INMAGINE

LEFT: The A320 with the dragon livery in full flight.

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UNLEASHING THE DRAGON

“The use of this Chinese mythical dragon also reiterates the potential of the Chinese market for AirAsia, with Chinese travellers being the second highest nationality after Malaysians to travel on our route network.” ~ Kathleen Tan, AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial

The arrival of AirAsia’s 100th Airbus A320 in early February was marked with a double celebration, as AirAsia unveiled a dramatic dragon livery on the body of the aircraft. This bold and unusual take on the traditional dragon motif represents a creative perspective on age-old traditions. Additionally, the look also reflects AirAsia’s inroads into the Orient, where China offers tremendous opportunities for growth in the air travel sector, a fact substantiated by the number of travellers from China, AirAsia’s second largest market. Travel 3Sixty° spoke to Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial, on the inspiration behind the new dragon livery.

THE DRAGON REINTERPRETED Tell us about the dragon livery.

Tony asked what we were planning to do for the arrival and launch of the 100th aircraft.

Since the plane’s arrival also coincided with 60

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Chinese New Year and this being the Year of the Dragon, I thought an aircraft painted with the image of a dragon would be awesome!

This dragon is not one we normally see. How did it come about?

I didn’t want it to be just any dragon. I wanted a fresh perspective and requested something that not only captures the energy and essence of the mighty creature, but is also fresh, funky and contemporary. The creative team at The Partners in Singapore brought to life what I had in mind by giving the dragon a modern twist. They gave us a tattoo inspired sketch that was appealing and recognisable. We also didn’t opt for a colourful dragon because that would have been typical while the AirAsia brand is all about standing out from the rest.

We are fun and bold, and we certainly dare to be different. Our dragon livery is contemporary and has international appeal, plus you don’t have to be Asian to appreciate its beauty.

How has the feedback been so far?

Very positive! Generally everyone likes it as it bold but beautiful. Spotting a dragon flying in the air is also considered very auspicious as the creature holds a very important place in Chinese myth and folklore. For our guests from China and other countries from the Orient, this is a very auspicious symbol and many try hard to fly in the said aircraft. We even offered special deals on the aircraft to Langkawi, Penang, Bali, Guilin, Macau and Guangzhou. Suffice to say, it was a sell out. Our guests simply love travelling on this aircraft, with many proudly proclaiming that AirAsia provided them with the opportunity to fly a dragon instead of an aircraft! I’ve also been getting a lot of feedback on my Weibo and Twitter accounts where fans of AirAsia rave about this funky design, asking for more of such liveries.

AIRASIA LIVERIES Using the body of the aircraft as a canvas, AirAsia has come up with some stunning designs that have proudly carried the AirAsia brand all over the world. Some of these liveries are new additions, the dragon being the latest, while others have been decommissioned. Here are some of the designs that have blazed across the sky.

THE GRAND MASTER AirAsia switched from blue – its color pre-2001 and pre-transformation to a LCC – to chilli red, a colour designed to enthrall and empower. The tail carries a stylised signature of former AirAsia Chairman Dato’ Pahamin Ab. Rajab.

SPIRIT OF AN ALLSTAR One of AirAsia’s most colourful, the aircraft features images of Bo Lingam, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer. It recognises Bo’s contributions to the airline, having helped start AirAsia, and pays tribute to his AllStar spirit – passionate, focused, fun and committed to excellence.

A MALAYSIAN STATESMAN Late 2011, AirAsia honoured the longest serving Prime Minister of Malaysia with a livery that carries an image of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, or Dr M as he is popularly known, with iconic landmarks that were built during his tenure.

THE FLYING BANK AirAsia works closely with many corporate companies, creating solid partnerships in the process.

This A320 aircraft carries the colours of Malaysia’s Bank Rakyat, which translates as ‘People’s Bank’. The design reflects AirAsia’s support of Malaysian brands and the corporate world’s recognition of the strength of AirAsia’s marketing muscle.

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THANK YOU MR CHAIRMAN With this design, AirAsia paid tribute to former AirAsia Chairman Dato’ Pahamin Ab. Rajab, who played a pivotal role in getting the airline started and in laying the foundations for its success.

Dato’ Pahamin helped AirAsia grow from a startup Malaysian low cost carrier (LCC) to the most recognisable LCC in the world.

KIDS RULE The former AirAsia children’s club, Junior Jet Club, flew the skies with this bright and cheerful livery featuring the mascots Junior, Jessie, Capt. John Jet and Jennie Jet. The club has been rebranded, and the new and improved children’s club named Sky Riders has since been launched.

SHOOTING HOOPS HIGH ABOVE The ASEAN Basketball League was set up with the aim of establishing a professional basketball league in Southeast Asia that will nurture all aspects of the game including management, sporting excellence, discipline and developing the sports at grass root level. This livery captures the spirit, the high-octane energy of the game, and its immense appeal amongst fans across the region.

MUSIC MAVENS In April 2011, in support of the burgeoning music scene in Thailand, AirAsia honoured Thai rock band Carabao by painting a plane with a stylised image of a pair of horns, and the members of the band on the aircraft’s tail. AirAsia also produced Carabao-themed merchandise for sale onboard.

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RAIDERS IN ACTION This livery on AirAsia X A340 aircraft conveys the commitment of both airline and team to excellence. The aircraft was flown to Oakland in California to celebrate the NFL team’s opening match in the fall of 2009. The global branding campaign with the iconic American football team helped increase AirAsia X’s brand visibility in the US.

ALL FOR ASEAN AirAsia invited travellers from all over the world to hop into this aircraft and experience the amazing tourism activities available in the Asean region. The livery highlights AirAsia’s position as Asia’s leading and largest low-cost airline while featuring its fun and friendly flight attendants.

X MARKS THE SPOT AirAsia X’s A330 aircraft plies long-haul routes to destinations including Australia, China and Taiwan.

The brush stroke ‘X’ on the tail distinguishes the aircraft from the A320s that fly short-haul.

SPEEDSTERS IN THE SKY During AirAsia’s former sponsorship deal with AT&T Williams Formula One team, the airline produced this livery to highlight AirAsia’s commitment to safety, technical expertise and teamwork.

This global branding initiative also highlights AirAsia aircraft 25-minute turnaround time, nicknamed ‘the pit stop’.

SEEING DOUBLE RED With the partnership with Manchester United, one of the world’s most famous football teams, AirAsia marked its foray into global branding. This aircraft was painted to celebrate AirAsia’s sponsorship of the club, and brought to the skies images of two of the sports world’s superstars – Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

FAVOURITE LIVERY Visit our Facebook page and tell us which is your favourite AirAsia livery in not more than 20 words.

You will stand a chance to walk away with an attractive gift voucher!

MALAYSIAN WONDERS Created to promote tourism in Malaysia, especially for Visit Malaysia Year 2007, AirAsia reiterated its commitment to highlight Malaysia as a destination for leisure and business to both domestic and international tourists.

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Submit your entries at www.facebook.com/travel3sixty Terms & Conditions apply.

03 FEATURE • South Korea 2012

e Mai r

www.airasia.com/travel360

The

mds Jeju

At the very tip of the Korean peninsula, lies a magical island that is famous not only for its history and natural attractions; even ‘mermaids’ live here.

WORDS: MARIA VISCONTI

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of

IMAGE: KOREA TOURISM ORGANISATION

Jeju Island is a wild and magical place ruled by thousands of goddesses, wind, stone and powerful women. Three hundred and sixty volcanic plugs surround a central, massive volcanic cone – Mount Halla – giving the island a jagged and mysterious appearance. Additionally, Mount Halla is one of nine Jeju sites designated as Global Geoparks, which include Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak and Manjanggul Cave – one of the finest lava tunnels in the world. But the most unusual attraction of Jeju is its women divers who’ve earned the moniker of real life mermaids.

“Born and raised by the sea, the Haenyeo train from early childhood and at 15, are ready to join the workforce.”

Diving Divas

Images: Maria Visconti

Above: Votive lamps in a Buddhist monastery in Jeju Island.

Jeju’s coastline is dotted with beaches framed in basalt outcrops. The most spectacular of which is the idyllic cove at the foot of the volcanic tuff Seonsang Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), which rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago. Its huge crater at the top is about 600 metres in diameter and 90 metres high surrounded by 99 sharp rocks giving it the appearance of a gigantic crown. Here, at the foot of

Seonsang Ilchulbong was where I first came in contact with the most unusual of Jeju’s inhabitants – the Haenyeo or free-diving women. In 1653, a Dutch sailor named Hendrik Hamel, a survivor of the Sperwer shipwreck, was the first Westerner to mention these divers. So mesmerised was he with these women, he recorded in his journal the existence of ‘real mermaids’ in Jeju.

I met these women at the edge of the surf as they made their way out of the ocean, carrying their equipment and catch. The women divers stopped on the beach and in a well-practised routine, removed their rubber hoods, folded them neatly on top of their heads and pinned them down in place with their diving masks before they continued. Tucked into their weightbelt, they carried a metal disk to pry abalone from rocks, a metal hook to drag octopuses out of crannies and a weeding hoe to harvest seaweed. For centuries, these women have adhered to strict procedures that have helped their survival while diving and earning a catch in all types of weathers.

Getting close to them, I noticed that these Amazons of the deep looked sculptural and hardy as they clambered up the porous lava rocks along the sea line.

Most of them were over 40 years old with some as old as 70 but still actively engaged in diving. I wasn’t surprised to learn that many were widowed while others were sole breadwinners. Sadly, their daughters weren’t keen to follow their footsteps, preferring to get a college education instead and settle for less physically demanding jobs.

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Breathing Under Water The ladies waved me into their huts, seeing my interest.

Once in their shelter, they proceeded to sort their catch into plastic bins: Seaweed, sea urchins, the odd little octopus, a few abalones and a lonely fish or two gasping for air. Born and raised by the sea, the Haenyeo train from early childhood and at 15, are ready to join the workforce. These women have been diving without any breathing apparatus for centuries, often defying strong under currents and spectacular depths to reel in the daily catch.

Diving into the cold ocean with no breathing apparatus is child’s play for this women and I was totally transfixed looking at them sorting their catch. Asking around, I learnt that a lot of the diving is done based on a firm belief that the Divine will protect them from any bodily harm. They periodically hold age-old rituals lead by a female shaman dressed in a flaming red hanbok (traditional Korean dress) to invoke the gods and make offerings of burnt camphor wood and rice parcels to Grandmother Yeongdeung – goddess of the sea. This unwavering belief seems to work as you hardly ever hear of any mishaps while diving.

But not all is done based on pure faith alone.

Experience and age counts too and these determine how the women operate. The women explained to me that they are generally grouped in three categories: Those who dive in the shallows off the beach; the ones that go to sea on diving boats and dive up to 15 metres, and the ones that specialise in deep diving in waters more than 20 metres.

I decided to follow a group of divers to the rocky shore to wait for other divers to emerge from the depths. Soon, a shadowy figure was seen coming out slowly from the water. Known as ‘mothers of the sea’ (as the divers are known in the Jeju dialect), I finally saw a middle aged woman pull herself out of the water and trudge out to shore. She approached us with her catch, squatted on the rocks and pulled out a few spiny, black sea urchins.

Using a teaspoon, the woman first split open the creature and scooped out bright orangey roe on a piece of wet seaweed. We gathered around her and bought a round. Raw sea urchin never tasted so good.

Staying Afloat Having had my fill, I cast my sight on the bobbing white buoys in the sea. These buoys or taewak function as posts to secure the repository nets below the surface and serve as resting places for the divers who hug them to keep afloat. In the past, the buoys were dried out calabashes covered in colourful cloth that help identify members of individual work teams. The outfits the divers wore were simple, home-sewn linen combos of pants and top. There was nothing high tech about the operation, the clothes or the equipment they donned to get to the underwater bounty and yet, the women

Images: Maria Visconti

Mothers of the Sea

hauled in daily catches with such ease that could easily put the most experienced modern diver to shame.

Jeju of the Past

Above: The Haenyeo of Jeju Island are a special breed of divers who use no breathing apparatus even during deep sea dives.

Neighbouring Japan periodically launched raids on Jeju from the sea while the Mongolian army invaded and ruled the island for over 100 years during the 13th and 14th centuries under Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. Having come overland from China, which they ruled at that time, the Mongols established a base on Jeju to launch assaults on Japan. Being forever in the line of enemy attack, traditional homes in the island were built without chimneys. Fear of invasion prompted dwellers to endure smoke rather than give away their position to potential enemies. A reproduction of a diver’s house complete with underfloor heating system and thatched roof can be viewed at the Museum of Women Divers.

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Wild and Hardy Jeju’s history also tells of the Mongols who bred horses and intermarried with local women, leaving a legacy still noticeable in the Jeju dialect, which is heavily influenced by the Mongolian language. The Mongolian horse breeders brought over 160 Ferghana horses in 1276, laying the foundation for the horse breeding system of the Joseon dynasty in Korea. The Ferghana horses, through adaptation to the harsh environment of the island, became the small yet hardy Jeju breed or jorangmal.

“In 1653, a Dutch sailor named Hendrik Hamel, was the first Westerner to mention these divers.

So mesmerised was he with these women, he recorded the existence of ‘real mermaids’ in Jeju.”

Originating in Dayuan in Central Asia (Turkmenistan), the Ferghana horses were so coveted by China that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty invaded Dayuan in order to obtain them by force. The horses raised on Jeju were also exported to China’s Yuan dynasty during the Mongol rule.

Visitors can try pony riding at the breeding ranches in Jeju and at Sunrise Peak.

A Maze of Treks There are hiking paths everywhere in Jeju but specially recommended are the Olle Trails (olle is the Jeju word

Attractions Galore Jeju Island has also an eclectic collection of museums – from the bizarre Love Museum to the cute Teddy Bear Museum but for serious gardeners, Bum Young Sung’s Spirited Garden (Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City) is the place to experience horticultural tranquillity. Sung has transformed 33,000 square metres of land into a Bonsai Garden. Working over a period of 30 years, he has moved volcanic stones by hand to build protective walls for over 2,000 tree specimens, some of which are 300 years old! At 75, I thought Sung didn’t look a day older than 45. He tends daily to his beloved trees in his gal clothes, the rural working outfit of Jeju, which is dyed with the extract of unripe persimmons. The extract gives

Images: Maria Visconti

Below: Scooping out fresh roe from a sea urchin.

Divers start selling their catch sas soon as they emerge from the ocean.

for the path connecting the front gate of a house to the street). This network of trails is Myungsook Suh’s brainchild, former chief editor of a Korean magazine.

Myungsook Suh was inspired after visiting the Santiago de Compostela walk in Spain. She envisioned a hiking trail in Jeju that would attract walkers from all over the world. Together with a small band of volunteers, Myungsook Suh researched and linked the hidden roads of Jeju not accessible by cars. This maze restored old paths for hikers to explore and the first trail route was opened to the public in September 2007. Since then, the Jeju Olle team has created a combined total of 200 kms of walking trails around the island. Currently there are 11 trail routes covering the eastern, southern and western coastal areas. Blue arrows on stonewalls or rocks, and sometimes yellow ribbons on trees are easily recognisable markers for these paths.

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Images: Maria Visconti

image: Korea Tourism Organisation

Stone Grandfathers of Jeju

Carved out of volcanic rocks, Jeju is famous for its stone Grandfather or Dol Harubang. These benign looking monolithic statues were believed to have been carved sometime during the 18th century to scare off invaders and evil spirits. Now, they have become popular icons of Jeju and are treated as lucky charms. The resemblance of these statues to the silent sentinels in Easter Island is quite uncanny.

image: Korea Tourism Organisation

Jeju Island Attractions

Above: The crownlike caldera of Sunrise Peak crater, Jeju Island.

Top: Divers use styrofoam balls as a floatation device to hold and rest between dives. The taewak also hold nets to hold the catch underwater.

the fabric a lovely warm blush and also acts as an antimould agent. When Sung held my hand between his in a hearty shake, I noticed his hands were calloused, padded and warm like oven mittens. There was genuine warmth in the man’s demeanour, which he proudly proclaims to have learnt from “... the trees which live in harmony with each other.”

Harmony is a unifying element of Jeju. Though windy, rocky and eternally battling the elements, the island is a tranquil peace of paradise that attracts harried visitors from South Korea’s megacities.

Incidentally, the island is famously known for its wind, rock and women – the wind that carves the physical landscape, the rocks that guard the island and the women who represent the enduring spirit of the locals.

Under the watchful eye of the majestic Mouth Halla, Jeju is every bit the magical island as it is mythical for its guardian sculptures and real live mermaids.

Getting There AirAsia X flies to Seoul daily from Kuala Lumpur.

Go to www.airasia.com for details. There are easy connecting flights from Seoul to Jeju, about an hour away.

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• Gwandeokjeong was built around 1448 during the reign of King Sejong. The pavilion is the oldest surviving piece of architecture on the island and was designated as part of a soldier training compound.

• Jeju Starlight World Park and Planetarium is a theme park established in 2009 for advancing research and studies in astronomy.

• Dokkaebi Road or Jeju Mysterious Road is a strange attraction where objects appear to flow uphill in defiance of gravity.

• Maze Land boasts of having the world’s longest maze set in a heavily wooded area.

The locals enjoy ‘forest bathing’, which involves soaking up the beauty of nature.

• Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not!’ Museum has 12 galleries housing up to 700, one-of-akind items collected by explorer Robert Ripley during his travels.

• Jeju Love Land brings the arts and eroticism together where over 140 sculptures tease and titillate visitors. Strictly for adults!

• Jeju Stone Park offers a glimpse into the stone culture that is so integral to Jeju Island. Here you can view and understand Dol Harubang (Old Grandfather stone statues), Dongjaseok (child grave stones) and Jeongjuseok (low stone symbols) amongst others.

• Yongcheondonggul Cave, Bengdwigul Cave, Gimnyeongsagul Cave and Dangcheomuldonggul Cave are all UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites famous for their lava tube formations.

Visit http://english.visitkorea.or.kr for an extensive list of attractions in Jeju Island.

03 FEATURES • Thailand 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

Islands in the

un S

Located on the south-western corner of Thailand, the province of Trang is a gateway to some of the Andaman Sea’s most dazzling islands.

WORDS: BEVERLY RODRIGUES PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM LEE

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ABOVE: Another beautiful day on Koh Mook.

PRECEDING PAGE: A long-tail boat or rue hang yao anchored at Koh Kradan, decorated with colourful ribbons as a sign of respect to the sea god.

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I love places with legends and stories, and Trang, like many places of great beauty, has inspired a wealth of these. A famous one tells of a young Chinese girl named Muk who eloped with a Muslim man named Libong. After many years, the couple returned with their child and Muk’s mother begged her daughter to stay. But Muk refused to be parted from Libong.

Instead, she boarded a boat with her husband and sailed away, not sparing her distraught mother even a backward glance. Hurt by Muk’s rejection, the mother cursed her daughter.

No sooner had Muk’s boat set off across the Andaman Sea, a storm began to wreak havoc on the vessel.

Ferocious waves tossed the boat about and everyone on board perished. According to local folklore, Muk’s body floated north forming the island of Koh Muk while Libong’s body drifted south, becoming Koh Libong. Muk’s wedding ring, the wood and rope from the boat, as well as the pig and horse on board all transformed into islands, which are now known as Koh Waen (Ring Island), Koh Kradan (Plank Island), Koh Cheuk (Rope Island), Koh Sukorn (Pig Island) and Koh Mha (Horse Island).

Today, this collection of islands in the Andaman Sea attracts thousands of sun seekers, divers and snorkelers looking for that pristine slice of heaven. Many of the islands come under the protection of the Hat Chao Mai National Park. Having heard tales of their beauty, I couldn’t wait to begin my exploration.

CAVING IN KOH MUK First up, my boat anchored off the western coast of Koh Muk to explore its most famous attraction – a sea cave only accessible at low tide. Jumping into the cool water, I didn’t quite know what to expect.

Inside the cave, it was pitch black. The echoing booms of waves crashing somewhere in its depths made me tighten my grip on the life jacket of the person in front of me. There were some 20 of us in the water, and we formed a conga line, snaking cautiously from the gaping limestone mouth into the cold, inky darkness.

Occasionally the glow of my guide’s torch illuminated the craggy passage, and I caught a glimpse of the magnificent chamber, battered by the passage of water

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The historic Kantang train station is the last stop on the southern Andaman route; ja koy is a popular breakfast treat eaten with condensed milk or a sweet concoction called sang gaya; Koh Cheuk or Rope Island is a great spot for snorkelling; a decommissioned train at the Kantang station transformed into a local library.

CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: A realistic statue of Trang’s famous former mayor, Phraya Ratsadanupradit, at his former residence, which is now a museum; Trang’s Train Station Night Market opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and is the best place to shop for scrumptious local snacks; Trang’s local coffeeshops or ran gafae serve delicious coffee combinations including go pii chaum – a blend of coffee, tea and condensed milk; dim sum is a popular breakfast delicacy in Trang.

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and time. But where sunlight filtered through, magic happened. The water turned an intense shade of green, glowing with an almost otherworldly light. It is this very phenomenon that’s given this cave its name: Emerald Cave, or as the Thais call it, Tham Morakot.

Eighty metres from the entrance, the cave unexpectedly opened onto a sparkling blue lagoon that seemed almost like a secret hideaway. It had a small, powdery, sun-baked beach surrounded by steep cliffs and green vegetation. With a sandy bottom sloping down from five to about 10 feet, and calm, clear waters, the lagoon was cosy and dreamlike. In other words, it was perfect.

SPYING ON SEACOWS Next, I stopped by Koh Libong, Trang’s largest island and the best place to catch a glimpse of gentle seacows known as dugongs. Closely related to the manatee, seacows can grow up to 13 feet in length and are thought to have inspired mermaid legends – although with their rotund bodies and downturned vacuum cleaner-like snouts, the resemblance seems rather far-fetched.

Having seen these creatures only in pictures, I was raring to spot my very first seacow in the flesh. Luckily, I didn’t have long to wait. From a cliff on Koh Libong’s southeast coast, I spotted three seacows surfacing for oxygen in the space of an hour!

Seeing these wild mammals in their element was simply spectacular. While sightings are not guaranteed, the chances of spotting seacows around Koh Libong are high as these marine creatures come here to graze on the large beds of sea grass that fringe the island.

According to my guide, the story of Koh Libong’s seacows began 30 years ago with a baby seacow named Pin. The calf, found off the coast of Phuket, had lost its mother, presumably to poachers who hunt dugongs for their meat and blubber.

Knowing that it was important for Pin to receive proper nourishment, the head of Phuket’s fisheries department wasted no time appealing to nursing mothers for extra milk to sustain little Pin. A European woman, moved by the plight of this orphaned mammal, stepped up. For two months, this selfless mother waded into Pin’s holding pool and breastfed the little seacow.

When Pin was old enough to return to sea, the fisheries department found him a safe new home with large

BEST TIME TO VISIT If you enjoy snorkelling and diving, the best time to visit Trang’s islands is from November to May, with the best visibility from February to April.

The hot season runs from January till April, while the rainy season sets in from May till December.

BELOW: Scenic view from Pak Meng Pier.

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ABOVE: The lobby of the Seven Seas Resort on Koh Kradan.

EAT LIKE THE LOCALS For a breakfast that’s typically Trang, savour Trang roast pork or Trang moo yang. Marinated for almost a day with cinnamon, star anise, pepper, honey and herbs popularly used in Thai cooking, and roasted for three hours, this delicacy is crispy on the outside but tender inside.

The roast pork is often eaten with ja koy, a sort of deepfried Chinese cruller, which is also enjoyed with condensed milk or a sweet concoction of coconut milk, sugar and eggs called sang gaya.

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beds of seagrass – Koh Libong. Today, the waters here are home to over 100 seacows, and if divers are lucky, they may even get to meet these playful creatures while cruising the blue.

Koh Libong is also a great spot for bird watching, as it is an important stopover for migratory shorebirds and terns that come to wade in its mudflats foraging for food in November and December. Some of the island’s avian visitors include globally endangered and vulnerable birds like the Nordmann's Greenshank and Chinese Egret, while it is believed that near-threatened species like the Brown-winged Kingfisher and Malaysian Plover call this island home.

UNDERWATER UNION My third stop took me to the jewel in the crown of the Hat Chao Mai National Park: Koh Kradan. With its oblong beach of powdery white sand falling into clear, aquamarine waters, Koh Kradan is believed to be the park’s most beautiful island. Since 1996, the island’s

stunning setting and fabulous coral reefs have been attracting hundreds of couples who come here to begin their wedded life in the most unconventional way.

Yes, Koh Kradan is known for underwater weddings.

In 2001, 34 couples from 22 countries tied the knot 10 metres underwater in a ceremony that also involved traditional Thai wedding rituals. This event catapulted the island to the world stage when this marine-style matrimonial ceremony set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of couples married underwater simultaneously.

Since then, Trang’s underwater wedding ceremony has grown in popularity, and every year around Valentine’s Day, couples don wet suits and take that giant leap into the blue.

For holidaymakers with no romantic agenda, Koh Kradan presents great opportunities to bond with nature, from kayaking around the island and sighting its resident sea eagles to snorkelling above its colourful coral reefs teeming with diverse marine life. There are also two sunken WWII ships here, which make for great wreck dives.

RIGHT: The Rua Rasada Hotel is designed to resemble a cruise ship.

BELOW & RIGHT BELOW: A lovely beachfront villa at Koh Mook Sivalai Beach Resort.

STAY AT • KOH MOOK SIVALAI BEACH RESORT offers air-conditioned beachfront villas designed with thatched roofs and timber decks for a rustic look. www.komooksivalai.com • SEVEN SEAS RESORT on Koh Kradan is a stylish resort with a contemporary design. For a truly decadent escape, opt for the Beachfront villa, which includes an open-air bathroom and a private terrace with sundeck and sala. www.sevenseasresorts.com

CORAL GARDEN To end my island-hopping tour, my guide took me to Koh Waen where I snorkelled in crystal clear water, hovering above stunning coral gardens. Over half of Thailand’s coral reefs are found in the Andaman Sea, and the ones here are said to offer some of the best snorkelling.

I wasn’t disappointed; As soon as I hit the water, I found myself in a different world teeming with colourful reef fish. The visibility was amazing, and I spotted clownfish peeping out of pretty anemones and iridescent fish like Mandarin dragonets darting between staghorn corals.

The icing on the cake was glimpsing a graceful green turtle gliding languidly through the water. The islands here are important nesting sites to many sea turtles including the leatherback, hawksbill and Olive Ridley, and the waters support a significant biodiversity.

As I soared above this quiet marine world, I hoped that the beauty here would last for generations to come, that tourism would serve to protect it and not destroy it, and that someday I would return.

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies daily to Trang from Bangkok.

Go to www.airasia.com for details.

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• KOH MOOK CHARLIE BEACH RESORT offers four categories of rooms: Air-conditioned Sea View bungalows, fan-cooled Deluxe bungalows and connecting bungalows, and small chalets with shared toilet and shower facilities. www.kohmookcharlieresort.com

• THE RUA RASADA HOTEL in Trang is designed like a cruise ship with spacious and elegant guest rooms, great F&B outlets, fitness centre and spa. +66(0)8 8765 4880

ISLAND ACCESS • To get to the islands, board a minibus from the bus stand along THA KLANG ROAD in the Trang city. The air-conditioned busses depart every 30 minutes for the PAK MENG PIER and HAD YAO PIER, which offers access to Koh Libong.

• At Pak Meng, you can opt for a passenger ferry tour that takes you to four islands (usually, KOH MUK, KOH KRADAN, KOH MHA and KOH HAI, depending on water levels), and includes buffet lunch and a snorkelling session with a guide for approximately THB750 per person.

The first ferry departs at 9.30am.

• SPEEDBOATS seating a maximum of 25 passengers may also be hired for approximately THB12,000 to THB15,000.

• For a simple, very local experience, take a tour

by LONG-TAIL BOAT (rue hang yao) inclusive of lunchbox for approximately THB1,500 to THB2,000.

03 FEATURES • India 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

Heart of

Delhi

India’s capital city Delhi, or Dilli in Hindi, is a mirror to India’s glorious past and its promising future. With a history dating back to 1000 BC, the city boasts a unique charm and has something for everyone.

IMAGE: CORBIS

WORDS: SHILPI SHUKLA PHOTOGRAPHY: LOVEJEET ALEXANDER

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ABOVE: Gulab Jamun (sweet milk balls) on sale in Chandni Chowk.

RIGHT, ABOVE: Sunday book market at Daryaganj in Old Delhi.

PRECEDING PAGE, LEFT: Locals resting under the arch of the Jama Masjid in Delhi.

PRECEDING PAGE, RIGHT: Celebrating the handicraft of India at Surajkund Fair.

Delhi has been my home for a decade now. Like any metropolitan city, people come to the capital city of India with high hopes. So did I. At first, as a tourist, I loved the city and marvelled at its architectural magnificence and cultural vibrancy. Later, with a job letter in hand after college, Delhi embraced me and I became a full-fledged ‘Delhiite’.

However, as residents, people often shut their eyes to the beauty and splendour of the city they live in. I became witness to the maddening crowd, ubiquitous traffic jams, choking pollution and a very hectic city life.

My idea of a vacation, for many years, was to escape Delhi. “I am done with Delhi,” I announced triumphantly only to realise I simply couldn’t extricate myself from this city that despite all its flaws, is full of charm, is as real as it gets and has the uncanny ability to turn even the most disdaining citizens into proud residents.

FLOWER POWER One of the city’s greatest attractions in Delhi takes place in the wee hours of the morning at Connaught Place.

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not by noise, but by an assault on the senses. Flowers by the tonnes exchange hands at the Phool Mandi where roses, tuberose, marigold, jasmines, orchids, gerberas and many other gorgeous specimens from all over India are traded in India’s largest flower market. It’s a bustling scene that’s only matched by the gorgeous colours and aromas. But by 9.00am, the dust settles as the rest of the city kicks into high gear. I often pop over to this market for the best and cheapest flowers before stopping for a South Indian breakfast at nearby Sarvana Bhawan or, to enjoy continental and Indian delights at United Coffee House.

HERITAGE HAUNT Delhi has seen the rise and fall of many ruling empires, which have left behind countless monuments that narrate the grandeur and glory of bygone eras and rulers. Lodhi Garden is one such place. Created during the British era, this beautiful garden is home to many impressive monuments from the 15th century. The old sections of Delhi also house many historical spots such as the stunning Red Fort and Jama Masjid,

India’s largest mosque. I often lose myself every Sunday exploring narrow lanes away from the main thoroughfare where ancient havelis (mansions) and small forts still quietly exist amidst the rapid rise of modernity.

One particularly fun and educational attraction in Delhi is the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, which offers guided walking tours. It’s great fun strolling through the 100-acre park that is home to the most number of historical monuments in one location. In addition, the park offers great views of the Qutb Minar tower, an architectural masterpiece built in 1192. Nearby Tughlaqabad Fort is another ruin that is an amazing repository of Mughal history. This lesser known fort offers a serene diversion from the otherwise bustling tourist attractions of other popular spots in Delhi. But no matter where I go, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Humayun Tomb has always been a personal favourite for its beauty and splendour and endless tales of kings and queens.

CULINARY DELIGHTS History and cultural attractions aside, there is another facet of Delhi that I’m absolute in love with. It’s a foodie’s paradise! In the book Flavours Of Delhi: A Food Lover’s Guide, writer Charmaine O’Brien writes: “Just as each ruler left his architectural mark on Delhi, so each bequeathed to it a culinary legacy.” Delhi has a way of telling its story through its food, a story that boasts of a rich food culture dating back to the times of Indraprastha (Delhi’s old name), sultanate rule, Mughal period, British Raj up to modern-day Delhi. Flavours from each successive era has only added to the city’s gourmet delight.

When it comes to food, Chandni Chowk is quintessentially Delhi. My love for street food often brings me to the dingy bylanes of this Old Delhi market as the food here is – in food critic Sabina Sehgal Saikia’s words: “classless yet classic, inexpensive yet priceless, earthy

LIVE IN A METRO Delhi has a modern and sophisticated underground metro line that connects to major parts of the city.

BELOW: A Sikh devotee at the Bangla Saheb Gurdwara in New Delhi.

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ABOVE: Hot Biryani being served outside Jama Masjid.

DELHI BELLY A quirky attraction that explains everything you ever wanted to know about toilets but were too shy to ask can be found at Sulabh International Toilet Museum, located at Sulabh Bhawan, Mahavir Enclave, Palam Dabri Marg, New Delhi.

yet heavenly”. One simply must try the delicacies at Japani Samosawala, Nataraj Dahi Bhalla, Hazari Lal Jain Khurchanwale, Ghantewala and Kanwarji’s to name a few, to verify the truth in Saikia’s words. As most of the food sold here is calorie-laden, it’s best to throw caution to the wind and simply tuck into the mouth watering fare!

For something more ‘proper’, a lavish thali meal (platter with condiments, rice or bread and gravies) at Andhra Bhawan is popular with the locals.

Chankyapuri is renowned for its sumptuous momos (meat dumplings) and thupkas (noodle soup).

Nonetheless, the cuisine of Delhi is never complete without mentioning the great kebabs and other grilled meat dishes. Some very tasty and inexpensive meals can be had at the Great Kebab Factory, a famous food chain in the city. The choices are endless in Delhi and the flavours downright delicious.

SHOPPING FRENZY Being an avid shopper myself, I have perfected the art of finding the best buys in this vibrant city. For 88

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craftsmanship, cultural vibrancy and rustic charm, I often head to Dilli Haat, a cultural bazaar-cum-food mart run

by Delhi Tourism. There are two such bazaars, one near Ari Aurobindo Marg and another near Pitampura. The bazaars offer arts and craft from all over India, cultural performances and food stalls selling regional delicacies.

Delhi is also the place for book lovers! I have found the most sought after books at Southex Books & Prints in South Delhi. Moreover, there’s hardly a book that one won’t find at half the price at the famous book mart at Daryaganj, that’s open on Sundays only.

CULTURAL ATTIC The whole of India is just bursting at its seams with culture. Delhi is no different. From folk dance and music to traditional and modern theatre, the art scene is buzzing with amazing talent. On most Thursdays and Fridays, I visit Nizamuddin village to hear the soul searching and deeply spiritual qawwalis at the dargahs (Sufi shrines) of Nizamuddin village. India’s cultural elite often meet at Delhi where writers, publishers, artists and the ‘in-

LEFT: The famous paratha street in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi is known for serving numerous varities of stuffed paratha (flaky bread).

BELOW, LEFT: Kite festival with India Gate as the backdrop.

ORIGINS OF THE NAME The name of the city has many possible origins. The most accepted notion is that the city was built by Dhillu, a king from the Mauryan dynasty who is said to have built the city in 50 BC. Some say the city got its name from the Hindi word dehleez or dehali, which means threshold, a reference to the symbolic location of the city as the gateway to the Gangetic plain. A third suggestion hints that the coin in circulation in the area during the rule of the Rajput was named dehliwal.

GO SEE THESE! • PHOOL MANDI (Flower Market) Baba Kharak Singh Marg, opposite Hanuman Temple, Connaught Place. Opens at 4 o’clock daily.

• LODHI GARDEN Located beside India International Center, between Khan Market and Safdarjung's Tomb on Lodi Road • RED FORT Near Netaji Subhash Marg Metro Station Open: Tue-Sun; Closed on Monday.

• JAMA MASJID Opposite Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi. Open daily.

• MEHRAULI ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK Located in Mehrauli, close to Gurgaon, beside Vasant Kunj.

crowd’ get together at India International Centre and the India Habitat Centre, while lovers of prose gather at Delhi Poetree concert, a poetry enthusiasts’ group run by legendary poet Amit Dahiyabadshah. The busy calendar of festivals, exhibitions, performances and concerts simply keeps the cultural abundance of Delhi buoyant and ever flourishing.

You can never explain India in a sentence or explore its cities in a day. Similarly, Delhi would take a tome of hundreds of pages to fully understand and appreciate. It’s busy, it’s overcrowded and it’s hurtling into modernisation and yet, there is still so much of Delhi that is enduring and endearing. Having lived here for years now, I am still not done with Delhi.

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Delhi four times a week from Kuala Lumpur and daily from Bangkok until March 22, 2012. Delhi is easly accessible from Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Kochi in India. Go to www.airasia.com for details.

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• CHANDNI CHOWK Old Delhi, near the Red Fort and Jama Masjid.

• HUMAYUN TOMB Nizamuddin East, near Nizamuddin train station, off Mathura Road. Open daily.

• QUTAB MINAR Mehrauli, south New Delhi. Open daily.

• GARDEN OF FIVE SENSES Said-ul-ajab village, M.B. Road, close to the Mehrauli heritage area in New Delhi.

• BAHAI (LOTUS) TEMPLE Near Nehru Place, south New Delhi. Open daily from 9.00 am until sunset.

• INDIA GATE Rajpath, near Connaught Place, New Delhi.

• TUGHLAQABAD FORT on Tughlaqabad Institutional Area, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road

03 12 PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE 2011 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

PARACHUTES FOR PLANES?

IMAGE: INMAGINE

You have heard of parachutes for people but can an aircraft also be equipped with such a device to avoid serious mishaps in case of emergencies?

Capt. Lim Khoy Hing explains the possibilities.

Life isn’t like in the movies where if James Bond was in a distressed aircraft, he would strap on a parachute and jump out of the plane with great ease. People like you and I would have trouble figuring out how to strap it on and use a parachute in the first place, let alone work out how to land safely! This, we discussed in a previous issue of Travel 3Sixtyº.

In this issue, another reader wanted to know whether mega parachutes can be used to save planes from falling from the sky during an emergency. His email 92

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read: “I am a frequent flyer on long and short haul flights. I admit I have never been totally relaxed throughout the flight, regardless of how smooth it was.

I have also been concerned about issues that may occur during flying.

I have a question which may sound silly: Is there any research being made to develop mega parachutes that can be attached to a plane like huge balloons that will allow the aircraft to land in case of total engine failures?”

CIRRUS AIRFRAME PARACHUTE SYSTEM Interestingly, the concept of fitting parachutes on planes has so far been fairly successful in small planes only. The device is known as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). What this system does is, when a plane’s engine quits mid flight, all the pilot has to do is pull a red, T-shaped handle in the cockpit, which will deploy a parachute within seconds. This will then bring the aircraft to the ground safely. The force of impact

The most technologically advanced parachute at present can only withstand up to around 4,000 pounds. The CAPS is currently being used in small planes weighing up to 2,000 pounds and at a cruise speed of 175 miles per hour only. The latest Boeing 787 or Airbus A380 that weighs anything from half to over a million pounds would face many obstacles. Aviation experts question whether parachutes can ever be attached to such planes as their speeds and weight would not be practical at all for such equipment.

IMAGE: CORBIS

SPLITTING CABINS

ABOVE: The X-38, a concept for an emergency crew return vehicle for the International Space Station, descends under a steerable parafoil to the desert floor of Dryden Flight Research Center after its first flight.

when using this parachute is like falling from a height of about 10 feet only.

This system was successfully used in 2002 when a pilot was gently dropped onto the ground in Texas, USA. It was the first time in aviation history that such a parachute had saved a life in an air crash. Unfortunately, in the following months, a major setback cropped up when the manufacturer of CAPS was sued by two families over the failure of the parachute to deploy in another air crash.

PARACHUTES FOR BIGGER PLANES Despite the shortcomings of the abovementioned case, research is already in place to develop similar 94

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solutions for bigger commercial airliners. At first, it does seem a little impractical to implement this idea but after one Air France Airbus A330 episode that saw it dropping to around 10,000 feet per minute and, crashing from 38,000 feet, it does appear that the time is ripe for the aviation industry to take a serious look at what initially seemed like a preposterous idea.

To implement this, the biggest challenge is to develop a parachute strong enough to be used on bigger and faster planes. NASA has been using such a parachute for spacecraft, but space capsules cater only for a few astronauts at a time while an aircraft will have hundreds of passengers.

Nevertheless, some have suggested that rather than having one huge parachute, the plane be divided into smaller areas with mega parachutes for each section. Such an aircraft would have a body with a few capsules located between the cockpit and the tail. The capsule will house passenger seating area and will come equipped with the ability to detach itself from the fuselage.

One or more mega parachutes will be connected to each compartment for use during an in-flight emergency.

ULTIMATE SOLUTIONS The solutions are available but are not being implemented due to the huge cost of constructing the parachutes, as well as such planes. This idea may seem fanciful, but it could indeed save the lives of passengers and crew if indeed the system is perfected.

Almost two years ago, Air France Flight 447 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris was trapped in a severe thunderstorm.

This happened because the radar setting was improperly tilted,

resulting in the inability to spot an intense weather activity ahead of the plane. As a result, the aircraft’s pitot tubes were iced up and blocked. This led to unreliable readings of the plane’s airspeed. The plane stalled and this problem was further confounded by the mishandling of the stall recovery process by the relief pilot. The captain who was resting at the back of the plane was urgently recalled to

AIRLINE HUMOUR

Here is a little joke from the Internet.

the cockpit to help. However, it was to late. Had such a parachute system been in place, the Air France Flight 447 mishap with 228 people on board could have been avoided.

Moving on from this incident, all defective pitot tubes have been replaced on A330s and the airline industry has embarked on improving the pilot training programmes for safer flying.

“A slightly drunken lady gets on a plane and goes up to First Class. The flight attendant tells her that she is in the wrong section, as her ticket is not for that section.

She replies, “I’m smart, I’m beautiful and I’m going to California”, and refuses to budge.

The senior flight attendant is brought in and explains that the passenger will have to move.

Again she repeats, “I’m smart, I’m beautiful, and I’m going to California!”

The senior flight attendant tells the pilot about the passenger. He comes in and looks the situation over. He leans over and whispers something to the lady. The lady gets up immediately and moves out of First Class.

The attendants are flabbergasted, “What did you say to her?”

“I just told her that this section of the plane doesn’t go to California.”

Captain Lim Khoy Hing is a former AirAsia Airbus A320 and AirAsia X A330/A340 pilot who also used to fly the Boeing 777. He has logged a total of more than 25,500 flying hours and is now a Flight Simulator Instructor with Air Asia X. In his spare time, he shares his opinion on aviation issues with others. For more air travel and aviation stories, check out his website, ‘Just About Flying’ at www.askcaptainlim.com.

03 TRAVEL LOG 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FOOTSIE

On a recent trip to Myanmar with AirAsia, Matt Colautti tried his hand... or rather legs at a unique kind of boat rowing at Inle Lake.

RIGHT: Watching the sun set over Inle Lake is one of the highlights of a trip to Myanmar.

BELOW: Matt Colautti attempts the difficult foot-paddling technique.

Before entering the canoe I considered what a fall into the water would cost me. My pants would dry eventually. The camera in my pocket would be a write-off and my passport would be soaked beyond ruin. Worst of all, the small bag holding all those crisp US dollar bills needed for travel to Myanmar would be lost. I decided that I couldn’t allow myself to fall.

Getting into the canoe, everything seemed steady enough. I took a cautious step toward the back of the boat. Suddenly, the wooden bottom under me started rocking violently, as if a sea creature was attacking. I threw myself onto the deck and waited for the boat to stabilise. Slowly, after a few minutes, I slid bum-first to the back of the boat, all the while wondering how the villagers of Myanmar’s Inle Lake made this look so effortless.

“You can swim?” asked my boat renter, Myathon, as he looked on with amusement while passing a paddle to me. I mumbled an 98

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affirmative grunt and tried to look like I knew what I was doing. He pushed the boat from the dock and I started paddling out to the canals.

The goal to any visit to Myanmar’s world famous Inle Lake is to experience life that is intrinsically related to water. Villagers tended to enormous floating gardens pegged together with bamboo poles, houses on stilts lined canals, instead of roads, and golden pagodas reflected majestically on the deep blue waters.

But the most unique sight was the foot-rowing practised by the Intha people, a strange balancing act that allowed the fishermen to row with their legs while laying traps with their hands. Taking a break from the normal motorboat tours available to tourists, I decided to brave the waters on my own in one of the lake’s ubiquitous canoes.

My confidence improved while I sat at the back of the boat, paddling merrily under the cloudless sky. I passed under a decrepit

RIGHT: The Intha people learn their unique foot-paddling technique at a young age.

BELOW, RIGHT: The villages in the Inle region have canals instead of roads.

wooden footbridge and entered the village of Nanthe. Women washing clothes by the water’s edge waved and shouted “Mengala-ba” (Myanmarese for ‘hello’). I passed a waterfront monastery, where I saw red-robed young novices too engrossed flying kites to notice me.

A devoutly Buddhist nation, religion holds an important place in Myanmar. Almost every man and woman spends some time as a monk or nun at least once in their lifetime while growing up. Golden pagodas pepper the landscape in Myanmar, offering a glimpse into this deeply religious nation. On my short canoe ride, I passed at least a dozen temples.

Outside of the village of Nanthe, I canoed into a watery grove surrounded by a thick forest. In the centre was a simple wooden building on stilts. This was a nat shrine, inhabited by ancient spirits that are another interesting aspect of Myanmarese belief. These spirits have the power to bring prosperity or destruction, and there are many festivals and offerings made to appease them.

There was a noise behind me. Another canoe, packed with three people and boxes of vegetables, rowed past me. What looked like the youngest son, stood up, wrapped his leg around the paddle and expertly began to foot-paddle. I decided to follow suit and see if I could do what the little boy was doing.

At the next food bridge, I stopped the boat and grabbed one of the foundations. Standing up carefully, I inched to the edge of the boat.

My balance was precarious. It only got worse as I raised one leg and wrapped it around the paddle. People on the shore were rolling in laughter at the sight of my attempted foot-row.

I tried a few more modest movements, and then quickly retreated to my seat to row by hand, conceding defeat.

Myathon was waiting for me with tea and snacks when I returned to shore. I wasted no time asking him if he ever fell into the water while learning to foot-row. “Oh yes. Many times,” he said. I considered myself lucky.

He patted me on the back and I gazed out at the watery maze I had come out from. An afternoon canoeing by yourself on Inle Lake may not make you a certified Intha, but it was a rewarding up-close look into Myanmarese life. Just don’t fall in.

Got an interesting tale to share from your travels with AirAsia? Email it to us at travel3sixty@airasia.com along with your story (around 800 words) and images (high res minimum1MB in size and fully captioned).

Published submissions will receive a RM250 voucher courtesy of Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel. Travel 3Sixty˚ reserves the right to edit the article for clarity and length or change the value of the prize to another gift of similar value. Prize voucher cannot be exchanged for cash and the Editorial’s decision is final. Entries must include name, address, e-mail address and telephone number.

Take time out to treat your loved ones to a memorable dining experience at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, renowned for its delicious, value-for-money dining experience that is made even more special with true Malaysian hospitality.

Savour Asian fusion buffets with a touch of Malaysian flavours at Temptations, dine on the freshest sashimi and sushi in town at Sagano, or enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine with the most succulent Peking Duck and BBQ dishes at Dynasty. After a scrumptious meal, simply book yourself into a modern contemporary LifeStyle room to enjoy the pleasures of life.

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03 OFF THE RACK 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

A SPRIGHTLY SPRING Candy pop colours, whimsical designs and lighter fabrics herald the coming of spring this year. Our style hot list helps you stay fashionable and in tune with the season.

CARRY ALL Roomy and sleek, the Boulevard tote from Tumi’s Spring/Summer collection is a great accessory to have while travelling. These top-handle leather totes are available in the season’s colours of carrot, ivory, quartz and navy. www.tumi.com

SOLE INSPIRATION Strut in bejewelled heel, or glide like a goddess in Grecian-inspired strappy sandals in this funky and chic Spring/Summer footwear collection from Giuseppe Zanotti. To give your feet a break, slip into the range’s cool sneakers with studs and animal-print detailing. www.giuseppezanottidesign.com

FREE SPIRITED

WORDS: CHITRA S

The latest range of footwear

by Charles & Keith combines vintage designs with current trends. Slip on towering heels in neon hues of lemon yellow and shocking green for a pop of vibrant colour, or opt for understated elegance with platform wedges in earthy tones of brown, tan and maroon. Bags and accessories echo the colour palette. www.charleskeith.com

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EASTERN MYSTIC With its clever use of Eastern-inspired patterns, geometric designs and luxe fabrics, Canali infuses the classic Italian suit with mod charm. Elaborate embroidery lends the line’s Nawab awab jackets an air of sophistication while fuchsia, pink, turquoise e and cornflower blue signal the changing seasons. www.canali.it

LACE IT UP Treat yourself to beautifully handcrafted lace garments by Uluwatu, a Balinese brand that offers a range of dresses, tops, skirts, pants and nightwear for women. The line also includes accessories like hair ties, belts and scarves, as well as luxurious table and bed linens. www.uluwatu.co.id

CHINESE CHIC Classic whites, greys and blues dominate ate Shanghai Tang’s latest menswear collection – from its jackets to padded leather vests and washed cotton shirts. Contrasting colours and fine detailing such as buttonhole stitching and breast pocket linings that transform into handkerchiefs add to the collection’s contemporary feel. www.shanghaitang.com

VA-VA-VIVIENNE Embrace your curves with Neubodi’s Vivienne bras designed for the wellendowed woman. Its reinforced side panels and underwired cups provide comfort and support for fuller bust lines.

Available in classic black or chic purple from cup sizes E to G. www.neubodi.com TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

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03 VANITY FARE 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

FLORAL TRIBUTES

Nothing says spring like flowers in full bloom, the inspiration for our make-up, skincare and fragrance picks this month.

PAINT THE TOWN RED Inspired by carefree nights sipping cocktails in New York, Sexy Graffiti by Escada is a fresh and fruity fragrance for the young and young at heart. This scent has top notes of wild strawberry, heart notes of red peony, lily of the valley and violet, and a base of vanilla and musk. www.escada.com

WORDS: CHITRA S

NATURAL BEAUTY

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Accentuate your natural beauty with just the slightest hint of make-up using M.A.C’s Naturally range. This collection is perfect with its wholesome and sexy tones of rosy pinks and warm peaches.

Highlights include the light pink Fresh Air lipglass and Mineralize Skinfinish in Redhead. www.maccosmetics.com

TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

BABE-FRIENDLY The Organic Mom & Baby range from Melvita is a collection of mild and gentle baby-friendly products made with organic plant ingredients. Star picks include the Shower Shampoo, a combination of linden and lemon balm floral water and the Massage Oil, which contains sunflower and calendula oils. www.melvita.com

ROSY ACCENT LA VIE EN ROSE Organic virgin rose muscat oil and Symcalmin – an antiinflammatory – are among the ingredients in Dr Sebagh’s Rose de Vie, a serum for mature or very sensitive skin. Non-greasy and non-comedogenic, the serum also restores skin’s suppleness and elasticity. www.drsebagh.com

From Diptyque’s Floral scented waters range comes Eau Rose, a new fragrance that is all about the rose. Fresh and sensual heart notes of centifolia rose blends perfectly with base notes of musk, cedar and honey with top notes of bergamot, blackcurrant and lychee. The collection includes eau de toilette and roll-ons. www.diptyqueparis.com

TENDER LOVING CARE The Rose Hair & Scalp Moisturising Masque by Aesop is a weekly hair treatment for tresses in need of a little TLC. Its unique blend of proteins and botanicals, which includes rose petal, grapefruit seed and lavender stem will leave hair feeling soft and lustrous. www.aesop.com

SPRING PALETTE Soft and romantic colours take centre stage at Laura Mercier this season. Must-haves include Naked Apricot and Tempting Coral Lip Shine for ultrafeminine lips, and neutral brown and taupe grey shadows for alluring eyes. www.lauramercier.com TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

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03 12 JETSETTER 2011 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

DINO FERRARI

As a child, winner of the inaugural E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef, Dino Ferrari was glued to the TV, but not to cartoons like most kids his age. Instead, the charming chef spent hours watching cooking programmes, picking up skills that now stand him in good stead. He shares with Travel 3Sixty° his inspiration and what cooking ‘Dino-style’ is all about. me enrol in a culinary school. The deal came with a condition – I had to attend hotel and restaurant management school as well.

So, I applied to Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland but that still wasn’t what I really wanted to do. All I wanted was to cook! I worked part time for catering events, took on any side jobs in the kitchen, and thus developed my love for cooking and entertaining. When I returned to Philippines, I worked for Chef Cyrille Soenen, one of the best French chefs in the country and I used to cater for my parents’ and friends’ parties on the side.

I got so many return calls, I began cooking for small groups of people as a private chef, which I’ve been doing ever since.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS TO COOK WITH AND WHY?

COMPILED BY: CHITRA S IMAGES: COURTESY OF AFC

ABOVE: Chef Dino at one of his many public appearences after winning the E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef.

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WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO COOK? Growing up, I watched cooking shows instead of cartoons. Every summer, my older sisters who returned from college, and my sister who studied hotel and restaurant management in Switzerland, taught me to fold napkins, make crème brûlée and pastries, which inspired me to try my hand at cooking. My true inspiration to cook came while I was in college in the United States. In the dorm room, armed only with a rice cooker (every Asian student had one) and a microwave oven, I would cook up my favourite Filipino dishes for

friends and dorm mates.

DESCRIBE YOUR COOKING STYLE. I call it ‘Dino-style’, fun and simple, yet entertaining and impressive. My cooking philosophy focuses on clean flavours and comfort food. At the end of the day, we’re all looking for a home-cooked meal. And I try to spice it up –Dino-style!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY THUS FAR AS A CHEF. I attended business school in California and it took me three years to persuade my dad to let

BUTTER! The more, the better!

And garlic, which just has to be in everything. I also like duck, which is so flavourful and versatile.

And true to my Filipino heritage, I can’t say no to vinegar, be it white or balsamic. They are great flavour enhancers.

YOUR FAVOURITE GUILTY PLEASURE WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD IS...

Instant noodles! I know it’s not the healthiest, but it’s my guilty pleasure. As chefs, we work late, and instant noodles are just perfect for a quick meal. Put it into a pot with boiling water, and add anything you like, meat or vegetables, and top it off with an egg.

I will be working with the E&O Group as Creative Director of their Hospitality and Lifestyle Division.

I will be following food trends and designing permanent, seasonal and special menus. I’m looking forward to this very much! I read food blogs all day long, and researching food is what I love to do in my spare time. I also have a contract with the Asian Food Channel (AFC) as a Celebrity Chef, and I will be travelling and expanding my knowledge of different cuisines, which will be shared with viewers when my show airs in the coming year.

Besides that, I’ll be working on my very first cookbook, featuring all my favourite easy-to-whip-up dishes.

WHAT WAS THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED ON THE SHOW?

TOP: Dino with other celebrity chefs and guests from the Asian Food Channel.

ABOVE: Dino’s boyish charm endears him quickly to fans and foodies

YOU ARE OF FILIPINO AND SWISS PARENTAGE. HAVE YOU TRIED MIXING THESE TWO CUISINES? I haven’t had much practice mixing both cuisines, but I do give Filipino dishes my own twist.

For instance, I’d make classic Filipino Adobo, with balsamic vinegar instead of white, and

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bake the dish in the oven instead of stewing it. Swiss cuisine has a lot of meat and potatoes which I love, but sometimes, I’d substitute the potatoes for rice by making a pilaf or a risotto.

HAVING WON THE INAUGURAL E&O SEARCH FOR AFC’S NEXT CELEBRITY CHEF, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

Personally, the toughest challenge was the Private Dinner for two, during Episode 7. With only three hours to cook five dishes, working in the tiniest of kitchens, and with no clue what ingredients were at my disposal, I was sweating bullets! Normally, guests at a private dinner would be served the same course, but this challenge required me to come up with FIVE dishes. Two different appetisers, and two different mains. Luckily, I managed to convince my guests to have the same dessert!

HOW DO YOU INTEND TO WOW DINERS WITH YOUR CULINARY EXPERTISE AS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF E&O’S HOSPITALITY AND LIFESTYLE DIVISION? My style is to keep things simple with clean flavours and the best and freshest of ingredients.

I‘m also open to new cooking methods, and mixing classic techniques with new ones such as molecular cuisine will be my way of wowing the guests. Classic food stands the test of time, and I want to mix and match familiar cuisine with a little surprise! You will have to come and visit me to find out exactly what!

WHEN NOT WHIPPING UP MEALS, WHAT DO YOU DO TO CHILL OUT? I try to spend as much time with my girlfriend of almost two years, cooking something special for her. When I’m not with her, I enjoy playing tennis (Dino was an international tennis junior), futsal and reading food blogs.

IF YOU COULD TAKE ON ANY CELEBRITY CHEF IN A COOK-OFF, WHO WOULD

YOU CHOOSE FOR THE CHALLENGE AND WHAT WOULD YOU SERVE? I would take on Chef Bruce Lim, we are both classically Frenchtrained Filipino chefs. I think it would make for a very interesting battle. I would serve my favourite eggplant salad with bell peppers, tomatoes and salted eggs with a Filipino dressing, and my roasted chicken Adobo, with rice pilaf cooked with duck fat, and a braised beef tapas. And for dessert, I would make leche flan, our version of milk custard, infused with coconut! Delish!

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO ASPIRING CHEFS? Stay true to who you are, take a chance and do it with passion – food always tastes better that way.

03 KIDS SPACE 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

MARCH ON FOR FUN

There’s a lot of fun opportunities to be had this month and Travel 3Sixty° offers you some of the region’s most exciting activities. Be it a musical, a trip to a theme park or becoming an adventurous SkyRider, you are bound to be delighted with our picks.

What is SkyRiders Club?

At AirAsia, we believe flying should be fun and enjoyable for our young guests too. Thus, the club was created for guests aged between two and 16 years, and offers loads of fun activities, rewards, benefits and giveaways for tots to teens.

• Be a SkyRiders Club Member now for only RM30!**

Join the SkyRiders Club and receive a personalised Welcome Member’s Kit with an exclusive SkyRiders passport and merchandise*. Newbies will enjoy special privileges from AirAsia and its partners, plus a chance to win the grand prize of a mystery travel package!

• Each membership gift pack contains a SkyRiders Passport, sticker, badge, TuneTalk + SkyRiders co-brand SIM pack and SkyRiders lanyard.

Register now at http://skyriders.airasia.com for the latest updates, or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ SkyRidersClub and Twitter at twitter.com/SkyRidersClub. *Shipping and postage charges apply **For a limited time only (T&C apply)

ENTER THE DRAGON Browse through a collection of 300 stamps emblazoned with dragon images, explore a dragon’s lair and find out more about these mythical creatures at the Singapore Philatelic Museum’s Imagine Dragons exhibition. The interactive displays are specially designed for young children aged between five and 10 years. The exhibition runs until December 2012. www.spm.org.sg

WORDS: CHITRA S

DISNEY ON ICE

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Featuring over 50 Disney characters, Disney on Ice’s Let’s Celebrate! tour will take you on a magical journey to exotic destinations.

Professional figure skaters in brilliant Disney costumes bring Brazil’s Carnivale, Chinese New Year and Japan’s Cherry Blossom festival to life on stage through classic and contemporary Disney songs and an original storyline. Showing at Penang International Sports Arena from March 9 to 11. www.ticketpro.com.my TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

IMAGE: SINGAPORE PHILATELIC MUSEUM COLLECTION

EARN YOUR WINGS

CHILD’S PLAY Follow the adventures of Cha, Siu and Bao, the Three Little Pigs, in an endearing tale that will huff, puff and blow you away! The Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Little Company will stage an updated version of this classic fairy tale at the DBS Arts Centre.

Adapted for the stage by awardwinning writers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, this play teaches little ones the value of hard work and perseverance through a heart-warming storyline that will leave kids and adults howling with laughter. From March 1 to April 15. www.srt.com.sg

RANGER POWER The Junior Ranger programme at Lost World Tambun is just the thing for kids who love nature and adventure. Learn all about the animals at the park’s petting zoo, pan for tin at the Tin Valley and earn badges for your new-found knowledge. Sign up and receive your very own Junior Ranger uniform as well as unlimited entry to Lost World Petting Zoo (within the membership period). www.lostworldoftambun.com

03 PLANE FUN 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

RIDDLES 1. What am I? I mean ‘slow to get moving’. My first half is a garden pest and my last half rhymes with a satellite bowl.

2. What am I? A little can be dangerous; a lot can lead to wisdom. Be careful you don’t fall off my last five letters.

QUICK QUIZ 1. What is the main ingredient of guacamole?

2. Arrivederci means goodbye in which language?

3. Which creature features on the label of a Bacardi rum bottle?

4. What type of professional performs root canals?

5

Benelux is an economic union in Europe that consists of which three countries?

3. Can you work these out?

26 L of the A 12 M in a Y 7 W of the W 90 D in a RA 4. Unravel these actors’ names i. MONKS HAT ii. EYE CUP RAG iii. SCOWLER RULES iv. WIN VAGUE HOG

6. What is the only English anagram of the word ‘continued’?

7. 'You may say I'm a dreamer' is a line from which classic song?

8. What would you do with a glockenspiel: play, eat or wear it?

9. Which year follows 1 BC in a Western calendar?

10. What crop is grown by viticulturists?

PLAY ON WORDS 1

2

2 7 8 5 4 6 3 1 9

5 4 9 1 3 2 6 7 8

6 3 1 8 7 9 4 5 2

8 6 3 9 5 7 1 2 4

4 9 2 6 8 1 5 3 7

1 5 7 4 2 3 9 8 6

3 1 4 2 9 8 7 6 5

7 2 5 3 6 4 8 9 1

9 8 6 7 1 5 2 4 3

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2

8

4 3 5 9 3 2 5 5 6 4 2 7 4 3 8 6 1 6 9 7 1 5 6 5 9 8 2 6 9 6 3

• QUICK QUIZ 1 Avocado 2 Italian 3 Bat 4 Dentist 5 Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg 6 Unnoticed 7 Imagine by John Lennon 8 Play it 9 AD 10 Grapes • RIDDLES 1 Sluggish 2 Knowledge 3 26 Letters of the Alphabet, 12 Months in a Year, 7 Wonders of the World, 90 Degrees in a Right Angle 4 i. Tom Hanks ii. Guy Pearce iii. Russell Crowe iv. Hugo Weaving • PLAY ON WORDS 1 Tie the knot 2 Cat among the pigeons 3 Smell a rat 4 Money talks

3

SUDOKU

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: • Each of the nine vertical columns • Each of the nine horizontal rows • Each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes Remember no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

PUZZLES ARE COURTESY OF LOVATTS CROSSWORDS & PUZZLES

03 PICTURE PERFECT 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

PIX OF THE MONTH

Just snapped a cool picture?

Send it to travel3sixty@ airasia.com with Snapshot in the subject line.

SECOND PRIZE WINS A 3D/2N stay in a Standard room* at Sky Hotel Bukit Bintang worth RM800 nett!

WINNER

Snow monk, Yunnan, China Khor Kheng Loon, Selangor, Malaysia.

BEST PICTURE WINS A 3D/2N stay in a Deluxe room at Grand Millenium Kuala Lumpur for 2 inclusive of breakfast worth RM1,977 nett!

Strategically located within Bukit Bintang, the heart of Kuala Lumpur's city centre, Sky Hotel is a modern boutique hotel offering luxurious comfort at affordable prices. Within minutes from Kuala Lumpur's major business, shopping and entertainment districts, Sky Hotel's convenient location caters to tourists, families and business travellers alike. All rooms come equipped with 32-inch LCD TVs with selected satellite TV channels, coffee & tea making facilities, mini refrigerator and other facilities. A seven-foot bed in the room will ensure you enjoy a comfortable night’s rest. * Room only Visit www.airasiago.com for attractive room deals at this hotel.

The awardwinning Grand Millenium Kuala Lumpur has 468 well-appointed guestrooms and four exceptional F&B options. Located in Bukit Bintang, in the CBD area of Kuala Lumpur, all guestrooms come equipped with modern facilities, deluxe amenities and 21 MBPS high-speed fibre-optic Internet connection. The exclusive Executive Floors welcome guests to the top floors of the hotel, offering complimentary breakfast and beverage services at the Club Lounge, local and international newspapers and more. For the health conscious, the hotel’s health club offers the latest in exercise equipment and a resort-style outdoor swimming pool.

Visit www.airasiago.com for attractive room deals at this hotel.

RUNNER-UP

Heunginjimun or the Great East Gate, Seoul.

Mohd Kamil Nurul Azman, South Korea.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Readers may submit images that are 300dpi and 1MB in size (minimum half A4 paper size) • Each entry must include name, address, phone number and caption • Readers must own the rights to the picture submitted • Judges’ decision is final • Entries are automatically disqualified if they do not meet our criteria. • Winner will be notified via e-mail when the prize is ready to be sent out.

• Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.

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03 GET COMFY 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

Joy of flying

Whether on a short or long-haul journey, flying can be a pleasant experience if you are well-prepared. Here are some steps to ensure you have a safe, smooth and comfortable flight.

h2o To The rescue

shoulDer lifTs

Knee lifTs

fooT pumps

Gently lift your right shoulder and lower the left one simultaneously. Repeat the movement five times by alternating both shoulders.

Lift knee up toward your chest and hold the position for 10 seconds. Gently lower knee and repeat with the other leg. Repeat the exercise as desired.

Keeping both heels on the floor, point feet upwards as high as you can. Return feet to earlier position.

Then, lift heels while keeping the balls of your feet on the floor.

Repeat the exercise as desired.

Keep yourself hydrated during your flight. Airplane cabins are extremely dry and dehydration can occur easily. Drink lots of water and continue drinking water once you reach your destination. Try to minimise consumption of alcohol or caffeine onboard; both are diuretics, which can further dehydrate.

beaT The lag

compiled by: chiTra s illustrations: Tim lai

To counter the effects of jetlag, get as much sleep as possible when flying west to east. When flying in the reverse direction, try and stay awake as much as you can.

The AirAsia Comfort Kit comes complete with eye shade, neck pillow and blanket to help you sleep. If you need to stay awake, the neck pillow allows you to get comfy while reading a book or listening to music.

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Deep Vein Thrombosis

To preVenT DVT

DVT can occur when a blood clot forms in the large veins of the legs or arms, partially or completely blocking blood circulation. Sitting still and moving very little during long flights may lead to the occurrence of DVT. If you are flying long-distance, ensure you perform in-flight exercises such as those listed here as a precaution against developing DVT. When possible and permissible, stretch your legs and walk along the aisle. Be aware of early symptoms such as pain or swelling in the legs, which can happen even after you disembark. Seek medical treatment immediately if this occurs.

Anti-DVT socks are on sale on board all AirAsia and AirAsia X flights. Also called compression socks, they help blood circulation. The socks come in Small (USA 3-6/Europe 35-39), Medium (USA 6-9/Europe 39-43) and Large (USA 9-12/Europe 43-47).

travel 3sixty˚

popping ears Changes in air pressure or altitude cause our ears to ‘pop’ and sometimes ache during take-offs and landings.

For a comfortable flying experience, suck on sweets or mimic the act of chewing and swallowing if you do not have any with you. This will relieve the discomfort and help stabilise the pressure in the ear canals. Pacifiers will work just as well for toddlers and, if you have a cold, use a nasal decongestant to clear your nasal passage and alleviate the ache.

03 Route Map • AirAsia Malaysia 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

WorlD’s Best loW-cost Airline 2009, 2010 & 2011 Tehran

IRAN

AirAsiA MAlAysiA DoMestic routes

Langkawi

Alor Setar

Penang

Kota Kinabalu

Kota Bharu Kuala Terengganu

Labuan

MALAYSIA

Miri

Kuala Lumpur

Bintulu Sibu

Johor Bahru

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Kuching

Sandakan Tawau

Beijing Tianjin Seoul

SOUTH KOREA Osaka

INDIA

Kolkata

MYANMAR

LAOS

Chiang Mai Yangon

Hanoi

Bangalore

Colombo

Bangkok

SRI LANKA

Taipei

TAIWAN

Haikou

Da Nang

Clark

Siem Reap

CAMBODIA

Phnom Penh

Tiruchirappalli Kochi

Guilin Guangzhou Shenzhen Macau Hong Kong

Vientiane

THAILAND

Chennai

Shanghai Hangzhou

CHINA

Chengdu

Tokyo

VIETNAM

PACIFIC OCEAN

PHILIPPINES

Ho Chi Minh

Phuket Krabi Hat Yai Langkawi Kota Kinabalu Bandar Aceh Penang BRUNEI Kuala MALAYSIA Medan Miri Lumpur Johor Bharu Kuching Pekanbaru SINGAPORE Padang Balikpapan Palembang

INDONESIA

Jakarta Bandung Surabaya Yogyakarta Solo Bali

Makassar

INDIAN OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

Gold Coast

Perth

Melbourne

Kuala Lumpur International Airport Kota Kinabalu International Airport Penang International Airport Kuching International Airport

SOUTHERN OCEAN

NEW ZEALAND Christchurch

travel 3sixtyËš

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03 Route Map • AirAsia Thailand 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

CHINA

INDIA

Guangzhou Macau

Kolkata

MYANMAR

Shenzhen Hong Kong

Hanoi

Ching Rai Chiang Mai Yangon

Udon Thani

THAILAND Bangkok

Chennai

Nakhon Phanom Ubon Ratchathani

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

Phnom Pehnh Ho Chi Minh Surat Thani Nakhon Si Thammarat Krabi Phuket Trang Hat Yai Narathiwat Penang

Colombo

Medan

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

INDIAN OCEAN

INDONESIA Jakarta

Surabaya Bali

Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok Phuket Int. Airport Chiang Mai Int. Airport International Route Domestic Route

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007_Mar_Expedia.pdf

03 Route Map • AirAsia Indonesia 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

PACIFIC OCEAN

THAILAND Bangkok

VIETNAM Ho Chi Minh Phuket Bandar Aceh Medan

Kota Kinabalu

Penang Kuala Lumpur

Pakanbaru

MALAYSIA SINGAPORE

Padang

Balikpapan

Palembang

INDONESIA

Makassar

Jakarta Semarang Bandung Surabaya Solo Yogyakarta Bali

Darwin

INDIAN OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

Perth

Soekarno Hatta Int. Airport, Jakarta Ngurah Rai Int. Airport, Bali Husein Sastranegara Int. Airport, Bandung Juanda Int. Airport, Surabaya Polonia Int. Airport, Medan International Route Domestic Route

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03 SaleS OfficeS & StatiOnS 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

cAMBoDiA PHNOM PENH Phnom Penh Airport Office, 17 Mezzanine Floor of Arrival Domestic Terminal, Phnom Penh Airport, Phnom Penh 179, Street Sisowath, Sangkat Phsar Kandal 1, Khan Daun Penh, 12204 Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.

cHinA MACAU Office 20, Mezzanine Level Passenger Terminal, Macau International Airport Taipa, Macau GUANG DONG Century Holiday International Travel Service (Shenzhen) Co.Ltd., XY-10 Junting Hotel, 3085 Eastern Road, Luo Hu, Shenzhen Century Holiday International Travel Service (Guang Zhou) Co Ltd., First Floor, No 8 Zhong Shan 3 Road, Guang Zhou Zhuhai Sun Star International Travel Agency Co Ltd., 1151, South of Yingbin Road, Zhuhai

inDonesiA BANDA ACEH Bandara Sultan Iskandar Muda, Blang Bintang, Aceh DENPASAR, BALI Bandara I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Terminal Keberangkatan International Bali 80361 Jl. Legian Kaja no. 455 Kuta, Bali BANDUNG Ruangan Nombor 34 Bandara Husein Sastranegara Jalan Pajajaran No 156 Bandung Jawa Barat Lobby Grand Serela Hotel Jl. L.L. R.E Martadinata (Riau) No 56 Telp. (022) 426 1636 JAKARTA Terminal 3 & Terminal 2D Departure Hall Airlines Offices Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Cengkareng, Jl. Boulevard Raya, Blok LA 4, No. 10 Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara Komp Rukan Dharmawangsa, Jl. Dharmawangsa VI No.43, Jakarta Selatan

Lindeteves Trade Center Building, Jl. Hayam Wuruk No.127, Lantai GF2 Blok RA 49, Jakarta Pusat

MAlAysiA

MAKASSAR

Tune Hotels.com Danga Bay, Lot PTB 22819, Jalan Skudai, Mukim Bandar, 80200 Johor Bahru

Departure Terminal, Sultan Hasanuddin, International Airport, Makassar, South Sulawesi Mall Panakukang, Carrefour Panakukang, 3rd Floor, Jl. Adyaksa Baru No.1, Makassar, South Sulawesi MANADO Sam Ratulangi International Airport Jalan A.A. Maramis, Manado 95374

JOHOR

GL 13 Senai International Airport 81250 Johor Bahru No. 26 Jalan Meriam, 84000 Muar, Johor No 7, Jalan Bestari 1/5, Taman Nusa Bestari, 79100, Bandar Nusajaya, Johor.

MEDAN

No 75, Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa, 80150, Johor Bharu, Johor

Bandara PoloniaTerminal Keberangkatan Internasional, Medan 20157 Sumatra

No 20, Jalan Raya, 81000, Kulaijaya, Johor.

Garuda Plaza Hotel, Jl. Sisingamangaraja, No.18 Medan-20213 PADANG Hotel Hangtuah, Jl. Pemuda no. 1 Padang, Sumatra Barat, 25117 PALEMBANG Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport Palembang, South Sumatra PEKANBARU Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport, Jalan Perhubungan Udara Simpang Tiga, Pekanbaru, Sumatra SEMARANG Carrefour DP (Duta Pertiwi) MALL, Jl. Pemuda No. 150, 1st Floor, Semarang 50132 Komplek Pertokoan Simpang Lima, Blok C No. 1 SOLO Adi Soemarmo International Airport, Solo, Central Java SURABAYA Lobby International Terminal Juanda International Airport Jalan Raya Juanda Surabaya Jawa Timur Grand Circle Tunjungan Plaza 3 Lantai 1, (Lobby Condominium Regency), Jln. Basuki Rahmat 8-12, Surabaya YOGYAKARTA Adisutjipto International Airport Jln. Solo km.9, Yogyakarta, 55282 Melia Purosani Hotel, Jl Suryotomo No.31, Yogyakarta

No 97, Jalan Rahmat, 83000, Batu Pahat, Johor GK 01, Ground Floor, Kluang Mall, Jalan Rambutan, Bandar Kluang, 86000 Kluang, Johor.

No 21,Jalan Dedap 21, Taman Johor Jaya, 81100, Johor Bharu

TERENGGANU Level 1, Terminal Building, Sultan Mahmud Airport, 21300 Kuala Terengganu LABUAN Level 1, Labuan Airport Terminal 87008 Wilayah Persekutuan MELAKA No 32, Jalan Melaka Raya 23, Taman Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka PENANG Penang International Airport 11900 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang Ground Floor, Kim Mansion 332, Chulia Street, 10200 Penang No 723 L-G, Jln Sungai Dua 11700 Pulau Pinang SABAH Lot 1 & 2, 1st Floor, Terminal Building, Sandakan Airport, 90719 Sandakan

KEDAH

FL4, 1st Floor, Tawau Airport Building, Jalan Apas-Balung, 91100 Tawau

Lot 20, Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Halim, 06200 Kepala Batas, Alor Star

TB228, Lot 5, Ground Floor, Istana Monaco, Jalan Bunga, Fajar Complex 91000 Tawau

Langkawi International Airport 07100 Padang Mat Sirat, Langkawi

Lot G24, Ground Floor, Wisma Sabah, Jln. Tun Razak, 88000, Kota Kinabalu

No. 68-B Ground Floor, Jalan Ibrahim, 08000 Sungai Petani, Kedah Darul Aman KUALA LUMPUR Lot 4, Level 2, Stesen Sentral Kuala Lumpur, 50470 Lot G027B, Ground Floor, Podium Block, Plaza Berjaya,12 Jalan Imbi,55100 Kuala Lumpur No. 63, Ground Floor, Medan Bunus Off Jalan Masjid India, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.

TGround Floor, Terminal 2 Kota Kinabalu Int. Airport, Old Airport Road,Tanjung Aru 88100, Kota Kinabalu SARAWAK Lot GL.14, Public Concourse Terminal Building, Bintulu Airport 97000 Bintulu Ground Floor, Miri Airport, 98000 Miri Lot 946, Jalan Parry, 98000 Miri

No 71 Jalan Metro Perdana Barat 1 Taman Usahawan Kepong 52100 Kuala Lumpur

Ho Ho Lim, Ground Floor, 291 Sublot 4, Jalan Abell, 93100 Kuching

No. 4 Jalan 3/116B, Kuchai Lama Entrepreneur Park, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 582000 Kuala Lumpur.

Departure Level, Kuching International Airport, 93756 Kuching

No. 1, Jalan PJS 3/48, Taman Sri Manja, 46000 Petaling Jaya.

KELANTAN Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra, 16100 Pengkalan Chepa Kota Bharu 3183G, Jalan Sultan Ibrahim (Opp. KB Mall), 15050 Kota Bharu.

Wisma Ho Ho Lim, Ground Floor No. 291, Sub Lot 4, Jalan Abell 93100 Kuching 1st Floor, Main Terminal Building, Sibu Airport, 96000 Sibu Ground Floor, No. 36 Jalan Keranji, 96000 Sibu Grd Flr, Lot 4034, Jln Tun Ahmad Zaidi, Parkcity Commercial Sq, Phase 5, 97000 Bintulu

Ground Floor, 192H Al-Idrus Commercial Centre, Jalan Satok, 93400 Kuching SL11 Ground Floor, Lot 2541 Lee Ling Heights Phase 2, Mile 6.5 Jalan Penrissen, P.O. Box 2044, 93250 Kuching Lot 6813, Ground Floor Synergy Square, (Matang Jaya Commercial Centre), Jalan Matang Jaya, 93050 Kuching SELANGOR Ground Floor, Terminal 3, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport 47200 Subang, Selangor Jalan KLIA S3, Southern Support Zone, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, 64000 Sepang, Selangor Lot-35 Mydin Mall USJ 1 B-G-3A, IOI Boulevard, Jalan Kenari 5, Bandar Puchong Jaya 47170 Puchong Selangor Lot S141, 2nd Floor, Plaza Metro Kajang, Section 7, Jalan Tun Abdul Aziz, 43000 Kajang No 1 (667-C), Wisma Y S Tan Lorong Kepayang, 41300 Klang No 1, Jln PJS 3/48, Taman Sri Manja, 46000 Petaling Jaya

MyAnMAr YANGON Yangon International Airport Office Unit# 01-L, Parkroyal Yangon, Myanmar

PHiliPPines Diosdado Macapagal International Airport Clark Civil Aviation Complex Clark Freeport Zone, Philippines 2023

sinGAPore

NARATHIWAT

Row No:11, Departure level 2 Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1, Singapore 111 North Bridge Road #0136/37, Peninsula Plaza 179098,

sri lAnKA COLOMBO Setmil Aviation (Pvt) Ltd., Ground Floor, Setmil Maritime Centre, 256, Srimath Ramanathan Mawatha, Colombo 15, Sri Lanka

Narathiwat Airport 330 Moo 5 , Tambol Kok-Kian, Amphur Muang, Narathiwat 96000 PHUKET Phuket International Airport 312, 3rd Floor, Tumbol Maikao, Amphur Thalang, Phuket 83110 Unit 9, Laflora Patong Area, No. 39, 39/1, Thaveewong Rd., Patong, Kratoo, Phuket SURAT THANI

tHAilAnD

Surat Thani International Airport 73 Moo 3 Tambol Huatuey, Amphur Punpin, Suratthani

BANGKOK

UBON RATCHATHANI

Suvarnabhumi International Airport Room A1-062 Ground Floor, Concourse A, Bangna-Trad Road, Racha Teva, Bang Pli, Samutprakarn 10540

Ubon Ratchathani Airport 297 Ubon Ratchathani Airport, Thepyotee Road, Amphur Nai Muang, Ubon Ratchathani 34000

127 Tanao Road, Phra Nakorn, Bangkok 10200 CHIANG MAI SALES OFFICE Chiangmai International Airport 60, 1st Floor, Tambol Sutep, Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai 50200 416 Thaphae Road, Chiang Mai

UDON THANI Udon Thani International Airport 224 Moo 1, Tambol Makkhang, Amphur Muang, Udon Thani 41000

VietnAM HANOI

CHIANG RAI

Noibai International Airport Lobby A, 3rd Floor, Hanoi

Chiang Rai International Airport 2305/2 404 Moo 10, Tambol Bandu, Amphur Muang, Chiang Rai 57100

223, De Tham Pham Ngu Lao Ward District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

HAT YAI

No. 9, Hang Manh Str., Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi

Hat Yai International Airport 125 Hadyai International Airport, Moo 3 Klongla, Klonghoikong, Songkhla 90115

16, Nguyen Van Linh, Hai Chau District, Da Nang

KRABI 133 Moo 5 Petchkasem Road, Tambol Nuakrong, Amphur Nuakrong, Krabi 81130

Call Centre Numbers AustrAliA cHinA FrAnce inDiA inDonesiA JAPAn HonG KonG MAcAu MAlAysiA

1300 760 330 +86 20 2281 7666 +33(0)1 7048 0722 1860 500 8000 +62 21 2927 0999 0120 963 516 +852 3112 3222 0800912 600 85 9999 (Premium Customer Service line, chargeable at RM1.95 per minute.)

MyAnMAr neW ZeAlAnD PAris sinGAPore soutH KoreA tAiWAn tHAilAnD VietnAM tHe uK

+95 1 25 1885/1886 0800 45 25 66 +33170480722 +65 6307 7688 00798 1420 69940 008 0185 3031 +66 2 515 9999 +84 8 3838 9811/ 9812 0845 605 3333

03 TOUCHDOWN 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA Gateway to the magnificent Angkor Wat, with a laidback café culture and a happening nightlife scene, Siem Reap is once again the place to be seen in Southeast Asia.

MUST DO • Explore Angkor Wat – one of the most renowned temple complexes in the world.

• Enjoy an evening stroll along the Siem Reap River and dine alfresco in a back alley in the old French quarter near Pub Street, which is closed to traffic in the evenings.

• Shop for souvenirs like soaps and toiletries made from natural Cambodian products at the Old Market.

• Step out for a night on the town and party in the glitzy clubs along Pub Street.

• Visit the Landmine Museum, a reminder of Cambodia’s past, and do your bit to support victims of landmines.

Angkor Wat

Spend some time in this provincial capital with its quaint shops and shady tree-lined boulevards and you will know why this former French outpost was once a magnet for the rich and famous. Don’t be fooled by its rural location, Siem Reap is on the radar of the travel savvy and en route to reclaim its glitz and glamour.

just around the corner. Savour local food at Traditional Khmer, located in an alley off Pub Street, or get the best of both worlds at Tell Restaurant along Sivatha Road, which serves Khmer and other Asian specialities alongside German pork knuckle, schnitzel and Bavarian wheat beer.

SLEEP • Angkor Miracle Resort and Spa Siem Reap, National Road No. 6A, Khum Srornge • La Tradition D, Angkor Boutique Resort, 168, War Museum Road, Phum Kros, Sway Dangkum • Pacific Hotel & Spa Siem Reap, Road No 6, Kaksekam Village.

For attractive room rates at these hotels, visit www.airasiago.com

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Khmer cuisine may lack the fiery punch that is the hallmark of Thai fare, but the simplicity of Cambodian food is worth savouring. Rice and freshwater fish are staples in the Khmer diet as they are both easily available, and meals are usually accompanied with soup.

Prahok (fermented fish paste), recognisable by its salty tang, is an essential component of Cambodian cuisine. Sample traditional dishes like amok (coconut curry fish mousse) and num sang khya lpeou (pumpkin custard made with egg yolks, palm sugar and coconut milk) at Khmer restaurants or, immerse yourself in the fast-brewing café culture here. The French were once this city’s colonial masters, so a great cup of coffee (albeit one sweetened with condensed milk) and a baguette is always TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

IMAGE: INMAGINE

WORDS: CHITRA S

EAT

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Siem Reap daily from Kuala Lumpur. Go to www.airasia.com for flight details.

Pub Street

03 MY AIRASIA 2012 www.airasia.com/travel360

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH! Though terrified of heights, MAA Corporate Culture Executive, Yvonne Lady Diana John Brian Anthony, is an avid mountaineer. Since conquering Mt. Kinabalu in 2008, she’s been scaling peaks all over the region, proving that nothing is impossible.

WHY I CLIMB The outdoors is my life! Climbing makes me a better person. I appreciate my body’s capability to perform under extreme duress, and the people that I get to know during my expeditions enrich my life.

Climbing brings out the best and the worst in you. I calm my demons and am almost in a meditative state during my climbs.

When the clouds roll towards me and everything become misty, I just stand still. When that first ray of light touches my eyes or the last light leaves the sky at thousands of feet above sea level, I stop questioning my existence and appreciate the fact that I am part of something so beautiful.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES My greatest obstacle is MYSELF. When faced with extreme fatigue and bad weather, my mind and body start to argue. My mind curses and tells me to take up collecting stamps as a hobby! I face my fear of heights by ensuring I have a highly dependable climbing buddy who I can trust when he says “Hold on to me” or “Let go, I will catch you”.

COMPILED BY BEVERLY RODRIGUES IMAGE: ADAM LEE

ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

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The very first thing I do is look down at my feet and say “thank you”. I just feel grateful to be part of nature that gives all and expects nothing in return. It’s a very humbling experience. Others may say that reaching the top is the greatest achievement but for me, it’s returning to base camp in one piece.

DOING THE BIG G7 I scaled 7,110 feet-high Yong Yap and 7,156 feet-high Yong Belar last year. In 2012, I plan to graduate to the other G7 peaks (seven of TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚

Peninsula Malaysia’s highest peaks, all above 7,000 feet) starting with Mt Korbu and Mt Gayong, then Mt. Tahan, Mt Chamah and Mt Ulu Sepat.

I have Mt Kanlaon, Philippines in my 2012 plan!

MY FAVOURITE CLIMBS Climbing Mt Arjuna in Indonesia was an unforgettable experience.

I was caught in a mountain storm for seven hours without shelter or food, and little water! But, I’ll remember Indonesia’s Mt Rinjani for the rest of my life. Not only is it beautiful beyond description, it also erupted during my climb! That was my first volcanic eruption! I felt the tremors and was covered in ashes. The evacuation was quite an experience too.

MOUNTAINEERING TIPS Find an outdoor buddy that you can trust with your life, someone who will catch and hold on to you when needed, and be your eyes and ears at night, or your extended leg when you’re injured. A good buddy will be the first to offer you a drink when you’re out of water, and will never leave your side no matter what. Mountaineering is risky business. So, you better have complete faith in your buddy. With the right outdoor buddy, ain’t not mountain high enough!