March 2010

travel+leisure southeast asia

LHNMA>:LM :LB:

march 2010

Style& Design special

Style & Design Special • Buying Art • Krabi • Beijing • Seoul • Phnom Penh • Singapore • Las Vegas

SKY-HIGH DINING IN HONG KONG

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T+L Style Exclusive!

First look at Krabi’s hottest new resort

Bangkok Glam

Trendsetter tips that you’ll love

award-winning travel classics, from cars to cultural spaces

Beijing Rocks

Essential guide to the city’s music boom

Las Vegas

Where art and architecture are taking hold

* 20

march 2 010

Insider tips from top designers

Tra v e l a n d L e i s u r e A s i a . c o m Singapore SG$7.90 ● Hong Kong HK$43 Thailand THB175 ● Indonesia IDR50,000 Malaysia MYR17● Vietnam VND85,000 Macau MOP44 ● Philippines PHP240 Burma MMK35 ● Cambodia KHR22,000 Brunei BND7.90 ● Laos LAK52,000

Plus: Asia’s most excLusive deals

Privilege knows no boundaries.

Carried by the Global Elite, the world over.

By invitation only.

For expression of interest, please call Singapore: + (65) 6295 6293 Hong Kong: + (852) 2277 2233 Thailand: + (66) 2273 5445

EXCLUSIVELY FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS® PLATINUM CARDMEMBERS ENJOY SAVINGS OF UP TO S$800* PER PERSON ON CATHAY PACIFIC BUSINESS CLASS Cathay Pacific, together with sister airline Dragonair, connects you to more than 18 destinations in China. With 42 weekly direct flights to Hong Kong and onward to China, the airline puts you closer to the heart of China than any other. Fly with Cathay Pacific and enjoy world-class service and the warmth of Asian hospitality from the moment you board.

Cathay Cat hayy Pacifi hay Pacifi cifi fic and d itts sist sistter er air a lin linee, Dra Dragon ggon onnair air

With special Cathay Pacific Business Class fares starting from only S$2,180* per person to major cities in China, like Shanghai, Chengdu, Sanya, Xiamen and more, you and your companion can enjoy savings of more than S$800* per person from now until 31 December 2010.

In addition, you also get to enjoy a complimentary night’s stay* at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.

What’s more, as part of the Fine Hotels & Resorts programme, you can enjoy special privileges^ such as a one-category room upgrade, daily breakfast, 4pm late checkout and a special amenity such as a dinner for two, a signature massage and more. Below are some participating partners in key China cities:

BEIJING • Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing • The St. Regis Beijing • The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing • The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street • Raffles Beijing • The Peninsula Beijing GUANGZHOU • The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou SANYA • Mandarin Oriental, Sanya • The Ritz-Carlton, Sanya

SHANGHAI • Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai • Park Hyatt Shanghai • Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, Shanghai • The Peninsula Shanghai • The Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Shanghai • The PuLi Hotel and Spa • The St. Regis Shanghai SHENZHEN • The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen

Terms and Conditions * Savings derived are based on published airfares by Cathay Pacific which are subject to change and are accurate at time of print. Cathay Pacific China Business class airfare with one (1) free night’s stay at Island Shangri-la, Hong Kong promotion is valid with a minimum of 2 passengers travelling together and strictly for air tickets issued in Singapore. The airfare quoted is in Singapore dollars and excludes applicable airport taxes and surcharges. Reservations for Cathay Pacific special Business Class airfare packages must be made through The Platinum Card® Service and payment must be made with The Platinum Card® in the Cardmember’s name. Other terms and conditions apply. ^Hotel offers under Fine Hotels & Resorts programme must be made through The Platinum Card® Service and payment must be made with The Platinum Card® in the Cardmember’s name. Room upgrade at check-in is subject to availability. Limited to one (1) special programme amenity per room, per stay. Not combinable with corporate or group contracted rates. Participating partners and programme benefits are subject to change without prior notice. Programme valid for travel by 31 December 2010. Other terms and conditions apply.

C th Ca Cat thay hayy Paacific B Buusine ness ss Class cab caab bin i

Raffl Raf flees Beij fl eijijing ing ng

Th RitzThe z-Car Ca lton, n, She Shenzh nzhen en

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE EXCLUSIVE OFFERS OR TO MAKE A BOOKING, CALL THE PLATINUM CARD® SERVICE: SINGAPORE: +(65) 6392 1177 (option 1) HONG KONG: +(852) 2277 2233 THAILAND: +(66) 2 273 5599

(Destinations)03.10 Veneto 95 Las Vegas 134

Phnom Penh 103 Luang Prabang 89 Peru 126

Sydney 57

World Weather This Month -40oF -20oF -40oC

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Issue Index Siem Reap 62 Singapore 32, 36, 42, 116

Shanghai 34, 116 Tokyo 30

ASIA Beijing 36, 46, 116 India 142 Ningbo, China 40 Seoul 52, 116

AUSTRALIA Sydney 57

EUROPE France 30 Veneto 95 THE AMERICAS Las Vegas 134 New York 62 Peru 126

MIDDLE EAST Tel Aviv 110

Currency Converter Singapore Hong Kong Thailand Indonesia Malaysia Vietnam Macau Philippines Burma Cambodia Brunei Laos US ($1)

(SGD)

(HKD)

(BT)

(RP)

(RM)

(VND)

1.42

7.77

33.2

9,375

3.43

18,465

(MOP)

(P)

(MMK)

(KHR)

(BND)

(LAK)

8.00

46.4

6.41

4,160

1.42

8,478

Source: www.xe.com (exchange rates at press time).

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MA RC H 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

M A P BY E T H A N CO R N E L L

SOUTHEAST ASIA Bali 34, 62 Bangkok 32, 48, 62, 98, 116 Hong Kong 34, 36, 44, 116 Indonesia 36, 50 Kuala Lumpur 34, 116 Luang Prabang 89 Phnom Penh 103

T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M | V O L 0 4 | I S S U E 0 3

(Contents)03.10 >126 Peru’s Machu Picchu.

116 An Eye For Art Around Asia, new ways of interacting with the art community have sprung up in several cities taking on everything from traditional history to contemporary photography to, yes, action flicks.

These aren’t your stale galleries or musty museums anymore.

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126 Peruvian Odyssey Exploring the twisting wilds of the Amazon, the high-altitude waters of Titicaca and the mysteries of Machu Picchu, ANDREW SOLOMON revels in the sheer, exuberant abundance of Peru. Photographed

by ANDRE GUNTHER. GUIDES AND MAP 133 134 The New Vegas Cool With the opening of CityCenter, serious architecture and design—

M A RCH 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

not to mention a bit of real urban texture—have arrived amid the razzle-dazzle of Las Vegas.

By KARRIE JACOBS. Photographed by THOMAS LOOF. GUIDE 114 Special O 2010 Design Awards > 79 Design and architecture shape every facet of the travel experience, from hotels and museums to train stations, restaurants and luggage.

Here, the very best in 16 categories.

ANDRE GUNTHER

115-134 Features

ARrIVED TO SEe

PLANnING

THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

dePARTED

STILl TRYING

TO GET OVER ULuRU.

It’s true what they say: to find yourself sometimes you need to lose yourself.

In Australia they call this going ‘walkabout’.

And with Uluru’s magical presence, sacred history and spectacular natural colour show at sunrise and sunset, it’s no wonder people are finding themselves here every single day. Visit Australia.com to find out how you can go walkabout.

(Contents)03.10 12 Editor’s Note 16 Contributors 18 Letters 20 Best Deals 23 Strategies 142 My Favorite Place

> 42

29-52 Insider 30 Newsflash Apps to make your iPhone hum, designs on Tokyo, the latest travel gadgets and more.

36 On the Scene The latest Asian tastemakers.

40 Where to Go Next The port city of Ningbo is reclaiming its past. BY GARY BOWERMAN 42 Classics Singapore-style comfort food along Cambridge Road. BY EVELYN CHEN 44 Night Out It’s spring and Hong Kong has gone alfresco. BY LARA DAY 46 After Dark It’s only rock ‘n’ roll in Beijing.

BY MANUELA ZONINSEIN 10

48 Local Lore Midcentury furniture finds in Bangkok.

BY JENNIFER CHEN 50 Shopping Bandung’s vibrant indie design scene.

BY SARA SCHONHARDT 52 Drink A quirky café culture comes to Seoul.

BY NICOLAI HARTVIG

57-68 Stylish Traveler 57 Shopping Vintage finds and offbeat fashions in a corner of Sydney. BY HUI FANG 62 Spotlight T+L catches up with four up-and-coming jewelry makers who find inspiration through their travels in Asia and beyond.

66 Street Corner Bangkok’s young trendsetters reveal their fashion secrets and more.

BY WASINEE CHANTAKORN and MONSICHA HOONSUWAN 68 Fashion As temperatures soar, the Ritz-Carlton Phulay Bay in Thailand provides a pristine backdrop for a dramatic photo shoot. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NAT PRAKOBSANTISUK

> 57

Cover C Phulay Bay, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Thailand. Photographed

by Nat Prakobsantisuk. Model: Pitsini Tanviboon. Styling by Araya Indra. Make-up by Kamol Chatrasen. Hair by Khanawut Ruangrot. Assistant: Ekarat Ubonsri. Dress by Armani Exchange. Cuff, necklace and bag

by Chanel. Shoes by Fendi.

> 95

89-110 T+L Journal 89 Asian Scene With mass tourism, is it still possible to have authentic experiences visiting our cultural treasures? asks JENNIFER CHEN. 95 Driving Carlo Scarpa was one of the few 20th-century architects to make a mark on Veneto and its surrounds. BY MICHAEL Z. WISE 103 Reflections After 12 years in Phnom Penh, ROBERT TURNBULL looks back on the swift pace of change that the city continues to undergo 110 Cityscape In Tel Aviv, GARY SHTEYNGART finds all the makings of a classic cultural mash-up.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M FA R L E F T : D A R R E N S O H ; C H R I S T I A N K E R B E R ; VA N E S S A L E V I S

Departments

(Editor’s Note) 03.10 JUST DAYS BEFORE I STARTED TO WRITE THESE WORDS (YES, ALL EDITOR’S NOTES ARE CAREFULLY CRAFTED WAY IN ADVANCE OF DEADLINE AND NEVER LAST-MINUTE RUSHES — HONESTLY), A PPLE Seoul cafés that serve up art and fashion as well as coffee (“Seoul’s Café Culture,” page 52). And I’m especially proud of our Asian museums feature (“An Eye for Art,” page 116), since this presents innovative Asian galleries in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in a bold, but occasionally brash layout reflecting the feature content.

Speaking of awards as I was, if you’ve not voted in Travel + Leisure’s 2010 World Best Awards, now is the time to do so, since voting closes at the end of this month.

This survey of T+L readers across all of our international editions is an industry benchmark, and your vote really does count. So why not support your favorite Southeast Asian properties, destinations and more by visiting www.travelandleisure.com/intl to enter, or see the details on page 56. And once you’re finished with voting, why not stay online and visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com to share your experiences and recommendations (or otherwise) with our fast-growing community of travel enthusiasts and expert bloggers.—M A T T L E P P A R D

TRAVEL + L EISURE EDITORS, WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE THE INDUSTRY’S MOST RELIABLE SOURCES. WHILE ON ASSIGNMENT, THEY TRAVEL INCOGNITO WHENEVER POSSIBLE AND DO NOT TAKE PRESS TRIPS OR ACCEPT FREE TRAVEL OF ANY KIND.

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TOM HOOPS

announced its next move in the whirlwind world of on-the-go handheld computing, with the iPad. The iPod—much more so than its groundbreaking and significant predecessor, the Walkman—remains a stylish design statement, representing the evolution of personal music players into fashion accessories, largely thanks to legendary industrial designer Jonathan Ive. My lengthy point being that when we mentally associate style and design with travel, we usually think of brutally striking architecture, Spartan design hotels and trips to quirky art installations. In fact, most aspects of form and functionality impact the way we travel, which is why Travel + Leisure’s sixth annual design awards (page 79) include luggage, watches and even cars, as well as the more traditional hotels, restaurants and spas. Other content in our third Style & Design special issue ranges across a similar board. For example, five of Asia’s top-flight design talents pick their favorites in the region, from Singapore street stalls to Beijing boutique hotels (“Asia’s New Tastemakers,” page 36), while we also unearth five

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CREATIVE CONSULTANT DEPUTY EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR SENIOR DESIGNER DESIGNER ASSISTANT EDITOR/ILLUSTRATOR ASSISTANT EDITOR INTERN

Matt Leppard Fah Sakharet Chris Kucway Lara Day Wannapha Nawayon Sirirat Prajakthip Wasinee Chantakorn Liang Xinyi Monsicha Hoonsuwan

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGRAPHERS Jennifer Chen (editor-at-large), Paul Ehrlich, Jen Lin-Liu, Robyn Eckhardt, Naomi Lindt, Adam Skolnick, Cedric Arnold, Darren Soh, Lauryn Ishak, Nat Prakobsantisuk, Christopher Wise, Brent Madison, Tom Hoops

CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

PUBLISHER DIRECTOR SINGAPORE / ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER CONSULTANT, HONG KONG/MACAU CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION GROUP CIRCULATION MANAGER

J.S. Uberoi Egasith Chotpakditrakul Rasina Uberoi-Bajaj

Robert Fernhout Lucas W. Krump Pichayanee Kitsanayothin Michael K. Hirsch Shea Stanley Gaurav Kumar Kanda Thanakornwongskul Supalak Krewsasaen Porames Chinwongs

AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR VICE PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS, MARKETING & SALES EXECUTIVE EDITOR, INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER

Ed Kelly Mark V. Stanich Paul B. Francis Nancy Novogrod Jean-Paul Kyrillos Cara S. David Mark Orwoll Thomas D. Storms Madelyn A. Roberts Marc Abdeldaim

TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA VOL. 4, ISSUE 3 Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, Room 1205-06, 12/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2851-6963; Fax: +852 2851-1933; under license from American Express Publishing Corporation, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Produced and distributed by Media Transasia Thailand Ltd., 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, 75/8 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: +66 2 204-2370. Printed by Comform Co., Ltd. (+66 2 368-2942–7). Color separation by Classic Scan Co., Ltd. (+66 2 291-7575). While the editors do their utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy.

This edition is published by permission of AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, United States of America.

Reproduction in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright owner is prohibited. © Media Transasia Thailand Ltd. in respect of the published edition.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription enquiries: www.travelandleisuresea.com/subscribe

ADVERTISING Advertising enquiries: e-mail advertising@mediatransasia.com

Special Promotion Cancun’s Hotel Zone

Gastronomical delights

CANCUN

World famous Chichén Itza

THE FAVOURITE CARIBBEAN DESTINATION

H

osting more than 4 million visitors a year, Cancun draws visitors with its crystal-clear waters and shimmering white sands, as well as its proximity to breathtaking Mayan ruins, exotic wildlife and colonial gems.

CANCUN´S L-shaped Hotel Zone is an island unto itself.

Flanked by the Nichupte Lagoon on one side and the sparkling Caribbean Sea on the other, Cancun has 830 km (514 mi) of Caribbean coastline.

MAYA CULTURE: Cancun is considered as the threshold to the Maya World. This region was occupied by the Mayas, who used Cancun as a cemetery. In the Mayan language, it means “place of serpents”. Thanks to its excellent locations, visitors can easily reach the main ceremonial centers. The development of this incredible culture can be mainly seen in its most representative cities, amongst which Ek Balam, Cobá, Palenque, Edzná, Calakmul, Kohunlich, Tulum, Uxmal and Chichén Itzá stand out. The latter two were declared world heritage sites in 2006 and 1988, respectively and in 2007 Chichén Itza was named as one of the wonders of the modern world.

ECOTOURISM AND ADVENTURE: Cancun is the entrance to a world of unexpected wonders since it offers visitors a wide range of natural beauty such as an underground system of rivers, caverns, cenotes, and enigmatic jungle full of surprises.

CANCUN has stunning beaches, and swimmers have a variety to choose from. Beaches facing the open Caribben Sea (on the long part of the L-shaped island) are wide and beautiful. Beaches facing Bahia de Mujeres (on the short end of the L-shaped island) are smaller, shallow for some distance out, and have little surf, making them great for swimming SNORKELING and scuba diving are by far Cancun´s most popular activities. Visibility is excellent and more than 500 types of fish

inhabit the reefs around Cancun, including the world’s biggest, the spotted whale shark, a gentle giant that feeds on the plankton-rich waters to the north. While it does this, you can swim alongside it.

THE YUCATAN PENINSULA is riddled with some 2,000 cenotes, freshwater wells (or sinkholes) that were created where cavern roofs collapsed, forming a natural pool that was then filled by rain and underground rivers. Surrounded by jungle or found inside caves, cenotes can be small or vast oases of limpid water and marine life that invite swimmers, intrepid and experienced divers who come to explore their underground passages, or simply sightseers who come to enjoy the scenery. Several cenotes are located within an hour or two of Cancun, near the archaeological site of Tulum and the beach town of Playa del Carmen, including Aktun Chen, Dos Ojos, Cristal, Escondido and Grande.

GOLF: Golf has become one of the main activities for tourists who visit Cancun, as many of them go there especially to play on its excellent courses located in natural settings of unmatchable beauty. The courses include curves, mounds, and fairways to make the game more challenging. World-class designers have added prestige to the Mexican Caribbean golf courses.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Cancun´s bullfighting ring, located downtown on Av. Bonampak, is the only venue of its kind to host bullfights year-round. Every Wednesday at 3 p.m. you can see some of the country´s leading matadors in action, as well as folk dancing and charreria, or Mexican – style rodeo riding.

There are a thousand and one things to do in Cancun to have a fun-filled Caribbean vacation of a lifetime. Its a location that will delight even the most discerning traveller!

(Contributors) 03.10

C

HRISTOPHER WISE |

PHOTOGRAPHER THE ASSIGNMENT Street corner Bangkok (“Bangkok Glam,” page 66). STRANGEST BANGKOK FASHION STATEMENT Teased, tall, rigid hi-so helmet hair always makes me do a double-take. AGE GROUP IN BANGKOK WITH THE MOST EXCITING

So hip it hurts in Bangkok.

Below: Christopher Wise at work.

Under 20’s seem to have more individually developed style, not yet co-opted by the mass appeal of the Korean pop-star look. TIPS FOR DRESSING FOR A TRIP TO BANGKOK Lightweight cotton but be sure to have a cardigan, scarf or shawl for the air-conditioning.

FAVORITE PEOPLE-WATCHING PLACE Nothing compares to New York City.

LARA DAY | WRITER

VANESSA LEVIS |

NAOMI LINDT | WRITER

THE ASSIGNMENT Hong

PHOTOGRAPHER

THE ASSIGNMENT Wrote

Kong’s roof-top bars (“Top of the World,” page 44). WHEN IN HONG KONG Go to hear bands play original music. WHY ROOF TOPS? The fun comes from discovering new angles to Hong Kong’s iconic skyline. INSIDER SECRET Head to Senses 99, a speakeasy open on Fridays and Saturdays from about 8 P.M. FAVORITE

THE ASSIGNMENT

this month’s “Buying Art and Antiques in Asia” (page 23). YOU COLLECT Custom-designed Indonesian furniture. ON ASIAN ART It’s exciting to watch people express themselves in places that haven’t always supported freedom of expression.

CITY FOR A NIGHT OUT

Madrid for its amazing warmth and energy.

Photographed Sydney (“Sydney’s Boutique Street,” page 57).

FAVORITE SYDNEY NEIGHBORHOOD Bondi—it has everything you need plus the beach and an amazing coastline.

INSIDER TIP Get around as much as you can by ferry: Sydney is a different city from the water. SURRY HILLS, REALLY? A great mix of restaurants and bars, more keep opening.

PICASSO OR POLLACK?

Picasso. The Musée National Picasso in Paris is a favorite. ARTISTIC ASPIRATIONS I still doodle like I was 13.

A BOV E , F RO M TO P : C H R I STO P H E R W I S E ; CO U RT ESY O F C H R I STO P H E R W I S E .

B E L O W, F R O M FA R L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F L A R A D AY ; C O U R T E S Y O F VA N E S S A L E V I S ; C O U R T E S Y O F N A O M I L I N D T

FASHION SENSE

(Letters)03.10 LETTER OF THE MONTH insider

| bring it back

Everyday Unsouvenirs. Embraced by locals—and overlooked by most travelers—these ordinary items, according to ERIK TORKELLS, are the ultimate keepsakes

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1 Furikake, a Japanese seaweed-and-sesame-seed condiment. 2 Germany’s Kaufmanns baby cream (also good for the hands).

3 A handheld gardening scythe from Japan. 4 Chocolate-scented postage stamps found in France. 5 Empanada makers from Uruguay.

6 Italian premixed Campari Soda. 7 An onion holder purchased in Rome. 8 An Italian Bialetti espresso maker.

HEN I FIRST STARTED TRAVELING, I WAS DELIGHTED by refrigerator magnets, T-shirts, embroidered patches, and snow globes—all the usual giftshop kitsch. At some point, however, it struck me as a shortcut, celebrating a destination’s clichés rather than the place itself. So I moved up to items that were unavailable on every other corner and, ideally, handmade. I felt good about supporting craftspeople, and the objects had more personal resonance. Though when I got them home, many of them turned into dust-catching clutter—one-of-a-kind clutter, but still. Moreover, I questioned their authenticity. I make every effort to eat at restaurants frequented by locals. Why would I shop for souvenirs in stores where residents never tread?

Now, I hunt for what I call “unsouvenirs.” The word souvenir is Middle French for “remembering,” and unsouvenirs, despite the prefix, must also be able to trigger a memory. But they’re different from souvenirs in that they capture the essence of a place not simply because they were purchased there, but because—this is the important part—

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J A N UA RY 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

locals actually use them. That’s the best definition for cultural authenticity that I can come up with. While I prefer that my unsouvenirs originate in the destination (“made in China” is only appealing if you’re in China), I don’t mind if they come from a factory. Few of us can claim that we incorporate many handmade items into our day-to-day lives.

I just visited Rome for the first time—ridiculous, I know— and I was surprised by how rife with kitsch the historic center is. Rare is the block that doesn’t have a store selling I ROME T-shirts. My customs form, in contrast, looked as if I had run errands on a Saturday afternoon. I bought a plastic container designed to hold the unsliced part of an onion, premixed Campari and soda in Art Deco bottles, a package of assorted paper from an art-supply shop, Elmex toothpaste, and a lip balm called HerpeSun. They’ll remind me of Rome every time I use them (though I haven’t yet been brave enough to whip out the lip balm in public).

Certain kinds of stores are more reliable for unsouvenirs.

Supermarkets and pharmacies are always interesting.

Cookware purveyors are also a consistently rich source: you might score Bialetti espresso pots from coffee-crazy Italy or elegant woven place mats from understated Sweden. At a Japanese hardware store you could come upon a miniature scythe-style weeder; or you might spot a cowbell and collar in northern Italy. (Part of the fun is repurposing: that bell could be a doorbell.) Stationery shops, whether you’re in Greece or Indonesia, tend to have schoolkids’ notebooks, which make for quirky journals back home. Also worth a look are stores that sell hobby or restaurant supplies, sporting goods, garden equipment, bike gear….

“You have to get off the map,” agrees the queen of unsouvenirs, Alisa Grifo, co-owner of Kiosk, a store in New York’s SoHo that stocks workaday objects from around the world (usually one country at a time, displayed in four-tosix-month “exhibitions”), all acquired during Grifo’s peripatetic travels. Highlights from Germany included egg cups, a pencil sharpener and a doorstop; from Hong Kong, a mailbox, green twine and a calculator. Individually, the items are idiosyncratic and well designed; gathered together, they convey the spirit of a country, in both their utility and their aesthetics. (To see what I mean, visit kioskkiosk.com.)

I assumed that Grifo had the same wander-and-hope strategy that I do, but she and her husband and co-owner Marco Romeny actually do a ton of prep work. They research each destination, reading up on the history, culture, museums, food, crafts, anything. And they network like mad: “We ask ourselves, ‘Who do we know from there? Who has relatives there?’ ” Most important, they’re usually in a country for two to six weeks, which means they stay—and shop—in residential neighborhoods. Just as the ideal unsouvenir reflects locals’ daily existence, the best way to shop for unsouvenirs is by practicing a bit of cultural immersion—in other words, when in Rome, shop as the Romans do.

As Grifo and I chatted, I bragged about my onion container, which I consider a symbol of my victory in touristclogged Rome. If any other American traveler brought home a plastic onion this year, I’ll eat mine—washed down with more than one bottle of Campari Soda.

Grifo’s eyes lit up. “That’s brilliant,” she said. “How does it open? Can you send me a photo?” Maybe someday Kiosk will tackle Italy, and my little onion holder will be part of the exhibition. That would be fantastic—as long as we all remember who found it first. ✚ Erik Torkells is an editor at tripadvisor.com and the founder of tribecacitizen.com.

Photographed by DAVIES + STARR

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9 A Mexican whisk. 10 A student notebook from Greece.

11 Wright’s Traditional Soap, an English favorite. 12 A lunch tin, or tiffin, from India. 13 Rosti melamine cooking spoons from the Netherlands. 14 A large bamboo paintbrush from China. 15 Vellutata notebooks from the art-supply store Ditta G. Poggi, in Rome. 16 Bliw, a Swedish dish soap.

T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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C O M | J A N UA RY

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Making Memories

Finally, someone writes about the things most frequent travelers buy when in search of souvenirs [“Everyday Unsouvenirs,” January 2010]. I’m definitely passing this to my close friends and relatives who insist on bringing me a T-shirt or a fridge magnet when they travel!

My favorite souvenir—aside from great memories—of my travels around Asia is a growing bowl of seashells I’ve collected from various beaches. Each and every one of them speaks volumes to me.

—S O N I A B E R M A N , S I N G A P O R E Low-cost Listings The cover of your second anniversary issue [December 2009] was striking, though as a patriotic Malaysian I would have very much like to have seen the Petronas Twin Towers. In “The Best of 2009,” your magazine seems to be targeting the top 20 percent of travelers: people who are willing to splash out. The recommendations for restaurants, bars, hotels and shops may

✉

be excellent, but they are all so pricey.

The low-cost carrier terminal in Kuala Lumpur, the home base of AirAsia, is only six years old and the passenger counts have shot to 15 million. In 2011, the terminal is expanding to handle twice that amount. This will create a new group of budget travelers looking for value for money. Recently, in Phnom Penh I stayed at a classy boutique hotel called Blue Lime, at US$40 a night, and I ate at a Khmer restaurant called Malis, where two can dine for only US$21. I think you should feature more places in this price range.

—JEFFREY

C H E A H , K UA L A LU M P U R

EDITOR’S REPLY Thanks for your valuable suggestions and travel tips. As with many of our stories, we did list some affordable options, which also met T+L’s high standards, and we’ll continue to do so in the issues to come.

In the meantime, please do continue to give us the head’s up on noteworthy places.

Shoot the Piano Player!

I can top Peter Jon Lindberg when it comes to annoying music [“Stop the Music,” January 2010]. He should have included all the Christmas carols in public spaces sung by choirs that seem to have ingested too much nitrous oxide along with their gingerbread. That this extends well into the month of February in the Buddhist country where I live, which doesn’t even celebrate the holiday, only makes it more annoying. That said, the story was brilliantly spot on: Mariah, “she of the voice like a dog whistle” is a perfect description.—K E T I N T I S A N , BA N G KO K

E-MAIL T+L SEND YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR @ TRAVELANDLEISURESEA.COM AND LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON RECENT STORIES OR NEW PLACES TO VISIT. LETTERS CHOSEN MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY AND SPACE. THE LETTER OF THE MONTH RECEIVES A FREE ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO TRAVEL + LEISURE ( SOUTHEAST ASIA ONLY).

READER OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN LETTERS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF TRAVEL + LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA, MEDIA TRANSASIA LTD., OR AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING.

Footloose and fancy.

Cultivate your free spirit.

Free.

Explore these Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Preferred Boutique hotels:

Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, B.C., Canada Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai, Shanghai, China Hotel Balzac, Paris, France Ista Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

Free Breakfast & More

The Imperial New Delhi, New Delhi, India Hotel Mulia Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia Hotel New Otani, “The Main�, Tokyo, Japan The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

lebua at State Tower, Bangkok, Thailand 41, London, England, UK The Mosaic Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, California, USA View over 145 participating HOTELS online.

Reserve a City Breaks package and enjoy free breakfast, a complimentary hotel amenity, and iconic destinations worldwide. Because the best things in life really are free.

To make a reservation and for terms and conditions, call +1 800 227 3126 (Singapore), +001 800 656 587 (Thailand), contact your travel professional, or visit PHGoffers.com/TLSEAC.

(Best Deals) 03.10 Villa Maroc, a getaway on the Gulf of Thailand.

DEAL OF THE MONTH

Night Owl Package at Hotel G Beijing (86-10/6552-3600; hotel-g.com). What’s Included A one-night

■ HONG KONG Horizon Club package at the Island ShangriLa (852/2820-8333; shangri-la.com). What’s Included Accommodation in a Horizon Peak View room; an airport transfer; HK$500 F&B credit; and broadband Internet. Cost HK$3,888 per night, through March 31, twonight minimum. Savings 30 percent.

Opening weekend rate at EAST (852/39683808; east-hongkong.com). What’s Included Accommodation in an Urban View room; breakfast; and free local calls and Wi-Fi. Cost HK$888 per night, through April 4, two-night minimum. Savings 60 percent.

■ CHINA Family Vacation package at The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street (86-10/66016666; ritzcarlton.com/hotels/beijing_financial).

What’s Included Accommodation in a Premier Family Suite; breakfast for two adults and two children; access to the Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge; and a 50-minute foot massage for two adults. Cost RMB2,888, through March 31, two-night minimum. Savings 34 percent.

A Tale of Two Houses package at The Opposite House (Hong Kong: 1-800/96-3365; 20

Singapore: 65/6260-9512; preferredhotels.com) in Beijing. What’s Included A two-night stay; a four-hour spa package for two at Green T. House Living, including a scrub, bath, facial, massage and lunch; return transfer from hotel to spa; breakfast; free Wi-Fi and mini-bar; flexible check-in and check-out times; and for T+L SEA readers, a limited edition Opposite House CD. Cost From RMB7,688, through August 31. Savings Up to 40 percent.

■ SINGAPORE Suite Collection package at The St. Regis Singapore (65/6506-6868; stregis.com/singapore).

What’s Included A one night-stay in a suite; return airport transfer; breakfast; a one-hour massage at the spa; free Internet; and 25 percent discount off the daily best available rate for a connecting room. Cost From S$750, through March 31. Savings Up to 60 percent.

■ THAILAND Moroccan Dream Getaway package at Villa Maroc (66-32/630-771; villamarocresort.com).

What’s Included A two-night stay; breakfast; a dinner for two; and a 45-minute hammam treatment for two. Cost Bt21,500 for Pool Court room and Bt32,500 for a Pool Villa, through April 30. Savings Up to 43 percent.

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two-hour open bar at Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant for two; breakfast; free soft drinks from the minibar; and free Wi-Fi. Cost RMB1,288, through March 31.

Savings 40 percent.

A guest room at the Hotel G Beijing.

F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F V I L L A M A RO C ; CO U RT ESY O F H OT E L G B E I J I N G

Start off your spring with a perfect package away from it all

stay in a Great Room;

I L L U S T R AT E D BY WA S I N E E C H A N TA KO R N

(Strategies) 03.10

Buying Art and Antiques in Asia From centuries-old Buddha sculptures to a growing contemporary art scene, this region has something for aďŹ cionados and novices alike. Here, ďŹ ve essential tips to consider when starting your new collection. By NAOMI LINDT T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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strategies | solutions visiting, read one or two general survey texts from respected publishers, written by bona fide experts, like Thames & Hudson’s art series, university publishing houses and museum publications.”

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1

FIND THE FEELING It might seem obvious, but would-be collectors should find out exactly where their passion lies. “It’s very difficult if someone comes to me and says, ‘I’d like to start a collection but don’t know what I like,’” says Nicolas Chow, the Hong Kong–based head of Sotheby’s department of Chinese ceramics and works of art. “Before you start collecting, get a sense of what you like and what creates an emotion for you. Perhaps it’s the tactile quality of a little jade carving, the fine painting on a piece of porcelain, or an exquisite carving on a piece of lacquer. If nothing creates an emotion, I don’t think you should be collecting.”

Start by visiting museums with good collections of Asian art, like the Shanghai Museum, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum and the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Many have online databases of their holdings, as do auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s (and feel free to attend auctions, even if you’re not buying, Chow says). Also check your local library for relevant books and magazines, although they’re no substitute for seeing the real thing.

Susi Johnston, an art dealer and historian in Bali, adds, “If you are not familiar with the geography, cultures and historical periods of the place you are

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out on your own. (If you must, Johnston says, limit yourself to small purchases— that way, if you make a mistake it won’t be an expensive one.)

A reputable seller will also provide some sort of guarantee of recompense (generally two to five years) if the item is

AFP (2)

Fine Collectibles From top: A Buddha image at a Beijing market; stepping out of Phnom Penh’s famed Russian Market. Opposite page, from top: A flea market in Shanghai; admiring the wares at an antique fair in Beijing.

BUY FROM SOMEONE YOU TRUST If you’re making a serious purchase, be sure to work with a reputable, well-established seller.

Word-of-mouth is best: ask a friend, long-time collector or hotel concierge for recommendations. You can also ask dealers for leads; Johnston suggests inquiring across fields—a textile specialist may know a good tribal sculpture dealer or a Tibetan sculpture expert may point you toward a great spot for Khmer art.

“Trustworthy sellers are almost always part of an easily understood global network and participate in international art fairs, maintain an online presence of some sort, and have galleries in prime locations, like River City and Oriental Place in Bangkok,” she adds. A word of caution, though: in Asia, a high-rent showroom doesn’t guarantee a seller’s legitimacy, while other honest dealers might sell cheap souvenirs and handicrafts alongside pieces of value—all of which underscores the importance of not striking

found to be of a later date, a receipt and a description of the piece, including the date. Some even offer return policies.

to discover and, thinking that they have found a treasure, pay too much for.”

Sotheby’s Chow also says to watch out if a seller offers a very long story about an object. “An object may need a bit of explanation for a first time buyer, but it is what it is and should speak for itself. If someone seems as though they’re speaking for the object, alarm bells should go off.”

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FROM TOP: © LUISA FERNANDA / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; AFP

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IS IT REAL? It’s virtually impossible to identify a fake unless you’ve spent a lifetime working in the field, making it all the more essential to go through trusted channels. Again, a dealer’s reputation is the best guarantee. Chi-Fan Tsang, vice president and senior specialist of Christie’s Hong Kong’s department of Chinese ceramics and works of art, stresses the importance of “doing your homework before any purchase.”

“To gauge an object’s authenticity, check and compare reference books for similar pieces that are either in museum collections or have been sold at auctions, read auction catalogues, and ask for an expert opinion through reputable antique dealers or international auction houses,” Tsang says. She also suggests studying the piece carefully for workmanship, quality, style, shape, color and restoration, all of which will affect the price. (Quality conservation work will increase the value, whereas shoddy restoration can have the opposite effect.)

And for those who dream of unearthing artifacts on their own: “Think again,” says Forrest McGill, chief curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. “Everything they see will have been picked over by dealers and buyers with much more knowledge and experience. Fakes, covered with dirt, may be placed in the back corners of little shops for unwary travelers

WHAT SHOULD I PAY? Comparison shop to ensure you’re paying a fair price, though be warned that objects that may appear similar to an amateur may vary in price based on factors like origin and quality.

But you should negotiate—this is Asia after all. Expect the price to come down by between five and 10 percent. You can also ask for extra incentives to sweeten the deal, like free shipping, framing or mounting, or an additional small item or complementary book.

Be very careful if the seller comes down too quickly; if a deal seems too good to be true, it most likely is.

Christie’s Tsang adds, “The most important tip is to buy the best you can afford. It is much wiser to buy one important piece rather than a number of lesser pieces. Going against the general rule of investing, it’s better not to spread your money—a single important piece is far more likely to retain its value in the long run … as with all art, make sure you are buying something that you really like.” » Continued on page 27

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strategies | smart

traveler

How to Handle a Medical Emergency Abroad.

You can’t plan for the unexpected, but you can be prepared. T+L’s MARK ORWOLL explains what precautions you can take before you leave home—and what to do if injury or illness complicates your trip

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AJYA DARLING WOKE UP IN HER MEXICO HOTEL ROOM A FEW months ago with a strange tightness in her chest and gasping for air. The New Jersey native roused her husband, who called for help. She landed in a hospital there for nine days with a collapsed lung. “No one spoke English,” she recalls. “There was no clock, no windows. It was horrible.” Eventually, a relative back home arranged with a medical evacuation company to fly Darling to Christus St. John Hospital, near Houston, where she recovered. But three months later, the lingering effects are as much financial as health-related. “The air ambulance alone cost about US$30,000,” she says. “It will probably add up to US$60,000 or more by the time all the bills are in.”

A lot can be learned from Darling’s situation. Here are steps you can take to minimize the financial cost and emotional trauma of an illness or injury overseas.

■ BEFORE YOU GO Talk with your doctor prior to travel. If you haven’t had a recent medical checkup, get one. And tell your doctor about any strenuous physical activities you have planned. Ask if there are any required or recommended vaccinations for your destination.

Check your medical insurance for emergency coverage abroad.

Find out whether your policy provides sufficient coverage for medical bills and transportation while traveling. If it does not, buy a supplemental policy from an independent insurer. Also check with your credit card company; some offer referral services and even reimburse medical and emergency evacuation expenses.

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Do your homework. Learning about the quality of care at your destination allows you to make sound judgments. (You wouldn’t want a blood transfusion in a developing country except in a life-or-death situation, for example.) And you should know what payment terms to expect at a hospital abroad—in some cases, you may even be expected to pay in cash.

Register your trip with your foreign ministry.

This enables the nearest embassy or consulate of your home country to inform you of looming crises. In an emergency, embassy staff can provide you with a list of doctors and hospitals and, in some cases, can even help you transfer funds from your bank account in case credit cards are not accepted.

EMERGENCY TIP SHEET O Find supplemental travel insurance through World Nomads (worldnomads.com) or big global insurers like AXA. O For specifics about the medical community at your destination, go to mdtravelhealth.com or the “countryspecific information” section of the U.S. State Department site (travel. state.gov), which provides loads of useful information.

O Travel medical-assistance programs vary in terms of services and fees. Check out the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (iamat.org), International SOS (internationalsos.com) and Traveler’s Emergency Network (tenweb.com).

O Find out how to dial emergency services around the world at studentsabroad.state.gov, then program the numbers into your phone.

O For more about medical escorts and air ambulances, visit airescort. com, angelmedflight.com, medicalescortservices.com or medjetassist.com.

Join a travel medical-assistance program. These organizations (see Emergency Tip Sheet, page 26) will assist with insurance claims and refer you to Englishspeaking physicians overseas who will even make house calls to your hotel at reasonable fees. You can purchase a long-term membership or coverage for a single vacation.

GETTY IMAGES / AFP

■ WHILE YOU’RE TRAVELING Know how to dial emergency services. You should be familiar with the emergency numbers for your destination before you leave home (see Emergency Tip Sheet, page 26).

Have your health information all in one place.

Either write it down and carry with you (for an easy form you can fill out and print, go to cdihp.org/ evacuation/att_b.html), get a medical emergency bracelet, e-mail your details to yourself if you’re visiting somewhere with Internet access or store your information online at sites such as google.com/health or healthvault.com. Your data can now be accessed quickly by health-care providers.

Loop in your outfitter. “Backcountry outfitters are not doctors,” says Jeff Wise, T+L contributing editor and author of Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger.

“Let them know about any medical issues you have, and make sure they know where your medicine is. It could save a lot of time if you drop in your tracks and turn blue.”

■ WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY Travel home with a medical escort. When you’re not sick enough for medical evacuation, but you’re too ill or injured to fly alone, you can hire a licensed nurse or paramedic. These trained escorts monitor vital signs in flight and administer medications, IV fluids, and oxygen, as required. If your insurance doesn’t cover this service, expect to pay from US$10,000 to US$20,000.

Book an air ambulance. Medevac by helicopter or plane comes at considerable cost—as much as US$100,000 from a foreign country. But in certain cases insurance will pay for some of it. “People often think they don’t have medical flight coverage in their policy, but sometimes they do,” says Jeremy Freer, CEO and president of Angel MedFlight. “It’s worth checking the ‘emergency medical services’ section of your policy.”

Before you travel, look into a few evacuation services (see Emergency Tip Sheet, page 26) and have a number handy on your trip. After all, no one ever expects to need emergency evacuation, but it pays to know the number to call if you do.

A Chinese cabinet on the go.

5

SHIPPING AND INSURANCE Most dealers and gallerists will arrange shipping, which is generally priced according to cubic meter and the value of the goods. If they don’t, work with a trusted, established agent; if you’re sending a small package, international couriers like DHL or FedEx are best.

Before you leave home, check your home country’s import restrictions; be extra careful with items made of endangered species materials, like ivory or rhinoceros horn, which are protected under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (cites.org). A professional seller will advise on navigating export restrictions.

In terms of insurance, many homeowners’ policies provide adequate coverage, but check specifics closely; international insurers like Chubb Group are a good choice for supplemental fine art supplemental policies. Your credit card may also cover loss or damage during transport.

ON THE CUTTING EDGE Three places poised to be the next big thing in Southeast Asian contemporary art.

CAMBODIA Young artists like Sopheap Pich, Oeur Sokuntevy and Meas Sokhorn are receiving international accolades, so now is the time to invest in this country’s rising stars. In Phnom Penh, check out these galleries: Chinese House (chinesehouse. asia), Java Café and Gallery (javaarts.org) and Meta House (meta-house.com). In Siem Reap, The Arts Lounge at Hôtel de la Paix (hoteldelapaixangkor.com) has launched many a local career.

KUALA LUMPUR Contemporary art is still in its fledgling stages here (and not always free from state censors), so it’s heartening to see the

arrival of the year-old Arteri (arterimalaysia.com), a website that publishes weekly exhibition listings and discussions about KL’s developing art scene.

Experimental venues like Annexe Gallery (annexegallery.com) and Lost Generation Art Space (lostgenerationspace.blogspot. com) are giving Malaysia’s emerging artists a place to shine.

BALI Art dealer and historian Susi Johnston, a 15-year expat in Bali, believes contemporary art is about to take off on the island.

Tune into the local scene at Biasa ArtSpace (biasaart.com), Gaya Fusion (gayafusion.com), Kendra (kendragallery.com), Tonyraka (tonyrakaartgallery. com), Ganesha (gallerieganesha. com) and Komaneka (komaneka. com) galleries.

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E E X C E L S I O R ; V I N C E N T S U N G ; C O U R T E S Y O F A LV I N TJ I T R O W I R J O ; M A T T H E W N I E D E R H A U S E R ; C H R I S T O P H E R W I S E

Alfresco on High.

Top spots for outdoor drinks in Hong Kong <(page 44)

Hot Cuppas.

Where to head for café culture in Seoul <(page 52)

Locals with Style.

The latest advice from some young Asian tastemakers <(page 36)

Have a Seat.

Retro furniture hunting in Bangkok (page 48)>

+

• A secret road for food in Singapore • Beijing’s after-hours music scene • Shopping for indie designs in Bandung

(Insider) Where to GoWhat to EatWhere to StayWhat to Buy

insider

| newsflash

Street Smarts

BOOKS

Don’t look at Take Away (€35; amazon.fr), a book by JJean-François Mallet, on an empty stomach. Traveling from Argentina to Australia, the photographer documents street eats in 26 countries in this 500-photo paean to authentic fast food. There are plenty of shots from our region—pho in Hanoi, grilled fish in Bangkok—as well as less familiar ones of African stews, Armenian flatbreads and empanadas from Nueva York. Interspersed are recipes. Be warned: they’re in French, so grab a dictionary and head to the kitchen.

Tokyo is a magnet for design fiends, and now you can get your fix at über-hip Hotel Claska’s first branch of its Zen-like gallery and shop, Do, located in the basement of Parco department store in stylish Shibuya (15-1-B1F, Shibuya Parco, Udagawa-chou, Shibuya-ku; 81-3/5456-2833; claska.com). Curated by the hotel’s design guru Takeo Okuma, Do’s selection includes exquisitely crafted clothes, stationery, home wares and more by emerging designers such as ceramist Taichi Azuma. There’s also a small gallery space where regularly rotating SHOP exhibitions are held.

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Asia by iPhone

TECH

iPhone users now have Southeast Asia at their fingertips thanks to applications like the Lonely Planet’s City Guides series (lonelyplanet.com; US$15.99), which includes several major cities in the region. Loaded with maps and reviews, you can access what’s in the area by tapping the “nearby” button on the screen. DK Eyewitnesses’ Top 10 Bangkok and Top 10 Hong Kong (traveldk.com; US$7.99) provide recommendations, photos, and city and subway maps that are available offline, while the currency converters are a plus. Aimed at independent travelers, Angkor by Travelfish.org (travelfish.org; US$7.99) features a walking tour, bookable accommodation and personalized maps. Speak Thai with iPoodThai (ipoodthai.com; US$2.99), a talking phrasebook that can give directions, order food, book a room and even bargain for you. But with only 500 words and phrases, it’s purely survival Thai.—M O N S I C H A H O O N S U WA N

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F A U B A N E L ; C O U R T E S Y O F L O N E LY P L A N E T ; C O U R T E S Y O F H O T E L C L A S K A

DESIGN NATION

insider

| newsflash Where the Wild Things Are Up-and-coming fashion designers in Bangkok now have a permanent home: Mob.F (4th floor, Siam Center, 979 Rama 1 Rd.; mob-f.com) is a 400-square-meter, atmospherically lit space devoted to 42 new talents who can’t afford their own retail outlets. Fashions tilt more towards youth: think faux pearl–embellished metal band T-shirts and furry, studded wristbands. But their slinky cocktail dresses and stripy bow ties work well for any age. Make sure to check out Zabede’s handmade bags and shirts. Natta offers limited-edition handmade accessories, while Curated features statement necklaces made of silicone and tongue-in-cheek Coca-Cola charms.— M . H .

FA S H I ON

Gadgets on the Go Pack extra-light with space-saving gear perfect for frequent travelers. By MELANIE LEE

3M’s MPro150

Powermat’s Portable Mat

OrigAudio’s Speakers

This 1GB pocket projector packs all the punches.

Able to display Microsoft Office and Adobe applications, it also comes with integrated speakers, and can project images up to 127 centimeters.

3m.com; US$395.

The days of lugging around an unwieldy tangle of power cords are over with this sleek black mat that folds up into the size of a coaster.

Using electromagnetic technology, it can simultaneously charge up to three enabled devices wirelessly, and has an additional USB port to boot. powermat.com; US$99.

Made out of recycled cardboard, these 8-centimeter, 1-watt box speakers can be folded flat and plugged into any device that has a headphone jack.

Check out the funky, limited-edition designs. origaudio.com; US$16 per pair.

Dining on the Cheap Foodies sharpen your knives: Restaurant Week—seven days of fine prix-fixe meals at rock-bottom prices—will be held in Singapore from March 22–28 (restaurantweek.sg). During that week, top-flight restaurants such as Fiftythree, Absinthe and Garibaldi will be offering S$35 three-course dinners and S$25 three-course lunches. Seats are limited, so book now.

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EAT

From top: Black Cod from The Cliff; inside Garibaldi.

F R O M T O P L E F T: WA S I N E E C H A N TA KO R N ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E SY O F 3 M ; C O U R T E SY O F P O W E R M AT; C O U R T E SY O F O R I G A U D I O ; C O U R T E SY O F S I X T H S E N S E C O M M U N I C AT I O N S ( 2 )

TECH

insider

| newsflash The Art of Shopping

TREND

HOTELS

Clockwise from top: Alila Villas Soori; The Waterhouse; Sekeping Tenggiri.

New Design Hotels in Asia O SEKEPING TENGGIRI KUALA LUMPUR Created by cutting-edge design firm Seksan, the two-level renovated 1970’s bungalow features exposed-brick walls, vertical gardens and recycled doors. Scattered throughout this seven-room guesthouse are original artworks by local talent: make sure to check out the adjacent art gallery. Guests share a small kitchen, indoor-outdoor dining and lounge areas, and the affections of two rescue dogs. A 15-minute walk leads to the area’s boutique-, café- and bar-rich lanes. 48 Jln Tenggiri, Bangsar; 60-17/207-5977; tenggiri.com; doubles from RM200.— R O B Y N E C K H A R D T O THE WATERHOUSE AT SOUTH BUND SHANGHAI Under the guidance of cutting-edge Singaporean hotelier Loh Lik Peng, Shanghai design darlings Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu have transformed a vintage 1930’s building into a stylish hotel that’s set to open this month. Original details like metal window frames and brick walls and floors were left intact, while the 19 stripped-down rooms feature vintage furniture. The roof, meanwhile, has been converted into a sleek bar with views of the revitalized South Bund area. Maojiayuan Lu 1-3, Huangpu district; 86-21/6080-2988; waterhouseshanghai.com; rates not available as of press time.— J E N N I F E R C H E N O ALILA VILLAS SOORI BALI Ecological high-mindedness blends with streamlined design at this recently opened Green Globe–certified resort.

Singapore-based architects SCDA make generous use of locally sourced volcanic rock and timber as well as sculptures and carvings by Balinese artists. Inside the 48 neutral-and-gray–hued villas, interiors are designed to enhance natural breezes, making air conditioning optional. Book a reflexology massage at the spa, where dark terrazzo floors and specially made terracotta tiles create a temple-like tranquility.

Banjar Dukuh, Desa Kelating, Kerambitan, Tabanan; 62/811-385-8521; alilahotels.com; villas from US$600.— J . C .

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P R I G H T: C O U R T E SY O F A L I L A V I L L A S S O O R I ; C O U R T E SY O F T H E WAT E R H O U S E AT S O U T H B U N D ; CO U RT ESY O F S E K E P I N G T E N G G I R I ; CO U RT ESY O F K 1 1

It’s hard to escape malls in Asia, but Hong Kong’s newly opened K11 (18 Hanoi Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong; 852/3118-8070; k11concepts.com) seeks to add something extra to retail. Scattered throughout the six-story, 31,600square-meter space is a permanent collection of 13 artworks—ranging from murals to installations—by prominent local artists such as Danny Lee, Kum Chi Keung and Man Yi Fung. Among the most striking is “Diary of Clouds”—a set of 68 panels with a cloud pattern etched on them by shui mo master Tony Ng—and Kum’s “Shadow,” a flock of pixilated-looking birds carrying handbags in their beaks. In addition to the collection are one-off exhibitions displayed in windows between stores. Up next: a free iPhone app with details on each piece and more K11 “art malls” planned for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

—A L E X F R E W M C M I L L A N

Simon Wescott, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Asia Pacific) The co-founder and managing director of the boutique hotel collection reveals his favorite stays and more ■

Q+A

CO U RT ESY O F M R. A N D M R S. S M I T H

Simon Wescott of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Asia Pacific).

The best boutiques “In my hometown [Melbourne], the Prince Hotel [prince.com.au]. It’s an Art Deco hotel, beautiful style, fantastic design fit-out, filled with local artists and photographers, but a very comfortable design—blankets in the room, very generous with the toiletries. It’s a very stylish and comfortable hotel that also has this great grungy music scene ... In the U.K., Blake’s [blakeshotels.com] is still pretty amazing. … In Bali, the Shaba [shaba-bali.com], old colonial, three bedrooms—a petite boutique.”

■

The meaning of “boutique hotel” “It’s one of those terms that tends to get grafted onto a small hotel with a Philippe Starck light in it. You can walk into a so-called boutique hotel and it feels like it’s ‘boutique-by-numbers.’ All that aside, I think there’s a clear tradition of hotels that are boutique in scale [and] in style.”

■

New projects to look out for “There’s a project in Tasmania called Sapphire that you should watch out for.

It’s very interesting and likely to set another benchmark in wilderness retreats. Kris Clapp’s Siam should be pretty interesting.”

■

Favorite hotel designers “In the Australia context, some of the more interesting stuff that’s coming out now are individual projects, where a particular hotelier knows a particular designer. There’s a designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb. There’s an architecture firm called SJP; they’ve done some fantastic projects for the Bailey Group. … In the U.K., someone we watch a lot is Isla Crawford.”

■

Minimalist or maximalist?

“Maximalist. Lynda Gardner, there’s a beautiful property in Dalesford, just outside Melbourne. She actually has an interior design retail outlet called Empire Vintage. … I like that mix of very chic, contemporary, quite busy wallpaper and then that beautiful old leather chair with a lovely Fifties lamp.”— J E N N I F E R C H E N

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Asia’s New Tastemakers. T+L asks five design talents to pick their favorites, from Singapore street stalls to Beijing boutique hotels Retro Chick Clockwise from far left: Jo Soh; the Hansel look; Hansel in Singapore; cruising the Andaman Sea.

SOH’S ASIA

“I SOUND LIKE PAUL SMITH, BUT I REALLY DO FIND inspiration everywhere,” says Jo Soh of Singapore-based fashion label Hansel. After training at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins, Soh returned to Singapore in 1999, just as Asia’s creative industries were coming into their own. Four years later, she launched Hansel, named after her beloved Jack Russell terrier, and since then, she’s gained a devoted following in Singapore and beyond for her whimsical but meticulously cut designs. Last October marked another milestone: the opening of the first Hansel boutique (#01–02 Stamford House 39 Stamford Road; 65/63370992; ilovehansel.com). But Soh isn’t one to rest on her laurels. The new shop also features costume jewelry, printed canvas bags and T-shirts—all part of Soh’s longterm plan of developing a lifestyle brand. Next stop?

Japan, which Soh confesses to maintaining a long-running fascination: “The goal is to have a permanent Hansel shop in Japan in five years’ time.”—D AV E N W U

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● Kanazawa “I am absolutely fascinated by Japan. Their culture is so strong, unique and inspirational.

Kanazawa is a picturesque city with lush greenery and a bubbling brook that runs through the city. It also has a fantastic contemporary art gallery and galleries that showcase their traditional art forms.” ● Andaman Sea “I just love being out on a boat in the middle of the ocean. My favorite holiday was the time we sailed in the Andaman Sea from one island to the other. Each evening, we dropped anchor in Phuket, cracked open the beers and dived into the cool waters.” ● Jenggala Keramik in Bali “The last time I was here, I wished I had a large home to fill with their lovely ceramic ware. They now have a branch in Singapore, but the original in Bali has a relaxed café, a large retail area and a place for customers to try their hand at making their own ceramic ware.” Jln. Uluwatu II, Jimbaran; 62361/703-311; jenggala-bali.com.

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JO SOH FASHION DESIGNER

>>

● Ah Hua Bak Ku Teh in Singapore “I love the herbal pork soup here. It’s served piping hot and I always ask them to add slices of fresh liver into it.” #01-01 Isetan Office Building, 593 Havelock Rd.; 65/6235-7716; lunch for two S$10.

ANDRE FU INTERIOR DESIGNER >> FEW DESIGNERS IN ASIA HAVE EXPERIENCED AS METEORIC a rise as Hong Kong–born wunderkind Andre Fu. A Cambridge graduate, Fu returned to the city in 2004 and quickly gained attention for designs that seamlessly married an Asian aesthetic with international sensibilities (his list of inspirational places span from the Tate Modern in London to Ben Brown Fine Arts in Hong Kong). After a slew of high-profile projects including the Shangri-La Tokyo’s Nadaman restaurant and agnès b.’s Hong Kong flagship store, Fu undertook his biggest challenge: The Upper House, the latest boutique hotel by Swire, the Hong Kong property firm behind Beijing’s acclaimed The Opposite House. Four years in the making, the 117-room property perfectly achieves Fu’s vision of “a small, intimate hotel reminiscent of a private residence” with its muted color palette, oak and ash floors, and lacquered bamboo panels. Fu’s foray into hotels continues with the Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore, opening this spring.— L I L I TA N FU’S HONG KONG ● Island Tang “It’s great for dim sum. In particular, the oven-baked bun pastry stuffed with char siu — the outside is crispy while the filling stays moist and juicy.” The Galleria, 9 Queen’s Rd. Central, Central; 852/2526-8798; islandtang.com; lunch for two HK$800. ● Da Domenico “The grilled squid at this unassuming dining room is truly authentic and a genuine Italian treat.” Sunning Plaza, 8 Hysan Ave., Causeway Bay; 852/2882-8013; dinner for two HK$2,000.

C LO C KW I S E F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F T H E U P P E R H O U S E ; CO U RT ESY O F A N D R E F U ; C O U R T E SY O F S H A N G R I - L A T O KYO ; C O U R T E SY O F A N D R E F U ; C O U R T E SY O F M AT T H E F R I N G E

● M at the Fringe “The classic Pavlova at this establishment in the

historic Fringe Club building is my all-time favorite!” 2 Lower Albert Rd., Central; 852/2877-4000; m-restaurantgroup.com; dinner for two HK$1,200.

»

The Natural Clockwise from top: The Upper House, in Hong Kong; Andre Fu; Nadaman restaurant in the Shangri-La Tokyo; agnès b.’s flagship store in Hong Kong; pavlova from M at the Fringe.

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>> HARRISON LIU & JEHANNE DE BIOLLEY DESIGNERS

LIU & DE BIOLLEY’S BEIJING ● The Opposite House “I often drop by to have coffee,” de Biolley says.

“Although it’s a hotel, it’s nice to be able to use it as a [Beijing] resident as well since they have a good pop-around place.” The Village, Building 1, 11 Sanlitun Rd., Chaoyang district; 86-10/6417-6688; theoppositehouse.com. ● Home “The best thing about Beijing is our home,” Liu says of the pair’s abode and connecting gallery showroom, which they converted from a Ming dynasty temple library. “I love going from one room to another.”

Hohai Lake, between Deshengmen City gate and Gulou Drum Tower; by appointment only, e-mail jehannecuicui@gmail.com. ● Noodle Bar “I like the combination of the outdoor, laidback atmosphere and the big earthen bowls of beef noodle soup,” de Biolley says. “It’s countrystyle food, but clean and simple.” 1949 The Hidden City; Gongti Bei Lu; Chaoyang district; 86-10/6501-1949; elite-concepts.com; lunch for two RMB60.

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Dynamic Duo Clockwise from top left: Making la mian at Noodle Bar, at 1949 The Hidden City in Beijing; a necklace by Jehanne de Biolley; Harrison Liu and Jehanne de Biolley; their showroom; the Liu Liu Chair at the Temple of Heaven.

C LO C KW I S E F RO M TO P L E F T: CO U RT ESY O F E L I T E CO N C E PTS ; CO U RT ESY O F J E H A N N E D E B I O L L EY ( 4 )

“PEOPLE WONDER HOW WE DO IT,” ADMIT BEIJING-BASED husband-and-wife design team Harrison Liu and Jehanne de Biolley. “We both have very strong personalities, but we go along with each other’s inspirations.” The couple attributes their success to diplomacy (“that’s interesting” versus a flat-out “no” to ideas) and a clear division of labor (“you do the exterior, I’ll do the interior”). Belgian-born de Biolley, who trained as a jeweler, prefers the details, while Liu, a former actor, likes contemplating the big picture. Both, however, share a passion for China and its myriad traditions. When they landed the design job for the DuGe Courtyard, a boutique hotel located in a Beijing hutong, they stayed up all night feverishly sketching, creating what de Biolley calls “a contemporary interpretation of life in the hutong.” Each room has a different theme, inspired from the couple’s travels in China: the colors in the “Tibetan Kingdom” room are inspired by monks’ robes, while the main dining room recalls a trip to Guizhou, combining the luster of the Miao minority’s traditional headdress with the sharp greens of rice fields.—L I L I TA N

ALVIN TJITROWIRJO FURNITURE DESIGNER >> THOUGH HE’S ONLY 26, ALVIN TJITROWIRJO HAS SOME SERIOUS ambitions for his fledgling brand, alvinT. “You know how you can see something and know it’s Italian? I’d like to achieve the same thing with Indonesian design,” says the Jakarta-based designer.

Educated in Australia, Tjitrowirjo was lured into furniture design after attending the Milan Furniture Fair in 2006 as one of a handful of students picked by distinguished architect and designer Kjell Grant. Since then, he’s been creating for discerning clients strikingly organic, limited editions that subtly hint at their origin; an otherwise austere metal coffee table, for instance, displays a laser-cut batik pattern.—J E N N I F E R C H E N

Whiz Kid From top: Alvin Tjitrowirjo; SHY Rooftop, in Jakarta; Tjitrowirjo’s organic Mingle Bench.

TJITROWIRJO’S JAKARTA ● Canteen “The design is simple — it’s low-cost but it looks well-made. And that’s really the essence of what design is meant to be.” Level 4, Pacific Place, SCBD, Jln. Jend Sudirman Kav. 52–53.; 62-21/5797-3742; lunch for two Rp140,000. ● SHY Rooftop “A nice rooftop bar during the night, and a perfect place to have coffee or tea during the day.” The Papillion, 45AA Jln. Kemang Raya; shyrestaurant.com; 62-21/719-9921; drinks for two Rp200,000.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M R I G H T, T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F A LV I N TJ I T R O W I R J O ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F S H Y R E S T A U R A N T. C L O C K W I S E F R O M R I G H T, B O T T O M : C O U R T E S Y O F A D R I A N N G U Y E N ; C O U R T E S Y O F H O A T U C ; C O U R T E S Y O F A D R I A N N G U Y E N

● Salsa Food City “An outdoor food court with plenty of different kinds of food. It’s a nice getaway from the typically jammed and stressful malls in Jakarta.” Next to the Summarecon Mal Serpong.

>> ADRIAN NGUYEN FASHION DESIGNER

Saigon Style From top: Adrian Nguyen; a look from Nguyen’s latest collection; Hoa Tuc restaurant in Saigon.

THE CREATIVE FORCE BEHIND SAIGON’S SEXY VALENCIANI BRAND, Adrian Nguyen is constantly on the road in search of source material for his glamorous designs. “A lot of Vietnamese can’t afford to go overseas and buy biggest brands,” says the fresh-faced Bangkok-trained designer. “I get a lot of inspiration from the street,” he says, adding that during regular trips to Paris and Hong Kong, he’s always armed with a camera to capture eye-catching looks. His formula of slinky evening wear and day-into-night outfits has proven a hit so far with Saigon’s fashion crowd: with two stores under his belt, he’s planning a third in April at the massive, new Vincom Center on Dong Khoi Street.—J . C .

NGUYEN’S SAIGON ● The Deck “Really beautiful sunsets can be viewed from your table and the food is great.” 38 Nguyen U Di, An Phu; 84-8/3744-6632; dinner for two VND550,000. ● The Refinery “My favorite lunch and dinner place. We eat here probably more

than five times a week.” 74 Hai Ba Trung, District 1; 84-8/3823-0509; dinner for two VND600,000. ● Q Bar “Nowhere else to go if you’re a visitor or a local. We’re here every weekend — it’s the place to see and be seen.” 7 Lam Son Square, District 1; 84-8/3823-3479; qbarsaigon.com; drinks for two VND130,000. ● Hoa Tuc “My favorite modern Vietnamese food. I’m loving their grapefruit salad every day a little bit more.” 74/7 Hai Ba Trung, District 1; 84-8/3825-1676; dinner for two VND500,000.

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| where to go next

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Ningbo’s new history museum.

GETTING THERE Ningbo is three hours by train or 2 1/2 hours by car from Shanghai. Ningbo Lishe International Airport has flights to major Chinese cities, plus Hong Kong and Taiwan.

WHERE TO STAY The Shangri-La Ningbo (88 Yuyuan Lu, Jiangdong district; 86-574/87998888; shangri-la.com; doubles from RMB925) overlooks Sanjiangkou in the heart of the city.

WHERE TO EAT The place to sample the city’s cuisine is the Shipu Grand Restaurant, in the center of Tianyi Square (86-574/87271777; dinner for two RMB250). The Londoner (46-13 Portman Jie, Caihong Bei Lu; ningbolondonerpub.com; drinks for two RMB80) is currently the most happening bar in town.

CHINA

Ningbo, China. Just south of Shanghai, this booming coastal city is capitalizing on its colorful past. By GARY BOWERMAN 180 KILOMETERS SOUTH OF SHANGHAI, THE coastal city of Ningbo has long lived in the shadow of China’s brashest megalopolis. But in May 2008, the world’s longest sea bridge, spanning 36 kilometers across the Hangzhou Bay, opened, cutting the driving time between the two cities to 2½ hours and introducing weekenders to this bustling port that’s remaking itself into a cultural destination.

Situated where three rivers—the Yong, Fenghua and Yuyao—converge lies the city’s historic heart, Sanjiangkou.

Here, visitors can stroll along the old Ningbo Bund, recently recast as a bustling, riverside complex of bars, restaurants and cafés. Art lovers, in the meantime, will find plenty to contemplate at the cavernous pine-fronted Ningbo Art Museum (122 Renming Lu; 86-574/8764-3222; eng.nma.org.cn; admission RMB10), where challenging art, design and photography shows are regularly held. For those with more ecclesiastical interests, the magnificent 19th-century Gothic-style Jiangbei Catholic Church behind the Bund highlights the city’s past as an important trading center and meeting point for different cultures.

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Further inland, the new Ningbo Museum (1000 Shounan Zhong Lu, Yinzhou district; 86-574/8281-5533; nbmuseum.cn; admission free) is a striking, fortress-like building that combines recycled bricks with ancient building techniques; inside are exhibitions detailing the city’s millennia-old history. Ningbo’s real historic gem, however, is found near Moon Lake: Tianyi Ge (10 Tianyi Lu, Haishu district; admission RMB30) is a series of 16th-century gray-brick pavilions set amid leafy gardens and courtyards that house China’s oldest private library.

Thirty-five kilometers outside the city, the hillside salt mining village of Xikou is famed as the birthplace of China’s Republican era leader, Chiang Kai-shek. Here, Fenggao House, Chiang’s childhood family residence, remains a popular attraction. Opened in late 2009, a series of sea bridges and tunnels now connect Ningbo with Zhoushan Island, the gateway to Putuoshan Island, home to Mount Putuo—one of China’s four most sacred mountains. ✚

Photographed by IWAN BAAN

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| classics Everyday Treats From left: Kopi-o and kaya toast at Xiang Xiang Coffee Stall; the storefront at Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Eating House; some of the side dishes at Choon Seng Teochew Porridge.

CLASSIC SCC CUISINE

For more ideas on street food, visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com

UST A STONE’S THROW FROM Little India, Cambridge Road might not look promising as a foodie destination: cookie-cutter housing estates and fluorescent-lit, bare-bones storefronts.

But looks aren’t everything, especially when it comes to perfectly executed comfort food, Singapore-style. The city’s food bloggers have been singing the praises of Cambridge Road Market and Food Centre, better known as Pek Kio Market, but it’s worth exploring the side streets. Make sure to come early, as most establishments are open for just breakfast and lunch.

J SINGAPORE

Cambridge Road. Roll up your sleeves and dig into prawn noodles, Teochew porridge and other authentic delights at this down-home foodie hotspot. By EVELYN CHEN

1 Start your explorations by fortifying yourself with light-as-air toast slathered with kaya and butter, accompanied with a cup of thick and dark kopi-o (black coffee) at Xiang Xiang Coffee Stall (#01-19 Cambridge Road Market and Food Centre; no telephone; breakfast for two S$5).

2 While locals fiercely debate where to find the best bowl of hei mee, or prawn

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Photographed by DARREN SOH

noodle soup, Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles (#01-15 Cambridge Road Market and Food Centre; no telephone; lunch for two S$10) earns consistent mention for its al dente noodles and rich, unctuous, chili powder–flecked broth topped with prawns, bean sprouts and luscious lard. It’s arguably Singapore’s best, but be prepared for somewhat truculent service. Owner Mrs. Lau doesn’t bother with pleasantries and will offer you a smile only when you upgrade to a S$10 bowl.

3 For the ultimate Teochew porridge, sniff your way to Choon Seng Teochew Porridge (Block 43, Cambridge Rd.; 65/6293-0706; lunch for two S$10), which occupies a corner at a nondescript coffee shop called Hao You Kee at the adjoining block. From the cramped kitchen, the cook deftly turns out stir-fried Teochew specialties from 11:30 A.M. daily (except Sundays and public holidays). Pair a bowl of plain porridge with steamed minced pork with garlic, chili and a hint of

fermented bean paste or stir-fried clams with ginger, garlic and chili. Or splurge on the highly prized Teochew steamed soo mei fish (available seasonally).

4 Bat kut teh, or pork-rib soup, is another Singapore institution. Five minutes from the market, Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House (208 Rangoon Rd.; 65/6291-4537; lunch for two S$25) ladles out an addictive pepperand-crushed garlic–specked broth guaranteed to clear your sinuses. The soup and rice set is served with your choice of side dishes including crispy deep-fried fritters and stir-fried lettuce.

On the Menu Clockwise from top left: Tea at the ready at Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House; inside Le Café Confectionery; the café’s pineapple tarts; prawns at Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House; serving up dishes at Choon Seng Teochew Porridge.

5 If you still have room for something sweet, head down to Le Café Confectionary (Block 42, #01-02 Cambridge Rd.; 65/6298-1477) for the buttery pineapple tarts. These exquisite golf ball–sized pastries are packed in plastic jars (10 for S$7.80) and are some of Singapore’s most scrumptious.

They’re best eaten fresh, though they make great presents, too. ✚ T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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| night out

Night Moves Clockwise from below: SML’s terrace; ToTT’s island perch; the daytime scene at Red Bar; a mojito at Sevva; Sevva’s bankable view.

Top of the World. As the weather warms up, Hong Kong’s in-crowd heads outdoors to the city’s alfresco venues. Here, five great rooftop roofto and terrace spots with stunning views. By LARA DAY

HONG KONG

For more information on Hong Kong nightlife, visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com

■ LE 188 Don’t be fooled by the location: Situated in the no-man’s land between Causeway Bay and North Point, Le 188 is a destination in itself. Perched atop the new Harbour Grand, this plush eatery and lounge, named for the 188-degree panorama afforded by its floor-to-ceiling windows, is endowed with a cozy outdoor rooftop area. Depending on where you’re seated, you’ll be able to see Central, Tsim Sha Tsui or Kowloon Bay. Hungarian chef Jeno Friedi serves up somewhat pricey Euro-fare with Asian inflections. 41st floor, Harbour Grand Hong Kong, 23 Oil St., Fortress Hill; 852/2121-2688; drinks for two HK$220.

■ RED BAR After-work revelers populate the comfy lounge chairs while sipping the bar’s superb cocktails. Don’t miss the Heroine, a zesty lemon and Chambord concoction spiked with house-infused raspberry vodka. If you’re on a budget, you can still pretend to be among the movers and shakers: the alfresco area is open to the public. Pop downstairs to City Super, a gourmand’s dream market, and then spend a leisurely afternoon in the sun with your improvised picnic.

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F R O M L E F T T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E E X C E L S I O R ; C O U R T E S Y O F S E V VA ( 2 ) ; L A R A D AY

■ TOTT’S AND ROOFTOP TERRACE After unveiling its rooftop terrace last September, Talk of the Town, otherwise known as ToTT’s, lures well-heeled locals with brilliant views of Central’s famed skyscrapers. Try one of the Latin-tinged cocktails designed by mixology maestro Richard Gillam—or if you’re in the city on a Sunday, book a table for the famous free-flowing champagne brunch. 34th floor, The Excelsior, 281 Gloucester Rd., Causeway Bay; 852/2894-8888; mandarinoriental.com; drinks for two HK$180.

4th floor, Two IFC, 8 Finance St., Central; 852/8129-8882; drinks for two HK$180.

HARBOUR GRAND HONG KONG

■ SML Newcomer SML has made a name for its innovative approach to servings, but it’s less known for its outdoor terrace. Sprawling over 650 square meters, the open-air space rewards diners with bird’s-eye views of hyper-developed Causeway Bay—a reminder that Hong Kong is one of the world’s most densely packed cities. 11th floor, Times Square, 1 Matheson St., Causeway Bay; 852/2577-3444; drinks for two HK$140.

■ SEVVA This two-year-old spot created by socialite Bonnie Gokson and New York–based designer Calvin Tsao is known for its swish décor and sky-high views (matched by equally astronomical prices). Make a beeline for the rooftop terrace, which not only opens onto the harbor and Kowloon skyline, but also immerses you among the glittering towers of Central and Admiralty. Skip the overpriced fare and order one of the perfectly blended cocktails like the ginseng-and– pink grapefruit cosmopolitan or a Thaijito (a mojito with Thai rum). 25th floor, Prince’s Building, 10 Chater Rd., Central; 852/2537-1388; sevvahk.com; drinks for two HK$260. ✚

A city panorama from Le 188.

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| after dark

CHINA

The B-Side Lovers electrify the audience at D-22, in Beijing.

Beijing Beats. Rock ‘n’ roll lives on in the Chinese capital.

MANUELA ZONINSEIN scopes out three top clubs around town,

where you can get a taste of the city’s thriving underground scene ■ D-22 University neighborhoods tend to provide a steady supply of rock fans, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the area around Tsinghua University is home to some of the city’s best clubs.

Known for serving up the choicest sounds in town, this three-year-old, 200-capacity spot fills up quickly (dancing takes a bit of maneuvering).

Still, D-22 is your best bet in catching Beijing’s top acts, like Carsick Cars, who toured Europe with Sonic Youth.

And it gives back, too: musicians get a big cut of the door fees. “The goal is to be an incubator of talent,” explains manager Nevin Domer. 242 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District; 86-10/6265-3177; d-22.cn; entrance after 9 P.M. RMB40.

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■ MAO LIVEHOUSE At any time of the day, you’ll see musicians resplendent with Mohawks duck into Mao, a converted cinema that’s become the Beijing indie music scene’s unofficial hangout. Watch out for local heavyweights, like Queen Sea Big Shark, who opened for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s in Beijing, and brace yourself for some serious jostling for space. And the name? The chairman, says owner Li Chi, “was the biggest rock ‘n’ roller of all.” 111 Gulou Dongdajie; 86-10/6402-5080; maolive.com; entrance RMB40.

■ DOS KOLEGAS Before D-22, there was “2K,” as the owners call it: an important (if a bit

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far-flung) stop on the city’s rock circuit.

Located in a drive-in movie theater, this cheerful dive hosts raucous summer parties and barbecues on the ample outdoor lawn; inside, underground bands and gold standards, like Hedgehog, get down to the business of rocking out. Weekends see the venue packed, especially on Saturdays when infectiously good electronica is played, though Tuesday reggae nights are a good way to groove mid-week. 21 Liangmaqiao Lu, Sanyuanqiao; 86/1355227-6845; 2kolegas.com; entrance after 9 P.M. RMB40. ✚ For more ideas on nightlife in Asia, visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com

Photographed by MATTHEW NIEDERHAUSER

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| local lore

THAILAND

Hawaii Five-O displays originals that can be copied.

Modern Masterpieces. Soi Ekamai in Bangkok is a treasure trove for Midcentury furniture mavens, whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re after replicas or the real thing. By JENNIFER CHEN 48

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Photographed by CHRISTOPHER WISE

■ JOE’S BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS A trained architect, Sangkorn “Joe” Soonthornkasemsuk began by importing authentic pieces from Scandinavia, but later moved into reproductions as originals became scarcer. Located in his 1970’s bungalow, the brightly lit, crammed showroom features skillfully made replicas of designs by such Modernist heavyweights as Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl, two of Joe’s design heroes.

Every item is customizable; there’s dozens of swatches to choose from, but make sure to ask Joe about the retro fabrics that he buys off eBay. The showroom is only open in the afternoons, so best to call before you make the trek. 284/2 Ekamai 18, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/711-5780; joe_ bo50@yahoo.com; shipping available.

Wegner chair. 24 Ekamai Soi 21, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/711-5629; shipping available.

■ HAWAII FIVE-O Kitty-cornered from Y50, this plain-looking store churns out well-made replicas at reasonable prices; chairs run between Bt6,000 to Bt18,000. Owner and antique enthusiast Satit Thammapapkul has filled the store with originals by the likes of George Nelson and Eero Saarinen; customers are encouraged to test out chairs before making a decision. 34 Ekamai 21, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/711-6415; hawaii50bkk.com; shipping available.

—With reporting by M O N S I C H A H O O N S U WA N . ✚

■ Y50 Looking for the real thing?

This packed-to-the-gills retro emporium is the place. Owner Pramet Srithongkul developed an affinity towards streamlined Scandinavian design during stopovers in Copenhagen while working for Thai Airways. “They use a lot of teakwood—maybe that reminded me of Thailand,” he says.

Pramet sources original pieces by Midcentury masters from auctions held in Europe; printouts of his recent acquisitions are taped on the wall by the door for reference. A self-taught furniture expert, he’s happy to consult one of his many design books—retro finds themselves—to tell you a piece’s exact provenance. Take your time to comb through the jumble: patient, eagle-eyed shoppers will be rewarded with vintage crocodile bags and rare 1960’s ceramics from Denmark. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, Pramet can direct you to his warehouse, about 15 kilometers away on Ram Intra Road. Before you go, flip through the photo albums cataloging his inventory. Upstairs is a bar popular with the neighborhood’s bright young things, should you need a stiff drink before dropping Bt40,000 on a genuine

Vintage Street From top: A retro lamp from Hawaii Five-O; Y50 sells more than just furniture; Khun Joe of Joe’s Beautiful Objects.

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| shopping Retro-meets-punk at Katallog, left. Moozee offers leather bags by local designer Adhen Bajumi, right.

Bandung’s Style Scene. From retro to skater chic, T+L discovers a vibrant indie design scene in this former hill station. By SARA SCHONHARDT

INDONESIA

For more ideas on shopping in Southeast Asia, visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com

■ EAT In 1996, a group of skaters, artists and musicians in Bandung founded this streetwear label. With stores across Indonesia and in Singapore, the brand sticks to its formula of limited edition T-shirts, bags and accessories. Its Bandung shop moves every five months to keep things fresh: find out about the newest location on Twitter (@isthiseat).

62-22/422-1342; isthiseat.com.

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■ UNKL347 This early pioneer among Indonesia’s indie clothing labels is still going strong with a skatewear line that plays off the brand’s sly logo, a mustachioed man referred to as “unkle.” The futuristic flagship shop pays homage to local DJ’s with a giant model synthesizer and keyboard behind the cash register. Look out for fliers for upcoming concerts and design projects sponsored by the brand.

No. 4 Jln. Trunojoyo; 62-22/420-0515.

■ SEBA SHOES Adding a touch of sophistication to the otherwise youthful scene, this line of men’s shoes includes winklepickers, driving loafers and even that ultimate preppy staple, deck shoes. Designer Sebastianus Reza keeps things funky by using flannel and striped canvas.

Can’t find your size? He’s happy to customize for a charge of Rp150,000.

No. 100 Jln. Ciumbuleuit; 62-22/ 9209-0782; sebashoes.wordpress.com.

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■ HAPPY-GO-LUCKY With its sky-blue walls and girly white furniture, Happy-Go-Lucky is more twee than street. Look out for blazers, chunky necklaces and fringed shawls by the country’s newest labels like Hunting Fields, Cotton Ink and Nikicio. No. 14 Jln. Ciliwung; 62-22/ 723-4162; happygoluckyhouse.com.

■ 16DS/SIXTEEN DENIM SCALE Few Bandung designers take denim to the heights reached by this five-year-old label. Its 16DS line provides quality at wallet-friendly prices, while premium brand, Sixteen Denim Scale, takes more fashion risks. The flagship store now includes more denim with batik details. Paris Van Java, No. 137–138 Jln. Sukajadi; 62-22/8206-3737; www.sixteendscale.com. ✚

F R O M T O P L E F T: C O U R T E SY O F K ATA L L O G ; C O U R T E SY O F M O O Z E E

■ KATALLOG A cooperative created by 18 young designers from the Bandung Institute of Technology, this flea market–style space with cinder-block shelves showcases the city’s retro-meets-punk style. Here, striped house dresses mingle with paper wallets and bangles made from zippers. Batik-embellished shoes add an element of tradition that contrasts with ceramic salt-and-pepper shakers that resemble milk cartons.

No. 1 Jln. Dipatiukur; 62-22/9226-5095; katallog.multiply.com.

■ MOOZEE The 80’s are back with this line of vibrant, handcrafted leather sling bags, clutches and totes by Adhen Bajumi. If you’re not ready for a lemon yellow purse, there’s also a selections of classic saddle bags and satchels. No. 29 Jln. H. Wasid; 62-22/253-4535; moozeebags.com.

insider

| drink A Good Cuppa Clockwise from right: The café at aA Design Museum; students like to gather at Sukkara; tea at the curiously named Gorilla in the Kitchen.

SOUTH KOREA

For more ideas on cafés in Asia, visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com

Seoul’s Café Culture. Quirky and character-filled, the South Korean capital’s coffee joints also serve up art, fashion and design. By NICOLAI HARTVIG

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■ aA DESIGN MUSEUM Part museum, part designer furniture showroom, this three-story loft space in the vibrant Hongdae neighborhood also has a sprawling café on the ground floor. Every piece of décor boasts noteworthy design pedigree, from the 19th-century French doors and antique London lamp posts to the Midcentury chairs. WHAT TO ORDER Pair the organic Korean plum ice tea with the red velvet cupcake topped with silky frosting. T+L TIP The basement-level museum is only open from 2 P.M.– 4 P.M., Monday to Saturday; if you’re there outside of opening hours, peer into the large windows by the indoor staircase to get a taste of what’s inside.

408–11 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu; 82-2/3143-7311; aadesignmuseum.com; tea and snacks for two KRW20,000.

Photographed by VINCENT SUNG

■ ATELIER & PROJECT Launched by three childhood friends in the art, fashion and culinary worlds, this cozy café is frequented by creative types and kindred spirits. Peruse the collection of home décor, handcrafted leather bags, earth-toned clothes and photographic prints on sale while waiting for your order. WHAT TO ORDER If there’s a chill in air, the dark hot chocolate easily fits the bill; in the summer, cool down with the wine granita—red wine and berry coulis over shaved ice with blueberries on top.

T+L TIP Closed Sundays, because as the sign on the door suggests, COME TO CHURCH. 647-9 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu; 82-2/548-3374; atelierandproject.com; drinks for two KRW14,000.

■ GORILLA IN THE KITCHEN Owned by Korean megastar, Bae Yong-joon, this pared-down café in the upscale Sinsa-dong neighborhood takes an austere approach to cooking. Butter, cream and deep-frying are banned, while a white-uniformed nutritionist is on hand to supply dietary advice. The menu provides plenty of guidance to the health-conscious, with details on the nutrients of each dish and their benefits, from weight loss to muscle

gain. But self-denial isn’t the prevailing theme; offerings are inventive and full of flavor. WHAT TO ORDER The succulent grilled beef salad with rocket and the smooth persimmon purée.

T+L TIP Make time to visit the iconic Hermès and Ann Demeulemeester flagship stores a stone’s throw away.

650 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu; 82-2/ 3442-1688; gorillakitchen.co.kr; lunch for two KRW55,000.

■ CHANG HEE Located in tree-lined Samcheongdong, this concrete-and-glass corner café probably has the city’s most extensive coffee list. From Hawaii Kona to Jamaica Blue Mountain, through Kenya AA and Indonesia Java, the globe-spanning lineup is expertly brewed by hand, flannel drip or siphoned through alchemist-style glass bulbs. The coffees are handily color-coded according to aroma, body and taste. WHAT TO ORDER Rich raspberry white chocolate cheese brulée and the light raspberry or cheese scones are the perfect match for a cup of joe. T+L TIP Visit Sunday and snag a table on the outside patio or by the upstairs window for prime peoplewatching. 38-1 Hwa-dong, Jongno-gu;

82-2/735-0986; chang-hee.com; coffee and cake for two KRW26,000.

■ SUKKARA This Japanese-inspired Hongdae hideaway set around an open kitchen manages to hit every category of libation as well as provide a limited, all-organic food menu. Run by the producers of a magazine about Japanese culture in South Korea, Sukkara is often thronged with bohemian students, who lunch on curry rice or soy cream pasta while sipping homemade chrysanthemum or omijya liquor. WHAT TO ORDER The fantastic Black Shandy couples a locally brewed dark ale with a pleasantly sharp, homemade ginger ale (also available sans the beer). For dessert, a syrupy drizzle deliciously brings together the yoghurt parfait with berries. T+L TIP The healthy focus here somehow doesn’t preclude smoking indoors.

Beware of cold days, when the air can rival that of Parisian cafés of yore.

Sanullim Building, 327-9 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu; 82-2/334-5919; sukkara.co.kr; drinks and dessert for two KRW24,000. ✚

Furniture on display at aA Design Museum, left. The cozy ambience at Atelier & Project, right.

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Slug:Location (T+L Journal)

2010 World’s Best Awards VOTE NOW AT www.travelandleisure.com/intl For your favorite hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, travel companies and the destinations you love—in the only truly GLOBAL travel survey that matters!

Dear Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia readers, We trust you. We trust your judgment. That’s why we want you to rate your global travel experiences for us, in the 2010 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. These awards are recognized as travel’s highest honor, so it’s time to give back to those hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, travel companies and destinations you loved in 2009. And this year is a very special year, with readers of all eight global editions of Travel + Leisure now able to participate in the awards.

So visit www.travelandleisure.com/intl and tell us exactly what you think. The full global results will be published in our August edition.

Matt Leppard Editor-in-Chief Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia

PHOTO CREDIT TK

HOW TO ENTER: Log onto www.travelandleisure.com/intl and fill in a few simple details, then vote! No purchase is necessary. Closing date: March 31, 2010.

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StylishTraveler The colorful vintage emporium Grandma Takes A Trip.

AUSTRALIA

SYDNEY’S BOUTIQUE STREET In the vibrant suburb of Surry Hills, unearths cute cafés, vintage finds, HUI FANG

quirky fashions and more. Photographed by VANESSA LEVIS T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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A Street with Style Clockwise from top left: Lisa Stack of Helix; the retro look at Grandma Takes A Trip; for every type of card and notebook, head to Paper 2; aiming for a younger audience at Grandma Takes A Trip; chic Japanese collectibles are on offer at Via Alley.

FEW YEARS AGO, MOST SYDNEYSIDERS would think twice before venturing into Surry Hills. But this once derelict neighborhood in the city’s northeast has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. There’s still plenty of local color, though these days you’re more likely to spot a celebrity sipping a soy latte in one of the picturesque streetside cafés.

Up-and-coming fashion designers and retro retailers have also turned the area into one of the city’s choicest shopping districts. Here are some of our top picks.

Crown Street is where the bulk of the action is.

Start off at Nicola Sault’s gorgeously colorful vintage emporium, Grandma Takes A Trip (263 Crown St.; 61-2/9356-3322; grandmatakesatrip.com.au) and the stalwart Route 66 (257 Crown St.; 61-2/9331-6686; route66.com.au), best known for its 1940’s- and ‘50’s-inspired looks. Accessorize at U Turn Recycled Fashion (Shop 33, 277 Crown St.; 61-2/9332-3583), where vintage Dior and Ray Ban sunglasses are displayed alongside an array of jangly bracelets, tiered necklaces and other statement jewelry pieces.

Don’t leave without browsing through the racks packed with 1950’s-style lace wedding dresses, Lee jeans and faux fur jackets.

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Magazine Ad half-vertical 8feb10.ai

2/8/10

3:47:48 PM

Private Villas Kata Noi

Helix mixes ethnic, handmade wares with modern tastes, above.

Further down the street, Minty Meets Munt (275 Crown St.; 61-2/9380-6849; mintymeetsmunt.com) turns out jubilant jumpsuits, polka-dot dresses and 1980’s-style graphic tees for the hipsters you’ll spot stopping into Kawa (348A Crown St.; 61-2/9331-6811) for a cuppa and a slice of their signature creamed coconut cake. Across the street, Via Alley’s (Shop 3, 285a Crown St.; 61-2/8354-0077) clean white confines house an eclectic collection of messenger bags, cameras, Colab eyewear and collectible toys.

Japan-philes will delight in the selection of Tokyo street chic, including pieces from Mercibeaucoup, Zucca and Ne-Net. A quick stroll brings you to the bright red doors of The Barberia (323 Crown St.; 61-2/9360-3452; barberiawax.com), where you can buy a pot of hair wax that’s achieved cult status. Local indie duo The Presets are fans, so much so they’ve allowed The Barberia to use unreleased tracks on its website.

Eager to update your living space not your look? Pick up distinctive African and Japanese fabrics from Chee Soon & Fitzgerald (387 Crown St.; 61-2/9360-1031; cheesoonfitzgerald.com). One-off ceramics, bespoke wallpapers, colorful crockery and lamps are also on offer. Back to adorning yourself: Dress Me Darling’s (419 Crown St.; 61-2/9319-3301; »

•

Phuket

Luxury and exclusivity await at Impiana Private Villas, perched above the cosy bay of Kata Noi, Phuket.

Here, surrounded by nature and the stunning vistas of the Andaman Sea, this villa-resort of only 4 Private Villas and 7 Suites, each with its own private pool and a personal butler, will play the perfect host to your next private holiday.

The sea views especially at sunset; the personalised service and flavours of culinary fusion; the calm and sense of timelessness; the total privacy that will have you thinking it’s just you and the ocean.

Impiana Private Villas at Kata Noi is where you’ll lose yourself in the feasting of the senses, only to find your soul.

www.impiana.com

Recently opened

Impiana Private Villas Kata Noi 10 Kata Noi Road, Moo 2, Karon District, Muang, Phuket 83100, Thailand Tel: 66 (0) 7634 0138 Fax: 66 (0) 7634 0178 Email: info.bkksales@impiana.com, info.ipv@impiana.com Regional Sales Offices: Kuala Lumpur - tel: 60 (3) 2141 6233 • Singapore - tel: 65 (2) 6227 2858 Bangkok - tel: 66 (0) 2260 6505 • Phuket - tel : 66 (0) 7634 0138

stylish traveler

| shopping

The Barberia Helix

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13 14 4 15 Ward Park

Via Alley

dressmedarling.com.au) owner Nikki and Donna Phillips bring together noted Aussie names like Alex Perry and Matthew Eager with on-the-up talents such as Natasha Gan and Rachel Gilbert.

For prettiness of a different sort, wander into the jasmine-scented space of Mrs. Red & Sons (427 Crown St.; 61-2/9310-4860; mrsred.com), where delicate, Chineseinspired décor tempts. Look out for the collection of vases with a mother-of-pearl or cobalt blue glaze. At nearby Sark Studio (431 Crown St.; 61-2/9310-1544), former costume designer Theresa Jackson surrounds herself with paper patterns, bolts of linens and African cottons, and a sewing machine. The result? Arty-chic pieces that are “bare and edgy with a twist,” sometimes bearing a colorful screen print courtesy of Lisa Stack of Helix (483 Crown St.; 60

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1

1

Paper2

61-2/9319-1599; lisastack.com)—also worth a stop for its ethnic-centric, handmade wares. Surry Hill’s funky flair is also on display at Paper 2 (477 Crown St.; 61-2/9318-1121; paper2.com.au), stocked with every type of paper imaginable, from retro-print wrapping paper to handmade blank books.

And wrap up your outing at Title Music and Films (499 Crown St.; 61-2/ 9699-5222; titlespace.com), where you can browse through a collection of classic records and art-house DVD’s. How about Hits & Misses: Muhammed Ali and the Sound of Fist Fighting, a compilation with the likes of Jorge Ben and Eddie Curtis singing odes to prizefighters George Foreman, Joe Frazier and, of course, Cassius Clay?

stylish traveler

| spotlight

JEWELS OF THE EAST T+L catches up with five up-and-coming jewelry makers who find inspiration through their travels in Asia and beyond ond

NATALIE DISSEL BALI BALI-BASED JEWELER NATALIE DISSEL, IT’S quite clear where her inspiration comes from. “It’s all about travel with me,” declares the Dutch-born Dissel, whose wanderlust has led to journeys in South America, Asia and the Middle East. Each of Dissel’s dramatic designs comes with its own travelogue: a necklace with turquoise from Iran, a pendant of amethyst and agate from an Afghani gem trader in Bangkok, a shell cuff with netting from Papua New Guinea. In 2008, Dissel collaborated with MADE, a fêted U.K.-based fair-trade firm that operates a workshop in Kenya, and is currently working on a new collection for the brand.

F

OR

■ CREATIVE JOURNEYS During her travels, Dissel is always on the lookout for unusual stones, and she notes where each is from. “Most of the jewels I use have their own 62

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stories: how they were found, where they’re from. If a client wants, I’ll write it up on a little card,” she says. And she often photographs herself with the seller. “It’s something I learned when I did relief work after the tsunami [in 2004]—to document where things come from and where the money goes.” Next on Dissel’s schedule: Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

■ NATURAL STATE In her latest collection, Dissel takes uncut, semiprecious stones like amethyst, lapis lazuli, opal and malachite and wraps them in textured sterling silver or 18-karat gold. “I’m fascinated by structure, color and texture,” she says. “Why cut it if it’s that beautiful already?”

■ NEXT UP A believer in giving back, Dissel hopes to use fair-trade gold. “Mining is often really bad for communities and the environment—how they extract and what they put into the earth,” she notes. “I’ll be doing more research— when I have time between my travels!” Banjar Semer, Kerobokan; 62/813-3272-1119; nataliedissel.com.—J E N N I F E R C H E N

C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E SY O F N ATA L I E D I S S E L ( 2 ) ; © H I D R O / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M

Clockwise from left: Natalie Dissel; a necklace inspired by Dissel’s love of travel; Tajikistan is next on her list.

MIMI SO NEW YORK

I

WAS A REBEL,” SAYS THIRD-GENERATION JEWELRY

maker Mimi So on branching out from her parent’s traditional jade and gold business. Her rebelliousness paid off: So’s first bespoke gig was designing wedding bands for David Bowie and Iman, and her latest creation will hit the silver screen in Sex and the City 2 this May. A born-and-bred New Yorker, So taps into her roots with twice-a-year visits to Hong Kong and Beijing, where her line is sold at Lane Crawford.

■ MIDDLE EAST JAUNT So recently returned from her first trip to Qatar. “It felt like the nation was moving so

aggressively forward in terms of luxury and health care, but it was still raw and a little undeveloped. As a designer, I like when things aren’t in their places or perfect. Don’t be surprised if my next collection is a modern take of Cleopatra jewelry, inspired by pieces from the Museum of Islamic Art designed by I.M. Pei.” ■ CURRENT COLLECTION “Mimi Bow” is a line of bow rings, one of which Kristin Davis’ character Charlotte will don in the Sex and the City sequel. The rings include rubies, yellow diamonds, pink sapphires or amethysts, as well as a chic white diamond bow with black diamonds lining inside gold ribbons. “Contemporary women could wear these with anything from blue jeans to a Dior gown, and totally carry it off.” shopmimiso.com.—L I L I TA N »

C LO C KW I S E F RO M L E F T: CO U RT E SY O F M I M I S O ( 2 ) ; © PAU L COWA N / D R E A M ST I M E .CO M

Clockwise from left: Diamonds are a girl’s best friend; Mimi So, a third-generation jewelry designer; in Qatar, the I.M. Pei– designed Museum of Islamic Art.

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Clockwise from right: K.K. Chin; the “Circle” ring can be worn three ways; Gaudi’s Casa Milà in Barcelona; designer Katherine Amatavivadhana; the couple share a love of gems.

K.K. CHIN AND KATHERINE AMATAVIVADHANA BANGKOK

■ HERITAGE MATTERS When it comes to designing, their heritage—Chin is Malaysian-Chinese while wife Katherine Amatavivadhana is Thai-British—plays a central role. The pair came up with the concept of their best-selling “Dim Sum” collection while having, you guessed it, dim sum with friends. The collection consists of rings fashioned out of oversized gems—amethyst, blue topaz, moonstone—set on silken cords, a nod to traditional Chinese knots. The rings are meant to be worn together: “It’s the essence of dim sum,” says Chin, a gemologist by training, “It’s all about mixing and matching.” Other collections also reference their backgrounds: “Lotus Life” draws on Buddhist beliefs, while their clever “Circle” ring—it can be worn three ways— alludes to Chinese symbolism.

■ VIVA BARCELONA Constantly on the road for work, both designers profess a love of Barcelona. “It’s the perfect blend of art, fun and food,” says Amatavivadhana. It was through examining Gaudi’s gloriously surreal buildings that Chin came up with the idea for the “Circle” ring.

■ CURRENT OBSESSION Jadeite has been on the duo’s minds lately. “It’s a majestic stone, rare and unique,” says Chin. As part of their efforts to practice fair-trade business, the couple work directly with stonecutters in Burma. Asked about their embrace of a gem that’s equated with older generations, they laugh. “We’re not about trends. We’re not fashion-forward,” says Amatavivadhana. “We’re really Old World.” tetejewellers.com.—J . C .

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F K . K . C H I N A N D K AT H E R I N E A M ATAV I VA D H A N A ( 2 ) ; © D AV I D G A R R Y / I S T O C K P H O T O . C O M ; C O U R T E S Y O F K . K . C H I N A N D K AT H E R I N E A M ATAV I VA D H A N A ( 2 )

BANGKOK IS NOW HOME to some of Asia’s most innovative jewelry designers.

“We wanted to redefine what Made in Thailand means,” says K.K. Chin, one half of the husband-and-wife team behind Tête-à-Tête, a four-year-old brand based in the city that produces timeless, gem-encrusted baubles.

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ONG A GEM-TRADING HUB,

PISITH LY SIEM REAP

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C H R I S K U C W A Y ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F P I S I T H LY

D

ESIGN HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY

first love,” says 40-year-old Pisith Ly, who returned to his native Cambodia after 30 years abroad to open a jewelry boutique in Siem Reap, Garden of Desire. Educated and trained in France, Ly began as an eyewear designer for Alain Mikli and Phillipe Starck, a role that cultivated a daring streak. “I’ve always been interested in making things, be it toys or model-making. I am inventive and into details, aesthetics and the technical side of things,” he says.

■ DESIGN INSPIRATION With the temples of Angkor Wat just a few kilometers away, architecture plays a defining role in Ly’s limited-edition designs. Nature, too, provides much inspiration; many of his pieces feature elements like delicately etched leaves and flowers. “My goal with each design is to translate things that interest and inspire me into works of wearable art, while also bringing out an individual’s personality, taste and style,” he says.

■ MORE THAN A SHOP Opened in November 2008, Ly’s boutique feels like a gallery space. Each design is presented in an installation that evokes the idea behind the piece: necklaces on lotus leaves and bracelets worn by Angkorean-style pillars. Garden of Desire, The Passage, Old Market Area; 855-12/319-116; gardenofdesire.wordpress.com.—N A O M I L I N D T

Clockwise from top left: The Bayon at Angkor Thom; Pisith Ly in his shop; a detailed ring Ly calls “Flyaway.”

stylish traveler

| street corner

BANGKOK GLAM T+L asks eight trendsetters in the City of Angels for their shopping tips and more.

Photographed by CHRISTOPHER WISE

B

ACK IN 2003, EX-PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN

Shinawatra declared he wanted to make Bangkok a fashion capital on par with Paris and Milan. That plan, like his reign in power, fizzled, but with homegrown labels such as Sretsis, Disaya and Headquarter gaining followings overseas, the city’s fashion scene is going strong

without the need of official backing. One weekend, we trawled Siam Square and Chatuchak Market, the stomping grounds of up-and-coming designers and local hipsters (called dek naew in Thai), where we found looks ranging from nerd chic to glam rock.—WA S I N E E C H A N TA KO R N and M O N S I C H A H O O N S U WA N

Chatuchak Weekend Market

THAILAND

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■ CHUTIKARN NGAMTHURA STUDENT

■ KITTASAK KITRUNGROT INTERIOR DESIGNER

“I’m a regular at Rotsaniyom [Section 2, Soi 40, Chatuchak Weekend Market; 66/813-042-198] — which you can tell from the bag I’m carrying — because of its vintage, earth-tone collections that suit my comfort-loving style. Art dictates how I mix and match my clothes. I own a plethora of bandanas, mostly from Chatuchak, but this one I’m wearing now is my favorite because it can easily match the rest of my outfit.”

“I often go to various art galleries. There is one near MBK called Jamjuree Art Gallery [Jamjuree Building 8, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd.; 66-2/218-3709] where amazing exhibitions are held. I also love hanging out at The Roof Restaurant [25th floor, Siam@Siam Design Hotel & Spa, 865 Rama 1 Rd.; 66-2/217-3070; siamatsiam.com; drinks for two Bt300] because it possesses a strong art-gallery ambience.”

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■ WATCHAREE PENGJAM OFFICE WORKER

■ WONGSATHORN YINDEEPHOLCHAROEN STUDENT

“Korean pop groups are big in Thailand, and Watcharee admits to being under the spell of all things Korean. “There’s a restaurant named Ko Si Rae [99/97 Soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/714-8683; dinner for two Bt700] in Thonglor that I like.”

Glass Shoes [Ayuthaya Soi 3, Suan Lum Night Bazaar; no telephone] is one of his favorite shops.

■ TANYAPORN KANCHANAHOTI STUDENT

“I can dress any style, depending on my mood and the place I’m going,” says 19-year-old Tanyaporn, who hangs out at the Moroccan-themed Al Majlis [Praduu Spa Club, 83/8 Soi Ekamai 12, Sukhumvit Rd.; 66-2/392-2345; drinks for two Bt300].

Siam Square ■ SARUNYA SIRIYAMUN HAIR STYLIST

■ TANATIP SOMTONG COMPUTER SPECIALIST

“I frequently stop by Angel Shoes [292/8 Siam Square, Soi 4; 66-2/658-3863] for designs ... I love Slim [29/22-32 RCA Block S, Rama 9 Rd.; 66-2/242-4499] for its variety of music.”

“Skinny jeans are the only kind I wear; when I see them, I buy them — mostly at CHAPS [various locations; chapsclothing.com] because of their well-designed patterns and perfect shape.

Finding shirts is difficult for guys with big torsos like me, but I got this one from my friend’s roadside stand at Chatuchak. After shopping, I never forget to stop by Som Tum Fun Ta Lop [Section 26, Soi 1, Chatuchak Weekend Market; no telephone] for an order of the scrumptious guay jab yuan [Bt30].”

■ KITTIPHAT KUMDUANG HAIR STYLIST

“I’m a small guy, so occasionally I get my clothes from female’s stores. There’s Oh My God [3rd floor, Platinum Fashion Mall, Phetchaburi Rd.; no telephone], which features its own designs — right now they have bright, colorful pants.”

stylish traveler

| fashion

SOME LIKE IT

HOT

As temperatures soar, the Ritz-Carlton Phulay Bay in Thailand provides a pristine backdrop for this dramatic fashion shoot. Photographed by NAT PRAKOBSANTISUK. Styled by ARAYA INDRA

L

UXURY MEETS NATIVE CULTURE AT

Phulay Bay, the Ritz-Carlton’s debut of its discerning Reserve brand.

Unveiled last December, the resort features the work of Lek Bunnag, the celebrated Thai architect behind The Barai spa and resort in Hua Hin. This time, he traveled to Thailand’s north for inspiration, recruiting artisans to create murals and craft furniture. “Lanna culture and heritage seemed right for this resort,” he explains.

“It’s delightful and feminine.” To that end, soft colors and textures dominate the 54 suites and villas. Lek is also a master at designing serene spaces. A temple-like pavilion floats above a pool in the open-air reception and some of the villas are graced with all-white bathrooms with echoing chambers. 111 Moo 3, Nongthalay Rd., Amphoe Muang; 66-7/562-8111; phulaybay.com; villas from Bt19,550. ✚

Silk bodysuit, Miu Miu; cotton jacket, Boss Black; shoes from Dior; necklace and sunglasses, Chanel.

Opposite: One-piece swimsuit, Chanel; printed silk tank top and printed silk long skirt, Miu Miu; necklaces and bracelet, stylist’s own.

Silk top and suede jacket, Boss Black; printed silk shorts, Prada; shoes, Jimmy Choo.

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“LA MAMOUNIA FITS BEAUTIFULLY BEAUTI INTO ITS LOCATION — THE HOTEL HAS A KIND OF ARABIAN NIGHTS FEE FEEL TO IT.”

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The 2010 jury. Top row: Valerie Steele; Isaac Mizrahi; Michael Smith; Terence Conran.

Bottom row: Jean-Michel Gathy; Amanda Burden; Rafael Viñoly; Holly Hotchner.

T+L JURY

2010

AMANDA BURDEN is the director of the

New York City Department of City Planning and chair of the City Planning Commission.

She is a proponent of ambitious architecture and one of the forces behind the recent opening of the High Line park.

Founder of the Design Museum in London and of the Conran Shops , and current provost of the Royal College of Art, TERENCE CONRAN is an internationally renowned restaurateur, retailer, designer and author.

JEAN-MICHEL GATHY is principal

designer of Denniston International Architects & Planners, based in Kuala Lumpur. His recent projects include the Setai South Beach and the One&Only Reethi-Rah, in the Maldives.

D E S I G N

CHAMPION

ADRIAN ZECHA Adrian Zecha is a visionary: since launching Amanresorts some 20 years ago, he has created not just a hotel brand but a philosophy, a worldview. Aman stands for a kind of lush and luxurious simplicity — small resort hotels that are the opposite of grandiose, yet set in the grandest of far-flung places, from Phuket and Morocco to Beijing and New Delhi.

There are now 24 of them, and, while discreet Asian minimalism is the aesthetic DNA, Aman properties have always respected and reflected their surroundings, with careful craftsmanship, local materials and attention to detail. More than that, Zecha’s hotels are simply beautiful. We honor this year’s Design Champion for the style, drama, and romance he has brought to the luxury travel experience.

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As the director of the Museum of Arts & Design, in New York City, HOLLY HOTCHNER spearheaded the institution’s move to its new building on Columbus Circle in 2008.

ISAAC MIZRAHI is the creative director for Liz Claiborne New York. He also designs a women’s collection under his own label and is the host of The Fashion Show on Bravo.

Since founding his namesake Los Angeles–based interior design firm in 1990, MICHAEL SMITH has published two books and introduced a line of furniture. He recently completed work on the White House’s residential quarters for the Obama family.

As the director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, VALERIE STEELE has overseen more than 20 exhibitions in the past 10 years, including “Gothic: Dark Glamour.”

RAFAEL VIÑOLY is the founder of Rafael Viñoly Architects, a New York City–based firm. His recent projects include the Vdara Hotel & Spa at CityCenter, in Las Vegas, and the Carrasco International Airport, in his native city of Montevideo, Uruguay.

BEST RESORT LA MAMOUNIA

Marrakesh, Morocco.

Designed by Jacques Garcia

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But apart from a few notable glitches (poor in-room lighting, for example, caused in part by the devilishly complicated controls), designer Jacques Garcia has succeeded mightily.

The property has been completely restored and modernized, a three-year project that included cleaning and repairing countless mosaics, moldings and paintings, and adding new furniture, fabrics and woodwork, much of it made by local artisans.

Ave. Bab Jdid; 212-52/4388600; mamounia.com; doubles from MAD5,000 or US$613.

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BEST TERMINAL LIÈGE-GUILLEMINS HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY STATION

Liège, Belgium. Designed by Santiago Calatrava

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O P P O S I T E TO P : CO U RT E SY O F M O R G A N S H OT E L G R O U P ; O P P O S I T E B OT TO M : CO U RT E SY O F N E U E S M U S E U M B E R L I N

More than any other working architect, Santiago Calatrava has made the sheer drama of geometry and engineering his trademark, and his new high-speed rail station is no exception. Spanning 158 meters under a sloping, bubble-like canopy, the structure glows from within, and appears to have emerged from the surrounding urban fabric like an emblem of the future that was always meant to be here. sncb.be.

FROM THE JURY

“THE SPA AT THE MONDR IAN I N SOUTH BEACH IS A SURPRISINGLY WHIMSICAL ENVIRONMENT, IT’S FUN, HAPPY AND BRIGHT.” — H O L LY H O T C H N E R

B E S T S PA

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MONDRIAN IN SOUTH BEACH

NEUES MUSEUM

Miami Beach. Designed by Marcel Wanders

The newly renovated Neues Museum in Berlin incorporates traces of the building’s history in brilliantly understated fashion — architect David Chipperfield’s galleries inhabit and expand a grand 19th-century building so badly damaged during World War II that East German authorities abandoned it. Some 60 years later, the museum’s frescoes, columns and brickwork have been given new life — solemn backdrops for an extraordinary collection of antiquities. 1-3 Bodestrasse; 49-30/266-424-242; neues-museum.de.

A work of pure spectacle, Marcel Wanders’s design of the 372-square-meter Agua spa at the Mondrian combines outsize baroque gestures and all manner of decorative filigree with a monochromatic, white-on-white-on-chrome palette. The result is stunning — and very shimmery too, like a science-fiction movie set in oh-so-glam Miami Beach, which is exactly the idea. 1100 West Ave.; 1-305/514-1500; mondrian-miami.com; doubles from US$395.

Berlin. David Chipperfield, Architect

FROM THE JURY

“IN BERLIN, DAVID CHIPPERFIELD HAS DONE A REMARKABLE JOB OF BRINGING ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATION INTO A HISTORIC SPACE.” —AMANDA BURDEN

FROM THE JURY

“AT NOMIYA, THERE’S A FEELING OF SPACIOUSNESS BECAUSE THE WALLS ARE TRANSPARENT — YOU HAVE THE WHOLE OF PARIS AS YOUR RESTAURANT.”

B E S T R E S TA U R A N T NOMIYA Paris. Designed by Laurent and Pascal Grasso There is a subversive element of wit about the temporary Nomiya restaurant—a small glass box installed until July 2010 on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo museum in Paris. The dining room, which seats 12, offers remarkable views of the city and nearby Eiffel Tower; it also recasts the restaurant experience as a kind of interactive architectural happening, a meditation on permanence, transience and style. Entrance via the Palais de Tokyo, 13 Ave. du Président Wilson, 16th Arr.; no phone; art-home-electrolux.com; dinner for two ¤165.

C O U R T E S Y O F N O M I YA ; O P P O S I T E P A G E : D AV I D S A W Y E R ( 5 ) ; O P P O S I T E P A G E , B O T T O M R I G H T : C O U R T E S Y O F F O R D M O T O R C O M P A N Y

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DESIGN AWARDS FROM THE JURY

“THESE NIXON WATCHES ARE INEXPENSIVE AND FUN, LIKE CANDY .

I LOVE THEM!” —ISAAC MIZRAHI

BEST WATCH NIXON TIME TELLER P WATCH IN SOLIDS AND MULTICOLORS nixonnow.com BEST TRAVEL GADGET NOKIA N900 MOBILE COMPUTER nokia.com BEST LUGGAGE RIMOWA SALSA DELUXE MULTIWHEEL rimowa.com BEST TRAVEL ACCESSORY MZ WALLACE KATE BAG mzwallace.com BEST TRAVEL FASHION ECOTECH SOLAR JACKET

BY ZEGNA SPORT zegna.com BEST CAR FORD FUSION HYBRID fordvehicles.com BEST RETAIL SPACE DEREK LAM NEW YORK CITY. DESIGNED BY KAZUYO SEJIMA + RYUE NISHIZAWA/SANAA (not shown) dereklam. com

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DESIGN AWARDS FROM THE JURY

“JUVET IS A HOTEL IN WHICH THE LANDSCAPE IS NOT A VIEW BUT THE THEME OF PLACE.”

C LO C KW I S E F RO M TO P L E F T: CO U RT ESY O F J U V E T L A N DS CA P E H OT E L ; M I ST Y K E AS L E R ; CO U RT ESY O F Z A- KO E N J I P U B L I C T H E AT E R ; C O U R T E SY O F P R I E S T M A N G O O D E

— R A FA E L V I Ñ O LY

BEST SMALL HOTEL

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JUVET LANDSCAPE HOTEL

ZA-KOENJI

Gudbrandsjuvet, Norway.

Designed by Jensen & Skodvin Architects

SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES FIRST-CLASS SUITE Designed by

MOTEL 6 Various locations, U.S.A. Designed

by Priestmangoode

Priestmangoode

A series of glass-and-wood boxes scattered across a mountainside in northwestern Norway, the Juvet hotel looks to be the result of some sort of high-modern architectural airdrop maneuver. Each guest room has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking beautiful, rugged terrain and nothing else. The effect: total immersion in nature. 47/95032010; juvet.com; doubles from NOK2,540 or US$430.

The new first-class suites on Swiss are state of the art: London-based design firm Priestmangoode has divided the cabin into clear sections, each seat with its own large-screen TV, foldaway desk and lie-flat bed; sliding oak panels ensure privacy for sleeping, and all the materials and workmanship are careful, quiet and perfectly Swiss. swiss.com.

For the makeover of Motel 6 — a 1960’s American icon of mobility and affordability — Priestmangoode has created a room that maximizes space, utility and style. The flat-screen TV is built into a wall unit that also includes a laptop and iPod dock, as well as storage for clothes and luggage; platform beds, bright color on the walls, and lots of rounded-off corners and beveled edges make for a fresh, pop-modern look. 1-800/ 466-8356; motel6.com.

Tokyo. Designed

by Toyo Ito & Associates

Set in a residential downtownTokyo neighborhood, Toyo Ito’s design of the new Za-Koenji public theater is unabashedly theatrical. The building is mysterious and all purple-black, its tentlike roof and walls punctuated by several hundred porthole-style windows. Inside are two small theaters and numerous practice rooms, as well as a lobby and other public spaces lit up by the playful round windows and inset lights.

2-1-2 Koenji-Kita, Suginami-ku; 81-3/3223-7300; za-koenji.jp.

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~ T R E N D S ,

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T+L Journal DRIVING 95 REFLECTIONS 103 CITYSCAPE 110

LAOS

Living

History As mass tourism steamrolls through once-remote Asian destinations such as Luang Prabang, is it still possible to have authentic experiences visiting our cultural treasures? asks JENNIFER CHEN. Photographed by CEDRIC ARNOLD

Locals giving alms early in the morning. Inset: A quaint slice of Luang Prabang.

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I Face Value From top: An elderly Luang Prabang resident; the tranquil Wat Xieng Thong.

A World Heritage Site since 1995, Luang Prabang has ENTICED travelers with its postcard-perfect temples and laid-back atmosphere

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N MANY WAYS, KAMCHAN BONBESUT IS LIKE ANY other teenager in Asia. He listens to sugary pop music and watches football. He’s polite and deferential, but his eyes widen with incredulity when tourists tell him how charming his town, Luang Prabang, is. And like many a teen, he’s still wrestling with his future. Forget about being a tour guide—the town already has too many—and don’t even bother asking whether he wants to go back to the ancestral village to farm the land as his four older brothers have.

Nor is he sure about the vocation he’s currently training for. Asked whether he wants to enter the monkhood, the 17-year-old novice says softly, “It’s difficult to choose,” before launching into how he’s planning to study German next—a more comfortable subject. As we chat, a slender old monk who’s been standing with us turns and walks away, his hands clasped behind his back. “He is my abbot,” Kamchan explains. “He likes quiet.”

Kamchan’s abbot probably wishes that his young novices, too, would prefer quiet contemplation to practicing their English with the foreign tourists who wander into Luang Prabang’s many monasteries. The night before, Francis Engelmann, a UNESCO consultant and long-time resident, told me of another abbot who implored visitors to spend less time talking to novices, distracting them from their studies and tempting them from loftier pursuits. “I can’t blame the novices, I can’t blame the tourists. These are small, individual decisions. But what we’re dealing with isn’t individual,” Engelmann paraphrased the abbot as saying.

“The things that you do as a tourist are multiplied by a hundred times.”

Since it was designated a World Heritage Site in 1995, Luang Prabang has enticed travelers with its postcard-perfect temples and laid-back atmosphere, with tourist arrivals reaching around 400,000 in 2008. That’s a manageable number for this town of 33,000, but several big developments threaten to open the floodgates. On the outskirts, a Korean company is building a 27-hole golf course accompanied by a 200-room hotel, while the government is breaking ground for a new US$86 million airport with a longer runway thanks to a generous loan by the Chinese. One local news report claims that the extended runway would be able to accommodate A380’s, which, given how dinky the current airport is, is difficult to fathom. But if the government succeeds in bringing in its stated goal of a million tourists, the town’s residents will need a better line of defense than asking tourists to stop trading pleasantries with the novices.

Luang Prabang isn’t alone in facing this dilemma. It’s a familiar conundrum for Asia’s cultural destinations, especially designated World Heritage sites, that usually goes something like this: UNESCO bestows a listing to a town, word gets out and tourist numbers start climbing, spurring

enterprising residents to turn their homes into guesthouses.

Seeing tourism as a cash cow, the government gets in on the act, providing better roads and transport links while encouraging investment. International hotel groups move in, rents go up, the original inhabitants sell up and move out, and the tour buses roll in. Before long, the town becomes a Potemkin village of sorts: all façade and no substance.

Let’s call it the “Lijiang effect” because the impact of mass tourism on that town is so extreme. My grandmother was from Yunnan and told us stories about Lijiang’s sleepy allure.

In 2006, when I finally made it there, the Old Town had become a schlocky attraction of the Ye Olde Village variety.

Ancient homes housed souvenir shop after souvenir shop, all stocked with the same T-shirts inscribed with the writing of the indigenous ethnic Naxi minority and all manned by Han Chinese. The streets were constantly crowded. There was the occasional crude display. During dinner one night, a man stripped to the waist and began bellowing revolutionary ballads, his already-flushed face turning purple with effort.

Not to fall back on those wasn’t-it-better-back-then or go-there-before-it’s-ruined clichés. Nostalgia is not an effective way of dealing with the complex reality of tourism in Asia, and these places—yes, even Lijiang—still maintain their appeal. Few can dispute the benefits tourism has brought: improved services, higher incomes, more opportunities. But it’s urgent that we reckon with the fact that the rise of mass tourism in Asia’s wealthier countries coupled with opening economies in poorer ones is a surefire way of losing unique cultures and gutting places of their souls.

“European mass tourism was equally ugly. American mass tourism was very ugly,” says Heather Peters, a senior expert with UNESCO’s cultural division whose work is focused on Lijiang. “And I think what we’re seeing in Asia is the early to middle stages of mass tourism development, and it’s going to be ugly for everyone.” Lijiang wasn’t ready for full-throttle, »

Worlds Colliding From top: The upscale and elegant Amantaka; a monk scrolls through a digital camera; outside the 3 Nagas hotel and restaurant.

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consumption-oriented tourism, nor are other destinations on Asia’s World Heritage trail, which brings me to Luang Prabang, a town I’d visited seven years earlier, to see how it’s coping and what lessons it might offer.

F

Change In The Air From top: Snaphappy tourists at morning alms; Luang Prabang’s night market; grilled fish at the morning market.

Opposite: A novice monk on his way to Luang Prabang’s Buddhist school.

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LUANG PRABANG, LIJIANG SERVES AS A morality tale. Tiao Nithakhong Somsanith, an artist and the cultural advisor at the Amantaka resort, shudders when I bring it up. “If mass tourism comes here, Laos will have no time to think. People will have no time to adapt,” he warns.

The problem in Luang Prabang—as it was in Lijiang—is not saving the actual physical appearance of the town. By all accounts, the town has done a remarkable job in historic preservation, and after a gently admonishing report in 2007 by a UNESCO monitoring team, officials have redoubled their efforts to enforce strict building codes. Housed in the former provincial hospital, the recently opened Amantaka is the latest example of how well Luang Prabang has managed its historic buildings.

Rather, the difficulties lie in traditions, customs and other manifestations of what experts call “living heritage.”

Nowhere are the battle lines more clearly drawn than with tak bat, the morning alms-giving to the monks, a deeply venerated ritual that’s become one of Luang Prabang’s star attractions. I’d heard horror stories of tak bat descending into a paparazzi-like melee. The reality, at least on the morning that I observed the ritual, was less horrific. At 5 A.M., the street was mostly deserted, save for a group of Australian university students whose teacher was instructing them how to behave properly. One student raised his hand and asked, “Are the monks allowed to dance? ‘Cause I’d like to dance,” and did a little jig as some of the female students tittered.

When I saw him during the ceremony, though, he acted respectfully, swiftly dishing out rice for the passing monks.

The same could be said for most of the other tourists.

True, many of the problems associated with tak bat—the displacement of locals, the dodgy quality of the food that vendors sell to tourists as offerings—aren’t immediately OR SOME IN

visible. But it wasn’t the free-for-all some media reports have painted, and it’s nowhere near the sham “ethnic” dance in Lijiang’s main square every day.

The controversy over the tak bat does touch the Buddhist core of Luang Prabang’s identity. When it comes to other traditions, what makes up the town’s character is more up for debate. “Just because Laos aren’t wearing traditional clothes doesn’t mean they have a reduced sense of being Lao,” argues Tara Gujadhur, one of the directors of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, a small museum with well-planned exhibits on the region’s many ethnic minorities. Luang Prabang’s essential character, in fact, remains intact. It’s still hypnotically relaxing. Locals might be ditching the bicycles for motorbikes and cars, but the pace remains decidedly dozy. At the airport, our driver told us it’d take 10 minutes to get to the hotel; I realized later everyone was driving around 20 kilometers per hour, otherwise it would have taken five minutes (two, for a Bangkok cabbie).

Along Sakkarine Road, the main drag, drivers drift off in their tuk-tuks, letting potential fares wake them from their reverie. There is a night market—400 meters of machine-made textiles, Beer Lao T-shirts and slippers with appliquéd elephants—but the vendors are too busy gossiping or tending to their sleeping children to hustle for business.

Experiencing the local culture doesn’t require extraordinary lengths. At 8 A.M., the morning market in the town’s heart is in full gear, with vendors selling vegetables, ready-cooked food, and delicacies like squirrels and songbirds. If you have a day to spare, sign up for a cooking class with Luang Prabang native Joy Ngeuamboupha and his Australian wife Caroline Gaylard, who run Tamarind Café and a school idyllically located on the banks of the Nam Khan River. The lesson begins at the town’s main Phousy Market, where the pair lead their charges through a maze of stalls loaded with pa dek—a pungent condiment flavored with fermented fish—and every imaginable part of a water buffalo, fresh and dried. Over the course of a morning, I and eight other students pound charcoal-grilled vegetables into a paste, stuff minced chicken into lemongrass stalks, and tie up banana leaf parcels filled with tilapia smeared into an herb-laden sauce.

Among the students are the Robsons—a Canadian family exploring Laos and Vietnam for seven weeks. “We didn’t want to stop traveling just because we had kids,” says Cindy Robson. Something about their good-naturedly game attitudes reminds me of what many residents keep saying: most tourists who come here want to behave in the right way.

Luang Prabang attracts young backpackers and retired professors from Europe and the United States, as well as tourists from neighboring Thailand wistful for what their country has lost—not the types demanding casinos, girly bars and karaoke parlors. It’s these kinds of tourists, residents say, that the government should be angling for. »

THE RIGHT WAY Besides keeping your chats with the novices short, here are other recommendations on how to experience Luang Prabang at its fullest.

1 “Read the culture and society chapters of your guidebook before arriving,” advises Francis Engelmann, a UNESCO consultant.

Being informed always enriches a trip.

2 Eat the local food at restaurants where Laos go — who eats mediocre pizza on holiday? Lao food is delicious — spicy like Thai, but loaded with fresh herbs.

3 Rent a bicycle and explore the areas outside of the town center. Phousy Market, a couple of kilometers from the peninsula, is where residents do their shopping.

4 Dress properly, especially while visiting the temples. Laos generally aren’t confrontational, but that doesn’t mean your short shorts and plunging neckline aren’t offensive.

5 Give your camera a rest. You’ll be amazed by what you notice when you’re not staring trough a viewfinder.

6 Unless you’re a practicing Buddhist, don’t participate in the tak bat, and observe the procession in a quieter stretch. Again, put that camera down.

7 Don’t buy artifacts and don’t be hard-nosed when bargaining. A thousand kip probably doesn’t mean much to you; it does to most residents.

At 8 A.M., the morning market is in full gear, with vendors selling ready-cooked FOOD and local delicacies

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Serene Scenes Clockwise from left: Novice monks studying in Luang Prabang; sunset on the Mekong River; street-side dining in the town. Below: Schoolchildren take in a game of petanque.

In some ways they are: local authorities have banned buses from entering the peninsula, the heart of the heritage area.

Besides, the subtle charms of Luang Prabang are often lost on tour groups. “You bring a group of a hundred people and what are they going to do? They will find it boring,” says Pascal Trahan, the architect behind the Amantaka. “And they’re right—that’s the beautiful thing about this place.”

Mass tourism also usually gives way to a more sophisticated take on travel as tastes mature. Camera-wielding Japanese tourists in the ‘80’s were widely mocked—who would have imagined they were the precursors to the dreadlocked free spirits I’ve encountered from Bali to Barcelona?

Change comes slowly here—perhaps its ultimate saving grace—and though original residents have left, they’ve been replaced by equally hospitable compatriots. On our last day in Luang Prabang, we wander down to the Muang Lao Riverside guesthouse for cold drinks. Next to our table, a group of Laos dig into their lunch of stir-fried vegetables and chicken. One of the young women calls us over and invites us to share their meal. Davone turns out to be the owner. She’s from Udomxai in the north, and her family had pooled together some money to open the guesthouse; all the people working there are either her siblings or cousins.

“Come, come, eat, eat,” she gently urges us. We do, sitting companionably while watching the occasional bicycle glide by. Later, Trahan tells me about an article he found on the Internet that urged travelers to go to Luang Prabang now, before it disappeared under modernity’s wrecking ball.

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GUIDE TO LUANG PRABANG WHERE TO STAY 3 Nagas Ideally located 15-room boutique hotel with a terrific restaurant (see below). Sakkarine Rd.; 856-71/253-888; doubles from US$195.

Amantaka Twenty-four elegant suites, a lovely spa and inviting, 25-meter lap pool. 55/53 Kingkitsarath Rd.; 856-71/860333; amanresorts.com; suites from US$600.

Villa Maly A new entry in a restored royal residence under French management.

856-71/253-902–904; doubles from US$300.

WHERE TO EAT 3 Nagas Chef Sebastien Rubis creates refined Lao-French fare.

Dishes like mok pa — fish steamed in banana leaves — and the salads on offer are exceptional. Dinner for two US$60.

JoMa Bakery Café Expertly made cappuccinos and good pastries. Chao Fa Ngum Rd.; 856-71/252-292; breakfast for two US$6.

Tamnak Lao Excellent Lao fare.

Try the orlam, chicken stew with local greens and herbs, and the larb. Sakkarine Rd.;

856-71/252-525; dinner for two 120,000 kip.

WHAT TO DO Tamarind’s Cooking Classes Book at Tamarind Café; reservations are essential with these tremendously fun — and informative — courses. Ban Wat Nong; 856-20/777-0484; tamarindlaos.com; classes US$28 per person.

Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre There’s also a nice café and gift shop at this interesting stop on the map. Ban Khamyong (next to Dara Market); 85671/253-364; taeclaos.org; admission 20,000 kip.

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A Modern View of Veneto

Carlo Scarpa was one of the few 20th-century architects to make a mark on Veneto and the surrounding region. MICHAEL Z. WISE steers toward his best surviving designs. Photographed by CHRISTIAN KERBER

Scarpa’s Landscape From top: En route to Asolo, a hillside village 56 kilometers northwest of Venice; at Carlo Scarpa’s Tomba Brion, just south of Asolo.

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welcome in Venice. Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn were all rebuffed in their efforts to add to the city’s historic fabric. Only after heated controversy did a soaring contemporary bridge by Santiago Calatrava open in 2008 over the Grand Canal.

But one latter-day architect, Carlo Scarpa, did manage to put a subtle imprint on the archipelago city—his native town. Scarpa’s idiosyncratic approach veered outside the International Style of Modernism, the dominant mode during his lifetime, tapping sources as diverse as Wright, the Viennese Secession and Japanese tradition. » T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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Scarpa inserted modern windows behind Gothic arches and laid new CARVED stone that resembles plush carpets And in a career spanning five decades, until his death in 1978, Scarpa won a cult following among architects around the world.

He remains little known to the general public. But to tour his works today, almost all of them concentrated in Venice and the Veneto region, is to embark on a journey of aesthetic discovery. I’ve mapped the best route for taking in Scarpa’s unparalleled museums and impeccably detailed spaces, starting in the heart of the old city and then driving to the nearby towns and countryside.

DAY VENICE AND VERONA 1 Soon after arriving in town, I follow the crowds making a beeline for the Piazza San Marco. But I don’t join them at the basilica or the Doge’s Palace, instead heading for a far newer landmark: the showroom Scarpa created for the Olivetti company in 1957. Diagonally across from the celebrated cathedral, it’s a jewel-like temple for secular 96

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objects. Scarpa transformed a long, narrow space underneath the arcade along the square’s northern flank into a dazzling, intimately scaled showcase for the display of Olivetti typewriters that, by the middle of the last century, had become coveted icons of modern design. As Scarpa was a Venetian, water played a key role in almost all of his projects. At the Olivetti showroom I find a carved black marble pool in the entryway, as if to echo the fonts of holy water at the basilica. Ahead is a floating staircase of marble slabs suspended from bronze rods, leading to an upper level with balconies along one side. The floors are intricately patterned in colorful Murano glass tiles. The space was until recently a cramped commercial art gallery, but the superb craftsmanship and pure geometry of Scarpa’s achievement shine through.

A Grand Tour Clockwise from above: Antonio Canova’s Neoclassical sculpture in the Gipsoteca Museum, in Possagno; inside Venice’s Fondazione Querini Stampalia; the garden of Hotel Flora, near the Piazza San Marco. Opposite, from top left: The former Olivetti showroom, in Venice; the imposing exterior of Verona’s 14th-century Museo di Castelvecchio; the museum’s galleries, restored by Carlo Scarpa.

A five-minute walk from Piazza San Marco is Scarpa’s most important project in Venice, the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, in the central Castello district, where the architect remodeled the ground floor and garden of a 16th-century palazzo that now houses an art museum and research library.

Just outside, he created a delicate wooden footbridge across the narrow canal between the palazzo and its small piazza. It leads into a series of chambers on the palazzo’s lower level, long prone to periodic flooding; Scarpa’s solution was to leave a gateway open to the canal and add stone-lined channels that allow high waters to course through the building without covering the floors. Scarpa lined an adjacent exhibition hall with travertine slabs, inserting backlit panels of frosted glass edged in brass as vertical accents.

Water is an equally important element in the rear garden, where it flows from a pond scattered with water lilies at one end through a series of hollows, emerging from a spout that pours into a basin.

This tranquil spot feels miraculously far removed from the city’s normal tourist throngs. But I’m not surprised to see other visitors inspecting the details in the design. One of them, Juan Rivera, turns out to be a Washington, D.C., real estate developer who trained as an architect and came to Venice specifically to experience Scarpa’s buildings. “So much comes at you in Venice that’s political or religious,” Rivera says during the visit that is clearly moving him.

“Scarpa doesn’t do any of that. He’s simply saying, ‘Look at this—it’s beautiful.’”

With several of Scarpa’s most significant designs waiting for me on the mainland, I head by vaporetto for the Piazzale Roma to pick up a rental car, passing under Calatrava’s glass-and-steel bridge on my way. Any clash between modernity and Venice’s deep-rooted tradition fades as I hurtle in my compact, fuel-efficient Mercedes-Benz B 180 across the causeway that links the islands with terra firma, driving then for a while along the Brenta River before » T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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Italian Innovation Clockwise from above: The lobby of Hotel Colomba d’Oro, in Verona; overlooking the village of Asolo; Hotel Villa Cipriani, in Asolo; the entrance of Tomba Brion.

taking the autostrada directly into Verona, arriving less than two hours later. Scarpa’s Museo di Castelvecchio is easy to find—it’s in a hulking 14th-century fortress along the Adige River—and after checking into the Hotel Colomba d’Oro, in the city center, and lunching on veal cutlets at the Trattoria I Masenini, I head over to explore.

At the Castelvecchio I reencounter Scarpa’s emphasis on texture and juxtaposition. Between 1958 and 1964 he reworked the museum, which displays medieval and Romanesque art and ancient weaponry, to make its history come alive by revealing the layers of the past. He inserted modern windows behind the Gothic arches and laid new carved stone and grooved concrete floors that, even to this day, resemble plush carpets. The interiors have a spare elegance that renders this one of Europe’s most sublime museum buildings.

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DAY ON TO ASOLO 2 The next morning, I drive about two hours northeast along the autostrada and then on smaller roads through a bucolic landscape to Asolo, the picturesque hill town where Scarpa lived from 1962 to 1972. Asolo proves an ideal base for exploring two more Scarpa designs and villas drawn up by Veneto’s famous architect, Andrea Palladio.

Entering Possagno, I make my way to sculptor Antonio Canova’s former home and the adjacent museum, partially designed by Scarpa, known as the Gipsoteca. The building provides an airy exhibition hall of white planes and glass, which harmonizes with Canova’s white casts. As he did at the Olivetti showroom, Scarpa made the best of a narrow plot, designing a cascade of levels that descends toward the cast of Canova’s masterpiece The Three Graces, poised in front of a glass wall with a sparkling pool outside. »

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Tomba Brion’s architecture is vaguely reminiscent of JAPANESE temples

DAY TOMBA BRION 3 All this painstaking attention to detail reaches its pinnacle at Scarpa’s most elaborate creation, the Tomba Brion. A short drive south of Asolo, at the end of an allée of cypress trees in the village of San Vito d’Altivole, Scarpa drew up a private necropolis on an L-shaped site around the edges of the municipal cemetery. Massive, sloped concrete walls screen out sound and the sight of cornfields and houses beyond. A cubic chapel seems to float in a pool of water at the entrance. The architecture is vaguely reminiscent of Mayan ruins or Japanese temples, but mysteriously reinterpreted in a way that makes the visitor feel altogether transported into some ethereal realm where a serene beauty has banished all other elements.

In a fitting epitaph to my Veneto pilgrimage, I find Scarpa’s grave near a corner of the L shape, inside the public cemetery. It’s a simple marble slab inset with brass lettering and lines that radiate outward, as if beckoning a new generation to follow his example. ✚

A path in the Tomba Brion cemetery, near Asolo.

GUIDE TO SCARPA’S VENICE AND VENETO WHERE TO EAT Al Covo Dishes include housemade gnocchi with calamari and crab. Castello 3968, Venice; 39041/522-3812; dinner for two ¤90.

Hosteria Ca’ Derton da Nino Excellent small-town fare. 11 Piazza Gabrielle d’Annunzio, Asolo; 39-0423/529-648; dinner for two ¤90.

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WHERE TO STAY Hotel Colomba d’Oro Colorful lodging close to the Castelvecchio Museum. 10 Via Cattaneo, Verona; 39-045/ 595-300; colombahotel.com; doubles from ¤136.

Hotel Flora 17th-century palazzo with a courtyard garden. San Marco 2283/A, Venice;

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39-041/520-5844; hotelflora.it; doubles from ¤120.

Hotel Villa Cipriani Former home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, with a garden overlooking the surrounding countryside. 298 Via Canova, Asolo; 39-0423/52341; villaciprianiasolo.com; doubles from ¤205.

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Osteria Alle Testiere Informal seafood restaurant. Calle del Mondo Novo, Castello 5801, Venice; 39-041/522-7220; dinner for two ¤83.

Ristorante al Conte Pescaor Specialties include homemade tagliolini with king prawns. San Marco 544, Venice; 39-041/5221483; dinner for two ¤69.

Trattoria I Masenini Next to the Castelvecchio Museum. 34 Via Roma, Verona; 39-045/806-5169; dinner for two ¤56.

WHAT TO SEE Banca Populare di Verona 2 Piazza Nogara, Verona; 39-045/867-5111.

Fondazione Querini Stampalia Castello 5252, Venice; 39-041/271-1411.

Former Olivetti showroom Piazza San Marco, Venice.

Gipsoteca 74 Via Piazza Canova, Possagno; 39-042/354-4323; museocanova.it.

Museo di Castelvecchio 2 Corso Castelvecchio, Verona; 39-045/806-2611; comune.verona.it/castelvecchio/ cvsito/index.htm.

Tomba Brion Via del Cimitero, San Vito d’Altivole.

Venice University Institute of Architecture Santa Croce 191, Venice; 39-041/257-1111.

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reflections | t+l journal

From Coups to Condos After 12 years in Phnom Penh, ROBERT TURNBULL pauses to look back on the swift pace of change that the city continues to undergo. Photographed by LUKE DUGGLEBY

CAMBODIA

Phnom Penh’s Central Market.

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First City Clockwise from below: A waiter at the FCC; the city still loves good bread; beautifully restored colonial architecture; an old-style Cambodian gym.

I HAD BARELY SET foot in Phnom Penh when the city erupted into civil war. It was around 8 P.M. one evening early in July 1997 when we heard the first rattle of gunfire. A loud explosion followed. I had been dining with friends at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club, a comfortable colonial-era watering hole overlooking the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, when a nervous bartender’s order to “scram” was the cue for the assembled journalists to down their beers and make off into the night for a story. The rest of us grumbled that we hadn’t finished our mango sticky rice.

The “coup,” which pitted Hun Sen’s forces against those of his archrival Prince Ranarriddh, lasted three nail-biting days. Cut off from the outside world in a riverside apartment, my partner and I would run the gauntlet to the Cathay Hotel to follow the plot on CNN. The only other source of news was Burt’s Bookshop, from where the eponymous American regaled us with the not-so-reassuring news that 300 Khmer Rouge soldiers were behind the French embassy several blocks away.

With fires burning in the distance and the airport closed,

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ALL IT POOR TIMING, BUT

On Sunday mornings, attention moved to the riverfront where Chinese practiced tai chi in the COOL AIR

we considered our options from the confines of our flat. A floor below resided Lauren, a Hawaiian “hula” dancer whose high-speed adoption service had secured a baby for actress Angelina Jolie. With her cash and our guile, we might have been able to breach the innumerable roadblocks on the way to the Vietnamese border. Instead, we decided to wait it out.

Of course it’s easy to confer on oneself the glamour of having been through something like a coup. The reality of course is different: some genuine fear but a lot of tedium.

When the gunfire stopped, sleepless and racked with cabin fever, I ventured out to the old colonial Cercle Sportif.

But the relief of swimming alone was short-lived when, on my second lap, I was surrounded by Hun Sen’s victorious soldiers. I slunk off to the men’s loo to hide before I became part of their target practice.

It’s memories like this that surfaced once I decided to leave after 12 years in the Cambodian capital. I’m leaving just as another revolution—this one consisting of high rises and an influx of SUV’s—is taking place. Leaving Phnom Penh has made me reflect on the city, and not to hold back Cambodians from progress, but many of the charming aspects of the city are vanishing.

1990’S, CAMBODIA HAD ALREADY earned the dubious honor as one of the world’s most dangerous places, a country that had, according to one guidebook, “soldiers with AK47’s on every street corner.” And so it remained. Respectable tourists stayed away as adventurers descended on edgy Cambodia for the cheap thrills of marijuana or tossing grenades at a rifle range near the airport.

Recovery seemed far off. Norodom Avenue, the “Champs Élysées” thoroughfare linking the colonial heart of the city around Wat Phnom and local architect Vann Molyvann’s chocolate-hued Independence Monument, remained eerily quiet save for a few cyclos and the odd Toyota Camry. The city’s top tourist sites, the National Museum with its million resident bats and Tuol Sleng, the Khmer Rouge’s gut-wrenching detention center, were equally desolate.

Impatient for normality and some authentic Asian bustle, I would explore the heart of the old Chinese city around Monivong Avenue with its rambunctious markets and noisy weekend weddings. In Vann Molyvann’s voluminous Olympic Stadium hyperactive kids practiced volleyball and oiled their bodies for kickboxing. »

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Opposite: A modern, artistic side to the capital.

But it paid to be alert. Foreigners were unwitting cash points many years before ATM’s arrived. Keeping abreast of security issues was a conversational glue for expats. The other was work. With legions of NGO’s, from international development agencies to UNICEF trying to solve innumerable problems, the acronyms and development-speak had to be second nature if one was to operate in that dominant community, although sometimes it seemed that just being a resident in Phnom Penh during those days was enough to grant you a place in its society.

If there was a social divide within the foreign community, it reflected an age-old Anglophone–Francophone rivalry.

The Centre Culturel Française, with its immense library, air-conditioned art cinema and outdoor café, gave young Cambodians greater fluency in the art of all things French, whether in culture, language or attitude. In contrast the FCC, its mirror image, served as the mainstay of the English-speaking community as well as for Pol Pot–chasing journalists, more often than not routine invaders from the safe haven of Bangkok.

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by the FCC and clubs such as Martini, a meat market for opportunists in search of cheap sex. At the edgier Heart of Darkness on Street 51, the sons and nephews of top politicians brandished guns and smoked the bar’s own free marijuana as traders from Lagos flirted unsuspectingly with local lady boys in dark corners.

On Sunday mornings, attention moved to the riverfront where Cambodians went about their ritual ablutions, saffron-robed monks clutched silver alms bowls and Chinese practiced tai chi in the cool, acrid smelling air. With blast-furnace temperatures, a US$10 boat trips to quiet beaches on Mekong islands was just the thing. At Chroy Chrung Va, across the Japanese bridge, there were colonial buildings and old Catholic seminaries to explore.

AS THE security situation improved following Pol Pot’s death and the subsequent demise of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodians no longer hide their often ill-gotten gains: showing off is back in fashion. At Mondiale, a giant complex of wedding reception halls on Mao Tse Tung Boulevard, the betrothed now spend up to US$100,000 on flowers, silk and

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AST FORWARD TO THE PRESENT DAY.

Faced with the loss of so much during the wars, the rush to rebuild has been almost INSTINCTIVE

jewelry or to be entertained by the best of Cambodia’s clutch of boy bands.

The craze for men is still bodybuilding. The epicenter of this culture was once the Arohu Sorund gym, a dilapidated barn where uniformed soldiers pumped pig iron in sweltering temperatures. Instead of showers and trendy hair gel, think AK47’s propped up in every corner. Today, populated with health-conscious businessmen, modern gyms have proliferated.

The business of eating out has become infinitely richer as Phnom Penh promotes its own culinary traditions. Malis delivers fusion Cambodian cuisine, while Friends, staffed entirely by street kids, specializes in tapas-sized local fare. For Western food, The Shop on Street 240 has revolutionized lunchtimes by challenging French fare with a savvy choice of smoothies, soups and sandwiches.

Cambodia’s cultural revival has extended to all aspects of life. Faced with the loss of so much during the wars, the rush to rebuild the fundamentals of Khmer identity, the gilded apsaras, Hanuman monkey masks and other everyday icons has been almost instinctive. The Reyum Institute, set up by the late Ingrid Muan in 1998, documents and exhibits

aspects of traditional life that were once everyday icons of the national consciousness.

At the same time, contemporary arts have entered the equation. Festivals in photography, music, film and crafts are flourishing, while in fashion, boutiques such as Ambre and Jasmine spotlight designers such as Sylvain Lim, Romyda Keth and Kulikar Sotho. At the Java Café on Sihanouk Boulevard, Canadian Dana Langlois energized Phnom Penh with the city’s first “art happenings.” Moral support and exhibition space for artists Em Riem, Meas Sokhorn and Leng Sokhun have been part of an agenda to inspire the younger generation to find the courage to ditch the ubiquitous images of Angkor Wat in favor of something more contemporary and vital. Along with Java is Metahouse, a vibrant hub of culture with exhibitions, lectures and screenings of Cambodian movies. The Sa-Sa gallery in Bong Keng Kong became the first entirely Cambodian led initiatives for visual art and photography.

On the stage, the work of Amrita Performing Arts, CLA (Cambodia Living Arts) and Khmer Arts Academy has been dedicated to reviving the country’s resplendent intangible culture and more: both contemporary dance » T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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A city conceived as an outpost of the French empire is gasping for breath. The air thickens as Hummers and motorbikes replace CYCLOS

and modern theater are now on offer in the capital. A musical, Where Elephants Weep, about a CambodianAmerican immigrant returning home to confront his demons broke several local taboos and brought a slew of international attention. All of this is a far cry from the shows common in the hotels of Siem Reap where dance performances and shadow puppets are accompanied by the clanking of knives and forks at dinner theaters.

On the downside, a city conceived as an outpost of the French empire is gasping for breath. The air thickens as Hummers and motorbikes replace cyclos. Death-defying conditions are hardly relieved by traffic lights that contradict the habit of giving the right of way to the biggest vehicles.

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Once fêted as the Pearl of Asia, the city is rapidly losing its looks. What architectural heritage the Khmer Rouge began to destroy more than three decades ago, current powerbrokers aim to finish. As Phnom Penh becomes the next Asian metropolis to embrace the schlock of Chinese-style commercialism, everything is for sale to the highest bidder. A few areas, like the old post office district around Wat Phnom, retain some vestiges of the past. Yet, barely months after the tearing down of Vann Molyvann’s modernist masterpiece Suramarit Theatre, the colonial-era Renakse Hotel looks like it’s facing a similar fate. The government declares old buildings unsafe, prompting UNESCO and heritage NGO’s to state otherwise, but to little avail. Angkor Wat, in the north, takes precedence.

Over the years I have watched Phnom Penh develop its new skyline. Pagoda spires are now dwarfed by bank high-rises. In 1997 I would climb up the stairs to Wat Phnom to stare out over the city. Ascend any of the new condos today and there’s a very different view. But this is surely the price that has to be paid. As a thriving metropolis to rival Saigon or Bangkok, Phnom Penh increasingly fits the bill, no longer the place for adventurers perhaps— military coups are a thing of the past—but able to offer much more than at any time since the wars and becoming increasingly hospitable for those who call it home. ✚

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Moscow on the Med On Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, GARY SHTEYNGART finds pork on rye, women in babushkas and plenty of Russian vodka—all the makings of a classic cultural mash-up. Illustrated by MAIRA KALMAN

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Y HANDS ARE COLD, BUT MY HEART IS warm,” a tanned young Israeli girl coos to me in broken Russian at a Tel Aviv nightclub as we nod along to an incomprehensible ska beat. “Do you think I’m pretty? Are you a Russian billionaire? I only want to marry an oligarch. Like Gaydamak.”

That would be Arkady Gaydamak, the Israeli-Russian billionaire, aspiring politician, owner of the right-wing Beitar Jerusalem soccer squad (its fans famously refused to heed a moment of silence in honor of slain former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin), noted philanthropist and fugitive from French justice for alleged illegal arms trading to Angola and the less glamorous crime of tax evasion. No book or screenplay has yet been written about Gaydamak’s fantastical life, an omission that may soon have to be corrected. “I am the most popular man in Israel,” Gaydamak once proclaimed (at least one opinion poll said as much), marking him as the most stunning representative of an immigrant group that has peppered the omelette of Israel’s politics, society and culture since the 1990’s, when the Soviet Union collapsed and more than a million Russian speakers showed up in the Holy Land.

In Tel Aviv, Israel’s Mediterranean business and cultural capital, I meet the young, freckled, redheaded Masha Zur-Glozman, a freelance writer and Israeli-born daughter of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine. “The Russians are now perceived to be cooler, more cosmopolitan,” Zur-Glozman tells me. “They have connections to places like Moscow and Berlin [a city also home to a large Russian community] that the native-born Israelis do not.”

Zur-Glozman has written about the 10 stereotypes of Russian-Israelis. Among her menagerie: the bad-tempered veteran who puts on his World War II medals on Victory Day, can’t let go of his memories, and constantly toasts “Death to our enemies!”; the quiet, intelligent one with very specific interests like Greek pottery or Napoleonic campaigns who speaks shyly with a heavy Russian accent; the very bitter former-Soviet-bureaucrat-cum-third-gradesports-teacher who drinks too much, terrorizes his family, and is forever torn between over-patriotism and hating Israel; and the sexy math teacher with a white-collared blouse, spectacular cleavage and leather skirt who abuses her students, ignores the girls, humiliates the physically weak, and openly cheats on her poor schmo of a husband.

Walking down Tel Aviv’s Allenby Street I seem to run

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into all of the above and more, the Russian language muscling in on the spitfire Hebrew and the occasional drop of English. “Worlds colliiiiiiding!” Zur-Glozman does her best Seinfeld imitation with a comic flourish of the arms.

Allenby, like many streets leading in the direction of a municipal bus station, has something not quite right about it. The street exudes its own humid breath, its faded buildings sweating like pledges at a Southern fraternity.

When the sun goes down, darkened nightclubs with names like Temptation and Epiphany entice the passersby. Russian pensioners, some sporting the beguilingly popular “purple perm,” sing and play the accordion for shekels. Hasids try to snare male Jews with the promise of phylacteries.

At 106 Allenby the Mal’enkaya Rossiya (Little Russia) delicatessen has everything you need to re-create a serious Russian table in the Middle East. There’s vacuum-packed

Allenby Street has something not quite right about it. It exudes its own humid breath, its faded buildings sweating like PLEDGES at a fraternity

vobla, dried fish from the Astrakhan region, which is perfectly matched with beer; marinated mushrooms in an enormous jar; creamy, buttery Eskimo ice cream—a Leningrad childhood favorite of mine; tangy eggplant salad; chocolate nut candy; glistening tubs of herring fillet; and a beautiful pair of pig legs. “Israelis love these stores now,” Zur-Glozman tells me, and the pig legs may be just one of the reasons. Russian speakers, Jewish or not, have an abiding love affair with the piggy, and it was the influx of former Soviet immigrants that brought a taste for the cloven-hoofed animal to Israel, much to the dismay of the country’s religious conservatives. The wildly successful and ham-friendly Tiv Taam chain of luxe food stores came along with the Russian immigration; the aforementioned Gaydamak tried to purchase the chain and turn it kosher, but even his billions couldn’t temper the newfound Israeli enthusiasm for the call of the forbidden oinker. » T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A

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Farther down on Allenby, the Russian-language Don Quixote bookstore—the Russian nerve center of Allenby Street—is full of curious pensioners and boulevard intellectuals feasting on a lifetime’s worth of Isaac Asimov’s science fiction, Russian translations of the kabbalah, and an illustrated Hebrew-Russian version of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, which is presented like a Talmudic text with sweeping commentaries crowding the words. “To Nineteen Year Old Gaga—so that he won’t be stupid,” an old tome is helpfully inscribed.

A few blocks down the street, the Little Prague restaurant is full of Russian boys hitting on Israeli waitresses, and young Russian women pretending to eat. Little Prague exults in a wonderful version of the Czech classic veprove koleno—a marinated and slow-roasted pork knuckle with a hint of rye, which in the hands of the chef is flaky and light. There is also a heroic schnitzel and excellent Staropramen and dark Kozel beer on tap. The interior is gloomy Mitteleuropean, but outside a nice garden deck beckons, fully populated by drunk, hungry people as late as 3 A.M. and at times bathed in the familiar sounds of the theme song to The Sopranos.

Allenby saunters into the sea, where pale ex-Soviets take to the beach like it’s their native Odessa and florally dressed 112

M A RCH 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

babushkas offer me advice: “Young man, take your sneakers off, let your feet breathe.” A right turn at Ben Yehuda Street leads to the Viking, a languorous, partly outdoor restaurant that joylessly specializes in dishes like golubets, a stuffed cabbage peppery and garlicky enough to register on the taste buds. As I tear my way though the golubets and lubricate with a shot of afternoon vodka, a mother in one corner softly beats her son, who is wearing a T-shirt that says READY WHEN YOU READY. Crying, beaten children, along with sea breezes and heavy ravioli-style pelmeni swimming in ground pepper, complete the familiar picture, which could have been broadcast live from Sochi, Yalta, or some other formerly Soviet seaside town.

Off the Allenby drag, Nanuchka is what Zur-Glozman calls a neo-Georgian supper club, a place where one can order a cool pomegranate vodka drink, featuring grenadine juice from Russia and crushed ice, or a frozen margarita made with native arak liquor, almonds and rose juice. The décor is mellow and cozy like a shabby house in Havana, complete with gilt-edged mirrors, portraits of feisty, longliving Georgian grandmas, and many charming rooms stuffed with sumptuous divans and banquettes in full Technicolor. The highlight of the crowded and raucous bar is a photograph of the former prime minister Ariel “The

A young woman in a schoolgirl outfit dances around a SpongeBob balloon, as nostalgic Russian music BELLOWS and hurts

This is the point where I worry for the sanctity of the evening, torn between geographical kinship with the formerly Soviet settler and political kinship with the progressive Tel Avivians, but as chilled mugs of Kozel beer are passed around and the nighttime temperature falls to bearable levels, the passions around the table cool as well.

“As you can see,” an Israeli friend tells me, “we aren’t killing each other.” ✚

GUIDE TO TEL AVIV 972-3/520-7100; cinemahotel. com; doubles from US$188.

er

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an

Ri

v

Hayarkon Park

t. yS nb le

Hayarkon St.

irol

t.

NEVE TZEDEK

OLD JAFFA

RAMAT GAN

Al

M e d i t e r ra n e an S e a

Ibn Gev

Ben Yehuda St.

Tel Aviv Port

S off Dizeng

Bulldozer” Sharon staring with great unease at a raft of Picassos. At its more authentic, the Georgian food can really shine. Try the tender chakapulu lamb stew with white plums and tarragon, or setsivi—a cool chicken breast in walnut sauce, bursting with sweetness and garlic. Pinch the crust of the cheburek meat pie and watch the steam escape into the noisy air.

On the same street as Nanuchka, the club Lima Lima hosts a popular Sunday night showcase for Russian bands called “Stakanchik,” or “little drinking glass.” Amid luxuriant George of the Jungle décor, young, hip and sometimes pregnant people in ironic CCCP and Jesus T-shirts shimmy and sway by the stage. A young singer wearing an ethnic hat begins a song with the words “Now it has come, my long-awaited old age,” a sentiment somehow both Jewish and Russian.

I end my tour of Russian Tel Aviv at a much stranger place, the cavernous Mevdevev nightclub, located a stone’s throw from the American embassy but occupying, until its recent closing, a space-time continuum all its own. As the evening begins, a birthday boy in his forties, dressed in a plaid shirt and sensible slacks, is paraded on stage by the MC and forced to sing 70’s and 80’s Russian disco hits.

A young woman in a skimpy plaid schoolgirl outfit dances around a SpongeBob birthday balloon as the nostalgic Russian music, along with a detour into the early Pet Shop Boys, bellows and hurts. My friend Zur-Glozman meets an armed, cigar-chain-smoking Ukrainian, a graduate student of the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel Aviv University who now lives in the occupied territories, as do many ex-Soviet immigrants. He invites Zur-Glozman and some of our friends for a ride in his car, which is the size of a school bus. We then negotiate the gleaming white curves of Bauhaus Tel Aviv, looking for a nightcap. Over at Little Prague, the inevitable Israeli political argument breaks out between the right-wing Russian-speaking settler and some of my liberal Israeli friends. “You probably think our houses are built of Palestinian babies,” the settler huffs.

“Well, you’re the one with the gun,” an Israeli woman tells him.

Lilienblum St.

0

0.90 km

WHEN TO GO The best time to visit Tel Aviv is between March and June, as well as the stretch between September and mid-January.

Unless you’re ready to brave temperatures more than 38 degrees Celsius, avoid both July and August.

T+L TIP The best way to get around the city is by bus; when taking a taxi there’s no need to tip the driver.

WHERE TO STAY Cinema Hotel Housed in one of the city’s first movie theaters, this film-themed property now has 82 rooms, complimentary Wi-Fi and bikes for guests’ use. 1 Zamenhoff St.; GREAT VALUE

Dan Tel Aviv A waterfront hotel with 280 rooms and a popular new dining room, D Restaurant.

99 Hayarkon St.; 800/223-6800 or 972-3/520-7773; danhotels. com; doubles from US$314.

Hotel Montefiore Rooms have minimalist, design forward décor at this hotel in the heart of the city. 36 Montefiore St.; 972-3/ 564-6100; hotelmontefiore.co.il; doubles from US$280.

EAT AND DRINK Little Prague 56 Allenby St.; 972-3/516-8137; dinner for two US$48.

Mal’enkaya Rossiya 106 Allenby St.; 972-3/566-8989; lunch for two US$20.

Nanuchka 30 Lilienblum St.; 972-3/516-2254; drinks for two US$20.

The Viking 6 Ben Yehuda St.; 972-3/620-6502; dinner for two US$52.

WHAT TO DO Bauhaus Center 99 Dizengoff St.; no phone; bauhaus-center. com.

Don Quixote 98 Allenby St; 972-3/566-4195.

Lima Lima 42 Lilienblum St.; 972-3/560-0924.

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CITYCENTER: A

NEW LOOK IN

LAS VEGAS. PHOTOGRAPHED

BY

THOMAS LOOF

116 Asia’s LATEST takes on art space 126 Exploring the great outdoors in PERU 134 Serious design leaves its MARK in Vegas 115

TY UNI M M CO S. ART E LICK H F T N ITH CTIO A GW , N I YES ACT TO, TER N Y I PH OF GRA O AYS T W W PHO , NE RY A A I R S A PO UND TEM O N R O A OC YT R O HIST

The Museum of Siam.

Opposite: In Singapore, the restored Baba House.

ITI RAD

MT FRO G HIN E RYT E MOR V Y E N ON SA ING EUM K S U A ST YM ITIE UST C M L OR RA IES EVE R S E N LL PI E GA GU L N A U T R S E SP OUR Y HAV T N’ ARE E S THE

ONA

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BABA HOUSE

W

HEN PETER LEE FIRST WALKED INTO THE dilapidated terrace house on 157 Neil Road in Singapore seven years ago, he immediately realized he’d stumbled onto something special. Built around 1895 by Wee Bin, a wealthy Peranakan shipping magnate, the house is a rare example of a period terrace house whose architectural details are predominantly Chinese. More common around Singapore are terrace houses with classical European architectural features such as pilasters and pediments. The fact that the house remained in the Wee family for more than a century meant that it remained structurally intact and retained many original features like the terra-cotta floor and ornate mouldings. “We have, in this house,” says the Asian art historian and heritage consultant, “a sense of the early commercial history of the Chinese in Singapore and how they lived.” Lee was so convinced of the historical and architectural value of the house, he brokered a deal for it to be purchased by a philanthropist and then donated to the National University of Singapore. A blue-chip restoration team of volunteers, architects and consultants from the Urban Rede-

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velopment Authority, the university’s architecture department and the NUS Museum moved in. Drawing on his own Peranakan heritage and extensive knowledge of the period, Lee curated the interiors, traveling across Southeast Asia to source furniture and decorative features like a 19th-century wedding basket and a fully functional gramophone. The result is perhaps the only fully restored, century-old house in Singapore that is open to public visits. Lee enthuses that, architecturally, the house is “a rare and refined gem, a work of art in itself.

The interiors have been restored to rigorous cultural and historical standards.” He adds that the Baba House provides visitors with an instant insight into the historical soul of Singapore, an immediate sense of how people once lived. “With so much of Singapore’s historical buildings altered, demolished or restored only to be reused as something else, Baba House is alone in being an authentic house. It is not a museum with showcases and velvet ropes. Rather, it is one that allows the visitor an experience that is sensory, intimate, subliminal and nostalgic.”

In March: “Of Fingerbowls & Hankies,” contemporary artist Chris Yap’s collection of photographs and portraits that explores the question of what it means to be Peranakan in a contemporary world. 157 Neil Rd.; 65/6227-5731; nus.edu.sg/museum/baba. Visits by appointment only.—DAV E N W U

O P E N I N G P A G E S : C H R I S K U C W AY ( L E F T ) , D A R R E N S O H ( R I G H T ) ; T H I S P A G E : D A R R E N S O H ( 2 )

SINGAPORE

Natural light at Shanghai’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Left: MoCA lights up the night.

Opposite page from far left: In front of Baba House; inside, a taste of Singapore’s rich past.

SHANGHAI

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

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C O U R T E S Y O F M U S E U M O F C O N T E M P O R A R Y A R T, S H A N G H A I ( 2 )

EEP INSIDE THE TANGLED WEB OF PONDS AND PATH-

ways that is People’s Park, past the statues of workingclass heroes and the ladies doing tai chi and the old men writing calligraphy with brushes dipped in water, is the best-kept secret in Shanghai: the Museum of Contemporary Art, or MoCA. The folks at MoCA don’t necessarily want their little gem of a museum to be a secret, but its tuckedaway location, plus the proximity of three high-profile competitors and its modest five-year history, conspire to keep it in the shadows. Even in People’s Park it is fourth on the podium behind two other museums and an exhibition center.

Joe Zhou, MoCA deputy director, is philosophical about the museum’s low profile. “It’s like yin and yang, the good and the bad go together,” he says. “Being inside the park is good, but also not so good. We like the trees and ponds, but the museum is hard to find and not near a main street. But that can be good too, because it is quiet and not crowded.”

MoCA was a greenhouse before it became a hotbed for artists, and on a sunny day, its see-through ceilings and all-

glass walls create a dazzling platform for the display of art.

Sunlight pours into the main gallery in a radiant shower that spotlights the art in a way that artificial lighting can’t match.

Contemporary art, with its love of luminous colors and vigorous contrasts, benefits particularly from the quality of light.

MoCA’s approach to art is all-embracing, and the exhibits, which are rotated every six to eight weeks, are cutting-edge creations that push the artistic envelope. The curators are careful but catholic: all mediums and all nationalities are considered, and the exhibits range from playful and cartoonish to sharp and ironic, with a general love of the crazy and the colorful, and a slight tendency to favor installation, video and animation. In March, the museum will exhibit the paintings of Zhou Tiehai, whose blend of superbly rendered realism and new-age humor is a perfect fit for the museum.

A final MoCA virtue, and a little-known one, is its Art Lab, a lounge and restaurant that occupy the top floor and help support the non-profit museum. Art Lab also boasts a rooftop terrace that offers eye-watering views of the remarkable People’s Park skyline. It is one of the finest cocktail-sipping spots in all of Shanghai, but it is rarely crowded. Like the museum itself, it remains a well-kept secret.

In March: “The Realism of Zhou Tiehai.” 231 Nanjing Rd. W.; 8621/6327-9900; mocashanghai.org.—B R E N T H A N N O N » 119

BEIJING

THREE SHADOWS PHOTOGRAPHY ART CENTRE

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OCATED OFF A DUSTY ROAD NEXT TO THE AIRPORT

expressway in a part of Beijing that feels more like the countryside than one of the world’s largest cities, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre is easy to miss. But for founders Inri and RongRong, two well-known Beijing-based photographers, that remoteness is part of the charm. Though the original plan was simply to build a library to house the couple’s collection of photography books for the public, the

plot of land Inri and RongRong found in a former factory area of northeastern Beijing was big enough to accommodate not just the library, but exhibition space, living quarters, a dark room, a café and bookshop. Two years after opening, Three Shadows is known locally as the premier photography gallery in the city, and the neighborhood, known as Caochangdi, has boomed with avant-garde art galleries. And, not forgetting the original purpose, the public is welcome to flip through the collection of 3,500-plus photography books from around the world.

Designed by artist Ai Weiwei, who created the Bird’s Nest Stadium for the Beijing Olympics, Three Shadows consists of several minimalist buildings surrounded by a wall, all built of gray brick. Exhibitions are held in a series of triangular-

A BOV E , TO P L E F T A N D C E N T E R : CO U RT ESY O F T H R E E SHADOWS PHOTOGRAPHY CENTRE, BEIJING (2).

R I G H T: C O U R T E SY O F TA K S U , K U A L A L U M P U R

The clean confines of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing. Right: The center’s modern courtyard. Far right: Kuala Lumpur’s TAKSU specializes in modern art.

B E L O W, FA R L E F T A N D C E N T E R : C O U R T E SY O F TA K S U , K U A L A LU M P U R ( 2 ) . R I G H T: CO U RT E SY O F S EO U L A RT S PAC E S

shaped rooms that create a long perimeter, making art viewing a pleasant, linear experience. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls occasionally punctuate the viewing experience, illuminating the exhibition space and giving the viewer the occasional break. Past shows at the gallery have featured photographers like Liu Heung Shing, a former Time magazine staffer, and Philip Chen, a Chinese-American recipient of a MacArthur genius grant.

What sets Three Shadows apart from most galleries is its philanthropic leanings. Since it opened in 2007, the gallery has become respected in the art scene for cultivating young talent. “Though we work as a gallery, representing artists and selling art, our mission is really to help the development of Chinese photography,” says managing director Isabelle

Holden, a native of France who has a background in nonprofit organizations.

Each year, Three Shadows holds a photography competition in the spring that fosters new talent. This year’s competition, which will be held in April, has received the sponsorship of cosmetics company Shiseido and the New York-based Tierney Foundation. Three Shadows expects to host a total of 10 artists-in-residence this year, six of them coming from overseas, who will create a body of work during their time in China and hold conferences and workshops for budding young photographers.

In an age where digital cameras are one of the latest musthave gadgets among China’s youth, Holden says that the Three Shadows mission has become even more relevant »

One of Seoul’s Art Spaces.

Left: TAKSU aims to be a gathering point for local artists. Far left: A sculpture installation at the Kuala Lumpur gallery.

KUALA LUMPUR

TAKSU

A

S AT OTHER VENUES AROUND THE REGION, THE WELL-

established TAKSU in Kuala Lumpur prides itself on being more than simply an exhibition space: it also aims to be a locale where established and emerging artists can interact to further their own work. To that end, this year the gallery has announced it will host a total of seven group shows and two solo exhibitions.

But the effort goes beyond exhibits. TAKSU Artist Residency Program, the unfortunately named TARP— thankfully no relation to the U.S. troubled-asset program— provides artists with access to the emerging art scene in the region, promotes dialogue among artists and improves the quality of local art in the process. This year’s artist-in-residence is Samsuddin Wahab, who will have a solo exhibition later in the year at TAKSU’s sister gallery in Singapore.

Nurturing home-grown talent was also the point behind the annual “Locals Only” exhibition. For those with an interest in the local art scene, the gallery’s Janis Perumal advises to be on the lookout for young Malaysian artists who have traveled abroad and returned home to hone their skills.

Much of what’s on offer at TAKSU falls into a contemporary take on Asian life—paintings or sculptures in shocking colors and odd shapes that beg for a pure white space to call home. Yet the older generation, many of whom are now curators, still has a say in this development and, through the combination of the two age groups, Kuala Lumpur’s art scene is flourishing. “With new technology and Internet influence, Malaysian artists are also forging stronger links with other Southeast Asian artists, museums and galleries,” Perumal says, “reaching out to new ideas, space and boundaries that were inaccessible 10 years ago.”

Last year, an art expo in the country boosted the profile of Malaysian art, though Perumal says prices for better-known artists have been on the rise since 2006. Aside from wealthy local buyers, collectors from both China and India have shown an interest in Malaysian art, not surprising given the ethnic make-up of the country.

In March: “The Locals Only” exhibit continues its run until the end of the month. 17 Jln. Pawang Keramat Hujung; 60-3/4251-4396; taksu.com/en.—C H R I S K U C WAY

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SEOUL

SEOUL ART SPACES

S

EOUL IS A CITY WHERE GOOD DESIGN WAS IGNORED

for a long time. Today, its streets are still cluttered with clumsy neon and uninspiring concrete prefabs of another era. For decades, the vibrant underground of young artists and designers went unsupported and kept at arm’s length from the city’s conservative galleries.

But that’s all changed now. Art and design are touted as a selling point for a modern capital, one with global aspirations.

The city’s old Dongdaemun Stadium has been torn down and will be replaced by the curving green space of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park, designed by British architect Zaha Hadid, though that project has faced delays and now isn’t scheduled to open until December 2011. In the meantime, a yearly Design Olympiad showcases South Korea’s ample talent. And, with Seoul dubbed this year’s World Design Capital, the city government has begun harnessing that talent, taking over five derelict sites to create a network of Art Spaces—affordable studios and workspace for independent creative types.

One such site, Art Space Seogyo, taps the well-established artistic student neighborhood Hongdae with installation art, a cinema, stages for indie bands and a media-art area, as well as Saturday rooftop workshops.

Another, Art Space Sindang was created in a run-down section of an underground arcade, beneath one of Seoul’s most vibrant markets and amid the pots-and-pans wholesalers that supply the city’s vast fleets of street-food carts. Small shop fronts have become windows into studios where jewelry is created, books are bound, glass is blown, ceramics are shaped and puppets carved.

An imposing metal robot greets visitors at Art Space Geumcheon, the largest of the sites, where the noise of sculptors’ hammers and drills echoes from factory space recuperated from an old printing house. Geumcheon’s 33 studios give residencies to both Korean and international artists, in an attempt to blend cultures and inspiration.

Art Space Yeonhi is a writer’s colony, with four houses in Seoul’s northwestern woods. Resident scribes include novelists, poets and children’s book authors, who hold sessions with international literary figures and workshops for local aspiring writers. The latest newcomer is Art Space Mullae, which is still finding its identity in Seoul’s metal works district.

The Seogyo and Sindang locations are always busy, but open studios, workshops, lectures and exhibits at the different Art Spaces change often—and sometimes a bit haphazardly—so best to check the website for the latest happenings.

In March: From March 20 until May, Art Space Sindang’s studios are open to the public; various locations; 82-2/290-7070; seoulartspace. or.kr.—N I C O L A I H A RT V I G »

CO U RT E SY O F S EO U L A RT S PAC E S

to anyone interested in the local art community: “There’s this idea that if you have a good camera, you must be able to take a good photo. But anybody can buy a canvas and oil paints yet very few people can be Van Gogh.” The message couldn’t be clearer at this sprawling complex.

In March: The 2009 Europhalia International Arts Festival, which will turn its focus on China. 155 Caochangdi; 86-10/6432-2663; threeshadows.cn.—J E N L I N - L I U

An installation art exhibit at Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Space Seogyo.

Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Past Clockwise from top left: Hong Kong Film Archive; the archive offers ďŹ lm retrospectives; old posters at the Museum of Siam; an intricate wooden model of rice planting at the Thai museum.

BANGKOK

MUSEUM OF SIAM

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : L A R A D AY ( 2 ) ; C H R I S K U C W AY ( 2 )

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ROUND BANGKOK, THERE’S A TENDENCY FOR museums to be, well, boring. Too many are as dated as the items they showcase. And it doesn’t help matters that some also have the unfortunate trait of being inaccessible to anyone who isn’t fluent in Thai. The Museum of Siam, located in the oldest part of the city, addresses these two hurdles well, yet still has a ways to go before completely overcoming the language barrier.

Located in a beautiful Italianate house that dates to the 19th century, and within walking distance of both the Grand Palace and Wat Po, the Museum of Siam aims to answer “Who Are Thais?” Now this could easily make your eyes roll back into your head but the museum makes a visit enjoyable through interactive exhibits, question-and-answer sessions, and displays that insist on a certain amount of original thought on the part of the visitor. It’s all meant to be a fun learning experience. Take the exhibit on war as an example.

The fact that I was slaughtered repeatedly by a video of a sword-wielding soldier—I was manning a cannon and, fortunately, there was no one else around—was only slightly unnerving. I did manage to move on before a pre-teen school group showed up.

If battles aren’t your thing, there’s plenty to keep young and old hands occupied in this study of a land and people that date back the sixth century B.C. Each of the dark-lit rooms covers a single topic, agriculture, trade, religion and language—learn how to say hello in Lao, Hmong and Karen— among them, each in an interesting manner. There’s a wealth of information here and, judging by their expressions throughout the tour, the groups of school kids could sense a test of some sort at the end of it all. Whether a student or simply a casual visitor, it’s the hands-on aspect that makes the Museum of Siam interesting. Saving the best for last, visitors can jot down on an electronic pad what improvements they would suggest to the prime minister. In moments, mine was beamed up onto a wall. The reality might take longer: I suggested to the powers that be that they fix Bangkok’s sidewalks.

In March: Permanent exhibit “Who Are Thais?” Sanam Chai Rd.; 66-2/225-2777; ndmi.or.th.— C . K .

HONG KONG

HONG KONG FILM ARCHIVE

C

INEMA MIGHT WELL BE HONG KONG’S MOST HIGHLY

regarded art form. Not only has its action films influenced directors from Quentin Tarantino to Ang Lee, but its art-house offerings have met with glowing interna-

tional acclaim, as when Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love won Sunday Times’ vote for best film of the last decade.

One institution, hidden in a nondescript suburb in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, is dedicated to collecting, preserving and promoting the city’s considerable film heritage. Opened in 2001 in an unassuming four-story building, the Hong Kong Film Archive is a movie buff ’s dream: a world-class, multi-purpose movie facility spanning 7,200 square meters. Little wonder that it attracts film scholars, students and visitors from around Asia and beyond.

The archive is divided into two distinct sections. The first, devoted to documenting and conserving Hong Kong’s film history, is closed off to the public—and with good reason.

More than 4,000 films and several hundred thousand filmrelated artifacts are stored here, and it’s crucial that they’re kept in a sealed, carefully monitored environment to prevent materials from degrading over time: film vaults maintain a constant temperature of four degrees Celsius, with humidity levels below 30 percent at all times, a must in Hong Kong’s sticky climate. Even before storage, there’s work to be done on acquisitions: conservation labs undertake the painstaking work of assessing, restoring, duplicating and transferring film prints—which often arrive damaged or fragmented—so that they can continue to be viewed.

Access, indeed, is key. That brings us to the second section of the archive. Here, the public is welcome, and visitors are treated to a host of movie screenings and exhibitions. Classic Hong Kong and international films are shown daily in the 127-person cinema, equipped with 35mm and 16mm film projectors, while the ground-floor, 200-square-meter exhibition space regularly hosts seminars, symposiums and themed retrospectives. A series of screenings, lectures and seminars that ends this month looks at writer Eileen Chang’s influence on films including Love In a Fallen City, Flowers of Shanghai and Lust, Caution. Chang began reviewing films at the tender age of 17, eventually writing novels and screenplays adapted by most of the big names of Chinese cinema.

Meantime, behind the scenes, the archive is hard at work chronicling 90 years of Hong Kong cinema and film history through research and publications. One of its most lauded undertakings is the “Oral History Project,” consisting of audio and video interviews with filmmakers talking about their work. Like all preservation work, this is a race against time, especially when speaking to veterans of the 1950’s golden age of Hong Kong cinema. To date, the project has interviewed 170 film personalities from the Hong Kong filmmaking industry.

As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a walk-in resource center, as well as an online catalog to the entire archive available to those who register. While it can’t offer rights to the individual items in the collection, it is a great database.

In March: “Eileen Chang and Film.” 50 Lei King Rd., Sai Wan Ho; 852/2739-2139.—L A R A D A Y 125

PERUVIAN Exploring the wilds of the Amazon, the highaltitude waters of Titicaca, and the mysteries of Machu Picchu, ANDREW SOLOMON revels in the sheer, exuberant abundance of Peru. Photographed by ANDRE GUNTHER

ODYSSEY

Machu Picchu and a sweater to be.

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luxury than you might have expected, even if there is also more privation than you might have hoped. There are definitely more holidays in Peru, because there is more faith in Peru, and from the darker wilds of the country on moonless nights, there seem to be more stars in the sky. It can get a little tiring, this maximalism; you wish from time to time that there were not so many waterfalls and inexplicable stone walls, but it cannot be denied that when you think of home from Peru, home seems pallid.

My partner and I began our trip with a week on the Amazon, which officially originates in northern Peru at the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón rivers. The Amazon Basin has a dry and a rainy season, but it rains almost as much in one as in the other. It is more useful to think of them as the flooded and low-water seasons, for melting Andean snow and highland rains engorge the river between November and June, when it ignores its moderate winter banks and spills into the jungle that was previously its border, rising by as much as 12 meters. Geological time speeds up here. You can see riverine erosion and accretion as if you were watching a stop-motion film. We saw an

T H I S PAG E , TO P L E F T: CO U RT E SY O F AQ UA ( 3 )

S

OUTH AMERICA HAS BEEN AROUND no longer than North America, and yet there seems to be more history in Peru: more pre-Columbian history and more colonial history and quite a lot of recent history. There are more birds in Peru, and they have more colors in their bright wings. More foods come originally from Peru— including both potatoes and tomatoes—than from any comparable area anywhere else. There are more languages spoken in Peru, even if some are spoken by very few people. There are more climates there, packed in tight next to one another, most of the world’s ecosystems in narrow-wale stripes.

When it rains, there is more rain; and when the sun is overhead, there is much, much more sun, and you need much more sunblock to survive it. The rivers are bigger and wider and faster, the earthquakes stronger. Peru has the Americas’ deepest canyon and the world’s driest desert. There is more

Working with reeds on Lake Titicaca. Right: Cuzco’s colonial charm. Opposite, clockwise from top left: By skiff through a flooded Amazonian forest; a threetoed sloth; following the Amazon aboard the Aqua.

entire grove of bamboo mudslide into the water, and, later, a snarl of the plants catch firmly on the opposite bank. The river’s water is brown with churned earth, and great messes of wood and broken things rush past you as if they were late for a party in Rio. The canopy of the rain forest is more accessible when the river is flooded; indeed, you can float within reach of last month’s distant treetops. High-nesting birds are closer, though the soaked ground hampers walking. There are few large mammals, and the vegetation is so thick that one seldom sees them. Even our guides, jungle-born and -bred, had rarely spotted an ocelot, or a jaguar, or the world’s largest rodent, the 61-centimeter-tall capybara. You visit the Amazon to see birds, monkeys, the pink river dolphins and the much-maligned piranhas, and to bask in a seemingly limitless ecosystem. There are tiny villages and ranger stations here and there, and every so often a banana boat passes by on the main river, but essentially you are away from human habitat. There are no satisfactory maps of the Peruvian Amazon because it is in a state of permanent flux; it wriggles around like an insomniac, flinging itself this way

and that way, rolling back to where it was in the first place, carving estuaries into yesterday’s land.

Our sleek 40-meter boat, the Aqua, has set out to bring luxury to one of the earth’s most daunting wildernesses.

When we caught sight of it from our excursionary skiffs, it looked as out of place against the torn shores of the tempestuous waterway as Fitzcarraldo’s boat pulled up a mountain.

Sometimes, conversely, we would lie on beautiful pillows and gaze out of huge plate-glass windows, and the torrid water and dense jungle seemed like multimedia projections because they were so incongruous with our urbane suite.

The Aqua was conceived of and built by Francesco Galli Zugaro, a dashing 36-year-old who rides on the boat for a few days each month. It is the love project of his fertile imagination, and his exuberant aura of discovery seems woven into its very fabric.

The Aqua was designed and decorated by the noted Peruvian architect Jordi Puig with the spare, elegant coolness of Richard Meier: wall panels of soft white lighting, bathrooms with the latest eco-sensitive technology, Brazilian slate walls, floors of handsome local wood, king–size beds and » 129

Peruvian Pieces Clockwise from top left: The Aquaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enclosed lounge; a toucan in the Amazonian wild; in the Sacred Valley, a young local face; an overview of Cuzco; waiting for a bus in the Sacred Valley; a colorful schoolhouse on Lake Titicaca.

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those astonishing outer walls of glass. It’s as if 12 rooms from the W Hotel had decided to run away to sea together.

The boat holds 26 passengers and 21 crew members, so the feeling is intimate. The menus were devised by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino of Malabar, one of Lima’s leading chefs, to meld jungle flavors and classic dishes: a soufflé made of fresh hearts of palm; broth of armored catfish with wild cilantro; a warm passion-fruit tart that sang in the mouth.

It is a truism of cruises that staff tend to be jolly, but it is in general a rather forced jolliness. On this trip, the staff seemed genuinely to be having a good time. They worked like the dickens: a team of trained naturalists who could whistle the call of any bird or primate, seducing them into view as surely as the Pied Piper, or spot a camouflaged toad at night as we careened by in the skiff; a bartender who could make a mean camu-camu–infused pisco sour. When we returned to the boat at the end of an occasional night tour, going in our dark skiffs around a bend in the dim river, the miracle of the Aqua struck us again: it looked like some riverbound constellation recently fallen from the night sky.

TO P L E F T A N D C E N T E R : CO U RT ESY O F AQ UA ( 2 )

W

E EXPLORED THE BLACK WATER, THE

stiller areas, rich in tannins, which reflect everything as in a glass, darkly. On one particularly memorable day, we took the skiff for almost five hours until we found a lagoon so dense with floating water lettuce and water lilies that it covered the entire surface, and we motored slowly through what appeared to be a field, an impression made stronger by the long-legged jacana birds that skittered across the unmoored plants. The green parted for, then closed behind, us; earth was water, and water, earth. In a tree at the end of this green wonderland we found a three-toed sloth, perhaps nature’s weirdest creation, E.T. draped in a motheaten fur coat. The name “sloth” suggests laziness, but a sloth’s slowness is more like that of a smack addict. They hang from branches, turning their heads as if tomorrow might lie in any direction, occasionally munching on the hallucinogenic leaves of the cecropia tree. That night, we went to see nocturnal creatures, and I expressed regret that it was impossible to photograph the spectacled caiman, a carnivorous reptile closely related to the crocodile. Minutes later, while the captain held his legs, our valiant guide, Víctor Coelhos, cantilevered himself off the front of the skiff, plunged his arms into the muddy waters, and lifted a squirming juvenile into the air, holding it in such a way that we could photograph it and it could not remove his fingers.

If you go to the rain forest during the rainy season, chances are you will encounter rain. We did, but it was usually brief, sometimes giving way to clear skies and frequently to clouds that softened the heat. On our penultimate day, we came through a dense patch of water hyacinths and found

ourselves looking head-on at a rainbow, and as we drew in our breath, a flock of perhaps 40 green parrots skittered across our path. Pink is the navy blue of Amazonia: there were not only the pink river dolphins we loved, but also the pink-toed tarantulas and cascades of pink morning glories, more delicate than bougainvillea, a confetti dangled over the black water. In a week, we had traveled 800 kilometers, from Iquitos to the Pacaya River and back, and seen more than 80 species of birds, two dozen kinds of mammals, and an eccentric array of fish and reptiles. I had draped an anaconda around my neck, and then a boa constrictor; we had fished for piranhas with stick-poles. We had been received in one village by dancers and musicians, and in another by the old men who repaired the nets and broke the husks off rice.

We had learned the names and cries of the prehistorically plumed hoatzins (pronounced “watseens”), the red howler monkeys, and the horned screamers with daft feather-like tufts on their foreheads. We had seen parrots and macaws, toucans of every shape and size, and, once, an anteater up in a tree. We had learned (but did not exercise this knowledge) that you can scoop up termites and rub them between your hands to make a natural mosquito repellent. We had seen dragonflies with red heads like matchsticks, and blue morpho butterflies, cerulean as the eyes of a fairy-tale princess. Everywhere we found water hyacinths in bloom; Monet’s lily pond had nothing on these streams. At night, in perfect isolation, we had gaped at a sky overcrowded with jostling stars and striped with the Milky Way. If the miraculous universe of Amazonian Peru can be credited largely to the absence of human incursion, the thrilling destinations along the western slopes of the Andes owe as much to civilization as to nature. Monumental stone terraces climb like sinuous staircases toward the hilltops, giving testimony to the Inca genius for maximizing agricultural yield despite heavy runoff and poor soil. The colonial Spaniards who decimated the Inca empire robbed the natives’ precision-hewn stones for their own churches, whose hopeful spires punctuate the skyline in towns great and small. To enter this other world, you need guidance, not because it is dangerous, but because the muchness of it requires canny sorting. We ventured out under the aegis of Marisol Mosquera and Aracari Travel Consulting, which employs a network of extremely knowledgeable local guides.

Mosquera brings not only elegance and panache to her work but also wisdom and a sense of history; she keeps you comfortable but helps you penetrate to the truest Peru, to experiences you might not otherwise have accrued until you’d visited the country 40 times. Her company restricts its purview to Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, including the Galápagos, and you are not put at a hotel or recommended a restaurant that she has not personally checked out. In 20 years of writing about travel, I have never enjoyed such impeccable personal attention. » 131

Fresh from the Amazon, we headed to the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River, where Inca ruins and terraces are scattered as densely as Starbucks in Manhattan. We started at Pisac, whose serpentine terraces echo the undulating slopes. The nearby town’s Sunday market is given over half to the touristic takeaways that hardly vary from place to place and half to a bustling food emporium where sturdy women in serapes and bowler hats hawk every color and size of potato and corn kernels as big as the Hope Diamond. We lunched there, then headed for our siesta, and Susy Dyson. Dyson, a Peruvian of English descent, became Peru’s first supermodel 30 years ago in Paris, had an acting and singing career, and then quit the jet set to move home to Lima and have a family. Two years ago she bought a tract of land near Urubamba and transformed it into an inn, Ticllabamba. It has just three suites, set amid lush orchards and countless vistas; designed by Dyson, the place is simple and understated. Altitude is exhausting and we were tired, so she arranged for the chef-owner of one of Peru’s top restaurants, Pio Vásquez de Velasco of nearby Restaurante El Huacatay, to come over an indescribably delicious dinner that included a carpaccio of alpaca marinated with thyme and served with dried tomatoes and pecans. The feeling is more like visiting a marvelous friend in her charming compound than staying in a hotel.

O

NE OF THE THINGS THERE IS MORE OF IN

Peru is ruins, some of them hardly ruined. We had seen dozens by the time we made our way to Machu Picchu with jaded eyes, taking the opulent Hiram Bingham train to arrive at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. Then we walked to the site, and looked at the face of its splendid mystery. While

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not as extensive as Angkor Wat or as refined as the Taj Mahal, it has in common with those monuments the quality of being utterly surprising, no matter how many images of it you have seen. It is partly that it is so ambitious and partly that it is so exquisitely situated, spilling along ridges and across hillocks and down vertiginous drops, taking in the surrounding peaks hundreds of meters above and the river hundreds of meters below. Walking these streets, you feel that there was tremendous intention in this construction, though it is impossible to know just what was intended.

Cuzco is one of those cities, like Venice or Bruges or Suzhou, that is so exquisite that everything else about it seems irrelevant, and no glut of tourism can quite cancel its charm. The Plaza de Armas is one of the world’s great squares, with its two splendid colonial churches, including the cathedral, known for a painting of the Last Supper that shows Christ and the apostles dining on guinea pig. The Inca sites around the edges of town are spectacular, especially the intimidating stone ramparts of Sacsayhuaman. In mixing native and Spanish culture, Peru arrived at a style that seems like Europe viewed through a bright kaleidoscope. Cuzco has fine hotels, and we stayed at La Casona.

Our room had carved doors, framed Incan textiles on the walls, antique furniture, dark-wood shutters that opened to a beautiful view of the square, and a colossal bathroom of striated marble. The 16th-century building consists of just 11 rooms around a cloister court. Down the road is the superhip, Italian-designed Casa Cartagena, also installed in a great historic house.

Driving the 380 kilometers of high country southeast from Cuzco to Puno, we went through several villages defined by what they make: the village of fried pork skin (chicharrones); the village of roasted guinea pig (cuy); the village of bread; the village of textiles. Then we came at last to

TO P R I G H T: CO U RT ESY O F AQ UA

Down South From left: One of Cuzco’s colonial churches; birdlife is abundant at every turn along the Amazon; spices for sale at a market in the Sacred Valley.

the Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas, sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, which the World Monuments Fund is helping to restore. It looks like a pleasant village church, but the doors open to reveal an interior that is relentlessly decorated, covered in frescoes, with a ceiling of a thousand medallions and an altar all silvered and gilded and mirrored, rather churrigueresque, and ingeniously harmonious. Eighty kilometers farther, we got to Raqchi, site of a 15th-century Inca town made mostly of mud bricks, yet of phenomenal size, the towering columns of its Wiracocha temple built to support what is believed to have been the biggest roof in pre-Columbian America. We drove into the Altiplano, the high plains at more than 3,600 meters—great stretches set in the jagged humps of the Andes, like the boundless footprints of a forgotten giant.

P

UNO IS SOMETHING OF A DUSTHEAP, BUT FROM

it you can explore the beauty of Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake. We went by boat first to the Uros Islands, floating manmade blocks of totora reeds, continually replenished with new layers on top as the bottom layers rot in the water, each island moored to an anchor. When the Uros leave their reed houses on their reed islands, they go in boats made of reeds, many with elaborate reed figureheads of pumas. Each island has a watchtower from which signals may be sent to others in case of trouble, and that too is made of reeds, though it has wooden legs.

The staple of the Uros diet is the starchy, white heart of the reeds. This universe of reeds is exquisite through monoculture; there is something meditative and transfixing about a place where the only points of difference are the water, the sky, and the brightly colored clothing of the people.

On Taquile Island, another 2½ hours away, all the women weave, and all the men knit. The women weave long belts, and the men knit hats on needles as fine as pins.

The handiwork is just extraordinary, and one only wishes one could commission something other than a woven belt or a knitted hat. Peru is rather rich in knitted hats, and there are only so many of them that anyone can incorporate into his daily life, and these particular woven belts are hard to carry off if you are not specifically trying to look like a traditionally dressed woman from Taquile.

In mid-afternoon we arrived at Suasi Lodge, set on the only private island in the lake, within view of Bolivia. The eco-lodge, now run by Casa Andina, was founded by Peruvian sociologist Martha Giraldo as a nature reserve. It is a place for the sort of calm reflection that befitted our last day on such a full vacation. So much of Peru is a fiesta of stimulus. After a couple of weeks of that, Suasi is an oasis.

We left Peru by way of Lima, where we had dinner with Mosquera at Rafael Restaurant, which is one of Lima’s best. As befits the land of more, there are more than 3,000

kinds of potato grown in Peru, and we had many that were unlike anything I ever had before, including wild jungle potatoes. There are more than 2,000 kinds of fish in the waters of Peru because a deep Arctic current upwells off the coast, creating some of the most plankton-rich waters in the world. There are huge numbers of novel fruits and vegetables; we became obsessed with lucuma, a fruit that tastes like a cross between dates and butterscotch, at its best in a traditional Lima dessert called suspiro a la limeña.

Any good trip is orchestrated, and this one had been written by Mosquera in distinct movements. We had started low and made a gradual ascent, the better to avoid altitude sickness, but the trip was also modulated in its harmonic shifts from the wild exuberance of the Amazon to the mystery of the Sacred Valley to the stupefaction of Machu Picchu to the elegance of Cuzco to the breathtaking austerity of Lake Titicaca. This is a country where more is definitively more. ✚

GUIDE TO PERU La Casona 113 Plaza Las Nazarenas, Cuzco; 51-1/610-0400; inkaterra.com; doubles from S/2,070, including breakfast.

Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel Machu Picchu Pueblo, Aguas Calientes; 51-1/610-0400; inkaterra.com; doubles from S/1,432, including breakfast and dinner.

Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge Crta. Hiram Bingham, Machu Picchu; 51-84 984-816-956; machupicchu.orient-express.com. com; doubles from S/2,938.

OUTFITTERS A number of reputable outfitters offer guided trips throughout Peru. We recommend Aracari Travel Consulting (312/2398726 or 51-1/651-2424; aracari. com; three-day itineraries from US$750, or S/2,137, per person).

Aqua Expeditions The 12-cabin boat sails the Amazon from its home port of Iquitos. 51-1/3683868; aquaexpeditions.com; four-day itineraries from S/6,470 per person.

WHERE TO STAY Casa Andina Private Collection, Isla Suasi Lake Titicaca; 51-95/131-0070; casa-andina.com; doubles from S/716, including breakfast.

GREAT VALUE

Casa Cartagena 336 Calle Pumacurco, Cuzco; casacartagena.com; doubles from S/949, including breakfast and cocktails.

Ticllabamba Cam. a Vinopata, Granja de Yucay, Urubamba; 51-1/999-352-664; ticllabamba. com; doubles from S/805, including breakfast and light supper.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Restaurante El Huacatay 620 Calle Jr. Arica, Urubamba; 51-84/201-790; dinner for two S/150.

Restaurant Rafael 300 Calle San Martín, Lima; 51-1/242-4149; dinner for two S/314.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas Crta. UrcosPuno, Quispicanchis; wmf.org.

Machu Picchu peru.info.

Raqchi Km 117, Cuzco-Puno Hwy., in San Pedro district.

Sacsayhuaman Fort Two kilometers north of Cuzco; peru.info.

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THE NEW

VEGAS

WITH THE OPENING OF CITYCENTER, SERIOUS ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN — AND A BIT OF REAL URBAN TEXTURE — HAVE ARRIVED AMID THE NEON-LIT RAZZLE-DAZZLE OF THE LAS VEGAS STRIP. KARRIE JACOBS REPORTS. PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS LOOF A view of CityCenter, in Las Vegas.

Opposite: The Cesar Pelli– designed Aria Resort & Casino, one of the development’s four hotels.

COOL

Design Driven Opposite, clockwise from top left: A suite at the Aria hotel; the Crystals luxury shopping center, designed by Daniel Libeskind, nears completion; the bar on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental; Aria’s 1,840-seat Viva Elvis Theater.

S LAS VEGAS STRIP: AS CLEANING CREWS SCRUB the traces of the nightly moving party from the sidewalks and the last revelers stare in wonderment at fresh-faced joggers, most of the Strip’s casinos and hotels are revealed to be a bit less phantasmagorical and a bit more beige than they appeared the night before. But not CityCenter. The humongous US$8.5 billion, 1.67-million-square meter development that opened in December is the rare sort of Vegas spectacle that actually looks great—maybe even better—in the morning light. The jagged steel-and-glass peaks of architect Daniel Libeskind’s luxury shopping mall, Crystals, glisten in the sunshine. The multihued blue-glass panels of the Norman Foster–designed Harmon Hotel (planned at 49 stories, but only built to 28 because of structural problems) pop in the morning light, as do the splashes of mustard yellow on the rakishly angled Veer condo towers

by Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn. The sunlight plays off the glass exteriors of each of the major hotels—the 4,000-room Aria Resort & Casino, the 1,495-room Vdara Hotel & Spa, and the 392-room Mandarin Oriental—in a

SUNRISE ON THE

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different way. The product of five years of feverish design and construction by casino developer and operator MGM Mirage (in partnership with a subsidiary of Dubai World) and a dramatic rescue last April from near bankruptcy, CityCenter is a study in nuance—a novelty in a town that does not trade in subtlety. It is also a bold statement of grown-up style and real architecture in a town not known for either.

Indeed, most of what we now associate with Las Vegas is more suburban than urban in form: huge, boxy buildings or Y-shaped towers strung along the Strip, tricked out to look like postcard versions of Paris or ancient Egypt. In the landmark 1972 book Learning from Las Vegas, architects Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour famously described the local style as “the decorated shed.” What this means is that buildings in Las Vegas, no matter how ornate, are always formulated to contain as many square meters of gaming space as possible and to maximize the views from the largest possible number of hotel rooms. Drive along the back side of the Strip, however, and all the illusion »

AT THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL, THE INTERIOR DESIGNER TRIES TO

of design for MGM and the man who disappears: what you mostly see are naked High Style From left: Nancy Rubins’s Big Edge installation, assembled the project’s A-list architect lineconcrete walls, which look like the side view outside Aria; Peter Wegner’s Day for Night, Night for Day up. Walking is now on par with gambling as of a Walmart. installation in the Vdara hotel a key Las Vegas pastime, and the Strip is Nonetheless, Las Vegas has become more concierge lobby; the casino’s Carta Privada gaming lounge; thick with peripatetic tourists, like a cross urban in feel over the years, almost in spite the Veer Towers condobetween Times Square and Bourbon Street. of itself. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, explains miniums; a booth at Silk Road restaurant, in the Vdara hotel; The Las Vegas formula typically involves Bobby Baldwin, CityCenter president and Typewriter Eraser, Scale X by importing cultural artifacts that have been CEO and champion poker player, Las Vegas Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, outside the successful elsewhere: Celine Dion, Cirque du visitors were a sedentary bunch, checking in Mandarin Oriental hotel.

Soleil or Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Until at one hotel/casino and staying put. “My CityCenter opened, this was also the Las parents were customers of Las Vegas, and Vegas approach to urban design. Ancient Egypt, Paris, they never left the Desert Inn, for example,” Baldwin says.

Venice, New York: the Strip is overstocked with imitations But in the 90’s, a building boom packed the Strip with a of other cities. CityCenter, by contrast, is the first citynew generation of theme-park style properties, including Luxor, the Venetian, Bellagio and New York New York, and themed development here that is not a copy. “We’re not designing illusionist architecture anymore, where you have a the behavior of visitors changed. “As the Strip filled up box and you paint a blue ceiling on it,” Libeskind says. Van more and more, there became less of a need to get into a Assche points to Bellagio (also an MGM property) as the car to go from one building to another, and people started walking,” says Sven Van Assche, the garrulous vice president dawn of a less literal brand of theming, meaning they bor-

THE LAS VEGAS STRIP: A BRIEF TIME LINE

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1931

1946

1966

1989

1997

1998

Gambling becomes legal in Nevada.

Bugsy Siegel opens the Flamingo.

Caesars Palace opens, the first themed mega-casino.

The Mirage opens with a man-made volcano.

New York New York opens.

First replica city.

Bellagio opens. The design world takes note.

1999 2009 The Venetian and Paris open. More fake cities.

CityCenter opens.

RE-CREATE THE EXPERIENCE OF CONTEMPORARY HONG KONG

rowed “northern Italian vernacular” without appropriating an existing city. He sees CityCenter as a logical next step: “We decided that we’re going to create something that’s urban, something that’s all about mixed use and the energy of great cities and place-making.”

Unlike almost everything else in Las Vegas (with the exception of Steve Wynn’s most recent towers), the buildings of CityCenter are emphatically three-dimensional. They don’t go blank on the back side and, amazingly, they even look good from above. CityCenter is a complex puzzle of interlocking pieces, a whole menu of shapes, sizes and materials—much like a real city—connected by a sinuous series of walkways and roads and bisected by a new tramline. And unlike major new developments in Dubai or Shanghai, the pedestrian experience here has been well thought through by professionals like the urban planners at Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, known for their seminal work on New York’s Battery Park City, and the sophisticated landscape designers at Field Operations, lately famous for their work on New York’s High Line park. Van Assche believes the development’s meandering pathways, routinely punctuated by sculptures such as Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Typewriter Eraser, Scale X or Nancy Rubins’s startling assemblage of canoes and rowboats, Big Edge, tend to humanize the architecture. “We didn’t want to create the monumentality that modern architecture is known for,” Van Assche says. Indeed, designer David Rockwell, who collaborated with Libeskind on Crystals—they filled the mall with unique “landmarks,” such as a three-story abstract structure

called the Treehouse—regards the meandering pathways as the exact thing that distinguishes CityCenter from the rest of Las Vegas. The plan offers an unusual degree of freedom in a town known for its “tightly controlled sight lines and flow of people,” he says.

Of course, it’s still Vegas: one low-rise corrugated metal building, so oddly shaped that it could be a Frank Gehry, turns out to be the Aria’s theater, home to a new Cirque du Soleil show, Viva Elvis. And all this outward sophistication doesn’t mean that the various CityCenter buildings aren’t jam-packed with eye candy. At the Mandarin Oriental, for example, interior designer Adam Tihany tries to re-create the experience of contemporary Hong Kong. When guests step off the elevator at the 23rd-floor lobby, they encounter what he calls a “gold bullion wall,” a shimmering blast of gilded geometry. “It’s about power,” Tihany says. The Aria hotel and casino features some 20 highly stylized restaurants and lounges: a brightly tiled tapas bar run by Bellagio restaurateur Julian Serrano looks as if it were airlifted in from Barcelona; Sage, a first Las Vegas venue for Chicago chef Shawn McClain, is the Midwest as reimagined by Parisian interior designer Jacques Garcia with dark wood floors and Lalique lamps; Blossom, a Chinese restaurant designed by the New York firm Studio A, is decorated in gray concrete with inlaid mirrors forming an exquisite leaf pattern.

Yes, there is nonstop interior design—and more art by the likes of Maya Lin and Frank Stella—but what truly distinguishes almost every building within the complex is the healthy relationship, unusual for Las Vegas, between » 139

CRYSTALS HAS SKYLIGHTS THROUGHOUT, ALLOWING VISITORS TO SPOT THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS AND JUDGE THE TIME OF DAY

A night view of CityCenter, above. Opposite: The development’s electric tram.

indoors and outdoors. At the Vdara condominium hotel, designed by Rafael Viñoly, there is a ground-floor restaurant called Silk Road, a new venue for chef Martin Heierling, who is known for his imaginative Pan-Asian cuisine. The interior was designed by Karim Rashid in florid gold and pink, and has a biomorphic pink settee breaking through the glass exterior wall, literally bridging inside and out.

Libeskind’s Crystals, all swoopy inside like Eero Saarinen’s landmark TWA terminal, has skylights throughout, allowing visitors to spot the surrounding buildings and actually judge the time of day. (Note that the enlightened relationship between inside and out goes deeper: Aria, Vdara, Crystals, Mandarin Oriental and Veer Towers have achieved LEED Gold certification, acknowledgment of the complex’s energy and resource-conserving features.)

Had it not been for the recent financial meltdown, CityCenter would have been the leading edge of a larger trend toward a more cosmopolitan Strip. Other slated developments, including the US$4.8 billion Echelon featuring modern architecture and branches of the chic Mondrian and Delano hotels, have run out of money and stopped construction. Baldwin contends that launching a major

development in hard times, when everyone says the Strip can’t absorb any more hotel rooms, never mind the condos, is more or less a Las Vegas tradition. “I have seen this movie many times before,” he says. “The fact that it’s happening in the tail end of what some people call the Great Recession is really of no consequence.” He may be overstating the case, but the impressive buildings themselves seem to validate Baldwin’s poker-king bravado and they look to attract a new and more urbane customer to the city. “It won’t be long before CityCenter will be considered a permanent fixture in Las Vegas,” he says, “as if it had been here forever.” ✚

GUIDE TO LAS VEGAS CityCenter 4882 Frank Sinatra Dr.; citycenter.com.

Aria Resort & Casino 3730 Las Vegas Blvd.; 1-702/590-7757; arialasvegas.com; doubles from US$149.

Mandarin Oriental 3752 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 1-702/590-8888; mandarinoriental.com; doubles from US$325.

Vdara Hotel & Spa 2600 W. Harmon Ave.; 1-702/590-2111; vdara.com; doubles from US$169.

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(My Favorite Place) Russell Peters points the way to the Taj Mahal.

INDIA

No joke: comedian Russell Peters, who says he loves Asia, gets back to his roots when picking his favorite spots. CHRIS KUCWAY finds out why

I

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India also has fantastic hotels. On my last tour we stayed at the Oberoi Grand in Calcutta—yeah, that’s right, Calcutta, not Kolkata!—and you simply can’t touch the service there. In Bombay, we stayed at the ITC Grand Central, which also was spectacular.

As far as food goes, I love the street food, again particularly in Calcutta and Bombay. I eat a lot of the stuff that they cook on the side of the road— puchkas dipped in mysterious-looking tamarind water, the kati rolls (masala chicken wrapped in paratha). For the less adventurous, the hotels all seem to have great biryanis too. ✚ Russell Peters’ “Green Card Tour” heads to Australia and New Zealand this month.

MA RC H 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

RUSSELL’S INDIA FAVORITES Oberoi Grand Hotel An unexpected dose of Victorian architecture and modern amenities in the West Bengal capital. 15 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd.; 9133/2249-2323; oberoihotels.com; doubles from R9,700.

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Taj Mahal Most know that it took 22 years to complete India’s most famous site, though what isn’t as well known is that 28 varieties of precious and semi-precious stones are used in its inlay. Open every day except Friday, from 6 A.M. to 7 P.M.

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Mumbai Street Food For street food and surly waiters, try Swati Snacks, opposite Bhatia Hospital (248 Karai Estate, Tardeo Rd.; 91-22/6580-8406).

For the real deal, if you’ve got a strong stomach, head to the stalls behind Churchgate station. Just remember to choose hot snacks, vegetarian too.

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J I G A R TA L AT I

ASIA AS A continent, but I would have to say India feels like home to me. Apart from the obvious reasons—I’m Indian-Canadian—I like the rich history and the sights. You may have seen hundreds of photos of the Taj Mahal in Agra but being there in person is even better. Also, the sounds anywhere you go in the country and most of all the food. What makes India, and really all of Asia, different from North America is that every night feels like Saturday night. In most of the big cities, the streets are always crowded, there’s usually music playing, and there’s always the smell of great food from street vendors. To me, it’s amazing how they maintain that energy every day.

REALLY ENJOY ALL OF