December 2012 by Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia

Cocktails at Ku DĂŠ Ta overlooking the heart of Singapore, page 90.

Volume 06 / issue 12

Contents

December 2012 Features 134 Beijing/Shanghai As both metropolises hurtle on their own paths towards the future, jennifer chen wonders if the strengths of each actually eliminate the need for competition. 144 Samui’s Six Steps to Serenity It’s easy to get to Koh Samui, less so to escape the crowds who throng here. But robyn eckhardt finds a way. photographed by

160 Five Years A look back over the first 60 issues of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia.

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174 Journey to MiddleEarth Energized by a post–Lord of the Rings film industry, Wellington is a creative capital set in an awe-inspiring natural landscape. michael joseph gross discovers

the city’s sophistication. photographed by geoff lung

182 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Farm Table. San Francisco’s food scene has never been more dynamic. adam sachs meets a crop of young chefs eager to make their mark. photographed by alex farnum . guide 192

166 Wow Goes Singapore Style-conscious W Singapore-Sentosa Cove

A new look for Chinese warriors, page 134.

opens its doors and fast becomes the place to see and be seen in the citystate. photographed by scott a . woodward

c o u r t esy o f 19 49-Ji n Bao Ji e

david hagerman

150 Heavenly Kingdom Bhutan, a secluded and mysterious Himalayan nation, more than lives up to its lofty expectations, writes christopher kucway, and will change what you look for in your travels. map and guide 158

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Contents Radar 32

Departments 14 … e d i t o r s ’ n o t e s 16 i n b o x 18 … c o n t r i b u t o r s 2 0

dest i nat ions

Ryokans Revealed Scattered across Japan, ryokans offer meditative sanctuary and delectable cuisine. scot t ha as gives his pick of the best retreats for the mind, body and palate.

(A Little Bit) Beyond Bali For travelers burnt out on Bali, Nusa Lembongan offers a nearby reprieve. holly mcdonald checks it out.

Vientiane’s Boutique Buys There is a treasure trove of silks, unusual antiques, handicrafts and exclusive jewelry to uncover in the Lao capital. by david lloyd buglar

Best of 2012 Our annual wrap-up of new hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops and spas.

128 Deals A trip to the wild side of China, that winter escape in Japan and a city break in Singapore.

Plus Traditional spa treatments, space travel, Cholon and more. Trip Doctor

109 T+L Tech Awards 2012 Sleeker. Smarter. Lighter. Faster. The latest gadgets promise to change the way we travel. Our tech expert tom samiljan tested hundreds of products to determine the best of the bunch. photogr aphed by j ustin fantl

120 Q & A Find out how safe Wi-Fi hot spots are and how to protect yourself.

Decoder

194 Barcelona Stylish design, eye-popping architecture, a Mediterranean climate and one of the most dynamic culinary scenes in the world are just a few of the many reasons to visit the Catalan capital. alexandr a marshall hits the streets. photogr aphed

on the cover At the new W Singapore Sentosa Cove. Photographer: Scott A. Woodward; stylist: Vernon Sim; hair & make-up: Andrea Claire; digital artist: Agnes Teo; photographer’s assistant: Zam; and model: Tanja V.

by gunnar k nechtel

Last Look 200 Putao, Burma In the far north of the country, orchids as medicine. photogr aphed by brent lewin

Gunnar Knechtel

A touch of GaudÍ in Barcelona, page 194.

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Destinations

december 2012 123

194 Barcelona 134 Beijing

182 san Fr ancisco Bhutan 150

134 shanghai

106

Wellington 174

DESTinATion

PAGE

WHEn To Go

WHAT US$5 BUYS

WHo To FoLLoW

Beijing

60, 134

clear, sunny skies are most likely in september and october. But skip the chinese tourist-laden national day (october 1) period.

a copy of mao’s little red Book.

@awwenglish

shanghai

134

to miss the crowds but still get good weather, aim for late march or late october.

admission to Jing’an temple (“temple of Peace and tranquility”).

@shanghaidaily

Bhutan

150

in april and may, the flowers bloom, and you just might meet the King strolling the Paro festival. october and november bring dry weather and the colorful thimpu festival.

a string of wooden prayer beads in Paro.

@bhutanobserver

Wellington

174

february and march, after most Kiwis have finished their annual vacations but while the weather is still warm(ish).

a ride on the Wellington cable car up to Kelburn lookout for a sweeping view of the harbor.

@PurenewZealand

san Francisco

182

the annual “indian summer” makes september and october optimal. still, pack a sweater; this isn’t southern california.

a roundtrip ticket on the city’s first trolley—the 100-year-old San Francisco—or any of the other historic streetcars.

@nakedKitchensf

Barcelona

194

Warm temperatures in may and June heat the mediterranean enough for swimming, without the humidity of July and august.

two to four pintxos (bite-size tapas on toothpicks) at a Basque bar.

@iwg_barcelona

Long Weekend

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Beach

Active

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Food+Drink

Shopping

Arts+Culture

Editors’ Notes

where to find me nancytravelandleisure@aexp.com @TLNancy on Twitter

extra time for asia

here are many great pleasures of my job as editor-in-chief of the U.S. flagship edition of Travel+Leisure, but perhaps the best of all, when it comes to travel, has been the opportunity to get to know Southeast Asia and parts of China. “Get to know,” in fact, may be an overstatement, but let’s just say I plunged into a deep and abiding love affair when I started at T+L 19 years ago, which I continue to nurture and enrich during trips to the region’s business capitals, vacations biking in Vietnam, hiking in Bhutan, and relaxing in Bali, Koh Samui and Phuket. Any magazine editor will tell you that a thirst for the new and unseen is an essential requirement of staying on top of your game. Sometimes the urge can be satisfied in a rather modest though delightful way—for instance, with cheese hotdogs and local beer at a late-night stand in Vienna last summer, which may sound awful, but I promise you was anything but. During business trips, I am always looking for a few unfilled hours in my tightly packed schedule to pursue my quest for the new. For instance, on a whirlwind visit to Asia two weeks ago, so frantic that the unimaginable came to pass—a sushi-free stay in Tokyo (it’s a long story)—I did manage to squeeze in some extra time in Beijing to try new restaurants (notably, Temple Restaurant and Green Tea Living); visit an avant-garde lifestyle and fashion complex, the Wuhao Curated Shop; buy one perfect pearl at Beijing Curio City (at Guwen Shichang); and visit the private Qianlong Gardens in the Forbidden City, the restoration project of extraordinary 18th-century gardens and pavilions sponsored by the New York-based World Monuments Fund in collaboration with the Palace Museum. During the last five years, my access to Asia has been greatly enhanced by Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia. My colleagues and I in New York frequently turn to our Bangkok-based international edition and its editors as “our eyes and ears on the ground.” As for me, knowing Asia would take at least a lifetime, but enjoying it is something I do often enough and with enduring enthusiasm for the unimagined treasures that I find.—nancy novogrod

At Beijing’s Galleria Continua next to a work by Pascale Marthine Tayou.

the t+l code Travel + Leisure 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. 16

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where to find me chrisk@mediatransasia.com @CKucway on Twitter

five years and counting

At Tiger’s nest Monastery in Bhutan, above. inside Paro Dzong, left.

our next stops

Melbourne orissa, india A food tour of Tokyo Taiwan’s Taroko Gorge

s always, we trust that this month’s issue becomes an invitation to explore this region and the world beyond, but it also marks the fifth anniversary of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia. As Travel+Leisure editor-in-chief Nancy Novogrod points out, Asia has a tendency to grab your attention each time you visit and never let go. This month’s line-up of articles, stories that should satisfy every traveler, reflects that. These days, any forward-thinking take on Asia has to include China, so we sent Jennifer Chen to tour the urban cornerstones of the nation that has come to define change (“Beijing/Shanghai,” page 134). At first glance, the re-energized Shanghai seems the more cutting edge of the two but, as Chen points out, Beijing offers its own take on the future, one that is likely more Chinese in flavor. Beyond Asia’s bustling cities, there’s always a need to chill and a spot like Koh Samui does the trick (“Samui’s Six Steps to Serenity,” page 144). Writer Robyn Eckhardt readily admits to not necessarily being a “beach person” but explains why the Thai getaway still has that inscrutable ability to soothe. Maybe it’s a sign of the year coming to an end, but there’s a bit of pampering throughout this month’s issue. If you find yourself in Japan, ryokans (“Ryokans Revealed,” page 32) are a refuge from the modern world, while we also offer a brief look at traditional spa therapies (“A History of Healing,” page 49) around Asia. We can’t put together a travel magazine without covering food, so this month we venture across the Pacific to San Francisco (“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Farm Table,” page 182) in a story that will immediately have you checking flight prices to California. Closer to home, Singaporeans can boast that they can travel from urban Asia to a green, beach-encircled island in a matter of minutes with a slightly expensive taxi ride. Now, they have a new destination on Sentosa, the W Singapore, which we showcase in a fashion shoot (“Wow Goes Singapore,” page 166). Earlier this year, I was fortunate to visit Bhutan (“Heavenly Kingdom,” page 150). It was a dream trip, but I’ll refrain from writing once-in-a-lifetime because, by the end of my first day, I vowed to return. Here at Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, we hope that your dream destinations are in your 2013 travel plans.—christopher kucway

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Inbox

low-cost lessons Read @TravLeisureAsia Oct issue’s pages 70-72 to understand (and know better) about Southeast Asia’s LCCs (Low-Cost Carriers). @NovietaTourisia

her story plucked me right out of the Bangkok noise and traffic into the transformative world of Kyoto gardens. And what I thought before would be stodgy, moribund and out of touch turned out to be engaging and utterly beguiling. The pictures were beautiful, but her prose caused an epiphany and I am planning a trip now for spring as I write this. Jules Dacanay manila

Timely Travels Yesterday, I received the October issue of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia. Thank you very much, can’t wait to read it, because it has articles about both Kyoto and the Banda Islands, two places that I plan to visit in January and April. Ayu Merriandari Enchanted by Gardens Roxana Robinson’s “A Different Nature” [October 2012] was a true revelation. Deep in the heart of a busy Sukhumvit café on a Monday morning,

Defining Desserts After reading “Pairing for the Asian Palate” [August 2012], I would like to point out that Singapore’s fried carrot cake is never ever eaten as a dessert. I realize its name is misleading, but it is eaten for breakfast or lunch, never for dinner. So why is it called a cake when it is not a dessert? White carrots are blended with flour and then steamed into a “cake” before it is cooled off and cut into pieces for frying. The closest word to the Chinese kueh, a steamed or baked snack, would probably be “cake.” While pairing Western wine with Southeast Asian food is becoming more acceptable as wine is becoming more affordable, for sweets I would suggest black rice pudding, or bubor hitam. Mei Moore singapore

contact Got something to say? Tell us at tleditor@mediatransasia.com, travelandleisureasia.com, f facebook.com/TravelLeisureAsia, inFo or

@TravLeisureAsia. Comments may be edited for clarity and space.

Contributors

Scott Haas

Michael Joseph Gross

Writer “a history of healing” (page 49).

Writer “Ryokans revealed” (page 32).

Writer “Journey to middle-earth” (page 174).

massage treatments: oil or no oil? Definitely lots of soothing essential oils. They smell amazing and are great for the skin. ideal daylong spa itinerary A Korean ginseng scrub is very invigorating for the morning, followed with more relaxing afternoon therapies, such as a Balinese massage. I’m also a big fan of Thai foot reflexology—when they hit those pressure points and all the stress dissolves away, it feels amazing. I’m not really sure I could spa all day, but if I was in Japan, I’d definitely make my way to an onsen and soak in natural mineral spring water for as long as I could. zone out Some people say spa-ing is a state of mind, so as long as you’re relaxed you’re doing it right.

how many times have you been to japan? Nine. wow. what’s the draw? Seasonal gastronomy, the complexity of its WesternEastern mix, the people I have become friends with over the years, its appreciation for silence and the unseen, and its exquisite aesthetic in all things. japanese hospitality is characterized by… The heartfelt desire of the host to make guests feel as if they do not have to give voice to what is wanted—it is extremely anticipatory. best exemplified by Jiro Takeuchi, the manager of The Kayotei ryokan. One of the classiest, kindest people I’ve met anywhere, he introduced me to Japanese whiskey and by far some of the best food I have ever eaten.

best of all worlds New Zealand’s range of topographies is beautiful. You can go from a snowcapped mountain to a dense forest to a desert to a beach in a leisurely afternoon. surprise of the journey? The astonishing consistency of New Zealanders’ humble sophistication. fond wellington memory Dining at a Maori feast before witnessing a traditional haka dance at Te Papa, the national museum. don’t bother packing... Ties and sports coats. if you returned, where would you go? To the Kaikoura coast of the South Island, where seal pups congregate to play at a waterfall on Ohau Stream.

‘some people say spa-ing is a state of mind, so as long as you’re relaxed you’re doing it right.’ —Karen Fong

f r o m l e f t: e r i c a f o n G ; c h a l i t c h aWa l i ta n G K u n ; d aV i d G o l d

Karen Fong

editor-in-chief art director features editors senior designer designer assistant editorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;digital assistant editor

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regular contributors / photographers Cedric Arnold, Jennifer Chen, Robyn Eckhardt, Tom Hoops, Philipp Engelhorn, David Hagerman, Lauryn Ishak, Naomi Lindt, Jen Lin-Liu, Brent Madison, Nat Prakobsantisuk, Aaron Joel Santos, Adam Skolnick, Darren Soh, Daven Wu

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travel+leisure southeast asia vol. 6, issue 12 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 2 368-2942â&#x20AC;&#x201C;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.

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Radar on our

news. Finds. opinions. obsessions.

Han Feng with sculptures by Francesco Clemente at James Cohan Gallery, in Shanghai.

Photographed by Andrew Rowat

m y tow n

shanghai chic ask chinese designer han feng what she loves most about her hometown, and she doesn’t hesitate: the art scene. one of her top stops is James cohan Gallery (jamescohan. com), in the french concession. “he’s brought international talent, such as italy’s francesco clemente and new york video artist Bill Viola, to china for the first time,” she says. feng reveals a few other favorites on the next page.

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4 5 han Feng’s shanghai Eat “In the morning, I often head to the intersection of Changle and Xiangyang North Roads for a hearty meal fresh off the outdoor stoves: pan-fried breads; Chinese churros; steamed buns with different fillings.” + “The classic Shanghainese cuisine at 1 Fu 1039 [1039 Yuyuan Rd.; 86-21/5237-1878; lunch or dinner for two RMB600] is simply amazing. They serve delicious pork stew with unbelievably tender meat.” + “Hidden in a tiny basement, old Jesse [41 Tianping Rd.; 86-21/6282-9260; lunch or dinner for two RMB550], I recommend the fried scallion codfish.”

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Shop “I buy plates and bowls at 2 Spin Ceramics [360 Kangding Rd.; 86-21/62792545], a huge warehouse of affordable dinnerware. The packaging in wooden boxes is beautiful and thoughtful— it’s great for gifts.” + “Owned by an Englishwoman, 3 Madame Mao’s Dowry [207 Fumin Rd.; madamemaos dowry.com] is filled with antique furniture and iconic Chinese art from the time of Mao. I go there for the great variety of paper products and notebooks.”

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Do “To get a real taste of the city’s creative pulse, don’t miss the 4 M50 area, where old warehouses have been converted into stylish galleries. 5 Shangh Art [Bldg. 16, 50 Moganshan Rd.; shanghartgallery.com] was one of the first to promote contemporary Chinese art.” + “The photography hub 6 M97 Gallery [97 Moganshan Rd., second floor; m97gallery.com] hosts up-and-comers as well as a number of Western artists who have lived in China for decades. I especially love the acrobatic self-portraits by Li Wei.” —a s t o l d t o b r o o k e p o r t e r

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guide

Asia on a Key Ring Travel Easy Asia has launched smart city guides for Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Saigon that offer local tips on sightseeing, walking tours and what to eat, drink and do—printed on minute 9 by 5.2 centimeter cards. The businesscard dimensions make referencing the guide look (a little) less touristy than hoisting out a big travel book. And for even more discreet touring, snap open the metal key ring that binds the cards, detach the few you plan to use that day and slide them in your wallet or pocket. To call up further details and maps,

scan the cards’ QR codes with your smart phone. Perhaps most handy of all, the “see” and “stay” cards have the local language translations printed on the back so you can just show the cab driver instead of, say, wildly gesturing. Guides for Burma, Hanoi, Phuket and Pattaya are slated to launch in the first half of next year.—merritt gurley Where to buy Asia Books, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Sawadee Travel or online at traveleasyasia.com; Bt450.

b o o ks

real-liFe runWays in See the World Beautiful (Glitterati), photographer and frequent t+l contributor anne menke focuses her eagle eye on mongolian horsemen, sioux teenagers and other style-rich cultures. —kathryn o’shea-evans

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computers may be following the fossilized footprints of travel agents into the travel-booking historical vault, as a mobile boom sweeps southeast asia. according to asiaWebdirect.com, the asia hotel specialists, mobile traffic to their websites has doubled in the past year, crawling past 20 percent of all site visits. in the past few months the ritz-carlton, ascott hotels and marriott international have all launched new mobile apps. the ascott mobile site allows you to book through the smart phone interface, while the ritzcarlton and marriott apps have similar functionality, combining information about the destination, details on the hotel, maps, access to your rewards account and promtional offers. this growing trend is making it easier to plan trips on the go, so you can relax and let your phone do all the work.—mG

c o u r t e s y o f t r aV e l e a s ya s i a . c o m ; m a l l e y P r i e B e

Phoning it in

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edmundo castillo for this sharp shoe designer, flying is all about unplugging and head-to-toe comfort. As the creative director of Via Spiga—not to mention the talent behind a namesake line of women’s shoes and the men’s footwear brand Casbia—Edmundo Castillo has a pretty hectic life. Which is why he loves air travel: “It’s my time to disconnect and not have the phone ringing,” he says. Castillo gets ample time to himself en route to factory visits in Milan (where he keeps an apartment), business trips in China and vacations in Hawaii, the Dominican Republic and his native Puerto Rico. In flight, he watches 30 Rock and Mad Men on his iPad, which he carries in a vintage-corduroy sleeve by Milan-based Pijama (pijama.it). When he wants to sleep, Castillo relies on his Beats by Dr. Dre headphones (beatsbydre.com) because “they block all the noise.” For on-the-go outfit: “I land and go straight to work,” he says, “so it’s important to stay in style, but also feel comfortable.”—rachel felder ✚

inside this Sergio Rossi (sergiorossi. com) alligator tote—which he designed when he was the creative director of the brand—he packs leather Comme des Garçons zippered envelopes (commedes-garcons.com) filled with toiletries.

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the iWC GST Chrono Rattrapante (iwc.com) watch was a gift from castillo’s mother when he launched his first line.

When traveling, castillo opts for a practical and easy look: dark-colored, fitted shirts from J. Crew (jcrew.com) and chino-inspired incotex trousers (slowear.com).

Groomer: scot t mcmahan

Casbia slip-on woven sneakers (casbia.com) look both polished and sporty. “i designed them for travel,” he says.

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Photographed by Weston Wells at Castillo’s New York studio and showroom

Radar

The forest surrounding The Kayotei.

obsessions

Ryokans Revealed c o u r t e s y o f K ayo u t e i

scattered across Japan, ryokans offer meditative sanctuary and delectable cuisine. scott haas gives his picks of the best sensory retreats for the mind, body and palate.

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Japan has a reputation for conformity in dress, social etiquette and even thinking, but, in many ways, these assimilative leanings are confined to the surface; beneath it can be found deep and unique expressions of individuality. Foremost among these are ryokans, Japanese inns so personal to their owner’s style that no two are alike. Yes, ryokans have several things in common: Onsen or hot springs, indoors and out, where guests, usually segregated by gender, bathe multiple times each day; peaceful rooms with bare walls and tatami mats; replacing your civvies with a yukata (summer kimono) and your shoes with slippers; settings in which you are a part of nature, but not the dominant force; and finally, long, long, long stretches of time when you do nothing but take in the serenity of the place. It is the Japanese way of retreating into oneself. It is rejuvenation through embracing silence. The inactivity allows guests to accept their own lives through observation and listening. Hundreds of ryokans can be found throughout the Japanese archipelago.

doting Japanese grandmother you never had. And the food? Truly among the best in Japan. Dinners are served kaisekestyle, which means many small courses of exquisitely plated, rare and colorful ingredients to savor. The cuisine is so good that The Kayotei has its own cookbook. What’s served varies from season to season, even day to day, but depending on when you visit, you ➔

Foraged mushrooms at The Kayotei.

c l o c K W i s e f r o m r i G h t: c o u r t e s y o f K ayo t e i ; J u n i c h i ta K a h a s h i

A contemplative interior in Tobira onsen Myojinkan.

From ultra-luxurious to borderline-B&B, where you stay will depend on your budget, how closely your personal preferences match those of the owner and what you are in the mood to eat. When you stay in a ryokan, you’ll be served—often in your room—beautifully arranged, delicious, long breakfasts and dinners, made up of fresh seasonal food that is mostly vegetarian or from the sea. Each ryokan draws upon the best products of its region and the season. Here, a few stand outs. The Kayotei (Ho-20-1 Higashi-machi, Yamanaka Enuma, Ishikawa 922-0114; 81-76/178-1410; doubles from ¥80,000 per night, inclusive of meals), with only 10 rooms, is one of the most elegant properties in the world. In the middle of a dense forest above a gorge lined with a walking path, where the 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho composed his verses, sit the sparsely furnished tatami rooms. The sleeping quarters are connected by long corridors as evocative as Venetian alleyways, down which you shuffle silently back and forth to the decidedly modern baths. Attendants hover like the

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might be lucky enough to enjoy bamboo shoots and plantain blossom tempura and canapés topped with yuba (bean curd skin) and red garlic. With its magnificent gardens designed nearly a century ago by architect Togo Murano, Sanyo-so (270 Mamanoue, Izunokuni-shi, Shizuoka 410-2204; 81-55/947-1111; doubles from ¥96,000 per night, inclusive of meals) is much larger than The Kayotei, with 40 annexes and a palatial entrance hall. The structures imply opulence; what the ryokan offers instead are paths to peace, alongside ponds, trees and gardens. Agitation is just not possible. Nature is groomed here, and the message is refinement. Shizuoka is Japan’s production center for green tea—a stress-reducing libation fit for this atmosphere of induced calm. Deep in the mountains and up a twisting, narrow road, Tobira onsen Myojinkan (8967 Iriyamabe, Matsumotoshi 390-0222, Nagano; 81-26/3-31-2301; myojinkan.tobira-group.com; doubles from ¥75,100 per night, inclusive of meals), is about 1,050 meters above sea level and completely set back from the cares of the modern world. Although the property is part of Relais & Chateaux, its vibe is more Meiji Restoration era—think Victorian—

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than sophisticated French. Sweet septuagenarians in an old-school, heavily carpeted drawing room greet you on arrival. The biggest draw is its position in the Japanese Alps and the extraordinary, renovated baths: When the glass doors are pulled back, you are surrounded by forests and you can bathe in the middle of the woods. Here the emphasis is on beautiful mountain vegetables such as potatoes and mushrooms, as well as game from the Alps. Bringing new meaning to the word ryokan is the ultra-chic Hoshinoya Karuizawa at dusk. Hoshinoya Karuizawa (Hoshino, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano; 81-50/37866-0066; global. hoshinoresort.com/hoshinoya_ karuizawa; doubles from ¥54,000 per night; dinner for two from ¥25,200). Its rooms are a modern take on shogun-style wooden huts, lined up along the riverfront. It also has a first-rate spa and a gorgeous, modern library and dining room. With Nagano as the backdrop, this is a quirky prefecture filled with Bavarian-style butcher shops, some of the best chickens in Japan and tomatoes as sweet as candy. This ryokan proves that the concept of altering your senses is An elegantly presented kaiseke meal at Hoshinoya Karuizawa. always evolving. ✚

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J u n i c h i ta K a h a s h i

The pool in Tobira onsen Myojinkan.

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Holiday-Proofing Your Credit Card christmas is open season for fraudsters who take advantage of the gift-giving spirit to nab credit card details. here are five tactics to avoid getting scammed while you play santa. 1. Sign up for e-mail or text transaction alerts from your bank to receive instant notification when your card is used for a transaction. If someone is using your card, you’ll know right away. 2. Don’t trust e-mails asking for personal information. Look up the company’s phone number and call to verify the request. 3. Stop cashiers from double swiping your card. According to VISA, that extra swipe collects information for the merchant’s records but your data is often stored on an unsecured terminal, which can be easily hacked.

4. Use strong passwords, mixing cases, characters and numbers. “12345” isn’t going to cut it. And use different passwords for different sites, changing them frequently. 5. Look for safety symbols online. These include branded hyperlinks on e-commerce pages, such as the Paypal Verified, Verified by VISA and American Express; and icons on your browser, such as the padlock symbol, “https” in the URL, or the words “Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).” These are additional security measured designed to protect your personal data and safeguard your transactions.

hoW to drinK esPresso liKe an italian a roman institution since 1938, sant’eustachio il caffè (santeustachioilcaffe.it) brews 2,000 cups of espresso a day. co-owner roberto ricci shows us how to fit in with the caffeinated locals.

1. order approach the cashier and say, “Un caffè, per favore.” or, to make it a double, “un caffè doppio.” hand over your euros, and make sure to keep the receipt.

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2. Stand an espresso will cost about three times as much if you sit at a table—a dead giveaway that you’re not from around here. find an opening at the bar and give the bartender your receipt.

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3. Sweeten most bars serve it black and provide sugar. sant’eustachio adds a spoonful, unless you say “senza zucchero.” Just don’t ask for milk. if you want dairy, order a cappuccino or macchiato (but only in the morning).

4. Lift Pick up the cup by the handle, using your fingertips instead of looping a finger through the opening (which is likely too small, anyway).

5. Drink sip slowly, but not so slowly that it gets cold (a cup should take approximately two minutes to drink). a 10- or 20-cent tip is acceptable, but not expected. —sarah l. stewart

t r a v e l e s e Button Panic (n) Nervous condition affecting guests of hotels with “high-tech” controls and switches. Usually sets in at bedtime, when you realize you can’t shut off the lights.

f r o m t o P : © m i c h a e l B i e h l e r / d r e a m s t i m e . c o m ; i l l u s t r at i o n s B y K y u n G d u K K i m

t u to r i a l

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(A Little Bit) Beyond Bali

for travelers burnt out on the bustle of Bali, nusa lembongan offers a nearby reprieve. holly mcdonald checks out things to do on this up-andcoming island, from kicking back on the beach to surfing the swell. Forget convenience. Arriving on an island by plane isn’t quite the same as skidding across an ocean swell on a speed boat, pulling up in a spray of whitewash, hiking up your skirt and wading to shore with bare feet. Perhaps it’s this allure that has made Nusa Lembongan, a half-hour boat ride from Bali, the escape of choice for many of the larger island’s expats. A smattering of curious tourists—particularly surfers— has been coming here for decades, but the homestays on their itineraries are being joined by

more sophisticated hotels and resorts. Some of the more exclusive accommodation and dining options now rival those over the swirling Badung Strait, and come without the traffic snarls and congestion headaches of Bali’s south. And while you could happily ensconce yourself in a plush villa for days on end, the eight square kilometers of Nusa Lembongan offer just enough outdoor distractions to explore over a day or two; go on, you’ve already done the James Bond arrival. ➔

Catching the last rays of the sun on nusa Lembongan.

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Photographed by Putu Sayoga

Radar Clockwise from left: The island’s seaweed farms; paddle surfing around the island; harvesting the seaweed crop.

see & do

+ Soak up the seaweed views. While tourism is now a major money-spinner, Nusa Lembongan is still home to many seaweed farmers. You’ll see workers harvesting the photogenic cream-, maroon- and emerald-hued seaweed—carrageenans from the plant are used in everything from ice cream to toothpaste to soy milk—along the main beach of Jungut Batu and elsewhere in the island’s aquamarine waters. To enjoy a spectacular patchwork view, walk up the hill to Batu Karang’s The Deck (Southern end of Jungut Batu Beach; 62-366/5596376; Rp200,000 drinks for two) for a drink as you take it all in. +Hire a motorbike and driver—I paid Rp100,000 for the day—and zip over the yellow, onemotorbike-lane suspension bridge to tiny Nusa Ceningan, skirting the low, limestone cliffs as you 40

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explore. Clamber across rocks to get to a cliff-jumping point; while I don’t advise spending Rp50,000 to jump into the waters at least five meters or so below—medical care is next to non-existent on the island—you may get enough of a thrill watching other daredevils take the plunge. On my visit, the swell was too large for anyone to do anything except take photos of the wild waves thundering into the rocks. (It’s possible to rent bicycles for this journey, but the roads are not in great condition.) +The north of Nusa Lembongan is home to a swathe of mangroves. Putter through the waterways between the trees to see a fragile ecosystem surviving as it always has. While hotels can arrange trips, it’s just as easy to head to the area yourself and negotiate a ride directly with a boatman; combine a visit with a snorkeling trip out at sea beyond the mangroves for an even better deal. The best time of day to see birds and other wildlife is just after sunrise or just before sunset. Remember that the narrower the boat you choose, the further you’ll be able to head. ➔

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+Sip a beer and tuck into a classic, cheap Indonesian meal at one of the warung (roadside restaurants) overlooking Bali’s revered Gunung Agung at sunset; I like Warung Bambu (Jln. Raya Pangkung; Rp150,000 for a meal for two). The gnarled volcanic ridges of East Bali look stunning from this vantage point. + Lembongan is a popular launch point for surfing, diving and snorkeling. The main beach of Jungut Batu is home to three surf breaks, plus another on Nusa Ceningan. Several dive operators run trips around Lembongan and to Nusa Penida, a 10-minute boat ride away, where you can swim with manta rays and mola molas when conditions are right. The north of Lembongan offers decent

From top: Local ladies carrying goods from the market; one of the island’s pristine beaches; a scooter drive at sunset; lounging on the sand.

snorkeling, with soft corals and plenty of small to mid-size fish—I had a trumpetfish hang out with me for the full 30 minutes that I was in the water. Swim out if the tide is high enough or hire a traditional jukung outrigger to shuttle you; be warned that currents can be very strong in this area. If you go by boat, drift along and ask your driver to wait and collect you when you’re done. Mushroom Bay is another pretty good stretch for snorkeling. + Spend a day lolling at the Beach Club at Sandy Bay (Sandy Bay; 62-828/9700-5656; sandybay lembongan.com). Call for a pick up and start with some pampering at the new Lembongan branch of the original Seminyak Glo Day Spa (Beach Club, Sandy Bay; 62828/9701-5600;.glo-day-spa.com). I had an excellent hour-long massage in crisp blue and white surrounds, lulled into a trancelike state by the pummeling as much as the ocean lapping just outside (Rp300,000). Afterward, tuck into a meal at the Club’s restaurant (dinner for two from Rp400,000) and take a dip—or two— in their beachside pool. This is another great sunset spot, with lanterns creating a romantic evening atmosphere. ✚

getting there

Scoot Fast Cruises 62-361/285522; scootcruise.com; Rp550,000 return including transfers. Rocky Fast Cruises 62-361/8012324; rockyfastcruise.com; US$50 return including transfers.

stay

indiana Kenanga Jln. Jungut Batu Beach 56; 62-366/559-6371; indiana-kenanga-villas.com; doubles from US$151. Batu Karang Resort & Day Spa 62-366/559-6376; batukaranglembongan.com; doubles from US$250. nusa Lembongan Villas Sandy Bay; 62-819/9991-5304; nusalembonganvillas.com; twobedroom villas from US$250.

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A Path Between Rice Fields.

Picture of Waterfall.

fac e-o f f

culture on overdrive Between Porsche and ferrari, who wins the race for best new automobile museum? By Jamie feldmar VS.

Ash Color Mountains.

Porsche Pavilion at the Autostadt Wolfsburg, Germany

Gallery at the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari Modena, Italy

location is everything next door to enzo ferrari’s childhood home, now a historical museum.

the look

c u lt u r e

Non-Art Display Japanese artist Makoto Aida will be exhibiting his solo show “Monument for Nothing” at Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum until March 31, 2013. On display: more than 100 works showing the range of the artist’s visual commentary since his debut in the early 1990’s. Aida, who rose to prominence with notable contemporaries Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, once said he turned to visual art after realizing he couldn’t be a writer. But unlike his pop art peers, Aida walks a line of contradiction and disillusion, an approach described as “non-art.” In his work, Aida uses a variety of techniques and styles to diffuse the erotic, grotesque and chaotic in subjects ranging from war to businessmen. Reactions to his work can vary from unease to laughter, provoking the viewer to contemplate

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new notions of a society in which the traditional coexists with the modern. For example, Aida’s intimate portrayal of innocents in Picture of Waterfall draws out an observer’s self-consciousness; in Ash Color Mountains, a close look at the misty terrain reveals anonymous piles of faceless salarymen, dead from exhaustion. These pieces challenge preconceived contexts regarding young girls and Japan Inc. in contemporary Japanese society. Like the amalgam of incongruous architectural styles that form Tokyo’s sprawling cityscape, Aida’s work contributes fresh perspective to Tokyo’s vibrant and ever-changing social horizon. Roppongi Hills Morti Tower 53F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, MinatoKu, Tokyo; 81-3/5777-8600; mori.art. museum; adult admission ¥1,500. —coco masters

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curved, stainless-steel shell by architecture firm henn. inspiration: the silhouette of the Porsche 911.

undulating, yellowaluminum “hood” by architect Jan Kaplický. inspiration: the trunk lid of a midengined ferrari.

lure for car geeks Porsche 911 carrera s (top speed: 302 kph).

ferrari 340mm racing car, one of only four created.

lure for car-hating spouses design. Zaha hadid’s high-tech Phaeno science center and alvar aalto’s modernist cultural center are just minutes away.

food. the region produces some of the world’s finest prosciutto, Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar.

bummer only kids can test-drive a Porsche— an electric one that goes 4 kilometers per hour.

you can see the test track and ferrari factory nearby—but you can’t leave the bus or take photos.

fuel up on... the signature currywurst, made at the company’s own sausage factory. autostadt.de.

tortellini and prosciutto from the modenese lunch buffet. museo casaenzoferrari.it.

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 m o r i a r t m u s e u m ; c o u r t e s y o f P o r s c h e ; c o u r t e s y o f t h e m u s e o c a s a e n Z o f e r r a r i

Part of the car theme park owned by Volkswagen, Porsche’s parent company.

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A History of Healing

c o u r t e s y o f c h u a n s Pa , t h e l a n G h a m X i n t i a n d i

massage culture is getting back to its roots as more spas look to the past for natural ways to relax and heal. Karen fong experiments with traditional treatments across asia.

china Traditional Chinese Medicine is a wellness system that not only includes the staples acupuncture and tai chi, but also herbs and medicinal tonics, reflexology and a range of massage styles— good news for spa-goers seeking relaxation by way of their Chinese element. At Chuan Spa at The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai, you’ll answer a series of questions to divine whether you’re more earth, metal, fire, wood or water. But unlike your birth sign, your element might vary by your

mood or the day. “During the change in the seasons,” says the spa’s Daphne Li, “people tend to be metal because they need to hydrate and strengthen their immune system”—in which case you’d be recommended an oil made of orange, which is said to improve one’s mood; sweet almond, olives, sunflower and jojoba, for hydration; and essential oils of lime and spearmint, to aid breathing. Level B1, 99 Madang Rd., Shanghai; 86-21/2330-2288; langham.com; RMB980 for a 90-minute Chuan Harmony massage. ➔

Moxibustion treatment at Chuan Spa.

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india

thailand

malaysia

indonesia

Roughly 5,000 years old, the ayurvedic system advocates balancing the mind, body, senses and soul. According to this philosophy, people are made up of three vital energies that determine their body type and health profile. Vata is air and wind; pitta is fire and sun; and kapha is earth and water. These three must be in balance for us to be whole. At the Four Seasons Mumbai, the spa’s ayurvedic offerings abound, running the gamut from shirodhara, the pouring of oil in a steady stream over the “third eye” (the center of the forehead), to uzhichil, a traditional massage alternating invigorating and soothing strokes with warm herbal oil. 114 Dr. E. Moses Rd., Worli, Mumbai; 91-22/2481-8000; fourseasons.com/mumbai; Rs6,100 for a 90-minute Shirodhara and Rs4,000 for a 60-minute uzhichil massage.

If you thought the iconic stretching-focused Thai massage was an ingenious relaxation method, traditional healing here gets even more innovative. For example: tok sen (roughly, “tapping the meridians”), a Lanna technique from the north that involves using a small wooden hammer to free your body’s trapped energy. Experience it at Sofitel So Bangkok Spa, where the signature Serenity of the Five Elements treatment includes aromatherapy oil followed by a warm herbal poultice and a body massage that uses metal balls to roll out the muscles. Together the various techniques are supposed to balance the senses by incoporating each of the elements. 2 North Sathorn Rd., Bangkok; 66-2/624-0000; sofitel.com; Bt4,000 for a 90-minute Serenity of the Five Elements massage.

In the past, pampering treatments largely were reserved for Malaysian female royalty. Channel your inner queen with the full-day Royal Secrets of Puteri Lindungan Bulan at Spa Village Pangkor Laut Resort. It begins with a traditional, long-stroke Malay massage and cream bath for smoother skin. A facial, body scrub and milk bath lead up to the scented body steaming (ukup wangi) and muscle-firming wrap, which incorporates warmed oil combined with several of the flowers and spices—like kunyit (turmeric), inai (henna leaves) and sireh (piper betel)—that overflow in florarich Malaysia. Pangkor Laut Resort, Pangkor Laut Island, Perak; 60-5/699-1100; spavillage.com; RM850 for the 180-minute Royal Secrets of Puteri Lindungan Bulan massage.

Bali isn’t called Island of the Gods for nothing. The tradition of spiritual healing here aims to harmonize the two worlds the Balinese are said to inhabit: sekala, the conscious and present, and niskala, the unseen or psychic. Using techniques passed down from generation to generation, Balinese massage is believed to cure a wide variety of ailments from simply reducing stress to and easing allergies and sleep disorders. At the Ayung Spa at Ubud Hanging Gardens, the Balinese massage uses traditional thumb and palm pressure techniques, gentle stretching, skin rolling and kneading with aromatherapy oil for a soothing but invigorating experience. Desa Buahan, Desa Payangan, Bali; 62-361/982-700; ubudhanginggardens.com; US$95 for a 60-minute Balinese massage. ➔

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f r o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f s o f i t e l s o B a n G K o K ; c o u r t e s y o f u B u d h a n G i n G G a r d e n s

Ayung Spa at the Ubud Hanging Gardens. Left: The So Suite at the Sofitel Bangkok.

Soothing massage at The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul.

the PhiliPPines

south Korea

The Farm at San Benito offers treatments designed to balance modern and traditional treatments at its spa, The Healing Sanctuary. The Tres Banyos Lunas is a trilogy of Filipino healing treatments offered at the spa, based on the practices of the arbularyos, traditional medicine men. The ritual begins with a bath of Filipino herbs during which a traditional tuob (steam inhalation) awakens the senses, followed by a body wrap to let the herbs work into the skin, and finally a Tapal Tapal massage to improve the lymph system, reduce stress and aid sleep. 119 Barangay Tipakan, Lipa City Batangas; 632/884-8074; thefarm.com.ph; P8,000 for the 120-minute Tres Banyos Lunas treatement.

Korean ginseng has been used for more than 5,000 years to regulate blood pressure, improve the immune system and lower overall stress. “Ginseng helps maintain the homoeostatic regulation of the body and is a foundation of oriental medicine in Korea,” explains Sue Yoon, manager of The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul, which offers a Signature Ginseng Body Polish packed with powerful six-year-old ginseng. Known for its rejuvenating, hydrating and stimulating properties, the root is the star ingredient in an antiageing scrub made of ginger powder and ginseng milk. 322 Sowol-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; 82-2/ 797-1234; seoul. grand.hyatt.com; W160,000 for a 60-minute Signature Ginseng Body Polish. ✚

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Perfect Accompaniment

What every global nomad wants: accessories that are as functional as they are fabulous. Styled by Mimi Lombardo

For her 1 silk scarf with leather tassels, louis Vuitton. 2 embroidered velvet slippers, frette. 3 rabbit-fur neck warmer, lafayette 148 new york. 4 calfskin wallet, dior. 5 Goatskin camera case, smythson. 6 leather cross-body bag, hermès. 7 macramé-and-sterling-silver bracelets, catherine m. Zadeh. 8 reversible leather tote, tiffany & co. 9 travel-document organizer, ivanka trump handbags. ➔

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Photographed by Levi Brown

s t i l l- l i f e s t y l i n G B y r i c h i e o W i n G s f o r h a l l e y r e s o u r c e s

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For him 1 leather dopp kit, mark cross. 2 Wool scarf, Paul smith. 3 embossed-leather passport case, lauren ralph lauren. 4 canvas travel bag, etro. 5 Wool iPad sleeve, ernest alexander. 6 Polished and satin-finished steel watch, Baume & mercier. 7 sheepskin tie case, elk. 8 micro-square skinny tie, Billy reid. 9 melton-wool weekend bag, Ghurka.

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Serving fresh tea at the Butterfly Spring Hotel Chinese Restaurant.

food

Provincial Dining a culinary tour of china from the comfort of the capital. By m. rose Beijing is not known as a culinary hotspot, unless you’re looking for roast duck or the “imperial cuisine” that’s a fixture of state banquets. But as the capital of the People’s Republic of China, it has a unique edge: hundreds of municipal branch offices representing China’s 30-odd provinces and autonomous regions. Whether out of homesickness or marketing sense, many of these bureaus have restaurants featuring the local cooking, meaning you can travel the breadth of China’s culinary landscape without ever leaving Beijing. Here are a few favorites, but be warned: while each of these restaurants has English on the menu, they aren’t for chopstick neophytes. Be ready to separate meat chunks from bone with your teeth.

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sichuan Province Gongyuan Shulou is probably the best known of the provincial bureau restaurants, at least among expats, who refer to it by the abbreviation “Chuan Ban.” Hidden in a hutong near Jianguomen Subway Station, it was renovated last year, and now comes with ersatz classical touches, such as round wooden window portals that separate tables and offer a little privacy. Even though the dishes are slightly toned down to accomodate the bland Beijing palate, the chili-averse may want to avoid this place: a meal here leaves your mouth either burning hot or oddly numb. While some of the food here you’ll find at any Chinese restaurant—such as gongbao jiding (kung pao chicken) and

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mapo doufu (the classic numb-and-spicy tofu dish)—there is also less-ubiquitous grub to be had. Most of the food will be submerged in a pungent red oil or heaped in dried chilies, so start instead with the sweet-sauce drenched dapai, a big rack of pork ribs that takes 40 minutes to prepare. Then test your tolerance for heat with the koushuiji (chicken in chili sauce) and shuizhuyu (“water boiled fish,” which, despite its name, is actually immersed in oil). Other options include Chongqing classics, such as laziji (chilies fried with chicken), maoxue wang (a hodgepodge of tripe and congealed blood cubes), and even rabbit. 5 Gongyuan West St., First Alley, Jianguomen Inner St., Dongcheng District; 86-10/6512-2277, ext. 6101; dinner for two RMB150. ➔

Photographed by Katharina Hesse

Radar jiangsu Province Huaiyang cuisine doesn’t have the same name recognition of the other great Chinese food traditions such as Cantonese or Sichuan, but if you’ve eaten xiao long bao (soup dumplings) then you’ve had it. Strictly speaking, it refers to food from Jiangsu, but the term has evolved to represent the dishes of neighboring regions as well. That explains why Nanguo Zi Yuxuan, just north of Andingmen Subway Station, doesn’t just serve Jiangsu classics like Wuxi-style pork ribs or Nanjing-style yanshuiya (“salt-water duck”), but also fish from Zhejiang and Hubei provinces. Other quintessential choices at this upscale, atmospheric venue include shizitou (“lion’s head” meatball) and xiangyoushanhu (a fried eel dish), as well as dazhugansi (stewed shredded bean curd), Xuzhou-style tofu, and malantou (a local green). If all these seem too

mundane, then more intrepid eaters can test their mettle against yaxue fensitang, a soup with congealed duck’s blood and glass noodles. Jiangsu Hotel, 1 Ganshui Bridge, Andingmen Outer St., Chaoyang District; 86-10/6422-4806; dinner for two RMB200.

urumqi (Xinjiang autonomous region) Xinjiang Fanzhuang, tucked into the Urumqi branch office just west of Chegongzhuang Subway Station, is one of several restaurants in the capital representing China’s far western Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It’s so popular you’ll see even Xinjiang tourists having a meal at this bustling eatery. The cinema-marquee-style entrance is surprisingly easy to miss, except for the stacks of boxes outside— regional specialties being sold in bulk. While waiting for a table, you can work

up an appetite haggling over blackcurrant raisins, Hetian dates, Korla fragant pears, dried apricots and Hami melons (similar to cantaloupe). Once seated, you can treat yourself to the usual Uighur fare—the meat is Halal—with the assurance that the servings won’t skimp on the meat. Get a half portion of the nangbaorou (lamb meat on a flatbread), and the basic dapanji (“big plate chicken”). Follow that with guoyou roubanmian (greasy pulled noodles with lamb). Or, for a simple lunch, try the lamb dumplings, along with a plate of yellow rice and a cold tossed radish salad. Don’t forget to finish off any meal with a cup of yogurt sprinkled with raisins and sesame seeds. Afterwards, you can pick up a flaky dessert or a traditional nang flatbread to go. 1 Chegongzhuang North Alley, Xicheng District; 86-10/6836-2795; dinner for two RMB160. ➔

Chefs cook in an open kitchen at the Xinjiang Fanzhuang.

Patrons dine family style at this restaurant in a Urumqi branch office.

Cold spicy noodles are ser ved at Gong yuan Sh

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ulou.

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A Wuhan office is home to the Ese Tianhu restaurant.

h from Butterfly A waiter displays a dis staurant. Re se ine Ch tel Spring Ho

dali (yunnan Province) Dali, in China’s southwest Yunnan province, is a backpacker favorite, but in Beijing, you can skip the verdant mountain trek in favor a short stroll down an alley just west of Lingjing Hutong Subway Station. Dali is the seat of a Bai minority autonomous prefecture, so the food at the Butterfly Spring Hotel Chinese Restaurant is not your typical Chinese cuisine. Like most other Yunnanese restaurants, its offerings include wild mushrooms as well as fried insects, but you can also satisfy your urge for the exotic by trying dishenzi (wild ginseng), or a juice misleadingly referred to on the menu as mugua shui (“papaya water”) but that is actually made from a local plant called bingfen. You’ll also want to sample a dish with zhusun, an edible fungus that grows in bamboo groves. A variety of combo platters also let you graze more broadly. Try the rubing (fried goat cheese) paired with a wispy fried meigui rushanjuan (“rose-flavored cheese fan roll”) and the hongheisanduo, which is a DIY minced-meat taco plate. For seafood, skip the inexplicable sushi section, and dive right into the Dai (another ethnic minority) grilled fish. Don’t forget a small qiguo (“steam pot”)

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Yam cake with blueberry sauce, served at Ese Tianhu.

soup or the Yunnan-style mashed potatoes. Instead of rice, slurp down some mixian, round rice noodles that are a Yunnan specialty, or the ersi—flat strips of rice noodle—which are even harder to come by. Butterfly Spring Hotel, 55 Xidan North St. West Byway, Xicheng District; 86-10/6615-6583; dinner for two RMB220.

Wuhan (hubei Province) Wuhan, a smoggy metropolis straddling the Yangtze River, isn’t usually a food destination, but Ese Tianhu, southwest of Jinsong Subway Station, offers a good sample of wholesome heartland flavors. Hubei food is, in fact, similar to its more famous—and spicier—counterpart in Hunan, from where Mao himself hailed. To cover the best of both traditions, the menu takes up not a little red book, but,

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rather, a coffee table-size tome. If you have any questions, just ask—people from Hubei are renowned for having the gift of gab, and, if you can get past the language barrier, they’re sure to chat you up. Worth tasting are the steamed Yangtze river fish (beware of bones), latizi dun ou (braised pig trotter with lotus) and fenzhengrou (a steamed rice mound filled with fatty pork slices), as are the bozi changdoujiao, (a kind of string beans) and the steamed zhenzhu ouyuan (“pearl lotus balls”). For something distinctly Wuhanese, order a plate of the jiangbanya (a spicy duck cold dish). Or instead of plain rice, try the fried rice-and-bean cakes (sanxian doupi), a tasty Wuhan street snack.Wuhan Mansion, 16 Jinsong South Rd., Chaoyang District; 86-10/67750116; RMB170.✚

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Meet Macalister The spare, high-ceilinged rooms sprawl across two wings. Meters of blond wood, soft furnishings in shades of fawn and taupe, and plexi chandeliers lend a Scandinavian feel. The expansive baths, featuring separate showers and tubs, are wrapped in silver-andwhite mosaic tiles. Each suite is one-of-a-kind in layout and architectural pedigree: No. 3 features a balcony jutting over the mansion’s façade and an extra-tall pitched ceiling supported by naked timber beams, while a cast-iron circular staircase in the corner of No. 4 climbs to a three-story turret original to the structure.

courtesy of macalister mansion

Colonial heritage meets contemporary design at the new Macalister Mansion (228 Macalister Rd.; 60-4/228-3888; macalistermansion.com; doubles from RM968), a centuryold mansion turned boutique hotel opening this month after an 18-month renovation. Named after the island’s first British governor—who is also hat tipped with a giant bust at the top of the property’s landscaped drive and commissioned art works gracing each of its eight suites— Macalister Mansion sets a fresh standard for sophisticated luxe on an island that has recently seen a rash of boutique hotel openings.

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The sprawling lawn and outdoor pool at the palatial Macalister Mansion.

The sense of tranquillity in Macalister Mansion’s suites contrasts with a sceney vibe downstairs, where many public areas are named with a nod to the estate’s past life as a home. After a meal in the ice-blue Dining Room, where animal statues cavort beside a wall of framed maps of old Penang, guests can retire to The Den, a suave black-and-red lounge offering a range of cigars and single-malt whiskies. After late nights spent hoisting cocktails at L-shaped bar Bagan, chase away hangovers with a lap in the pool or a bowl of hot-and-spicy asam laksa at the café. ✚—robyn eckhardt

Radar wellness

Wired for Health merritt Gurley gets the skinny on the best new tech gear for tracking your activity you while you travel, from how many calories you burn to how many hours you sleep. The recent surge in gadgets, apps and interactive devices that merge man with machine has made it easier than ever to monitor your fitness level on the go. The new “life-tracking tools” pair physical devices with virtual apps, charting your every move (and snooze) onto an ever-growing graph of your daily existence. Sure, that sounds daunting—and awesomely sci-fi—but think of how much scarier it is to feel like you spent an entire trip inert. Our favorites of these accessories help you keep track of how active you are, wherever you are.

Fitbit one This device clips onto your pants during the day and slips into a wristband at night to record any and all activity—even if you’re just catching z’s. 1 The Fitbit One ( fitbit.com; US$99.95) keeps a log of steps taken, stairs climbed, calories burned, distance traveled and hours slept, and syncs all the data to an app on your smart phone via USB or wireless Internet so that trends can be tracked over time. The app

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also lets you log your food and water intake, and workouts. If you buy the 2 Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale (fitbit. com; US$129.95), your weight, percentage of body fat and BMI will automatically update on the app every time you weigh yourself, but the device is too clunky to haul on a plane. Instead, get the pursesize Portable Body Scale (thinkgeek.com; US$29.99) and input your weight into the Fitbit app manually. All this adds up to a

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pretty complete picture of your physical health—we think it’s the most comprehensive on the market today. The only real drawbacks are the somewhat cumbersome design and the odd nighttime band. If you’re looking for a sleeker alternative, the Nike + Fuelband (nike.com/fuelband; US$149) and Jawbone Up (jawbone.com; US$100) are both futuristic-looking data bands worn around the wrist. ➔

from toP: © en dostoc K / dre a mstim e.com; cou rt esy of fit Bit(2)

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Bodymedia Wireless link armband

This little contraption is the only one of the bunch that’s a U.S. FDA-certified medical device. The armband measures four performance indicators designed to help you lose weight: the steps you are taking; skin temperature; galvanic skin response (how much you are sweating); and heat flux (the speed at which heat is leaving your body). Paired with the app that lets you log your meals, you can compare the calories you consume with the calories you burn. Once you know how the two correlate, you can easily set and track your weight-loss targets. bodymedia.com; US$149.

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Zeo sleep manager Pro

New bed, different pillow, jetlag, conflicting time zone: grabbing a good night’s sleep while you travel can be a tall order. A few of the gizmos we’ve mentioned, like FitBit and JawBone, monitor sleep cycles in the same manner as your day-time activity: by measuring movement. But Zeo uses a totally different technology—it reads your brain’s electrical signals—and the result is a much more dynamic assessment of your nocturnal habits. Once the information has been gathered, the app will recommend changes to your sleeping habits to increase your energy and improve your overall health. myzeo.com; US$99. ✚

f r o m t o P l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f G a r m i n ; © P h o t o B a c / d r e a m s t i m e . c o m ; c o u r t e s y o f Z e o ; c o u r t e s y o f B o dy m e d i a

Tough, durable and data-heavy, the Garmin fēnix (sites.garmin.com/fenix; US$399) is ideal for the adventure traveler. Hands-free GPS, altimeter, barometer, temperature sensor and compass are all built into this durable black wristwatch, making it perfect for navigating rough terrain. It also wirelessly links up to a separately-sold Garmin heart-rate monitor, temperature gauge and a cadence sensor to help you adjust to the elements and pace yourself. Travelers who are more into traditional traditional athletics than high-altitude adventure sports sports might want to test out the 3 Garmin Forerunner 910xt (sites.garmin.com/forerunner910xt; US$449.99) instead. This multisport trainer is perfect for sporty travelers and triathletes, tracking running, cycling and swimming with surprisingly in-depth metrics. Water resistant to 50 meters, the watch measures swim distance and pool lengths, counts and identifies your strokes and, via GPS sensors, even maps the path you swam. All this data is stored and sharable through the Garmin Connect online community.

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Space Cadets Why limit your travel options to this planet? merritt Gurley explores the most promising spacelines for trips that take you out of this world.

space adventures

Xcor

virgin galactic

Blue origin

Founded in 1998, this is the only company to have actually sent private citizens into space. So far seven would-be astronauts have rocketed to the International Space Station—not a huge number as the US$50million price tag weeds out the crowds. To broaden the market, in 2008 the company launched a budget option for your run-of-the-millionaire at US$15 million. This trip includes a 90-minute space walk and five days at the space station. There are still three spots open for 2013, so start stashing away those extra millions in your journey-to-space jar. spaceadventures.com.

The Lynx is only for sub-orbital journeys. In fact, Space Adventures is the only company that achieves the orbital speed of 28,163 kilometers an hour, more than four times faster than the sub-orbital alternatives. But the view from the very edge of space is pretty cool in its own right. The Xcor two-seater vehicle can transport one pilot and one ticketed passenger on an hour-long, 100-kilometer flight from earth. The Lynx Mark I is the prototype vehicle in development, with the Lynx Mark II, designed to carry spaceflight tourists, operational by 2014. xcor.com.

The latest passion of Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin empire, this much-delayed space travel project is billed as the world’s first commercial spaceline. The ticket price sees you jet 15.2 kilometers above the Earth on SpaceShipTwo, which will carry six passengers and two pilots. The ship hurtles upward at a speed of almost 5,000 kilometers per hour during the two-hour flight, which will include several minutes of weightlessness. More than 550 people have already signed up for the experience, with commerical flights scheduled to launch next year. virgingalactic.com

Cloaked in mystery, Blue Origin is the brainchild of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. While the company has been coy about releasing the details of its space-travel development, the website assures enthusiasts that a “dramatically more affordable” sub-orbital space flight is in the works. The vehicle under construction for this mission is dubbed the New Shepard, which will be able shuttle more than three passengers (popular speculation says seven) and will be piloted by onboard computers rather than the more-common ground control. blueorigin.com.✚

vehicle: Lynx Price: US$95,000

vehicle: SpaceShipTwo Price: US$200,000

vehicle: New Shepard Price: Unknown

other-Worldly endeavors Zero G Grab a sneak peak at zero-gravity conditions on a modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft. each ride includes around six gravity-free minutes. gozerog.com; US$4,950.

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Beer in Space this 91-kilometer ascent, slated to launch next year, comes with an in-flight beverage of Vostok space Beer. beerinspace.com; US$95,000 for a space flight and, of course, beer.

Going Up? a Japanese construction company has plans to build an elevator that rises 36,000 kilometers off the ground, to be completed by 2050. obayashi.co.jp.

c o u r t e s y o f s Pa c e a d V e n t u r e s

vehicles: Soyuz-TMA Price: US$15 million

Radar A Burger Factory offering with onions and gruyere cheese.

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BangKoK Burgermania

Burger Factory The chefs at Burger Factory proudly make everything from their pillow-soft buns to their house-ground patties from scratch. There are currently 11 burger varieties on offer, including a veggie special to sate the meatadverse. 3 Ekkamai Soi 10, Sukhumvit 63 Rd.; 66-2/7144249; burgers from Bt250.

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The Firehouse This small burger joint, amid the bars and clubs of buzzing Soi 11, serves top-notch versions of classic pub grub, complete with burgers made from your pick of locally sourced, sustainable or Australian Angus beef. 3/26 Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 11; 66-2/6513643; firehousethailand.com; burgers from Bt195.

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Esca Burgers & Shake Here you can dig into an old-fashioned Angus patty slapped on a bun next to nostalgia-inducing sides like chocolate milkshakes and onion rings. Favorites like the Quarter Cow draw crowds, but just as many come for the custom-mixed cocktails. 112 Phra Athit Rd.; 66-87/363-2629; burgers from Bt170.

25 Degrees This L.A. import is resolutely gourmet. Though the restaurant makes several playful nods to the patty’s plebian past—servings come wrapped in brown paper bags—these burgers are unabashedly luxe. 188 Silom Rd.; 66-2/238-1991; pullmanbangkokhotelg.com; burgers from Bt330.

B u r G e r fa c t o r y

carnivores take note: there’s a bounty of good burgers these days in the thai capital. diana hubbell checks out some of the new joints dishing up everyone’s favorite fast food.

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Vientiane’s Boutique Buys there is a treasure trove of silks, unusual antiques, handicrafts and exclusive jewelry to uncover in Vientiane, if you know where to look. david lloyd Buglar leads the quest. Vientiane has a distinctly small town feel, making it a fitting capital for what is possibly the world’s most laid-back nation. With an absence of crowds and queues, it offers shoppers everything from upmarket boutiques and couture silks, to quirky side-street emporiums and bustling bargain-friendly markets. The city is now home to a host of excellent restaurants and wine bars as well, and the whole package means Vientiane is emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s must-visit shopping destinations. Shopping for handicrafts in Laos may not be a new phenomenon, but the recent boom in variety and caliber available brings a fresh edge to the classic draw.

Sublime silks In a country famed for the quality of its silk, Vientiane is the place to seek out the best threads and of the many places to shop, Maison oudone stands out. Established by Oudone Phimphrachanh more than 20 years ago, Maison Oudone creates exquisite scarves and sinh (the traditional Lao skirt), using only the very highest-grade silks. The subtle colors that distinguish the items are the result of bespoke dyes produced using all natural materials. With a client base that includes royalty, this is a surefire place to stock up on silks that will wow the friends back home. Bane Kaoliao; 856-20/5897-2195; oudone.com.

Colorful crafts at indigo Lao.

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Arranging fabrics at La Maison oudone.

A cowl neck scarf at Maison oudone.

Drawers full of brightly hued silks at indigo Lao.

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Photographed by Hans Kaufmann

Radar after shopping drinK Wine 95 The latest addition to Vientiane’s excellent wine scene, Wine 95 is a refined space. Pull up a stool at the long, ground-floor bar for some tastings, or settle back with a bottle in one of the upstairs lounge area’s high-backed chairs. Setthathirath Rd., 856-20/5550-2957; wine from LAK50,000/glass, free glass of sparkling wine on Tuesdays.

ornate silks at Cama Crafts.

es Blue-and-white clutch at Cama Crafts. At Couleur d’Asie, handmade art.

Jewelry and fabrics

indigo Lao’s owner, Vieng Sourignosack, is a walking encyclopedia of Lao ethnic minority culture and her continuous search search for local crafts has resulted in a stunning collection. Often on-hand to guide her customers through the store, Sourignosack’s enthusiasm is infectious. Alongside Hmong, Yao and Tai clothing, larger traditional fabrics, including wall hangings and door curtains, are sold. François Ngin Rd.; 856-21/215-469; indigolao.com.

Furniture and art

inspiration is the newest store in town. The highlight of its brilliantly curated showroom is a wonderful collection of elegant antique and refurbished furniture. Art lovers should head here too—owner Viengsanith Phatthanasinh represents aspiring artists and their distinct creations. A fantastic selection of Lao textiles and regional artifacts make this a welcome addition to the shopping scene. 43/2 Setthathirath Rd.; 856-20/5551-6607.

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stay Hotel Khamvongsa This elegant hotel would slot in neatly among the charming accommodation options in Luang Prabang. Think classic touches like black and white tiles, timeless wickers, rich ethnic fabrics and original dark wood floorboards. Khun Bu Lom Rd.; 856-21/223-257; hotelkhamvongsa.com; doubles for US$40.

Viviane Inthavong’s Couleur d’Asie store is the go-to shop for the city’s fashion-conscious expats. Best known for its popular, elegant dresses, Couleur d’Asie also runs good lines of men’s casuals and kids’ clothing. François Ngin Rd.; 856-21/223-008; couleurdasie.net.

eat Lao Kitchen Run by two sisters, Lao Kitchen serves up local staples in a bright, open-fronted dining room. Dishes are best shared, Lao-style, and highlights include the grilled fish, Lao sausage and the Luang Prabang stew. Hengboun Rd.; 856-21/254-332; lao-kitchen.com; dinner for two LAK140,000.

Feel-good shopping Vientiane is home to several worthwhile NGO shops, including the excellent Cama Crafts, which works with Lao and Hmong women, creating a vehicle for their traditional skills to fund children’s education, and provide food and medicines. Stocks include a range of kitchen products, baby goods and Christmas items. Nokeokoummane St.; 856-21/241-217; camacrafts.org. ✚

caFe Café nomad Designed and run by a friendly Korean expat, Nomad is a highly individual café that deals in quality coffees and knockout panini. 342/1 Dongpalanthong Village; 856-20/54349977; coffee and panini for two LAK78,000.

Clothing

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Roast meats hang in the window of an eatery in the heart of Saigon’s Chinatown.

on the map

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tran hung dao

Where: 138 Châu Văn Liêm, District 5. Specialty: Chè hô.t gà (chicken egg sweet soup), VND16,000 for one bowl. Why go: The hideous traffic outside on Châu Văn Liêm makes this one of Saigon’s more unlikely spots for a romantic tryst. But, the reputation the 26-year-old outlet has for serving up some of the city’s best chè (sweet soup)

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ang hong b

Unii Minh ine Ho Ch ic of Med versity harmacy and P

g un

chè tàu àu hà Ký

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Cho Ray al Hospit

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From as far back as its 17th-century origins as a Chinese refugee settlement, Cholon—Saigon’s Chinatown—retains the ornate pagodas, shops and restaurants bearing Chinese characters that betray the area’s long link with the Middle Kingdom. Its culinary identity, meanwhile, also remains highly Sinicized with a profusion of roasted meat stores, stalls and restaurants proffering classic Chinese dishes. The catch: a whopping lack of infrastructure makes it a challenge to explore. But anyone seeking a comprehensive overview of food in Vietnam’s southern hub will want to check out its bustling street life and array of dining options. Here we offer guidance to navigating the mayhem and finding the best spots.

duncan forgan tours the culinary labyrinth of saigon’s famous chinatown.

Chow Down in Cholon

means it is perennially packed with sweet-toothed couples (or, perhaps more accurately, sweet-toothed girls and their accommodating consorts). From an initial six varieties, the restaurant now serves nearly 40, and the owner prides herself on her use of rock sugar rather than (more unhealthy) syrup. Intriguing options include a Guangzhou-style soup made with phu.c linh, a species of mushroom that grows on pine roots, and a delicious tofu and almond brew. For many love-struck Saigonese, however, the version of choice features egg as the highlight ingredient, boiled and then poached in tea mixed with sugar and Chinese medicinal herbs. The egg whites ➔

Photographed by Quinn Ryan Mattingly

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turn brown and become stiffer as they absorb the tea—resulting in a concoction whose devotees believe promotes liver and lung health, as well as vitality. 2

mì thiê.u Ký

Where: Alley 66 Lê Đa.i Hành St, District 11 (street-stall near the junction of Thâ.n Ki`êu, Tr`ân Quý and Hòa H o). Speciality: M`y hoành thánh (dumpling noodle soup), VND30,000 for one bowl. Why go: Known colloquially as Tu K`y, this alleyway institution that’s been dishing up dumplings for more than 70 years is a legend among Vietnamese yet virtually unknown to Westerners. Tucked away near the gigantic Cho Ray Hospital, the stall is an oasis compared to the maelstrom of honking horns and suicidal traffic maneuvers that surround it.

Chinese dumpling soup, prepared at Mì Thiê.u Ký.

Songbirds in cages swing next to the flower-bedecked doors of shophouses as the proprietors expertly shape hoành thánh (wonton dumplings) from mounds of minced shrimp and pork. These are dunked in a peppery broth drawn from a cauldron and served up with freshly made thin, yellow noodles and crunchy bok choy, and garnished with scallions. The noodles are the star attraction but the stall also does a mean crispy wonton and tender siu mai (pork dumplings). 3

hai Ký mì gia

~ Trãi, District 5. Where: 349-351 Nguyên Specialty: Mì vi.t ti`êm (braised duck with egg noodles), VND65,000 for one bowl. Why go: If there’s one dish that perfectly The steamy kitchen at H i Ký Mì Gia serves up tender braised duck.

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encapsulates the Hoa (Chinese/ Vietnamese) culinary style it is mì vi.t ti`êm. Deceptively simple—in essence it involves a large duck leg braised in Chinese spices, some yellow egg noodles, mustard greens and a rich, dark broth flavored with the medicinal herbs and spices from the duck—the best versions of the dish easily transcend the sum of its parts. That’s certainly the case at this family-run institution. Outside in the alley portion of the restaurant, one of the two portly brothers who preside over the proceedings lovingly tends to the noodles and, when satisfied of their perfection, transfers them into the bowl along with the broth and the mustard greens. The coup de grâce, however, is the duck leg: a meaty miracle that delights all the way from the first bite of its darkly glazed skin to the last morsel to fall off the bone. ✚

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tHe BeSt oF

2012 overwhelmed by openings? here to help is t+lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wellculled list of the newest and hottest restaurants, bars, hotels, spas, shops and more across southeast asia.

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Cambodia By naomi lindt

Shinta Mani This Siem Reap favorite has undergone a complete renovation led by designer Bill Bensley. The new space employs black, white, gray and saffron to dramatic, geometric effect in the 39 rooms, Khmer fusion restaurant and pool bar. Junction of Oum Khun and St. 14, Siem Reap; 855-63/761-998; shintamani.com; doubles from US$270. clockwise from bottom left: the wooded exterior at asana; colorful bags and jewelry at paperdolls; duck with watermelon at deco; shinta mani’s long pool.

EAT Deco Simple, stylish, 1920’s-inspired Deco is the latest Phnom Penh eatery from English restaurateur Caspar von Hofsmannthal, who made a name for himself with Yumi back in 2009. Diners sample creative European bistro fare like a beetroot-citrus salad and duck with watermelon and cashews. Corner of streets 57 and 352, Phnom Penh; 855-17/577-327; decophnompenh.com; dinner for two US$30. The Exchange The Exchange is an upscale restaurant-bar with a contemporary vibe. A varied menu— teriyaki short ribs; Mekong prawn linguini; risotto with truffles—is served in a space of exposed brick and hardwood floors. Don’t miss the terrace, perfect for a martini. 28 St. 47, Phnom Penh; 855-23/992-865; theexchangecambodia.com; dinner for two US$50.

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DRINK Bar.sito Phnom Penh joins the world’s speakeasy obsession with this moody boîte hidden behind a heavy wooden door, down a narrow lane off of Street 240. Drinks like mint juleps and negronis are mixed in a dimly lit, atmospheric space. St. 240½, Phnom Penh; 855-77/555-447; drinks for two US$10. Asana In Siem Reap, the last remaining traditional wooden house on stilts in the city center has been transformed into this enchanting spot for a nightcap, oozing with Cambodian charm. Between the Lane and St. 7, Siem Reap; 855-92/987-801; asana-cambodia.com; drinks for two US$7. SHOP Theam’s House Check out lovingly lacquered elephants, geckos and fish in vibrant hues at Theam’s House, run by Lim Muy Theam, former artistic director of Artisans d’Angkor. A Phnom Penh outlet recently joined the sister workshop in Siem Reap. 25 Phum Veal, Khum Kokchak, Siem Reap; 855-12/712-039; theamshouse.com. Paperdolls South African-Malaysian duo Ryan Taylor and Brandon Lee, of the Dollhouse salon, are making the capital-city dwellers more stylish than ever with Paperdolls, a quirky boutique selling distinctive outfit-defining accessories (bold statement necklaces, chunky earrings), flea market vintage finds and edgy apparel by up-and-coming designers. The shop also helps aspiring Cambodian creatives get a start in the industry by featuring their designs. St. 240½, Phnom Penh; 855-16/ 620-908.

c l o c K W i s e f r o m B o t t o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f a s a n a o l d W o o d e n h o u s e ; c o u r t e s y o f Pa P e r d o l l s ; c o u r t e s y o f d e c o r P h n o m P e n h ; c o u r t e s y o f s h i n ta m a n i

STAY The Plantation A short walk from Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace and bustling riverfront, this 70-room hideaway inhabits several renovated buildings from the 1960’s. Guests register in a well-restored French colonial mansion before being led to the minimalist-yet-luxurious rooms. 28 St. 184, Phnom Penh; 855-23/215-151; theplantation.asia; doubles from US$85.

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China

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 B a n ya n t r e e h o t e l s a n d r e s o r t s ; s c o t t W r i G h t o f l i m e l i G h t s t u d i o ; courtesy of unico; courtesy of four se asons hotel GuanGZhou

By lim sio hui

STAY Blossom Hill inn Zhouzhuang Originally three Ming-style courtyard houses, this delicately conserved 20-room hotel brings a stylish new groove to the ancient Chinese water town of Zhouzhuang. Settings like a lush tearoom and contemplative reading room add to a moodinfused decorative scheme, inspired by the agricultural seasons from the traditional Chinese calendar. 110 Zhongshi St., Zhouzhuang; 86-512/5722-0008; blossomhillinn. com; doubles from RMB640. Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund Mere steps away from the Huangpu River, each of its 130 spacious rooms afford river views, and even better: guests get to soak in the panorama in either a dipping pool or oversized round Toto bathtubs. 19 Gong Ping Rd., Shanghai; 86-21/2509-1188; banyantree. com; doubles from RMB3,000. Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou Atop one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, the 344-room Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou is flush with wow factor, from the art-filled 30-story atrium to rooms with floor-to-ceiling vistas of the Pearl River Delta. 5 Zhujiang West Rd., Guangzhou; 86-20/8883-3888; fourseasons. com; doubles from RMB2,080. EAT Ultraviolet Shanghai’s favorite chef du jour, Paul Pairet, charts new territory for this 10-seat, secretlocation restaurant. Meals are choreographed with a set of sounds, visuals, scents and other multisensory effects to enhance the dining experience. Location undisclosed, Shanghai; 86-21/6142-5198; uvbypp.cc; dinner for two RMB4,000, including drink-pairing.

Mercato This new Bund establishment is Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first foray into Italian cuisine, offering light as air pizzas from their wood-burning oven, house-made pastas like rigatoni and meatballs in a smoked chilitomato ragu and other dishes that put the delight back into the classics. 6F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Rd., Shanghai; 86-21/6321-9922; threeonthebund.com; dinner for two RMB600. DRINK Unico This Argentinian outpost takes things up a notch on the Bund with sophisticated Latin American-influenced tapas and awardwinning cocktails like the Cosmopolitan de Malbec, served in an intimate space. 2F, No.3 Zhongshan Dongyi Rd., Shanghai; 86-21/53085399; unico.cn.com; drinks for two RMB200. SHOP Shang Xia Exquisitely handcrafted designs are not the only reasons to visit this luxury Chinese brand’s second store. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, its ethereal interiors include walls built from Pu’er tea leaves and stylistic nods to the iconic hutongs synonymous with the city. SB107B China World Mall, 1 Jianguomen Waidajie, Beijing; 86-10/6505-7358; shang-xia.com.

Bangkok

somraK sila, gallery oWner

clockwise from top left: panorama oasis pool suite at the banyan tree shanghai; ultraviolet lit up in projections; inside unico; an earth-toned room at four seasons hotel guangzhou.

SEE China Art Palace Taking up residence in the landmark red building of the China Pavillion from 2010’s World Expo, the 64,000-square-meter China Art Palace is Asia’s largest art museum. Eye-popping and unmissable. 161 Shangnan Rd., Shanghai; 86-21/6222-8822; artshow. eastday.com; free. t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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Hong Kong

clockwise from bottom left: the bartender at Quinary, ready for action; char-grilled iberico pork and foie gras burger at 22 ships; business or leisure at ovolo 2ar; sea bass with sambuca and fennel at lupa.

STAY Tai o Heritage Hotel A rare heritage gem in a relentlessly modern city, the hotel is located in the fishing village of Tai O on Lantau Island in a former police station. There are just nine classically appointed rooms, including four suites with balconies and sea views. Shek Tsai Po St., Tai O Village; 852/2985-8008; www.taioheritage hotel.com; doubles from HK$1,480.

DRINK Honi Honi Hong Kong’s first tiki cocktail joint serves up Polynesian-inspired drinks. The design is classic Polynesian, a blast of colors and patterns further enlivened by architectural creations crafted from timber and bamboo. 3F Sompteux Central, 52 Wellington St., Central; 852/2353-0885; honihonibar.com; drinks for two HK$156.

ovolo 2AR Ovolo opened a 42-room boutique tucked behind Wyndham Street. In keeping with the founders’ pronounced design ethic, all rooms feature work by local artist Tsang Kin Wah. The 24-hour Lo Lounge serves complimentary happy hour drinks daily from 6-8 p.m. 2 Arbuthnot Rd., Central; 852/2165-1000; ovologroup.com; doubles from HK$2,880.

Quinary Quinary is a molecular gastro lover’s dream, where a water bath machine slow boils oolong to give a lingering sweetness to the tea and a rotary evaporator redistills the bar’s house wasabi vodka for its Bloody Mary. The cocktail mixes are even found on the food menu: the hot sauce for the Bloody Mary is also used to spice up the mini beef burgers. 56-58 Hollywood Rd., Central; 852/2851-3223; quinary.hk; drinks for two HK$190.

EAT Lupa Mario Batali’s celebrated take on an Italian trattoria serves up rustic dishes like beef cheek ravioli in a sleek, spacious setting. Don’t miss cocktails pre- or post-meal at La Terrazza, the restaurant’s al fresco seating space out back. 3F, LHT Tower, 31 Queen’s Rd., Central; 852/2796-6500; diningconcepts.com. hk; meal for two HK$450. 22 Ships Yenn Wong, founder of Sheung Wan’s 208 Duecento Otto restaurant, collaborated with Brit chef Jason Atherton on this cozy neighborhood tapas bar. Dishes range from the comforting (manchego cheese and Iberico ham toastie) to the more unexpected (saltbaked beetroot and almond powder). 22 Ship St., Wan Chai; 852/2555-0722; 22ships.hk; tapas for two HK$340.

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SHOP Konzepp Designed as communal space for creatives to collaborate and convene, Konzepp is also a boutique and its offerings include everything from quirky jewelry by Estelle Dévé to handcrafted natural wax-blend candles from Insight. 50 L/G F, Tung St., Sheung Wan; 852/2803-0339; konzepp.com. Kapok Tools Specializing in emerging hipster brands worldwide, this is Kapok’s third addition to its Hong Kong empire and offers a more comprehensive selection of items, such as home and office supplies in addition to fashion, which is the focus of its other two boutiques. Shop 101, 1F, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui; 852/3122-4113; ka-pok.com.

c l o c K W i s e f r o m B o t t o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f Q u i n a r y, c o u r t e s y o f 2 2 s h i P s ; c o u r t e s y o f o V o l o h o t e l – 2 a r B u t h n o t r o a d ; c o u r t e s y o f l u Pa

By helen dalley

Radar

indonesia

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 m e s a s t i l a ; c o u r t e s y o f K e r at o n at t h e P l a Z a , a l u X u r y c o l l e c t i o n h o t e l , J a K a r ta ; c o u r t e s y o f m o Z a i c B e a c h c l u B ; c o u r t e s y o f a n a n ta r a B a l i u l u Wat u r e s o r t + s Pa

By holly mcdonald

EAT Revolver Espresso This hipster haven serves up arguably Bali’s best coffee, in offbeat surrounds. Bantering barista Katie Allan pours bullseye-hitting shots, with the kitchen also turning out a satisfying selection of breakfast and lunch items. Don’t pass up the Holster—egg, bacon, mozzarella, house relish and mayo on sourdough. Jln. Kayu Aya 3, Oberoi, Seminyak, Bali; revolverbali.com; 62-361/788-4968; breakfast for two Rp150,000. Petitenget Petitenget’s understated sophistication makes it a stand-out off-the-beach choice for a quiet cocktail or a classy dinner for two. Chef Simon Blaby’s menu emphasizes local produce, but infuses it with cutting-edge imagination. Jln. Petitenget No.40X Seminyak, Bali; 62-361/4733054; petitenget.net; dinner for two Rp800,000. DRINK Mozaic Beach Lounge Fine-dining icon Mozaic reinvents itself for Bali’s chic coastal set with a new sister venue on Batu Belig Beach. Recline on a spacious cabana with cocktail in hand, cool off with a splash in the pool then pad upstairs to indulge in world-class haute cuisine. Jln. Pantai Batu Belig, Kerobokan; 62-361/473-5796; mozaicbeachclub.com; drinks for two Rp500,000. STAY Anantara Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa The latest top-level hotel to open on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula boasts clean, minimalist lines in homage to the crisp horizon of the Indian Ocean it perches above. A stunning retreat. Jln. Pemutih, Labuan Sait, Uluwatu, Bali; 62-361/895-7555; bali-uluwatu.anantara. com; from US$249 per night.

The Stones Hotel, Autograph Collection Bali’s Kuta is growing up, and this hotel is proof of its dawning maturity. A neutral palette throughout and no-fuss lines lend a luxe feel. Stumble from your bed into the communal plunge pool for a dip. Jln. Raya Pantai, Kuta, Bali; 62-361/766-100; thestoneskuta.com; from US$160 per night. Keraton at The Plaza Taking its name from the Javanese word for a royal palace, the 140-room Keraton offers a fresh look at refined luxury in the Indonesian capital. Well-located right by the Plaza Indonesia mall, the hotel marries Indonesian design motifs with a clean, modern aesthetic. Jln. Thamrin Kav 15, Jakarta; 62-21/5068-0000; starwoodhotels.com; from US$285.

Bangkok

somraK sila, gallery oWner

clockwise from top left: a room at mesastila; the well-stocked bar at the Keraton; a nutty dessert at mozaic beach lounge; a sunny ocean front pool access suite at anantara bali.

INDULGE MesaStila Nestled in the heart of a Javanese coffee plantation and ringed by eight volcanoes, the wellness retreat MesaStila offers just 22 antique-filled rooms. It’s an atmospherecharged, romantic setting, with a blend of colonial, traditional Javanese and modern design. Desa Losari Grabag, Magelang; 62-298/596-333; mesahotelsandresorts.com/ mesastila; from US$200. SHOP Beachwalk Bali A mall may be the last thing you are looking for on Bali, but Beachwalk Bali, right opposite Kuta Beach, seems to have done it right. An undulating, rice-paddy inspired design with open-air walkways to catch the sea breeze and bring in light make it a world away from an urban box mall. Jln. Pantai Kuta, Kuta; 62-361/846-4888; beachwalbali.com. t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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Radar

Korea

By nell mcshane WulFhart

clockwise from bottom left: neon illuminates the moonnight bar; party-goers at cakeshop; barbecue pork sandwich from linus’ bama style barbecue; the swimming pool at the conrad seoul.

EAT Vatos Urban Tacos Jam-packed since it introduced the taco craze to Korea last year, Vatos Urban Tacos had to move to a bigger spot in 2012 just to feed the frenzy. The short-rib tacos with Asian slaw; fries smothered in braised pork; and oversized margaritas are worth queuing for. Yongsan-gu, Itaewon-dong 181-8, 2F, Seoul; 82-2/797-8226; vatoskorea.com; dinner for two W30,000. Linus’ Bama Style Barbecue Seoul’s top pop-up restaurant, Linus’ Bama Style Barbecue, is a recent fixture on the city’s dining scene. Setting up shop in various restaurants and bars, owner and Alabama native Linus Kim piles applewood-smoked pork on a buttery toasted bun and adds his secret-recipe barbecue sauce. No phone number or permanent address; facebook.com/ linusbbq; dinner for two W20,000. DRINK Mowmow Makgeolli Makgeolli is a traditional Korean “farmer liquor” that’s been rediscovered recently by Seoul’s trendsetters. It’s popping up in all sorts of unexpected places, including this new bar/restaurant with an ultra-modern feel that serves up creative fruit-dense cocktails and tasty espresso. 118-71 Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; 82-70/4078-8862; no website; drinks for two from W10,000.

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SHOP iFC Shopping Mall Another new addition to Seoul’s International Finance Center, this brand-new, international-style mall boasts a revolutionary design, using glass to bring natural light indoors, rather than isolating shoppers from the outside world. 10 Kookjegeumyoong-ro, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul; 82-2/6333-5700; ifcmallseoul.com. pushBUTTon Seung-gun Park’s pushBUTTON line has been grabbing headlines this year. The designer has a penchant for the daring and colorful, and his clothes have an audacity that stops just short of crazy. 745-10 Hannam 2 Dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; 82-2/797-1203; pushbutton.co.kr. NIGHTLIFE Moonnight This underground lounge helped hatch the Korean B-boy and hip-hop scene in the 90’s, then hosted top DJs as a dance club. Now it’s partnered with agency SuperColorSuper to become the go-to venue for homegrown live music. Sick of K-pop? Check out Korea’s indie, grunge and definition-defying bands right here before they blow up. 132-3, Itaewon, Yongsan, Seoul; 82-2/792-2232; moonnight.co; admission ranges from free to W10,000. Cakeshop Cakeshop is a barebones space that used to be an illegal strip club, but now its concrete walls reverberate with beats from super-talented local and international DJs. B1 34-16 Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; 82-10/9155-6139; cakeshopseoul.com; open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 p.m to 8 a.m.; admission ranges from free to W20,000.

c l o c K W i s e f r o m B o t t o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f m o o n n i G h t; c o u r t e s y o f m o s K i t o P h o t o s a n d K a i Pa Pa r a Z Z i ; c o u r t e s y o f t o m e at s ; c o u r t e s y o f c o n r a d h o t e l s s e o u l

STAY Conrad Seoul The newest luxury hotel in Seoul, the Conrad opened its doors in November in the city’s bustling International Finance Center. 23-1 Yeouido-dong Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul; 82-2/6137-7000; conradhotels3.hilton.com; doubles from W290,000.

Radar

Malaysia

By roByn ecKhardt

clockwise from bottom left: the brightly-lit steak frites; portobello mushroom burger at botanical; the crisp white interior at macalister mansion; the gaya island resort beachside idyll.

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Floor-to-ceiling windows, timber floors and sleek neutral-toned furnishings give an urban vibe to this five-star addition to the Golden Triangle. Indulge in a traditional Malay herbal oil massage at Essa Spa or take in the stunning city views from Thirty8 restaurant, wine bar and lounge. 12 Jln. Pinang, Kuala Lumpur; 60-3/2182-1234; kualalumpur.grand. hyatt.com; doubles from RM700. Macalister Mansion Featuring sleek Scandinavian-inspired furnishings, huge baths, DeLonghi espresso machines and Bose sound systems, the suites in this refurbished colonial mansion set a new bar for luxe in Penang. 228 Macalister Rd., Penang; 60-4/228-3888; macalistermansion. com; doubles from RM968. 7terraces Heritage with a modern sensibility informs the aesthetic at this graceful lodging. Sixteen rooms and two grand apartments, arrayed around a frangipani-planted interior courtyard, feature recycled timber floors, gilded Peranakan antique furnishings and black-and-white mosaic tile baths hidden behind the privacy of soaring screens. Stewart Ln., George Town, Penang; 60-4/264-2333; doubles from RM550.

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EAT Steak Frites Specialization is key at this cozy café occupying a refurbished shop house in unesco world heritage site George Town. Choose from 150 or 200 grams of Australian grass-fed beef, which are served with a wedge of herb butter, crispy frites and a small salad. 23 Love Ln.; 60-4/262-1323; meal for two RM140. Via Pre Terracotta floor tiles and washed ocher walls set the stage for authentic Italian specialties in this trattoria-style restaurant on George Town’s waterfront. Follow an antipasti tray of cured meats and olive oil-preserved vegetables with a succulent roasted leg of pork or a thin-crusted pizza, then head upstairs to Jammin’, a lively lounge. 5 Weld Quay, George Town, Penang; 60-4/261-9800; via-pre.com; meal for two RM160. Botanical White wicker and touches of greenery make an airy backdrop for fresh produce-driven dishes like portobello ragout, poached egg, asparagus and barley salad and soba noodles tossed with an unlikely but delicious marriage of eggplant and mango. 1F Bangsar Village 2, Jln. Telawi, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur; 60-3/22871566; meal for two RM120. Ete Café This miniscule six-table space features individually brewed siphon coffee and Paris-standard sweet treats from a Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef. Select your caffeine buzz from the menu detailed with tasting notes and complement it with a sea-saltcaramel white chocolate mousse. 79 Carnavon St., George Town, Penang; no phone number; no website; coffee and pastries for two RM30.

c l o c K W i s e f r o m B o t t o m l e f t: d aV i d h a G e r m a n ; c o u r t e s y o f t h e B i G G r o u P ; c o u r t e s y o f m a c a l i s t e r m a n s i o n ; c o u r t e s y o f G aya i s l a n d r e s o r t

STAY Gaya island Resort Set amid lush rainforest and ringed by pristine coral reefs, the roomy villas at this remote resort—accessible only by boat— feature open-air baths with soaking tubs and private verandas to take in the view. Malohom Bay, Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; 60-3/2783-1000; gayaislandresort.com; doubles from RM600.

Radar

Singapore By marK lean

Singapore Marriott Hotel Remodeled at the cost of S$35 million, this Singaporean stalwart, located at the intersection of Scotts Road and Orchard Road, has been recast as a contemporary city sanctuary. 320 Orchard Rd.; 65/6735-5800; marriott.com; doubles from S$400. EAT Pollen Set in the stunning Gardens By the Bay, this 120-seat eatery, a collaboration between chef Jason Atherton and lifestyle visionary Loh Lik Peng, serves up European dishes with Mediterranean riffs. Think roasted cod with razor mussels, wild mushrooms and sorrel, as well as Iberico pork chop and belly served with fermented apples, seeds and grains. Flower Dome, Gardens By The Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr. #01-09; 65/6604-9988; pollen.com. sg; lunch for two S$150. clockwise from bottom left: the ho chi mint cocktail at loof; singapore marriott hotel’s Java+ café; take a dip at the W singapore-sentosa cove; the geometric exterior of pollen.

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Brasserie Gavroche Chef Frédéric Colin, former executive chef of the St. Regis Singapore, branches out on his own with Brasserie Gavroche, a cozy restaurant evoking impressions of Paris in the 1930’s, with a lovely selection of desserts, from flan to tarte tatin. 66 Tras St.; 65/6225-8266; brasseriegavroche.com; dinner for two S$150.

t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

DRINK Loof This rooftop institution was recently madeover, adding a dose of old-world flavor to its cosmopolitan vibe. Now, besides offering fantastic views of downtown Singapore, Loof broadens its extensive cocktail list to include localized concoctions like the quirky Penang Padi—a mind-boggling mix of vanilla vodka, soy sauce, lime juice and fresh chili. 03-07 Odeon Towers, 331 North Bridge Rd.; 65/63388035; drinks for two S$51. Woobar Woobar, with its striking luminous blue interiors, stark-white nest-shaped chairs and a cutting edge music policy edited by leading DJ Has Sidik, is destined to be yet another hot party spot favored by international sceneslickers. Here, Sidik’s playlist of sophisticated house tracks are always worth dancing to. 21 Ocean Way; 65/6808-7258; starwoodhotels. com/whotels; drinks for two S$51. SHOP PACT K.I.N, a men’s wear boutique; the adjacent restaurant, Kilo; and PACT+Lim, a hair salon, are collectively known as PACT, the citystate’s latest hipster-friendly lifestyle destination. At K.I.N, expect to find fashionforward labels like Stephan Schneider. 181 Orchard Rd., Orchard Central, #02-16/17/18/19; 65/6238-6281(K.I.N), 65/6884-7560 (Kilo); 65/6884-4143 (PACT+Lim); visitpact.com. World Savage by Stevie General Store With its amazing array of vintage jewelry, bric-a-brac and clothes, World Savage by Stevie General Store is an elegant throwback to the past. 70 Bussorah St.; 65/6536-8590; worldsavage.com.

c l o c K W i s e B o t t o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f l o o f ; c o u r t e s y o f m a r r i o t t h o t e l s i n G a P o r e ; courtesy of W sinGaPore - sentosa coVe; courtesy of Pollen

STAY W Singapore-Sentosa Cove The glitzy W Singapore-Sentosa Cove is just the spot to indulge your inner rock star. Designed by renowned architect firm WATG and the Rockwell Group, the glamorous property features 240 multi-colored rooms decked out in creature comforts like rain showers, 101-centimeter HD TVs and Wi-Fi. 21 Ocean Way; 65/6808-7288; starwoodhotels. com/whotels; doubles from S$400.

Radar

Thailand

By merritt gurley

clockwise from bottom left: a live-music jam session at the alchemist; slow-grilled bone marrow at Quince; the chinese villa bedroom at the siam; the rooftop at above eleven.

137 Pillars Set on the Mae Ping River, in the hip Wat Gate neighborhood of Chiang Mai, 137 Pillars is surrounded by greenery. Fruits, vegetables and a variety of indigenous trees abound on the manicured grounds of this well-restored retreat. 2 Soi 1, Nawatgate Rd., Chiang Mai; 66-5/324-7788; 137pillarshouse.com; doubles from Bt13,500. EAT Quince Large, glass windows and long, family-style tables brighten the atmosphere on one side of this delightful Bangkok eatery. The cellar, on the other side, waxes aristocratic with brick walls, minimalist chandeliers and vintage artwork. The seasonally focused menus change daily. Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 45, Bangkok; 66-2/662-4478; dinner for two Bt1,000. El Gaucho Meat lovers, meet your match. This new Argentinean steak house serves up tender cuts of striploin steak, rib eyes, lamb chops and even homemade chorizo. If you’ve got beef with steak try the variety of pastas and sides. Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 19; Bangkok; elgaucho.asia/ thailand; dinner for two Bt4,000.

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Mr. Jones’ orphanage This old-timey bakery serves up creative desserts like Chocky Mud Pie, a chocolate lava cake served à la mode and plated with a toy car. The interior combines vintage aesthetic with childhood whimsy—think old teddy bears and miniature merry-go-rounds. Seenspace, Thonglor Soi 13, Sukhumvit 55 Rd., Bangkok; 66-2/185-2378; dessert for two Bt300. Whale’s Belly Maritime decor conjures the inside of a—you guessed it—whale’s belly at this bright seafood joint specializing in fresh, globally inspired cuisine. Boulevard Tower A, Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 39, Bangkok; facebook.com/whalesbelly; four-course set dinner for two Bt3,800. DRINK Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 11 This one Bangkok street has seen an influx of bars pop up over the past year. Notable newcomers include rooftop bar Above Eleven (aboveeleven.com; drinks for two Bt700); affordable oenophile escape, Zaks Winepub (zakswinepub.com; wine for two Bt240); and Alchemist (thealchemistbkk.com; drinks for two Bt400), a cozy little cocktail bar, while dark wood and apothecary curios lend newest addition Apoteka (apotekabkk.com; drinks for two Bt500) a stately air. Little Beast A seamless blend of French and American cuisine is on offer at this gastrobar, with colorful dishes like corned beef tongue with braised cabbage and Wagyu rib eye. Inside is a swag mix of wood, steel, leather and black marble. 44/9-10 Thonglor Soi 13, Sukhumvit 55 Rd., Bangkok; 66-2/185-2670; drinks for two Bt560.

c l o c K W i s e B o t t o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f t h e a l c h e m i s t; c o u r t e s y o f Q u i n c e ; courtesy of the siam; courtesy of aBoVe ele Ven

STAY The Siam The result of collaboration between actor Krissada Sukosol Clapp and architect Bill Bensley (who was also busy redoing Siem Reap’s Shinta Mani), the Siam Hotel is a high-designed urban resort with style to spare. Sprawling 1.2 hectares along the Chao Praya River, the 39-room resort offers a taste of history in a modern setting. 3/2 Khao Rd., Bangkok; 66-2/206-6999; thesiamhotel.com; doubles from Bt15,000.

Radar

Vietnam

By jeninne lee-st. john

Le Bouchon You won’t find a better croque monsieur or moules frites than at Le Bouchon, where one of the French owners will greet you with complimentary bubbly. French expats flock for lunch and dinner, so if you find the francophone din daunting, don’t tell them it’s your birthday or fireworks and club music will overwhelm. 40 Thái Văn Lung, Dist. 1, Saigon; 84-8/3829-9263; lebouchondesaigon. com; dinner for two from VND500,000. Le Bánh Mì For gourmet takes on the ubiquitous Vietnamese pork and pâté sandwich, hit up—where else?—Le Bánh Mì. With its cozy outdoor seating where you can quaff beer and wine ’til 2 a.m., this definitely is your new local. 12 Lê Thánh Tôn, Dist. 1, Saigon; 84-8/3822-1036; sandwiches from VND35,000. DRINK Strata For a high-flying imbibing experience, ascend the country’s tallest building: the Bitexco Financial Tower in Saigon. Avoid the entrance fees to the touristy skydeck on 49, and head one level up to Strata to drink in 360-degree views of the city. 2 Hái Triêu, Dist. 1, Saigon; 84-8/6291-8750; cirrussaigon.com/strata.html; “Highest Tea” for two VND700,000.

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STAY interContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Cascading its kooky fun down a cliffside, this five-star proves that oversize does matter. We’re talking giant daybeds all over the place, pools on roofs, the first Michelin-starredchef-run restaurant in Vietnam, panoramic views everywhere and simply stellar service. Bai Bac, Sontra Peninsula, Danang; 84-5/113938888; intercontinental.com; doubles from US$170 per night with advance booking. Laguna Lăng Cô The first integrated resort complex in Vietnam, the Laguna Lăng Cô, commands a private bay on a sandy stretch of beach near the unesco sites of Hue and Hoi An. As of November accommodations here include the Banyan Tree resort and Angsana hotel. Cù Dù, Loc ˆ Vĩnh Commune, Phú Loc ˆ Dist., Thùa Thiên Hue Province; 84-5/4369-5881; lagunalangco. com; doubles from US$735 per night. SHOP L’Usine Saigon’s favorite boutique, café and cupcake shop has opened a new branch in a two-story French colonial, emphasizing homewares along with its gallery of temptation-buy tchotchkes and well-curated collection of cool clothes by local designers. 70B Lê Loi, Dist. 1, Saigon; 84-8/3521-0702; lusinespace.com. Anna Vo Fashion Boutique & A Café For a one-stop stylist, go to Anna Vo Fashion Boutique & A Café and browse the Milantrained designer’s signature fun, color-block ready-to-wear in geometric silhouettes for both women and men, accompanied by bright shoes, jewelry, bags and belts. 23 Đong ˆ Khoi, Dist. 1, Saigon; facebook.com/annavo fashionboutiquecafe.com; 84-8/6675-4013.

c l o c K W i s e f r o m B o t t o m l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f i n t e r c o n t i n e n ta l d a n a n G s u n P e n i n s u l a r e s o r t; c o u r t e s y o f l e B a n h m i ; c o u r t e s y o f a n n a V o fa s h i o n B o u t i Q u e & a c a f e ; c o u r t e s y o f l a G u n a l a n G c o

clockwise from bottom left: the atrium suite at intercontinental; diners sit familystyle at le bánh mì; bold silhouettes at anna vo fashion boutique & a cafe; a deluxe room at angsana lăng cô.

EAT Lucca For food and mood, Lucca is Saigon’s best all-round Italian. Pile all your friends into a circular red banquette, order the rigatoni with homemade sausage, and survey the airy room, oversized bar and mirrors—it’s a classic New York bistro. 88 Ho Tùng Mau, ˆ Dist. 1, Saigon; 84-8/3915-3692; luccasaigon.com; dinner for two from VND500,000.

Point of View

shanghaied

in our high-speed, hyper-connected, digital world, adam sachs discovers it’s still eminently possible to lose your way.

azouges-la-Pérouse is a sleepy, one-bakery town in the green farmy hills of Brittany, not far from the beaches of Normandy but not very close to anything at all. Not too long ago I treated myself to a restful week of doing nothing there. Unwinding between work trips, I rented a tiny old house in its tiny old centre ville. Outside, the church bells rang unceasingly and blue-black sparrows darted between the stone houses. Little else disturbed the peace in Bazouges-la-Pérouse, a town I’d never even heard of until the week before, when I’d started poking around online for an affordable, pleasant and essentially selected-at-random piece of the world where I could hide out from the rest of it for a while. Here’s how I ended up there: I had to fly from Sicily to Paris and then I had a week to kill before I was due in Shanghai. A sane person would have just gone home, done his laundry, hit the snooze button on the circadian clock. But the truth is I love these time-shifting, nonlinear trajectories. It’s the jump cuts between unlikely places that keep the action interesting—it’s adventure travel for people who like airports and the buzzy, dizzy feeling of voluntary displacement.

So, sitting in a hotel room in Palermo, Sicily—digesting sandwiches of pane con milza (spleen stewed magnificently in lard), listening to The Sound of Music dubbed on Italian TV, and dreaming of the French countryside—I went online to play a very modern game of Destination Roulette. Plug in random coordinates, sift through the photos of rental houses and reader reviews, and suddenly anywhere in the world is a few clicks and a credit card number away. The e-mail confirmation arrives before you’ve figured out exactly where you’re going. Imagine our ancient forebears in the dark days of old. To plot their way through the world, they would write away for a brochure (by mail!) or call a travel agent (on a rotary phone!). It sounds as antiquated as heading West by covered wagon. Getting around these days is so disarmingly simple that it’s easy to find yourself in trouble without even noticing. You plot your destination on the GPS, start fiddling with the iPhoneconnected stereo and admiring the cup holders, and you forget you have to still actually steer the car and watch where you’re going. From my little house in Bazouges, I sniffed out the weakest scent of Wi-Fi wafting in from the gîte across the street. With minimal connectivity and patience, the levers of the world could still be operated from this tiny town. I plotted my next moves: flight to Shanghai; hotels; restaurant reservations. ➔ t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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Point of View It was all so easy that perhaps I can be forgiven for the smug satisfaction I felt. Buying an advance ticket for the train; checking the weather on my phone; introductions in Shanghai arranged by e-mail; booking the bulkhead coach seat with such ample legroom that I slept nearly all the way to China. And not once was my slumber interrupted by thoughts of the Chinese consulate, in midtown Manhattan. The consulate where, in preparation for a previous trip to China, I’d waited patiently in line in the morning and returned for my visa in the afternoon. Only while yawningly filling out the landing form—dreaming of dinner and a bath at the Park Hyatt—did I trip over the blank space marked visa number and realize the trouble I’d stumbled into. A kind but worried Air France steward asked the cockpit to radio ahead to confirm what we all knew: they don’t issue visas at the airport. Proceed to immediate deportation, do not pass Guyi Hunan restaurant. Can I blame the modern world? The system? The Air France automated check-in kiosk that failed to ask me if I had the proper paperwork to get where I wanted to go? Maybe, but not much. I’d gone out of my way to take advantage of all these would-be time-saving tricks. We yearn for connection to real people when we travel—but not till we land, please. The fewer actual humans I can engage in the process of making my plans, the happier I am. Whatever her other faults, the automated check-in kiosk cannot roll her eyes at my mangled French.

If you can point and click your way to an idyllic Bazouges-laPérouse, you can just as easily transport yourself to the deep nowhereness of an airport holding room guarded by Chinese border police. Lulled by the fluid glamour of easy travel, I’d failed to stay fully alert for the ride. I’d made the modern mistake of not speaking to a soul. Of forgetting that just because transnational transactions are frictionless, that doesn’t mean the world itself doesn’t retain its real borders and its bumps in the road. Chinese border police do not laugh in a manner suggestive of immoderate mirth. That was my experience, anyway. If you want to hear it for yourself, explain to them how you lost your way because you travel so much and how you are, in fact, a writer here to observe and tell stories and give advice to other travelers. Trust me: it kills. In the end, I managed to talk my way out of being sent to New York and onto the next flight to Hong Kong instead. There I paid a visit to an extortionist visa-procuring agency. Hours of pitiful pleas and stacks of paperwork. An extended and expensive lesson in the low-tech, face-to-face, cash-in-hand art of digging your way out of a hole. I spent my unplanned day in Hong Kong wandering, sweating, eating, buying a new camera. And as usual in Hong Kong, I found myself turned around, utterly lost. This time, I stopped to ask for directions. It was a start. ✚

your travel dilemmas solved ➔

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rugged

Sony TX200V

professional

Pentax K-30

compact professional

Olympus OM-D E-M5

pocket

Samsung MV900F

high-end point-and-shoot

Fujifilm X10

t+l tech awards 2012 sleeker. smarter. lighter. faster. the latest gadgets promise to change the way we travel. our tech expert Tom Samiljan took hundreds of products out on the road to determine the best of the bunch. read on for his top picks. Photographed by Justin Fantl

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Cameras pocket

Samsung MV900F

This pocket-size point-and-shoot has a 8.3-centimeter touch screen that flips around 180 degrees, making selfportraits and other tough-to-capture images (and high-def videos) a cinch. Upload photos to your phone, computer, online storage service or Facebook via built-in Wi-Fi. $350; samsung.com. rugged

Sony TX200V

Most durable cameras look the part—they’re clunky and hard to stuff in your pocket. Sony’s sleek, glass-paneled TX200V changes the game by staying small while still managing to be dustproof, shockproof and waterproof up to 4.8 meters. It can capture 18.2-megapixel images and has fast focus for action shots; it also has an HD camcorder and a large viewing screen, so it’s a great point-and-shoot too. $500; store.sony.com.

If you’re hoping for pro-quality shots on that once-in-a-lifetime African safari, an SLR is still a must. For novices, the K-30 takes stunning, 16-megapixel images right out of the box on Auto mode; expert

Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Part of the burgeoning category of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC), this 16-megapixel model is about a third smaller than the average digital SLR, yet has all the flexibility and much of the picturetaking power (e.g., a big sensor). We like the Olympus for its fast auto-focusing, numerous scene modes and an ever-growing collection of add-ons, including wireless adapters for sending images to your phone. $1,000; olympusomd.com. high-end point-and-shoot

This retro-style, fixed-lens point-and-shoot can deliver DSLR-quality images (clarity in low-light situations; focused portraits with blurred backgrounds), yet still manages to fit in most handbags. $600; fujifilmusa.com.

HonoRABLE MEnTionS the nikon Coolpix S01 ($180; nikonusa.com) is smaller than a deck of cards, but packs in seven scene modes and high-definition video. the sturdy Canon PowerShot D20 ($349; usa.canon.com) takes 12.1-megapixel pictures—up to 10 meters underwater.

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headphones

compact professional

Fujifilm X10

professional

Pentax K-30

photographers will love the two e-dials—one on the front for shutter speed, one on the back for aperture. $900; pentaximaging.com. T+L Tip This model is water-, dust- and cold- resistant for shooting in the rain, at the beach or on the slopes.

over-the-ear

Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Logitech UE 900 Noise Isolating Earphones

these active noise-canceling headphones inched ahead of the pack for their superb sound quality and ability to block out external noise such as airplane engines, while a convenient detachable cable makes it easy to get up from your seat mid-flight. $300; polkaudio.com. T+L Tip this model can’t be recharged; you’ll need two aaa batteries.

earbuds

Logitech UE 900 Noise Isolating Earphones they may be a splurge, but these portable earbuds are almost as good at keeping out external noise as bulkier, over-the-ear models. they stand out for their accurate projection of midrange vocals and video dialogue, as well as for their durable, tangle-resistant braided cable and built-in mic for phone calls. $400; logitechue.com. ➔ Prices throughout the tech awards are listed in us dollars. retail prices may differ by region.

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Tech Awards 2012

tablets

windows

Microsoft Surface those who want a tablet to double as a computer need look no further than the Windows rt– optimized microsoft surface, one of the first hybrid tabletlaptops on the market. even though it’s just 1 centimeter thick, the surface

microsoft surface

has a touch-sensitive wide-screen hd display, a physical keyboard, a built-in kickstand and stereo speakers. Price not available at press time; surface.com.

android

Asus Nexus 7 at 20 by 10 centimeters and just 340 grams, the asus nexus 7 is one of the most compact (and affordable) new tablets on the market. a large, 17.8-centimeter touch screen lets you comfortably surf the Web, read e-books

and watch movies, while the voiceactivated Google now service allows you to ask for everything from the latest traffic and currency rates to nearby Zagat restaurant picks. $199; asus.com.

ios

New iPad the third-generation iPad still can’t be beat for sheer volume of app options—more than

250,000 and counting. it may be slightly heavier and thicker than its predecessors and the new iPad mini, but we think its crystal-clear 24.6-centimeter, 3.1 million-pixel retina display and superfast network speed give it the edge. the 4G lte capability means everything from surfing the Web to sharing videos is up to 10 times faster than on the iPad 2. $499; apple.com. ➔

new iPad

asus nexus 7

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Tech Awards 2012

portable charger

Innergie PocketCell

It’s powerful enough to juice up a tablet halfway (or two smart phones fully) on a single charge— all on a device no bigger than a travel-size tube of toothpaste. $80; myinnergie.com.

portable mouse

Microsoft Wedge Mouse

This wireless mouse was released just in time for Windows 8. Swipe your finger across it to navigate the screen or double-click it on Web links. $70; microsoft.com. T+L Tip Wireless BlueTrack

technology means it works well on almost any flat surface— even on carpet.

ipad accessory

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover

For business travelers who need a physical keyboard to do any serious work, Logitech’s keyboard accessory is user- friendly (pairing with Bluetooth is a cinch), well designed (it doubles as a metallic iPad cover) and responsive (keystrokes appear simultaneously on the screen). $100; us.logitech.com.

smart Phones android

ios

Slim and light, but with a large (11.9-centimeter), super-high-res screen, the latest Android smart phone beat out its rivals thanks to long battery life (more than a day with normal use in our tests) and the best camera experience we’ve ever seen on a smart phone (clear images even in low light, and a burst mode that lets you take up to 99 shots in rapid succession). The fast quad-core processor makes it easier to toggle between programs. htc.com

Rivals may be slimmer and feature bigger screens, but the iPhone still offers the best (and most) apps. Its latest iteration has upped the screen size by 1.3 centimeters, while the faster network speeds make for quick data uploading. Plus, it’s almost 28 grams lighter than the 4S. We like the new Passbook feature, which lets you store your virtual boarding passes and frequent-flier information in one easy-to-access place. apple.com.

HTC One X+

iPhone 5

HonoRABLE MEnTion the Motorola Razr M (razr.com) is slim and narrow, yet it has an enormous 10.9-centimeter screen, all-day battery life, and international roaming capability. Plus, its 8-megapixel camera takes stellar photos.

e-reader

other devices via USB. Tight bass and a clear midrange make it great for both Facetime calls and dance parties. $180; braven.com.

Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light the latest e-reader from nook topped our list for its negligible weight (less than 200 grams), compact size (16.5 by 12.7 centimeters) and long battery life (a whole month). and, for beach or red-eye reads, the optional backlight ensures minimal eyestrain. $139; barnesandnoble.com. HonoRABLE MEnTion readers with a big virtual bookshelf of amazon titles will love the Kindle Paperwhite ($120; amazon.com), which has better contrast and resolution than earlier models, a built-in front light and a two-month battery life.

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portable speaker

Braven 625S

Powered by wireless Bluetooth technology, Braven’s 625S beat out the competition with its travel-friendly features, including rubberized padding for shock absorption and the ability to charge

HonoRABLE MEnTion durable and capable of high volumes, the Jabra Solemate ($200; jabra.com) is a wireless stereo speaker with a rubberized “sole” that grips on to surfaces. ➔

strategies

Tech 2012 techAwards awards

For more lorem ipsum dolor, videlest pous periamsp quae lorem ipsun videlest pous, log on to travelandleisure.com/ teekay

acer s7 ultrabook

hP envy X2

macBook air

laptops mac

windows

What’s not to love about a laptop that weighs just 1 kilogram, is slender enough to fit in your airplane seat pocket, starts up in 15 seconds and features a spacious, backlit keyboard and improved stereo speakers? T+L Tip the price tag beats the cost of many similarly equipped Pc’s (unusual for a mac laptop). $999; apple.com.

to take advantage of Windows 8’s tilebased navigation, this supremely sleek and distinctive ultrabook has a large, high-def touch screen that can fold out 180 degrees so you can use it like a tablet. other standout features: two state-of-the-art usB 3.0 ports that allow fast video and picture transfers and iPad charging, a durable, scratch-resistant lid and—best of

MacBook Air 27.9-centimeter

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Acer S7 Ultrabook all—a 12-hour battery, ideal for long-haul flights. $1,400; acer.com.

hybrid tablet/ notebook

HP Envy X2

can’t decide whether to bring your tablet or your laptop? no need to choose with the hP envy X2, which looks like a conventional notebook—until you slide a latch and detach the touch screen. Besides the

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solid docking feature in “notebook” mode, the hP also stands out for its high-quality speakers, built-in tap-totransfer capability for smart-phone images and eight-hour battery life. $850; hp.com.

HonoRABLE MEnTion Weighing in at less than 1.4 kilograms, the speedy Dell XPS 13 ultrabook ($999; dell.com) starts up in seconds and fits a whole 33-centimeter hd display into a body that’s just a little bigger than a 27.9-centimeter macBook air, its closest competitor. ✚

Trip Doctor

by Mimi Lombardo

Q: We’re attending a wedding in Bali. The ceremony is on a beach, but the reception is indoors. Can you recommend a dress for the occasion? —hiromi tsunashima, coral gables, florida A: The batik-style print of this silk dress by 1 Tory Burch (toryburch.com) evokes the traditional look of the region but is still lightweight and travel-friendly. The long sleeves—a must for formal events in Bali—are fairly loose-fitting, cool enough for the beach but also just right for air-conditioning. Add sandals and a clutch and you’re good to go. Q: i’ve seen a lot of folding travel shoes that seem like they’d be comfortable (especially after an evening in high heels). Which are your favorites? —cass mitchell, santa monica, california A: You’re right—there are dozens of collapsible shoes on the market, but some are flimsy. Personally, I love 2 Tieks by Gavrieli (tieks. com), which have a sturdy rubber sole and a breathable leather innersole. Each pair comes in a pouch—and with a small nylon bag to carry your heels. They’re incredibly versatile, transition easily from day to night and are available in bright patentleather colors for a little extra kick.

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Q: i’m traveling for the holidays. What is the current airline policy on wrapped gifts? —molly richins, astoria, n.y. A: The TSA doesn’t prohibit them, but if an agent asks to see what’s inside, you have to comply. Because they’re legally allowed to open the gifts in your checked baggage as well as those in your carry-on, it’s best to wrap when you arrive (or send them ahead).

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Q: My husband and i are traveling to Brazil. We both have fair skin, so we’ll be wearing plenty of sunscreen. Does sun-protective clothing actually work? —sadie walker-jones, via e-mail A: Definitely! Clothes are rated on a different scale, though: UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor. The average T-shirt has a low UPF (anywhere between five and eight). By contrast, all of the following have the highest possible amount—50-plus. 3 The Patagonia (patagonia. com) line comes in everything from wide-brimmed hats to leggings. 4 Parasol (parasolsun.com), founded by a former Vogue editor, offers pieces made of quick-drying Italian Lycra, while Coolibar (coolibar.com) creates its fabric from eucalyptus trees (both wick away moisture to keep you cool). Q: i take frequent business trips and want to update my wardrobe. Any advice? —john kinninger, las vegas, nevada A: The new reversible ties from 5 Canvas Lands’ End (landsendcanvas.com) multiply your style options without adding bulk. It’s also worth investing in 6 Ted Baker’s three-piece suit (tedbaker.com), made from wool that’s spun specifically to resist creases and wrinkles. You’ll go from plane to boardroom looking like you mean business.

m o d e l P h o t o : c o u r t e s y o f t o r y B u r c h . a l l o t h e r P h o t o s : J o h n l aW t o n . s t y l i s t: e l i Z a B e t h o s B o u r n e / h a l l e y r e s o u r c e s

PacKing

Q&A

by Amy Farley

online movements via the network you’re logged on to or trick you into using a “fake” hot spot, by offering it up for free or mimicking the name of a legitimate one. In both instances, a hacker can potentially see your passwords, e-mail, bank accounts, documents and more. Here’s how to keep this sensitive information safe:

Set up your phone’s security. Switch off the

wireless connection when you’re not using it. Also, don’t forget that your device is vulnerable to malicious software. Norton, ESET and Sophos all offer good mobile security and antivirus apps for smart phones.

Use long and strong passwords. Make your

passwords difficult to hack— and unique, so if one is stolen it can’t be used to unlock other accounts. Use a digital password manager if you have trouble remembering them all; Lyne recommends 1Password and LastPass. ➔

Q: is it safe to use Wi-Fi hot spots with my smart phone while traveling abroad? —anne kyllander, minneapolis, minnesota

A: If you live in fear, as I do, of racking up exorbitant international roaming charges on your smart phone, it can be tempting to hop on to a hot spot to do your browsing and e-mailing. But though most of us know to avoid doing our online banking, say, via the free Wi-Fi connection at a public park, it might come as a 120

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surprise to learn that paid, password-protected networks put us at risk, too—including those found at cafés, airports and even hotels. And although many of us exercise caution with our computers, we are often guilty of leaving our phones and tablets exposed—a phenomenon that James Lyne, director of technology

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strategy for the British security-software developer Sophos, calls the “smartphone invulnerability complex.” According to Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate at Norton by Symantec (maker of Norton AntiVirus), the two main risks you face when using a hot spot are having someone track your

By the numbers Proportion of social-network users who reported their accounts hacked

1 in 10 in 2011

1 in 6 in 2012 source: norton cyBercrime rePort 2 01 1 , 2 01 2 .

Illustrated by Gluekit

Q&A Make sure the network is legit and encrypted.

Don’t assume that a hot spot is real just because the name that pops up in your phone looks correct. If you’re at a hotel or café, ask a manager to confirm the name of its network—and that the network is encrypted (i.e., locked and password protected). While online, stay on encrypted channels by using the website prefix https (rather than http).

Use a VPn (virtual private network). Even

if you’re on a password-protected network, there’s still the possibility that someone will intercept your transmissions. To ensure absolute privacy, use a VPN service, which basically creates a network-within-a-network just for you. Boingo offers a VPN through its subscription plans (from US$9.95 a month) that lets you access more than 500,000 global hot spots. The new Norton Hotspot Privacy service (US$49.99 a year) will

also route all your traffic through a private connection.

Buy a data plan. As a general rule (unless News of the World had you in its sights), your cellular network is secure. Both AT&T and Verizon have recently introduced affordable global data roaming packages: AT&T gives you 120MB for US$30 a month; Verizon offers 100MB for US$25. So when in doubt, stick to your wireless carrier.

Q: What’s a Chip & Pin card, and do i need one if i’m going to Europe? A: For the past decade, Europe has been moving away from the swipe-andsign credit cards that we use domestically and toward

those employing a Chip & PIN system (also called EMV). These cards protect users from fraud by asking them, with each purchase, to confirm a numeric code that’s stored in the card’s data chip. But although Chip & PIN is now the primary payment method in much of Europe, you can still get by with your standard magneticstrip plastic—just as long as you can find an attendant to process the transaction. Even so, it’s best to prepare for the rare occasion when nobody is available. If you don’t already use one, call your bank to establish a four-digit PIN, which will make any card compatible with EMV machines. And while some travelers may feel it’s more hassle than help, you may buy a Chip & PIN Cash Passport from Travelex (travelex.com), which allows you to preload euros or British pounds on to a universally accepted card (leftover cash can be transferred back into your bank account).

What’s Your Problem? A Reckless Taxi Driver

don’t...

Yell. your driver is a professional. Phrase your complaint as a personal preference— not an attack.

Stay in a cab if you feel unsafe. if your driver doesn’t respond to feedback, ask him to pull over and then find another ride.

do...

the Final say

Q: Why do i have to turn off my devices during takeoff and landing? A: Electronics emit a variety of frequencies that can interfere with navigation systems. The problem is: no one is sure which devices pose a threat. Variations in aircraft and individual gadgets (a new device, for example, can be different from one that’s taken some abuse) make each situation unique. For now, better safe than sorry. 122

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Pay the fare. your receipt may be helpful in reporting the driver. tipping, however, is optional.

Record the medallion or car number. local authorities rely on passenger feedback to keep unsafe drivers off the streets.

Illustrated by Wasinee Chantakorn

Trip Challenge Planning

Q: How do i book a last-minute beach vacation for the holidays?

useful Booking tools

that slice of paradise is still attainable. here, three under-the-radar gems where you can score a room at the 11th hour.

1 The quiet shores of Koh Kood.

KayaK not sure where you want to go, or deciding between destinations? a handy global map feature lets you pinpoint where you can travel and for how much. also consider subscribing to fare alerts and daily or weekly deal e-mails.

try...

Phuket

Koh Kood

This year's launch of a fast ferry to the quiet Thai island has made it almost as easy to access as its popular neighbor, but the beaches are far less crowded.

Boracay

camiguin

This edenic island in the Philippines is home to waterfalls, lush forest and seven volcanoes, and you can enjoy the scenery in relative solitude.

Mama Acacia's Treehouse (camiguinecolodge.org; doubles P1,050) has homestay options in the canopy of an acacia jungle. Grounddwellers will find Bahay Bakasyunan (bahaybakasyunan.com; doubles P4,850) a comfortable modern resort.

nha trang

Quy nhon

A pretty parabolic coast with lively culture, Quy Nhon is a favorite spot for Vietnamese travelers but still largely undiscovered by international tourists.

Most hotels in Quy Nhon are simple Vietnamese-style offerings; for Western flare, Life Wellness Resort (life-resorts.com; doubles US$85) has a hilltop spa, picturesque infinity pool and well-manicured private beach.

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why go

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where to stay

The quiet bay at Away Koh Kood (awayresorts.com; doubles Bt3,050) is an ideal spot for sunset. Rustic pool suites can be had at Captain Hook Resort (captainhookresort. com; Mini Pool doubles Bt8,000).

lastminute. com the hotel deals app allows you to search for and book rooms within a three-day window prior to your check-in date.

eXPedia.com this site’s last-minute deals section uses your starting location to produce a list of the best deals found by other travelers on airfare, hotels, cruises and packages. you can also use the engine’s classic search functionality to find low prices on flights, cruises, car rentals and activites.

if you like...

airBnB the match tool lets travelers on a deadline search multiple apartment, house and villa listings in 192 countries and sends your request to the properties you deem a good fit. if your trip is within five days, a link to match pops up automatically.

Smart Traveler

seven resolutions for 2013

a new year means a new start for globetrotters. Jennifer chen shares some of her travel-related pledges. See the Northern Lights. Pack more efficiently. Learn a new language in a foreign country. New Year’s resolutions can be a chore—I’ll be the first to admit that I usually make one simple resolution (i.e., check e-mails less frequently) to avoid the inevitable self-admonishment. But travel resolutions, from ticking something off your life list to investing in the right gear, are a lot more fun to draw up. I’ve come up with a few I’m hoping to keep next year. 1. Wise up on travel. As a travel writer, I often dole out advice on how to save money, ensure a smooth trip and make the most out of holiday… without taking these steps myself. For instance, I’m enrolled in five frequent flyer programs that cut across three global airlines alliances—and I only have elite status with one of

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those carriers. It’s time to review those mileage statements, take a closer look at the fine print. Maybe sign up for an online mileage tool like mileagemanager.com (annual membership US$14.95) or milewise.com (free membership). The same goes for hotel loyalty programs and mileage-earning credit cards. 2. Pack just the right amount. A former inveterate overpacker, I’ve swung entirely the other way in recent years. Packing experts make it seem so easy—just five basic pieces, and a statement necklace and Hermès scarf to jazz things up! But I’ve shown up to destinations with those five items and felt woefully unprepared. So next year, if there’s space in the suitcase, I’ll throw in a few more pieces of clothing, rather than just calculate how much loot I can squeeze in on the return journey.

Illustration by Wasinee Chantakorn

3. Get out of the rut. As much as I love going to the beach in Thailand and touring restaurants in Spain, there are many corners of the earth that I haven’t explored. Often, the most challenging, unexpected holidays are the most memorable. Been to Bali? Try Flores. Already been to Tokyo five times? Head up north to Hokkaido. As for me, I’m hoping to see more of rural China and Burma next year.

I’m aiming to give more of my business to those who try to make a difference. There are also plenty of steps we can take ourselves: carry a refillable water bottle, recycle batteries, use water sparingly, turn off hotel room lights and air-conditioning while we’re out, and more.

4. See the wild—and disappearing—kingdom. Climate change is altering age-old landscapes, so go experience the majesty of the animals we share the planet with while you still can. My 2013 dream destination? The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (sheldrickwildlifetrust.org), the wild African elephant orphanage and rehabilitation center outside Nairobi, Kenya.

6. Meet more locals. Sure, lazing by the pool of your resort is a fine way of spending your holiday. But travel is also about the intangible—tasting a new dish, seeing a sunrise over an unfamiliar landscape or roaming a neighborhood market. Too much of travel at the high-end seems focused on inoculating travelers from encounters with the people who actually live there. I’m going to make sure to wander down to the plaza/town square/park and strike up a conversation with the locals.

5. Travel more responsibly. Eco-tourism and ethical tourism might seem tainted with green-washing, but not all efforts are equal. It’s usually easy to sniff out who is, and who isn’t, serious about giving back. A resort that touts its eco-friendliness by pointing to its towel cards compared to one that composts, recycles and uses renewable energy—it should be pretty easy to spot which one is the poseur.

7. Take a breather from technology. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter—these days, we get so caught up with updating our status or showing our friends back home what we’re doing, that we’re spending more time staring at our smart phones than looking around us. Dare to venture out device-free every once in a while. And with the camera or phone safely stashed at home, you can.✚

Deals Thailand Ullate provit, aut ut of the dolor eheni ditiam ut pra cum nimus daerum susant. per night Lorem ipsum quunt que.

A room at the new Regent Phuket Cape Panwa.

jaPan

indulge

romance

thailand

singaPore

What Winter escape at the Green leaf niseko Village (thegreenleafhotel.com). Details two nights in a deluxe or corner suite. Highlights unlimited use of the Green leaf onsen and dinner at either Goshiki restaurant or the crab shack. Cost ¥56,100 (¥28,050 per night), double, through march 31, 2013. Savings up to 15 percent.

What ladies at leisure at the sukosol Bangkok (sukosolhotels. com). Details a stay in a deluxe room. Highlights afternoon tea, 60-minute thai or foot massage and complimentary signature drinks at sapphire Bar for two. Cost Bt4,600, double, through december 31. Savings 50 percent.

singaPore

What Girls’ night in at J Plus Boutique hotel (jplushhongkong. com). Details a stay in a luxury suite. Highlights one bottle of sparkling wine, chocolates, pampering kits and a ViP access card offering discounts and cash vouchers at clubs and shops in the city. Cost hK$2,095, double, through february 28, 2013. Savings 40 percent.

What all i Want this season at the ritz-carlton, millenia singapore (ritzcarlton.com). Details a stay in a Premier room. Highlights complimentary bottle of moët & chandon and two adult passes to Gardens by the Bay. Cost s$510, double, through december 29. Savings 30 percent.

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hong Kong

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What Getaway Package for two at the sentosa (thesentosa.com). Details two nights in a deluxe room. Highlights complimentary sentosa island admission, two-way shuttle service to train station and orchard road and daily buffet breakfast. Cost s$670 (s$335 per night), double, ongoing. Savings 50 percent.

taiWan

What the Éclat Weekend fling at hotel Éclat taipei (eclathotels. com/taipei). Details two nights in a deluxe room. Highlights complimentary daily breakfast and 20 percent discount on treatments at sparkle spa. Cost nt$10,000 (nt$5,000 per night), double, through december 31. Savings up to 40 percent.

sea thailand

What introductory offer at regent Phuket cape Panwa (regenthotels.com/phuket). Details a stay in a Pavilion. Highlight complimentary daily breakfast. Cost Bt5,600, double, through december 20. Savings 30 percent.

malaysia

What Pay 2 stay 3 at Bunga raya island resort & spa (bungarayaresort.com). Details three nights in a superior villa. Highlight unlimited usage of non-motorized watersports equipment, a tour of the marine ecology centre, a pre-dinner cocktail, return boat transfers and daily breakfast. Cost from rm3,430 (rm1,143 per night), double, through december 19. Savings 33 percent.

courtesy of reGent PhuK et

seasonal

Bt5,600

city singaPore

What celebrating 25 years at mandarin oriental singapore (mandarinoriental. com/singapore). Details two nights in an oriental suite. Highlight a six-course wine-pairing dinner for two, a spa experience for two in a ViP couple’s suite, roundtrip transfers in a mercedes e class limousine, a welcome cocktail and canapés for two, and a commemorative 25th anniversary leather notebook and luggage tag. Cost s$3,888 (s$1,944 per night), double, through december 31. Savings 23 percent.

china

What opening celebration offer at Banyan tree shanghai on the Bund (banyantree.com). Details a stay in an oasis with romantic Pool room. Highlight Guests staying in this room category or above will receive hotel credits for any purchases made at the hotel’s food and beverage outlets or spa venues, and can then deduct the value of those credits from the overall cost of their hotel room. Cost from rmB4,700, double, through february 28, 2013. Savings 60 percent.

China

us$433 per day

triP oF the month

the operator Wildchina (wildchina.com), a boutique tour agency that focuses on sustainable luxury travel. “essence of china” tour highlights ➔ lessons in chinese cooking, fan-making, calligraphy and tai chi. ➔ Guided tour of Xi’an, including walking tours of the muslim Quarter and biking around the city wall. ➔ Biking tours through scenic yangshuo and around the city wall in Xi’an.

➔ cultural performances including an acrobatics show and a musical number with more than 600 performers. ➔ climbing the Great Wall near Beijing and hiking along dragon’s Backbone terraces in Guilin. ➔ cruising along the li river with a stop at a local village. cost a 13-day itinerary starts at us$5,630 per person (us$433 per day), including hotels, guides, and most meals and activities.

December 2012 in this issue

c h r i s t o P h e r K u c Way

134 Beijing / shanghai 144 Koh samui 150 Bhutan 160 t+l at Five 166 singapore Fashion 174 Wellington 182 san Francisco Food

in Bhutan, the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong. t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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c o u r t e s y o f T e m p l e R e s ta u r a n t B e i j i n g . o pp o s i t e : G ARDEL B e r t r a n d / h e m i s . f r / AF P. c o m

A still-leafy street in Shanghaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s French Concession. Opposite: Temple Restaurant, in an old Buddhist compound, Beijing.

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Beijing

Shanghai itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the subject of endless debate: which of chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two great cities is greater? But as both metropolises hurtle on their own paths towards the future, JEnniFER CHEn wonders if the strengths of their differences actually eliminate the need for competition.

which he gets from friends and dealers in southern China and further afield. Cigarette smoke saturates the air. What it might lack in polish, though, Xiao Wang’s makes up for with a certain offbeat charm. It’s scrappy and idiosyncratic—with a take-itor-leave-it attitude. I chose to settle into one of the leather armchairs and chat with Xiao Wang about a 1960’s recording of flamenco guitar virtuosos. This, Beijing loyalists say, is what makes their city superior to that southern upstart Shanghai. In Shanghai, they argue, you’re reduced to the company of money-grubbing bankers and status-obsessed poseurs. Beijing is the home of artists, writers and intellectuals. And even the entrepreneurially minded—like craft-beer maker Carl Setzer, a Cleveland native who founded Great Leap Brewery in a hutong house—are usually doing something creative and interesting. Forget New York versus Los Angeles. When it comes to urban smack-downs, nothing comes close to the rivalry between China’s greatest cities. The argument goes something like this: For Team Beijing: Beijing is the traditional intellectual and cultural heart of China. Old Beijingers are a friendly, laid-back lot, quick with an earthy joke. Shanghai is a foreign creation, built on Western imperialist ambition. It was always a den of vice and sin, and now it’s awash in shallow materialism. And more so than even Hong Kongers, Shanghainese are condescending and pretentious. For Team Shanghai: Beijing is a backwards, parochial city built by Mongols and filled with uncouth peasants. Shanghai,

JasPer James

hen Beijing partisans argue about the supremacy of their city, talk often turns to the ancient city lanes called hutongs. Take one, which goes by the name of Qianliang Hutong. Unlike other hutongs, Qianliang, near the National Art Museum, has so far escaped a wholesale makeover. On any given evening, you’ll see families taking their evening constitutional, pet dogs in tow. Old-timers gather to watch combatants duel at Chinese chess. Bare-bones noodle shops line the hutong’s western entrance; around the corner, a restaurant specializes in decidedly un-tourist-friendly tripe. This being China, though, it’s impossible to entirely resist change. A handful of courtyard houses have been spruced up and are rented out to expats. Meanwhile, you can now have excellent Vietnamese grilled beef papaya salad at Susu. Then there is Xiao Wang’s vinyl record shop. It doesn’t have a name, so we’ve christened it after the owner—a lanky twentysomething with thick black spectacles and an easygoing manner. The tiny shop is crammed floor-to-ceiling with records, dusty bottles of whiskey and high-design headphones. But it would be a stretch to call it a forward-guard for gentrification. The clientele is mostly made up of Xiao Wang’s pals, other young Chinese men with a penchant for Perry Como-esque crooners. The shop itself is barely concealed chaos. Xiao Wang admits there’s no system for organizing the thousands of records,

c o u r t e s y o f B a n ya n t r e e h o t e l s a n d r e s o r t s

The Four Seasons Pudong and its lofty neighbors. opposite: A pedestrian park in Sanlitun, Beijing.

in contrast, is worldly and sophisticated, confident enough to embrace outside influences. It’s got a skyline. It’s the New York of the East, a city that doesn’t sleep. Besides, its people are better dressed. I am, of course, oversimplifying the different stances. But plenty seem to take the competition seriously. “Every time I go to Shanghai, I think of how much I prefer Beijing,” says one friend. “Don’t be taken in by Shanghai’s surface cosmopolitism,” warns another friend. Shanghai’s defenders are equally virulent. Truth be told, since moving to China, I’ve come to suspect that only expats really skirmish over this question, especially after they’ve had a few beers. High-flying Chinese executives who shuttle between Shanghai and Beijing tend to see the good—and bad—about both cities, while I doubt the migrant workers searching for better lives are interested in many differences beyond job opportunities. “Let’s face it, neither is the real China,” says Austin Hu, the Chinese-American chef-owner of Madison, one of Shanghai’s hottest restaurants. It’s the same with New York and Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., none of which is considered the real America. They are destinations to which aspirants from everywhere else flock in search of success, self-fulfillment… or both. Being the world’s most populous country, China, unlike America, is full of cities with more than 8 million people. But those other cities don’t have the magnetic pull of the two giants, which reel in young, ambitious Chinese—and, increasingly these days, their Western counterparts. Both

symbolize China’s rapid urbanization, with looming skyscrapers, vast populations (Beijing: 22 million; Shanghai: 23 million), apocalyptic air pollution and nightmarish traffic. So, how different are they really? And is it possible to determine which one comes out on top? From my new home base in Beijing, I set off to find out. Known for his pragmatism and cunning, late leader Deng Xiaoping called Shanghai—which had flourished under British tutelage in the 19th century—the country’s “trump card,” and urged its development. Today, Shanghai is China’s wealthiest city, a return to the old days when it accounted for half of the country’s foreign trade. Nowhere is Shanghai’s transformation more evident than in Pudong, a 1,210-square-kilometer district of imposing office towers, sprawling shopping centers and gated luxury communities that were rice fields 20 years ago. Once the object of ridicule, considered another example of wishful construction, Pudong is now also home to some of China’s most over-the-top luxury hotels. From our window in the new Four Seasons Pudong, I have a straight-on view of the Shanghai World Financial Center, where the Park Hyatt Shanghai occupies the 79th to 93rd floors, as well as the Jin Mao tower, home of the Grand Hyatt. Nearby are the RitzCarlton, Shangri-La and Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel. Next year, the Mandarin Oriental will join this illustrious cluster. All gleaming marble, dark wood and plush carpets, the Four Seasons shares the same frank sex appeal that Shanghai long t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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s u n ya t h a d at h a n aW o n G . o P P o s i t e : J a s P e r J a m e s

FOR TEAM SHANGHAI: THE CITY IS WORLDLY EMBRACE OUTSIDE INFLUENCES. ITS PEOPLE ARE INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL HEART OF CHINA.

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and sophisticated , confident enough to better dressed. for team beijing: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the old beijingers are a friendly, laid-back lot

A group of old men at play in a Beijing hutong. Opposite: Shanghaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Power Station of Art.

Modern Beijingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business district. Below: Early morning tai chi along the Bund.

has had. Art Deco-esque black-trimmed lights and walls recall the 20’s and 30’s, when Shanghai was at its hedonistic height. With their frilly blouses and black slit skirts, the waitresses at Shang-Xi restaurant look like the present-day incarnations of the slinky Shanghai girls in vintage advertising posters. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around my corner room but, as tempting as it is to hunker down in the Four Seasons, I’m here to reacquaint myself with Shanghai on the ground level. More than a year has elapsed since my last visit, and I’m determined to indulge in two things I feel denied in Beijing: walking around neighborhoods and eating at the kind of chef-driven restaurants common to New York and London. Beijing is built on a monumental scale, not ideal for leisurely strolls. Wide avenues stretch down the center; the six ring roads that encircle it are essentially six-lane highways. One block can be three times the size of a Manhattan crosstown block. Vast office buildings are set far back from the road. In recent years, development has cut swathes through the city’s old neighborhoods, all but obliterating them. If you’re cruising along in a black Audi with tinted windows, it looks impressive. If exploring on foot, good luck. The accusation that Shanghai is, at heart, a European city isn’t too far from the truth. But feel whatever you may about the former occupiers, the British and French left behind a legacy of pedestrian-friendly streets, pleasant architecture, parks and distinctive neighborhoods. Wandering among the former

neighbors, he smiles and replies, “It’s paradoxical I know, but we do what we can.” We’re hungry, so it’s time to head down to the French Concession, where I’m meeting Hu, whose two-year-old Madison restaurant helped drive Shanghai’s culinary scene beyond celeb chef affairs and wannabes. Though he grew up in Shanghai, Taipei and Sydney, Hu focuses on New American cuisine—that is, the sort of locally sourced, down-to-earth fare served in a casual setting that you find in Brooklyn. Hu recently moved into new digs with enough room for two eateries: Madison and the more casual Madi’s. It’s nearly 2 p.m. when we get there, but the loft-like space of Madi’s is packed. Most of the diners are young Shanghainese, wearing streetsavvy fashion that wouldn’t look out of place in London. (It’s true—people here are more stylish.) After we order a couple of items, including a fried oyster po’boy and a BLT with addictively good house-cured bacon, Hu comes by and declares, “You haven’t ordered enough.” He then proceeds to send us shrimp with polenta, duck-fat fries, fried chicken and waffles, and two gigantic cookies. We’re too full to really debate with Hu, who is an articulate and passionate talker, as to why he is firmly in the Shanghai camp. But his presence—and that of other talented, ambitious young chefs—is persuasion in itself for a greedy eater like me. Dinner the next night has me considering a future move to Shanghai. Brad Turley, a California native, is known as a chef’s

IN THE PARK, I NOTICE TWO OLD MEN. I FEEL A SUDDEN YEARNING TO HEAR THEIR STORIES mansions on the tree-lined streets of the French Concession is one of Shanghai’s pleasures. My husband and I are in Shanghai with a friend who’s visiting China for the first time, so we head down to the Bund. It’s heaving with visitors from other parts of China, most of whom throng the north end of the walkway to take snaps of the spaceship-like Oriental Pearl Tower. Once Shanghai’s most prestigious address, the Bund has returned to its former grandeur thanks to a three-year, RMB5-billion face-lift. Where international banks and consulates once stood are tony restaurants, the flagship stores of familiar luxury brands, and top-flight hotels such as the Fairmont Peace Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria. The Bund’s transformation into a playground for the well-heeled does have disquieting implications. If you consider that the monthly minimum wage in Shanghai—RMB1,450, or US$230—is relatively high for China, it becomes clear that most along the boardwalk wouldn’t be able to afford a glass of sparkling water at Mercato, Jean-George Vongerichten’s new Italian restaurant. Close to the former British consulate in the northern edges of the Bund, the finishing touches are being made at Rock Bund, a block of restored colonial buildings that developers hope to fill with high-end retailers. For now, the main draw is the Rockbund Art Museum. Larys Frogier, the director, tells me that he wants to attract more locals to the museum. When I ask how his vision fits in with his high-end

chef. His tiny, no-frills Goga restaurant is where other cooks gather after dinner service to eat, drink and swap stories. It’s easy to understand why: Turley, whose cooking is often described as Pacific Rim, has a canny grasp of flavors and textures. Cashews give the right amount of crunch to a chili-spiked ceviche. Aranciata—deep-fried Italian rice balls— are stuffed with pork-belly carnitas. Sea urchin is paired with avocado and somehow doesn’t dissolve into a mushy mess. At Hai, his new rooftop restaurant, Turley sends us hit after hit until I beg for mercy. Our bellies distended, we return to Beijing the next day. After our bacchanalia in Shanghai, Beijing’s foodie scene feels pallid and uninspired. Two of the most impressive recent entries—Lost Heaven and Southern Barbarian, both Yunnanese restaurants—are actually imports from Shanghai. Outside of hotels, only Temple and Maison Boulud, two haute French restaurants, can hold their own with Shanghai’s fine-dining establishments. That said, you can find a much better range of Chinese food in the capital. Since moving here, I’ve had the chance to sample unfamiliar dishes from Guizhou, Hunan and Yunnan. If Shanghai draws dining impresarios from abroad, Beijing is where the many cultures of the country come to show off their best cuisines. For an easy go of it, one need look no further than the many provincial and regional government restaurants t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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around the capital (see page 60 for some highlights). And of course, if you’re a Peking duck fan, there is no better city. Still, for me, Beijing’s allure lies elsewhere. The argument that Beijing is China’s art capital? It’s true. Shanghai might be trying to catch up with its new museums, but it still has a ways to go before it can rival Beijing’s art scene. Ai Wei Wei, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi—many of the biggest names in Chinese contemporary art make their homes in Beijing. Likewise next year’s big names, who show at galleries in the city’s main art districts: Caochangdi, Juichang and 798. And despite all the supposedly forward-looking razing, Beijing retains an indelible sense of its history and culture that permeates the city from the obvious grand, historical edifices to the daily lives of its denizens. When you do stumble on a hutong like Qianliang, it’s easy to imagine the city as it was 100 years ago. If you’re fortunate, you might run into someone like Xiao Wang. Then there is this: on a clear day, when you can see the mountains that ring the city, it’s easy to forgive Beijing for its drawbacks. The never-ending traffic jam on the Third Ring Road seems bearable in crisp autumnal air, when the sky is a brilliant blue and you can watch the sunset. On days like these, we follow Beijingers to their beloved parks. One recent afternoon, my husband and I knock off work early and head over to Ritan Park. A group of Russians are gathered under a pavilion, belting out sentimental songs. Some young Frenchmen, iPads in hand, sip beers from the Stone Boat, a café on the pond. They’re part of the recent wave

t l guide shanghai stay Four Seasons Pudong T+L Tip: shang-Xi has fantastic dim sum. 210 Century Ave., Pudong district; 86-21/20368888; fourseasons.com; doubles from RMB3,500. Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund Panoramic views and resort-like ambience. 19 Gongping Lu, Huangpu district; 86-21/ 2509-1188; banyantree. com; doubles from RMB3,000. Hotel indigo cheeky, chinese-inspired design. 585 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, Huangpu district; 86-21/3302-9999; shanghai.hotelindigo.com; doubles from RMB1,184. eat Madison (and Madi’s) Building 2, 3 Fenyang Lu, Huaihai district; 86-21/

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6437-0136; brunch for two at Madi’s RMB250; dinner for two at Madison RMB600. Hai 7F, Yueyang Lu, Huaihai district; 86-21/ 3461-7893; dinner for two RMB500. Mercato 6F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Huangpu district; 86-21/63219922; threeonthebund. com; lunch for two RMB400. El Willy spot-on tapas from dynamo catalan chef Willy trullas. 5F, 22 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, Huangpu district; 86-21/5404-5757; el-willy.com; dinner for two RMB600. Table no. 1 no-fuss european fare courtesy of london’s Jason atherton. The Waterhouse, 1-3 Maojiayuan Lu (near the Cool Docks), Huangpu district; 86-21/60802918; tableno-1.com; set dinner for two RMB700.

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of expats who’ve come in search of their fortunes. But they’re not the ones who draw my attention. Instead, I settle onto a bench and watch the locals. A pair of young girls in pink frocks race around, with an even smaller boy in pursuit. Fathers and sons gather for high-speed table tennis matches. A spry grandmother serenely performs tai chi while a young acolyte haltingly tries to keep up with her. Another retiree practices wushu with a sword, her moves flowing and hypnotic. Before we moved here, a friend of a friend, a young Chinese man who had lived in Beijing before moving to New York City, proclaimed that we would love it. I saw him a few months later, and confessed that I hadn’t fallen for Beijing yet. “Give it more time,” he reassured me, citing his affection for Beijingers as a key. “I hated it when I first got there, but I learned to love it… It’s just home.” In the park, I notice two old men, backs ramrod straight and dressed in Mao suits, walk stiffly by. Their long faces are lined and weather-beaten, and they return my gaze impassively, without judgment. I feel a sudden yearning to know what they’ve witnessed, to hear their stories. It’s then that I realize that while I’m drawn to Shanghai’s shinier surfaces, there is something deeper and more profound beyond Beijing’s rougher edges. It’s these men, their stories and the millions of stories around me that make a city alive. More so than interesting architecture and great restaurants, the ties that bind us to a city are what make it home. For me, Beijing might not be home yet, but it’s on its way there. ✚

see Rockbund Museum 20 Huqiu Lu, Huangpu district; 86-21/3310-9985; rockbundartmuseum.org; admission RMB15. Power Station of Art. 200 Huayuangang Lu; 86-21/3127-8535; powerstation.artlinkart. com; free admission. Beijing stay Four Seasons Beijing check out the oasis-like tea garden in this hotel in the diplomatic neighborhood. 48 Liang Ma Qiao Lu, Chaoyang district; 86-10/56958858; fourseasons.com; doubles from RMB1,988. EAST clean-lines and casual ambience set this business hotel apart. 22 Jiuxiangqiao Lu, Chaoyang District; 86-10/84260888; east-beijing.com; doubles from RMB1,050, introductory rate.

eat Susu 10 West Alley, Qianliang Hutong, Dongcheng district; 86-10/8400-2699; dinner for two RMB300. Temple 23 Songzhu Si, Shatan Beijie., Dongcheng district; 86-10/84002232; dinner for two RMB600. Lost Heaven 23 Qianmen Dong Dajie, Dongcheng district; 86-10/8516-2698; dinner for two RMB500. Southern Barbarian 107 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng district; 86-10/64013372; dinner for two RMB300. Maison Boulud 23 Qianmen Dong Dajie; 86-10/6559-9200; dinner for two RMB650. Xian’r Lao Man uniformly excellent menu with a wide range of dumplings. 252 Andingmen Neidajie;

Dongcheng district; 86-1/6404-6944; dinner for two RMB150. Da Dong Roast Duck this local legend is a fierce contender for the top Beijing kaoya in town. 1-2/F, Nanxincang International Plaza, 22A Dongsishitiao, Doncheng District, Beijing; 861/5169-0329; dinner for two RMB400. drinK Great Leap Brewing DouJiao Hutong #6, East City; 86-10/5717-1399; greatleapbrewing.com. see Caochangdi Art district. the place to go to for cutting-edge art. Chaoyang district. shoP Xiao Wang’s Record Shop. 33 Qianliang Hutong, Dongcheng district.

Samui’s Six Steps to Serenity It’s easy to get from the Thai mainland to Koh Samui, less so to escape the crowds who throng here. But Robyn Eckhardt uncovers half a dozen ways the island, whose moniker comes from the Malay for “safe haven,” still lives up to its name. Photographed by David Hagerman

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A select audience comes for sunset to Aura, at the Conrad.

Clockwise from left: Yoga at Samahita Retreat; the shores of Koh Phangan; the Red Baron sets sail; a therapist prepares the luk pra kob compresses at the Four Seasons Spa.

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Escape and renewal for body and soul is a specialty in Koh Samui’s sleepy south. sanctuary Set along a gentle curve of sand overlooking a natural cove housing a few longtail boats, Samahita Retreat (55/20-24 Moo 4 Namuang; 6677/920-090; yoga-thailand.com; residential retreats from Bt7,788 per day, double) offers instruction in classical yoga, as well as detox, de-stress and wellness programs. Take your meals steps from the sand, enjoying the kitchen’s philosophy of sattva, a Sanskrit term meaning “pure and light.” This is no bland health food: Samahita’s dishes are as delicious as they are restorative. Think fresh juices and tea infusions, lively curries and simple grills, warm spice-scented cakes and breads of whole grains, and gelato churned from fresh coconut milk. For the ultimate good-for-you getaway, book the multi-day Yoga Residential program, which includes instruction, meals and lodging—in minimalist whiteon-white rooms. Days are book-ended by morning instruction in pranayama (breath), asana (body posture) and vinyasa (breath and movement) techniques and, in the afternoons, gentle and invigorating yoga sessions. In between, there’s time to lounge around the saltwater pool, sweat out toxins in the retreat’s herbal steam room, indulge in a facial, or practice your breathing in the open-air shala by the beach, which leads westward— most auspiciously—to a wat on a gentle rise.

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Mu Koh Ang Thong National Marine Park, visible from Samui’s west coast, is sail on most visitors’ must-see list… which is why we suggest heading north instead. Consider a sixhour sojourn round the back of Koh Phangan on a oneof-its-kind yacht, for a more private day trip. Built by hand out of hardwood salvaged by its German owner from sunken ships found off the coast of nearby Surat Thani province, the 30 meter-long Red Baron (Fisherman’s Village, Bophut; 66-83/172-8792; redbaronsamui.com; six-hour brunch cruise Bt2,950 per person) is unusually stable for a craft of its size, which means seasickness-free cruising even in 5-meter swells. Sip cocktails in the mahogany-hued saloon, or try angling with the on-board rods and reels conveniently waiting next to the barbeque. Up top, spot passing dolphins or catch some rays from the day beds on the expansive deck. As soon as the crew (including three captains with decades of local sailing experience among them) pulls anchor from Bophut Fisherman’s Village, the Red Baron’s bamboo and crimson cloth sails are raised— along with glasses of sparkling wine to toast the journey. Fresh juice, good coffee and a hearty breakfast of eggs made-to-order follow. Tacking north, the vessel skirts Koh Phangan, finally reaching the quiet bay between the island’s northwest and Koh Mah, a speck of jungle-clad hills linked to Phangan by a sand bridge. There’s time for lolling on the secluded beach and snorkeling over intact coral beds—the likes of which Ang Thong day-trippers can only dream of—before a full Thai lunch, perhaps of fresh scallops or fish from passing boats. Then it’s allaboard for the lazy sail back to Bophut.

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If a private, indoor-outdoor pavilion on a hillside jungle sounds like the perfect spa place to rebalance your five elements, book a Siam Fusion treatment at Four Seasons Spa (219 Moo 5, Ang Thong; 66-77/243-000; fourseasons.com/ kohsamui; from Bt5,000). Request an attached steam room and arrive early for a muscle-loosening session in the scented fog, then move to your treatment table al fresco or indoors. Over 90 minutes of Thai massage and acupressure followed by luk pra kob—fragrant warm compresses filled with a mixture of dried herbs such as camphor, turmeric and lemongrass—feel your muscle tightness fade and a sense of health and well-being set in. You’ll finish with a cup of rejuvenating roselle-gingerpandanus tea served hot or cold, as you wish. (Tip: To avoid climbing a series of steps in your post-treatment haze, ask for a pavilion near the top of the hill.) t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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Deep in the island’s coconut plantationdotted southeast, follow a discreetly sip marked drive off Road 4170 to what may be Thailand’s best-kept liquor lovers’ secret: a craft distillery turning out world-class rhum agricole. Elisa Gabrel and her husband took a similarly non-obvious path here, from the rat race in Paris via a fruit orchard in southern France, to found the Magic Alambic Rum Distillery (44/5 Moo 3, Thanon Namuang; 66-77/419-023; rhumdistillerie.com; tastings 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., from Bt50 per glass). Their goal: top-shelf French West Indies-style rum distilled directly from southern Thai sugar-cane juice (as opposed to molasses, the key ingredient in industrial rum). Over time, distillers from the likes of Bacardi, Pernod-Ricard and Moët Hennessey have made pilgrimages to Samui to taste the Gabrels’ liquid gold. A garden pavilion steps from the petite distillery is the perfect setting for a history lesson on rhum agricole, invented in the West Indies at the end of the 1600’s by Father Jean Baptiste Labat, and then some serious tasting. Magic Alambic makes one-year aged rum—plain or in natural coconut, lemon, orange and pineapple flavors—as well as small batches of the liquor aged for six years. Each varietal evinces a hint of sweetness and goes down remarkably smoothly, leaving not a trace of burn in the throat. The rums are dangerously easy-drinking mixed with Gabrel’s sweet-spicy Ti Punch. Swirling her rum in a glass for visitors, Gabrel demonstrates its lengthy legs and plump tears, similar to those of a fine wine. Then she pours shots. So bring a designated driver—or simply enjoy your Martiniqueinspired Ti Punch mixed with ice water.

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No island idyll is complete without cocktails accompanied by a stunning sundowner sunset. Sophisticated but understated Aura Lounge (Conrad Koh Samui; 49/8-9 Moo 4, Hillcrest Rd.; Tambol Taling Ngam; 66-77/915-888; conradkohsamui.com; drinks for two from Bt700) offers the best ringside seat. At this spare lounge on an isolated west coast hillside, a firepit centers a timber deck that appears to float above the sea. With just four seating areas set well apart from each other, Aura is designed for privacy: two sunken banquettes protect from occasional wind gusts; two up top offer a bird’s eye view of Surat Thani’s crenellated coast. Order a glass of champagne or mine the bar’s menu of signature cocktails made of fresh ingredients such as salacca, pandanus and kaffir lime. Then hunker in, and watch the spectacular show. After the ball drops, modernist Thai cuisine with the same drop-dead view awaits at neighboring Jahn restaurant.

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Takho Bangpo Seafood specializes in khoei jii—a paste of shrimp, coconut, chili and garlic grilled in coconut shells. opposite, from top: Magic Alambic’s sixyear aged rum; sunset drinks at Aura.

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A great meal can be transportive, especially when it takes you deep into sate unfamiliar territory. Despite what the island’s glut of pizzerias and burger shacks suggest, Samui has a delightful cuisine all its own, built mostly on its most abundant ingredients: seafood and coconuts. Relaxed, family-run Takho Bangpo Seafood (Road 4169, Bangpo; no phone number; dinner for two Bt600), on the west side, is the best place to dive in. In a strip of eateries on the sea side of the ring road, just north of Laem Yai, look for the portrait of the restaurant’s septuagenarian founder marking its entrance. Proceed through the kitchen—open air, and consisting of little more than a row of clay charcoal cookers and a couple of woks—and step down to the beach, where a dozen plastic tables sit beneath a garland barely a few meters from the water. Dig your toes in the sand, flip the cap off a bottle of beer and peruse the menu, sticking to the Local Dishes section at the back. You’ll start with a complimentary amuse-bouche: khoei jii, a “dip” of shrimp paste mixed with coconut, garlic and chili that’s been smeared in a coconut shell and grilled over charcoal, to eat with fresh veggies. The staff might suggest bplaa likun, pinky-sized fried fish with limey ginger-chili sauce; bpuu phat kari, chunks of shelled crab and chives in a light mustard-hued curry sauce; dtom waay, midget octopus in a creamy coconut milk soup; and kongchai namplaa, butterflied raw prawns on a bed of slivered cabbage, mild bitter melon and sataw or “stink beans.” Other excellent options are Samui green-lipped mussels steamed with basil and garlic, and, if it’s in season, local leaf bai nyeang with egg. Takho Bangpo’s coconut rice, with its red and brown grains mixed with tender mung beans, scented with the barest whiff of the island’s favorite fruit, is a perfect study in restraint—a notion that precisely encapsulates your laid-back sojourn in Samui. ✚

Heavenly Kingdom

M A S S i M o C A S A L ; o P P o S i T E : C H R i S T o P H E R K U C WAY

Bhutan, a secluded and still-mysterious h himalayan imalayan nation, more than lives up to its lofty expectations, writes c h ristop h e r k ucway, and will likely change what you look for in your travels.

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A young girl at a festival in Thimpu. Opposite: Tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nest Monastery.

Clockwise from top left: Attending Thimpu’s colorful tsechu; the Punakha Valley; a Paro shopfront; prayer flags in Punakha; red marks the lead pony on treks; chilies in the Thimpu market; at work in the fields; butter lamps at Punakha Dzong; a young nun in central Bhutan.

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C H R i S T o P H E R K U C WAY ( 9)

he teahouse is down a path to the right, through a tall stand of blue pine and intermittent mist. My guide Tsewang veers left. Bad news. “It’s okay if we just continue on,” he turns to suggest. Despite my labored breathing, I manage to agree, forcing myself forward in the thin, damp air, around the corner of another switchback soupy with mud, the smell of pine heavy in the air. I stop to catch my breath and, without warning, sight at last of some good news on this rainy morning in Bhutan: our goal, Taktsang Goemba, or Tiger’s Nest Monastery, flirts with me as a veil of clouds parts. The mist sweeps back in just as quickly, the tease is gone. But as Tsewang predicted at the start of our climb, I’m energized by the mere sight of the iconic temples, which cling to a precipitous rock face almost a kilometer above the Paro Valley floor. A few days earlier, we drove along that valley under a clear sky and, at 2,940 meters, the monastery looked completely inaccessible, like it was suction-cupped to the sheer cliff. For now, we continue up the trail, me breathing heavily, Tsewang chanting a mantra or, for kicks, checking his iPhone for reception. Misty, mysterious Bhutan: where the 8th century meets the 21st, in an ethereal realm between Tibet and India. At least I now know that we’re halfway to our postcard of a destination, part of the way to heaven. The drizzle continues as we clamber up to the high point of the trail, a ridge of rock at 3,100 meters that seems buoyed by the clouds. Here in a makeshift shelter, we light some butter lamps, my first prayer one of thanks for the breather. Now, all that lies between us and Tiger’s Nest are several hundred uneven stone stairs that descend into a gorge, then rise abruptly. The clouds part, again the ney, or holy site, appears like a dream. Just as quickly, all turns back to gray. Down the steps we tramp, down to the roar of a thin waterfall that drops from out of the clouds. The rain has stopped, but the swirling mist feels like a Buddhist blessing. I throw my arms in the air and my head back. Sheer joy. During the previous week, Tsewang had reminded me every day that we were saving the best of Bhutan for last. But in a land of superlatives, the bar kept getting higher. Finally, we arrived. Taktsang Goemba. Even the name of the monastery becomes a mantra. As taxing as it is to comprehend where I am at that moment, it’s more difficult to fathom that the following day I’ll be back in Bangkok—a case of trading clouds for crowds. I’m wet, my calves feel like cement and in front of me lie hundreds of years of Buddhist belief that tie this small Himalayan nation together.

Learning traditional arts in Thimpu.

the clouds part, the holy site appears like a dream. Just as quickly, all turns back to gray. the rain has stopped, but the swirling mist feels like a Buddhist blessing. i throw my arms in the air and my head back. sheer joy Tsewang first takes me to the cave—the Dubkhang—where Guru Rinpoche, who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan, meditated for three months. Local lore has it that he flew to the site on the back of a tigress to subdue a local demon in the 8th century. Since it first took shape at the end of the 17th century, the monastery has added a series of other temples and prayer halls, endured at least two major fires and attracted pilgrims, both the devout and the merely curious, up into the clouds. Here the thinking is that this trek up to Tiger’s Nest, an outer pilgrimage, must lead to an inner pilgrimage. Likewise, any visit to Bhutan has to have a profound effect on you. Maybe it’s the Buddhism, not so much a religion as a way of life in this small landlocked state, or the smell of burning alder wood and juniper in the air, or the genuine nature of the people or the unspoiled beauty of the place. All of these are encompassed in the four pillars of Gross National Happiness—sustainable development, environmental protection, cultural preservation and good governance—that the kingdom uses to measure the contentment of its 700,000odd citizens, its success as a nation. This endlessly surprising culture will leave even the most seasoned traveler questioning what he is looking for from his journeys and perhaps even, without being too romantic about it all, what he wants out of life. Inevitably, a vacation in Bhutan veers off any obvious map. It becomes a voyage of self-discovery.

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cross a sweep of rice fields, past white prayer flags flapping in the wind on bamboo poles, within the 15th-century walls of Chimmi Lhakhang, opposite the temple’s altar where women from around the world pray for fertility, I see them. In a dark, confined room I stumble across a group of young monks. For this handful of burgundy-andsaffron–robed devotees, it’s the hour before dinner. But they’re not studying Buddhist texts or meditating. Instead, they’re as engrossed by the glowing box in the corner as I am by their expressions. Television. Bhutan was the last country on earth to get a television signal. That happened in 1999, but today Bhutanese still talk about it as if it were last month. Reaction across the nation, as you might expect, is mixed. On one hand, every second passenger on my flight from Bangkok to Paro was checking in the latest flat screen. Yet word on the street, even in this corner of the Punakha Valley, quickly veers to heavy questions about how television and the Internet, which was

also switched on in 1999, affect what has been one of the most secluded and, perhaps not coincidentally, contented nations on the planet. Maybe it’s not a question of Bhutan opening up to the world, but the opposite. Earlier that day, my driver Gopal and I were talking about Ladakh. He’s never been to the north of India, but knew quite a bit about the region and yearns to visit. “Oh, I saw that on the Discovery Channel,” he told me without missing a gear change on our Hyundai. These days, many young Bhutanese want to venture beyond their own borders. Some get the chance. Almost inevitably—everyone I spoke with who had been abroad told me the same thing—they long for Bhutan and return. You can go home again. At least to this Himalayan country, where the first road was built at about the same time a U.S. president spoke of putting man on the moon, where road signs warn, hill start be careful, or where blind corner drive slow is followed up 100 meters later with a simple thanks. This ongoing battle between the traditional and modern crops up everywhere. In fast-developing—if a town with 100,000 people can be considered that—Thimpu, we drive by a shop called 8-eleven, then, on the next block, another called 24/7, which promises to make your life more convenient. As Gopal questions what 24/7 even means, Tsewang is cracking up, the businessman in him incredulous: “There will be no one going there. Everyone will be asleep!” This is a nation where every man is wearing a gho, every woman a kira—the smart Bhutanese national dress—and, in a nod to current environmental concerns, there are now no-drive Tuesdays as Bhutan does its bit for carbon-offsetting.

n this late September morning, I rise with the sun. The air is crisp but the clouds soon part to reveal a searingly blue Himalayan sky. I’m up early because I have a new favorite thing to do in life. Namely, sit on my stone terrace at Uma Paro with a French press full of hot coffee. The first of two COMO hotels in Bhutan, Uma Paro blends into a hillside, each of its 29 plank-floored rooms and villas complete with a bukhari, the local wood-burning stove, as well as—if you want it—a television. Blue pines carpet the hillside around me. There’s a chill in the air and, aside from the flow of the river down in the valley, all is calm. I can see across the Paro Valley. Layers of rolling hills ascend high into the distance, with wisps of cloud skirting each t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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two-street town both physically and spiritually. Its sheer mass and 400-year-old white, buttressed walls enclose a collection of Buddhist prayer halls and a handful of municipal offices, all fashioned with ornately carved and painted timber. The rest of the valley looks like a patchwork quilt of rice fields. After that walk, we ventured north along 13 kilometers of bad road to the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, built in 1644 to protect Bhutan from Tibetan forces. Not far as the SUV drives, but the route veered into another century by the time we reached the zero marker at the burnt-out fortress. It’s here we encounter the worst traffic in the country and, for once, some rude behavior. Passing becomes a problem. A light touch of the horn doesn’t help. We’re at a standstill. Then an indifferent donkey moves aside. One horse follows, then another, the snarl is bypassed and it’s clear sailing at 30 kilometers an hour to the dzong. From here, a dirt road now cuts its way further north to a string of 7,000-meter peaks and Tibet, a two-day trek away.

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ridge, rising up to Cheli La, the 3,800-meter pass into the Haa Valley in the far west of the country. Coffee in hand, I make a mental Post-it note to visit this place called Haa one day. How could you not? It’s easy to see why Bhutan is considered the trip of a lifetime. And why, hours after arriving in the kingdom, most are convinced they’ll return. A day earlier, Tsewang and I went off on a short trek above Paro. On the hike to Zurig Dzong, a fortress-monastery common to Bhutan, we encountered a 77-year-old, her face aged and etched as deeply as the valley. She strode past, determined, unimpressed with my greeting, “kuzuzangpo-laa.” Tsewang explained she was on a two-day fast and wouldn’t speak. Yet Zurig Dzong does tell a tale. The dzong dates to 1352 and acts a protector of the valley below, but was itself badly damaged in an earthquake in 2011 and, for now, is off limits. Down in that pancake-flat valley, Paro Dzong—its proper name translates to “fortress on a heap of jewels”—anchors the

Those first-day forays were just a warm up. Once I finish my coffee, we’re tackling a more ambitious journey, to Punakha, one valley to the east. It’s only 70-odd kilometers, but will take the better part of four hours of grinding uphill through dense stands of blue pine, then swerving down into Punakha Valley. First though, we stop in Thimpu. Famously devoid of traffic lights—but not of Bhutan’s dogs who sleep all day and bark all night—the small capital is expanding quickly, with new flats being built to the west. Today, the town is alive with a weekend fruit and vegetable market, vendors arriving from most corners of the kingdom. Mounds of chilies, both fresh and dried, are abundant, as are fruits such as bananas and apples, and I’m even surprised to spot fiddlehead ferns. As vibrant as the market is, I can’t imagine a better Thimpu than the one that greeted me fresh off the plane. We saw the last day of the town’s annual tsechu, a brilliant swirl of costumed dancing monks, a crush of Bhutanese in their finest, fabulous silk gho and kira at

Clockwise from top left: A room with a view at Uma Punakha; a 79-year-old smile; yak-milk candies; Punakha Dzong; threads for weaving; an atsara, or clown, at the Thimpu tsechu; crowds at the annual festival; blue pine trees.

Bhutan

t l guide Getting There once you’ve landed in Paro, you’ll know why Druk Air (drukair.com.bt) is the only airline to fly to Bhutan: only a handful of pilots know how to descend into the corridor of valleys that leads to Bhutan’s airport. Just three hours from Bangkok, druk air now also flies from singapore.

on the ground travel in Bhutan follows a distinct trail. the mandatory us$250 per person daily fee might sound as steep as some of the trekking trails, but it includes meals, driver, guide and accommodation. there’s an additional charge for stays at Uma Paro and Uma Punakha—ask for room 1 for its 180-degree view—though book an all-in package through CoMo Hotels (comohotels.com; seven nights from US$7,784 and 10 nights from US$10,000).

this endlessly surprising culture will leave even the most seasoned traveler questioning what he is looking for from his journeys and perhaps even, without being too romantic about it, what he wants out of life 158

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Trashi Chhoe Dzong, the nation’s current seat of government and monastic quarters. Whether at an annual festival or a weekly market, the vibe around every corner of the country is positive and no visitor can help but be affected by it. But this is still Bhutan’s biggest town. “For me, Thimpu is too busy with all those cars and traffic,” Loday, a monk from Trongsa, in the east of the country, would tell me a few days and a 3,000-plus-meter pass later. “I prefer to be outside Thimpu.” So we leave the capital behind. Grinding up to Dochu La, with clear skies, we’ll take in a sweep of the Himalaya on the horizon. Yet, reaching the 3,140-meter pass, a thick mist pours in from the east—travel in Bhutan is unpredictable but never boring. Soaring blue pines, stunted by constant winds, emerge out of the mist like frail old men walking up the hillside. After dropping down through stands of pine, fir, willow, hemlock and cypress, we veer left off the east-west highway and head to the Punakha Valley. At the strategic junction of the Mo Chhu (Mother River) and Pho Chhu (Father River) is Punakha Dzong, the centerpiece of a nation that defines itself by its fortress-temples and its unspoiled natural beauty. Like other dzongs, Punakha is a maze of intricate timber structures, and also served as the capital for three centuries. It is still key to the country’s Buddhism, a fact underscored by the baritone chanting of monks from deep inside the assembly hall. Beyond the temple, the road twists north for another 45 kilometers, though to call it a road is, at best, an exaggeration. Some potholes could swallow a small car. Our destination, the 11-room Uma Punakha, is perched atop a spur in the valley and there’s no need for staff to say anything as I check in. I’m simply invited onto the stone porch that fronts the glass-and-timber hotel. From here are near-panoramic views of the valley, and for once in Bhutan, my breath is taken away without a single step in this rarefied air. Smaller and more remote than Paro, the valley’s rice terraces yield to thickly forested moutainsides and sheer rock faces that appear close enough to touch before they rise into the clouds. I start to think of the ways a visit to Bhutan mirrors the journey we take in life. Everything is as temporary as the elaborate mandalas created by monks. Nothing should be taken for granted. Every day here should be cherished, not because few ever visit—annual tourist numbers are now in the 60,000 range—but because each experience is a gift. Then I think I’m being too serious. Maybe one of Bhutan’s road signs says it best: life is a journey complete it. ✚

In Paro Dzongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dochey, or main courtyard.

Y e a r s60

r the first e v o k c a b k o t take a lo ure southeas is e L l+ e v ra T issues of l be ny luck, you’l a h it w , d n a asia re the region lo p x e to d e ir insp d–more –and the worl often.

e’re often told that we’ve got the greatest job in the world and, while that may be debatable, most days we’d agree. After all we cover Southeast Asia for Travel+Leisure. Where better to work on a stellar travel magazine than in this fascinating part of the world? Here we have unrivalled scenic beauty; more than a dozen cultures within easy reach; a young, energetic readership; and that overriding sense that Asia is the world’s trendsetter when it comes to, among other things, travel. While offering new takes on old haunts, we also search out the next it destinations before they become it. This issue marks our fifth anniversary, a milestone in the magazine world, yet a blink of the eye in Southeast Asia. Change is the constant around this region, something we feel is reflected in our pages each month. We like to think that the magazine is the answer to where you, the readers, want to go and a guide on how you can get the most out of your travels. Looking back over 60 issues, it’s easy to see the region’s evolution—or not—across a short time span. A prediction in the first issue that Phu Quoc, Vietnam, would turn into the next Phuket hasn’t exactly materialized. But in this day and age, change is continually afoot around Asia, often in ways that would have stunned most of us just five years ago. Who would have guessed back then that today Burma would be booming, Singapore would be fun again, and most of us would know of islands like Con Dao and Song Saa? At the time, all that seemed to matter was the Olympics… in Beijing. In December 2007, that first issue paid a quick visit to Guangzhou. By August 2011, the city had come to represent just how quickly China has been modernizing, complete with new addresses by Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas—as well as a hotel so cool, in a town formerly so dowdy, that our writer couldn’t convince anyone it even existed. Steve McCurry’s photographs documenting Buddhism around Asia, also in the first issue, wouldn’t look out of place or dated in this one. The same holds true with Lauryn Ishak’s more recent take on the otherworldly Indonesian landscape around Mount Bromo. If a magazine can be judged by how ageless it appears, then in five years Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia has held its own. There’s little in the earliest issues that specifically time-stamps the stories as half-adecade old, save a look at walking tours in Manila that keys on a woman by the name of Imelda. And you might not recognize Macau as it is pictured at the start of 2008, though that would also be true about the ever-evolving gambling hub if you haven’t been in the past year. That idea of timelessness continues throughout every issue of the magazine, largely due to the enduring charms of Asia itself. Whether it’s how Japan’s ancient ryokans are recasting their appeal for a new generation or an editor traveling through her ancestral land, as Jennifer Chen did on a visit to Taiwan in “Homeward Bound,” looking back is integral to travel in Asia. As Chen wrote, “This is Taiwan: you leave the island for four decades, you come back, you call an

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old friend, and what you get aren’t reprimands or awkward silence, but unquestioning camaraderie. This is the sort of treatment you expect when you come home.” Then again, the region’s development is so dizzying that you can’t help but chuckle now in reading about Singapore’s hottest new restaurants from February 2008, considering the volumes that have been written about the latest menus in the Lion City since then. And back in March 2008, the big deal in Singapore was the big wheel—it’s now dwarfed, in more ways than one, by Marina Bay Sands, the gambling/ dining/shopping anchor in the city. Just as in Asia, there are constants in the magazine as well. Among these are Travel+Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, the It List, Design Awards and Global Vision Awards. In each case, we’ve seen the number of Asia-based winners grow, thanks to can’t-miss resorts and innovative designers, among other homegrown stand-outs. These are also grist for related stories throughout the year. In March 2011, for instance, we showcased graphic-design collective Team Manila and its riveting tourism posters for the Philippines, as much an editorial comment on the lack of promotion of destinations in that archipelago. Fortunately, since then, the country has rebooted its travel marketing to let us all know what’s on offer. There’s a subcategory of destinations that fall into the too-often-overlooked file and we stopped off at one of them in “Taipei 2.0,” starting 91 stories above the city and covering everything you could see below, as well as some areas you couldn’t. As is often the case with the underappreciated, Taipei proved to be—and continues to be—an alluring city. Of course, it’s the people who make the place. Case in point was an article about a small-town boy making it big: designer Thakoon Panichgul told us what he loves about Thailand, but also where he likes to shop in Tokyo and eat in New York City, hinting at what would become his global reach in the world of fashion. Lesser known but just as relevant is one Illac Diaz. In an article about Asia’s new green pioneers in October 2011, the Filipino fascinated readers with his “A Liter of Light” project that installs solar bulbs made out of old soda bottles, a simple plan that brightens some otherwise dark corners of the Philippines. Around Southeast Asia, you’re never far from a spectacular beach. Stories about enticing tropical getaways are a staple of the magazine, the ability to differentiate among them often the difficulty. Here’s one connoisseur’s take on well-trod White Beach in Boracay: “Someone, she intones from behind oversized shades and a waft of coconutscented sunscreen, should introduce a grain count for beach sand along the lines of thread counts used in fine bedding.” But surf and sun by no means tell the whole travel tale. In preparing for our first anniversary issue, the then-editor asked if we had lined up any stories with snow in them to coincide with the month of December. Now, there’s never much snow around Southeast Asia, but we went off the map a bit with a tale about traveling to Antarctica. That the ship the writer was on never actually made it to the southernmost continent didn’t matter; the story was in the attempt.

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Often, in fact, the journeys are not completely easy. American novelist Gary Shteyngart admitted as much right at the start of his visit to Bangkok in our October 2008 issue. “Woe to a hairy man in the world’s hottest city,” he wrote. “Bangkok: where the three so-called seasons—Hot, Wet and Why are you doing this to me?—are a fur ball’s primordial nightmare.” At least he had a sense of humor about his predicament; others actually seem to prefer their travels tormented. “Discomfort, pain and anxiety are probably the very core of a good trip,” author Paul Theroux told us in a December 2008 interview. “If you have an easy time of it, you’re having a vacation. If you’re really suffering, then you’re traveling.” Initial discomfort, in many places, can give way to overflowing enthusiasm, whether due to the march of progress or a traveler’s ability to take a fresh look. Of his first foray into Cambodia, more than a decade ago, Anthony Bourdain despaired, “Frankly, it was horrifying, enraging and heartbreaking, and I had a very difficult time handling that.” But when we followed him around the country in January 2011, Bourdain was much more at ease—without any food around, he ended up firing off a few clips from an AK-47. Television chefs! Not all is Asia, of course. There’s a whole world out there to explore. The very title of “Your Big Fat Las Vegas Food Adventure” should underscore the tone of Peter Jon Lindberg’s look at that American city, but if you are left wondering, then witness his take on the trip: “By Thursday you will have consumed 8.6 kilos of shellfish, 22 liters of booze, five lobes of foie gras, 15 sticks of butter and three micrograms of edible gold leaf. The only thing that really worries you is the foie. There is nothing more depraved than a man in the throes of a foie gras binge.” Of course, we’re never short of food stories in this region. “Because I’m not a chef, and because I was born in Pennsylvania, and because I opened a Thai restaurant in Bangkok, people keep asking me the same question. It goes something like, ‘Why the hell would you do something like that?’” Writer and foodie—not necessarily in that order— Jarrett Wrisley wrote that in our 2011 food issue explaining his love of both Asia and its cuisine. We also love words. That’s where Benjamin Law’s take on the more literary side of Melbourne (November 2011) proved a riveting read. A novelist and avid reader, he admits, “Usually I prefer the corpse of a dead tree. It smells great. But I’ve been traveling with 10 kilos of books, so I caved and bought an e-reader.” Tablets are just one innovation to have changed the method Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia has told stories over the past five years. But the emotional appeal of sharing sentiments about a great vacation is steadfast. Another novelist, Korean-American Min Jin Lee, tackled this topic in a 2009 essay. “It’s a curious thing,” she wrote, “but every trip is tinged bittersweet in a way, because as you witness something wondrous, you know others who would have liked to be there, too.” With that in mind, we can only hope you’ll come along for the ride through our next five years. ✚

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Gold embossed viscose mix jacket with a crystal studded collar and matching shorts, michael Kors; black, gold and red ankle strap heels, marni.

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Cobalt polyester mix jersey gown, La Perla; gold necklace, Michael Kors; gold python clutch by Johnny Ramli and gold cuff bracelet by Charles Albert, Quintessential; blue and fuchsia tie-dyed peep-toe heels, Christian Louboutin. Opposite: Floral print polyester organza and lace dirndl dress and vintage floral drop earrings, Dolce & Gabbana.

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the playful W singapore-sentosa cove is an ideal urban escape, Where lounging by the pool is a must and your neXt spa treatment a necessity

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Scarlet viscose and polyester mix empire waist dress, cropped pants and double strap Mary Jane heels, Louis vuitton; matte gold shades, miu miu.

Hair & Makeup: Andrea Claire Model: Tanja V Photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assistant: Zam Digital Artist: Agnes Teo

Mustard cotton mix strapless jumpsuit, Zardoze; onyx and agate necklace, nicole Whisenhunt; bronze and gold bangles by Sibilia, Quintessential; gold peep-toe heels, Christian Louboutin. opposite: Pale peach silk chiffon long sleeve top, orange polyester mix shorts and two-tone strappy heels, Fendi; orange resin bracelet, La Perla.

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The lobby of the stylish Ohtel boutique hotel, in Wellington. Opposite: Flying over Mount Ngauruhoe.

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From top: The bar at the newly refurbished Roxy Cinema, in the Miramar neighborhood; the Wellington waterfront; diners at Wellingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Caffe Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;affare.

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mount ngauruhoe, 10 a.m. Half a morning’s hike across a treeless, lunar landscape of black lava boulders— covered with colonies of white-green lichen and ferns as tiny as babies’ toes— gets me to the foot of the volcano. Each rock along the trail looks like its own world, and every few minutes I’ve bent down for a close look, imagining myself shrinking to microscopic height, these flecks of plant life rising up like otherworldly forests. A few yards on, a crossroads: the spot where the intrepid leave the trail for the tough climb to the summit, from whence the views—down into this mountain’s red-streaked, sulfurous crater and out across a spiny trail of sister volcanoes— are said to be spectacular. Looking up, scanning the mountainside, I count scores of hikers’ improvised tracks, braided in the loose gray scree. For a few fearful moments, I hesitate—the grade is really steep, about 45 degrees. I scrunch my hat down to my ears so the cold mountain wind won’t snatch it, and with each step, add my own trail of sliding, shaky footprints to the braids. Until the 2001 premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels, this peak, standing 2,300 meters high on the Central Plateau of New Zealand’s North Island, was known only as Mount Ngauruhoe (after an ancient mythological hero of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people). Yet the mountain is so classically, conically volcanic that Jackson and the specialeffects wizards of Weta Workshop, four and a half hours south in the country’s capital city of Wellington, used it as the model for the key landmark of Tolkien’s epic story, Mount Doom—a name that, for some, is now interchangeable with its actual one. Ngauruhoe, like many parts of New Zealand, where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in their entirety, was given new symbolic significance by Jackson’s films, which won 17 Oscars, set box-office records and inspired a fervent

pop-culture following—nowhere more so than in New Zealand. “Everyone in this country had something to do with those films, whether it was a farmer whose land we crossed to get to a location, or the owner of a village pub in the south where one night Liv Tyler danced on the bar,” says Jamie Selkirk, the Academy Award–winning film editor who worked on all of Jackson’s films from his “splatter period” as a schlock-meister in the early 1990’s through King Kong. Ngauruhoe’s symbolic evolution was especially dramatic because Mount Doom is the fulcrum of Tolkien’s fable of humanity’s obsession with power. Doom, in Mordor, is where Tolkien’s hero, the hobbit Frodo Baggins, must bring the all-powerful One Ring so that it can be destroyed once and for all. No part of New Zealand has been more changed by Jackson’s movies, and by the growing film-production industry they sparked here, than the city of Wellington, at the North Island’s southern tip. Despite being the country’s capital, Wellington has long lived in Auckland’s shadow, known to the wider world primarily as the place to catch the ferry to the South Island’s geographic wonderland. But Wellington’s showbusiness success has brought status to the city and helped nurture a vibrant scene of restaurants, cafés, boutiques and galleries. I went to Wellington to find out how the town has—and hasn’t—been changed by its transformation into “Wellywood.” I arrived just as Jackson was beginning to film a three-part, 3-D adaptation of the Lord of the Rings’ prequel, The Hobbit, the first part of which will open in theaters this month. Wellington’s rise has been fueled, to a great extent, by the cult of personality: no Peter Jackson, no Wellywood. Yet though Jackson’s is the name above the titles, the city’s prowess in producing special-effects blockbusters owes at least as much to Richard Taylor and his partner Tania Rodger, a soft-spoken couple whose main business, Weta Workshop, and its sister company Weta Digital, based in the northern suburb of Miramar, produced effects and props

not only for The Lord of the Rings but also for District Nine, Avatar and the Narnia films. Weta has also helped refurbish a 1920’s Art Deco theater in Miramar called the Roxy, which opened the week I arrived in Wellington. The theater is a throwback to the luxurious movie palaces of the period, with custom brass and bronze details and even a gourmet restaurant, Coco, in the lobby. Over a lunch of lamb burger with halloumi cheese and pea compote, Rodger attributes Wellington’s evolution into a film capital to “our number-eight wire attitude” (“number eight” being a type of baling wire that can be used to fix all manner of machinery) and explains succinctly: “It’s our attitude that it’s possible to make things happen here that makes things happen here.” The next afternoon, Taylor shows me around Weta Workshop, where I hold Gandalf’s sword and peruse the company’s collection of about a hundred actors’ life masks (white plaster castings used as the canvas for prosthetic and makeup designs). Taylor is a mildmannered, delightfully geeky man with the air of an absent-minded professor. Crumbs of foam and fiberglass dot his square hair and glasses—“I’ve been rendering Wargs,” he says, referring to a pack of wolves that will appear in The Hobbit. When I ask him to describe the goal that’s driven him to build this empire on the farthest edge of civilization, he says that it’s “empowering a group of young New Zealanders to excel beyond their expectations—to believe they can do arts for a living. They can be a hobbit that can take a ring to Mordor.” I lived in Hollywood for years and reported extensively on the film industry, but I’ve never met anyone quite like this guy. He is the best in the world at his job, and yet he has no discernible ego. He seems genuinely driven by passion, not by desire for power. He and his employees and associates seem happy; many of them have become quite rich. Wellington has created extraordinary places for them to spend their off-hours— and considerable incomes.

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From top: Blue moki sashimi at ortega Fish Shack & Bar; Weta Workshop co-owner Tania Rodger and film editor Jamie Selkirk at the Roxy Cinema; film special-effects master and Weta co-owner Richard Taylor at Weta Workshop.

There is, in town, a chicken/egg debate about whether Wellington’s show-business success was born of this town’s culture—and the country’s “number-eight-wire attitude”—or whether the best of Wellington culture was born of the box-office jackpot. The question’s probably irresolvable, but there’s no doubting that the business and the culture are enjoying a fine romance. Wellington’s most luxurious table is Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar, which serves impeccably constructed meals with locally sourced ingredients under the vaulted ceiling of what used to be a bank. For a perfect piece of salmon or blue moki, fresh as the afternoon, do not miss Ortega Fish Shack & Bar. The town’s cafés—many of which have their own coffee roasters—compare favorably with Seattle and San Francisco’s best. The airy, earthy Caffe L’affare is my favorite, with the Castro-kitsch-crammed Havana Coffee Works running a close second.

The best bar in town, Motel, opened just as the Lord of the Rings odyssey began, and became legend when the actors playing hobbits—and the special-effects guys who made the actors into hobbits— made it their off-hours hangout. On a Friday night at Motel I ask Tommy the bartender to suggest a cocktail. After peppering me with questions—“What time did you eat? What did you eat? Did you have wine? White or red?”—he pulls down a bottle with a hand-lettered masking-tape label: “Duck Fat Rye.” It was rendered, he explains, on

the stove in his apartment. He mixes his take on a Sazerac, which is quite possibly the softest, most graceful drink ever to slide across my tongue. “Tommy turned me from a boozer,” says the owl-eyed stranger sitting next to me, “into a drinker.” For all its charms, Wellington is still a bit of a diamond in the rough. Its main drags, Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place, are clogged with lowbrow, Marks-and-Sparks-ish retail shops; and its bohemian Cuba Street feels like an unreconstructed Lincoln Road, in Miami’s South Beach. Taylor says, “We’ve always had an inferiority complex. We’re a tiny small town in a country that nobody knows where it is. We’re still sort of realizing that we can be a player.” Everyone you meet asks when you’re getting out of town and where you’re going. They’re not just making conversation. They truly want to know—and they want to help you find your way. Most Kiwis are hearty, outdoorsy folks. About half of the population of 4.4 million lives in rural settings, farming and fishing are among the country’s main occupations and trekking ranks among almost everyone’s favorite pastimes. Their relationship to the land is paradoxical: both passionate and placid. The country has almost no poisonous spiders or snakes, and no native mammalian predators. (Before the Europeans came, the only mammals here were bats and seals.) As a result, New Zealanders have only cataclysm to fear—and Wellingtonians especially, since their town is built directly on a fault line, one that is due for a major correction. Many here were chastened by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which killed 185 and damaged more than NZ$20 billion worth of property—but they are resigned to living at the earth’s mercy. “We all have plans—where we’ll go, who we’ll be with,” says Alan Blundell, the strapping owner and designer of Ohtel, Wellington’s best boutique hotel. “But disaster is either going to happen or it’s not. There’s no predicting, so you

can prepare but you can’t worry,” says Matt Dravitski, a dairy farmer’s son who runs Peter Jackson’s production company, Wingnut Films. On warm days when the sun comes out, it seems the whole city rushes to the waterfront: running, strolling, skateboarding, and biking along a boardwalk that winds from the swanky Oriental Bay neighborhood past Te Papa, the immense national museum (whose treasures include the largest colossal squid ever caught), toward the old downtown and government center. One day a few years ago, between Te Papa and Old Town, a group of Weta guys helped one of their colleagues, an English sculptor named Max Patté, place a half-tonne, 2.5-meter sculpture of a naked man on the edge of the boardwalk. The figure looks as if he’s falling forward into the bay. Patté had been feeling depressed after the demise of his marriage, and this creation was his way of coping. The gorgeous, graceful line of the man’s body yielding to gravity and the water draws a delicate connection between the city and the land. Though some local leaders initially objected to the uninvited installation, it eventually won them over. The city of Wellington wound up buying the piece—Solace in the Wind—which subsequently has claimed awards in several civic sculpture competitions. At Weta, Patté, like almost everyone I meet, asks when I plan to leave the city, and when I mention Mount Ngauruhoe, his blue eyes light up. The mountain has long been one of the North Island’s most popular destinations: before it was Mount Doom, it was a highlight of the 19-kilometer Tongariro Alpine Crossing, widely considered the country’s most spectacular day hike. His response is typical, and typically quotidian—a wish that I’d have good luck with the weather. People here take nothing for granted: “My first year in New Zealand, I drove up five times in hopes of making the trek,” he says, “and five times the weather drove me home. But when I made it—it was amazing.”

mount ngauruhoe, 11 a.m. I am (I think) almost halfway to the top of Mount Ngauruhoe. But one knee—a knee I’ve hurt every few years since I was a teenager—starts feeling shaky, so I stop for a rest. I wish I could get to the top. I’ve never looked into a volcano. And part of me says to go for it, even if I think I might fall. But I cannot separate the part of me that wants this experience purely for the sake of it, from the part of me that’s embarrassed for not thinking I can do it, the part of me that’s made of the worst kind of pride. I think about my good luck with the weather. And I remember that statue on the waterfront, the man giving himself to gravity, trying to let that symbol lead me on. Since I was little, I’ve imagined New Zealand as an ideal of pristine, remote exoticism: a chiaroscuro landscape of peaks and valleys inhabited by funnylooking flightless birds. Though real life rarely fulfills these kinds of fantasies, New Zealand does. At dinner one night with entrepreneur Jeremy Moon, the charismatic founder and CEO of Icebreaker Clothing (manufacturer of fine merino-wool garments), another of the country’s international success stories, I ask his 11-year-old daughter, Isabella, why foreigners should come to visit her country. Instantly, she answers, “We have nature!”—and describes some of her

these are little people drawn into a grand storY, people compelled to carrY burdens of power. theY are not consumed bY those burdens but made more themselves.

favorite animals, including the tuatara (“like lizards—but awesomer”) and the takahe, an endangered, flightless, brilliantine-blue bird, which she once watched gobble down a duckling. The next evening I take a guided night hike through Zealandia, a nature preserve in the hills above Wellington. We see a tuatara like the one Isabella described to me—crouching, munching on something, staring at us with zero interest—and not one, not two, but three of New Zealand’s national bird— implausible-looking creatures, like little feathered footballs on legs. “A three-kiwi night!” exclaims my guide, Jane: “I’ve never had one of those before!” During the hike, just above the horizon, I catch a glimpse of the first constellation I remember learning about as a child: Orion the hunter. In the Southern Hemisphere, he’s turned counterclockwise, lying on his back, and is known, I’m told, as “the Pot.” The northern heavens’ grand hero is, in the southern skies, a piece of kitchenware. To me, that contrast of concepts dramatizes the understated humility of this place. A few days later, talking with a bus driver, I ask, “How do New Zealanders see themselves in the grand scheme of things?” and without missing a beat, he says, “We don’t.” I wait for him to say more, and all I hear is bus tires singing down the road. “Say more,” I say. “We look after New Zealand,” he answers. “We want New Zealand to remain green. We want New Zealand not to go nuclear. We want to be as we are today and were yesterday: friendly to everyone, treating people with respect for who and what they are, provided it’s mutual. And for 4 million people, we’ve done quite well.” The readiness of this answer, its easy blend of cosmopolitan scope and rural diffidence, astonishes me. At the same time, I am starting to think there’s no reason to be surprised. mount ngauruhoe, 12:15 p.m. If I could keep climbing, I would. But I can’t, is the truth. My legs won’t hold me.

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Or, I don’t think they will hold me. Which means they won’t hold me. I sit. Eat a couple of energy bars. Take a good look at the view from here. Take some pictures. And I love what I see. Yet still, it’s not the top. I won’t make it to the top. My disappointment in that shortcoming swells until, bizarrely, it feels bigger than any of the mountains in my view. When I pick my way back down Ngauruhoe and cross past Mount Tongariro, though, the land stops me thinking, shrinks me and carries me—through a massive crater’s bowl, up a mountain and down, down to twin pools, crème-de-menthe-green, and as I keep descending, trees rise up around the path’s subtropical, loamy-smelling end. That night I fill one whole page of my journal describing the different shapes of fern fronds I saw—E.T.’s- finger-shaped ferns, sine-wave ferns, backslash ferns, starburst ferns, opera-glove ferns— before collapsing on the hard mattress of a roadside motel and sleeping, in the deep rest that follows a day when you’ve done all you can. When I get back to Wellington, the city feels different than it did before. Its rough edges and lack of refinements

Wellington

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don’t look like flaws now. I see the city not as an end in itself, but as a gateway to the country, and I sense that its citizens’ ambitions are different from what I’ve known ambition to be. My last night in town, I walk to its great independent bookstore, the 45-year-old Unity Books, and look for someone who seems clueful. Tilly Lloyd, who turns out to be the co-owner, points me toward a book of poems called Lucky Table by the Kiwi poet Vincent O’Sullivan. Its title poem, in one of those coincidences that make you swear angels are stuffing postcards in a mail slot on the back of your skull, describes the measured, modest quality of New Zealanders’ ambition that I’d been pondering all afternoon. The poem’s narrator begins by wondering “what, ideally, one might have been,” and goes on to describe a longing that involves “… no vast reshaping of one’s / inner self, no fancying yourself in military apparel / singing in spotlights, curving so the sequins glitter / at the edge of the ring, just yourself as you / know you are in the chosen falling of light / in such weather as occurs….” Coming home to New York, the jet lag is wrecking, the worst I’ve ever had. In my apartment, I lie on the sofa re-

Getting There traveling from asia likely will require at least two flights, transiting in either auckland or a major australian airport. to auckland, cathay Pacific flies from hong Kong, malaysian airlines from Kuala lumpur, singapore airlines from singapore, and thai airways from Bangkok. then, from auckland, Jetstar and air new Zealand fly to Wellington.

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from the major australian airports, air new Zealand, Qantas and Virgin australia fly direct into Wellington. (note: to transit, you may need a landing visa, for which you can apply online.)

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watching The Return of the King, and the ending brings tears to my eyes—for how Frodo’s journey makes it impossible for him to return home the same. This time, though, I also see how the Lord of the Rings movies rhyme with the place and the people that made them. These are movies about little people drawn into a grand story, people compelled by circumstances to carry, for a time, burdens of power. They are not consumed by those burdens, but changed by them and made more fully themselves, who they were meant to be. That’s more or less how Wellington has handled its period in the spotlight, which won’t be over for some time to come. This year the film director James Cameron bought a property reportedly worth more than NZ$19 million in New Zealand, where he will film two sequels to Avatar. Though Cameron is not known for humility—accepting the 1998 Oscar for directing Titanic, he hollered, “I’m the king of the world!”—who knows what effect Wellington’s magic may have on him? Wellywood is no Hollywood, after all. No, it’s the kind of place that can give a creature of the rat race some strange and freeing thoughts. There’s more to climbing a mountain, for instance, than making it to the top. ✚

stay Bolton Hotel in the center of town. Corner of Bolton and Mowbray St.; boltonhotel.co.nz; doubles from NZ$194. ohtel 66 oriental Parade, oriental Bay; ohtel.com; doubles from NZ$265. eat and drinK Caffe L’affare 27 College St.; laffare.co.nz; coffee for two NZ$8. Coco at the Roxy 5 Park Rd., Miramar; roxycinema.co.nz; lunch for two from NZ$40. Havana Bar sangria and spanish-style tapas. 32A-34 Wigan St.; havanabar.co.nz; lunch for two NZ$29.90. Havana Coffee Works 163 Tory St.; havana.co.nz.; lunch for two NZ$30. Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar 192 Cuba St.; loganbrown. co.nz; dinner for two NZ$110.

Motel Bar 2 Forresters Ln., second floor; motelbar.co.nz; cocktails for two NZ$28. ortega Fish Shack & Bar 16 Majoribanks St.; ortega.co.nz; dinner for two from NZ$100. do Mount ngauruhoe ask your hotel to arrange transportation; guides are available from adrift outdoors Guided adventures. comprehensive information is available at nationalpark.co.nz. Roxy Cinema 5 Park Rd., Miramar; roxycinema.co.nz. Te Papa museum national treasures, ancient and modern. 55 Cable St.; tepapa.govt.nz. Zealandia End of Waiapu Rd., Karori; visitzealandia.com. shoP Unity Books 57 Willis St.; unitybooks.co.nz.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Farm Table San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food scene has never been more dynamic. From zeitgeist-shaping bakers and molecular wizards to comfort-food gurus, Adam Sachs meets a crop of young chefs eager to make their mark. Photographed by Alex Farnum

Brunch Sunset at Park at Tavern, a new Glow Bar at restaurant in North Beach. the Conrad xxxxxxxx. t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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chad roBertson is the Wheat WhisPerer. The earnestly obsessive surfer dude, widely regarded as one of the best bakers in the country, knows stuff about bread that others just don’t. Like how to make boring old flour sound interesting. “Kamut is an ancient durum, golden, sweet and super high in protein,” he says of the antediluvian origins of some bread he wants me to try at his rebooted restaurant, Bar Tartine. We’re talking about a piece of toast but, as usual with Robertson, I feel as if I’m being inducted into some beautiful, bountiful California dream where everything tastes better and we’re all going to live forever. “It’s much easier to digest than modern wheats. And it’s just so delicious.” Robertson and his wife, the pastry chef Elizabeth Prueitt, are known for delicious. The couple opened Tartine Bakery nearby at Guerrero and 18th a decade ago and there’s been a line out the door at all hours ever since. San Franciscans should brace themselves for an Occupy-style street protest if the duo were ever to mess with their stable of legendary baked goods. (I will be at the front of the mob, looting trays of gooey, buttery, irreplaceable morning buns.) Bar Tartine is a different story. Robertson sees the restaurant, which opened a few years after the bakery, as less a static institution and more an evolving theater for showcasing the creativity of his staff, visiting chefs and his own restless enthusiasms. Last year he brought in chef Nicolaus Balla—born in Michigan, schooled in Budapest, trained in Japan—and together they changed everything about the place but the name. In August they expanded, adding shiny, Italian-built bread ovens and a lunch business based on Danish smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) and puffy Hungarian fried flatbreads called lángos. “It’s all a little uncategorizable,” Robertson says of the collaboration between baker and chef. “When people ask me what kind of food we’re doing, I say, ‘Can I write an essay?’ ” I’d read it. Especially for the excitable Robertsonian digressions: “We serve a beer from Oakland that’s brewed from our bread starter, then the spent grain is brought here and we use it to make Japanese-style pickles….”

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Balla once created a menu around the affinity (as he pictured it) between the cuisines of northern Scandinavia and northern Japan—Lapland meets Hokkaido on Valencia Street. The night after I visited, the crew was planning to tackle a ninecourse Vietnamese feast. The thing is, right now, in San Francisco, it is utterly conventional for a restaurant with a bustling Danish-Hungarian lunch trade to reinvent itself as Vietnamese for a night. What’s persuasive about the Bar Tartine approach isn’t merely a menu that keeps you guessing, that resists easy classification. All this eclecticism comes down to one central tenet (so often, so maddeningly forgotten by chefs tripped up by misguided notions of novelty): it’s gotta be, like that mythical, magic Kamut, just delicious. About that toast. It’s grilled to a chewy crunch, adorned with golden petals of bottarga (cured by Balla from the roe of fish caught by an uncle in Florida) and thrown into umami overdrive by an intense butter flavored with pulverized powders of dried mushrooms and dulse seaweed. What is it? I don’t really know. How does it taste? Deeply, saltily, happy-makingly good. Bar Tartine is, in conception and execution, conspicuously sui generis. But it’s also typical—in its funkily atypical way—of a new breed of genrebusting restaurant spreading through the Mission District and reinvigorating the San Francisco dining landscape. The Bay Area is, for anyone who cares about the pleasures of the table, hallowed and fertile ground, cradle of a local-seasonal movement that, however tired we become of hearing those words, really did help change the way a whole country eats. But in recent years it’s also been, if we’re being honest here, kind of a boring scene. Not bad, but predictable, tepid. A few too many chefs swearing too much fealty to the Alice Waters gospel of do-no-harm California cooking. A Groundhog Day of conscientiously curated salads and competent pizzas. Walk in any direction on Valencia Street these days and it’s clear something has come unglued. The post-puritanical phase of San Francisco dining has happily arrived. And it is marked by a loosening of strictures, an increased eagerness to defy expectations and a renewed license to get a bit weird. At Abbot’s Cellar, a beer-focused restaurant with a mesmerizing wall display of glasses of every shape and size and an equally expansive menu of draft and bottled brews to fill them, you can pair black lager with your grilled bison loin. Sharing the same building—a high-ceilinged brick structure that was until recently an auto-body shop—is Dandelion Chocolate, a “bean-to-bar” factory and shop, as well as Craftsman & Wolves, an haute patisserie. Craftsman & Wolves is about as far away, spiritually and aesthetically, from Tartine Bakery (and other folksy Mission sweets spots like Bi-Rite Creamery) as you can get while still occupying the

opposite, clockwise from top left: The Golden Gate Bridge; Bar Tartine’s Chad Robertson; Craftsman & Wolves’ take on the egg in a hole; at St. Vincent, in the Mission District; muffins and cakes at Craftsman & Wolves; Park Tavern’s smokedsalmon toast; sipping hot chocolate at Craftsman & Wolves; chilled apricot soup at Bar Tartine. Center: Dolores Street, in the Mission.

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Above from left, all at Benu restaurant: An artfully prepared potato salad with anchovies; executive chef, Corey Lee (left) and chef de cuisine Brandon Rodgers; a canapé of oyster, pork belly and kimchi. opposite: Dolores Park, in the Mission.

same zip code. My friend Dennis Leary, who owns Canteen, the Sentinel and the revamped old-man bar House of Shields, dismisses this new breed as “those ampersand places.” But Craftsman & Wolves distinguishes itself from the pack by its Scandinavianesque design and the refined, unapologetically uppity pastries, savory and sweet, tidily arranged, jewel-like, in glass cases. Tacked up on a wall are inspirational quotes from chefs, writers and architects. One, from Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson, instructs: respect. control. selection. concentration. presentation. The sign might as well read listen up, hippies, this is not a cupcake shop! What cuts through the cold is the personality of pastry chef/owner William Werner, which shines in the product itself. The croissants glazed with passion fruit and sesame seeds; a finger of semolina cake studded with candied corn nuts; a very good brownie sandwiched solidly together with caramel; a chocolate-toffee confection that conceals a foie gras torchon (or it did until California’s idiotic foie gras ban outlawed it this past summer). I ate my bagful of pastries first and returned to the counter to round things out with a bit of savory lunch. A jar of pork rillettes was incongruously paired with corn madeleines and two shades of pickled cauliflower. The rillettes were a bit too cold and the madeleines too crumbly, but all the elements somehow stood on their own, and as I sat crunching on Day-Glo purple and yellow cauliflower florets and nibbling pork off the tip of a knife, I found myself thinking for the hundredth time since I got to town: here is something I wouldn’t be eating anywhere else. The Mission is the kind of neighborhood that can sustain two varieties of street accordionist. There is

the hipster accordionist, stationed across from Freemans Sporting Club, wearing a tiny fedora and a beatific smile. And there is the older, wandering, cowboy-hatted Mexican accordionist, looking as though he’s not quite sure what’s happened to his neighborhood. These blocks have always been a destination for some of the city’s best old-school, no-frills taquerias, but what wasn’t here until last year was a brightly tiled, sceney spot like Tacolicious (and Mosto, its tequila-bar annex), where you can get pitchers of margaritas made with blackberry and tarragon and perfect little tacos of succulent prickly pear and melted queso oaxaca. “I’d describe the San Francisco scene as more ‘warm and fuzzy’ than ‘center of the universe,’ ” says David Lynch, every wine nerd’s favorite sommelier and an East Coast émigré. The onetime Babbo general manager left New York to work at sibling Italian restaurants Quince and Cotogna before striking out on his own at St. Vincent, his just-opened tavern on Valencia near 24th Street. The joint is named for Saint Vincent of Saragossa, patron saint of wine- and vinegar-makers, but it’s the fuzzy-faced grump Lynch who looks after the thirsty and hungry here—and their needs are well met. Want to start with some grower champagne, head into a cult white from Lazio and end the night with some funky Catalan red (all for less than a US$100 a bottle)? Lynch can take you there. Feel like a pork-rib riff on Kentucky burgoo or a bar snack of beet-purple pickled egg that tastes like a bite of horseradishy borscht? Chef Bill Niles’s Southern-inflected, nonconformist menu has your moods covered. “Sometimes I do miss the edge of New York, but honestly I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” t r av e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m

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Lynch says. “We can be a little self-righteous about it, but the fact is San Francisco is just a fount of good shit right now. What we lack in coolness we make up for in kindness.” And the city continues to atone for its fallow period of culinary dullness by fostering niche outlets to meet every curious craving, even the ones you didn’t know you had. The Mission in particular feels like it’s been laid out by some kind of WPA agency established to stamp out the munchies. Feel like more pickled eggs? Try Pig & Pie, artisanal sausage makers working out of an old record store (the neon marquee still reads discolandia). To get there, leave St. Vincent and walk east down the hill on 24th. Cross Mission Street to the shady side and stay on 24th past the vendor selling Mexican wrestling masks, past the “fresh Kombucha bar,” past Philz Coffee, where the Palestinian owner grinds beans fresh for every cup, and past the tour groups gathered around murals of Aztec gods and giant flowers. Carry on by the Salvadoran pupusería and the Nicaraguan café and the Chinese doughnut shop and the other Chinese doughnut shop, and past Humphry Slocombe, where the line snakes out the door for scoops of its “secret breakfast” ice cream (spiked with bourbon and cornflakes). Take a matzoh brei breather at Wise Sons Delicatessen, a post-ironic Jewish deli where they brine their own pastrami and the walls are papered with fading Yiddish newsprint. In large type over the door there’s a motto that reads like a promise: in america you can eat challah everyday. “Did you see Alice Waters buying tomatoes?” Saturday morning at the farmers’ market behind the Ferry Building. The entire city has turned up as

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usual. Everyone is wondering if everyone else just witnessed the affirming spectacle of Alice Waters buying tomatoes. I’m distractedly eating cheeseburgers for breakfast with Daniel Patterson, chef and owner of the Michelin-two-starred restaurant Coi. Patterson is a thoughtful guy, known for the cerebral naturalism of his food. Maybe it’s better that we missed Waters, as Patterson is also known for an essay he wrote in the New York Times titled “To the Moon, Alice?” In it, he challenged his colleagues in Bay Area kitchens to be more original and chided them for relying too heavily on a “dogma” of sustainable ingredients and menus of little more than “comfortable home cooking with no particular point of view.” Though he expressed his abiding admiration for Waters and her mission, Patterson’s plea struck many as an affront and, seven years later, the story still rankles. David Chang, of the Momofuku mini-empire, waded into the same waters with more epigrammatic bluntness: “F—kin’ every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food.” It didn’t really matter that Chang was mostly joking and his quote was taken out of context. The result was predictable. Hurt feelings, recriminations, strained East Coast–West Coast relations. If the food world were international diplomacy, ambassadors would have been recalled. If it were hip-hop, there’d have been a brawl at the Beard Awards. “It’s funny, but this is a very conservative city,” Patterson says. “Things have loosened up, and there’s a new energy here that’s exciting. Customers are open to a greater variety of experiences.” After our cheeseburgers at the 4505 Meats stall, I move on to a post-breakfast snack of their cereal bar with chicharrones—basically a Rice Krispies treat

From left: The afternoon scene at outerlands, in the outer Sunset; the club sandwich from Wise Sons Delicatessen; cocktail hour at Rich Table, in Hayes Valley.

NoBoDy’S aBaNDoNeD THe LoCaL-SeaSoNaLSUSTaINaBLe MaNTRa. THey’Ve jUST SToPPeD RePeaTINg IT oUT LoUD crammed with fried pork skin. A great sunny blueness breaks through the dishwater-gray sky. We drink a lot of Blue Bottle coffee. Patterson’s kids eat a crate’s worth of beautiful Yerena Farms berries and are now darting through the dense forest of adult legs. “The cooking is mutating now and there’s this spirit of experimentation and openness I haven’t seen here before,” Patterson says. “People are playing around more. They’re taking risks, making very personal food. We’re even exporting to New York now!” he says, a nod to local hero Danny Bowien, whose Mission Chinese Food recently opened an outpost on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He doesn’t sound vindicated. Just pleased things turned out this way and eager for a night off to see what this new wave of restaurateurs (many of them former Coi employees) is getting up to. San Francisco is a constellation of unlike parts, microclimates of sun and fog and hill and valley, held together by a mutual preoccupation with where to park and what’s for lunch. Any attempt to complete a survey of the city’s latest openings is as famously futile as repainting that big bridge—as soon as you’re done, you have to start again. One afternoon I boarded an outbound Muni tram at the Embarcadero and rode it west until it reached the misty dunes of Ocean Beach. High-rise

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condos disappeared, replaced by low stucco houses in 1970’s-leisure-suit shades of tan and teal. A few blocks from the Pacific, across the street from a shuttered service station and down the road from a tattoo shop with a window display of a plump sea lion wearing a fisherman’s sweater, there’s an unassuming restaurant-café called Outerlands. The walls are hung with gray-brown planks of weathered wood, plants dangle from nautical ropes and at lunch there’s a little menu of simple good things: a sandwich of ripe tomatoes and roasted eggplant glistening with olive oil; gooey melted cheese with two runny eggs on top; a bourbon-laced apple cider to guard against the sea-breeze chill of a summer afternoon. Brett Cooper, the chef, arrived here via the more rarefied kitchens of Coi and Saison. The restaurant’s website is full of the kind of twee twaddle that makes you want to lay your head on the Muni tracks (“Outerlands is a gathering place for sea goers who seek warmth, shelter, food and fellowship.”) But then you go and that California thing happens. The vibe is indeed homey, the organic levain bread is delicious and you sort of do want to stay all day. In another part of town—it could be another planet, really—Anna Weinberg runs Park Tavern, at the edge of North Beach’s Washington Square Park. Petite and peculiar may be the order of the day, but San Francisco is comfortable with success, too, and right now this large, handsome brasserie with its tufted black banquettes is the place to celebrate it. Tech money comes out to play, the girls put on their nice shoes and everybody looks good in the low, golden light of the bar. Michael Bauer, the Chronicle’s long-serving restaurant critic, has implied that it’s the rare scene everyone wants to be a part of with

From left: San Francisco, land of selfexpression; serious about coffee at outerlands; anchovy, aioli and sorrel–topped flatbread at Rich Table.

actually good food. Anna’s a friend, too, so maybe I’m biased. But the week I’m in town San Francisco magazine names her Restaurateur of the Year and, judging by the packed house both times I visit, it seems people agree. Jennifer Puccio’s expansive menu of intelligent comfort food soothes many moods: a standout burger; schnitzel with bacon-fat eggs and marinated anchovies; for brunch, a hangover-helper cocktail of Fernet Branca, ginger beer and lemon (available by the pitcher, should you require it). “My inspiration is always food I want to eat on my day off,” Puccio says. Pleasure, says Bauer, has always been the dominant theme in San Francisco dining: “That’s been true since the gold rush, when there was a house of prostitution on every street and they distinguished themselves by their free lunches. The best lunches got the most men.” What distinguishes menus around town these days, he says, is “how personal they’ve become. You can look at a plate and know who produced it.” One of the chefs Bauer mentions in this context is Corey Lee, who worked for Thomas Keller for many years before opening his own place in the SoMa district. At Benu, Lee applies the French Laundry– style precision and restraint he internalized as chef de cuisine there to ingredients and dishes that reflect not only his Asian heritage but also his own particular obsessions. The US$180, 18-course tasting menu at Benu has moments of real beauty. A bowl of wild-salmon roe with puffed buckwheat conjures taste memories of cold soba. There is Lee’s take on a xiao long bao, flavored with lobster meat and coral, lobster consommé and tarragon. Not traditional but better than any soup dumpling I’ve had in Shanghai. “Every day I spend two hours making those,” Lee tells me later, laughing. “I’m enslaved by them. It involves a lot of modern techniques like whisking clarified butter over liquid nitrogen, but the idea is for none of that to show up for the diner.” I ask him about one of the courses—eel wrapped in a flakey brik pastry—and he tells me a long backstory involving Christofle cigar holders, Korean bar snacks and Thomas Keller’s fiancée. “She’s very picky. She doesn’t eat all sorts of stuff, including Thomas’s signature salmon cone that everyone starts with at French Laundry. She just didn’t like it.” So Lee improvised a clever replacement, a tuile served in a cigar holder with powdered olives as ash and…. Well, somehow this led, years later, to this very nice, crunchy, rich little bite of braised Japanese eel. Of course, inspired flights of fancy sometimes crash and burn. There’s a loony restaurant on Fillmore called State Bird Provisions that has garnered feverishly good notices for its dim-sumcart-style service scheme and gleefully whackadoodle flavor mash-ups (“pickles, smoked-albacore-lardo butter”; “local boquerones, yeasted sesame pancake,

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crème fraîche”). I can’t explain the appeal of the place any more than I can explain to my mouth why I put that smoked albacore-lardo butter in it. The room is dispiritingly ugly, the stuff I tried tasted muddled to middling, the concept bafflingly misguided. Let us turn instead to a dish that sounded utterly unpromising on paper but turned out to be one of the nicest things I ate in San Francisco. The chickenliver mousse with pole beans and dill, topped with a crumbly cracker of pain de mie, at Rich Table, a new (and otherwise sane-seeming) restaurant in Hayes Valley. The light, salty-sweet mousse bound the beans together; the crunch of the cracker added texture—incongruously, it all worked. “It’s really a riff on the green-bean casserole I had as a kid,” said Evan Rich, who owns the place with his wife, Sarah. “The beans are the star of the dish. The cracker on top was a replacement for the fried onions.” With its planked walls and industrial sconces, Rich Table has a certain familiar urban-woodsy aesthetic. But like that liver-beans dish, it works because it’s smartly put together. Rich moved to San Francisco with his wife from New York about five years ago. “I hate to say it, but at the time the dining scene seemed very one-note,” he says. He worked at Coi for a while and remembers Patterson telling him, “The difference between New York and San Francisco is that if you serve an amazing lamb in New York, the diner will ask, ‘How did you cook that lamb?’ And if you serve the same amazing dish here, the diner will ask, ‘Where did you get the lamb?’ These days, though, chefs here are really working to elevate what they do beyond putting beautiful product on a plate. They’ve become bolder.” Nobody’s abandoned the local-seasonalsustainable mantra. They’ve just stopped repeating it out loud. San Francisco has always been an eater’s earthly paradise of the finest produce and fiercest pieties. Now it’s developed a personality to match. ✚

t l guide eat Abbot’s Cellar 742 Valencia St.; abbots cellar.com; dinner for two from US$65. Bar Tartine 561 Valencia St.; bartartine. com; dinner for two from US$70. Benu 22 Hawthorne St.; benusf.com; dinner for two from US$100. Central Kitchen confidently unfussy cuisine. 3000 20th St.; centralkitchensf. com; tasting menu for two US$178. Craftsman & Wolves 746 Valencia St.; craftsman-wolves.com; afternoon tea for two from US$22. 4505 Meats sells an assortment of their own cured charcuterie. 1 Ferry Building; 4505meats.com. Locanda Bustling osteria. 557 Valencia St.; locandasf.com; dinner for two US$70.

namu Gaji minute Korean spot with lines out the door. 499 Dolores St.; namusf.com; dinner for two from US$70. outerlands 4001 Judah St.; outerlandssf.com; dinner for two US$60. Park Tavern 1652 Stockton St.; park tavernsf.com; dinner for two from US$90. Pig & Pie 2962 24th St.; pigandpiesf. com; weekend brunch with drinks for two from US$32. Rich Table 199 Gough St.; richtablesf. com; tasting menu for two US$150. St. Vincent 1270 Valencia St.; stvincentsf.com; dinner for two US$70. Tacolicious 741 Valencia St.; tacolicioussf.com; taco dinner for two from US$40. Wise Sons Delicatessen 3150 24th St.; wisesonsdeli.com; no dinner; lunch for two from US$30.

our definitive guide to

A view of Barcelona from Antoni Gaudí’s Parc Güell, in Gràcia.

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Stylish design, eye-popping architecture, a Mediterranean climate and one of the most dynamic culinary scenes in the world are just a few of the many reasons to visit the Catalan capital. Alexandra Marshall hits the streets. Photographed by Gunnar Knechtel

Barcelona

Lay of the Land From historic Barri Gòtic to edgier El Born, here’s a neighborhood guide to the city. g ei ia s c s rÀ Pa g e d

l’eiXamPle

el Born Barri gÒtic

el raval

la Barceloneta lo m

Pa s

n montjuÏc 0

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La Barceloneta this scenic area along a 5-kilometer stretch of beach is chockablock with beachfront seafood restaurants, which are good but pricey. Barri Gòtic Barcelona’s old quarter is traversed by the crowded la rambla. skip it and make your way up tiny side streets to la Boqueria market and down to the peaceful Plaça reial. L’Eixample With the birth in the 1860’s of this extension to the old town, Barcelona became one of the few european cities

planned on a grid. the Passeig de Gràcia, with luxury boutiques and surreal Gaudí buildings, is the area’s main artery. El Born the lower section of la ribera is a medieval maze of narrow streets winding around the imposing Gothic cathedral of santa maría del mar. you’ll find cool indie boutiques and cafés. Montjuïc the misty mountain above the city proper is home to most of the city’s best museums. take the funicular from the Paral-lel metro stop.

When to go thanks to year-round mild temperatures Barcelona is ideal in the fall, spring and early summer. By august, the weather turns hot and humid. snow is rare during winter, but be prepared for rain. getting around at only 98 mostly flat square kilometers, Barcelona is a pedestrian’s paradise. taxis are also plentiful and can be hailed on the street. the metro (tmb.cat) is clean and easy to navigate.

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The lobby at Mandarin oriental Barcelona, in L’Eixample.

Stay Six hot classic and new hotels. hotel ohla the room design feels scandinavian (blond wood; clean lines), as does the in-house finnish sauna. But Xavier franco’s michelin-starred, modern catalan restaurant, sauc, is a love song to the city. ohlahotel.com; €225. Best For Boutique cool in a central location.

hotel el Palace

mandarin oriental

a recent makeover of this grande dame added 42 suites accented with patterned wallpaper. if it’s a glass of Veterano (spanish brandy) you’re after, don’t miss the clubby rien de rien bar. hotelpalacebarcelona. com; €225. Best For lovers of the classics.

hotel arts

renaissance Barcelona Fira hotel

the first hotel by designer Patricia urquiola, on Passeig de Gràcia, is a mix of creamcolored leather ottomans and chairs, delicate latticework and pine. Bonus: renowned chef carme ruscalleda’s moments restaurant. mandarinoriental.com; €325. Best For sophisticated travelers in search of a little Zen.

la Barceloneta isn’t exactly remote, but this beachfront skyscraper still manages to feel far away from it all. the ace in the hole is the arola restaurant, run by experimental-tapas whiz sergi arola. hotelarts barcelona.com; €240. Best For luxury seekers who favor jaw-dropping views.

Jean nouvel continues to make his mark on the city. this newcomer is all about shimmering glass white-on-white rooms, and a chic rooftop pool. marriott.com; €99. Best For design junkies.

hotel esPaña Just off la rambla, the renovated hotel’s sleek but spartan rooms are enhanced with faïence murals in common areas by native modernisme painter ramon casas. hotelespanya.com; €120. Best For Budget-minded art buffs.

hotel prices are for double occupancy.

Clockwise from left: Colorful dresses at Cortana; La Clinique boutique, in El Born; a Bruno Morris– designed memo holder, pens and a pillow, all from Vinçon; vintage-style items at La Clinique.

shop Looking for cutting-edge designers? Traditional textiles? Funky housewares? Read on. la manual alPargatera

oPenhouse Project

stripes, solids, embroidered, wedge-heeled: this 72-year-old Barri Gòtic cobbler makes all manner of espadrilles. lamanual.net.

in this gallery, you’ll find a selection of modern objets d’art, Pakistani wool blankets and ceramics. By appointment; openhouse-project.com.

cortana

teranyina taller escuela y tienda teXtil

designer rosa esteva’s flagship is the place to find evening dresses and expertly tailored daywear. cortana.es.

la clinique this hip el Born boutique has a hodgepodge of limited-edition sneakers, vintage sunglasses and cameras. lacliniquefinestore.com.

mutt Barcelona’s creative crowd shops here for rare books on fashion, art and architecture. mutt.es. t+l tiP for an insider’s shopping tour of the city, book with antiquesandboutiques.com.

The new DHUB building, Les Glòries, in L’Eixample.

Weaver teresa rosa aguayo sells her earth-toned scarves and tapestries in a spacious loft in el raval. teresarosa.com.

vila viniteca Book a tasting at this 80-year-old wine store, which stocks more than 7,000 labels. vilaviniteca.es.

vinçon check out the design emporium for established favorites (Vitra; droog) and more outré examples like Bobo choses’s denim director’s chairs. vincon.com.

see do 1

DHUB in this design center’s new zinc-and-glass building, les Glòries, what was formerly a disparate web of craft, textiles, ceramics and graphic-design collections will be housed under one roof. dhub-bcn.cat.

The city of Gaudí has countless art gems. Four to get you started.

Parc Güell for a concentrated dose of antoni Gaudí, take a stroll through this whimsical garden complex built in the early 1900’s on a hill overlooking the city in Gràcia. bcn.cat.

Fundació Joan Miró hidden among the trees of montjuïc, architect Josep lluis sert’s gleaming white structure shows off six prolific decades of works by native surrealist Joan miró. fundaciomiro-bcn.org.

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MACBA richard meier’s 1995 stucco building contains an impressive collection of 20th-century and contemporary art: clemente, fontana, matta-clark, tàpies. macba.cat.

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Barcelona

The dining room and one of the bars at Tickets, in Sant Antoni.

Tapas Crawl

Eat

our three-stop itinerary of the city’s best authentic bars.

Barcelona is full of experimental restaurants, seafood shacks and, of course, tapas bars. ticKets ferran adrià and his brother alberto’s first spot since closing el Bulli is a sophisticated tapas place with serious eats: liquid olives; tissue-thin tuna belly with tartare and salmon roe; algae tempura. don’t miss the house-made seasonal sorbets. ticketsbar.es; tapas for two €95.

alKimia cerebral, offbeat takes on traditional catalan dishes are the standard at chef Jordi Vilà’s sleek space. the menu includes tender seafood (rice with langoustine and ñora peppers) and grilled-to-

perfection meats (gizzard with campari sauce), accompanied by an excellent wine selection. alkimia.cat; dinner for two €170.

aBac restaurant & hotel despite the far-northwest location, this high-end restaurant serving deconstructed neocatalan cuisine has been a power-lunch destination ever since chef Jordi cruz earned it a second michelin star. order raw hamachi with cherries and cucumber snow followed by violet ice cream with yogurt and flower nectar. abacbarcelona.com; dinner for two €250.

After Hours Four new hot spots.

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sagÀs Pagesos, cuiners & co. the ingredients here come from chef-owner oriol rovira’s farm, but recipes are global: bo ssäm (Korean pork buns); chicharrones; sheep-milk curd with rosemary honey. sagaspagesosicuiners. com; dinner for two €80.

Quimet & Quimet classic smoked dishes with a twist draw crowds every night. try the salmon topped with honey. 25 Carr. del Poeta Cabanyes; 34/93-4423142; tapas for two €70.

can maño

Tapas, 24 truffle-laced ham-andcheese sandwiches are chased with balls of chocolate mousse at chef carles abellan’s new venue. 269 Carr. de la Diputació; projectes24. com; tapas for two €60.

Join the locals and line up outside this no-frills seafood canteen in la Barceloneta for crisp fried artichokes and calamari washed down with amber-colored moscatel wine. 12 Carr. del Baluard; 34/93-3193082; dinner for two €20.

Bocachica/The Apartment you’ll find the usual cocktails at these two upscale bars, but the atmosphere—antiques and a touch of chinoiserie—is one of a kind. bocagrande.cat; drinks for two €24.

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Bar Celta Pulpería feast on octopus a la gallega and razor clams at this dive in el Born. 50 Carr. de la Princesa; 34/93-315-0006; tapas for two €40.

Fàbrica Moritz Barcelona architect Jean nouvel just renovated this 19thcentury three-level space, which includes a popular microbrewery and wine bar. moritz.cat; drinks for two €36.

Dry Martini Behind a dimly lit woodpaneled bar are rows of gin and vermouth bottles, which white-tuxedoed waiters mix expertly. javierdelasmuelas. com; drinks for two €22.

From left: La Boqueria market, in the old quarter; the view from Tibidabo park; outside Bar Mut, in L’Eixample.

Local Take

t h i s s P r e a d i l l u s t r at i o n s B y l a u r e n n a s s e f

Get an insider’s peek at the city from three natives.

carles gaig

joseP Bohigas

rosa esteva

Chef of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Gaig

Architect behind El Born museum

Designer of luxury women’s-wear label Cortana

Barcelona has everything I could ever want in a city. I buy fresh produce for my restaurants at La Boqueria market (boqueria.info), in the old quarter. Xampanyet (22 Carr. de Montcada; 34/93-319-7003; tapas for two €35), in El Born, is my go-to spot for a glass of cava and tapas. (Try the tinned mussels and clams.) When I need inspiration, I go hiking in the Collserola Mountains. They have a wide variety of plants and are only a 30-minute drive north of the city center.

Trips out of Town

Perhaps it’s because I’m an architect, but I like to see Barcelona from above. The Atalaya cabin ride above the city at Tibidabo park (tibidabo. cat) is magical. On weekends, I explore the Turó de la Rovira (Carr. de Marià Labèrnia; bcn.cat), a hilltop park and the site of a civil war antiaircraft battery. For a sky- high meal, Torre de Alta Mar (torrede altamar.com; tasting menu for two €176 ), a restaurant at the top of a tower with a cable-car station, has a delicious creamy risotto with prawns.

Girona eighty minutes away by train, this ancient city has historic buildings and one of spain’s top tables, el celler de can roca (cellercanroca.com; tasting menu for two €260).

Sitges spend a day strolling the narrow cobblestoned streets and beaches of this resort town, roughly 45 minutes southwest by train.

My new favorite spot to eat is Bar Mut (barmut.com; tapas for two €100), which serves excellent eggs with shrimp and pine nuts—it’s packed with locals. Another place I love: the terrace of Cafè 1907 (cafe1907.com; dinner for two €140), in Sant Gervasi-la Bonanova. The food is organic and the vibe is laid-back. For shopping, I’m a fan of the jewelry at Magnolia Antic (magnoliaantic.es). Nearby is the Pink Peony (pink-peony.com), where you can get a great massage.

Cadaqués and Port Lligat drive two hours north to the whitewashed seaside town of cadaqués, the stomping ground of marcel duchamp, federico García lorca and salvador dalí.

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Last Look

Photographed by Brent Lewin

Putao, Burma A new generation a young girl after mass in Putao. the far north of the country is inhabited mainly by farmers belonging to the lisu and rawang tribes, who were once animists but now practice christianity.

orchids that act as natural medicines orchids found at the top of Burma are cure-alls. local healers use them to combat stomach problems and malaria, and improve vitality. common lore even says the perfume can lengthen your life. Morning market the rhythm of life is anchored around the market in Putao, and people from across Kachin state walk for up to four hours to buy, sell and trade their crops, and stock up on essentials.

A knowing look from northern Burma instead of arduous, week-long treks in the mountains hunting for orchids, residents of Putao can just go to the market for a variety of flowers, which they then use for medicine, or in their gardens.

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