Hong Kong: Tea dances waltz back into the picture at the Peninsula

The Peninsula Hong Kong is inviting guests to step back into an age of elegance as the hotel reintroduces tea dances, once a famed afternoon ritual in the lobby.

As part of the celebration of its 85th anniversary, the Peninsula is reviving some of the customs that evolved during its history. Sunday afternoon tea dances once offered the Hong Kong community a prime spot to socialize, dance and listen to music.

The 2013 version features a 10-piece band and is to be held from 3-6 p.m. the first Sunday of every month through November. Cost is $127.

"To celebrate … Read the rest

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Asia: Festival to honor street food across the globe

Hungry for a change of pace? The World Street Food Jamboree in Singapore, May 31 to June 9, may be the place to find it.

The event, described as a "mega street food feast," will feature 35 master chefs. Entries will hail from Indonesia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, Malaysia, Copenhagen, Denmark, China and Singapore, one of the world's best-known street food cities.

In addition to offering unusual cuisines, ongoing events will include masterclass cooking demonstrations, an awards ceremony, discussions on street food opportunities, live music and other entertainment.

The jamboree is being held in conjunction with a … Read the rest

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Asia: What are the top 101 restaurants?


It was a big job, but somebody had to do it, said editors at the Daily Meal. So they set out to recognize Asia’s top 101 restaurants.

The list, which took six months to compile, includes restaurants in 25 cities. China topped the charts with 28 restaurants, 21 of them in Beijing.

“Tackling Asia was a tremendous challenge for all kinds of reasons,” said Colman Andrews, editorial director for the Daily Meal, “but we felt we had to do it.

‘‘The number of superlative restaurants in that whole vast region is just extraordinary — Japan, remember, has more Michelin … Read the rest

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Maldives: Surf’s up for competitors in Indian Ocean contest

Catch a pricey wave this summer at one of the world’s most exclusive surfing events in the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean.

Four Seasons Maldives Surf Champions Trophy contest, scheduled Aug. 26-Sept. 2, will pit six internationally known surfers against one another in a $25,000 showdown. Travelers who can afford the tariff can hop on a wave and rub shoulders with the greats – in the water or on the beach in the evening drinking rum.

Called the world’s most luxurious surf contest, the event takes place near Four Seasons Maldives Resort at Kuda Huraa. The … Read the rest

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In Thailand, a resort for the greater good


MAE WANG, Thailand — As we sat together on a long, narrow raft of bamboo, Alexa Pham dipped her hand into the quickly moving river. "It's the really simple things," she said with a long breath, "that make it beautiful here in Mae Wang."

Two wiry boatmen, steering with long poles, navigated the raft beneath the branches of overhanging trees, around boulders and through bars of late-afternoon sunlight. The men are part of Pham's staff, hired from the hill tribes and Burmese refugee communities of northern Thailand. Though they knew the river, they greeted every bend and rapid with … Read the rest

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Hoofing it through Myanmar’s mountains

Hti Tain Monastery, Myanmar — Our horses arrived in a cloud of dust, clattering on the gravel road. Their manes were a little shabby, their saddles worn, but they looked sturdy and lively, capable of the two-day trek that would take me and my sons, Dow, 8, and Orly, 5, out of Kalaw, Myanmar, and into the pale mauve mountains above.

We were nine months into a year-long trip around Southeast Asia and Australasia, just the three of us. Already, we'd taken risks we would never have taken at home. We had ridden motorbikes in Vietnam, all three squashed … Read the rest

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Japanese port city of Nagasaki has long East-West connection

NAGASAKI, Japan — On my first trip to Nagasaki, just out of college, I knew what most of the world knows: An atomic bomb fell here on Aug. 9, 1945, bringing World War II to a close. It wasn't until my second visit, more than 20 years later on a guidebook assignment, that I realized how much I had missed.

Although the A-bomb is rightfully front and center for overseas visitors, the Japanese concept of the city is very different. As Japan's westernmost major port, it was the nation's first landing spot for Catholic missionaries and martyrs; red-bearded, waistcoated, … Read the rest

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China: A nation’s spirit felt in Nanjing

China — I approached Nanjing on a bullet train from Shanghai, just 160 miles away, watching the weirdly empty countryside whip past my window.

The world's most populous nation seemed to be missing a billion or so people.

A digital panel inside the cabin showed our speed at nearly 190 mph. I couldn't feel a thing except keen disappointment that America seemed incapable of building a rail system this efficient and comfortable.

An attendant in a crisp blue uniform appeared, offering me coffee and a packet of dried peas. Overhead a soothing voice purred, "Welcome to Harmony Express. We … Read the rest

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In Kenya, reason for hope


Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya — Rose is 17 months old. She weighs 15 pounds and looks the size of an American 5-month-old. She cannot sit up, walk or speak. She has the toothpick limbs and saucer eyes of the malnourished and the dull skin of dehydration.

In another corner is Caroline, a waifish 9-year-old who sleeps in a crib. She is a whispering, otherworldly child, pretty and fragile. Her parents are dead, and she is severely malnourished. I have just given her a teddy bear and accessories from a bag of toys we brought from the U.S. When I … Read the rest

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In South Africa, ask for biltong

Reporting from Cape Town, South Africa—
I was warned that meals during my March trip to South Africa would revolve around red meat. But I didn't know it would appear in a shriveled state similar to jerky.

Biltong, as it's called — from the Dutch words bil, or buttocks, and tong, or strip — is as ubiquitous in South Africa as men in World Cup jerseys. Gas station convenience stores sell it, of course. But so does the picnic deli at the Spier winery estate in Stellenbosch. There are biltong boutiques in Cape Town's Victoria & Alfred Waterfront mall. … Read the rest

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South Africa: On the ball between matches

Maybe it was impetuous of me to hand that money over to the young woman in Soweto. Possibly it was imprudent to slip on the harness and ride the caged industrial elevator to the top of that mural-covered utility-tower-turned-bungee-venue. Certainly it was unsettling to stand on the ledge, wind whistling in my ears and the township sprawling 300 feet below.

But there's no thrill without risk, right? This is what I told myself, and this must be what the high pooh-bahs of soccer were thinking when they brushed aside worries about crime, public health and infrastructure and decided to … Read the rest

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Namibia: Desert, ghost town and the Skeleton Coast

Reporting from Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia

Griddle-hot deserts, time-forsaken ghost towns, prismatic canyons and endless ribbons of lonely highway: There's nothing quite like a road trip across the Southwest to get the gasoline pumping in an American's wanderlust-ful heart.

But what's perfect for America's bottom-left corner works even better here in Africa's. Welcome to Namibia, on Africa's western coast between South Africa and Angola, where the deserts are hotter, the roads are emptier and America — at least when Brangelina aren't visiting — couldn't be farther away.

Like any good road trip, my first tour of Namibia started as … Read the rest

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South Africa’s Western Cape: Savoring the bounty

— One night as my sister and I walked across the rugged yet strangely delicate terrain of a place called Farm 215, the path to our cottage lighted only by the stars and a flashlight, the wine-wobbly beam suddenly illuminated several sets of legs.

A moment of what the ...? And then we realized that we were standing in the middle of a small herd of horses, including two mares and their foals, that roam the South African eco-retreat outside Gansbaai.

It was a perfect mother-child moment and a symbol of new beginnings in this Southern Hemisphere spring.

We … Read the rest

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Africa Safari Seasons

We take a look at Africa through the year; the best countries to visit, our favourite lodges, and the unforgettable wildlife encounters you will have.

Spring safari inspiration
Honeymoons

Charlotte Mellor and Ben Oxley-Brown

Spring and summer are a popular time for weddings in the UK and we have endless ideas to create your perfect honeymoon in Africa. Take a hot air balloon flight over the vast Serengeti savannah at sunrise, watching the wildlife below; explore Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau by day, searching for elephant, rhino and wild dog and sleep out under the stars at the Loisaba Starbeds; wander … Read the rest

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Seduced by Safari


There’s a lion in camp – that’s what I thought when I awoke in my tent at 3am to a loud cat-like purring. Sitting bolt upright, my heart beating with alarming intensity, I anxiously surveyed the landscape around me as it was illuminated by the full moon. It’s fair to say that my first safari had started with a baptism of fire.

I’d been in Tanzania for less than ten hours prior to my camping experience, arriving in the morning at Dar es Salaam (1) and then transferring via light aircraft to Kiba airstrip in the Selous Game Reserve … Read the rest

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“Madagascar was like five holidays in one”

Wow! We had to kick ourselves – we were finally here in Madagascar, experiencing this fascinating environment, seeing the most amazing species and meeting such wonderful people.

We had chosen to restrict our three week visit to five different parts of the country: Andasibe and Mantadia, Pangalanes Canal, Masoala, Majunga and Manafiafy in order to see different environs but to have sufficient time to fully appreciate each. This was like five holidays in one.

We’d watched so many documentaries on Madagascar before leaving so you’d think we’d have known what to expect but there is nothing quite like experiencing … Read the rest

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Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama: A Meaningful Experience


Every kid's most fervent dream is to experience what it is like to be an astronaut. The NASA sponsored Space camp in Huntsville, Alabama makes this dream a possibility. The week long programs help the kid experience what its like to be an astronaut. Some of these programs are offered along with other community programs like 4-H. Attending a Space Camp can be one of the most meaningful and interesting experiences of your child's life.

Not to fet, the kids so they get to experience what it is like to be an astronaut. Of course, there are special programs … Read the rest

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Cape Town – City Center Hotels for Every Budget!

Most of us bring to mind Nelson Mandela or Mel Gibson’s Lethal Weapon 2 when we think of Cape Town, South Africa. But as visitors year round know, the region is an outstanding vacation spot as well as efficient business center, and right in the city center, you’ll have a wide range of choices for accommodation.

If you’re looking for a budget hotel, you might like the Cape Town Lodge on Buitengracht Street, right on the edge of the Central Business District. 114 rooms with cable television, movie rentals, and air-conditioning in a hotel with a restaurant, bar, and … Read the rest

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Driskill Hotel – a Haunting Experience In Austin Texas

This halloween I decided to fly to Austin Texas to hang out with some friends of mine. As a tribute to this mask clad holiday, we decided to stay at the Driskill Hotel, right off of 6th street. We had been told that it is one of the most haunted hotels in the United States,with at least 4 resident ghossts.

As a tribute to this mask clad holiday, we decided to fly to Austin Texas to hang out with some friends of mine. When we arrived the staff was amazingly nice and helpful. . The music was awesome,as well, … Read the rest

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How to Organize Your European Vacation?

Friends often ask me to plan their European vacations, and more specifically, their vacation in Paris. Why me? Being a native of Paris I have the inside scoop as to cheap hotels, how to get special hotel deals and other cheap vacation tips. I can also tell you about travel weather and other useful information.

The first step consists of determining who exactly is coming on this trip, your destination, the length of the trip, and when do you plan on going. Don’t forget the most important consideration- your budget. Believe me, a European tour with two year old Read the rest

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Ibiza And Its Night Life

Ibiza is famous around the world due to its amazing night life, although it offers several other things as well. This island is one of the most visited ones in the group of the Balearic Islands in Spain, and maybe the one which attracts the highest amount of young people as well.

From June to endings of October, Ibiza's night life, as well as the rest of the attractions in the island, is at its best moment due to the fact that it is when the highest among of tourists arrive. This way, if you wish to meet the Read the rest

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Meeting Montes de Toledo

Montes de Toledo is located towards the northern area of Castilla - La Mancha in Spain. The Montes de Toledo can be found in the Province of Toledo and is one of the oldest mountainous formations in the world. This destination is very different to many other typical tourists’ destinations, and meeting it can be a very exciting and unique experience.

The mountains of Montes de Toledo are located within the southern side in the Province of Toledo to the northern side in the area of Ciudad Real. These spot consists on a group of high lands mixed with … Read the rest

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The Rias Altas in Spain

The Rias Altas located in Spain are part of a group of larger formations spread within the coast of Galicia, conformed by the Rias Altas and the Rias Bajas. The Rias are estuaries origin when sea levels rise as well as they can be created by other geographical factors. The rias in Galicia where formed after he Ice Age after the sea level rose and gave shape to several indentations or estuaries throughout the coast line in this area.

The Rias, in Galicia, are considered to be among the main fishing areas in the world. Due to their nature, … Read the rest

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Relax In An Orlando Vacation Rental

Well have you ever stayed in a single hotel room as a family of 4 or more? There is one television to cater for all 4 tastes, one bathroom so you must organise a rota to get washed and dressed. If you are lucky you may be allowed to pay extra to rent a fridge – failing that you may just need to buy everyone in your party a cool drink from the hotel as and when they require one – a cost which can mount up for a family of 4 over say a two week stay. Is Read the rest

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