A DELECTABLE FEAST IN ASIA’S
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TURN DAYDREAMS INTO LIFE EXPERIENCES: DISCOVER A ROUTE LESS TRAMPLED IN THIS EXOTIC CORNER OF THE WORLD.
o you find yourself wistfully daydreaming
Buzzing with the constant ebb and flow of
of South East Asia? Seeking maps and idly
tourists, Krabi boasts inexpensive restaurants and
tracing a route with your finger? Envisaging
robust curries, while the sheer rock faces of Railay
golf courses, or head to Chiang Rai and embark on a tour of the Golden Triangle.
timeworn temples, water-logged paddies and hazy
Beach are just 45 minutes away – popular with
WHAM, BAM, T HANK YOU NAM
green vistas. Make your dreams a reality with a trip
daredevil climbers mesmerised by the swathes
If you don’t believe in myths, you just might after
to the land of mist and mystique. The invite’s there,
of its limestone.
a trip to Vietnam. With 2000 islets scattering the
you just need to answer.
Intent on feeding both your stomach and your
emerald waters of Halong Bay, the locals will tell
spirituality, Chiang Mai’s a melting pot of culture
you they were carved by the tail of a thrashing
DON' T BE SH Y, J U S T G I V E I T A T HA I
and cuisine. As the cultural heart of Thailand, it’s
dragon. And you can’t help but feel they might
Stunning from every viewpoint, Krabi is arguably the
a city of contrasts, where ancient temples nudge
be right. View the limestone karsts by Chinese junk
most scenic provincial capital in Thailand, so swivel
modern new builds and Burmese heritage prevails.
boat, weaving between their jutting walls and
your toes and take in an eyeful. Your gaze will linger
Join a local cooking class and prepare sweet
sheer facades.
across longtail boats and limestone karsts. To the
fragrant curries or satisfy your cultural hunger
north the awry green cliffs of Khao Kanab Nam jut
and partake in a 'Monk Chat', available for a
the hills – and the humid mist – for a village stay
through the water and to the south an eternal
small donation at a handful of temples. For those
with the Sapa Hill Tribe locals. Set amidst ripples
stretch of mountainside expands into the horizon.
already harmonised, tee off at one of city’s stellar
of cascading rice fields, observe workers in the
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I NSPIRE / / HO U SE O F T R AV E L
From oceans deep to valleys high, ascend into