by Jennifer Roberts

Ever wonder what it would really be like to be mahout?  Adventurous travelers can now find out at a unique elephant farm in northern Thailand where guests literally “own” an elephant and are taught the basics of being a real mahout.  Located 30 km southwest of Chaing Mai in the Hang Dong District by the beautiful mountain ranges and valleys of Dot Suthep National Park, Patara Elephant Farm offers visitors this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the whole article, read our August 2009 issue online.

by Sunshine Lichauco de Leon

The Green School, situated on eight hectares of untouched land between Ubud and Denpasar on the island of Bali, is a place where sustainability is at the heart of its philosophy and curriculum. The Kul Kul campus sits on a property bisected by the Ayung River and is surrounded by rice paddies, palm trees, vegetable gardens, and animal-filled pastures. The school focuses on creating passionate students who will become engaged global citizens with a deep awareness of caring for the world.  The theoretical is balanced with the practical, and the learning environment is one that strongly links education to living.

For the whole article, read our August 2009 issue online.

by Jude A. Bacalso

Almost exclusive to the degustation of seafood is a macabre preprandial satisfaction in watching the subject thrash about in a cold metal scale.

Weighed down with life, the numbers rise steadily in crimson LED, announcing heft and corresponding monetary value like a boast; pincers and carapace full of the promise of the inevitable. An uncertain future that forks the question: chili crab or steamed?

I should have gone for the latter. After all, just-caught is to gourmet what hand-made is to couture; everything else is just seafood and clothes. Who needed the coconut milk and spice when I was in Roxas City, Capiz, Seafood Capital of the Philippines?

Read the whole article in our July 2009 issue.

by Gary Singh

With the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games less than nine months away, Vancouver is awash in new infrastructure. The Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center has tripled its size and new hotels and luxury accommodations are appearing everywhere.

In the suburb of Richmond, the brand new Olympic Oval venue will host the long track speed skating events, with the new Canada Line linking Richmond to downtown Vancouver in just 20 minutes. Two hours up the Sea to Sky Highway in Whistler, the Peak 2 Peak gondola, an unprecedented project, opened last December and now links Whistler and Blackcomb mountains together for a thoroughly staggering 2.75 mile gondola ride.

But what really makes the 2010 Games unique is the cooperation between the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) and the aboriginal peoples of British Columbia (BC), which boasts 198 First Nations (indigenous tribes), more than any other province in Canada. Because the Games overall are being held within the traditional and shared territories of four nations—the Lil’Wat, the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil-Waututh—those nations collectively incorporated a nonprofit organization and were a major part of Vancouver’s proposal to host the Games.

Read the whole article in our July 2009 issue.

by John Oates

I wouldn’t begin to deny that the view from the top of Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu at sunrise is impressive. What I would say is that scrabbling up there in the cold and wet pre-dawn darkness is not my idea of fun.

Mount Kinabalu is among the best known tourist attractions in Borneo. Reaching 4,095 meters above sea level, it is one of the tallest mountains in Southeast Asia, and is popular partly for the speed with which the summit can be reached. Walkers set off in the morning from the park headquarters at 1,563m, spend the night at a guest house at 3,300m, then get up very early to reach the summit by dawn. Reasonably fit walkers can make it back down for lunch.

The first day had me questioning whether I could be considered “reasonably fit.” It proved to be a rainy and rather relentless five hour grind uphill, mostly through jungle with little in the way of views and often on steps made from wood or carved into the rock or earth. Thankfully there was a series of shelters along the well-marked trail for those who needed a rest every now and then.

Read the rest of this article in our June 2009 issue.

by John Lander

Swaddled in a fluffy futon at your inn, you awake to the soft sound of slippers in the morning quiet as the maid gently knocks on your sliding door and enters with a breakfast tray. Stillness is one of the defining features of Takayama, deep in the heartland of Japan. To travel here is to book a passage to an older, gentler Japan. Known for its antiquity and refined wooden buildings, many of which were made by the same artisans who built Kyoto. Takayama offers a low-key version of Japanese history and architecture without the mobs.

Surrounded by the Japan Alps, Gifu Prefecture has always been secluded from the rest of Japan particularly in winter when in days of old, the place was completely snowed in and neglected. But there lies its charm. While the rest of Japan modernized at breakneck speed, Takayama kept its old fangled ways and continued to live in low-rise wooden buildings. And here these modest monuments still stand, as they have for centuries alongside ancient temples, shrines and traditional craft workshops in this living museum of a city. Briefly, the pace of Takayama picks up each morning for the morning markets, held along the Miyagawa River where locals from surrounding farms bring in their local produce and set up shop offering a glimpse of life in Japan before bullet trains, steel-and-glass skyscrapers and neon signs.
Sanmachi is the heart of the old city with its tiny streets and alleys built for rickshaws and pedestrians. The area is made up of vintage buildings housing private homes, art galleries and sake distilleries where you may go in for some tasting. (Look for the giant green globes of cedar twigs, shaped into a ball above doorways—the old symbol for sake in Japan).

The Northern Gifu village of Shirakawago was even more isolated than Takayama, and its unique style of architecture, called gassho zukuri or “praying hands” refers to the steep 60-degree pitch of the thatched roofs. These unique roofs were designed as such to keep the roofs from collapsing due to the heavy snow; the steep pitch causes most of the snow to slide off. The gables of these unique houses were also traditionally used for silkworm production, with the human inhabitants living downstairs next to the warmth of the hearth. The unique architecture of the village is so well-preserved that Shirakawago has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village and surrounding area is still agricultural, as evidenced by the farm equipment—ladders, tools, and sickles outside the cottages. Farmers repair the walls of their rice paddies, throaty frogs start up their chorus from the fields, and the pleasant smell of woodsmoke reminds you of the dinner being prepared at the hearth of your inn as you head for your own praying roof home for the night.

Read the full article and the rest of our special report on Japan in our May 2009 issue.

By Richard Shaw
Photos by Mark Chew and David Hannah/Tourism Victoria

When not indulging their love for sport, arts, and coffee, Melbournians have an undeniable penchant for shopping. Sydney may have its sensational harbor views, but when it comes to shopping, Melbourne has long reigned king. A vibrant metropolis of diverse neighborhoods, there is literally something for everyone to spend their hard earned cash on here—from high-end and retro fashion to irresistible bargains, collectibles, and, of course, essential souvenirs.

Any shopping tour of Melbourne begins right in the very heart of the city in Bourke Street. With the traffic long rerouted, this pedestrian walkway is lined with wall-to-wall chain and concept shops and two of the city’s biggest department stores, Myer and David Jones. Just on the southwestern end of this illustrious commercial strip stands one of Melbourne’s oldest and most elegant shopping malls. Constructed in 1869, the perpendicular Royal Arcade features a stunning facade. Renowned for its antique and gift shops, the Royal Arcade’s high arched ceilings and glassed shop fronts, like the nearby Block Arcade, combine a delightful 19th century charm with modern flair.

One of the greatest appeals of Melbourne is the numerous alleys and lanes running throughout its central business district. Get lost in here, and you’ll stumble upon some of the city’s coolest boutiques and cafes. Wander through hip lanes like Degraves Street or Center Place and as you window shop, it won’t be long before the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed espresso and lattes, wafting delightfully in the air, draws you into one of the countless funky cafes.

Read the full article in our January 2009 issue.

By Justin G. Ventura

50 years ago, the only time a Chinese would go down underground shelters was to practice in case of an American nuclear attack during the Cold War period. Now Shanghai’s yuppies are drawn to a new concept club aptly called “Shelter,” where they go underground and chill out to the latest dance music in a dungeon like atmosphere.

Shanghai, this mega city of 18.5 million hyperactive residents, has always been China’s most progressive. The most dazzling buildings are here and were even used for the dramatic stunts in the hit movie Mission Impossible III. It is China’s business and fashion capital with one of the world’s most active stock exchanges and where Louis Vuitton has one of its largest flagship stores. It is a city used to being a leader and a trendsetter. The world’s first and only commercially operated magnetic levitation train or the maglev runs in Shanghai at a top speed of 430 kilometers per hour. (Imagine reaching Laoag, Ilocos Norte from Manila in just an hour!)

When you want to glimpse China’s, if not the world’s, most futuristic city, Shanghai will give you an eyeful. Take an easy guess where the World Expo will be held in 2010–Shanghai, of course.

See the rest of this photo essay and more on our special report on China in our March 2009 issue.

By Cristina Arzadon
Photos by Joseph Uy, Jr.

10 Places to Visit

1. Fort Ilocandia
A hotel complex with five Spanish-inspired colonial buildings finished in cool red radrillos (bricks).

2. Malacanang of the North
This turn-of-the-century-inspired edifice used to be the residence of Ferdinand Marcos in Paoay.

3. Cafe Herencia
The home of the original pinakbet and diniguan pizzas. It has a magnificent view of the world-renowned Paoay Church.

4. Sitio Remedios
A heritage resort facing the South China Sea that’s reminiscent of mid-20th century Ilocos.

5. Marcos Mausoleum
The Marcoses’ ancestral home sits in a sprawling lot in Batac City. It houses an airconditioned mausoleum where the refrigerated remains of former President Marcos have been kept since 1993.

6. San Nicolas
The “Damili” center in the North where the ancient art of terra cotta pottery still exists.

7. Pasuquin
The home of the famous Biscocho bread and the site of Ilocos Norte’s salt-making industry.

8. Burgos
The site of the tallest functional lighthouse in the Philippines. The majestic lighthouse sits on a three-level complex with sweeping vistas of the sea, rolling mountains, and the Cape Bojeador.

9. Bangui
“Home of the Green Energy.” It has placed the town on the international map after having the first commercial wind farm, a first in Southeast Asia, was built.

10. Pagudpud
“The sea paradise of the North.” Pagudpud is a two-hour ride from Laoag by private transport and less than three hours by public transport.

Read the full article in our February 2009 issue.

By Cynthia Rosenfeld

There is no standard Singaporean. The tiny island nation has been a true melting pot since ancient times, when it played a strategic role in the spice route between Asia and the Middle East. Though the island is only 247 square miles, Singapore is home to Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street, each reflecting that culture’s unique architectural, gastronomic, and religious heritage. Singaporeans move seamlessly among these traditional neighborhoods but also gravitate to the latest fusion cuisines in areas like Dempsey Hill, old British army barracks. In fact, it would be correct to describe the unifying characteristic of this diverse nation as their passion for food. Hawker centers, Singapore’s ubiquituous open air food courts, bustle with customers throughout the day and night. There is rarely a street scene without at least one food vendor, and private dining rooms are always packed with revelers who dream of marking an important occasion with something delectable involved.

Read the full article in our April 2009 issue.