Travel
Destinations known | What Asia can teach the UK, rail pioneer, about building high-speed railways
The first intercity trains ran in 1830 in the UK, but today Asia is showing the world how to build and run high-speed railways while Britain has called a halt to a major project.
Nepal’s road-free alternative to the Annapurna Circuit, the Nar-Phu trail
Veering off the well-worn Annapurna Circuit, the Nar-Phu trail gives visitors a taste of life in two remote Himalayan hamlets in off-grid Nepal, built by Tibetan Khampas, and which seem more Tibetan than Nepalese.
Destinations known | Why are tourists not returning to mainland China?
Experts cite a range of reasons as to why an anticipated return of international tourists to the mainland has not materialised, but the timing of a resumption of ‘normality’ seems increasingly unknowable
The first winemakers may have been Armenian. Today they have begun again
Three decades after the Soviet era ended, Armenia is relearning its ancient winemaking techniques and rediscovering the grape varietals that once made the country an oenophile’s dream.
How do countries around the world mark their national days? A look at 10
In the United States, fireworks and hot dogs mark July 4 – and so does the launching of cars off a cliff. Which country invites its entire population to a royal garden party on its national day? Find out.
Escape Florence’s tourist crowds in nearby Fiesole, playground of writers
Just 5km from Florence but feeling much further away, the verdant Italian town of Fiesole in Tuscany has inspired authors and artists such as Gertrude Stein, E. M. Forster and Dante Alighieri for millennia.
What’s an Asian resort hotel brand doing in central Amsterdam? We find out
Amsterdam’s Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, opened in 1883, was recently taken over by Asian resort brand Anantara. We checked in to find out why.
Briton’s 30 years of taking tourists, and Michael Palin, around North Korea
Nicholas Bonner, co-founder of North Korea travel firm Koryo Tours, who helped Michael Palin into the country to film a documentary, tells the Post how to get the most out of a visit to the secretive state.
Untouched Philippines: taking the slow road to Palawan, and paradise
We island-hop our way by jeep, bus, minivan and ferry to Palawan, a place of pearly white beaches, coral reefs, karst cliffs and rainforest that ecologists call the Philippines’ ‘last frontier’.
Natural disasters that shook the tourism industry to its core
From this year’s Greek wildfires to the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption and 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, these eight natural disasters left their mark on tourists.
Is this Australia’s best off-road adventure? Wild times in the Kimberley
A family’s 4x4 camping trip along the Gibb River Road through Australia’s northwest offers pristine wilderness, unique animals, wild swimming, and a chance to connect with Aboriginal art and culture.
He’s spent decades exploring the Arctic – and sees parallels in Hong Kong
Boat builder and explorer Pierre Sauvadet talks about discovering a passion for adventure as a child, what draws him to the Arctic and why he feels at home in his Hong Kong ‘village’.
Destinations known | Are Chinese tourists in Japan toeing the party line on eating seafood? Nope
Chinese tourists visiting Japan largely seem unfazed about eating seafood following the Fukushima waste water release, with restaurants reporting little impact.
1,000 years of history sandwiched into 4 days on the Reunification Express
Book-ended by banh mi baguette sandwiches, a trip on the Reunification Express from Hanoi via Ninh Binh and Hue to Ho Chi Minh City passes through a millennium of Vietnamese history.
Destinations known | Who’s winning Vietnam’s battle of the metros? Safer Japan, or quicker China?
As construction of Vietnam’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City metros continues, by Chinese and Japanese companies respectively, safety concerns have fuelled old stereotypes for the former, but at least it is running.
Then & Now | Autumn in Hong Kong meant clear skies once. Smog from China did for that
The weather in Hong Kong is pleasant for only a few months starting in autumn, traditionally the start of the international tourist season. Clear skies used to be a draw, but they are a relative concept these days.
‘Luxury, but also fun’: Scotland as you won’t have seen it before
Scotland in the autumn is a great time for a luxury tour featuring whisky tasting, fine food, stays in quirky but opulent hotels, and majestic scenery, from mountains to windswept villages.
Where is the world’s highest road? The most famous? The most dangerous?
From the famous Route 66 and Avenue Champs-Élysées to Israel’s Dead Sea Highway, the lowest road, and one higher than Everest Base Camp, we survey the world’s record-setting roads.
Like sailing back in time: from Malta to Sicily by yacht
From fortified Valletta, backdrop for Game of Thrones, across the Mediterranean to Sicily to explore coastal towns and ancient Greek ruins to rival those in Athens, a journey by yacht offers history at every turn.
Destinations known | Bali-based ‘river warriors’ clear Indonesian beaches and waterways of waste
In Indonesia, a Bali-based NGO has joined The Ocean Cleanup in tackling the ‘tsunamis of trash’ washing down rivers and onto beaches, and is helping villages shut down illegal rubbish dumps.