Can a tourist’s experience ever be truly authentic? If you talk with the locals, share their cuisine, and, heaven forbid, even do a little work while you’re traveling, you can get pretty close. Many tour companies out there make an effort to submerge their guests in a local culture, sharing stories, sampling the food and practicing traditional customs. [Read more...]
In Travel + Leisure’s annual World’s Best survey, readers ranked their favorites, and the results show that no distance is too great when a fabulous island waits as your reward. Whether your island hopping takes you across the country or around the world, here’s where to go to find secluded beaches, wildlife encounters, and luxurious pampering. [Read more...]
I am a retired lawyer from California; my husband is a vintner (plus many other things). We’re both 68 years old, and most people can’t wrap their minds around the change we made moving to Bali, Indonesia, seven years ago. Unless changes in our health necessitate a return to the U.S., we plan to spend the rest of our lives here.
We leased a half acre of land for 20 years for $50,000. The property overlooks a river valley with a small waterfall on the far side. We built a “villa,” as a single-family home in Bali is called. Our house has a swimming pool, furniture handmade to our specifications, and flowers everywhere. The cost to build our house today (approximately 2,000 square feet) would be about $350,000. That said, a perfectly nice home could be built for half that amount. A reasonable monthly budget for home maintenance, transportation, food and entertainment is about $1,000.
When it comes to cooking—and cleaning and all of those other daily time-consumers—we hire Balinese help. Our cook, who is paid $75 a month, shops in the market at 6:30 a.m. and prepares all of our meals from scratch. It’s very healthy. Sundays we are on our own, and that is our brunch and pizza day. (We wouldn’t want to forget our roots.) A meal costs about $15 with no alcohol. Alcohol comes with a 300% customs duty. The local beer is good and keeps us looking younger.
We are very involved with a children’s home, ensuring there is always enough food and medical care. As for relaxation, we let Bali happen. Schedules and appointments here are extremely fluid; thus, we wait to hear what’s taking place and join in if we’re so inclined. Poetry readings, yoga, spa visits, massages, a classic film being shown at a coffeehouse, even an invitation to a wedding: All tend to be spur-of-the-moment. It’s very liberating to do whatever strikes your fancy.
There is an English-language library here, as well as an English-language Christian church service and a Rotary Club. If you choose to shop, there are two large U.S.-style supermarkets called Delta and Bingtang. Wi-Fi, Starbucks, FedEx and satellite television are all here for the expat. Or you can choose to ignore them.
Each evening, as we lie in our bed watching the stars, we experience the hush of Bali. A lilting melody drifts down the valley as an upriver village has a ceremony. The magic of this island lulls us to sleep.
Source: Yahoo News
Which city do business travellers spend the most time? According to Concur, a provider of travel and expense management services, London tops the list, followed by Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing and then Toronto. The Concur survey also shows that business travel is getting more expensive due to increasing airfares, pricier hotels and costly ground transportation such as taxis.
Contrary to popular belief, the city ranks sixth on the list of the world’s most expensive cities, but only Sydney beats London when it comes to the average amount spent on a hotel room — it’s even more expensive than Dubai.
Located on China’s prosperous eastern shoreline, the city is the gateway to the country’s manufacturing heartlands. While lodging, dining and entertainment tend to be less expensive than in London, business travellers spend slightly 16% more on car rental in Shanghai.
In the English-speaking financial hub for Southeast Asia, now a gateway to booming, resource-rich Indonesia, it is fairly economical to get around either by taxi, car rental or public transport. Yet business travellers to Singapore tend to spend slightly more money on dining out than travellers to London.
“Many clients have long established business relationships here that must be nurtured by regularly making sales visits,” said Peter Muller, chief operating officer for Europe at ATPI, a travel management company. In Beijing, car rental is more expensive than London, but lodgings are nearly half the price.
As the gateway to North America’s natural resources industry (mining, energy, oil and gas), Toronto has been getting increasingly popular as a place to do business. Pricewise, accommodation is competitive, but when it comes to entertaining and dining out, Canada’s financial hub is even more expensive than London.
Have you conducted a business travel to any of these places? Tell us of your experience!
Source: BBC News Travel
Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s finest adventure sailing spots. With this spirit of maritime adventure in mind, CNN asked Herman Ho, Boat Asia 2012 managing director, and Stuart McDonald, founder and editor of Asian travel website, travelfish.org, to give the lowdown on Southeast Asia’s most spectacular coastal spots.
Anambas islands, Indonesia. Pulau Bawah, the main island in the Anambas chain is uninhabited and offers “a naturally protected lagoon with beautiful clear blue waters and corals,” enthuses Ho. Shipwrecked vessels “Seven Skies” and “Igara” have become a magnet for a wide variety of indigenous marine life and offer the perfect opportunity for a dip.
Koh Chang, Thailand. Hundreds of deserted beaches enable land lovers to get their feet sandy while the shallow waters near shore provide fantastic snorkeling opportunities. McDonald warns however that Koh Chang can get extremely wet during the rainy season — which usually occurs between June and October — and advises all mariners to check the weather outlook before setting sail.
Langkawi, Malaysia. Langkawi has numerous marinas that cater for guests cruising the surrounding Malacca Strait. Casting anchor and setting foot on the islands themselves offers a great opportunity to scale one of the region’s most spectacular vantage points, says Ho. Visitors can just hop on a cable car to the peak of Gunung Mat Chinchang mountain, some 2,300 feet above sea level, where they can take in the wonderful views.
Halong Bay, Vietnam. Comprising a vast coastal waterway of roughly 2,000 islands spread over an area of 1,500 square kilometers, carving out your own sailing space shouldn’t be too much of a problem. While tranquil waters year round make sure going for a swim is always a pleasure. The mysterious limestone caves on Halong Bay’s bigger islands and the “incredible sunsets” meanwhile are two sights not to be missed, advises McDonald.
Similan Islands, Thailand. Situated off the country’s west coast in the Andaman Sea, the spectacular islets are a nationally protected wildlife area, says Ho. Sailing around the Similans is still allowed, though, and those who venture there are treated with “turquoise blue waters full of marine life,” says Ho. There are also hundreds of varieties of fish and turtles surrounding the islands, he adds, while peace and quiet is virtually guaranteed.
Source: CNN Go