Snowgazing at Asia’s OTHER breathtaking winter festival.
For seven days every February, Sapporo, Japan, transforms into a winter wonderland for its annual Snow and Ice Festival. Now in its 59th year, this celebration of snow attracts two million visitors annually, easily outdoing Harbin’s famous ice festival, with its ... Read More
When Nagano hosted the Winter Olympics in 1998, Asia finally came of age as a real destination for snow junkies. Ten years on, CW rounds up Asia’s top spots to shred some powder.
Best for Families
Xiling, Sichuan
US$1,000/Week
Thrill factor: Low
Named after a poem ... Read More
Southeast Asia has nearly 100,000 sq. kilometers of coral reefs, almost 34 percent of the world's total and you don’t have to be a world class diver to appreciate them (although it helps). Here are City Weekend’s picks for the best reefs around and how to ... Read More
At precisely 7:45 a.m. on January 28, 2007, train D653 pulled out of the Shanghai South Station bound for Hangzhou. With the maiden voyage of his gleaming white streamlined electric train, the high speed era was born. Trains would no longer be the province of the tourist on ... Read More
Elyse Singleton heads to Thailand with one goal: cleanse the mind, soul and any other orifice to be found.
As a child, I loved Gilligan’s Island—castaways surrounded by coconuts, palm trees and huts made of driftwood. So after a hectic year, I decided to take myself to an ... Read More
In 1986, at the height of nuclear tensions between Cold War superpowers, American satellites mandated by President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative stealthily drifted above southeast China. The resulting imagery shockingly revealed what appeared to be hundreds of missile silos scattered throughout the mountain ranges of Fujian province.
Fearing an ... Read More
Goa represents an unconventional sand ‘n' sun destination popular in the 60s and 70s with iconoclastic flower children and rock stars like The Beatles' guitarist George Harrison. It is universally acknowledged as the fountainhead for Goa trance and night-long beach parties; and is seen as a stomping ground for ravers ... Read More
China's big day, its debut on the world stage if you will, is just one year away. As the government steps up construction and lays the foundation for the final preparations, it's time for the masses to plan their Beijing Olympic trip. It's never too early to ... Read More
In four months or less, a 1,700-year-old village, and the mountain life it preserves, will see water seep through the ancient wood homes, rising higher and higher, until it is completely submerged beneath the jade shoals of the Wu River.
Gongtan of the Youyang Tujia-Miao Autonomous County in southeast ... Read More
Murmuring an unbroken stream of prayers, and focused intently on a scarlet and silver monastery bathed in morning light and incense smoke, four Tibetan women fell to their hands and knees in succession. They laid face down before standing up to clasp their hands in prayer for their three hundredth ... Read More
Through thunderous applause, the clinks of wine glasses and murmurings around mouthfuls of savory canapés, the best and the brightest of Beijing and Shanghai's dining and nightlife scenes stood one by one to accept their awards. At the end of May, each city hosted City Weekend's Readers' Choice ... Read More
The young man delivering my morning coffee smiles conspiratorially, as if we’ve already met.
He does look familiar and then it clicks: He was the oiled young warrior, grass skirt flying, dancing and chanting tales of battles won and loves lost at the Island Night at the Pacific Resort ... Read More
Through out the 1980s, Robin Leach introduced the world to the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," showing us lavish homes and vacation getaways. While you might not be famous, you can live like one of Leach's subjects during a weekend escape to Hong Kong. Here's how:
When ... Read More
Under a bright sun that rains down 30 degree rays of warmth, a small jet engine boat cuts through calm, cerulean waters, creating the only interruptions in the smooth, glass-like surface for miles around. Far to the south are the long stretches of flat, pristine white beaches, lined with luxury ... Read More
Bring an extra bag. That is the most useful advice for any traveller heading to India, as shopping will undoubtedly be part of the itinerary.
Start in Delhi where goods from around India are available, but for higher prices, to get the lay of the (shopping) land. For true madness ... Read More
While an unusual choice, there are literally thousands of vacations you can plan that revolve around fish: Head to Japan to brave a puffer fish roll, vacation in Oregon and Washington States to see Pacific salmon run, journey to Scandinavia for a pungent bite of pickled herring or strap on ... Read More
Out the window the emerald waters of sacred Nam Tso Lake glints under a cloudless blue sky. Along the aisle a foreign tour group presses against the windows, furiously clicking shutters at the passing Tibetan landscape. From a soft sleeper cabin, a stylish young Tibetan couple emerges. I venture to ... Read More
The House of Shambhala is the first serious attempt at a heritage-style boutique hotel in Lhasa. Opened in mid 2006, the 10 room hotel is housed in a historic Tibetan residence that sits slap bang in the heart of the bustling Barkhor quarter, a short walk from the sacred Jokhang ... Read More
As Valentine's Day approaches, panicked men everywhere are sifting through boxes of chocolates, red roses and perfumes. But if you are tired of the old standbys, surprise your loved one with a weekend away from it all in one of China's three most romantic spots.
Stunning Lugu Lake ... Read More
Battling giants, pregnant maidens, brave warriors, feuding families, tales of love and loss. What could be a synopsis for the latest video game, in fact describes some of the myths and legends that swirl around the Langkawi archipelago of 99 forested islands that sprawls across the Straits of Malacca. A ... Read More
An elderly monk at a temple on Buddhist Wutai Mountain points at the bag hanging around my neck and inquires, “Is that a camera? Let me see it.” I take out my Panasonic Lumix and give it to him. His face lights up: “It’s a digital!” I tell him ... Read More
Hoping your luck’s gonna change in the new year? There will be no better place to get lucky in 2007 than Macau, where Steven Wynn and other Western investors have made a resolution to create the Las Vegas of Asia. The southern Chinese peninsula, once a sin city overrun ... Read More
The gambling floor can be a death trap for a novice, so here are some tips for Macau’s most popular games that will help you stay afloat-- or at least avoid having to pawn your ticket home.
Baccarat Even though baccarat is a game of chance, experts advise that ... Read More
Getting There: While a ferry over from Hong Kong used to be the most popular way to get to Macau, these days a direct flight on Air Macau will get you there without all the hassle, at ¥3,850 roundtrip from Beijing and ¥2,610 roundtrip from Shanghai.
Where to ... Read More
"The Reindeer People: Living with Animals and Spirits in Siberia" by Piers Vitebsky. The Eveny nomads have lived and thrived for thousands of years just across the boarder from the Tsaatan in Siberia. Piers Vitebsky, who teaches anthropology and Russian studies at Cambridge University, has spent much of the last ... Read More