AMAZING ASIA

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Beijing: Made in China Part 14
2008-05-26 07:09:00
Arts Coffee Haven25 Chengxian Jie St., Dongcheng; 86-10/6405-2047; dessert for two $10. Where to shop Guang Han Tang Chinese Antique Furniture & ArtTreasures spotted here recently: a Ming dynasty bed; pharmacy cabinets smelling of medicinal herbs. Ships internationally.Jichuang Fulu, near Nangao Rd., East Dashanzi, Chaoyang; 86-10/8456-7945; www.guanghantang.com.What to readExhibiting Experimental Art in China By Wu Hung. Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, 2000. Rong Rong's East VillageBy Wu Hung. Chambers Fine Art, 2003. Tui-Transfiguration By Rong Rong and Inri. Timezone 8, 2004. Beijing 798 Edited by Huang Rui. Timezone 8, 2004. A 50-year history of the Factory. Nine Lives: The Birth of Avant-Garde Art in New ChinaBy Karen Smith. Scalo Verlag, 2005. Most titles are available through Timezone 8 bookstore, Factory 798. 86-10/8456-0336; www.timezone8.com.Web only: Where to go outPause Cafe 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd. (one block down from the CIMG building)Dashanzi Art District86-...
More About: Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 13
2008-05-26 07:09:00
GalleriesRed GateThe respected gallery's new space at 798 was previously a liquor factory.2 Jiuxianqiao Rd.; 86-10/ 6438-1005; www.redgategallery.com.Chinese ContemporaryFactory 798, 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd.; 86-10/8456-2421; www.chinesecontemporary.com.Long March Space (formerly 25,000 Li Cultural Transmission Center)Factory 798, 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd.; 86-10/6438-7107; www.longmarchspace.com.Imagine Gallery Laiguangying DongluFeijiacun Donglu and Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang; 86-10/6438-5747; www.imagine-gallery.com.China Art & Archives WarehouseA gallery opposite the Nangao police station, in an area just outside The Fifth Ring Road.Caochangdi Cun, Jichang Fulu; 86-10/8456-5152. Where to stayBamboo Garden HotelCharming hotel in a small hutong near the Jiugulou subway stop.24 Xiao Shiqiao Jiugulou Dajie, Xicheng; 86-10/6403-2229; www.bbgh.com.cn; doubles from $94. Grand HyattA modern, elegant retreat steps from Tiananmen Square.1 E. Chang An Ave.; 800/233-1234 or 86-10/8518-1234; www.gr...
More About: Beijing , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 12
2008-05-26 07:08:00
When to goSpring or fall is best. Temperatures average 55 to 79 degrees in September and May, the month when the annual Dashanzi International Art Festival takes place.Getting thereBeijing 's Capital Airport has 98 international air routes linking the city to 39 countries. From the States, stopovers are typical, but United Airlines and Air China offer direct service from JFK, LAX, and San Francisco. Continental flies nonstop from Newark, as does United from Chicago O'Hare.Getting aroundTaxis are relatively cheap in Beijing. Unless you are fluent in Mandarin, have the address of your destination written out in Chinese. The subway is also easy to use but doesn't go out to Dashanzi.
More About: Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 11
2008-05-26 07:07:00
The Mount Fuji photographs were taken with a self-timer: they show the artists from a distance, hand in hand, walking toward the mountain. In many of the photographs, there's so much snow that you can't see Fuji, only a trace of horizon and the twig-like figures of the artists in the white landscape. In other shots, they lie together on the frozen ground, or crouch like animals in the snow. In the last photographs, the massive cone of the mountain suddenly appears, shrouded in clouds?just as the artists vanish, leaving two sets of crooked prints. "There really is a Fate?or some sort of intermediary," Rong Rong said. "We came across this beautiful environment. The irony is that we wanted to photograph Mount Fuji, but in the end you could hardly see the mountain." "A gift from God," Inri said.I knew that nothing remained of the original Beijing East Village, but I was curious to see the place where it had once existed. Today you enter the south side of Chaoyang Park through a futuri...
More About: China , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 10
2008-05-26 07:06:00
On one of my last evenings in Beijing , I visited Rong Rong and his wife, the Japanese artist Inri, at their apartment just outside the Fifth Ring Road. The Beijing-based Canadian photographer Karen Patterson had agreed to translate for us. The first thing a visitor sees upon entering the double-height living area is a large photograph of the couple, naked and holding hands. It was taken at 798, when the complex was still a derelict industrial space. Even with the skyrocketing rents, the famous photographers could have their studios at 798 if they chose; a series of 16 of their prints recently sold in the United States for $100,000. But like many Beijing artists, the couple doesn't feel that Dashanzi is a good place to create art. "Too many people," Inri told me, making a face. Rong Rong added: "This is our life. This is our work. Over there, it's almost as if the artist's studio becomes a public place." Rong Rong and Inri's home is a kind of temple to photography, where the tool...
More About: China , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 9
2008-05-26 07:06:00
When I met them, Wang and Zhang had just returned from a show in Guangzhou; although his photographs have been shown all over the world, this was the first time they had been officially exhibited at a major museum in China . For the show he chose relatively conservative work (the nude girls were left at home), including Follow Me, a three-by-nine-foot photograph of the artist as a teacher, in front of an enormous chalkboard scrawled with error-riddled English and Chinese slogans: "Let the world learns about China!" and "Is it possible for me to exchange some British pounds for the U.S. dollars?" The piece was inspired by an English course that aired on Chinese television in the eighties, after Deng Xiaoping's reforms took effect. Wang remembers trying and failing the course, gathered with his neighbors around the rare television set, while the news reported the program's success stories?an ordinary soldier who graduated from the course and became an English professor, for example. ...
More About: Beijing , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 8
2008-05-26 07:05:00
The scene wouldn't have been unfamiliar to many of Beijing 's more established artists, like Wang Qingsong, who lived in Songzhuang, Beijing's oldest surviving artists' village, in the mid 1990's. Because artists weren't allowed in the area at the time, he was constantly hiding from the police: "I moved ?ve times in one year," he told me, when I visited him and his family at their home. Wang, whose strikingly beautiful large-format photographs at once criticize and celebrate the "global" commercial culture of today's Chinese cities (his work often includes a Coke bottle or McDonald's golden arches), now lives with his wife, Zhang Fang, their son, and Zhang's parents in a spacious but casual apartment in the eastern district of Tongxian, a neighborhood known for the number of artists living there. (The noted performance artist He Yunchang has an apartment downstairs.) A Donald Duck bicycle was parked underneath one of Wang's most famous pieces, China Mansion, a scroll-like p...
More About: Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 7
2008-05-26 07:03:00
As Beijing expands, its artists move farther and farther from the city center. Those whose work is selling look for bigger studios and (marginally) cleaner air; the ones who are just starting out simply look for the cheapest possible rent. I visited the international art communities of Feijiacun and Suojiacun, where Chinese painters and sculptors work alongside visiting and expatriate foreign artists. Laetitia Gauden, a French curator who started the Imagine Gallery in Feijiacun in 2003, took me next door to Suojiacun to see the new live-work space she shares with her husband, a musician in a Beijing hard-core band, and their son. Gauden was tremendously excited about the potential for Suojiacun, which was attracting artists with its large, warehouse-like studios and low rents?it's significantly cheaper than Factory 798's. She showed me the border beyond which the community had recently expanded. "People kept coming," she explained. Soon after I returned to New York, however, the ...
More About: China , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 6
2008-05-26 06:55:00
The situation is very different today. At home and abroad, Chinese artists are being exhibited and fêted, and their work is being sold for record prices. An oil painting by Liu Xiaodong that went for $20,000 two years ago now goes for $200,000, and in 2004, Hong Hao became one of the first Chinese artists living on the mainland to have his work acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Although most of the buyers at this level are foreign, Christophe Mao, the director of Chambers Fine Art, a gallery representing Chinese artists in Manhattan, says it's only a matter of time before mainland Chinese collectors descend on the market: "Just wait," he predicted. "Once they start, you won't be able to get your hands on any of it." While grateful for the attention, some Chinese artists are a bit suspicious about why they're suddenly so popular. "Any article you read from the West starts with one of two things: the Cultural Revolution or June 4," Ho said, referring to the demonstr...
More About: China , Beijing , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 4
2008-05-26 06:54:00
The pace of change in Beijing has been rapid but inconsistent?and that patchwork transformation is reflected in the art world as well. Shows are still canceled, but not necessarily the most transgressive ones. Because of 798's uncertain future, curators and artists who occupy these impressive spaces are forced to be flexible. The Long March Space, which is well known for its public-art projects along the route of Mao's Long March, uses its space at 798 more as a base than as a gallery. When I visited, members were displaying the results of their "Great Survey of Paper-cutting in Yanchuan County," a collaboration among artists, government officials, and the residents of one agrarian county in Shaanxi province. The subjects of this artistic census?people of all ages?were asked to cut traditional red latticework patterns into the design most familiar to them. The results ranged from scenes of village life, to profiles of Mao Tse-tung, to the logo of the official Chinese television st...
More About: China , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 5
2008-05-26 06:54:00
Tung's prediction came true in January. After years of uncertainty, the Beijing municipal government designated Factory 798 a cultural landmark, protecting it at least for the near future. The owners have requested a master-plan proposal from Studio Works, a Los Angeles?based architecture and urban-design practice that will set up a new design center in the factory. In collaboration with Chinese architects, the new studio will focus on developing an environmentally sustainable vision for the unique site. I met Wang Wei and his wife, Rania Ho, at the Arts Coffee Haven, a tiny, welcoming place west of the Confucius Temple with Buddhist murals on the ceiling and a wood-burning stove. There, earnest art students consume mocha lattes, green tea cheesecake, and something called "masala toast"?a menu that highlights some hidden perils of globalization. Ho, who is an artist and a curator, was born and raised in California; the couple met as students at Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Ar...
More About: China , Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 2
2008-05-26 06:53:00
Zhang's performance, called 12 Square Meters, was dedicated to the artist Ai Weiwei, who as a child accompanied his father, the famous poet Ai Qing, when he cleaned latrines in western China during the Cultural Revolution. Two weeks after the performance in the toilet, the police came and arrested several of the Dong Cun artists, and in 2001 the village was razed to make way for a public park. In the last dozen years, Beijing has stretched its borders; what used to be the periphery is now prime real estate, and some of the most interesting galleries and studios have had to migrate outside the city proper. Just inside the Fifth Ring Road, the tourist-friendly "art district" Dashanzi is still the best place to see what Beijing artists are doing today. Dashanzi is home to Factory 798, a cultural center housed in the complex of brick workshops that was once Asia's largest military electronics plant. Constructed in the 1950's with the help of East German engineers, many of the buildin...
More About: Made , Part , Made In China

Beijing: Made in China Part 3
2008-05-26 06:53:00
Factory 798 is constantly rumored to be on the point of destruction. Perhaps that is the secret to artistic vitality in Beijing . The international attention the old factories have received, combined with the lobbying efforts of artists and gallery owners, has persuaded the municipal government of 798's value?as architecture, as a cultural asset, and as a tourist draw during the upcoming Olympics. "They won't demolish it at least until 2008," said Jenny Wong, one of the curators at the Chinese Contemporary gallery, when I visited Beijing recently. "They wouldn't have time to build something new and glossy before then." Even in Dashanzi, it's hard to forget the 46-foot clock hanging over the National Museum in Tiananmen Square, ticking down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Wong gave me a tour of her gallery, an airy second-floor space with its original wood-beamed ceiling. Ma Liuming's arresting self-portraits were on display ...
More About: China , Made , Part , Part 3

Beijing: Made in China Part 1
2008-05-26 06:52:00
Beijing's vibrant arts scene has gone from underground to big-time. As the city rushes to transform itself, Nell Freudenberger tags along with a few of the Chinese art world's brightest stars.Not long ago, at the Asia Society on Park Avenue in Manhattan, I saw a photograph I couldn't stop thinking about. It showed a young Chinese man, naked from the waist up, sitting in profile against a raw concrete wall. His arms and one knee (the only parts of his body not in shadow) glistened as if they'd been oiled; around his eyes, his ears, and all up and down his arms were clusters of black flies. What was most striking about this picture was the concentrated expression on the young man's face, as if he were looking at something spectacular and inaccessible, just outside the frame. The photograph was taken by Rong Rong, one of a group of artists who lived in the early nineties in a village a little beyond Beijing's Third Ring Road?what was then the outskirts of the city. The artists re...
More About: China , Beijing , Made , Part , Made In China

Hiking the Great Wall of China Part 6
2008-05-26 06:51:00
If you go? Getting there: From Beijing, take a bus from Dongzhimen station to Miyun, then take another bus to Gubeikou and get off at the Jinshanling gate. Trains are also available to Gubeikou. Cost: There is a $5 entrance fee for each traveler at the Jinshanling Wall . Sun Hailong's overnight service costs $24 per person per night and includes dinner and breakfast. Currency: The Chinese yuan is the official currency (8.09 yuan to one U.S. dollar). There are currency exchange facilities in Beijing. Getting by: English is not widely spoken, so the services of a guide or translator may be useful. When to go: The temperatures are most comfortable in September and October and in the spring. What to bring: Sturdy shoes or boots and clothing suitable for hiking and cooler weather. Information: Sun Hailong speaks Chinese and some English. He can be reached by mobile telephone at (011) 86-139-3244-4368.
More About: China , Great , Great Wall , Hiking

Hiking the Great Wall of China Part 5
2008-05-26 06:51:00
We slept?somewhat uncomfortably in the chill air?until the sun rose early the next morning over the saw-tooth horizon. Sun made us a simple breakfast of instant noodles, which we slurped down eagerly. We spent half the next day hiking 6.2 miles of the Great Wall ?over loose stones and along paths that skirted weak or collapsed sections?to Simatai, another stretch with steeper inclines?and more tourists. Although annoyingly persistent hawkers followed us at times, trying to peddle bottled water and postcards, we were virtually alone on the Jinshanling wall. Like a narrow and dilapidated cobbled street, it led us through tumbledown watchtowers and over small mountain peaks. But the enchanting solitude of Jinshanling ended abruptly at Simatai, where crowds of tourists were disembarking from tour buses and swarming around amusements such as a trolley across a river gulch, restaurants and a cable car that carries passengers up a mountainside. With the widely touted 2008 Beijing Olympics o...
More About: China , Great Wall , Hiking

Hiking the Great Wall of China Part 4
2008-05-26 06:50:00
"The Mongols and their horses ran out of food and had to call off their attack," said Spindler, who added that Jinshanling was vulnerable to enemy raids because it was a low-lying area. The ascent to Jinshanling took us less than an hour, though the climb was at times steep and the footing shaky. From one point, we watched the sun set behind mountaintops before hiking back to Sun's house for a meal of dumplings, stir-fried vegetables and glasses of beer. Then we pulled on fleece jackets as the night got colder and, with flashlights beaming, headed into darkness to return to the wall for the night. Under a nearly full moon, we traipsed along some of the wall's narrow walkways, through shadowy passageways and over several steep humps along the wall's spine. It was eerily still, except for the flashes of a photographer's camera in the distance. We arrived at Sun's watchtower, where we decided to sleep under the stars, outside the tower's box-like stone house. Sun laid out a tarpa...
More About: China , Great , Great Wall , Wall , Hiking

Hiking the Great Wall of China Part 3
2008-05-26 06:50:00
Inside the rampart, we could see the wall's hodgepodge construction over many centuries: older brown bricks were nested in gritty mortar alongside clean dark gray ones used by restorers in recent decades. Ming dynasty rulers began construction of the Jinshanling wall?roughly as it exists today, with strategic holes and chutes for weaponry and watchtowers?in response to raids by bow-and-arrow-wielding Mongols in the 1500s. Their soldiers and artisans used bricks as a facing for a stone-and-mortar wall erected after a 1550 attack by Mongol horsemen, according to David Spindler, an independent scholar who has been researching the wall around Beijing for several years. It was bolstered by brick ramparts.ut the wall's history likely stretches back further. "Another section of wall in the Jinshanling area, parallel to the current wall, may have been built by the Northern Qi dynasty," which ruled from 550 to 577 A.D., Spindler added. The Jinshanling wall, now almost silent except for the...
More About: China , Great , Great Wall , Wall , Hiking

Hiking the Great Wall of China Part 2
2008-05-26 06:49:00
Visiting mainland China for the first time with my father, who had flown in from the United States, I arranged through a Beijing-based friend to meet Sun near Jinshanling, the section of the wall where he lives with his family. We arrived late one afternoon after riding for three hours in a minibus crowded with cigarette-puffing locals. Along the way, we passed scenes of rural life?ruddy-faced farmers sitting on their haunches outside brick houses, firewood stacked high, herds of sheep. The van left us on a desolate stretch of highway, at the mouth of a road spanned by an immense stone gateway that marked the entrance to Jinshanling. Sun greeted us there, grinning and urging my father and I to climb into the back of his three-wheeled motorcycle. "Today, the sunset will be beautiful," said Sun, a mustachioed 37-year-old who wore a T-shirt, dark blue trousers and traditional black cotton shoes. After riding uphill for several miles, we arrived at Sun's house and souvenir shop, droppe...
More About: Great , Great Wall , Wall , Hiking

Hiking the Great Wall of China Part 1
2008-05-26 06:48:00
The Mongol attackers are long gone, but the vast brick-and-stone barrier that helped China repel them and other invaders still stands?and awaits a new horde of travelers who can explore and even camp out on the centuries-old fortification.Crumbling in some areas and neatly restored in others, the Great Wall ?actually a patchwork of walls?snakes over hills and through craggy ravines covering thousands of miles of Chinese countryside, dotted by watchtowers once manned by Ming dynasty sentinels. Some of the towers, where enterprising Chinese today guard only souvenir stands, have sprung back to life as something akin to modern-day hostels, sheltering hikers who come for overnight trips to soak up history and vistas of former battlefields now carpeted with vegetation. Sun Hailong, a Chinese guide of Mongol ancestry, rents one of the towers about 87 miles northeast of the Chinese capital, Beijing, and takes visitors who want to spend the night?by pitching a tent or simply unfurling a slee...
More About: Great Wall , Hiking

Beijing Prepares for the Olympics Part 2
2008-05-26 06:47:00
Pollution: The city's choking pollution and snarled traffic will be controlled during the 17-day Olympics when at least one-third of 3.3 million vehicles will be banned, and dust-spewing building sites and sooty factories are shuttered. Billions have already been spent moving industry out of town.Venues:Beijing is the site for 31 Olympic venues?12 new, 11 under renovation, and eight built as temporary structures. Most are located in four clusters in the north of the city.Five more venues are located outside Beijing in mainland China?for soccer and sailing. Another venue, for equestrian events, is in Hong Kong.The Olympic Village is located at the far northern end of the Olympic Green, a high-rise compound for 10,500 athletes.The Olympic Green area, site of half the competition venues, is about 10 times larger than it was in Athens and four times what it was in Sydney.The two centerpiece venues?buildings that will be talked about for years to come?are the Bird's Nest National Stadi...
More About: Part

Beijing Prepares for the Olympics Part 1
2008-05-26 06:46:00
China is sparing no expense in preparing Beijing for the Olympic spotlight?including providing English classes for cab drivers and a government-sponsored etiquette campaign.ere's a look at some of the venues and preparations under way in Beijing for this summer's Olympics .The Games: The Beijing Olympics begin Aug. 8, 2008.People: Organizers expect 550,000 foreign visitors and 22,000 journalists, with 550,000 local volunteers lined up to help?one for every guest.Infrastructure: Beijing is spending $40 billion to remake its subways, roads and image. The hubbub is driving up hotel prices.Etiquette: Government-sponsored etiquette campaigns are working to stamp out bad manners like jumping ahead in line, spitting, littering and reckless driving.English: Cab drivers are under pressure to learn some English. A program called "Crazy English" draws 10,000 volunteers to gung-ho assemblies. Officials are trying to wipe out "Chinglish," the unintelligible English that abounds on billboards, m...
More About: Part

Asia: VIVA MACAU Part 9
2008-05-26 06:37:00
Guide to Macau WHEN TO GOOctober, November, and December are the best months to visit subtropical Macau, when the weather is cool and relatively dry. Think twice about going in September, when typhoon season is at its peak.GETTING THEREAmerican offers direct flights from New York to Hong Kong, and Continental flies there out of Newark. From Hong Kong, take a ferry to Macau (or a helicopter?a much speedier alternative). The Macau International Airport has daily connections with Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities in China.WHERE TO STAYWynn Macau Rua Cidade de Sintra, NAPE; 011-853/986-9966; ; doubles from $321.Hotel Lisboa 2-4 Avda. de Lisboa; 011-853/2888-3888; doubles from $110.Mandarin Oriental 956-1110 Avda. da Amizade; 011-853/567-888; doubles from $424.WHAT TO DOSt. Paul's Church The original façade is all that's left of the derelict 17th-century church, an all-important historic monument near Senado Square.Mount Fortress The incredible views from this fort take in the ruins...
More About: Asia , Part , Viva

Asia: VIVA MACAU Part 7
2008-05-26 06:36:00
In 2003, a year before the Sands opened its doors, China changed its tourism policy and, for the first time, allowed individuals to travel unescorted across the border to Macau . In 2005, well over half of Macau's 18.7 million visitors came from the mainland. The general assumption here is that Chinese tourists, besides having a keen interest in gambling?currently not permitted on the mainland?are suckers for themed attractions. Witness the near-riots at the gates of Hong Kong's Disneyland during the 2006 Lunar New Year weekend. Much of the development in Macau is elaborate stagecraft, intended to lure the masses from Zhuhai and beyond. After all, there are 1.3 billion potential tourists and gamblers just across Macau's inner harbor.After New Year's Day lunch and a stop at the beguiling 19th-century Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, in central Macau, I make my way to the city's newest attraction: Fisherman's Wharf, nearly 30 acres of waterfront shopping mall, developed, in part, by Stanley ...
More About: Asia , Part , Viva

Asia: VIVA MACAU Part 8
2008-05-26 06:36:00
Change happens so fast in Macau that it makes my head spin. There is no telling what will occur when the planned bridge linking Macau, Zhuhai, and Hong Kong is completed (2010 is the optimistic projection). In the coming 12 months, the casinos and hotels in Cotai will begin to open, as will a new MGM Grand (developed in partnership with Ho's daughter, Pansy) and an adjacent hotel managed by Mandarin Oriental. Dozens of new casinos have debuted or are scheduled to along the old "new Macau strip"?including the Wynn, the Galaxy, and the Grand Lisboa. And then there is a development (in which Ho has a controlling interest) called Ponte 16. Another mixed-use spectacle zone, this one designed by Jon Jerde?known for, among other things, his work on Wynn's Bellagio?promises to be "rich in the spirit of European urban hubs."I guess it can be argued that the Portuguese-colonial architecture is just faux-place-making from an earlier era, and that casinos are the 21st-century answer to cathed...
More About: Asia , Part , Viva

Beaches: Top Ten Secret Islands Part 4
2008-02-29 04:43:00
8. Terre-de-Haut, GuadeloupeLes Saintes, a spectacular cluster of eight islands situated just off the coast of Guadeloupe and accessible only by ferry or private yacht, is the very essence of French West Indies life?without the crowds to boot. Terre-de-Haut is the most appealing of them all, with its attractive beaches, mouth-watering Creole cuisine, and laid-back French-speaking locals; it's also the only Les Saintes island with overnight accommodations. Beach bums will love the powdery white sands of the palm-lined Plage de Pompierre, while the spectacular underwater world of colorful reefs and exotic fish (attracting divers as renowned as Jacques Cousteau) makes scuba diving and snorkeling another huge draw. Rent a golf cart to get around (you won't find much in the way of cars here) and zip around to a different beach at dawn, midday, and dusk.9. Vis, CroatiaWith its medieval villages, deserted beaches, ancient ruins, rambling olive groves, and the best vineyards in Dalmatia, ...
More About: Beaches , Secret , Part , Islands

Beaches: Top Ten Secret Islands Part 3
2008-02-29 04:42:00
. Îles de la Madeleine, QuebecRemote, beautiful, and altogether unique, the stellar Îles de la Madeleine (or Magdalene Islands , in English), 130 miles off the coast of Quebec, are the ultimate off-the-path escape. Of the dozen islands that comprise this windswept archipelago, only seven are inhabited, six of which are connected only by sand dunes and long grassy reeds. The islands boast 200 miles of virgin beaches, the freshest seafood, and an uncomplicated atmosphere that make them a joy to visit. Given their northern location, summer is, not surprisingly, the best time to go. Of all the settlements here, Île du Havre aux Maisons is our favorite for its colorful houses, charming boardwalk, and salty pubs and restaurants rife with local character.6. Ischia, ItalyThough well-known to European and Asian travelers, the island of Ischia is oft-overlooked by Americans whose sights are more often set on nearby Capri. Though you'll hardly have Ischia to yourself, you will find fewer crowd...
More About: Beaches , Secret , Part , Part 3

Beaches: Top Ten Secret Islands Part 2
2008-02-29 04:42:00
2. Cat Ba Island, VietnamIf you needed another reason to visit Halong Bay?often hailed as the world's Eighth Wonder?the limestone outcropping that is Cat Ba Island in Vietnam is it. The best way to explore the natural wonders of this little-known island?home to the remarkable Trung Trang Cave, cascading waterfalls, cliffs, and the awe-inspiring National Park?is via motorbike. A four-hour ferry ride from Halong Wharf will get you there, but be warned that accommodations are sparse and basic. If you're not one to get fussy about lodgings, you'll have no problem staying awhile on this untouched, unspoiled masterpiece by Mother Nature. 3. Daufuskie Island, South CarolinaDeserted beaches, plentiful tee times, and absolutely no car traffic?that's what Daufuskie Island, situated between Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, is all about. The few who do know of it come for its two championship golf courses (one with three oceanfront holes), spa, equestrian center, tennis c...
More About: Beaches , Secret , Part , Islands

Beaches: Top Ten Secret Islands Part 1
2008-02-29 04:40:00
These 'undiscovered' islands provide a welcome respite from the crowds?enjoy deserted beaches, intriguing culture and exotic cuisine.Everyone loves an island getaway. Unfortunately, that's the problem with a beach vacation?you're often forced to share your stretch of sand with countless others in search of a little R&R. If you're looking for a beach vacation minus the crowds, we've rounded up 10 islands around the world where you'll find just that?and while you may have to work a little harder and travel a little longer to get there, you'll be rewarded with deserted beaches, fascinating culture, exotic cuisine, and the satisfaction of "discovering" a fabulous, off-the-beaten-path island destination. And if you've heard of every island on our list, pat yourself on the back?you're a well-traveled wanderer whose passport must be worn from use!1. Anegada, British Virgin Islands A small airport and ferry service make getting here fairly easy from one of the other British Vir...
More About: Beaches , Secret , Part

India: The Curry Coast Part 4
2008-02-29 04:40:00
Occasionally Anu will demonstrate a recipe herself, such as a sweet, simple coconut pudding topped with pineapple and candied cashews. Since Vinod's death, however, she occupies herself much more with the overall maintenance of Philipkutty's and making sure that guests are comfortable, bringing them hot tea or ensuring there are fresh flowers in the rooms. She will also arrange quick trips by dugout across the canal to an Ayurvedic clinic offering massages and other traditional cures, or arrange for a car to take guests on a shopping excursion to a neighboring town or to visit one of the small, family-run Hindu temples nearby.One bright morning, Anu took us on an early walk around the farm, encouraging us to sample toddy, a rapidly fermenting, heady liquor made from the sap of the coconut palm. A worker perched high on the slender, arching trunk of the tree made a gash near the top, then caught the oozing sap for us. Anu pointed out kokum, guava and clove trees, vanilla plants, pe...
More About: India , Curry , Part , Coast