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Just South of Siem Reap’s ancient Angkor Wat is a world of permanent flood. Tonle Sap is distinctive among Southeast Asia’s lakes, and not just because it’s the biggest. Here, Vietnamese and Cambodian live in a freshwater sea of giant snakeheads and flamboyant longtail boats, the waterfowl turn the green wetlands white, and the mighty Mekong reverses the flow of a river and floods 16,000 square kilometers. Here the houses, schools, fire stations, and convenience stores have given up on dry land; so too have the hotels.
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Embrace the Angkor culture, history and landscapes on this getaway, and celebrate a special time in your life by exploring Cambodia's highlights and treasures that will leave you utterly enchanted and rejuvenated. Siem Reap is home to the country’s most impressive ancient temples and ruins, a magical backdrop for canapes on a gondola, an intimate dinner on sacred grounds, and renewing marital vows. Escape to the bucolic countryside and ride through rice fields at sunset. Cruise down the Mekong and watch the story of quotidian Khmer lives on the river unfold. Finally, arrive at the sea and while time away on idyllic white sands and warm tropical waters. This journey to the heart of Cambodia is sure to evoke every emotion from awe, to compassion and absolute relaxation.
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It’s the biggest contemporary art festival in Japan, held every three years in an area of the country bursting with artistic potential. Found on the Seto Inland Sea area, 12 islands and two coastal cities participate in this massive festival of the arts with installations, museums, and works spanning the region. For luxury travelers, there are plenty of options to enjoy the Setouchi Triennale, but it’s best for art lovers to start thinking about it early.
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Facing into the Andaman Sea, the imposing steel cannon looks ready to repel would-be invaders. In reality, though, its barrel has been filled in and it hasn’t fired a shot in anger in 200 years. It is an ornamental nod to the rich history of the property it decorates. The cannon was once placed at Fort Cornwallis, the nearby military structure built by the British in the late 1700s to protect the Penang hub of Georgetown. Today it decorates the oceanside garden of Penang’s most historic resort, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.
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Long a leading export market for premium whisky, Taiwan is now making waves on the global stage courtesy of its world-beating single malts. For a diminutive island seemingly marooned in the South China Sea, Taiwan has not been short of foreign suitors over the centuries. Ties to Beijing and mass immigration from the mainland make the link with China most inexorable, but it has also been courted by Dutch and Spanish colonists and spent a half century under Japanese rule. Influence from Scotland has hitherto been less noticeable. But in the far north of the island, a chunk of Taiwan with a noticeably tartan tinge is sending shockwaves through whisky circles.
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Having toured northwest Thailand by motorcycle for over 15 years now, I’ve been to most of the superlatives in the region. The largest waterfall in Umphang, highest peak at Doi Inthanon, furthest points west, east, and north but I had never been to Surin waterfall: the highest single tier waterfall, little-visited, difficult to access.
That seemed reason enough for a nice long, winding ride north.
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“You want to go here? Why?” My taxi driver has a solid grasp of English yet he still has to check with me three times if the address is correct. The first time he shakes his head as if I’ve made a mistake. When I repeat the location he looks bemused, says there is nothing of interest there, and suggests I instead visit Shwedagon Pagoda, the magical golden icon and tourist magnet of Yangon. But right now I want to go somewhere uglier, odder, and eerier.
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Osh is Kyrgyzstan’s second city. Arguably though, it’s the remote Central Asian nation’s most diverse and definitely most ancient city. The majority of travelers will pass through Osh as a transport hub to reach the high-altitude Pamir Highway or to travel across to the more well-known Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan. But Kyrgyzstan’s second city is most definitely worth hanging around to explore. If you have just one day in Osh, spend it well.
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