Destinations

Full of Beans

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Most people visit the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos for its verdant patchwork of waterfalls and landscapes. But crowds are starting to come for something different: a cup of its specialty coffee

Myths and Bliss

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There’s are more layers to Langkawi — one of Malaysia’s most visually stunning island destinations — than meets the eye

Tal tales

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Ancient folk traditions such as talchum — a mask dance drama — belie South Korea’s reputation for tech-obsessed modernity

Fight Club

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A centuries-old martial art, Muay Thai is known for its grace and power. Duncan Forgan gets to grips with Thailand’s national pastime

Northern Exposure

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Remote and subject to harsh Himalayan weather conditions, Spiti Valley was the desolate main link between Tibet and India for centuries. Its seclusion has helped preserve the authenticity of one of the world’s most threatened cultures

Dhow and Zen

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Projecting into the Strait of Hormuz and indented by fjord-like inlets called khors, Oman’s remote Musandam Peninsula is one of the best places in the Middle East to kick back on a boat. By Duncan Forgan

Kampong Glam Rocks On

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Singapore’s already tiny alternative art scene has taken a hit during the pandemic. But one Lion City enclave, in particular, remains alive with left-field energy

Head for heights

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Located near the border with Tajikistan, the Alai Valley in Kyrgyzstan offers wilderness trekking and inspiring vistas of the High Pamir

Sail of the Century

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Tracing naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace’s long way home, Marco Ferrarese voyages from West Papua to the northern Moluccas, crossing the Halmahera Sea in a traditional wooden phinisi vessel.

Phuket Confidential

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Thailand’s biggest island is no stranger to tourism, but it remains full of intriguing discoveries. Duncan Forgan revs up his motorbike to uncover some of Phuket’s hidden secrets