Most of the private island consists of pristine terrain.
WHERE: 3 miles/5 km off the coast from the port of Lamut, which is 168 miles/270 km north of Kuala Lumpur. PANGKOR LAUT RESORT: Tel 60/5-699-1100; www.pangkorlautresort.com. Cost: villas from $350, Pavarotti suite from $900. TIGER ROCK: Tel 60/4-264-3580; www.tigerrock.info. Cost: from $430, inclusive. BEST TIMES: pleasant temperatures year-round; Jan–Feb are least rainy.
Pearl of the Orient
PENANG
Malaysia
The island of Penang has been a vibrant cultural crossroads since it was leased to British adventurer Captain Francis Light by the Sultan of Kedah in 1786. As one of the key ports on the Straits of Malacca, Penang became a strategic way station on European traders’ lucrative routes from Madras to Canton. Today it’s one of the most colorful, multiethnic communities in Asia, home to Muslim Malays, Indians of various religions, and Buddhist and Taoist Chinese, all coexisting alongside a diverse Eurasian and expat population.
The island shows off its heritage in a more authentic manner than nearby Singapore (see p. 617) does. In the main city of Georgetown, a ride on a man-pedaled trishaw is the classic way to get around and take in the distinctive townscape of colonial-era shops, temples, and clan houses that make up Chinatown and Little India. Can’t-miss stops include the outrageously ornate Khoo Kongsi clan house, the impressively restored Anglo-India Suffolk House, and Cheong Fatt Tze (aka the Blue Mansion), a brightly painted, atmospheric boutique hotel that was formerly the 1880s home of a fabulously wealthy merchant trader known as the Rockefeller of the East.
History buffs and entrepreneurs are busy restoring many of the long-neglected shops and houses of old Georgetown and turning them into small hotels, restaurants, and boutiques. The Straits Collection, a group of stylish accommodations and gift shops along Stewart Lane and nearby Armenian Street, captures the essence of old Penang with a modern twist; the Stewart Lane strip includes the excellent Kopi Cine Café & Bar.
Clove Hall, a boutique hotel in an impeccably restored Anglo-Malay mansion, has six antiques-decorated suites, tropical gardens, and a lap pool beside which stand giant Chinese pottery rice jars. The hotel was built in 1910 on land that was once a plantation belonging to the Sarkies brothers, owners of Penang’s E&O, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. Sister hotel to Singapore’s Raffles (see p. 618) and the Strand in Yangon, Myanmar, it dates to 1884 and stands as a reminder of colonial days, when visitors like Noël Coward, Rudyard Kipling, and Somerset Maugham dallied over gin slings on the breezy veranda.
Swap the urban scene for nature by jumping on the funicular for a joyride up 2,720 feet through dense jungle and bamboo groves to the peak of Penang Hill, where you can enjoy a panoramic view across the 404-square-mile island. Back in town, join locals at the open-air hawker stalls and tuck into the best street food in Malaysia. Sample local specialties such as char kway teow (a noodle-based stir fry in a dark soy sauce) and curry mee (egg noodles in a spicy coconut-curry soup) along New Lane, in the heart of Georgetown, or at sunset on Gurney Drive, beside the sea.
WHERE: 250 miles/402 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur. CHEONG FATT TZE MANSION: Tel 60/4-262-0006; www.cheongfatttzemansion.com. Cost: from $125. STRAITS COLLECTION: Tel 60/4-263-7299; www.straitscollection.com.my. Cost: from $130. CLOVE HALL: Tel 60/4229-0818; www.clovehall.com. Cost: from $185. E&O HOTEL: Tel 60/4-222-2000; www.e-o-hotel.com. Cost: from $195. BEST TIMES: Sep–Feb for driest weather; Jan–Feb for Chinese New Year; Mar for International Food Festival; May for Dragon Boat Festival; Jul for the Georgetown Festival.
Home to a Nomadic Seafaring People
MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO
Andaman Sea, Myanmar
The islands that make up the Mergui (Myeik) Archipelago in the Andaman Sea are mostly uninhabited. Some are made up of towerlike limestone formations pockmarked with caves and covered with tropical forests inland. The underwater topography, whether explored by snorkeling or diving, is equally striking, with alien-looking cuttlefish navigating around large, fragile corals. The people who do live here are known as Sea Gypsies to English speakers and as the Moken among themselves. They continue to live a traditional lifestyle, moving in flotillas to trade fish, mollusks, sea snails, and whatever other bounty can be foraged from the sea. The Mokens’ boats, called kabangs, are made from a single tree and when lashed together, these houseboats often become something of a small floating village.
This archipelago of 14,000 square miles remains relatively unexplored—as evidenced, in part, by the fact that British surveyors have recorded a total of 200 to 800 islands here, while locals put the number closer to 4,000. The main islands are accessible from Kawthaung on the mainland but there’s no regular transport to the outer islands.
Closed to travelers until 1997, the islands’ accommodations remain limited. One of the only hotels is the beachfront, bungalow-style Myanmar Andaman Resort on Fork (Mcleod) Island, which can arrange for every imaginable land or water excursion in the area. Two of the more noteworthy islands are Lon Khuet, where bird’s nests—a key ingredient in a soup considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine—are farmed in huge caverns, and the large and rugged Lampi Kyun, which features a mountainous interior, home to a wide variety of wildlife, including flying lemurs, crocodiles, sea otters, countless bird species, and the rare tiger.
WHERE: 500 miles/800 km south of Yangon, 40 nautical miles from Kawthaung as well as from Ranong, Thailand. HOW: U.S.-based Asia Transpacific Journeys offers custom itineraries in Myanmar, including to Mergui. Tel 800-642-2742 or 303-443-6789; www.asiatranspacific.com. MYANMAR ANDAMAN RESORT: Tel 95/1-549-234; www.myanmarandamanresort.com. Cost: from $1,200, inclusive (4-night minimum). BEST TIME: Oct–Feb for coolest, most pleasant weather.
Drifting Down Myanmar’s Watery Highway
BAGAN AND A CRUISE ON THE AYERWADY RIVER
Bagan and Mandalay, Myanmar
Acruise down the Ayerwady (Irrawaddy) River—the country’s great natural highway and the focal point of Burmese life—is an opportunity to observe the languid and timeless rhythms of rural life as well as the area’s 2,500 years of history. Choose your floating hotel: You can opt for the cushy Road to Mandalay owned and operated by Orient-Express, a microcosm of Burmese hospitality and European efficiency, or a more boutique-style ship, the RV Pandaw, a meticulously retrofitted 1947 Scottish paddle steamer, operated by Ayravata Cruises. They also operate two new and stylish ships, both called RV Paukans.
The Ayerwady runs for over 1,300 miles, nearly the entire length of Myanmar. The most arresting of its riverside settlements is the ancient city of Bagan (formerly Pagan), where, along 8 dusty miles of riverbank, some 2,200 Buddhist pagodas resemble a forest of spires and pinnacles. Founded by a Burmese king in 849, Bagan reached its apogee in about 1000 as capital of the first Burmese Empire, and was abandoned in 1283 when Kublai Khan, in control of northern India, swept south with his soldiers. It was believed that building religious structures gained merit for a king and his people. So an army of skilled artisans embellished this spiritual center of what originally numbered more than 10,000 religious monuments and is now one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites. Among the most impressive highlights is the ornate Ananda Temple, with its many-tiered roof and four golden, 30-foot statues of the Buddha, plus hundreds of murals from his life. Just as noteworthy is the Shwezigon, with its golden stupa, said to house the collarbone and a tooth of the Buddha. Scramble to the top terrace of the crumbling Shwe San Daw (Sunset Pagoda) for a near-sacred experience at day’s end, when the sun is sinking below the horizon.
Ninety miles north of Bagan is Mandalay. Perhaps one of the most evocative names on the globe and also known as the Golden City, it was the royal capital of Burma (now Myanmar) before the British conquered the country in the 1880s. Slightly run-down today, it still evokes its royal past as the heartland of Burmese culture and remains an important religious destination with a huge, teeming market.
Farther upriver is the leafy village of Katha, ea
sily explored by foot once you arrive. Populated by a mix of Bamar, Kachin, and Chin people, it’s also the famous setting for George Orwell’s novel Burmese Days; the writer was posted here as a colonial police officer in 1927. Some cruises travel as far north as Bhamo, where a visit to its bustling daily market lets you wander amidst the Lisu, Kachin, and Shan people, who come from the surrounding countryside to buy and sell.
Buddhist pagodas fill the ancient city of Bagan.
WHERE: Bagan is 90 miles/145 km southwest of Mandalay. VISITOR INFO: www.ancientbagan.com. WHERE TO STAY: The new and appropriately named Amazing Bagan Resort is built in the style of ancient Burmese architecture with all modern comforts. Tel 95/61600-35; www.bagangolfresort.net. Cost: $55. ORIENT-EXPRESS TRAINS AND CRUISES: In the U.S., tel 800-524-2420 or 843-937-9068; www.orient-express.com. Cost: 3 nights and longer from $2,290, all-inclusive. Originates in Yangon. AYRAVATA CRUISES: Tel 95/1-380877; www.ayravatacruises.com. Cost: 1 night and longer from $300, inclusive. BEST TIMES: Oct–Mar for coolest weather; in Bagan, full moon in Dec–Jan for Pyatho festival, when monks chant day and night.
Floating Islands and Jumping Cats
INLE LAKE
Myanmar
The quiet magic of Inle Lake in central Myanmar feels a world apart from the congested capital, Yangon, offering a time-warp setting of calm waters, gentle light, and warm smiles. Most of the tribal people who live on its shores subsist by fishing—and many still practice their unique method of propelling the boat forward by wrapping one leg around the oar and moving it in a circular motion, while leaving their hands free to manipulate the conical net they use to haul in their catch. Others farm their man-made floating islands, which are anchored to the lake’s shallow bottom by bamboo poles that eventually become rooted. Settled centuries ago by the Intha, or “sons of the lake,” Inle, the country’s second largest lake, is roughly 48 square miles in size. Motorized boats are used for longer trips, but most journeys through its maze of canals, marsh paddies, and tangled hyacinths at the lake’s edge are via flat-bottomed canoes.
Around the lake about 70,000 people live in 20-some simple villages—some no more than a small cluster of fragile bungalows sitting gingerly on stilts. Ywama is the best known because of its floating market, which takes place every 5 days. The Intha pile their canoes high with leafy greens, rice, melons, bright flowers, and the plump, tasty tomatoes for which Inle is known. By 9 A.M., the market is winding down for the locals, and when the canoes show up bearing curious tourists, all attention swings to the animated sale of bamboo hats, bundles of Burmese cheroots, woven shoulder bags, traditional silk and cotton sarongs, and carved wooden Buddhas. If you miss the market in Ywama, make sure you go looking for it: It travels to other villages on other days of the week.
There are close to 1,000 stupas around the lake as well as 100 kyaung (monasteries), many on chopsticklike stilts. Perhaps the most curious (and visited) is Nga Phe Kyaung, known as the “Jumping Cat Monastery,” where the monks have trained their cats to leap through small hoops and perform other tricks.
Intha fishermen propel their boats forward using a unique “leg rowing” technique.
WHERE: 205 miles/330 km south of Mandalay. WHERE TO STAY: The lake’s premier location is the attractive Inle Princess Resort. Tel 95/81-209-055; www.inleprincessresort.com. Cost: from $160. BEST TIMES: Sep–Mar, especially Sep–Oct for lake holidays; Nov for fairest weather.
The Soul of Burma
SHWEDAGON PAGODA
Yangon, Myanmar
Rising majestically above Yangon’s tangled skyline, the enormous, glowing Shwedagon Pagoda can leave one grasping for superlatives (Rudyard Kipling referred to it as “a golden mystery . . . a beautiful winking wonder”). Rising 320 feet and sheathed in some 60 tons of gold leaf, the glowing bell-shaped stupa stands at the center of the 14-acre Shwedagon (Golden Victory Mound). Tradition dictates that devotees and visitors walk clockwise around the space, passing a profusion of mosaic-covered columns, spires, ornate prayer pavilions, images of Buddha, and 78 smaller filigreed pagodas. Bells tinkle. Incense burns. It’s a serene and sensual mélange, all enhanced by the perfume of flower offerings, the deep saffron robes of the Buddhist monks, and the soothing sound of chanting and prayer.
The radiant 32-story stupa rises ever upward, dominating the city’s skyline. It’s topped by a golden orb that is studded with 5,448 diamonds, 2,317 rubies, sapphires, and other gems, 1,065 golden bells and—too high for the eye to see—a 76-carat diamond on its tip. To Buddhists, this is the most revered site in the country, said to house relics from the four Buddhas who so far have appeared on earth. Four covered walkways lead up Singuttara Hill to the platform on which the pagoda stands (before you take the first step, you’re required to remove your shoes). All but one of the entranceways are lined with vendors selling everything a Buddhist visitor could want, from ceremonial paper umbrellas to incense sticks. The pagoda is most resplendent at the end of the day, when the sun’s last rays create a dramatic orange glow and hundreds of sparrows take off from the grounds (to return the next morning).
After a day of battling tropical humidity and navigating the dilapidated, fume-belching buses in this city of more than 4 million people, the elegant accommodations at the Governor’s Residence are nearly as Zen-like as the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is just a short walk away. Built in the 1920s as the guesthouse for key members of the Kayah state government, the hotel is a handsome showcase of teak Burmese architecture inside and out, restored to its height of colonial-era luxury. Tucked away in the leafy embassy district, its meticulously manicured grounds, lotus pond gardens, and Kipling Bar evoke the languid Rangoon (as Yangon used to be called) days of yore.
VISITOR INFO: www.shwedagonpagoda.com. GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE: Tel 95/1-229860; www.governorsresidence.com. Cost: from $175. BEST TIMES: Nov–Feb for coolest temperatures; during full moon in Feb–Mar for Tabaung or Shwedagon Pagoda Festival.
Millennia-Old Earth Art
THE IFUGAO RICE TERRACES
Cordillera, Luzon, Philippines
Rising like massive emerald green staircases out of the Cordillera Central, the mountains in northern Luzon, the steep Ifugao rice terraces stretch as far as the eye can see. They were hand-hewn more than 2,000 years ago by the Ifugao people who populate the Cordillera’s eastern flank around the town of Banaue and were flooded through a sophisticated and labor-intensive irrigation system that endures to this day. However, as younger tribespeople leave for less arduous work in the cities, the terraces’ future is in question.
Some of the most picturesque rice terraces can be found in the village of Batad, about 10 miles from Banaue. Resembling a giant amphitheater, they slope down to a cluster of thatch-roofed huts that constitute the village. Once you get to the top of the manicured gallery the views of the intricate patchwork of square plots below are awe-inspiring. Entry to Batad is on foot only. Guides stand ready to help you navigate a hiking network and locate local craftspeople. A tricky climb that begins near the village leads to the base of the magnificent 100-foot-tall Tappia Waterfall, where you can enjoy a dip in a clear, chilly pool. A clutch of simple guesthouses serves up prime views of the terraces, good food, and rooms for a song.
From Batad you can hike several hours to more remote Ifugao settlements nestled in the high Cordillera, or head back to Banaue and plan a 4WD trip to any number of rice terraces that are the equal of those in Batad but lesser known, such as those in the villages of Asipulo, Kiangan, Mayoyao, and Maligcong.
Bring a sweater, camera, and good hiking boots. The clarity of the light, mountain air, excellent treks, and drama of the ancient earthworks explain why backpackers have long gravitated to these highlands. The utilitarian-looking Banaue Hotel on the outskirts of town is the best operation in the area—and much more attractive inside than out. Ask for a balconied room for magical views of Banaue’s mud-walled terraces at sunrise. Staff can organize trips by car or foot into the surrounding country, known to the Ifugao as the “Stairwa
y to Heaven.”
Passed down as an oral tradition, the agricultural methods of the rice terraces have changed little over the centuries.
WHERE: Banaue is 219 miles/353 km north of Manila. BANAUE HOTEL: Tel 63/74-356-4087; www.philtourism.gov.ph. Cost: from $55. BEST TIMES: in Banaue: Mar–Apr when least obscured by clouds or Jun–Jul before harvest. In Batad: greenest in Apr–May and Oct–Nov.
Garboesque Isolation on a Private Isle
AMANPULO
Pamalican Island, Cuyo Islands, Palawan Province, Philippines
Of the 7,000-odd islands in the Philippines, the most exclusive is Pamalican, a minuscule speck in the Sulu Sea. It is occupied by a solitary luxury enclave, Amanpulo, and reachable only by private twin-engine charter from Manila, 1 hour away. Part of the Aman family of ultraluxurious resorts, Amanpulo, which means “peaceful island,” is arguably the chain’s most idyllic property, at least for lovers of tropical beaches and water sports.
Guests can fill their days with as much or as little activity as they want—there’s windsurfing, sailing, sea kayaking, fishing, and some of the best diving in the Philippines, which is saying a lot, as the entire country is a diving mecca. A polychromatic coral reef encircles the 220-acre island only about 1,000 feet from shore, in some of the purest water imaginable. Sightings of small sharks, sea turtles, and entire schools of eagle rays are common.
Guests have their own golf carts to explore the tiny island via a web of dirt roads. But most people come here to relax, and there are few better places in the world to do so. Amanpulo’s 40 exquisite casitas are arranged so that your neighbors remain practically invisible; from your private sun deck, you’ll feel like you have the island to yourself. The large, airy villas are modeled after Philippine bahay kubo (traditional houses), but there’s nothing old-fashioned about them on the inside. Spacious bathrooms, gargantuan beds swathed in the finest linens, and state-of-the-art music systems mean you won’t be wanting for creature comforts. Gallery-quality local crafts heighten the spirit of place.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 97
