If you fancy yourself as some kind of international man/ma’am of mystery, this could be your dream celebration. Venice’s famous Carnival, like Carnival all around the world, involves an orgy of decadence before the self-denial of Lent. At least, that’s what Carnival is meant to celebrate, even if its origins have been long forgotten by many. Of course, Venice’s 12-day extravaganza is renowned for its masks that not only add an extra dash of colour to proceedings, but also encourage behaviour that may not come quite so naturally should the perpetrator be more easily identified.
Naturally, there are parades and drinking and dancing and debauchery, but also look out for other entertaining options: jousting tournaments, walking theatre performers leading tours of the city and its secrets, and games of calcio storico, an ancient sport that resembles football but also involves competitors knocking two shades of shit from one another.
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an artisan, get out the glue gun and BeDazzler, whip up a mask and enter it in the competition at Gran Teatro di Piazza San Marco. The overall winner receives a holiday in Venice and VIP tickets to Carnival events.
Get ready to redefine the phrase ‘experience your food’ at Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum, a noodle-based theme park. Honouring one of Japan’s national dishes – it was, in fact, appropriated from a Chinese meal – this museum boasts rides, shops, tastings and historical information completely devoted to the soupy goodness that is ramen.
Take a stroll through the refashioned dagashi-ya (old-fashioned sweet shops) or challenge a friend on the 30-metre slot-car racetrack. While you’re there, be sure to get slurping, since a whole swathe of varieties is being dished up.
It is well worth the early pre dawn start to drift above the Masai; the only sound being the rushes of flame as the balloon pilot occasionally heats the air that keeps you afloat. It is certainly a whole new perspective to watch a lone elephant leaving a winding grass wake as the sunlight spills over the Mara or to look down on a giraffe nibbling an Acacia tree.
Outside of the game viewing the views from a hot air balloon highlights the beauty and vastness of the Masai Mara in a way that is impossible in a traditional open top vehicle.
It’s one of the most thigh-burning climbs to a temple you will ever endure, but Bhutan’s Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang) is worth the effort. Perched on a cliff face 600 metres above the valley floor, the Tiger’s Nest is the kind of traveller’s eye-candy your body will forgive you for. After you’ve finished the trek, follow in the footsteps of Guru Padmasambhava (the founder of Tibetan Buddhism) and meditate. Legend has it he meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours, but he also purportedly reached the monastery by catching a tigeress there.
The Spanish island of Mallorca derives its name from the Latin word maiorica, meaning the larger one. What better motivation is there for shedding those extra kilos at the Ashram?
The island may be famous as a destination for the rich and beautiful, but there’s more to experience here than lazing by the sea.
Tackle nature’s very own stairmaster climbing 900-metre mountains each day and be rewarded with stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea, not to mention a bootilicious butt.
The week-long programs are aimed at fat-busting and muscle building and include daily 5.30am wake-up calls, kayaking, circuit training, pilates and yoga, topped off with a nutrient-rich vegetarian menu. Become ‘the smaller one’ you’ve always wanted to be.
Think you’ve got the downward dog, cobra and child’s pose down pat? Try doing them on a board in the water, smartypants. Introducing YOGAqua, a stand-up-paddle-boarding-meets-asana caper for yogis who like to multitask. In 90 minutes of bodily bliss, learn how to limber up on a paddle board and sprout new muscles as you test your balance on a moving surface.
If it all becomes too much, you can always ditch the board and trade downward dog for dog paddle. After all, you’ll need to know how to swim if you want to make it back to shore.
The owners of Papatura Island Retreat fell in love with the Solomons on a trip one year and then took 20 years to find the perfect location for their retreat. There are four types of rustic bungalows, including ones perfect for families and even honeymooners.
There’s great fishing and snorkelling, but the surfers really love it here. There are more than 10 reef breaks – the furthest is just a 20-minute boat ride away – and none of them is ever crowded. The resort has plenty of boards, including SUPs, available for use by guests. The locals also benefit from your stay, as the resort pays for the privilege of using the local waterways.
Been a while since you pulled up a pew in the house of the Lord? There’s no better incentive than a pilgrimage to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá in Colombia. Voted the best of the country’s many wonders, the church was carved from halite rock in the tunnels of a salt mine, 200 metres underground. This newest version of the Catholic place of worship was inaugurated in 1991, and is considered one of modern Colombia’s greatest architectural achievements.
Scarf-wearing, cigar-toting Maximón is believed to be the reincarnation of the Mayan God, Mam. A scarecrow-esque effigy of this curious character moves house every year in the Guatemalan village of Santiago, and attracts a steady stream of worshippers. Local children will lead you to Maximón for a fee, and you can make an offering of incense, whisky (his favourite) or cigars, but that will cost extra.
Imagine a land completely surrounded by succulent lobsters? Such a place actually exists and it’s called Panjang Island.
But the most fascinating feature of this rocky outcrop, which juts out from the ocean about 100 metres offshore of Yogyakarta, is not the delicious bounty roaming near its base but the unusual mode of transport the lobster catchers use to get there. Hooked up to a series of ropes and pulleys is a rickety cage that fishermen clamber into before hauling themselves across the churning sea.
If you’re plucky enough, slip some cash to the owner, jump on board and hurtle over massive waves smashing into the rocks below. Be sure to wait around to see the trappers return, and if the sight of fresh seafood gets your stomach rumbling, swap some rupiah for a feed then chill out on nearby Timang Beach.
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