Forget Eat, Pray, Love – if anyone has inspired a pilgrimage to India’s ashrams, it’s The Beatles. Chaurasi Kutia, the ashram of guru and creator of transcendental meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whom the group was so enamoured by, was the holy site where the band famously spent weeks penning songs that would eventually fill the vinyl of the White Album.
While it’s rumoured the Beatles left shortly after they arrived (Ringo Starr left after just 10 days, while Paul McCartney only stayed for a month) this ashram is a famous part of the Beatles’ history. Until recently, the abandoned buildings – like the Beatles Cathedral Gallery, which was brought to life by the art of street artist Pan Trinity Das – had been reclaimed by the surrounding wilderness. In 2015, the grounds were reopened to the public and are now run by the forest department.
Also called 108 Ashram, Chaurasi Kutia, is located in an area known as “Ground Zero” which is surrounded by ashrams and temples and is rich with history and culture from the centuries old tradition of famous yogis and rishis attending pilgrimages and retreats.
There’s something wonderfully alluring about a hard-to-find bar, particularly in a destination as saturated as Bali. Enter 40 Thieves. Hidden above a ramen restaurant on Jalan Petitenget, this New York-style speakeasy relies purely on word of mouth, making it that much sweeter when you finally stumble into its dark and moody interior.
With an industrial themed decor adorned with black and white photographs and plush brown chesterfield couches, the bar does away with umbrella-spiked daiquiris and the usual Balinese themes. 40 Thieves offers a selection of delicious crafted cocktails and artisanal spirits with quirky names like Corpse Reviver, Thai Whore Smashes and Tropical Tea Time. Once you’ve had a look around this hidden gem, choose your favoured libation and boogie down to the DJ set.
You won’t find stereotypical tropical shirts and straw-roofed hats at the tiki-themed Wahtiki Island Lounge. Here, old-school reggae booms from the speakers, infusing a laid-back vibe to this tropical third-floor bar in Wyndham Street, Hong Kong. Wicker furniture borders timber-finished tables, and the walls are decorated with Polynesian motifs enhanced by scattered fronds of green foliage and subtle warm lighting.
It’s the cocktail list that really captures the tiki-imagination of party-goers, though. Created by resident mixologist, Shi Wah Lee, who has more than 40 years’ experience shaking things up in tiki-themed bars throughout London, Asia and the Middle East, the menu offers a selection of classic tiki cocktails, sharing drinks and tiki-style shots. While tropical fruits and rum play a heavy role in the drinks menu, seafood and Polynesian fusion takes the spotlight in the food department.
Prepare to have all your preconceptions about Japan’s quirky side confirmed on this eccentric, off-the-beaten-path adventure. Begin in Tokyo, with a leisurely day strolling through its art-filled neighbourhoods. Then it’s all aboard a train travelling to a traditional onsen in the alps where you’ll soak and spy snow monkeys bathing in hot pools, before uncovering a secret underground bunker complex in Nagano.
In Osaka, come face to face with the most unlikely of monuments – the world’s largest garbage incinerator – and try your hand at driving a simulated shinkansen at Nagoya’s Japan Railway Museum. At the Site of Reversible Destiny you’ll traverse a bizarre landscape of thought-provoking art, before you settle in for a stay at a centuries-old former brothel. This is the Japan you’ll be raving about long after you’ve returned home.
Hong Kong’s largest island is just the scenic spot you need to add to your next city break. So pull on your hiking boots, pack a thermos and embark on a sunrise trek to Lantau Peak, the region’s most majestic summit. At 934 metres, it’s not Hong Kong’s highest mountain (that award goes to Tai Mo Shan) but its ethereal views are worth the slog.
Meet your guide Rory under the cover of darkness and begin your ascent through the mountain’s north ridge. For the next three hours you’ll hike through tawny grass, glimpsing coastal villages and even a star-lit sky away from the city’s smog, before making the final scramble to the summit. Pat each other on the back, clink your hot bevvies and turn your eyes to the horizon to watch dawn’s glow wash over.
Get a fresh perspective on this Chinese territory.
You’re standing at the start line of the Rickshaw Run, with 3,500 kilometres of India stretching out before you and all you have to traverse it is a three-wheeled, seven-horsepower rickshaw that – as many have pointed out – is just a glorified lawn mower. But at least your trusty steed looks fly: participants pimp out their ride from the comfort of their own home, arriving on the subcontinent to be greeted by a freshly painted set of wheels.
You’ll race with two pals for two weeks, crossing paths with other like-minded (read: non compos mentis) travellers, as you putter – slowly – across the country. Between Fort Kochi in India’s tropical southern state of Kerala, and Jaisalmer, a city almost encroached by desert in the northern state of Rajasthan, riders can choose their own adventure by following the ‘unroute’, i.e. making it up entirely as they go.
As the world’s highest gin, vodka and caviar bar, Lebua No.3 is already one step ahead of its competition. But this impressive claim to fame hasn’t allowed the Bangkok site to rest on its laurels. Instead Lebua No.3 continues to push the boundaries. Not only is it the only venue in Thailand to stock Plymouth Gin, the bar also offers a first from the Absolut Company: a limited-edition Absolut Elyx vodka blend made exclusively for Lebua No.3.
Then there’s a world first: the P4 digital retina-display dance floor. To top it off, international music producer Andrew Murray was called in to create a Lebua No.3 album. It’s played nightly, of course, and is best enjoyed with a martini and side dish of caviar (served on a Himalayan salt spoon, no less).
Singapore’s Nineteen80 Bar is throwing it back to the decade of shoulder pads, perms and fluorescent lycra. A bright neon ‘arcade’ sign draws you into this bar. Once inside you’ll find walls covered with cassette tapes and game-inspired artworks.
Space Invaders, Puzzle Bobble, Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter amp up the nostalgia, while you sip cocktails from an era that made them trendy. Variations and remixes of Long Island Ice Tea and Blue Lagoon, as well as signature cocktails like the strawberry Donna Summer, can be enjoyed while your favourite beats from the 80s and 90s finish the flashback.
Check out the Wise King, a Hong Kong cocktail bar inspired by a Spanish fable. Legend has it that King Alfonso X, The Wise, was instructed to have small amounts of wine and snacks between meals to recover from an illness, prompting the birth of tapas. This is the theme behind the doors of this great bar.
It takes its design cues from the thirteenth century – think hues of gold, brown and red – including lush velvets and decorative brocade. The kitchen delivers a menu of bite-sized nibbles with Spanish, Moroccan and Italian influences, as well as modern takes on cocktails. Pair your patatas bravas with the bar’s take on a whisky sour, the Turron Sour.
Escape the world in this tree-house designed pool bar nestled into Uluwatu’s spectacular landscape. Guests would be forgiven for thinking they’ve just stepped into St Tropez, as they bask in the lounge-surrounded 25-metre infinity pool overlooking the coast. It’s bar menu features everything you’d imagine from beach club classic cocktails to playful mixes, beers, wines, house spirits and even a menu for juices, tonics and cultures.
Plus, Ulu has an onsite spa, boutique store and cliff-top restaurant run by acclaimed Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz. Ulu Cliffhouse’s minimalistic luxury grabs you and it treats you well. Kombucha anyone?
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