At the hottest time of year, any excuse to get wet is a good one, and in Myanmar there’s no better reason than to celebrate Thingyan. Traditionally a new year’s festival to herald the rainy season and ensure a good harvest, Thingyan brings dancing and typical festivities, but the main event is the countrywide water fight. While it’s a joyous tradition, be warned – the Burmese are ruthless when it comes to the ritual dousing, and they take no prisoners, unless you happen to be pregnant or a monk. Even then, there are no guarantees.
Set sail on a traditional wooden boat and revel in the tranquility of island life off the northern coast of Sabah. You can explore the massive caves of Balamabangan Island, where the remains of human civilisation date back 20,000 years, or jump on a bike and visit the beaches, villages and jungles of Banggi Island, before trekking to the tree houses of the Dusun people.
There’s plenty of time to chill out or snorkel on pristine reefs with brightly coloured fish – and, if you’re lucky, a dugong – at Maliangin Besar Island, before rounding out the day with a feast of local seafood by the bonfire.
When you travel to most parts of Borneo to observe the always-entertaining orangutans, you’ll mostly be watching groups of rehabilitated apes coming in to feed on platforms. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not quite the same as heading out into the rainforest to spot the glorious great apes in their natural habitat. The Danum Valley Conservation Area is one of the few patches of forest in Sabah that hasn’t been inhabited by humans or pillaged for its natural resources (although it’s completely surrounded by commercial logging) and, as a result, is home to an estimated 500 orangutans.
Trek through the jungle looking up into the canopies to spot the ’rangas, who tend not to pay very much attention to the strange creatures gawping and pointing beneath them. When the weather is dry and warm, there’s also plenty of other wildlife to spy, including pygmy elephants, sun bears and perhaps even the critically endangered Sumatran rhino.
This beautiful mid-city retreat so well-hidden among the backstreets of KL’s busy shopping avenues that you wouldn’t even know it’s there. And that’s the appeal. Step from the bustling city streets into a private tropical oasis.
Choose from a Thai-style loft room or large villa with outside decking that opens directly into the blue lagoon-like pool. Bathe in a super-size jacuzzi, dine on sweet treats delivered to your room every afternoon or order an in-room massage. With poolside cabanas and a rooftop bar with free cocktails and canapes, who needs shopping?
Built on the banks of the Mekong, Kamu Lodge blends hands-on camping with a hot shower and comfy bed. Thatched roofs keep tropical rain from drenching the lodge’s 20 safari tents and solar panels suck up enough sun to power a fan and brew hot water for the ensuite bathroom.
Meals – brekkies of eggs, bacon, baguettes and jam, and dinners created using locally sourced produce – are served in a stilted pavilion overlooking lush rice paddies. During the day you can go hiking, help plant and harvest rice, or try your hand at net fishing. There are also excursions to the nearby Pak Ou Caves.
The spa, overlooking the Mekong, offers traditional Kamu massages. There’s no wi-fi, so evening entertainment involves a couple of drinks at the bar or lazing on the deck by your tent, listening to the thrum of jungle life and watching the flow of the Mekong. On most nights children from the nearby village perform traditional dances by the campfire.
You could almost be forgiven for thinking you’d washed up on a lake somewhere in the USA – especially when you see the canoe tied to your jetty and the enormous steaks served for dinner – but this unique property is located near Shima city on Japan’s east coast, about 500 kilometres southwest of Tokyo. Part of a well-established campground in a popular seaside area that’s famous for pearl farming, these permanent waterside structures opened in May 2014.
Each has an outdoor bath, bonfire for after-hours marshmallow roasting and a hammock for relaxed staring, whether you’re looking up into the cloudless sky, watching the waterbirds on the lake or counting stars after dark. During the day take a canoe out for a paddle on the water, or head out onto the peninsula to see sacred Shinto shrines or visit Mikimoto Pearl Island and museum.
Few meals compare to an evening under the eye of Jiro Ono, one of Japan’s national living treasures and head chef at Sukiyabashi Jiro. Devoting his life to sushi from the age of nine, this octogenarian was the world’s first sushi chef to snare three Michelin stars. Gently pressing each portion of seafood into a stack of lightly vinegared rice sourced from his personal rice dealer, Jiro crafts each morsel to the mould of your mouth. His staff handpicks each creature from Tsukiji fish market, before they’re sliced, diced and tempered.
Hardly larger than a bento box, you’ll struggle to find the 10-stool eatery, which is tucked into a basement in Ginza. And it’s one of the toughest restaurants in the world to make a reservation, especially for gaijin (foreigners) who must find a Tokyo native to dine with. The starting price looms at ¥30,000 (US$252) and each mouthful checks in at US$12 a pop. Diners forking out for the half-hour feast enter a gastronomic symphony, from chilled uni (sea- urchin), to melt-in-your mouth unagi (eel), before the closing chord of succulent soft egg roll.
Need an antidote for all those lovely germs you’ve inhaled over the past 10 hours courtesy of your fellow passengers? Slip into the JUKO Oxygen Lounge at Tokyo’s Narita Airport and get yourself a high-grade oxygen hit. Use an oxygenator headset, or a nasal cannula to pump flavoured oxygen into your lungs; try eucalyptus-menthol or cinnamon for a particularly zingy hit.
A 10-minute session will set you back about US$6, and not only helps fight jet lag, but will ease headaches and increase alertness. Sleep it off in one of the airport’s private day rooms, complete with beds and showers.
The heritage-protected rice paddies of Jatiluwih are virtually as far removed from Kuta and its bogans as is possible on one small island. Pitching its eight luxury tents with these fields and lush rainforest as a backdrop, Sang Giri Resort takes full advantage of the mountain air and panoramic views from the hills.
The shelters boast queen-size beds and a couple of torches, but don’t be concerned – they are for evening exploring. Your tent has all the mod cons you could possibly wish for, including electricity, bathrooms with rain showers and eco-friendly products.
Welcome the day with a few sun salutations on the yoga platform and thank Mother Earth for her work… and the camp’s access to wi-fi. During the day, grab a bike and cycle to villages, hike through rainforest and rice fields, visit nearby waterfalls or soak in natural hot springs.
If fantasies of being shipwrecked on a faraway isle fill your thoughts, check in at Jeeva Beloam. On a secluded beach surrounded by a nature reserve, you’ll find a string of recycled timber and alang-alang beach huts, all facing the ocean.
The huts have a rustic charm – complete with huge, netted beds – and guests spend their days basking on the beach, lazing on their terrace (Jeeva has a library should you finish the books you brought with you) and plunging into the ocean.
There’s snorkelling off the beach and sea kayaks for exploring the coast. Better still there’s no TV or wi-fi, so you can completely retreat and revive your addled mind.
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