Rio gets all the kudos when it comes to Carnival, but the biggest party of them all engulfs Bahia.
Different reports will tell you that between one and four million people flood the city, but all you really need to know is that it’s lots. And most of them are Brazilian.
Taking place during the week before Ash Wednesday, it’s the magnificent, hedonistic storm before the calm of Lent (carnelevare translated means ‘to remove meat’).
The first parades take place on Thursday, working their way to a crescendo that lasts from Saturday night right through till Tuesday. There are two parade routes with trio elétrico – brashly decorated, gigantic trucks carrying bands – blasting out waves of music, and a third that harbours a quieter, more traditional parade.
For maximum thrillage, you’ll want to buy yourself an abadá (t-shirt) that acts as a ticket to parade with a specific trio (also called a bloco). There are other options. You can purchase a t-shirt that guarantees you entry into a camorote, the grandstands lining the parade routes. From their heights you’ll get a great view, plus they have bars and toilets.
Otherwise, try your luck in the crowd as one of the pipoca (popcorn), so named because that’s what a whole load of people bouncing to the beat looks like.
It’s not marketing hyperbole. The Cliffhanger roller-coaster at Glenwood Springs literally dangles on the edge of a two-kilometre-high mountain face. The rollercoaster was relocated from Branson, Missouri, and now you can feel the adrenaline rush through you as you flip and turn on this white-knuckle fun park ride.
There are seven beaches across the globe that have pink sand – caused by a cocktail of white and red sand, with Ma Nature acting as mixologist – but Komodo is definitely the only place where you’ll find pink sand and dragons. Giant goat-munching beasts aside, Komodo, in Indonesia, is a tropical wonderland where time is an abstract concept and all you really have to worry about is whether to stay lying on the surreal beach or go for a snorkel in the azure ocean.
There was once a time, not so long ago, when Williamsburg wasn’t somewhere people visited. Now things are different and, even if they weren’t, it’d still be worth crossing the bridge to visit Brooklyn Brewery. From Monday to Thursday, the crew here runs bookable Small Batch Tours – part history lesson, part guided tasting – where you can ask questions and chill out afterwards.
On the weekends (it’s a no-tour zone on Friday), it’s a bit more laissez-faire with tickets for afternoon tours available on site an hour before. Order some pizza nearby, grab one of the seasonal brews and enjoy the atmosphere.
The village of Monstein above Davos – most famous as the host city of the annual World Economic Forum – is home to the highest brewery in Europe. The tour of BierVision Monstein begins in a vintage bus, where you’ll learn about Davos and its spectacular landscape, before moving on to the historic village and finally the brewery.
From a small homebrew operation started by four mates back in 2001, this is now a fully fledged, full-scale operation. During this leg of the tour you’ll taste the beer at all stages of the process and hear about the challenges facing the brewers way up here in the clouds. The tour ends with a glass of either pale Huusbier or dark Wätterguoge, and a plate of award-winning beer cheese made by co-founder Andreas Aergerter.
Originally a sake producer, Kiuchi – located in Naka, one-and-a-half hours by train from Tokyo – expanded production in 1996 and now creates Hitachino Nest beers using many of the techniques developed during almost 200 years of making rice wine.
Join the head brewer on a tour of the ultra-modern facilities, from brew house to bottling line, and take a taste straight from the tank. You’ll also get to check out the historic sake brewery, operational since 1823. It all finishes with a tasting of both beer and sake. Kanpai!
Play blushing bride in a century-old teak house built in Java as a gift for a lady betrothed to a Javanese nobleman. In the village of Baung, a 15-minute drive from Ubud, Bambu Indah offers eco luxury with 11 restored antique houses and elegant modern guest residences. Each detached room is unique and thoughtfully furnished – some are set on stilts, others include private water features or garden bathrooms, and one even has a glass floor so guests can watch shrimp swimming in the pond below.
There’s also a four-storey pagoda with floor-to-ceiling windows and a traditional Sumbanese house crafted from bamboo. During the day hike to nearby villages, go rafting on the Ayung River, practise yoga in the Minang House – a re-creation of a large clan home from the Padang highlands in Sumatra – or play the giant bamboo harp. For something truly hands-on join a house-building workshop and learn to contort bamboo into architecture.
Malaysia is a long way from Middle-earth, but the charming family-run lodgings, Time Capsule Retreat, will have your getting your hobbit on. Tucked away in lush forest in the peninsula state of Pahang, the delightful capsule rooms are made from pipe cylinders, with floor-to-ceiling glass at the opening letting light and green views right in. At two metres by three metres, the rooms are cosy and simple but large enough to accommodate a queen-size bed. They are air-conditioned but you’ll have to share a bathroom with your neighbour.
Let the tide lull your senses into a state of relaxation at The Floathouse River Kwai. Hidden in the tropical depths of western Thailand, this luxurious lodge floats on the gentle waves of the famous river. Artfully constructed from teak and bamboo, each room oozes opulence and opens onto a private terrace by the water.
Spend your days mountain-bike riding, kayaking or exploring nearby waterfalls, before enjoying a delectable spread of international and local cuisine at Pontoon, the floating restaurant. When darkness falls, plonk yourself down on your terrace with a glass of wine and listen to the gentle lapping of the water.
For an enlightening spiritual retreat join Buddhist scholars, and occasionally the Dalai Lama himself (there are tentative dates for the beginning of 2017), on tours to places of great significance and holiness in mainly India, but also Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. Trips range from three days to 18, and the group size is kept small to ensure the essence of mindful travel is never lost. These are unique journeys, designed to explore both the cultural and spiritual aspects of the destination, and offer the traveller new insights, personal discover and the chance to meet local people they perhaps wouldn’t on a normal tour.
Some of the trips include a sojourn to the painted caves at Ajanta in Maharashtra and an exploration of ancient Buddhist sites and palaces and forts in Andhra Pradesh. Accommodation ranges from five-star hotels to home stays in more remote areas.
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