Travel & Leisure

1. The fantastical adventures of Annie Londonderry, the ‘first woman to cycle around he world’

   In September 1895, a 20-some­thing American mother-of-three named Annie Londonderry became the first woman to ride a bicycle around the world. Except her name was not London­derry and she hadn’t pedalled nearly so far as she’d led everyone to suppose. She was a brilliant – and unabashed – self-publicist, who briefly turned herself into one of the first ersatz celebrities of modern times.Returning to her family in Boston after 15 months in the saddle, she soon faded into obscurity and would have…

2. A yogi’s quarantine workout: yoga poses, body weight exercises for strength, movement routines, and a stationary bike provide balance

   On my return to Hong Kong in late January from the UK, I went into a three-week quarantine in a hotel. As a mature yoga teacher with a long-standing practice, I would fold myself in and out of yoga poses, known as asanas, and time would pass easily in a Zen-like state.That was not the actual plan, though.As a sexagenarian – someone in his 60s, not someone who likes sex – I’m feeling in good physical shape. I have been active in sports all my life and took up yoga in 1999, so my flexibility,…

3. ‘Lucky’ coins that visitors throw into Chinese spring risk polluting the water, staff warn

   More than 60,000 yuan (US$9,300) in coins has been scooped out of one of China’s most renowned natural springs over the past three years.The coins are tossed into the water by the millions of tourists who visit the Baotu Spring Park in the city of Jinan, in China’s eastern Shandong province, each year.The coin tossers believe their act will bring them good luck, love, and whatever else their hearts desire. The result is a scene reminiscent of that which confronts visitors to Rome’s 300-year-old…

4. Thailand travel without quarantine could be possible soon for vaccinated tourists as country looks to ease restrictions

   Thai authorities are preparing a plan to ease restrictions for travellers vaccinated against the coronavirus, senior officials said on Wednesday, as the country looks to revive a tourism industry battered by travel curbs.Measures for vaccinated visitors would be introduced step-by-step and could include shortening the mandatory quarantine for all arrivals from two weeks to three days for those vaccinated, or waiving it entirely, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn…

5. Thailand golf quarantine: the country welcomes South Korean visitors in pilot scheme to eke out a little tourism revenue

   Thailand has welcomed golfers from South Korea for the country’s new golf quarantine programme in a bid to boost tourism revenue hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. About 40 South Koreans are undergoing quarantine at Artitaya Country Club, an hour north of Bangkok, where they were tested on arrival last week, Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, said. Thailand has been successful in controlling coronavirus cases, but strict border controls have decimated its…

6. Can Indian tourists fill the void left by their Chinese counterparts?

   Last year offered Asian travel destinations a glimpse of what life would be like without Chinese tourists. For many, it was economically bleak. Of course, visitors from China weren’t the only ones staying away, as a great proportion of the global population “sheltered in place” to try and stem the spread of the coronavirus, but by virtue of their colossal pre-pandemic numbers – 169 million outbound trips were made from the mainland in 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics – their…

7. Woman’s ride-hailing death in China sparks fresh anger over lack of safety and security

   Chinese police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old woman who is alleged to have leapt from the window of a van she had hired through online platform Huolala, which is known as Lalamove in other Asian markets. The incident has rekindled public anger in China over the lack of driver security checks and passenger safety for those using some vehicle-hailing apps. Two women were murdered by drivers for another ride-hailing platform, Didi Chuxing, in the space of three months in 2018. On…

8. Shanghai Disneyland show cancelled, police called after audience member attacks actor. Family blames her mental health

   A Shanghai Disneyland show was cancelled and police were called after an audience member assaulted an actor in the middle of a performance. The 35-year-old woman, surnamed Guan, walked onto the stage during a Pirates of the Caribbean show and began beating an actor across the head. “You consider yourself Chinese? Look at him! Try taking off your trousers and waving a whip in front of everyone next time and see what happens,” she yelled, going on to call the actor an “American’s pig”. Her…

9. Something different to do in Taiwan: farm stay gives glimpse of tribal life, from planting crops to making local crafts

   The crew of seven crouching over to plant red quinoa for half a Sunday in February aren’t villagers. They aren’t hired hands. They won’t make money from the crop four months from now, when it ripens into red metre-high stalks known worldwide for their nutrition. These labourers have paid to plant hundreds of quinoa seedlings and in the process help nearby Xianglan Village. Most of the 150 people in this village on the tropical, palm-studded Pacific coast of Taiwan are indigenous, a tiny…

10. Spa hotel converted from cave homes like those Mao Zedong hatched a revolution in

    Incorporating converted cave dwellings, or yaodong, the hotel taking shape on a verdant hill overlooking Sanmenxia in northern China is far removed from the rest of Chali village.When completed – by October, according to the schedule – the Chali Village Inn will include hot springs, a restaurant, a coffee shop, a bar (built into a cave home) and other amenities. The conversion will have cost around 50 million yuan (US$7.7 million), raised from investors found by the local government…