Have you ever experienced unparalleled and encouraging expedition which even cut through the boundaries of the expected? If – “NO”- then this is the time to plunge into the colors of Indian luxury aboard India’s first heritage luxury tourist train, Palace on Wheels. The train was introduced in the year 1982 by Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) along with Indian Railways to promote tourism in Rajasthan. Just after a few years of – its inception the luxurious Palace on Wheels got PATA Gold Award and also caught the attention of major world media organizations including MTV, BBC, MDR of Germany, National Geographic and several others.

Palace on Wheels Exterior

Unmatched hospitality and impeccable service makes the experience all the more rewarding. Journeys on the train are insight into India’s overwhelming history and vibrant culture. The Royal Forts & Palaces, the adventurous field, beautiful lakes surrounded by hills, vivacious Bazaars, traditional Rajasthani dinner offered during the train journey makes it the first choice of travelers in search of majestic experience in India. The train, which is an epitome of luxury blended with mesmerizing and charming beauty of Rajasthan justify, its title of 4th best luxury train in the World.

This is undoubtedly the exceptional rail ride that one can enjoy in India; but what makes this train stand at India’s No. 1 heritage luxury train? Let us have glimpse of some of the aspects of the train:

Cabins: With impeccable hospitality measures, the Palace on Wheels comes equipped with avant-garde amenities like central air conditioning, channel music, en-suite bathrooms with running hot & cold water, comfortable beds, writing desk and a chair to sit. Carpeted walls, royal furnished facilities, use of rich fabric & colorful paintings are most lucrative features of the deluxe abode onboard.

Palace on Wheels Cabins

Facilities on board: Dining car, bar, Rejuvenation spa, lounge, khidmatgar (Personal Attendant), indoor games, newspaper/magazine, off train cultural events & onboard events compels every traveler to enjoy this ride of a lifetime. For on board amusement, guests can enjoy different indoor games like chess, cards, carom board and crossword puzzle in the lavishly appointed lounge car. Luxuriously appointed and gracefully adorned, train has a total of 14 fully air-conditioned sedans which can accommodate up to 88 passengers in a single journey.

Dining Car, Palace on Wheels

Bar, Palace on Wheels

Journey: The Itinerary in itself is a magic box which opens up new surprises day by day over 7 nights & 8 days of journey. During the journey the train chugs through some of the precisely chosen locales of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh including Delhi, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra. Along with a stroll to the history lane of Rajasthan, guests aboard the train get a chance to explore its natural treasure trove with adventurous jungle safaris to Ranthambore and Keoladeo Chana National Park in Rajasthan.

Taj Mahal, Agra

Jeep Safari

Palace on wheels is synonym to “Grand Luxury Voyage on Iron Wheels” It has left no stones unturned to relieve the pomp and pageantry of the bygone era when the Rajputs used to be the undefeated rulers of Rajasthan, the cultural heartland of India.

Inviting you to a world of exotic forts, royal palaces, age-old monuments, inspiring landscapes, sun-kissed sand dunes, mystic cities, and diverse wildlife is India’s latest luxury train – the Maharajas’ Express. From the royal interiors of the train to the select destinations, everything aboard this luxury train soothes your mind, calms your souls and yet excites your wild streak.

An Exterior view of Maharajas' Express train

Conceived by the Indian Railways in 2010, the train flaunts the rich architectural heritage of the Kings of the bygone era. Where history is at your doorstep and luxury is at your command, a journey on board the Maharajas’ Express offers all luxurious comforts and amenities to the guests. A masterpiece in every sense of the word, it is adorned with two very finely decorated dining restaurants, a relaxing lounge, a well-stocked bar and majestic cabins designed to recreate the magic and elegance of the personal state carriages of Maharajas of the colonial era. The train carriages are fitted with panoramic windows to offer the vista of rolling landscape as train travels through some of the most fascinating landscapes and countryside of India. Sylvan parquets, intricate carvings and palette of soft hues characterize the interiors of the train. All cabins have individual temperature control, LCD television sets, DVD players, direct dial telephones, internet, even live television and electronic safe-deposit box. One of the many highlights of a trip aboard the luxurious Maharajas’ Express is the food with something to delight every appetite from berry compote pancake with fresh watermelon juice for breakfast, to filet mignon, smoked beef saltimbocca or prawn tikka for dinner. From Italian, French, Mediterranean to Mexican and Indian, every cuisine has got a place on the la carte menu of the two restaurants – Rang Mahal and Mayur Mahal aboard this train.

Rang Mahal Restaurant - Maharajas' Express

The train travels across some of the most captivating landscapes in India, covering well-known tourist destinations including Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Khajuraho, Udaipur, Varanasi and more. The medley of beautiful landscape, charismatic culture, diverse traditions and mystical history of India comes alive in the 5 exclusive Maharajas’ Express journeys, which have been recently launched by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) this year – Heritage of India, Treasures of India, Gems of India, Indian Panorama and The Indian Splendour.

Out of the 29 sites in India inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the Maharajas’ Express journeys cover six of them, namely: Taj Mahal (Agra, Uttar Pradesh), Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Agra Fort (Agra, Uttar Pradesh), Jantar Mantar (Jaipur, Rajasthan), Khajuraho Temples (Madhya Pradesh), and Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra). Amidst all this sheer extravaganza and opulence, Maharajas’ Express lets its guests explore India’ most exotic and colorful locations of the Indian sub-continent like the battle scarred forts, the palaces of breathtaking grandeur and whimsical charm, wildlife parks and sanctuaries surrounded by barren mountains and the raw natural beauty of lakes and water bodies. The off-train excursions have been carefully planned keeping in mind the comfort and luxury of the guests. None of the journeys have been overloaded with trivial destinations to keep to trip enjoyable and invigorating. The peerless wonders included in the journeys on offer are eloquent reminders of the rich heritage that India is blessed with!

Champagne breakfast overlooking Taj Mahal

All in all, a journey aboard this luxury train offers a kaleidoscopic fiesta that lures you with its magical richness and stunning variety. No wonder the train has already bagged two major awards to its credit – 1st Runner up in the Conde Nast readers choice travel award 2011 and CNBC travel award 2010 under category of “Best Luxury train”.

All these luxuries and amenities come at a cost, which is a whopping USD 3580 per person per journey. The price can go up to USD 22000 for the grand presidential suite, which spans over an entire carriage!

The little-known story of an intrepid Second World War rescue operation out of Burma by a British tea-planter dubbed ‘The Elephant Man’ recently made international headlines

The life-saving elephant trek (by Gyles Mackrell)

Visitors to Southeast Asia often go trekking on elephantback—notably in the Golden Triangle region, straddling the Northern Thai, Myanmar and Laotian borders. Such outings often take in visits to hill-tribe refugee camps before participants make their return-leg ride back to base-camp via a raft or oversized inflatable inner tube. This kind of organized tourist jungle jaunt is so consistently popular it has become an established backpacker rite of passage. Most punters are unaware, however, that such expeditions have a venerable, historic heritage.

“It’s a remarkable story of courage, spirit and ingenuity,” said Dr. Annamaria Motrescu of Cambridge University Centre of South Asian Studies. Moreover, the escapade “took place at a time when no one was sure what the consequences of the war in the Far East would be.”

The mission in question was executed back in 1942 by a British tea-planter named Gyles Mackrell—dubbed by the press of the time as “The Elephant Man.” It saw the colonial-era trader braving torrential monsoon floods on elephantback in order to rescue hundreds of refugees from starvation. The episode played out amid the chaotic British retreat from Burma, while Japanese forces plundered a brutal advance in South and Southeast Asia.

Researchers are piecing together the unlikely tale of derring-do via Mackrell’s personal cache of letters, diaries and amateur films shot during the expedition, bequeathed to the Centre of South Asian Studies by Mackrell’s niece.

“The story is a sort of Far Eastern Dunkirk, but it has largely been forgotten since the war,” said Dr. Kevin Greenbank, archivist at the centre. “Without the help of Mackrell and others like him, hundreds of people fleeing the Japanese advance would quite simply never have made it.”

Born in 1889, Gyles Mackrell had spent most of his life in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, where he was an area supervisor for tea exporters, Steel Brothers. He was 53 when the Japanese mounted an initially devastating assault on British-held Burma in January 1942. By March, the Burmese capital of Rangoon was evacuating; in April, the army was beating a full retreat.

Tens of thousands of people—many of whom were wounded, sick and starving—fled on foot, trekking hundreds of miles through thick jungle towards the safety of the Indian border. Those who did not die en route and made it to the border in May then faced flooded narrow river passes dividing the two countries. Some groups of refugees consequently forced to camp out on the riverbanks stayed alive on food supplies airdropped by the British Royal Air Force (RAF). Other, less fortunate exiles had to subsist on fern fronds.

Mackrell knew the jungle and fluently spoke the dialects of local hill-tribes. Crucially, his work also granted him access to pachyderms—apparently the only reliable means of crossing the monsoon-flooded rivers.

“I promised to collect some elephants and move off as quickly as I could,” he wrote in his diary, after receiving an S.O.S. on June 4 from a group of refugees who had managed to cross the Dapha River by making a human chain.

In a series of epic forced marches, Mackrell reached the Dapha by June 9. He sighted a group of 68 soldiers

Route taken by Mackerell (hardly the better-known "Elephant Man")

trapped on an island mid-river. The films Mackrell shot show elephants tusk-deep in torrential rapids, struggling to make progress downriver. But when the waters fell briefly in the early morning hours, a window opened in which the soldiers were evacuated.

In the following weeks, Mackrell and his colleagues set up camp on the Dapha to help across a stream of refugees. His rescue party were themselves frequently short of supplies and fever-stricken; at one stage Mackrell himself had to go back to Assam to recuperate, before returning to the Dapha upon his recovery.

The dramatic operations had saved around 200 people by the time they ceased in September 1942. Mackrell even rescued the final group of refugees against the orders of the British government, who, acting on faulty intelligence, had ordered his party to relocate.

The archive features a note by Sir R. E. Knox, from the Treasury’s Honours Committee in London, noting the risk of death Mackrell faced during the evacuation “could be put, very roughly, at George Medal: 50% to 80%.” Indeed, Mackrell eventually received the George Medal. He was briefly celebrated as “The Elephant Man” in the British press in 1942—though “Mackrell was embarrassed by the attention he received,” according to Dr. Motrescu.

However, as the war progressed, his exploits became a forgotten historical footnote. He died in retirement in Suffolk in 1959. A short film chronicling the epic rescue mission using Mackrell’s footage is online at Cambridge University’s YouTube channel.

Plush, stylish and regal: Kaya Kalp – the Royal Spa gives new meaning to royal treatment. From the extravagant wellness treatments to the paradisical landscaping, the spa is especially designed to provide a living experience of regal being. Voted by many as one of the best spas in India, the Royal Spa is a perfect blending of old-world charm and modern-day spa pampering.

Stepping foot into the spa, it’s easy to see how Kaya Kalp has gained such recognition. Davina Hassell, the Spa Manager, guides me around the lavish property and explains, “The spa industry in India is still in its growing stage. I’m proud to say that Kaya Kalp is at the forefront of it and we’re working hard to strive for growth.”

The flagship Kaya Kalp spa located in ITC Mughal Agra Hotel is India’s biggest spa to date, sprawling over 99,000 square feet in area. Since opening its doors in 2008, the spa has already nabbed 8 prestigious awards, one of which is the Best City Spa awarded by Condé Nast Traveller.

Mughal Interior

Inside the spa, the Mughal mood is infectious. Kaya Kalp is designed using many elements from Mughal dynasty architecture: from latticework to bronzed lamps to velvet upholstery. Delhi-based architect and landscape designer, Pradeep Sachdeva, uses the pomegranate fruit as the theme of the spa – a fruit representative of the Mughal dynasty. Ruby red pomegranate designs can be seen in the design on the walls, ceiling and white terrazzo flooring.

The spa ground extends to the lush, tropical gardens. Running fountains flow, while fragrant flowers and fruit bearing trees blossom under the sunlight. Adapting the garden concept brought in by Baber, the first Mughal Emperor, the Kaya Kalp – Royal Spa adds in that eden atmosphere that can be felt all over the city. We are after all in Agra, the garden city most famous for India’s emblem, the Taj Mahal.

Spa Treatments

After an exhausting day of visiting the city’s numerous monuments, a rejuvenating spa treatment is just what you need. From traditional Ayurvedic rituals to chakra balancing and gem stone massages, there is a large assortment of holistic treatments and spa journeys on offer. A Royal Mughal hammam, resembling those of the old Persian days, is another interesting feature of the spa. Enjoy a deep cleansing body scrub, an oil massage, a scalp massage or simply lounge around the bath. Couples who want some intimate privacy can opt for the Taj Mahal Romance treatment, which includes Ayurvedic massages, guided meditation and Shirodhara therapy enjoyed together.

Pomegranate Journey

Curious to try out the spa’s most unique treatment, I book myself in for the Pomegranate Journey. My therapist first cleans my feet with water – a tradition used by the South Indians to welcome guests into their houses. To begin the journey, we start with a Pomegranate ritual scrub. Kaya Kalp’s signature blend of natural fruits such as pomegranate, lime and ginger, mixed with organic brown sugar allows the body to be gently exfoliated. It deeply cleanses, polishes and softens the body. Next, I get a deliciously healthy bath of pomegranate fruit essence, while sipping freshly squeezed pomegranate and lime juice. After feeling utterly relaxed, my treatment culminates with an Indian aromasoul ritual massage where my body is instantly revitalized with the use of traditional aromatherapy.

Towards the end of my journey, I feel enlighted – physically rejuvenated from the spa treatments, and intellectually enriched from experiencing India’s culture and history.

Stretching across Northern India, the region of Rajasthan pulsates with invigorating energy and vibrance. The cacophony of deafening sounds, blinding sights and fragrant smells in India never fail to awaken the curiosity in me. Splashed in bright rainbow hues, Rajasthani cities are distinguished by colours: Jaipur, the chaotic capital, is known as the ‘Pink City‘ for its reddish palaces while the desert city of Jaisalmer is dubbed the ‘Golden City’ for the honeycombed fort that rises above the golden sand.

Against the backdrop of the cities, the streets of Rajasthan are filled with natives dressed in bright orange saris and bulky red turbans. Its spirited people are the reason why this part of India draws million of tourists to its doorstep. Warm, friendly and happy – it’s hard not to get infected by the spirit of Rajasthan. To get a taste of Rajathan, here are some of portrait shots of its beautiful people.

A tribal lady in the Thar Desert, close to the northwest frontier with Pakistan.

A Hindu lady sitting on the window sill of the Amber Fort, Jaipur.

On the stairs of the Jagdish Hindu Temple in Udaipur, an old lady sells offerings in the form of colourful jasmin flowers and coconut leaves.

On the streets of Jaisalmer, a lady smiles for the camera.

Swaggering moustache and multi-coloured turban: a typical Rajasthani man gets ready to milk his cow.

Hindu ladies, dressed in beautiful saris, stroll through the courtyard of Amber Fort, Jaipur

A priest sits on the stairs of Jagdish Temple, Udaipur.

Mother and son pair strolling through downtown Jaisalmer.

Lonely Planet’s Tom Hall recently gave the UK’s Guardian newspaper his picks for the hottest tickets for young travelers looking for economical ways to navigate the region

INDONESIA: The Eastern Islands

Flying into Flores, though LP says go by boat (by Prilfish via Flickr Creative Commons License)

LONELY PLANET SAYS: “Flores is home to world-class diving, volcanic lakes and empty white-sand beaches. Start … from Bali via Komodo or Rinca on a Perama boat—you’ll pick up enough suggestions on the way to work out the rest for yourself!”

PHILIPPINES: El Nido

Volcanic beauty: El Nido (by Vanna GocaraRupa via Flickr Creative Commons License)

LONELY PLANET SAYS: “If you’re in search of stunning coastline and beaches, El Nido in northern Palawan is the place. This small, chilled-out town has plenty of amenities, but development remains slow meaning accommodation can be limited and the place never gets too busy.”

ASIA: The Andaman Islands

Not a lot in Havelot, I mean Havelock (by Kai Hendry via Flickr Creative Commons License)

LONELY PLANET SAYS: “Two and a half hours by ferry from Port Blair, the islands’ main town, Havelock, is a pretty good approximation of a backpacker paradise, with great snorkeling,  and cheap eating and lodging.”

ASIA: Bangladesh

Boating at dawn near the Bay of Bengal (By Joisey Showaa via Flickr Creative Commons License)

LONELY PLANET SAYS: “This underrated country might just be the world’s best-value country for travelers. Marvelous meals will cost less than US$1, and a midrange hotel room less than $10.”

ASIA: India’s Northeastern States

in Northeastern India (by Old Fashind via Flickr Creative Commons License)”]

Technicolor melting pot and spotting rhinos [inset

LONELY PLANET SAYS: “India’s final frontier—the “seven sister states” of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizaram, Nagaland, and Tripura—hides obscure tribal societies, forested hills and the feeling you’re breaking new ground.”

Elizabeth Gilbert’s autobiographical travel yarn is a literary showcase for Bali’s exotic tropical locations. Here is our guide to four of the tale’s Indonesia-related travel recommendations

Movie star parade. Javier Bardem and some Pretty Woman wander a Balinese market

American writer and Travel + Leisure contributor Elizabeth Gilbert authored a bestselling 2006 “chick-lit” memoir of post-divorce globetrotting: Eat Pray Love. Her yarn was adapted into a movie and is now an international box-office sensation.

The original Pretty Woman, Oscar-winning Julia Roberts, plays “Liz” as desperate to escape her miserable existence in New York as a respected, profitable writer. So the 34-year-old hits the global byways seeking enlightenment (a journey outside her comfort zone, she never hesitates to tell everyone).

After attempting to eat Italy out of pasta and then go spiritual in India, Gilbert/Roberts lands on the Indonesian isle of Bali, which she thinks is “a fairly simple place to navigate … It’s not like I’ve landed in the middle of the Sudan with no idea of what to do next.”

However, this once-carefree paradise was shattered by terrorist bombs killing more than 200 young Australian tourists in 2002. The hangover of terrorism persists. New York Times movie desk don A.O. Scott, among others, criticized Gilbert’s, “Western fetishization of Eastern thought,” concluding the flick was, “unlikely to change anybody’s life or even to provoke emotions anywhere near as intense as those experienced … by its intrepid heroine.”

Not many cared, if 170 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List means anything. The book resonated with readers to the tune of more than 1.35 million copies, after 15 printings. Gilbert was on Oprah, and her book translated into 40 languages. Now the movie has given rise to a new customer for Balinese tour operators: spiritual seekers.

Not that Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika was complaining in 2009: “We have to be thankful, because the presence of the Hollywood movie star has given birth to Bali’s new title, ‘Island of Love,’” he said, “which will of course support our tourism.”

As for Elizabeth Gilbert, will Bali be forever in her heart? For those seeking a stretch, she recommends yoga tours of Bali with, “my sweet friend Mario at the Ubud Inn, at mariourip@yahoo.com.

UBUD-DING CREATIVE HUB

“It isn’t near any beaches, so the tourists who come to Ubud are a self-selecting and rather classy crowd; they would prefer to see an ancient temple ceremony than to drink piña coladas in the surf.”

A view over Ubud, Bali's cultural hub (by Brian via Flickr Creative Commons License)

“This could be a lovely place to live for a while,” wrote Elizabeth Gilbert of Ubud, Bali’s arty cultural hub, where traditional painting, dance, carving, and religious ceremonies still thrive. The author spent four months cycling through quiet villages on the slopes of Mount Batur, sampling Indonesian food, acquainting herself with locals, taking yoga classes—and writing a certain book.

Ubud is famous for holistic traditions; here lie foundations upon which Bali’s thriving spa industry are mounted. Even its very name derives from the word ubad, describing the abundance of medicinal plants indigenous here. Rock-cut temples tucked into layered rice terraces also grace the landscape. The Balinese worship a unique composite of Indian cosmology, Tantric Buddhism, local animist traditions and ancestor worship.

Local medicine man (in reality, as in the film) Ketut Liyer claims Ubud is a rare tap of the earth’s healing energy. That is tricky to confirm, but the place is demonstrably removed from Kuta’s surfer scene and Seminyak’s trendy shopping. This is Bali’s hippie chill-out zone, where alternative lifestyles are staples. Ubud has twice hosted the Bali Spirit Festival—an annual celebration of yoga, dance and music.

PENESTANAN FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

“The medicine man, as it turned out, was a small, merry-eyed, russet-colored old guy with a mostly toothless mouth, whose resemblance in every way to the Star Wars character Yoda cannot be exaggerated.”

Julia Roberts cycles Penestanan to study The Force with Ketut Liyer

Just outside Ubud lies quaint Penestanan where a signboard indicates the Hindu-style compound where the small, weathered seer from Eat, Pray, Love lives. Gilbert learned meditation with this local balian (shaman).

Gilbert describes Ketut Liyer as “a priestly figure, somewhat mystical.” Nobody knows Ketut’s age, but his business card offers health, meditation, palm reading, astrology, painting, woodcarving, homestay … Plus a map to his front porch.

Many Indonesian communities prefer traditional healing to science. Medicine men address spiritual as well as physical needs, blending massage and meditation with herbal recipes. Ketut hails from long line of mystics; his grandfather inducted him into the family trade—after he had died, incidentally. That’s right, the deceased man apparently mentored his grandson via the medium of dream.

After the movie’s release, Time said, “his bamboo mat is an almost necessary stop on Bali’s increasingly popular spiritual tourist circuit.” The Yoda-alike’s bank account is no longer empty. Ketut charges almost the average weekly wage, US$25, to read your palm. For that price, though, he will say you are smart—and live to be 110-years-old.

Traditional Balinese Healing

“Thank God my best friend in Bali is a healer,” and I ran into Wayan’s shop … She took one look at me and said, “You sick from making too much sex, Liz.’”

Wayan Nuriyasih (top left) in Traditional Balinese Healing: a clinic, home and restaurant

To Gilbert, Wayan Nuriyasih is a “strikingly attractive Balinese woman with a wide smile and shiny black hair down to her waist.” She can be found in Traditional Balinese Healing—“a very small medical clinic and home and restaurant all at the same time.”

The gentle herbalist speaks proficient English, although, “because she is Balinese, she immediately asked me the three standard introductory questions,” according to the writer. “Where are you going today? Where are you coming from? Are you married?” (Despite this stock-standard patter, Gilbert lingered five hours on her first visit and later raised $18,000 to build Wayan a better house.)

Wayan treated the author’s urinary tract infection with strange noxious potions. “In less than two hours I was fine, totally healed.” After that, Gilbert “would trust Wayan with any illness whatsoever,” reckoning her “one of the most successful businesswomen in Ubud.” (In fairness, bloggers also rave online about Wayan’s miraculous abilities.)

Gilbert had previously noticed Wayan’s shop’s blackboard with a curious handwritten advertisement for the Multivitamin Lunch Special outside a nondescript building behind a restaurant garden of ginseng, aloe vera and jasmine. The “delicious and nutritious” concoction of water spinach, ginseng, salty seaweed and spicy tempeh comes with each ingredient carefully labeled with its healing properties:

Red rice: for a healthy heart
Grilled coconut: relieves rheumatitis
Tomato chutney: healthy for gums
Mutabilis leaf: relieves stomach gas
Bean sprouts: strengthens weak muscles

Maya Ubud Resort & Spa

The grand Maya Ubud - where Elizabeth Gilbert wrote sections of 'Eat, Pray, Love' in 2006

Where better to base a pilgrimage than the very hideaway where Elizabeth Gilbert wrote the Balinese section of her memoirs back in 2006? (Maybe you can even reserve the exact room occupied by the author in her moments of literary inspiration.)

Set amid 10 hectares of landscaped garden enveloped by steep valleys, the layout of Maya Ubud Resort & Spa flows from its hilltop vantage point down to rice paddies besides the Petanu River 30 meters below. Pitching itself as a “spacious, stylish, luxurious environment in which to enjoy some of life’s better moments,” the resort has won loads of awards. VIP International Traveller readers voted it Most Beautiful Wellness Resort Worldwide in 2006.

“The task in Indonesia was to search for balance,” wrote Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love—a balance between pleasure and devotion, specifically. Well, Devotion To Pleasure Leaving One Balanced is probably the mandate of the therapists at Maya Ubud’s riverside spa, who cater to romancers in customized couples’ thatched treatment pavilions.

The resort’s website convincingly essays its spa’s sensual wares: “soothing hands … aromatic herbs, oils and lotions … flower-filled baths … treatments that smooth, stimulate, and pamper … private treatment pavilions provide individual oasis in which refreshing and aromatic oils sooth and relax.”

From Bia Lao to Asahi Black, we round up the region’s top ales

Asia is producing more beer than Europe for the first time since records began, says Japanese brewing giant Kirin Holdings. It sounds like a bar trawl is in order…. But where does the well-intentioned novice drinker start? Here’s a rundown of experts’ handpicked favorites.

A picher says a thousand burps, at an Asian beer festival (By Graham Hills via Flickr Creative Commons License)

Economists say Asia bounced back from the financial crisis quicker than in the West, while its beer production also surged 5.5 percent from the volume produced in 2008, according to researchers from the Kirin Institute of Food and Lifestyle.

“The guzzlers of Munich’s beer halls are the stuff of bacchanalian legend: now they have to contend with rivals hailing from the bars and street stalls of Hanoi and New Delhi,” claimed the BBC.

While Asian drinkers still consume less on average than Europeans, Vietnam led the region’s boozy surge, followed by India then China. The popularity of Vietnamese labels like 333 (pronounced “ba ba ba” locally) leaped 24.3 percent. Two other labels—Hanoi Beer and Saigon Beer—were official beverages at this year’s Berlin International Beer festival.

Joe Tucker, president of RateBeer.com, recently hand picked his recommendations for Men’s Health magazine. Here are his top picks—plus the mandatory inclusion of an honorary member: a perennial, trusted golden elixir—from a relatively unexpected font of beery wisdom.

Asahi Kuronama Black

Dusky jewel: Asahi Black (by James Cridland via Flickr Creative Commons License)

“Crack this open for a rich, roasted accompaniment” to meaty dishes, says Tucker. Never mind the likes of Guinness, Asahi Kuronama Black is billed as Japan’s favorite dark beer. Brewed in Osaka, this silky textured and shadowy toned brew blends three different roasted malts. This wanton mix-and-match approach apparently gives Asahi Black a unique nutty flavor and warming, smooth-drinking characteristics.

Baird Rising Sun Pale Ale

"Today's the day when teddy-bears get utterly paralytic": Baird Beer (main pic: Jeremy Deades via Flickr Creative Commons License; insets from BairdBeer.com)

“Infused with a citrus aroma, this brew will balance the tartness” of acidic, pickled foods, apparently, according to the expert. “This hoppy, brisk and refreshing Pale Ale is indescribably complex,” exclaims the website of Baird Beer, founded in 2000 in Numazu, Japan, by the husband-and-wife team of Bryan and Sayuri Baird. RateBeer.com, meanwhile, says the 5.2% percent “quenching brew” fits the “American west-coast style.”

Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Beers

Hitachi Nest beers, as clinically presented on Kiuchi Brewery's website

Tucker vouches for the Belgian White Ale, but “load up the fridge with Hitachino’s crisp, clean Real Ginger Ale and Japanese Classic Ale, too.” Kiuchi Brewery (est.1823) in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, produces beer, sake, and shochu. The Nest Beer brand—with its distinctive owl logo—started producing “top-fermented ales” in 1996, blending European beer-making technology with some traditional sake brewing methods (its XH Hitachino Nest Beer is matured in wooden shochu casks, for example). The quaff became available in the US in 2000 and has won numerous international awards.

A century old and still going strong: San Miguel, the result of Spanish-Filipino brewing smarts

San Miguel Premium Lager

Filipinos love a beer: it is the most commonly consumed alcoholic drink in the country. The San Miguel varietal is “easy to drink and a good palate cleanser,” says Tucker. The first such beer was produced in Manila in 1890 via a royal grant from colonialists Spain—hence it being named after a brewery in Barcelona. A hundred years later, San Miguel Corporation is one of the country’s few global conglomerates.

Honorary Mention: Bia Lao

Bottled since 1973 on the outskirts of Vientiane by the Lao Brewery Co., Bia Lao has drawn plaudits from the esteemed likes of Time magazine—which described it as “foaming magic” in its Best of Asia Awards 2004—and The New York Times. Perhaps those ancient stone jars were actually ancient beer kegs. Time describes the pilsner as “an arrestingly crisp brew and also the universal accompaniment to the local cuisine.

“There’s no stinting on quality,” its plaudits continued. “Bia Lao is made from Pilsen malt imported from France, Hallertauer Magnum hops and dry yeast from Germany, and local rice and spring water.”

Time reckons that these factors “propelled Bia Lao to the top of Asia’s beer league. So have the brew’s emotional connotations. For wherever you are in the world, one sip of Bia Lao and you are instantly transported to a riverside bistro in Vientiane. The long lunches, the French-colonial streets, the wats [temples] and murmuring monks: it all comes back with exquisite precision.”

"Mmmm...Bia Lao" (by garycycles via Flickr Creative Commons License)

In China recently, a phenomenon described by some as a comet-like “fireball” spooked locals and forced Xiaoshan International Airport, in the southeastern city of Hangzhou, to ground planes for an hour to avoid a potential collision. The national aviation authority confirmed that the dramatic July 7 incident was the first time a UFO had shut down one of China’s airports.

Earlier that day, a local bus driver named Yu saw a strange glowing object in the sky. “The thing suddenly ran westwards fast, like it was escaping from something,” he said. Some Chinese experts said it might be debris from a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile; others cited a possible freak reflection from some unauthorized combat… apparatus.

One shadowy, supposedly official source said the government knew what the controversial airborne object actually was, but were keeping quiet, as the matter had a “military connection.” Curiouser and curiouser… But is this sighting just one occurrence amid a modern flying-saucer epidemic?

Back in 2000, The New York Times reported a UFO boom in China’s skies, noting, “the normally conservative official news media have been lavishing attention on UFO news.” (The Times added, “this is an extraordinary reversal in a country where, 25 years ago, life was so focused on Communist politics that most people could not imagine anything so ethereal as an unidentified flying object, and expressing belief in them might have been a ticket to jail.”

But flash back hundreds of years, and ufologists will find the earliest saucer sightings in recorded history in 4th-century Chinese texts, which claimed that a mystical “moon boat” hovered above China every 12 years.

Differing views of the UFO that closed Xiaoshan airport, China

THAILAND

A dark object traverses skies over Thailand's Koh Samui island, May 2007

In Thailand, the US Air Force coined the term “U.F.O.” in 1952. But almost a century-and-a-half before, one of the earliest extraterrestrial manifestations occurred in Thailand. According to Malaysian writer Ahmad Jamaludin, missionary and physician Dr. Jacob Hazlitt reported seeing a one-eyed humanoid with “gleaming” skin dressed in silver clothing in August 1810. The sighting took place “on a road outside Meklong” (which could refer to the northeastern, Mekong River-bordering districts of Nong Khai or Mukdahan).

In September of that same year, the mono-eyed, metallic-attired freak was encountered again. This time, a local Siamese lady claimed that an unknown force awaked her one night. Surprised to hear the surrounding area devoid of the usual animal noises, she looked out of the window to behold the alien in her back yard before it reportedly swept her away to a “palace of lights.” The incident is thought to be Southeast Asia’s first extraterrestrial abduction.

In more recent years, a tourist’s fantastical blog account of a psychically conducted UFO encounter in a (disconcertingly vaguely identified) “remote Karen [ethnic minority] village of about 40 people… in the mountain range about five hours outside of Chiang Mai.” The ripping yarn, detailing the “jaan fai” (plates of light) that swarmed overhead “almost every night,” is worthy of Steven Spielberg.

A UFO crash-lands in Bangkok (by Frederick Thommesen via Flickr Creative Commons License)

JAPAN

Former prime minister and veritable Japanese Kennedy Yukio Hatoyama admitted that his wife had aroused unprecedented passions in him. Former actress Miyuki, voted in Time magazine’s “Top 10 Colorful First Spouses,” perhaps awakened something else in the Democratic Party of Japan leader when she momentarily overshadowed his greatest political coup (which displaced the Liberal Democrats from over half-a-century in power).

Miyuki’s words in her 2008 book Most Bizarre Things I’ve Encountered made giant, Martian strides from former US president Jimmy Carter’s famous 1969 UFO sighting. She claimed that aliens took her soul to the planet Venus—which she described as “a very beautiful place” being “very green”—while she was asleep.

The Hatoyamas huddle up to the Obamas

The revelations, which included hanging out with Tom Cruise—in a previous life, when Cruise was apparently Japanese—set subeditors around the world to “pun” mode. Regular readers of her spirituality column for Mu Magazine, a publication exploring the paranormal, were less shocked. They had previously dubbed her “Mrs. Occult” for her unorthodox views.

“I can understand to a degree [the existence of UFO’s],” responded baffled PM Hatoyama, according to a Japanese blog. “But being told by your wife ‘I’ve gone and returned from Venus,’ still bewilders me.” As indeed it might.

INDIA, INDONESIA & SUMATRA

The India Daily reported “an enormous number of UFO sightings” before the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and wondered “were they trying to warn?”

The editorial claimed that those, “in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu … Nicobar Island as well as many in Indonesia” were seeing strange flying objects and speculated that the aerial bombardment meant the visitors “were trying to communicate something.”

According to some unnamed “experts,” the Daily continued, “UFOs always hover around the epicenter of major calamities. They somehow sense these coming natural disasters … Some even believe these UFOs simulate natural disasters in the earth.”

The plot thickens and the conspiracy deepens: the India Daily linked pre-tsunami UFO flybys to the supposed earthquake-luring properties of a dangerous planetary alignment of the Sun, Earth, Moon, Venus and Jupiter. Dispelling all doubt, it argued that, “Mayans and Egyptians were always scared about planets lining up.”

The piece concludes that: “It is possible that UFO’s are trying to communicate to us to warn about the planetary positioning effects on the Earth’s tectonic plates and crust.” Possible—in the farthest reaches of credulity, perhaps—but not exactly likely.

Have you seen a UFO in Asia? Let us know here.