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	ChezWest Can I Get an Amen? The Gospel experience Photo: iStock New York State Harlem is home to world famous jazz clubs, soul food restaurants and landmark architecture but one of the more popular things to do is to experience a Sunday church service complete with gospel choir. Sunday service in Harlem plays a very important role in the community. Parishioners are known to stay faithful to a particular church even if they’ve moved from the neighborhood. On Sundays you’ll see cars with plates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and sometime even as Vir Read more
	Lisa Baum Eating Chinese Chinese chopsticks Photo: iStock China It’s with a certain smugness that I watch travelers fresh out of the airport struggle with chopsticks. I’m not sure how or when I learnt how to use them, but somehow as long as I can remember I’ve been indulging in Chinese cuisine with that aloof confidence acquired only through looking down on those who, just before tucking into some Westernised dish in Soho, request a knife and fork. Read more
	Holly Wallace Canyoning Bridal Veils Falls Bridal Veil Falls Photo: iStock New Zealand “I’m going to count to three and then you jump, O.K. One…… two……..” I took a terrified leap off the rock ledge into a dark pool. The cold water snapped my eyes open. I kicked madly to break the surface and took a heaving breath before yipping wildly. “Yes! Did it!” Read more
	adamkarlin Wild nights out in Hoi An Hoi An, Vietnam Photo: iStock Vietnam I have had wild nights end in many ways. One of the best involved me, in Hoi An, Vietnam, crawling in the dust towards a hostel, with a foot the size of a cantaloupe and a bewildered old man standing over me in the deepening pink morning. Like any good night, this one began early, around dusk. And dusk is when Hoi An seduces like no other time. During the hot day the town is appealing, and at night it can be wildly attractive, but in the burning half-light of a sunset over the Perfume river, Hoi An is like a model under the lens of an expert photographer. Read more
	Helen Leggatt The Road to Milford Sound Milford's monochrome beauty Photo: Helen Leggatt New Zealand The road through New Zealand's Fiordland National Park wilderness to Milford Sound sure is remote, but boy is it busy. It must surely rank among the busiest remote roads in the world. And there are no short-cuts or express routes unless you take to the air or sea. However, there are ways to ensure you remain calm and collected on the journey and arrive fresh for your tour of the sereneness of the Sounds. Beat the crowds Read more
	Esther Dacanay Hot in Hakone Bathing in red wine at Yunessun Hot Spa Photo: Esther Dacanay Japan You take a step into the water and find the temperature at a comfortable level, so you wade a little further in. An empty spot at the far end of the public bath beckons. Shortly after making your way over there and settling into your spot, a loud rush of red-colored water comes pouring right on top of your head. Within seconds, you’re soaked from head to toe in red wine. It’s that time of the day again, when real red wine is poured right into the onsen, delighting bathers and wine lovers all around. Read more
	Kathryn Sutton The Best of Vancouver Izakayas Japanese sake Photo: iStock Canada From Chinese dim sum to Spanish tapas, small plates have been all the rage in Vancouver for years, but the recent explosion of Japanese izakayas is unique in that it’s actually challenging sushi’s vice-like grip on Vancouver diners. For the uninitiated, an izakaya is a Japanese pub serving a variety of savory snacks alongside the requisite sake or beer. They’re boisterous places where every guest is welcomed with a booming greeting of “Irashaimase!” from the wait staff along with a steaming hot towel. Read more
	ChezWest Sunday in the Park with George New York's Central Park Photo: iStock New York State Tourists flock to Central Park’s Sheep Meadow, Great Lawn and Bethesda Fountain but if you want to see a different side of Central Park then head north, away from the crowds and endless pretzel sellers. Up there it’s less crowded with a more relaxed pace as park goers enjoy the space to roam, rock climb or fish. Read more
	Helen Leggatt Performance at Punakaiki Punakaiki Rock Formation Photo: Helen Leggatt New Zealand I’m truly sorry. I hate to dash people’s perceptions. But I have found somewhere in rural New Zealand that can be crowded and, at times, deafeningly noisy. Don’t panic. Because here nature provides the soundtrack and the crowds ebb and flow with the tides, for I have discovered Punakaiki, or pancake rocks as it’s more commonly known, on the jagged west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Read more
	adamkarlin Bali's Layers Indonesia Bali's history and culture are like an onion, and peeling through her many layers — of history, geography and culture — is a good way to turn a tropical jaunt into a rewarding exploration of the unique character of this island. Read more