HOLIDAY EXPERIENCES can bring varying levels of enjoyment, from nightmare episodes better forgotten, to cherished memories that last a lifetime. Some familiar frequent travellers share their best-ever travel tales of Christmases past.
'One of the most memorable Christmases I had was 10 years ago, spent with my husband and children on a skiing trip at Whistler,' says Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, legislator, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board and vice chairwoman of the Liberal Party. 'It was the first Christmas that I spent in the snow. I also attempted to learn how to ski. I ended up with aches and pains all over, but I failed to accomplish what my children did. After three days I gave up. I felt utterly defeated, but I thought it was not for want of trying. Compared to my daughters I was rather ashamed, but then compared to my husband I could at least claim I was more courageous - he did not even give it a try.'
'I spent Christmas 2000 with my family in Rajasthan, where we had been invited to a wedding - a small but beautifully arranged three-day affair which put us all in a wonderful holiday mood,' says Anthony Lin, Christie's Hong Kong chairman.
'We progressed from New Delhi to Udaipur, Kumbalgarh, Deogarh and Jodhpur, before getting to Jaipur for Christmas at the newly opened and rather splendid Rajvilas Hotel.
'In India, the unparalleled wealth of architecture, history and living religions, each with their colourful practices, are breathtaking in their variety. The Indians' sense of their own history and destiny is evident and compelling everywhere; their very long history and present link seamlessly, making this the most enchanting place to be for me.
'India is both fabled and notorious for its shopping. At each of the first two stops, the ladies in our family party fell with delight on the mountains of beautifully crafted household linens, silver, scarves, pashminas and the like; grabbed pieces each thought were unique and bargained like mad, secure in the knowledge that they had made the buy or find of the century. As we went on, their blissful expressions grew ever more forced until by the fifth stop, now quite green with horror, they realised that not only was the merchandise nearly identical everywhere in Indian tourist emporia, but that also, once the vendors realised they had no interest in repeating any purchases, enticed with the only tactic left to them and practically halved the prices the ladies had paid.
