https://www.scmp.com/rss/321332/feed Teresa Bergen is a United States-based writer who specialises in adventure, eco and sober travel. She’s the author of Easy Portland Outdoors and Sober Travel Handbook and co-author of Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Teresa Bergen Teresa Bergen You don’t have to go all the way to Europe for an open-water swimming holiday. Here are a few closer to home: 1. Japan The Japan Open Water Swimming Adventure by Cross Country Swimming is based on Ojika Island. Guests take an overnight ferry from Fukuoka and stay in ryokans. The trip includes visits to cultural sites and cycling. Six days, A$4,000/HK$20,350 per person. crosscountryswimming.com 2. Indonesia A nine-day Indonesian trip with All Blue Swim Tours starts on Lombok and takes guests on... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323926/4-swim-holidays-around-asia-ojika-island-japan-lan-ha-bay-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323926/4-swim-holidays-around-asia-ojika-island-japan-lan-ha-bay-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:00:14 +0000 Teresa Bergen Teresa Bergen Breathing to the left, I glimpse the rocky Croatian coastline, heavily forested with squat pine trees. To the right, the teal waters of the Adriatic Sea. Below me, squishy sea cucumbers and spiny urchins dot the seabed. While the water looks tropical, its temperature is only about 20 degrees Celsius, comfortable as long as I keep moving. It is the first week of June and I am on a group trip with SwimTrek, a British-based company that leads swimming holidays around the world. We’ve all made our... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323914/open-water-swimming-through-croatias-islands-beginners-and-aficionados-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323914/open-water-swimming-through-croatias-islands-beginners-and-aficionados-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 10:00:13 +0000 I am perched above the kilometre-wide crater of Rano Kau, on the island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, staring down at a lake thick with green algae. In between tales of bloody wars and cutthroat physical competitions, my guide, Hanga Eka, describes a UFO sighting over the crater. “I have seen crazy things,” he says. It feels a little crazy to have taken a long, expensive trip to see one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands. Rapa Nui is 3,540km (2,200 miles) off the coast of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3268048/giant-stone-heads-even-ufos-trip-one-worlds-most-remote-inhabited-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3268048/giant-stone-heads-even-ufos-trip-one-worlds-most-remote-inhabited-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:15:08 +0000 Rows of falcons perch on railings, the eye-covering leather hoods around their heads giving the birds the look of blind medieval knights with talons instead of swords. In Doha’s Falcon Souk – part of the Qatari city’s Souk Waqif market area – men in thobes (loose, long tunics) assess the birds and browse hunting accessories in the shops, or lounge on striped sofas in the narrow walkways. Except for a few black-covered wives accompanying their husbands, I am the only woman here, but when I enter... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3249301/doha-stopover-what-do-qatari-capital-food-art-history-shopping-falconry-and-paddle-boarding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3249301/doha-stopover-what-do-qatari-capital-food-art-history-shopping-falconry-and-paddle-boarding?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jan 2024 10:15:14 +0000 Spend some time in the Old West town of Cody, Wyoming, and you begin to understand why Americans are so attached to their firearms. I find myself standing in an indoor shooting range, earmuffs in place, plastic safety glasses covering my eyes and a muzzle-loaded .50 Kentucky Flintlock musket pressing into my shoulder. Energy zings through my body as I line up the sights, hold my breath and pull the trigger. Black powder ignites with a bright orange flame, filling the air with the smell of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2154746/buffalo-bill-country-they-their-guns-cody-wyoming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2154746/buffalo-bill-country-they-their-guns-cody-wyoming?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2018 12:45:30 +0000 What is it? Skwachàys (pronounced skwatch-eyes) Lodge is a First Nations-themed social enterprise hotel in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Its urban setting is conveni­ent for the popular tourist areas of Gastown and Chinatown. Skwachàys is the traditional name for the area in which the property stands. Wait, what’s a social enterprise? A business model that uses commercial strategies to improve the financial and social well-being of an underprivileged group. In this case, the 18-room... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2042612/skwachays-lodge-arty-stay-near-vancouvers-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2042612/skwachays-lodge-arty-stay-near-vancouvers-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Nov 2016 12:01:22 +0000 Writer Robert Schenkkan and actors Bryan Cranston (as Lyndon B. Johnson) and Anthony Mackie (as Martin Luther King) talk about their HBO film All the Way, which tells how Johnson, who became president of the United States after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, worked with King to pass the Civil Rights Act. Was Johnson really down for this cause, or was this mere politics? Schenkkan: "He absolutely was down for this cause. But he was a very, very complicated fellow. One of my favourite... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1946726/bryan-cranston-anthony-mackie-playing-lbj-martin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1946726/bryan-cranston-anthony-mackie-playing-lbj-martin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 May 2016 13:00:15 +0000 Nerds are the stars of Silicon Valley, the HBO series about the technology industry in California. Creator Mike Judge, writer Alec Berg and actor Thomas Middleditch talk about the tech culture as the third season of the show begins. Why are people in the tech business seen as being socially awkward? Berg: "There's something about the personality of the engineer that pervades the tech business. Engineers are much better at things than people. If you're seven, eight, nine years old and developing... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1937323/qa-silicon-valley-cast-and-crew-evolution-nerd?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1937323/qa-silicon-valley-cast-and-crew-evolution-nerd?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Apr 2016 12:31:27 +0000 What is it? A 17th-century monastery that has morphed into a modern wellness centre. This 65-room mixture of old cloisters and modern glass within Quebec's Old Walled City opened last August. Why would we want to stay in a monastery? The centre is geared towards travellers looking to sidestep the modern world - you won't find televisions or phones in your room and you're encouraged to unplug your electronic devices; the front desk even offers a babysitting service for smartphones. History is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel-leisure/article/1929953/monastery-turned-wellness-retreat-where?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel-leisure/article/1929953/monastery-turned-wellness-retreat-where?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Mar 2016 14:44:25 +0000 New HBO film Confirmation recalls how, 25 years ago, sexual harassment charges interfered with Judge Clarence Thomas' ascent to the United States Supreme Court. Kerry Washington, who plays Anita Hill, the attorney who accused Thomas, and is also the executive producer of the film, talks politics. Are you more or less cynical about Washington (the city) after Scandal (the political television series starring Kerry Washington) and now this film? "I'm really inspired by the difference that a person... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1929395/kerry-washington-playing-anita-hill-hbos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1929395/kerry-washington-playing-anita-hill-hbos?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Mar 2016 10:36:01 +0000 Going into the fifth and penultimate season of her hit HBO series Girls - and approaching her 30th birthday - Lena Dunham talks about feminism, politics and what comes next in her career. What role has Girls played in the feminist movement? "I don't think our show by any means put feminism back on the map, but I think it was part of a moment where a lot of female-driven television started being recognised, and that was exciting … And it's fun as a lifelong feminist to see a conversation about... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1913671/girls-creator-lena-dunham-talks-feminism-fame-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1913671/girls-creator-lena-dunham-talks-feminism-fame-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Feb 2016 15:26:09 +0000 New HBO series Vinyl, starring Bobby Cannavale, Olivia Wilde and Ray Romano, is set in New York in 1973 and is about the music industry. A recent promotional event organised by the television network in Los Angeles brought together six of the cast and creators, including Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger (who participated via satellite). What was New York like back in 1973? Terence Winter (writer): “In hindsight, it’s romantic. But it had an edge of danger. I grew up in what I call ‘Taxi Driver... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1911439/mick-jagger-martin-scorsese-helping-create-hbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/1911439/mick-jagger-martin-scorsese-helping-create-hbo?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Feb 2016 06:30:00 +0000 Up 52 stairs, on the third floor of the Yen Wo Society, in Victoria, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, joss sticks are still lit before a statue of sea deity Tam Kung. But worshipper numbers are decreasing, casting doubt on the temple's future. In the 1870s, Victoria's Hakka community raised funds to build a temple for the wooden statue, which had been brought from Guangdong province by one of their own in the previous decade. The oldest continuously active Chinese temple in Canada... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1898562/victorias-yen-wo-society-fading-reminder-oldest-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1898562/victorias-yen-wo-society-fading-reminder-oldest-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jan 2016 15:06:01 +0000 What is it? An ecolodge set in 4,000 acres of dry forest about 12km from San Juan del Sur, a popular surf spot. Built by the Poncons, a French family who moved to Nicaragua in the 1970s, Morgan's Rock opened as a 15-bungalow resort in 2004. Hmm, isn't Nicaragua controlled by Sandinistas and Contras? Is it safe to go? The political situation has stabilised to the point where it's at least as safe as neighbouring Central American countries. The occasional political demonstrations and strikes are... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel-leisure/article/1883269/high-end-ecolodge-morgans-rock-offers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel-leisure/article/1883269/high-end-ecolodge-morgans-rock-offers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Nov 2015 15:06:55 +0000 What is it? A palatial hotel built in 1886, the Crescent is recognised by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the United States' Dozen Distinctive Destinations. More commonly, it is known as America's most haunted hotel. SEE ALSO: Cambodian Pchum Ben festival is a time to feed hungry ghosts Wait. Where is this place? In Eureka Springs, a small Victorian town in the state of Arkansas, which is known for the Ozark Mountains, caves, hot springs and being the home of Wal-Mart and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1873655/ghost-hunting-1886-crescent-americas-most-haunted-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1873655/ghost-hunting-1886-crescent-americas-most-haunted-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Oct 2015 06:00:30 +0000