https://www.scmp.com/rss/322806/feed Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas timepieces embody the spirit of travel, an ethos that hones a sharper vision enhanced by new discoveries. This openness to the world is at the core of the philosophy of excellence cultivated by the oldest watch manufacturer since its 1755 founding in Geneva.    Resolutely looking towards faraway horizons from the start, the maison that established a presence on four continents in the 18th century has expanded by exploring the world.    Today, Vacheron Constantin... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Anybody visiting Chefchaouen might imagine they’d been dropped on the set of a Luis Bunuel movie, or that the Smurfs had taken over the world because the architecture in the northwestern Moroccan town is a surreal shade of blue. Yet, nestled below the jagged peaks of the Rif Mountains, there’s a lot more to this settlement than just its unusual colour scheme. In fact, visitors will discover an enchanting, tranquil haven that’s infinitely less touristy than the major cities in this North African... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2036560/dreaming-blue-trip-moroccan-town-chefchaouen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2036560/dreaming-blue-trip-moroccan-town-chefchaouen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2016 01:45:30 +0000 An azure, onion-shaped dome stands like a beacon in the heavens, while other parts of this magnificent structure glow with amber and jade hues against the night sky. Yet, a lit-up Gur-e Amir – a 15th-century mausoleum of Tamerlane (also known as Timur) – is just one of the ancient religious sites making this area of Central Asia, Samarkand, an essential stop-off. Situated in east-central Uzbekistan, Samarkand can rightly be said to be one of the planet’s oldest inhabited cities – some... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2027410/samarkand-cultural-crossroads-central-asia-few?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2027410/samarkand-cultural-crossroads-central-asia-few?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Oct 2016 01:30:30 +0000 Perhaps no metropolis on earth is blessed with more iconic landmarks than Paris; the eloquent magnificence of the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral is a wonder to behold. Yet, as well as being recognised for its epoch-defining architecture, the French capital has also been celebrated for being at the forefront in respect of the arts and sciences. Therefore, there are many museums, galleries and other outstanding institutions that are well worth a visit. Possibly, none more... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2025356/capital-pleasures-there-no-place-quite-paris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2025356/capital-pleasures-there-no-place-quite-paris?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Oct 2016 02:51:16 +0000 In some ways Ethiopia can be said to be one of the cradles of civilisation, as some of the earliest fossils of modern humans – for example, the hominid, “Lucy” – have been found there. Situated in the Horn of Africa, this former kingdom is blessed with a stunning natural beauty: mountains, rivers, forests and waterfalls abound. These geographical features dovetail perfectly with numerous historical sacred sites that include Aksum, Harar and Lalibela.  The latter, which is a small rural town in... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2022949/glorious-past-ethiopia-abounds-sacred-sites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2022949/glorious-past-ethiopia-abounds-sacred-sites?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Oct 2016 01:30:00 +0000 From the air, this place looks as if it might have been flung together by a group of wacky, frustrated archaeologists. However, Crawick Multiverse is actually an innovative land-art project that skilfully re-creates various parts of the cosmos. Indeed, through strategically arranging over 2,000 enormous boulders in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, the people behind this imaginative venture have conjured up a mini world, the likes of which has never been seen before. The right thing to do,... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2021303/out-world-crawick-multiverse-replicates-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2021303/out-world-crawick-multiverse-replicates-action?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Sep 2016 01:30:00 +0000 What can you say about Moscow that hasn’t been said already? Not only is it the largest city in Russia, it’s also the nation’s undoubted seat of prestige and power. Just witness what happens every Victory Day (May 9) on the parade to celebrate the Soviet Union’s 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany. Regiments of soldiers with unflinching faces march through Red Square, followed by sturdy tanks and an assortment of other cutting-edge military hardware. It’s not astonishing that in a metropolis so proud of... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2018944/golden-domes-and-red-square-splendour-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2018944/golden-domes-and-red-square-splendour-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Sep 2016 01:30:30 +0000 Japan’s hot-spring bathing resorts, or onsen, are where the Japanese go to find the “lost” Japan - a mythical pre-industrial golden age before “salaryman” became part of their vocabulary - and they have a special word for the more tucked away and traditional resorts: hito, “hidden hot springs”. In Japan, “hidden” need not mean inaccessible, however. One of the most charmingly rustic resorts, Tsurunoyu, is easily reached by 300km/h shinkansen train from Sendai or Tokyo which peels off the main... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2011736/hidden-hot-springs-resorts-are-where-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2011736/hidden-hot-springs-resorts-are-where-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Sep 2016 01:30:30 +0000 It appears that Mexico isn’t too popular, these days, according to one of the nominees for the US presidency. There’s even some talk of erecting a "wall" to keep certain undesirable elements from crossing the border. But if one listened to such preposterous scaremongering, which is just in order to garner votes and is totally impractical anyway, you’d be missing out on this wonderful North American country and her eponymous, high-altitude capital. However, in fairness, it’s true to say, Mexico... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2004579/mexico-city-fascinates-tourists-its-vibrant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/2004579/mexico-city-fascinates-tourists-its-vibrant?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Aug 2016 01:35:39 +0000 Even if you’ve never been to New York, it’s been up there on the silver screen so often that it’s seeped into our consciousness. Whether it was King Kong ascending the Empire State Building in the eponymous film (1933); Charlie Sheen’s character trying to take down Michael Douglas in Central Park, in one of the final scenes of Wall Street (1987); or Charlton Heston’s heart-wrenching discovery of the Statue of Liberty in the original Planet of the Apes (1968). However, truth be known, the movies... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1997693/look-beyond-new-yorks-landmarks-fabulous?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1997693/look-beyond-new-yorks-landmarks-fabulous?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Aug 2016 07:45:00 +0000 The first time I saw the Leshan Grand Buddha, in southern Sichuan Province, I was standing on a strip of wet stones in the middle of the River Dadu. A group of children marched over the stones gingerly, stopping every few steps to snatch one up and toss it into the rushing waters, while silent, skinny old men stared at the ends of their fishing lines. The Buddha peered down from its alcove in the red cliffs and was both a symbol of protective divinity, and the backdrop to an ordinary day in the... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1989787/leshan-grand-buddha-has-been-standing-tall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1989787/leshan-grand-buddha-has-been-standing-tall?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jul 2016 02:00:15 +0000 If you love history and old buildings, you must visit Jaipur, the state capital of Rajasthan, in northwest India. Established in the late-1700s by the ruler of the Amber Kingdom, Sawai Jai Singh, Jaipur was India’s first planned city. Also nicknamed the “Pink City” for the colour of much of its architecture, Jaipur completes India's “Golden Triangle” of must-see tourist destinations, along with Delhi and Agra. The Amber Fort is well worth a visit during the spring or summer as its pastel-yellow... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1986223/jaipur-indias-pink-jewel-history-architecture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1986223/jaipur-indias-pink-jewel-history-architecture?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jul 2016 01:15:30 +0000 Harry Lime stated in the 1949 classic film noir The Third Man:  “... in Italy for 30 years ... they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland ... they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock”. Obviously, this nefarious character had never been to the second most populous city in the central European country, postcard-pretty Geneva, or he wouldn’t have sold it so... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1976871/geneva-centre-sophistication-and-wonder-when?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/spirit-travel/article/1976871/geneva-centre-sophistication-and-wonder-when?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jun 2016 16:00:00 +0000