Asia
28 Samdach Preah Thoamak Lekhet Ouk St. (184), Phnom Penh 12206, Cambodia
The Plantation hotel opened up in late 2011 just down the street from my house. It's great for lots of reasons: rooms and facilities are spread across several historical buildings that were slated for demolition (and saved by this project),...
Shop No 8, Gokul Regency, Thakur Complex, Kandivali East, Mumbai - 400101, New Saibaba Nagar, Hemu Colony, Bhagat Colony, Kandivali, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400101, India
Drashta, the boutique of Mumbai-based fashion designer Drashta Sarvaiya, sells silk brocade skirts, brightly printed dresses, and beaded accessories, such as wrap belts made with semi-precious stones. This appeared in the November/December 2012...
B1/163, Nagwa Rd, opp. River Ganga, Assi ghat, Shivala, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221005, India
Varanasi is a city of beautiful chaos. Located on the banks of the Ganges River, it's one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and also one of the holiest. The river is the pulse of the city and it's worth setting your alarm...
Hawa Mahal Rd, Badi Choupad, J.D.A. Market, Kanwar Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302002, India
One can only imagine the royal gossip exchanged behind the pink sandstone screen of Jaipur's Hawa Mahal when women of the royal household gathered on the upper floors of the five-story palace to watch street festivals below while they remained...
Netaji Subhash Marg, Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006, India
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Red Fort, located in New Delhi, is a treasure trove of cultural history. You can spend hours wandering among the various buildings, learning much about the history of India. Tucked away within the walls...
Elephanta Island, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
When visiting Mumbai, a must-see is Elephanta Island. For just a few dollars, take a ferry from the Gateway of India to the island. The ferry ride takes about an hour and is an experience as well. Mumbai from the water is impressive. Once you land...
There are so many wonderful sites to see in Jaipur, but one not to be missed is the fruit and vegetable market in the old city. Brimming with vendors selling everything from mangoes to cucumbers to tomatoes and pineapples. It's a scene to just...
Though cows roam everywhere imaginable in India, something about a calf licking his or her nose at sunrise on the Ganga seemed like a memory worth capturing.
Harahi, Uttar Pradesh 231307, India
If you venture out of Varanasi, India, as I did recently, and you find yourself at the Kali temple just outside of Vindhyachal (as I also did), you might be smitten (or bitten) by the insane amount of monkeys that hang around the temple. Or you...
City Palace, Gangori Bazaar, J.D.A. Market, Kanwar Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302007
Spread out over several acres in the heart of Jaipur’s old town, the rose-hued City Palace complex reflects the influence of several rulers, starting with the 18th-century Maharajah Jai Singh II, who planned and built the outer walls, and...
“What better way to understand yoga than to travel to its birthplace?” says Katie Christ. Two years ago, the food stylist put her life in San Francisco on hold to spend two months studying at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga...
Devisinghpura, Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302001, India
After taking an exhilarating elephant ride up to the fort, we were lucky enough to have gotten there before a lot of other tourists. As we explored farther and farther into the fort, it seemed like it belonged to us alone. The colorful sandstone...
I happened upon this moment at a night market in Jaipur, India, which has some of the best shopping for beaded crafts, jewelry, ceramics, carpets and textiles. This jewelry stand in Johari Bazaar was crowded with women interested in the necklaces,...
Gangori Bazaar, J.D.A. Market, Pink City, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302002, India
Janta Mantar, a Jaipur park for the space-and-time-inclined, was built in the early 1700s by the Maharaja Singh. The UNESCO World Heritage site, located in the old city, contains 20 large stone astronomical instruments designed...
Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001, India
The Taj Mahal is referred to as "the jewel of Muslim art in India,” by UNESCO in its listing on the World Heritage Site registry. The Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had the truly magnificent white marble...
B-14/24 Near Andhra Ashram, Mansarover Ghat, Bangali Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India
A man emerges from the sacred Ganges River in Varanasi, India, after bathing and morning prayers.
1st Floor, Pheroze Building, Above Indigo Deli, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg,, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
As manufacturing moves out of the city, industrial spaces are being repurposed. In 2011, a boutique, cafe, and flower shop called Le Mill opened in a former rice mill near the naval dockyards. Roughly half the merchandise is made in India....
New art spaces abound across South Mumbai, notably in the districts of Fort and Kala Ghoda, which hosts the Kala Ghoda arts festival in February. The Chemould Prescott Road gallery focuses on well-known contemporary Indian artists, including the...
New Shelter Premises CHS, Plot #119, 1st Road, Khar, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052, India
Sanctum carries vintage-style home decor, including distressed-wood chests, floral cushion covers, and a bar table fashioned from a street vendor’s pushcart. This appeared in the November/December 2012 issue.
Thachangad, Kerala, India
It’s easy to unplug at this 71-room resort set on 26 acres, steps from a river and the secluded Kappil Beach. Hotel villas were built from native materials to mimic kettuvallam, Kerala’s iconic houseboats. Many have private courtyards with plunge...
McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India
Photographing the Dalai Lama in India was a dream come true. I'd been teaching photography in Dharamsala for 3 months and lived right down the street from him. But that didn't mean I got to see him very much. It's very difficult to get near the...
Find clothing, accessories, and home decor from India’s coolest designers at Hot Pink’s boutiques in Narain Niwas Palace and Amber Fort. Its hanging fish-scale lamp by Thierry Journo of Idli Design is covered in gold leaf. This appeared in the...
Shop. No.1, A.N. House, 31st Road, Lane Opp. Shoppers Stop, Off Linking Road,, Bandra (W), Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050, India
I often check out this curio shop that sells flip-flops, tote bags, and home goods such as picture frames and lamps. Everything has a funky, modern design and is super affordable. It’s an easy place to pick up souvenirs. —Manu Chandra Shop No. 1,...
Puducherry, India
This was a thousand year old temple that is still being built to this day. They built pieces of it in Hawaii than ship it to India.
Azad Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
Every morning, the Sassoon docks in the Colaba district of Mumbai fill with locals, young and old, who load baskets, bowls, and crates with all manner of Arabian sea life. I stood mesmerized watching women in beautiful bright saris balance heavy...
The Golden Temple is found near the India/Pakistan border and is the holiest place of worship for the Sikhs. Never before or since, have I experienced a place where true faith is proven through a feeling of calm, happiness, peace, trust, respect,...
Poovar, Kerala 695525, India
After two weeks of being held hostage by the urban chaos of Mumbai and Kochi, I was in serious need of sensory detoxification. I hired a car and driver and went 250 kilometers south of Kochi to a small coastal village called Poovar. There flows...
On fort kothri para, Dhibba Para, Manak Chowk, Amar Sagar Pol, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, India
Shopping in India is not for the feignt of heart. Touts in the big tourists centers are often pushy, and frequently downright obnoxious. But they know they've got goods that most people are going to shell out for, and they take advantage of it. I...
Hill Cart Rd, Limbugaon, Darjeeling, West Bengal 734101, India
To ride the Darjeeling Limited is a very novel experience. It takes forever (8 hours) as a form of transport up to Darjeeling, so save time and ride it for an hour or so departing from the Darjeeling railway station. En route, you can feel every...
10, Suffren St, White Town, Puducherry, 605001, India
Grab a cafe table in the library, among antiques, art and colonial treasures or at a cozy rattan garden table. Order belgian waffles, crepes and coffee and sit back and enjoy the eclectic indo-bazaar vibe. Don't miss the adjoinging Nirvana Shop...
I was drawn to this little hidden boutique by it's brightly colored handbags that glittered from beneath the boutiques eyebrows of hot-pink bougainvillea. Once inside this little jewel box shop, dancer Vasanty Manet has infused her Parisian...
5, JN Street, White Town, Puducherry, 605001, India
Peer out your classically styled French casement windows at the street outside where the evening bustle of the adjacent Hindu temple and temple elephant await. Turn back the delicate linen sheers and rest in the quiet luxury of a locally carved...
East Coast Road, Via Puducherry, Kottakuppam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu 605104, India
Serving as a gateway to Pondicherry, on both sides of the road lie some of the best antiques shops in South India. Shop furniture, photographs, idols and bits of Chettinad architecture in dusty roadside shops. Most vendors provide excellent...
