It had all seemed quite straightforward during the pre-flight briefing with the pilot.  After describing how balloons operate and how the flights are staffed, the pilot had said that the wind conditions appeared favorable, but that if they were too strong in the morning the flights would have to be cancelled.  He reminded everyone to dress warmly, to bring cameras, and just as the meeting was closing, he added, “Don't forget to bring a hat.” For the sun, you presume.

Japan routinely gets labeled weird and quirky. Its image may just be a cartoon cliché based on little, but there's joy in believing that the island nation is drastically different – even odder than England. 

Still, few would argue that Japan serves up some extraordinary dishes that make frog’s legs look tame. Take a look at the menu. Spotlighted dishes range from a poisonous fish to feral ice cream. 

If someone says the magic word 'castle', what image springs to mind? Perhaps you think of the mystery-soaked monuments that cast their long shadows across medieval Europe. Or perhaps you think of the English king Arthur and the court of Camelot. 

But Europe holds no monopoly on castles. Asia hosts scores. Here are five of Asia’s most striking and strange castles, which transcend bricks-and-mortar, and border on marvellous. Their haunting, massive presence evokes the sound of drums and thunder. 

In Kenya, the Rift Valley forms the basis of the country’s major geographical features, the string of lakes that lies like an elongated ribbon to the north-west of Nairobi. 

Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita, Lake Naivasha and Lake Magadi in the south, have all become important focal points for wildlife, especially birdlife.  

Lake Naivasha was ‘discovered' by a German naturalist called Gustav Fischer in 1883, and its name is thought to derive from a classic case of European mispronunciation. The early visitors asked their Swahili porters what the lake was called and were told 'enaiposha' which means quite simply 'the lake'.  And so, with the pronunciation slightly mangled by the Europeans, Lake Naivasha it became. 

There is something undeniably glamorous about the French Riviera.  Just a mention of the name brings images of sun-kissed beaches, blue skies, sleek yachts and impossibly glamorous people to mind. Much of this hype is undeniably true, but in a town like Nice the gloss and glamour are leavened by a hearty dose of natural, practical Mediterranean life. The harbor may well be filled with beautiful yachts, frequented by beautiful people, but there are also working fishing boats and ferries.  The restaurants may well be three-star Michelin, but the harbor-side cafes, frequented by locals, are every bit as popular and bursting with life. 

It is this mix of image and reality that make Nice such a fascinating microcosm of the French Riviera. When other pretty coastal towns and villages empty at the end of the season as the beautiful people jet off somewhere else, life in Nice continues pretty much as before. The colorful fruit and vegetable market still takes place every week in Cours Salaya, the ferries and fishing boats still leave on the evening tide, and the harbor cafes are as busy and noisy as before. 

On the sun-kissed southern coast of France sits the world’s second smallest country, Monaco. (The Vatican is the smallest, by the way). The Principality of Monaco, to use its official name, covers just 0.76 square miles, but within its small pocket-handkerchief sized boundaries, it has money and glamour and a reputation that totally outstrips its size.

A policy of reclaiming land from the sea means the country is very slowly growing in size, but it still remains the world's smallest French-speaking country. For the record, Monaco is also the world’s most densely populated sovereign country.  It has been ruled by one family, the Grimaldis, since 1297, when, according to legend, François Grimaldi captured the fortress on the strategic Rock on Monaco, dressed as a Franciscan monk.

The only problem with trying to write a 'Top sea and beach things to do in Mauritius' list is that it is simply one set of superlatives after another.

This little island in the Indian Ocean is paradise for everyone who has ever dreamed of a relaxing beach holiday.  Not that you will get much lazing-around-on-the-beach time, if you work your way through this list of how to enjoy every second of those clear, lagoon-protected waters. 

And that is an important point to bear in mind.  The island is protected by an almost totally encircling reef, which means that the waters within it are (largely) calm and peaceful, and of the most iridescent turquoise.

Going on a game drive in the South African bush is an unforgettable experience. 

Although most wildlife in South Africa is found within the boundaries of vast National Parks, wildlife reserves and private game farms, that by no way implies they are kept in a glorified zoo.  

Hundreds of kilometers of wilderness, sometimes with drivable roads, but often-times just rough dirt tracks only suitable for 4x4 vehicles, means that most of the time the animals have the upper hand in the viewing stakes.  They live their lives deep in the forest, venturing out of the protective tree cover to go to the water holes, and it is a question of good luck and perseverance that we humans are able to see them at all. 

“Tashi delek. Tashi delek,” the old lady sang out cheerfully, as she raced past me. Her wrinkled face gave me a happy, toothy grin and then she was gone, heading effortlessly for the 5,630-meter Dolma La, the highest point of our pilgrimage around Mount Kailash. 

If I’d had the energy, I would have had distinctly uncharitable thoughts.  There we were, all togged out in hiking boots, thermal clothing and expensive down anoraks, plodding painfully along, gasping for breath, while yet more smiling Tibetans, most of them elderly, and most of them wearing nothing sturdier than gym shoes and thin jackets, rushed past us in a swirl of smiles, prayer wheels and tashi deleks.  

Anybody wondering exactly how far Japan is ahead of the West should ride the Shinkansen, the bullet train, remembering –soberingly – that it has been in operation for nearly 40 years. 

Everything is, without saying, immaculate; the trains shiny white, silent and polished to a gleam. The ticketing operation is flawless, with not just easy and helpful reserved seating, but with conductors who bow, dressed in creamy beige uniforms with gold trim and matching beige shiny patent-leather shoes – the whole snazzy outfit in male and female versions. They know exactly which seats to approach after people have got on and off at the various stops along the line. No, “Tickets, please,” while lurching blindly from seat to seat as they do in the West. Nothing lurches in Japan, even at 200 miles per hour. 

Paris. 

Just that one simple word and the images come rushing, pell-mell, of a beautiful, timeless city – the Champs Elysées, the Left Bank, Montmartre, the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, which never disappoints, however often one has seen it. 

Paris is a magical city to discover, for it has something to offer everyone: superb museums, wonderful shops – though some may just be for window-shopping – restaurants galore, walks along the River Seine, a cup of coffee in a pavement café... it's difficult to avoid the clichés when describing the City of Light.

If the Philippines strike you as remote, here’s a reason to go there instead of Thailand or Laos: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River [www.puerto-undergroundriver.com]. A beguiling shade of aquamarine, the river is the main draw at the national park named after Palawan province’s capital, Puerto Princesa City, which lies 600 kilometres southwest of Manila.

So, you have only 48 hours in London and want to see everything?

Well, not everything, obviously, but as much as is humanly possible, whilst not neglecting to sleep, eat, shop, and have a pint in a pub.

The best way to get an initial (and literal) overview of this marvelous city is to take a tour on an open-top bus.  Get your bearings, see all the major sights in one go, and then, the next day of your all-too-brief two-day stay in London, you can go back and visit select places in more detail.

Forget Giza’s famous pyramids for a second. The Nile-side Egyptian city is just one platform for the slanting structures. Pyramids also occur in China. Yes, you read that right. The nation better known for a winding wall than any fancy trapezoids has more than a smattering of pyramids.

Take one of the most important Hindu festivals of the year.  Combine it with the beginning of the festive season (read weddings, weddings, weddings). Add in a dash of deliciously pleasant weather after a long hot summer, and what do you get ?

Diwali, that’s what.

The Hindu festival of lights is an occasion that brings out the best in each and every inhabitant of India - shopping for gifts, eating rich sweets, visiting family and friends, lighting up your home, playing cards and gambling, buying new clothes, and ushering in a new year.  Realistically, what more can one ask ?

Mumbai is India’s ultimate 21^st century show-piece city. Finance, industry, commerce, Bollywood – Mumbai has it all.  Add to that a great location on the shores of the Indian Ocean, and it’s no surprise that Mumbai is one of Asia’s great cities.

Unlike the Indian capital city, New Delhi, where who you are and who you know is ultra-important, Mumbai is cosmopolitan and seriously easy-going.  Long used to absorbing people from all over the country, who still flock there in droves, lured by the eternal hope of fame and fortune, Mumbai has an open-hearted, welcoming feel to it. The island-city has a dramatic location surrounded by water, and since land is limited, Mumbai grows ever upwards.  Skyscrapers mushroom, constantly changing the city’s skyline, and at night the city is a blaze of lights.

While traveling throughout Southeast Asia experiencing the foods, the customs, the different ways of life, it's easy to overlook the wildlife. One inhabitant that deserves attention – the good kind – is the Sumatran rhino.

Nobody could describe the Sumatran rhino as ‘a looker’. In fact, the stocky, stumpy monster mammal with reddish-brown skin is spectacularly ugly. One Sumatran rhino hallmark – shaggy hair sprouting from its ears – raises the specter of an ageing human male in need of ‘manscaping’.

Jo’burg.

Jozi.

Egoli, the city of gold.

Whatever you call it, Jo’burg is one of the most dynamic and exciting places on the African continent, a heady combination of big and brash, rich and poor.  It can be a volatile place and has undeniable crime problems, and yet it's the driving, dynamic power-house of Africa.

Cape Town is one of the world’s luckiest cities.  Cape Town, or the Mother City, as South Africans describe it, has it all. Literally.

Mountains, beaches, history, great food, great shopping, vineyards, a location to die for – and despite the mockery of people from Johannesburg, it actually doesn’t even have such awful weather.  It does rain, that’s true, but that explains why it’s all so lush and green.  It does get misty, but that’s what you get for living at the tip of Africa, washed by two oceans. 

Of all the special places in Asia, the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, has to be up there with the best.  It is multi-faceted, multi-cultural, safe, clean, accessible, and full of lovely, welcoming people. It also has great food.

Many travelers start their journey in Kota Kinabalu, a bustling highly organized town with a great location, ideally situated as a hub for so many of Borneo’s attractions.  This may read like a clichéd tourist brochure, but it’s true.  From KK, as Kota Kinabalu is universally known, you can visit not only the city and the offshore islands to see the turtles nesting, but also the iconic Mount Kinabalu.

It might sound clichéd, but you really do get a 'high' from standing on the Roof of Africa, on the snowy summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, all challenging, exhausting 5895 meters of it.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point on the whole African continent is a huge physical challenge, and not one to be undertaken lightly, but it is one that is perfectly within the grasp of anyone who is reasonably fit, has the basic equipment (boots, gear etc – more on that below), and – above all – is mentally strong.

You can see the eerie smiling face from Circular Quay, on the other side of the harbor. The face is enshrined at the entrance to that sprawling Sydney fun house, Luna Park.

Dizzyingly weird, Luna Park gives that better-known Circular Quay attraction, the Opera House, a run for its money. Hence the repeated interest of filmmakers, documentary makers and TV directors. For instance, an episode of the iconic Aussie TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was filmed there.

Learn more about the retro attraction set at Milsons Point on Sydney’s elegant North Shore. The attraction, which dates back to 1935, has a rich, dark past that should mean it is haunted, if ghosts exist.

Apples, bananas and oranges get boring eventually and start tasting like sawdust. If you struggle to eat such mainstream fruit and thus fail to ‘get your vits’, as Aussies say, join the club and discover some exotic species of fruit popular around Asia.

If you mix them up, these succulent fruits might just revive your jaded tastebuds and make consuming vitamins more enticing. You can always try them blended at increasingly common blender-powered Asian smoothie stalls.

Mangosteen

Few attractions can accurately be classified ‘unique’, but one that deserves that word is the offbeat Aussie attraction Lark Hill Quarry. An hour from the rural town of Winton, deep in the Outback of Australia's Queensland state, the site is well off the tourist trail.  

Frozen fear

Far from just a bunch of stones, the inland Queensland attraction has an amazing claim to fame. It served as the stage for the world’s only recorded dinosaur stampede, which unfolded some 95 million years ago.

The only problem with trying to write a “Top sea and beach things to do in Mauritius” list, is that it is simply one set of superlatives after another.

This little island in the Indian Ocean is paradise for everyone who has ever dreamed of a relaxing beach holiday.  Not that you will get much lazing-around-on-the-beach time, if you work your way through this list of how to enjoy every second of those clear, lagoon-protected waters.

And that is an important point to bear in mind.  The island is protected by an almost totally encircling reef, which means that the waters within it are (largely) calm and peaceful, and of the most iridescent turquoise.

The Thai tourist board slogan states ‘amazing Thailand’ and certainly the Land of Smiles offers endless opportunities for amazement.  Here we take a look at seven of the Land of Smiles’ most extraordinary draws – some big-ticket and well-known, others overlooked except by locals and the adventurous.

What images does the word ‘desert’ trigger in your brain? Presumably, you think of burning sand, stinging sun and mirages sparked by unrelenting heat that makes the air quiver.

Contrast that tropical image with India’s Ladakh Desert. Bucking the norm, the Ladakh Desert is distinctly chilly. In fact, the Ladakh Desert is said to be the world’s coldest desert.

Find out the nitty gritty side of this strange stretch and the wider Ladakh area imbued with the dreamy, mystical image that inspires lots of waffle. We give you the truth, which is stranger than fiction. Ladakh’s wildlife line-up includes a blue sheep.

Inside Ladakh: 10 curious facts about India’s lunar land

1. Much of Ladakh lies over 3000m above sea level, making it the highest plateau area in India.

The human race stands at the brink of an epic statistical milestone. The UN has set October 31 of this year as the date the human population is expected to surpass seven billion people. As our numbers swell, the wild animals that we treat like awkward guests have ever less legroom.

Take a look at some Asian survival outposts – conservation zones where animals take precedence over people.  The line-up runs the gamut from mouse hares to mighty Komodo dragons.

10 reasons to get the Agoda.com iPhone* app
(*Android coming soon)

Of all the iPhone travel apps out there, one that lets you book hotels on your mobile phone has to be the most useful. It's so useful, there's not even a downside to it – even if you never book a hotel via the agoda.com app, just having it there can still work out to your advantage.

Here are our top ten reasons why you should download the agoda.com iPhone app

The glorious mountains around Val d’Isere, in France’s Haute Savoie province are rightly famed for their fabulous winter skiing.  With some of Europe’s best mountains, excellent weather, and great tourist infrastructure, skiers beat a path here in the winter months.  Some of the sexiest events of the 1992 Winter Olympics were held here, so in terms of hotels, dining, and entertainment, everything is beyond top-notch.

But the summer?  A ski resort in July?

Here are six good reasons to grab your hiking boots and head to this corner of France in the summertime.