SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Enchanting Escapes to The Far East
and The Pacific

World-famous for its shopping, Hong Kong also boasts a rich fusion of East and West cultures waiting to be explored. Join locals for a Tai Chi class on the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade or learn the rituals evolved during centuries of brewing and drinking tea.

Choose among the many routes to explore Hong Kong's history such as the Ping Shan Heritage trail in the New Territories or a walk through Kim Tin Walled Village, where the Hakka people still live as their ancestors did in the 16th century.

Explore the outlying islands of Lantau, Peng Chau and Cheung Chau. During the Birthday of Lord Buddha, visitors can join in the spiritual celebrations at Lantau Island's Po Lin Monastery and explore the Ngong Ping Cultural Village, reached by the Ngong Ping Skyrail. (www.discoverHongKong.com 800-282-4582)

With sleek high-rise buildings, bustling streets, and cosmopolitan dining, Kuala Lumpur symbolizes contemporary Malaysia, but you'll still see echoes of the past at the night market on Petaling Street, in the sun-reflecting copper domes of the Sultan Abdul Samad building, and in the British colonial buildings in and around Dataran Merdeka.

Enjoy sunbathing on white-sand beaches, taking a river safari, or shining lights on the giant limestone curtains in a cave in Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo, or the island of Langkawi. In Sarawak, journey down the Lemanak tributary passing rubber and pepper plantations, go jungle trekking and stay overnight in a longhouse. On Langkawi glide over the treetops in the rainforest on a cable car ride to Gunung Mat Cincang from the Burau Bay area. (www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my 800-558-6787)

Set in the heart of Shanghai's high-energy financial and business district of Pudong, the St. Regis, Shanghai is minutes from the city's cultural hot spots and 35 minutes from Shanghai's Pudong Airport. Spacious guestrooms have Henry Miller Aeron chairs, rainforest showers and BOSE CD systems. The St. Regis, Shanghai is the only hotel in the city that offers guests 24-hour butler service. Guests are treated to daily wind down cocktails at the Executive Lounge, garment pressing on arrival and fresh fruit and flowers. (www.stregis.com, 877-787-3447)

For an off-the-beaten path locale with some of the best diving in the world, head to Papua New Guinea. Stay in luxury jungle lodges, enjoy coral gardens and barrier reefs, or take boat trips on the Sepik River. (www.pngtourism.org.pg or 949-752-5440)

Reach your dream locale with Cathay Pacific, voted Skytrax "Airline of the Year 2005," and "Best Airline in Asia." First Class passengers dine on a meal highlighting both Western and Asian cuisine, can put on custom-made cotton pajamas and sleep in wide flat-bed sleeper seats. Cathay Pacific's long-haul Business Class cabins boast infinitely adjustable seats that extend into a flat bed for overnight flights and are surrounded by a privacy "cocoon." Economy-class passengers in most of the long-haul aircraft enjoy a 32" seat pitch, a personal amenity kit and a personal TV. (www.cathaypacific.com 800-233-2742)

Air China recently launched five new air routes linking China's inland regions to the United States and Europe. Fly from Qingdao via Beijing to Los Angeles. Other new air routes will transport passengers to New York and San Francisco from Chengdu. The airline recently introduced a luxurious new first-class cabin and business-class cabin on a Boeing 747-400, used for the Bejiing-Shanghai, Bejiing-Guangzhou and Bejiing-Shenzhen routes. (www.airchina.com.cn/en 800-982-8802)

St Regis
The St. Regis, Shanghai




SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION