MALAYSIA
World’s best soup?
For food lovers, there’s no
destination in South-east asia
quite like Penang. located on the
Malacca Strait, it’s split by water,
but regardless of what part of the
city you’re in, you’ll discover some
of the best street food anywhere.
hit Gurner Drive hawker centre
for a huge array of dishes or
pile a banana leaf with curries in
George town’s little India. But
don’t miss the city’s (maybe even
the country’s) best assam laksa at
air Itam laksa, a roadside stall at
the bottom of Penang hill. assam
laksa is tangy and spicy, devoid
of coconut milk and served with
shredded mackerel. Find a stool
- tables turn over quickly – and
order a bowl for about au$1.20.
When you’re done, try another local
favourite – the durian ice-cream
from one of the stalls on historic
chew Jetty. It’s a funky flavour
bomb. penanglaksa.com
LAOS
High in the forest
Fly along zip lines to your treehouse
accommodation in the Nam
kan National Park at the Gibbon
experience. this conservation-
based tourism project has a number
of options, the most popular of
which is the three-day classic tour.
You’ll trek through the forest looking
for gibbons, leopards, sambar and
barking deers, macaques and many
other types of wildlife, as well as
glide through the trees among the
birds along the 15 kilometres of
zip lines to get from one hill to the
next. the canopy-top treehouses
are some of the highest in the
world if what you really fancy is
staring into the trees from your bed.
gibbonexperience.org