HIS MONTH’S ADVENTURE TRAVEL ISSUE veers off the beaten
track in more ways than I ever thought possible. For
starters, when we sent digital media editor Veronica
Inveen on assignment to Vietnam, it was with a plea
of “Be careful.” Her report about demining in what
had been a demilitarized zone during the war with America (“Planting
for Peace,” page 31), takes on a less sinister tone once it’s apparent
that the program involved has visitors planting trees on cleared land,
leaving the dangerous task of disposing of ordnance to the experts.
Avowed urbanite Grace Ma would be the first to admit that plunging
into the nitty gritty of the natural world isn’t exactly what she would
consider a normal vacation. Still, this month she ventures to The
Andaman in Langkawi to take part in a marine-conservation program
(“Cool as Cucumbers,” page 34), a tale that is bound to surprise you as
much as Ma’s powers of description did us.
Taking things one step further is
the question of whether or not a resort
island can be sustainable. Of course,
that should be the aim of every
destination, but we, as visitors, also
play a role. The question looms at the
forefront of where fast-developing
Phu Quoc goes from here (“Uni, Deux,
Tropical,” page 66), and fortunately,
it offers enough pockets of forward-
thinking that we should each note.@ C K u c w a y
[email protected]14 SEPTEMBER 2019 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
FROM MY TRAVELS
It was raining, but no matter:
three days curled up at a
literary festival at Raffles
Makati (raffles.com/makati/)
sounded like a great idea and
it was. Intriguing
conversations with a long list
of authors, both Filipino and
international, were merely
complemented with a lunch
at Mirèio that really was a
touch of the French
Mediterranean in Manila.FROM LEFT: IRFAN SAMARTDEE; CHRISTOPHER KUCWAY (2)EDITOR’S NOTE
FROM LEFT:
Local art and
French flavors
at Mirèio.