This document provides travel recommendations for several international destinations, including: 1) Singapore - Recommends visiting Iggy's restaurant for contemporary East-West fare and highlights upcoming cultural events like the Singapore Biennale. 2) Kathmandu, Nepal - Suggests visiting an unnamed local pub in Patan's Durbar Square for authentic people-watching and drinking. 3) Berkeley, California - Recommends the student-focused bars and clubs Kewpies and Olypub, and describes the nightclub Venom with views of the city from the top of a tower.

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91 Singapore Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and
92 the Ibn Al-Aas mosque. Cairo is known
Aun Koh, author of foodie website as the “city of a thousand mazanah”
chubbyhubby.net (mosque towers), and the Sultan
Anyone who claims that Singapore is Hassan mosque is considered to be one
boring hasn’t been for a few years. Not of Cairo’s finest monuments, while the
only does the city-state boast some Mohammad Ali (pictured) and Bayt Al-
of the best restaurants and boutiques Suhaymi mosques are also spectacular.
in southeast Asia, it also has a pretty Finish with sunset over Cairo from Al
exciting roster of annual events. Azhar Park before going to Wekalat Al
We’re currently at the tail end of the Ghouri for the fascinating Sufi dancing.
second Singapore Biennale, which • intrepidtravel.com. Esam recently won
has featured some of the world’s top gold in the Paul Morrison Guide Award
contemporary artists, plus famed 2008, hosted by Wanderlust magazine.
architects like Shigeru Ban. And the Stay at The Talisman Hotel (0020 10
gastronomic scene is no longer just 62 12, talisman-hotel.com) doubles fr
about street food; gourmands should £120pn.
make a beeline to Iggy’s for some of the
best contemporary east-meets-west
99 Beirut
fare on the planet.
• Iggy’s, The Regent Singapore, Level 3, Dalila Mahdawi,
1 Cuscaden Road (0065 6732 2234, iggys journalist Daily Star, Beirut
.com.sg). Aun is also founder of the A leisurely stroll from Abdul Wahab
new Miele Guide to Asian restaurants Street in the predominantly Christian
(mieleguide.com). quarter of Achrafieh down to
Stay at Hotel 1929 (+6347 1929, hotel29 Gemmayze gives you an idea of the
.com) doubles from £60. quiet streets and attractive houses
of places. The Omotesando boulevard Then head to Olypub, a shabby, lively 99306); Venom, 8th floor, Fort Knox, that used to characterise Beirut.
in Harajuku is very well known as a institution on Cal’s main drag, where Camac St (+33 325 2290). Then head to the Manara Cafe next
92 Kathmandu
mecca for lovers of contemporary students, artists and professional Stay at Housez 43 (+91 33 2227 6020, to the lighthouse on the Corniche
Sam Taylor, journalist architecture, but few people know dilettantes get eye-rollingly drunk housez43.com) have doubles from £59pn. to see fishermen in action. For more
Kathmandu is full of cafes selling lassis that the area’s back streets are riddled on bad whiskey. After midnight go to bohemian pursuits, Club 43 is a
and banana pancakes to trekkers and with contemporary art galleries. On the Venom, a club situated on the top of a restaurant/bar in Beirut’s hippest
97 Damascus
dharma seekers, but the unnamed south east corner of the Omotesando/ tower block in the centre of town. On nightspot, Gemmayze — a non-profit,
bhatta (pub) on the western side of Aoyama Dori intersection, look up weekends it stays open till dawn, and Diana Darke, author anti-sectarian NGO run entirely by
Patan’s medieval Durbar Square is at the second floor window of the you can see the whole of the city from Where else could you find a Roman volunteers and set in what looks like
seriously authentic. The service is building opposite for the words its windows. arch on a street mentioned by name someone’s slightly run-down home.
terrible and the tiny wooden benches “Gallery 360º”, a small white cube • Kewpies, 2 Elgin Lane (0091 33 2475 in the Bible, now lined with Sunni and • Manara Palace Cafe, Cornic
uncomfortable, but it’s not often where you’ll find exhibitions by Yoko 9880); Olypub, 21 Park St (+33 222 Shi’a mosques, Greek Catholic and 375 3887); Club 43 (Gouraud Street,
you can eat, drink and people-watch Ono among others. Nearby, in the Greek Orthodox churches, bakeries, +370 8811).
smack bang among the stunning 16th block behind the Prada flagship store, grocers, pharmacies and antique Stay at L’Hotel Libanais (+351 3766,
century temples. The popular spot is Rat Hole Gallery, which specialises in 98 shops? In Damascus remnants of hotelibanais.com) doubles from £41pn.
lies down a smoke-blackened entry world-class photography. civilisations blend and contrast. During
sandwiched between two shops selling • Rat Hole Gallery, B1 5-5-3, Minami Ramadan go to the iftaar (the evening
100 Marrakech
brass statues, just behind the Krishna Aoyama, Minato-ku (0081 3 6419 meal that breaks the daily fast) in the
Mandir temple in Patan’s Durbar 3581, ratholegallery.com); Gallery magnificent courtyard of Bait Jabri, Dawn Boys-Stone, riad owner
Square (pictured) and has uniquely 360º, 5-1-27-2F, Minami Aoyama, a restaurant in the old city — it is a Apart from the legendary souks, I love
close-up views of a jewel of a Unesco Minato-ku (+3 3406 5823, 360.co.jp); wonderfully civilised occasion where a the local Bab Kechich market. At first
world heritage site. The chang (rice Art Space Tokyo (artspacetokyo.com). massive spread costs only £6. glance it seems little more than a grot
beer) is always fresh and tasty, and the Stay at Mitsui Garden Ginza • Bait Jabri, Al-Sawaf Street (00963 11 Moroccan car boot sale (yes, second
spicy snacks are delicious. (+81 335 431 131, gardenhotels. 541 6254, jabrihouse.com). hand shoes, brok
Stay at The Dwarikas Hotel (00977 co.jp) doubles from £136pn. Stay at The Beit Al Mamlouka (+963 car parts should you wish) but you can
1447 3725, dwarikas.com) doubles from 11 543 0445, almamlouka.com) has also procure fabulous gems that you
£114pn. doubles from £106pn. would pay a great deal more for in the
95 Cartagena
souks. The vendors are friendly and
Simon Locke, very few tourists venture there.
93 Valparaiso 98 Cairo
co-director, Columbia 57 Tours Stay at Dawn owns Riad Fawakay (+212
Matt Ridgway, writer of Chilean travel Carved from a colourful history of Esam Abd El Salam, 73187346, riad fawakay.com) which c
blog corrugatedcity.com piracy and colonialism, with fusions guide, Intrepid Travel be rented from £200pn based on four
As a city built into the hills (which of African, indigenous and European A visit to Coptic Cairo shows a people sharing two rooms.
affords views of both the Andes and the culture, Cartagena is Colombia’s living, completely different aspect of the city
Pacific) “Valpo” showcases the crazy breathing, pulsating museum. At night to the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Here, Compiled by Gemma Bowes, Lauren
feats of late 19th-century architectural heels click instinctively to the throb there are holy buildings for Judaism, Cochrane, Laura Goodman, Benji
engineering. But recently it has seen an of salsa at Café Havana. A number Christianity and Islam only few steps Lanyado, Paul McCann, Mat Osman
explosion of murals, street art, cafes, of magnificent boutique hotels have away from each other. Visit the Hanging and Annabelle Thorpe
bars and restaurants. Each peak has sprung up in the colonial mansions in
its features; from poet Pablo Neruda’s the old town, such as La Casa Pestagua
house on Cerro Bellavista, through the and La Passion.
three cemeteries on Cerro Panteón to • Café Havana, Calle Media Luna (0057
the great bars and restaurants of Cerro 315 690 2566, cafehavanacartagena.
Alegre and Cerro Concepción. In the com); La Casa Pestagua (+315 664 95 10,
latter, Allegretto is a great spot for local casapestagua.net); Columbia 57 Tours
draught beer. (0800 0789 157, colombia57.com).
• Allegretto, Pilcomayo 529 (0056 32 Stay at La Passion (+57 5664 8605,
296 8839, allegretto.cl). lapassionhotel.com) doubles
Stay at The Hotel Gervasoni (+3222 from £77pn.
39236, hotelgervasoni.com/eng) doubles
from £100pn.
96 Calcutta
Patrick Pringle, journalist and former
94 Tokyo
reporter for the Calcutta Telegraph
Ashley Rawlings, editor, Art Space Tokyo Mumbai has all the Bollywood
One of the greatest aspects of living glamour, Delhi is India’s political
in Tokyo is the endless discovery of Disneyland, but in many ways Calcutta
artistic nooks and crannies. Galleries is its soul. A night out in “Cal” starts
and museums are spread out all over at Kewpies, owned by a lady who runs
the city and hidden in the unlikeliest the finest kitchen in West Bengal.
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