In the 3 + 1 section we’ll be asking all sorts of people to delve deep into their memory banks – and memory cards – to answer two questions – what have been the three greatest travel experiences of your life? And where in the world have you always dreamt of traveling to? Perhaps we’ll get something profound; perhaps we won’t. In the end, all that matters is that you wasted a couple of minutes of your day that you might otherwise have used working productively.

Today, as part of ‘Meet the Kapowers’ week, it’s Erin.

1. Chengdu, China

I don’t know what it was about Chengdu (aka “Can Do”) that I liked so much. It may have been that the city gave me my first shower in 6 days, or that for the first time in two weeks the temperature was above 2 degrees, or that the altitude allowed me to breathe again (me having arrived in the city from the high mountains of Szechuan) – I don’t know what it was exactly, but it was rad and I was deliriously happy while I was there. 

Chengdu isn’t smoggy like other Chinese cities I have visited; locals get around on motorised scooters and it has a wonderful green centre. Being a city of 4 million people (the size of Sydney) you get the urban feeling of hustle and bustle without the feeling of chaos that is so common with other Chinese cities.  There are cool university hangouts, cafes and bars. There are great restaurants. The public transport is cheap and efficient. There are several different markets to visit with cheap shopping. You can have yummy dumplings from street vendors anywhere and lastly there are numerous temples, historical sites and Mao statues to visit.

But best of all is the middle of the city which is dominated by parklands that are full of activity. The hub of these parks are the tea houses around the lake.

Chengdu is famous for its tea and tea houses. There are dozens of different varieties of tea to try. Surrounded by tables and tables of pipe-smoking old men playing checkers, groups of teenagers engaged in deep conversation, tables of families clearly having a ‘get together’; you  get a strong sense of tradition. Everyone is drinking tea, eating mandarins and nuts, playing cards and checkers. To sit there and be a part of this – it is magical. We sat by the lake watching, smoking cigarettes, drinking tea and playing backgammon for hours… thinking of something appropriately profound to say.

p.s- Also the city to go  and gawk at big cuddly black and white things.

2. Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane is a place that I have been fortunate enough to visit several times. This is a wonderful city to explore, discovering it piece by piece. Though it’s the capital city of Laos it’s not really a city as such, more like a big country town, dust and all. The centre of town is defined by beautiful French colonial buildings, wide boulevards and iron street lamps that contrast with the chaotic traffic, noisy markets and the smell of burning rubbish that is unmistakably Southeast Asian. Everywhere there are children, dogs, bikes, tuk tuks, street vendors (always inevitably selling a meat on sticks: rat, bat, sparrow…) All this set against the dramatic landscape and Mekong river.

The best way to get around town is by bicycles – not new flashy bikes but the old school type with big handlebars, big seats, big wheels. I used to hire a pushie each time I visited Vientiane to get around town. One time we were here we rode our push bikes to the deserted Russian circus- a strange and eerie place….

One of the things that you must do is visit the herbal sauna that is in a temple in the outskirts of town. In a big old veranda high in the tree tops you get massages, herbal sauna and tea. This is a place of absolute calm – It is here I got the best massage I had while in Asia (and that’s saying something) – all for about 6 dollars.

The best memories from Vientiane are just of sitting by the Mekong riverfront at one of the twenty-odd riverside restaurants, watching the river fisherman and other activity as the sky turns pink from the setting sun, drinking a beer or a Lao Lao Boom (an evil whiskey, honey and lemon concoction)….and eventually much much later in the night listening to drunk travel buddies singing their improvised reggae track  “Lao Lao Boom King.”

I could have listed any of the towns in Laos in my three plus one…in the end I decided to go with Vientiane because it is the gateway into Laos, a truly amazing country that rewards you at every turn, from Luang Prabang in the north to Pakse and  Don Dett in the south. It does not really matter which city you decided to visit; they all have the common theme – relax… find a rooftop… and for god’s sake have a Beer Lao and watch the sun go down.

3. Koh Chang, Thailand

My third choice is Koh Chang (sorry, Mae Sarieng ), an island in the south east of Thailand, near the Cambodian border. Koh Chang is made up of little fishing villages, back packer oases, rainforests, pristine beaches and very touristy resorts. The majority of tourists stay at the top end of the island in the first few beaches. And if you really really enjoy expensive accommodation, crap food and whingeing middle age German men in speedos, then you should stay here too. You’ll love it. If you are after something else entirely, then this is what you do. Stay on the songthaew. When you first arrive on Koh Chang ferry terminal you will be greeted by songthaews (Thai open trucks that are like buses) and you will travel in these over the mountains to the main part of the island. You will stop at every beachside town. Do not get off the songthaew. Not even when you are greeted with “cheap cheap cheap”. Do not get off that songthaew until you are at least have way around the island…eventually you will come to Lonely Beach, and this is your reward. As the name suggests it is a beautifully unpopulated, clear water, white sand beach. Paradise, with bungalows right on the beach for five dollars a night. We came here several times, each time staying for days, lounging around on the big wooden deck. We did hire mopeds one day and drive to neighbouring villages to explore. We did venture to the middle of the island, full of tropical rainforests and fresh water waterfalls.  We did snorkel. We did walk over to the neighbouring hippy food joint for lunch.…but mostly we just lounged round under the palm trees chatting with other travellers, thinking about the grandness of life.

I’m pretty sure that in Thai, ‘Koh Chang’ means “sleep, eat, drink, swim and participate in nighttime shenanigans”. If it doesn’t it should.

DISCLAIMER: Yes Lonely Beach has the occasional full moon party – fun yet perplexing… Where do all those sweaty rave bunny British backpackers go during the day?

The +1: Havana, Cuba

The one place I cannot wait to go…

Apart from really liking rice and beans, I look forward to spending time in Havana, Cuba for many reasons. For the salsa, for the rum, for the lovely and electric people that I am told I will meet, for the colourful architecture, for the 1950’s time warp effect and to swim at pristine white sand beaches, to listen to the music of the Buena Vista Social club.

Mostly I would very much like to sit on a beach looking out at the Caribbean Sea with cigar and mojito in hand; pretending I am Ernest Hemingway looking for pirates.

Hasta pronto la Habana!