asialife HCMC 1 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

dispatches
Travel news from around the region and beyond
Cool Reads
It is billed as the biggest literary event in Asia and for its
seventh year, the Jaipur Literary Festival is unlikely to fail
on its promise of attracting bigwigs in literature. This year’s
line up includes Orhan Pamuk, JM Coetzee, Kiran Desai,
Ruskin Bond, Richard Ford, Jay McInerney, Mohsin Hamid,
Jung Chang and Candace Bushnell (hey, Sex and the City
is literature). The five-day event—just show up if you are
in the neighbourhood January 21 to 25, it’s free—isn’t just
boring literary events or roundtable discussions featuring
writers waxing eloquently about each other—there’s music,
poetry and film screenings too. It explains why former Vanity
Fair editor and now editor of The Daily Beast Tina Brown
described it as the “greatest literary show on earth”.
jaipurliteraturefestival.org
Ships Ahoy
Now in its eighth year, the Phuket International
Boat Show (PIMEX) is considered the largest
in-water boat show in the region and plans to
attract more visitors during the three-day event,
January 6 to 9. The event brings together the
biggest names in the region’s marine industry
and provides a good platform for boat-makers—
from 20 feet to over 100 feet—and buyers.
phuketboatshow.com
New Year, Hong Kong Style
If you’ve not planned your Tet holiday, consider Hong Kong.
The bustling city that never sleeps is actually a great destination
for Chinese New Year where a night parade on Tsim
Sha Tsui East in Kowloon hosts some of the island’s best performers.
The fireworks over Victoria Harbour make for some
of the most beautiful sights you’ll see in Asia. The following
day sees other colourful floats with performers, dancers and
street musicians accompanying them through the district.
The city is at its festive best during these holidays.
discoverhongkong.com
12 asialife HCMC