South China Morning Post - Travel & Leisure

‘It feels good’: India’s Taj Mahal palace reopens to tourists after six-month closure ...

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 05:45:08 GMT

India’s Taj Mahal reopened on Monday after being closed to tourists for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic.With strict measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a maximum of 5,000 people per day are allowed to visit the historical monument, in Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Visitors must have their temperatures checked, wear masks, practice social distancing and sanitise their hands, while entry tickets are being sold online rather than over the…

Cosmetics for outer space: three-year countdown to launch begins for CosmoSkin by Japanese ...

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 11:15:13 GMT

Two Japanese companies have launched a joint project to develop the world’s first space-friendly cosmetics line by 2023.Both ANA Holdings and cosmetics manufacturer Pola Orbis Holdings have high hopes for the rapidly developing field of space travel, and say the project, dubbed CosmoSkin, aims to create cosmetics that feel comfortable on the skin even in the extremely dry and zero gravity conditions of space.ANA’s All Nippon Airways will provide aircraft, which can best simulate humidity levels…

Religious festivals in India adapt to pandemic ‘new normal’ as followers and businesses ...

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 05:45:08 GMT

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival is usually marked with much gaiety across India and is a community affair. Huge idols of the much-loved, elephant-headed Hindu god, Ganesh, are installed in opulently decorated pandals, or tents, that vie with each other for attention as devotees flock to offer prayers and distribute special sweets. The faithful don new clothes and, over 10 days, visit friends and relatives as well as a number of pandals across their home city. The revelry ends with the idols…

See Hong Kong by bus: nine of the most scenic routes around the territory for HK$24 or less

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 08:15:09 GMT

An open-top bus ride is a popular way of quickly getting to know a new city for tourists, but locals can discover new things about their hometown by doing the same – albeit with a roof over their heads. Hong Kong has its fair share of dramatic routes. Most passengers rely on these lines for daily commutes, but on the weekend they offer a comfortable way to see parts of Hong Kong you may never have experienced before. Here are nine scenic long rides to consider. All are serviced by double…

St Fagans, the ‘living museum’ in Wales that inspired an Alexander McQueen collection

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 08:15:05 GMT

When I read about the inspiration for this season’s Alexander McQueen womenswear collection in the show notes I did a double take. Creative director Sarah Burton has become known in the fashion industry for taking her design team on research trips around Britain and, ahead of autumn/winter 2020, she took them to St Fagans, on the outskirts of Cardiff, in Wales.Thought to be named after a 2nd century saint and the site of a pitched battle during the English civil war, in 1648, these days St…

From saris in India to bowler hats in Bolivia – around the world in traditional dress

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:15:14 GMT

Rooted in tradition and culture, national costumes are worn at festivals and funerals, coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings. They are also worn to entertain tourists. Embodying heritage and local identity, these traditional items of clothing represent an antidote to a globalised world. Some are worn on a daily basis – berets and bowler hats, for example – while others, such as Dutch clogs, are more likely to be bought as holiday souvenirs.Perhaps the most reluctant wearers of national costumes…

Tokyo’s transparent toilets – stroke of clear genius or sheer madness?

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 00:45:10 GMT

Flying cars, a charge for plastic bags, no more Shinzo Abe … when Japan reopens to international arrivals, we should steel ourselves for it to look altogether like another country. And nowhere more so than on the streets of Tokyo, where you’ll be able to look into public toilet stalls, a development Forbes has hailed as “a stroke of genius” despite it seeming like a textbook example of chindogu (unmistakably Japanese inventions that are “not exactly useful, but somehow not altogether useless”,…

The best luxury hotel deals in Macau for when a travel bubble opens with Hong Kong

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 09:49:55 GMT

With tentative talk of a travel bubble opening between Hong Kong and Macau, we took a look at some of the best hotel deals currently available in the Vegas of the East. The deals we found are ones you can book now – while prices are low and special offers proliferate – and take advantage of later. And because no one really knows when the borders may reopen, we’ve only included hotels with generous rebooking and cancellation policies. We’ve included all the taxes and charges, too, so you don’t…