For centuries European artists, especially painters, have been coming to Bali to soak in the heady air of complete artistic dedication that is the unique character of the Balinese people. Nowhere else will you find such a diversity of creative skills expressed by so few -- and the "Island of the Gods" could not be a more conducive location.

Northern Laos especially presents many great trekking opportunities. Not only is the terrain very mountainous and largely swathed in forest, it is also home to a dazzling array of highly colourful minority tribal people who still pursue the traditional slash and burn (swidden) farming methods, unchanged for a thousand years.

Sail through the stunning islands of the Komodo National Park aboard the Ambasi, a boutique, traditional-style, Pinisi sailing boat that is available for private charter for groups of up to 8 passengers.

The mountainous Northwest of Vietnam is not only dramatically beautiful, with towering peaks and dramatic tumbling rice terraces, it is also home to a plethora of colourful tribal minority groups that have largely retained their traditional ways of life. This a land for trekking and cultural discovery.