http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/kazakhstan-steppe-by-step-898696.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/kazakhstan-steppe-by-step-898696.html <p>For those who like their solitude, there are few places quite as expansive and lonesome as the steppes of Kazakhstan. Like the great plains of east Africa or the vast North American prairie, a seemingly endless carpet of wild grass stretches and sways long into the distance. The smallest hills, where they exist, offer a panoramic view of the horizon. </p> Cultural Holidays Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/tailormade-sightseeing-east-london-walking-tour-898760.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/tailormade-sightseeing-east-london-walking-tour-898760.html <p> I was standing face to face with a wild boar, its hirsute face fixed in an enduring snarl. But rather than encountering it in the forests of central Europe, I was standing in the basement of A Child of the Jago, the East End's latest concept boutique. Opened last month by Joe Corre (punk progeny of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren), the shop seems to capture the energy and creativity of this off-kilter pocket of London. </p> Cultural Holidays Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/vietnam-a-moving-story-889077.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/vietnam-a-moving-story-889077.html <p>Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam is a metropolis on the move. The commercial hub of Asia's newest tiger economy teems with motorcycles and scooters; there are 3.15 million of them officially registered, with about a thousand new scooters being signed up every day. They flow along the streets en masse, 24/7, like criss-crossing shoals of fish. From what I can tell, the average occupancy of these machines is about 2.2. Three-up is common; four-up, not unusual. On a couple of occasions, I think I saw five-up including toddlers.</p> Cultural Holidays Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:10 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/beijing-china-in-your-hands-882906.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/beijing-china-in-your-hands-882906.html <p> On first contact, Beijing is harsh on the senses. It is a city injected with growth hormones. The Chinese capital's landmarks, buildings and boulevards are constructed to exaggerated proportions and people get high on the speed of development. </p> Cultural Holidays Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:55 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/that-summer-beijing-1995-882921.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holidays/cultural-holidays/that-summer-beijing-1995-882921.html <p> I allowed myself a small moment of panic. It was late evening and I had entered Beijing's cavernous main railway station to be confronted by a near medieval scene &ndash; through the darkness and hazy smoke I could make out the forms of thousands of people, congregating in no apparent order, standing in groups, sitting in any spare space, sleeping on the floor, undisturbed by the intermittent roar of huge engines pulling in and out &ndash; the smell of diesel, sweat and fried chicken heavy in the air. I had to find my way to the Trans-Mongolian Express &ndash; there were no signs I could decipher and no obvious information point, I had a ticket valid for that train alone, no credit card, only $40 to see me to Moscow and it was just minutes till departure. </p> Cultural Holidays Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:06 +0100