15 Night Spices, Teas & Rubber Trees Voyage – November 2017

Everything is the biggest, tallest, and the first of its kind, including manmade islands shaped like palm trees and the world’s first underwater hotel.

It’s a striking collection of styles, including modern interpretations of Islamic architecture. And if the planet’s largest shopping mall doesn’t appeal, traditional souks do still exist, including a gold souk housing over 200 retail shops.

The majority of Indians are Hindus, believing in a vast pantheon of deities. The most popular of these are visible everywhere, in large colorful temples, street corner shrines, shops, and on the dashboards of cars.

And then there are the dhobi-wallahs with their laundry, and the tiffin-wallahs with their lunch delivery, both popular and seemingly anachronistic services, run with a razor sharp precision that the West might be hard pressed to duplicate.

Echoes of their stay still whisper through the swaying palms, carried on soft breezes along the white sands for which Goa is justly famous—evocative but crumbling architecture, richly decorated churches, and the custom of siesta, eagerly embraced by the local population.

Head to the surrounding countryside for typical Indian villages, spice plantations, and a wetland sanctuary for an exhilarating bird-watching experience.

There’s also Mattancherry Palace, with a series of remarkable murals painted on its wooden walls. Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, gracefully silhouetted against sky and sea. An opportunity to sail the “backwaters,” a network of rivers, streams, and canals, for a peek at traditional rural lifestyles. And of course the spellbinding Kathakali dance, with its highly stylized performances and elaborate makeup and costumes.

From Colombo, the capital, you can meet the gang at the elephant orphanage, take a trip to Kandy to visit a temple purported to house a tooth of the Buddha, or check out village life on a bicycle.

Don’t forget to take some of the excellent tea home with you, a product for which the island became world famous under yet another name: Ceylon.

Because of its ethnic diversity, Malaysia offers a variety of cuisines, including an early version of Asian fusion: Peranakan or Nonya—the result of blending Chinese ingredients and wok cooking techniques with traditional Malay spices.

Play evening golf on lighted fairways; experience the nightlife on Mohamed Sultan Road; or relax at an outdoor spa. Be certain not to miss the savory seafood.