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FUJIAN PROVINCE (pop 37 million) Fujian is north of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province on the South China Sea. If you talk to Chinese descendants in SE Asia or Taiwan, many have roots that go back several centuries to Fujian. … Continue reading →

SHANGHAI (pop 23 million) One of the world’s largest and most vibrant cities, Shanghai profiles modern China in a way unlike anywhere else in the country. This is a city of action, not ideas, with non-stop shopping and skyscrapers. History. … Continue reading →

1. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia With its salt-tanged fishing villages and mountainous interior cloaked in dense woods, Cape Breton is the prize of Nova Scotia, a green getaway splashed with lakes and lapped by the blue waters of the Gulf … Continue reading →

1. Hana Coast, Maui Unspooling along 52 sinuous miles (84 kilometers) of Maui’s eastern coast, this route runs from Kahului to the town of Hana. On your left will be the azure ocean; on your right, rushing waterfalls, limpid pools, … Continue reading →

1. Great Ocean Road This isn’t just one of the world’s most exhilarating drives – it’s also the largest war memorial on the planet. Built by returning soldiers from 1919 – 1932, this 243km coastal route is dedicated to Australian … Continue reading →

1. Trollstigen

 Test your stomach by driving Trollstigen, one of Norway’s twistiest roads. The route’s steep 10% incline, narrow width and 11 hairpin bends make it a supremely wavy ride.
 Taking up a section of National Road 63 and connecting … Continue reading →

1. Cornwall, England With its whitewashed seaside villages and greener-than-green countryside dotted with Celtic ruins, the Cornish peninsula is a hybrid of historical attractions and natural beauty. From its subtropical gardens to its steep cliffs that cascade into the Atlantic, … Continue reading →

1. Flower Route From the moment the first tulip was planted in Dutch soil, in 1593, the Netherlands has been in extravagant bloom and the Dutch have been in thrall to flowers, inventing a whole horticultural industry and turning their … Continue reading →

1. Transfăgărășan Called “the best road in the world” by Jeremy Clarkson on a 2009 edition of Top Gear, Transfăgărășan runs for 90km across the Southern Carpathian Mountains, between highest and second-highest peaks Moldoveanu and Negoiu.
 A winding route of … Continue reading →

1. Furka Pass Another James Bond location, the Swiss Alps’ Furka Pass was used for a scene in Goldfinger. But you’ll probably look anything but Bond-style glamorous when tackling it: steep slopes, hairpin bends, switchbacks and sharp, blind curves make … Continue reading →