Lonely Planet Local Micaela Marini Higgs moved to Bangkok and quickly fell in love with the city’s diverse culinary landscape, vibrant markets and maze of sois (lanes). She spends her days wandering through the city’s neighbourhoods snacking on street food, and her nights sampling Thailand’s new offerings of craft beer.

Wat Pho Temple houses the ‘Reclining Buddha’ in Bangkok, Thailand © itman__47 / Shutterstock

When I have friends in town… we always skip the crowds at the Grand Palace and visit the Reclining Buddha at my favourite temple, Wat Pho, instead. The large complex is a great introduction to Thai architecture and tradition. The nearby Pak Khlong Talat flower market, with sidewalks literally overflowing with vibrant blooms, also makes for picture-perfect memories.

The best market to shop is… Chatuchak Weekend Market. Popular among both tourists and locals, you can find absolutely everything here, including souvenirs, vintage clothing or the latest fashions, small art galleries and plenty of t-shirts printed with humorously nonsensical English phrases.

Hungry diners line up for a meal from an Ari street vendor in Bangkok © Micaela Marini Higgs / Lonely Planet

For cheap eats… I eat on the street! Visiting areas with lots of office workers or big lunchtime crowds is an easy way to find Thai favourites for less than 100B. Plus, it’s a great method for discovering new dishes. Areas like Phahonyothin 7 in Ari or Convent Road in Silom fill up with loyal regulars during lunch, but if you keep an eye out you’ll find outdoor food courts tucked down alleys all around the city. If nothing looks good or I’m in a hurry, I’ll duck into a 7-Eleven and grab a delicious and filling onigiri rice ball for 27B.

When picking a street stall… I always look at how clean the sauce and condiment containers are. This is a tip I learned from a friend when I first moved to Bangkok, and though there isn’t a fool-proof way to avoid food poisoning, this suggestion has served me well. The theory is that if they’re good about keeping these containers clean, they’re likely also washing their food prep area frequently.

The Bangkok nightlife scene is just as vibrant as the daytime © Micaela Marini Higgs / Lonely Planet

When I want to splash out… I get drinks at Rabbit Hole, a ‘secret’ bar that’s right on Thong Lor. With no signage or windows and an exterior made out of diagonal wood panelling, the bar can be easy to miss from the street, but its exceptional cocktails aren’t a secret. At around 400B per drink, it’s the kind of place you go to celebrate or treat yourself, and the affluent crowd makes for fun people-watching. In a city where lots of bartenders stick to strict measurements, I also appreciate that the drinks here are boozy enough that you don’t have to order too many rounds.

When I’m up for a big night out… I head to Thong Lor! First, I grab a curry set at Congee & Curry, which fills me up before a night of drinking and is so reasonably priced that I almost don’t feel guilty about the bar tab I’m about to rack up. From there I visit The Beer Cap, located on the ground floor of The Commons, for a few craft beers. After that I head to either 12 x 12 or T-Rex, two nearby dives known for their chilled atmospheres and alternative music selections, which range from tropical groove to 80s pop.

Nong Pak Chi Pond in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand ©Catherine Sutherland / Lonely Planet

When I want to get out of the city… I take a trip to Khao Yai, one of Thailand’s gorgeous national parks only a few hours drive north of Bangkok. You can get a van here from Victory Monument, but make sure to rent a car or scooter for getting around Khao Yai because the attractions are spread out. Though you won’t have any trouble finding the park’s large population of mischievous macaques, it’s worth hiring a guide who can show you the best places to spot elephants and other wildlife. Outside the park, you’ll find fun (and bizarre) recreations of European architecture and landmarks, such as the tower of Pisa, that cater to photo-op loving tourists.

One thing I hate about Bangkok… is the traffic! If you stick with the BTS Skytrain, you can zip around the city quickly, but if you want to venture off the beaten path and find more local offerings it’s easy to get stuck in gridlock. If you want to visit Chinatown or the Old Town, or plan to be on the road anywhere near rush hour, make sure to factor in traffic time.

Bangkok offers travellers diverse and ever-changing things to do and see © joesayhello / Shutterstock

What I love most about Bangkok… is that there is always more to discover. Even if you’re from Bangkok, it’s impossible to stay on top of all of the new openings or to know the best spots in every neighbourhood, so I’m constantly finding new places worth recommending. I also adore the diversity — and quality — of Bangkok’s food offerings. One night I can enjoy phenomenal high-end Indian cuisine at one of my favourite restaurants, Charcoal Tandoor Grill & Mixology, and the next day I can eat delicious Chinese food at another favourite, a no-nonsense hole-in-the-wall place called Sun Moon Restaurant.

Lonely Planet Local Micaela Marini Higgs enjoying a night out in Bangkok’s Chinatown © Micaela Marini Higgs / Lonely Planet

One tip I’d give travellers… is to back away from the harem pants, otherwise known as ‘elephant pants’! While they’re super comfortable, they’ve also become a major cliché and draw attention to the fact that you’re new in town, which túk-túk scammers take advantage of. While you’re free to wear what you want, I always tell my visiting friends to save them as a souvenir to wear once they’re home instead.

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We are in a golden age of children’s literature, and this love is felt most intensely in children’s bookstores, many of which are so special and imaginative that you could plan a whole family vacation around them. If anyone can keep your kids busy for a few hours, it’s a passionate (and patient) children’s bookseller.

The inviting exterior of Stories Bookshop in Brooklyn © Stories Bookshop Brooklyn

Experiment in Brooklyn

Like its readers, Brooklyn’s Stories Bookshop and Storytelling Lab is small but mighty. The baby-blue facade leads into a compact store with exposed brick and crisp white shelves where kids can find a new favorite book and parents can discover rare and vintage titles. In the back of the store is the Lab, designed with a one-room schoolhouse in mind, which hosts art and storytelling workshops. Drop-off classes are available for kids ages six to nine, or parents can join little ones (ages two to five) for a lesson filled with art, music and stories.

Escape the city in New York City

Books of Wonder, New York City’s oldest children’s bookstore, is a cozy utopia of tidily arranged books – new, used and collectible – on glowing oak shelves as far as the eye can see. The window display, decorated by well-known children’s illustrators, is always pure magic, and kid-lit lovers of all ages will find something to take home, from classic and contemporary books to original art. And you can soak up the literary goodness in two parts of town: While the original Books of Wonder is in Chelsea, a second location recently opened on the Upper West Side.

A literary lighthouse in Michigan

Kids don’t just love stories at Storybook Village in Pentwater, Michigan – they become parts of them, as characters and creators. Reading nooks abound, from the Fish House to the Reading Gazebo, and like a portal into another realm, a lighthouse doorway leads readers from the bookstore into the Starlight Theater Room and its wall-to-wall mural of sky and sea. Activities are seemingly endless, with puppet shows and theater productions, plus art and creative writing workshops. The book selection focuses on some specialty publishers, so don’t come with a specific book in mind. Rather, let the knowledgeable booksellers (the owner is a former teacher) pick something perfect for you.

It’s always storytime at Read With Me in Raleigh © Read With Me

Share literary love in Raleigh

Curl up with a great book in the window seat of Read With Me, a Children’s Book & Art Shop, located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, at a walkable distance from the Marbles Kids Museum. This is a place to share your love of reading with young ones – and where art is a crucial part of that storytelling process. A local educator hosts Storytime & Craft several times a week, and kids can play with a variety of mediums including paper craft and mixed media. Well-curated shelves are organized by height, with books for youngest readers on the bottom and teen reads on the top.

Let the wild rumpus start in Minneapolis

Do you remember what it’s like to read a book as a child? It feels a lot like walking into Wild Rumpus in south Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more than 25 years, this dreamy bookshop has blurred the lines between indoors and outdoors – and between reality and the storytelling world. A canoe cruises through the waters of the ceiling, and readers pass through a tree house-inspired passageway as they move to the back of the store. It’s also officially a pet shop that only sells books, as they have a pet store license for their animal menagerie, which includes tailless cats, a chicken, rats, ferrets, a cockatiel, a tarantula and a chinchilla.

Children help paint the colorful backyard mural at Second Star on the Right in Denver © Second Star on the Right

Straight on till reading in Denver

Second Star to the Right Children’s Books in Denver, Colorado, will feel like home, where kids are free to explore to their heart’s delight. Weather permitting, storytime is hosted everyday outside on their cheerful, chalk-decorated patio, with themes as wide-ranging as Officer Robbie Storytime (with a local police officer) and Socially Conscious Storytime. Other events include yoga classes and tea parties. But don’t fret if you’re stuck inside on a rainy day – handmade stars shine down from a glittery ceiling, and secret alcoves allow young readers to curl up and dig into a good story.

Get lost in Los Angeles

For more than 30 years, the award-winning Children’s Book World in West Los Angeles has boasted a selection of more than 80,000 titles. You could spend hours here, but it would be a special treat to come for one of their special events, like Drag Queen Storytime or a kid-friendly mini-concert. And while you’re reading good books, you’re also doing good work: through their nonprofit Children’s Book Recycling Program, the bookstore collects and donates gently used books to low-income schools and programs.

It’s all George, all the time at this bookstore in Cambridge © Curious George Bookstore

Monkey around the world in Cambridge

After fleeing Paris on bicycles during the Nazi occupation, the creators of Curious George and the Man with a Yellow Hat settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the World’s Only Curious George Store honors their memory in Harvard Square with books, exclusive toys and more. Your little monkeys can meet the famous monkey when he visits, or check out Curious George’s house at the back of the store for storytime on Friday morning.

TreeHouse Books in Ashland, Oregon, has been a community stalwart since 1978 © Tree House Books

Find the magic in Oregon

TreeHouse Books in quaint Ashland, Oregon, is the fairy ring of bookstores. With its window display of miniature worlds and an unique selection of gifts and books, this may seem like a quirky, lovable little shop, but there’s something especially enchanting about it – just maybe, magic is real here. Each genre or reading level is an entrance to a different ‘land,’ and readers will discover a Wizard Apothecary, a Secret World Vault and more. The store also hosts story-based games throughout the year that interact with the greater Ashland community, such as Gnome for the Holidays, in which kids can follow a map from the store’s gnome door to other doors throughout town. Consider coming for Halloween or the holiday Festival of Light celebration, when everyone is dressed in wacky costumes.

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Big blazing skies, slivers of secluded white sand and little more noise than the faint melody of bird song, the Frisian Islands offer everything you could want from a paradisiacal archipelago — and it’s floating just 5km off the northern coast of The Netherlands.

With Friesland and its capital Leeuwarden taking on dual European Capital of Culture duties with Malta’s Valletta in 2018, there’s never been a better time to catch a ferry across the largest inter-tidal sand and mud flats in the world, the Wadden Sea, to go full Robinson Crusoe on the Frisian Islands. With five possible islands to get shipwrecked on, here’s how to pick the right atoll for you.

The iconic Ameland Lighthouse is one of the most iconic sights on the island © Jurrien Veenstra / Lonely Planet

For a two-wheeled foodie tour… aim for Ameland

On Ameland, do as the locals do and traverse the island by bicycle. Rent your wheels from Fietsverhuur Kiewiet, right next to where the ferry docks, and head out to explore the island’s 90km of cycle paths through its flat fields and shaded pine woods. Near the harbour, the picturesque village of Nes is a labyrinth of paved lanes, 17^th-century whaling captain houses, shops, and restaurants. Fuel up on kibbeling (bite-sized fried whitefish) at Metz or sink your teeth into a raw herring (be warned – it’s an acquired taste).

About 6km west of Nes, in the village Ballum, seek out the beautifully preserved bruin café (brown café) Nobel and try its infamous Nobeltje – a sweet liquor cocktail created by accident over 100 years ago. During a cold winter night, when owner Willem Barend Nobel didn’t have enough alcohol left to serve the thirsty contestants of a sledding competition, he hastily threw some leftover drinks together and Nobeltje was born. The recipe remains a family secret to this day.

Pedalling west from Ballum, point your wheels towards the red-and-white banded Ameland Lighthouse. Built in 1888 but since decommissioned, visitors can climb the 236 steps for sweeping views of the rippling grass dunes and waving trees below. On clear days, the island of Terschelling is visible across the steel-blue water of the North Sea.

From the lighthouse it’s a last uphill climb to the westernmost stretch of beach on the island. Beachclub the Sunset is the perfect spot to re-fuel. Sit on the terrace and enjoy fresh oysters or bitterballen (meat-filled croquettes) as the sun’s golden rays sink beneath the waves.

Getting there Ferries to Ameland depart from the Frisian village of Holwerd.

Vlieland is blessed with a ring of golden sands, most notably the vast beach that covers its west coast © Sara van Geloven / Lonely Planet

For never-ending beaches… visit Vlieland

There is only a single village on Vlieland, the westernmost of the Frisian Islands. Its main street is lined with boutiques, cosy hotels and gabled houses dating as far back as the 16^th century. Head past the harbour though and you’ll find 12km of powdery white sand, bookmarked by Oost, a modernist beach pavilion made of wood.

Pick a spot to lay down your beach towel and brave the bracing white-capped waves that whoosh into the shore. The island of Terschelling is visible across the Stortemelk, a particularly wild stretch of water where the North Sea and Wadden Sea meet. Stay overnight at campsite Stortemelk where you can pitch a tent in the dunes (rentals available) for unobstructed views of the glittering Milky Way.

Getting there Vlieland is accessible by ferry from the small Frisian city of Harlingen.

A sunset party on Terschelling as part of the annual Oerol Festival © Sara van Geloven / Lonely Planet

For a cultural escape… try Terschelling

For 10 days in June each year, the entire island of Terschelling becomes a stage. Sand dunes host theatre performances, stretches of beach become land art, and music echoes out from the island’s remotest farms. Originally organised by local bar owner Joop Mulder, the Oerol Festival is now one of the most innovative festivals in the country.

Arguably the most interesting element of the festival is the cultural landscape project Sense of Place, which transforms the island’s bucolic bounties into oversized works of art. Previous installations have used willow branches to turn salt marshes into a Mondrian painting or had newly-planted marram grass grow into M.C. Escher-inspired sand dunes. In 2018, the project will expand beyond Terschelling with artist Nienke Brokke set to create a 20m-high earth-and-grass sculpture of a reclining female nude on a dyke near Holwerd.

Getting there Ferries to Terschelling depart from Harlingen.

A seal relaxes on the smooth sands of Schiermonnikoog © emka74 / Shutterstock

For wild nature… select Schiermonnikoog

The smallest of the Frisian Islands, Schiermonnikoog, brims with nature. To the north lies the widest beach in Europe, fringed by marram grass, and to the vast salt marshes of the south and east are teeming cordgrass, sea-lavender and edible samphire.

Much of the island is a dedicated national park and it remains almost car-free, allowing its diverse habitats to attract a multitude of animals, including over 300 species of bird and seals that gather on the sandbanks. The birdwatching hut at Westerplas freshwater pool is the best place to spot waterfowl in the wild (guides available).

The tourist office also organises several nature expeditions. Try your hand at jutten (searching for treasures on the beach) or attempt wadlopen, recreational mud flat walking across the Wadden Sea floor at low tide. It’s a messy undertaking, but it is a unique way to explore this extraordinary ecosystem.

Getting there Ferries go from the small harbour of Lauwersoog in the neighbouring province of Groningen.

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The suburbs of Soweto, part of metro Johannesburg, and Khayelitsha, the vast township on the Cape Flats east of Cape Town, are throwing off their reputation for ‘misery tourism’. These reborn townships are embracing an enterprising future that includes new monuments, contemporary theatres, community centres covered in public art, gourmet restaurants and third wave coffee shops.

A mural by Breeze Yoko on the new Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha © Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet

Soweto’s Sites of History

Shorthand for ‘South Western Townships’, Soweto and its roots date back to the turn of the 19th century when the area was designated as a residential neighbourhood for black South Africans. It all began in Kliptown, first laid out in 1891 on part of what was then the Klipspruit farm.

One of the many sculptures at Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto © Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet

Today the district’s focal point is Walter Sisulu Square, named after the celebrated apartheid struggle activist. On 26 June 1955, Sisulu was among the 3000 delegates of the Congress of the People who gathered here to draw up the Freedom Charter. The charter’s key ideological points are represented by ten pillars that flank one side of the broad grassy plaza, each capped with interpretive statues. The plaza s also bracketed by a tourist office, convention centre, the Soweto Hotel, and a lively traditional market. The conical brick tower on the square’s north side, reminiscent of ancient African architecture, is the Freedom Charter Monument. An x-shaped skylight casts a symbolic ‘mark of freedom’, like the cross on a ballot paper, over the eternal flame that burns inside the monument.

A moving mural within the June 16 Memorial Acre in Soweto © Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet

Opened in 2015 and commemorating one of the most traumatic moments in Soweto’s history is the June 16 Memorial Acre. On this date in 1976, a peaceful student protest was violently put down by the police, with over 200 teenagers killed on the first day of the troubles. These heartbreaking events are immortalised at this largely open-air site by a striking collection of contemporary murals and powerful artworks. The plan is to create a tourist route from here to the memorial and museum named after 12-year-old Hector Pieterson who was one of the first victims on that fateful day.

Contemporary Soweto Style

The struggle against apartheid is central to Soweto’s identity, but life in this thriving metropolis of over 1.2 million residents is not solely about the past. Many new businesses and institutions are adding to the quality of life here. A great example is Thesis, a boutique and cafe in the suburb of Mofolo. The cool kids behind this concept fashion brand create colourful streetwear with graphic slogans and brightly coloured patterns. They also have a running club that meets every Saturday morning to pound 10km around Soweto.

More eye-catching fashions from emerging local designer are on sale at the Box Shop. This boutique and coffee shop, constructed from shipping crates, heads up Vilakazi St where, at one time, two Nobel Prize winners – Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu – once lived. Their former homes, Mandela’s a small and highly popular museum, make this ground zero for Soweto tourism but the strip is also beloved by locals who hang out at buzzy and slickly designed restaurants and bars here, including the hip Vuyo’s and Wine Bar.

Action inside the Soweto Theatre © Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet

A wine bar in Soweto? Yes, and there’s also an annual wine festival, which takes place at the Soweto Theatre. Some 200,000 vivid blue, yellow and red tiles cover the exterior of the three performance spaces that make up this cultural hub. Many other events and shows are hosted here throughout the year including the TV show South Africa’s Got Talent. Even if there’s nothing on, it’s still worth visiting to view the creative art and installations that decorate the theatre’s lobby.

If beer is more your thing, then head over to Ubuntu Kraal Beer Garden, where you can quaff the various on-site produced ales of Soweto Brew Co, now owned by Heineken, who are aiming to turn Soweto Gold lager into a mass-market brand. A few beers here may help you find the courage to take the plunge on the bungee jump from the rope bridge strung between the nearby Orlando Towers. And if such adrenaline rushes are not your thing, admire the giant mural art that covers the towers while enjoying freshly grilled meats and another Soweto Gold at Chaf Pozi barbeque restaurant.

Changing perceptions in Khayelitsha

Khayelitsha only came to be on the Cape Flats of Cape Town in the mid 1980s but recent estimates place its population at a whopping 2.4 million, which easily makes it South Africa’s largest township. However, it was never formally planned and is a noticeably poorer place than Soweto, with far less formal infrastructure.

A major leap forward came in 2016 when the Isivivana Centre opened. Six years in the making, this practical, creative space is home to a number of social change organisations and charities as well as a library, cafe and the sophisticated Bertha Movie House. Two mammoth wall murals – a fashionably attired African girl by Breeze Yoko and an elephant by Falko One – brighten up the exterior.

If you want to see more street art around Khayelitsha, Zimbabwean artist Juma Mkwela is the man to connect with. On his tours around the township you’ll not only get to see some great murals but also help local residents with the tending of their vegetable gardens – splashes of colour and greenery in the otherwise sandy ground of the Cape Flats.

More creativity is on display at the compact 18 Gangster Museum which occupies a former shipping container. One half of the container holds an exhibit using text and images to educate visitors on the perils of gangsterism; the other half is a replica prison cell where ex-offenders provide first-hand accounts of their experiences. A visit to the museum is usually combined with a tour of Khayelitsha on foot, by bike or by taxi.

African food with a twist is served up at 4Roomed eKasi Culture in Khayelitsha © Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet

Cooking in Khayelitsha

Khayelitsha is a fertile breeding ground for up-and-coming business talent. Abigail Mbalo is a dental technologist and mum who made it to the final six on MasterChef South Africa. Building on that exposure and her desire to put a contemporary spin on traditional township cooking, Mbalo opened a catering business 4Roomed eKasi Culture, which includes a restaurant that qualifies as Khayelitisha’s first venture into gourmet dining. Herbs that Mbalo uses in her dishes, such as fancy versions of pap (maize porridge) and curry, grow in old bathtubs cleverly repurposed as planters around the edge of the white-washed restaurant. Mbalo is an engaging presence directing the staff in the open kitchen and mingling with her guests.

Equally ebuliant is Sikelala (Siki) Dibela, who in 2016 turned the garage of his family home into the slick Siki’s Kofee Kafe. The 29-year-old brings nine years of experience of working for South African coffee giant Vida E Caffé to bear on his own venture, serving his own blend of java alongside sweet treats including cookies and muffins.

Also specialising in muffins – savoury ones made from spinach – is Lufefe Nomjana, aka Spinach King. Beginning in 2014, Nomjana attracted sponsorship from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and has grown his ‘green’ bakery and vegetarian food business to two outlets in Khayelitsha, with plans for others as far afield as Washington DC.

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