Countries Visited Around The World

answers! has covered over 700 destinations across 54 countries; more to come!

The Best Airport Railway Station

It is named after an intrepid pioneering aviator who is more famous for writing the most whimsical books. It was inaugurated in 1975, in an era of teleprinters, Morse Code and hand-signals – yet today it incorporates the most advanced cutting-edge technology of this millennium. It is connected by a futuristic high-speed train to some of the most modern and sophisticated cities in Europe, but you can also opt to leave this airport on the pillion-seat of a chugging motorbike-taxi. This is the enigmatic, contradictory Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport - formerly known as Lyon Satolas Airport - an important transport-hub for the entire Rhône-Alpes region. While the airport itself is pleasant enough, its railway-station was the feature that caught our attention.

When we visited this iconic airport railway-station in 2008, it was looking a little dilapidated and in need of proper maintenance. Yet its dynamic architecture captured our imagination and lifted our spirits during the bleak winter season. Completed in 1994, the terminal was designed to represent the human eye, but looks exactly like a graceful swan alighting on earth and bowing low, with its wings raised in salute. The building's most striking profile, based on two converging steel arches 120 meters long and 40 meters high, is most obviously expressive of a bird, symbolizing flight with the two main arches coming together at the bird's beak. Architect Santiago Calatrava said that he never thought of a bird, but more of sculpture inspired by the shape of the human eye. However, the avian imagery continues inside the building where two concrete cantilevered balconies look remarkably like birds on the down-wing, rising up in flight.
Today, 2½ decades after its construction, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport Railway Station is still under-utilised and much of its sunlit cavernous space is largely empty. The superfast futuristic-looking TGV trains come in only a few times a day, and some of the lounges here are only used occasionally for special events. Nevertheless, its inspired architecture, dynamic vision, practical convenience and untapped resources make this our favourite Airport Railway Station in the world. To bring this facility to its full potential will require innovation, imagination and industry – the very same qualities that were put into its design in the first place!


Pix courtesy of Maison De La France (Southeast Asia) . 1: © Lyon Tourism & Conventions 2: © JF Marin / Aéroports de Lyon

The Best Hotel For Hospitality

The Hotel With The Best Hospitable Atmosphere that delighted us is Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland. Most of the properties listed in Hilary Finlay’s Blue Book Of Ireland are enchanting, but this is exceptional. Built around a 15th century Norman castle, this evocative hostelry began taking in paying guests in 1967. The 400-acre property is lovely, the surrounding Shanagarry countryside is delightful, and the cooking here is unbearably delicious. There is an excellent wine-cellar, and spell-binding Irish music to boot. But what captures your heart is the warmth, affection and honest goodness of Mrs Darina Allen, the matriarch of the elegant mansion.

Together with her daughter, the Allens are well-known TV Chefs and authors of successful cook-books. At Ballymaloe House, though, Darina is simply a proud home-owner who will welcome you with quintessential Irish hospitality, laughter and kindness. This same happiness and congenial fellowship permeates every activity and service, making a stay at Ballymaloe House a genuinely heart-warming experience. When we first visited Ballymaloe House several years ago, the weather was cold, bleak and foggy. It was a happy contrast to be enveloped by Darina's warm and genuine hospitality - something we recommend for any traveller in that part of Ireland.

The Best Hotel With Traditional Ethnic Identity

The Hotel With the Best Traditional Ethnic Identity is the delightful Misiliana Hotel in Toraja, Indonesia. Nestled in the scenic Toraja Highlands of Sulawesi, this enchanting resort was built nearly four decades ago in authentic traditional Torajan style. It is staffed entirely by local tribal-folk, and everything here is genuinely native, from the ethnic Tongkonan architecture to the local village-style layout of the resort. Even the food served here is truly local – while the comprehensive menu encompasses both Western and Torajan dishes, the chefs are local people and both vegetables and fish come fresh from the ponds and organic farm-plots within this extensive resort itself! The family is the primary social structure in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family, the seat of which is the traditional Tongkonan house with its distinctive large boat-shaped roof. The elders of each household maintain village unity and nurture its traditions. In keeping with these ancient traditions, the Misiliana Hotel is family-owned and the daily management is presided over by the clan matriarch, her daughter and son-in-law. While maintaining international standards and practices in running the hotel, the family integrates the unique Torajan Christian faith and ancient local culture into administrative matters such as staff-relations, property maintenance and finance. Management cannot get more ethnic than this!
What really enchanted us was how this familial tradition creates a natural warmth and hospitality within Misiliana. Every guest is treated as a friend of the family, and the staff greet you with a mixture of professional deference and spontaneous cheerfulness. From humble gardener to regal matriarch, they are really glad you came! Inside the picturesque two-storied Tongkonan houses, each of the 96 rooms at this 3-star property has a terrace and all the mod-cons one could wish for. The lush 8-hectare grounds include lovely landscaped gardens, two attractive swimming pools, jogging tracks, a kiddies’ fishing pond, vegetable gardens, tennis courts, a fitness centre and idyllic farm ponds with quiet ‘thinking spots’. Add majestic mountains for a scenic backdrop, and you have one of our favourite hotels in the world!

All pix by Andrew Ponnampalam

The Tales On The Tails

Dogs do it, foxes do it and the peacock does it too! But commercial aircraft do it all the time! Holding the tail proudly upright is the integral identity of every self-respecting aircraft, but commercial planes seem to do it with the most gaudy abandon. The aircraft come in various colours and designs, but they almost always carry the logo of the airline on their erect tail-fins. Some of these logos look familiar and some are amusing, while others can be downright weird and mystifying! It can be fun tracing the tales told by these tails. I was flipping through my name-card holder the other day, and came across numerous interesting airline emblems.

Birds are the most common symbol chosen by airlines for their logo. Some, like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air Macau, Ukraine International, Shangdong Airlines of China and Amber Air of Lithuania have highly-stylised graphic avian depictions while many others opt for more recognizable presentations. China Eastern has a swallow in flight, while its partner China Yunnan has the lovely peacock found in that province. .China Xinhua has what looks like a dove just taking off, but the graphic depiction is clever because it also resembles a hand waving in greeting. Xiamen Airlines has a graceful crane in flight, while the former Xinjiang Airlines had its bird symbol elegantly flying past a crescent moon to denote its Islamic identity.

Air Niugini of Papua New Guinea and Air Paradise of Bali both share the exotic Bird-Of-Paradise, while Cebu Pacific carries a stylised head of the Philippine Eagle. The flag-carriers of island nations such as Air Mauritius and Air Seychelles have a long-winged seabird that can stay in flight over the sea for months at a time. Condor of Germany, Air Merlin Eurojet of Essex and Kingfisher Airlines of India simply carry the birds they are named for although the German carrier’s logo could also be interpreted as an aeroplane. By contrast, the Indian carrier dispensed with any graphic design and opted for a full-colour photo-realistic illustration of a Common Kingfisher. Another airline with a realistic illustration of a bird as its logo is Highland Airways of Scotland which carries the local eagle.

The most unique bird-logo in the airline world must surely belong to Thailand’s Nok Air, which simply shows a cartoon version of a duck’s beak! I haven’t figured out the meaning, but it really looks cute – and different.
Many airlines opt for mythical birds and beasts such as the griffin and the phoenix. Egypt Air, PB Air of Thailand, Myanmar Airways International, Austria’s Styrian Spirit, and Garuda Indonesia are examples of airlines whose aircraft tail-fins bear creatures of their local legends. In this category, dragons are a favourite, especially in Asia. Apart from the obviously-named Dragonair of Hongkong, the former First Cambodia Airlines and Druk Air of Bhutan are among those who sport the dragon on their livery. Yangon Airways is the only airline I know of that actually depicts a flying elephant! Ironically, there isn’t a single Jumbo Jet in their fleet.

Animals are also featured quite regularly on the tails of commercial aircraft. Quantas has the Kangaroo, Qatar Airways has the Ibex, and Tiger Air of Singapore has a leaping tiger that looks suspiciously like the one on the old Malayan Airways aircraft. The former Vision Air of Borneo had an attractive symbol of a horse, simply because the owner had a passion for horses! People are rarely featured on airline tail-fins, but AeroMexico has a proud-looking Aztec warrior while Hawaiian Airlines has a winsome wahine with flowers in her hair.

Plants are another favourite choice for airline emblems, and the most famous of these could be AerLingus with the legendary Irish four-leaf clover in an evocative shade of green. In a similar vein, Air Canada carries the national emblem of a maple leaf. Tourism-focussed companies Atlantic Express Airlines and Andaman Airlines both show a palm-tree by the seaside. Vietnam Airlines has a golden lotus-flower while Lao Airlines carries a charming depiction of a local flower, too. China Airlines of Taiwan has a full-colour representation of the cherry blossom, an auspicious spring flower throughout the Orient.

American companies might think the world is their oyster, judging from the popularity of the globe on their carriers. Both the iconic Pan American World Airlines (PanAm) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) had depictions of the globe, but they both went bankrupt. Today, Continental Airlines proudly presents a strong globe logo on its aircraft tail-fins, and we wish it a much more prosperous future than its former competitors.

National flag-carriers such as Royal Brunei Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines carry very formal and intricate national crests. Unusual airline emblems include Oman Air’s traditional and lethal-looking dagger, the Maltese Cross of Air Malta, Philippines Airline’s cheerful sunburst, Mandala Airlines of Indonesia’s prayer-wheel, and in sharp contrast, the garish word “Virgin” by all the carriers in the Virgin group. If you have ever visited the eastern state of Kelantan in Malaysia and watched the graceful giant traditional kites called wau in action, you would really appreciate the unique identity of Malaysia Airlines – the only airline I know of that carries a kite on its aircraft tail-fins. Now, you can actually tell someone to “go fly a kite!”

Pix by oneworld and SkyTeam

The Best Airport With Unexpected Potential

The Airport With The Best Unexpected Potential is Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. For a country known more for its remote location and desolate dramatic landscapes, Iceland has a surprisingly excellent international airport. The design, especially at night, reminds one of crystal-clear ice-cubes – singularly appropriate for this unspoilt land where water can be drunk from the glacier-fed streams and waterfalls. The Icelandic people are not especially friendly or effusively welcoming, but they are most efficient and helpful; and Keflavik Airport reflects this in its operations and ambience.
The Icelandair Business Lounge has a similar character – its design is stylish and efficient, and its amenities meticulously comprehensive.

Generally, Keflavik Airport is very well-run, stylish and effective – qualities airlines look for in an air-hub. And this is where Keflavik has unexpected potential – it makes an excellent major air-hub between North America and Europe. Just four hours from the USA and three hours to Europe, Keflavik is ideally located for future growth in trans-Atlantic traffic, so watch this facility that won the IATA/ACI award for World’s Best Airport In Its Class in 2005. We believe it could see an annual traffic of over 10 million passengers sooner than later!

Pix© ulalume on Flickr, Keflavik Airport(KEH)

The Best Hotel Architectural Theme

The Hotel With The Best Architectural Theme we are impressed with is the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed in 1956 by the famed architect and furniture designer Arne Jacobsen, this 20-storey cubist edifice was one of the first skyscrapers in that part of Europe, and stands today as an immaculately-preserved monument to his passion for perfection in proportion. The seemingly outdated exterior hides an exquisite gem of interior design, style and spartan elegance. Often called “The World’s First Designer Hotel”, this establishment has the master’s touch in everything from the architecture and interior design right down to taps, door-knobs, and even textiles. Two of Arne Jacobsen’s most famous icons, The Swan and The Egg chairs, were actually designed especially for this hotel, and many of his innovations here have been copied throughout the world in the past half-century. In the extensive renovations undertaken in 2000, great care was taken to preserve the master’s work, and room 606 was kept exactly as Arne Jacobsen left it, right down to the curtains and bathroom tiles.

Pix By Royal SAS Hotel