Weekly travel reads: The world’s most spectacular mountain hut

[The Travel Wire #106] Cargo ships for regular travelers, Shenzhen, the Visayas Islands, and more travel reads.

Travel reads

• ‘Like a Bond villain’s lair’: I climbed the Dolomites to the world’s most spectacular mountain hut [The Guardian]
“Perched above the clouds in northern Italy, Santnerpass refuge doesn’t just look stunning. It’s a marvel of eco-building – and vegetarian cuisine.”

• For centuries, cargo ships allowed regular travelers to join their voyages. What happened? [CNN Travel]

• Shenzhen [From the New World]
“The most American city in China.”

• The tiny Arctic island where travellers have found refuge since 1897 [BBC Travel]
“For centuries, this tiny Norwegian island sheltered fishermen from violent seas. Now one woman is using tourism to revive it – and offer travellers refuge from modern life.”

• I chased legends across two Baltic cities [Intrepid Times]
“On a journey from Tallinn, Estonia, to Riga, Latvia, a traveler stands at the sites of Baltic legends, helping her feel history more deeply.”

• Meet the Philippines’ islanders reclaiming their heritage in the Visayas Islands [National Geographic]
“In the central Philippines, the Visayan Islands’ tropical beaches are a backdrop for deeply rooted communities who are working to preserve locals’ unique way of life — inviting visitors to share in complex culinary traditions and heritage crafts, and explore the reclaimed relics of the sugar trade.”

• Where in the world is Greece? [Flyover Takes]
“Balkan country, Western branding, Eastern future?”

• There is no Robinson Crusoe written for women, so at nearly sixty I am living my own version: a beach hut in Thailand for £120 a month [Help Me! Newsletter]
“After two divorces, Sasha Krstanovic, 59, is giving up the job title of ‘wife’ and following a dream she has had for years.”

• This cyberpunk Chinese foodie capital is Asia’s coolest city break [Independent]
“With China becoming increasingly accessible to UK visitors, Venus Wong travels to Chengdu, where she finds a blend of traditional and futuristic – and embraces the city’s adoration of pandas.”

• A candle for Sofia – Crete’s ‘Little Easter’ at Moni Faneromeni [Claire In Crete]