Fraser’s Hill straddling the States of Pahang and Selangor, West Malaysia is often an overlooked destination by vacation seekers but not by feathered fowl.

Singapore is probably not the country that readily springs to mind when we think of world music. This developed nation in Southeast Asia has probably more high-rise buildings dotting its coast compared to the collective high notes of symphony orchestras worldwide. Highways and traffic in the city create a greater din than the call of a million crows.

A drive up the Hume Highway about an hour and a half north of Melbourne city in Victoria takes us into the lush driveway of a most unusual vineyard. We were about to visit one that is sustainable. Elgo Estate is one of the few wineries in Australia and internationally that has a carbon negative footprint. In other words, it abrogates the effects of the pollution it does create with solutions that lower its carbon emissions.

Don’t start talking to Michel Saada about coconuts unless you have time to spare. The exuberant Frenchman is an authority on coconuts and is known to wax lyrical on the eco-friendliness of coconuts plus the huge number of things that can be derived from, a single nut.

Although you don’t find people still hunting mammoths with spears, you can still find people fishing in exactly the same way they did thousands of years ago. Bang Pat in Phrang Nha National Park, Thailand. Kompong Phluk in Prasat Bakong, Cambodia, and Kukup Village, Johor State, Malaysia.

In Spain, the man called Magellan was provisioning his ships for what would be the first time anyone would ever sail around our world. On the other side of the planet, deep in a forest in what is now known as Western Australia, a seed dropped from a massive tree onto the carpet of gum leaves beneath.

When people plan for a trip to Luang Prabang, they think of glittering temples, saffron-robed monks and a destination to restore one’s weary soul. Few know about the bustling night markets with their colourful wares or the impressive number of boutiques dedicated to showcasing Laos’ unique and long-standing tradition of arts, crafts and textiles.

If location is key, then Kingfisher is already onto something. It sits at the edge of Khiat Ngong village, overlooking the untouched wetlands in the 24,000-kilometre square Xe Pian National Park in Southern Laos, one of the most important biodiversity areas in Indochina and known for its large mammals and rare water birds.

It is possible to enjoy the best of Malaysian culinary in remote destinations where the noisiest thing heard is the call of the rooster. One such place is Aunty Aini Café located in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan where you have to be mindful of where you alight – watch out for those cow dung blobs on roadsides.

Most visitors to Singapore think of it as a clean, highly organised and sophisticated first-world city with some of the most advanced technology in Asia. It is. It boasts superb public transport, ubiquitous island-wide WiFi connectivity, and designer outlets galore in massive shopping malls galore.