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(CNN) – The global sell-off that began Friday continued as Asian markets opened Monday, despite weekend assurances that a Greek debt deal was imminent. The euro was trading at its lowest level against the yen since 2001, as Bloomberg reported Germany was preparing for a possible default by Greece.
"We are watching Greece, and only Greece," said Satoshi Tate, a senior dealer at Mizuho Corporate Bank told the Wall Street Journal. "Conditions are getting very serious and everyone is worried how the issue will unfold."

Senior European officials scrambled to reassure financial markets with a Sunday announcement from Athens on a plan to skirt debt payment default with a property tax increase.
"We have made the decision to give a battle to avoid a disaster - a disastrous bankruptcy for the country and the citizen," Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said Saturday.
Investors were unconvinced. By noon Monday the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 3.3%, and industries sensitive to a slowing global economy are feeling the biggest hits: Shipping, oil and banks were all lower.
Japan’s Nikkei was down more than 2% and headed to its lowest level since April 2009, sunk down by sagging shares of powerhouse exporters like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Panasonic and Sony.
The sell-off began Friday after Juergen Stark resigned from the European Central Bank board, signaling uncertainty about the management of the bloc’s monetary policy, the Financial Times reported.

Peru's Machu Picchu, discovered 100 years ago by Hiram Bingham III. (BBC)

On 24 July, 1911, Hiram Bingham III, a young history lecturer from Yale University, climbed a steep slope in the Peruvian Andes and, to his surprise, encountered the greatest archaeological find of the 20th Century: Machu Picchu.

More than a million people are expected to visit the site this anniversary year. Most of them will be day trippers who travel to Peru from the far reaches of the globe, who sit on three-and-a-half-hour train rides from Cusco and spend only a few hours at one of the world’s most spectacular ancient sites before starting their journeys home.
Machu Picchu is relatively compact, so it is possible to see the greatest hits of the Incas in a half a day: the elegant Sun Temple, the surreal Royal Mausoleum, the monolithic shrines of the Sacred Plaza and the mysteriously carved Intihuatana stone. But travellers who are willing to make a multi-day hike along the Inca Trail to arrive at dawn or add an extra day to their itineraries by spending a night in Aguas Calientes, the charmingly tacky tourist town that sits 2,000ft below the ruins, have enough time to explore some of the other wonders lurking in the hidden corners of the Lost City of the Incas.
While the day trippers are coming in by train and the most popular spots of Machu Picchu are deluged at rush hour (roughly 11 am to 3 pm), here are five remarkable but often overlooked sights that reward the most intrepid travellers.
Temple of the Moon
Early birds begin lining up before dawn in Aguas Calientes to catch the first buses up to Machu Picchu, and for a good reason. Only the first 400 people to sign in at the park’s entry gate are granted permission to climb Mt Huayna Picchu, the 679ft high green spike that appears in the background of most classic Machu Picchu photos. While the view from Huayna Picchu is impressive, few of those who climb the peak take advantage of their opportunity to see the even more impressive Templo de la Luna, or Temple of the Moon. Tucked into a complex of caves hidden from the main ruins is an otherworldly shrine — possibly a burial site — built directly into the mountain rock. The Temple of the Moon features some of the finest stonework in Machu Picchu: classic trapezoidal Inca niches and double-jamb doorways.
Mt Machu Picchu
The Machu Picchu citadel is bookended by two apus, or sacred peaks. Mt Huayna Picchu marks the north end of the site; to the south stands Mt Machu Picchu. Both offer spectacular views, but while Mt Huayna Picchu turns away would-be visitors, the summit of Mt Machu Picchu nearly always stands empty.
The reason may be the difference in height. At 1,640ft, Mt Machu Picchu is more than twice as tall as its sister peak. But the reward for the 90-minute climb up flights of ancient stone stairs is the most incredible view that can be achieved (short of a helicopter) of how Machu Picchu was carefully integrated into its natural surroundings. Distant, skyscraping Andean peaks tower in the distance while the winding Urubamba River nearly wraps itself around the main site like a python.
Intimachay
Almost from the moment Hiram Bingham stumbled, slackjawed, upon the main ruins of Machu Picchu 100 years ago, experts have struggled to figure out why the Incas chose such an uninviting — if gorgeous — setting to build in. Much recent scholarship has focused on how the buildings at Machu Picchu were designed specifically to interact with the sun, stars and surrounding landscape. The most famous example is the Sun Temple, or Torreon, where each year on the winter solstice (21 June in the southern hemisphere) a beam of light shines through a window, forming a mysterious rectangle atop a slab of granite.

Ridge to Reef grows stinking toe sproutlings to distribute to the community, where the seeds are used in jewelry. (Nate Olive, Ridge to Reef Farm)

The “stinking toe” of the Caribbean Islands may not sound appetizing, but to many residents, it is one of the land’s most delicious fruits.

Officially known as the West Indian Locust, the stinking toe tree produces a seed pod that looks like a big, brown toe and also smells like one when the hard outer shell is cracked open. To make up for the nearly unbearable smell, the fibrous, powdery tanfruit has an addicting sweet taste inside.
“If the fruit is rotten, you can tell by the lack of smell,” said Nate Olive, program director of the organic Ridge to Reef farm in St Croix on the US Virgin Islands. “But when that crisp, pungent smell hits a stinking toe veteran’s nose, it activates the salivary glands.” He recommends letting the fibrous pulp melt in the mouth.
Throughout the islands, you may be able to find the stinking toe served in juice or pick it from one of the wild-growing trees, though recent storms have destroyed some older trees, so the fruit is harder to find than it once was.
Not brave enough to take a bite right from the pod? At Ridge to Reef, the chefs serve stinking toe in passion fruit cups or in ice cream when the fruit is in season (usually late winter or early spring).  Stay on the farm in a shared cabana for $45 a night, or get a private cabana for $95 a night.
Even if you don’t come to love the smell, the fruit’s nutrition benefits might win you over. The stinking toe comes packed with iron and calcium and has a history of being a natural energy booster.

Detail of monument to composer Jean Sibelius, designed by Eila Hiltunen. (Krzysztof Dydynski/LPI)

Finland has long been considered the least flashy of the Nordic countries, overshadowed by design-savvy neighbours like Sweden and Denmark.

But as Helsinki steps into the spotlight as the World Design Capital for 2012, the country is showcasing its own innovative design traditions, with new accolades, including a cutting-edge design studio.
Classic names to look for
Born in 1898, Alvar Aalto is ranked by many design aficionados as the 20th Century's number one architect -- and not just in the phone book. It is estimated that Aalto designed more than 500 buildings during his career, of which around 300 were built (in Finland and around the globe).
Not content with just architecture, Aalto collaborated with his wife Aino on town planning, interior design, furniture and glassware design, You will have seen his work even if you did not know it was his: the curvalicious bentwood Paimio chair; three-legged stackable birch stools with rounded legs; the asymmetrical Savoy vase that cradles flowers in its many crannies.
Artek is the furniture and homewares store founded by Alvar and Aino, and it maintains their legacy today. But design in Finland is so much more than just Aalto. Other local design icons include:

• Eliel and Eero Saarinen, a father-and-son pair of architects and designers. After moving to America, Eero designed the ultra-groovy Tulip chair.
• Marimekko, renowned for its cheerful, colourful fabrics, made into clothing and home furnishings. The Unikko pattern (big bold poppies, traditionally in red) is the most recognisable design.
• Iittala, a global name in covetable tableware and glassware, with textures and forms often gleaned from Finnish lakescapes.
• Fiskars, the oldest company in Finland, managed to make an icon out of orange-handled scissors. Who knew?

What to see
The Finns' almost-mystical closeness to nature has always underpinned their design. If you prefer a scholarly approach to your master class in the uniqueness of the local craft (as opposed to, say, hitting the stores), start your familiarisation at the Design Museum, home to a permanent collection entitled “Finnish Form”.
If architecture is more your thing, stop by the curvaceous Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. More than a decade after it opened, quirky Kiasma (designed by American architect Steven Holl) still stands testament to modern Helsinki.
From Kiasma, you are not far from the Finlandia Talo, a design masterpiece from Alvar Aalto built between 1967 and 1972. The concert hall is accessible on guided tours -- or better yet, snare a ticket for a concert in order to admire Aalto's incredible attention to detail.
Where to shop
Helsinki's harbourside kuappatori (marketplace) is the perfect place for mooching around in search of local culinary delicacies as well as tourist-oriented handicrafts and souvenirs.
Esplanadi Park runs west of the kuappatori, with popular strolling streets Eteläesplanadi and Pohjoisesplanadi on either side. Along here you will find the flagship boutiques of established Finnish classics like Marimekko (Pohjoisesplanadi 33); Iittala (Pohjoisesplanadi 25); Artek (Eteläesplanadi 18); and nearby Stockmann department store (Aleksanterinkatu 52), where seemingly every Helsinkian buys everything…
For something less mainstream, make a beeline for Punavuori, Helsinki's design neighbourhood, southwest of Esplanadi. It is dotted with whimsical little shops, vintage stores, galleries and workshops of young designers.
Design District Helsinki is a loose confederation of innovative design shops spread through the central area, particularly between Esplanadi and Punavuori. Keep an eye out for the black-and-white sticker in the window of these places.

The Finnish flag flies from the bow of a boat. (John Borthwick)

Finland is one of the happiest places on earth. At least, that’s what social scientists have found.

In 2010, Finland topped Newsweek’s list of the world’s best countries and was named the second happiest country by the Gallup World Poll and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (ranking just below Denmark).
Newsweek’s study calculated scores based on categories of health, education, quality of life, economic dynamism and political environment, while Gallup’s four-year survey judged happiness based on the subjective categories of life satisfaction and daily experiences.
The obvious question in all this is: what makes Finland – with its near constant cold and long stretches of darkness – such a happy place to live?
From an objective standpoint, Finns experience a high quality of life, low levels of corruption, high literacy rates, a small income gap, wide access to health care, high life expectancy rates and a healthy work-life balance. But there are other, more personal factors that help paint a fuller picture of the levels of happiness or unhappiness in a particular country. The New Economics Foundation’s (NEF) National Accounts of Well-being project profiles European countries based on how citizens feel about their own happiness. Finland’s Well-being profile, for instance, scores especially high in the “Absence of Negative Feelings” category, but just a bit above average in the “Positive Feelings” category.
This actually says a lot about Finnish culture, said Eric Weiner, author of the book The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World. “The Finns definitely fall into the contentment range of the scale,” he said. “It’s not [the] American idea of overflowing with joy… Northern European countries, where the emotional range is more modulated – in the sense that they’re humming along at fairly high levels, but don’t have these [emotional] peaks and valleys that other European countries have – score higher [on happiness].”
There’s one thing that happiness studies seem to leave out, however. Some of the happiest countries in the world – Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the United States, for instance – also have the highest suicide rates in the world.
Cold weather and darkness are often blamed for high rates of depression in Finland, but in the US, sunny Hawaii, which ranks second nationally in life satisfaction, has the fifth highest suicide rate. Conversely, New York, which is equal parts sun and rain, ranks 45th in life satisfaction (out of 50 states), but has the lowest suicide rate nationally.
These were the findings of the research paper Dark Contrasts: The Paradox of High Rates of Suicide in Happy Places, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization this April. Its authors, who hailed from the UK and the US, believe that these stark extremes exist together because people often judge their well-being in comparative terms. The researchers say that a depressed person may become even more depressed when surrounded by especially happy people.
While researching The Geography of Bliss, Weiner said he encountered a Swiss writer who explained it best: “If you’re living in a happy place and you’re not happy, you think, ‘What the hell’s wrong with me?’ And, in a way, you feel there’s more pressure on you or that you’re an outcast.”
In some countries, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development says these extremes may have more to do with measurable social factors. “One explanation for this paradox”, surmised statistics expert Romina Boarini, “is that quality of life could be high on average in a given country, and yet [does] not benefit some individuals, who are left at the margin.” The large income gap in the United States is one clear example. An upcoming study in the journal Psychological Science finds that Americans are less happy during times of great income inequity. When the gap between rich and poor widens, the study says, people in middle- and lower-income groups become less trusting of others.
Still, a link between high suicide rates and high overall happiness levels is difficult to prove. Laura Stoll, researcher at the NEF’s Centre for Well-being, said it’s important to remember that countries like Finland have small populations, so a high suicide rate still translates to a small number of people committing suicide each year. “But why is it higher in some places than others? The truth is that we really don’t know,” Stoll said. “Some academics have argued that the idea that there is a spectrum of well-being – with mental ill-health at one end to high levels of well-being at the other – is wrong. They hypothesise that there is not just one range that people fall along, but that these are separate distributions.”
The NEF is teaming up with Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund on a project that will take a deeper look at the science and policies underlying well-being. Their collaboration will hopefully lead to a better understanding of what makes people and places happy.
In The Geography of Bliss, Weiner concludes that at the end of the day, “happiness” holds a different meaning for different people and for different cultures. Reflecting upon his travels in 10 different countries, he writes: “…[O]nly a fool or philosopher would make sweeping generalizations about the nature of happiness. I am no philosopher, so here goes: Money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important. So are friends. Envy is toxic. So is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude.
To venture any further, though, is to enter treacherous waters.”
Travelwise is a BBC Travel column that goes behind the travel stories to answer common questions, satisfy uncommon curiosities and uncover some of the mystery surrounding travel. If you have a burning travel question, contact Travelwise.