Five places that made me: Joseph Mitchell, OzAsia Festival artistic director

CHINA

I first visited China in 2009 and I'll never forget first standing on The Great Wall. The history, the glory and the tragedy of the wall sent shivers through my body. And to then, getting away from the tourist areas and hiking sections that have not been reconstructed, is like stepping back in time. It's no easy stroll though, with unexpectedly steep climbs required.

JAIPUR, INDIA

In 2015, I attended the Jaipur Literary Festival, which is the world's largest free celebration of literature. Held in the gorgeous Diggi Palace, you rub shoulders with great literary figures during the day and then see some of the best Indian music performed at the various night-time parties. Jaipur itself is incredibly beautiful and the grand forts built on mountaintops are breath taking. Also, North Indian cuisine is a personal favourite. We are hosting a special "JLF in Adelaide" event as part of OzAsia Festival this year.

BANLUNG, CAMBODIA

Hiking is my way of getting away and taking some time out. In Banlung, Cambodia, I was the only the second client of a young local starting his own tourism business. We stocked up on food in the market and headed to communal indigenous land near the Laos border. He sought permission from the local king and we took off into the jungle for seven days. I learnt how to hunt for food (fish, snakes, spiders and mousedeer) and we caught glimpses of rare wildlife in remote areas. After five days of trekking north, we built rafts from bamboo and made our way back along river streams.

NORTH HALMAHERA, INDONESIA

Indonesia is so vast, you could spend a lifetime exploring the diverse places and cultures. A true undiscovered gem is Jailolo Bay in North Halmahera. One of my favourite choreographers, Eko Supriyanto, spends a lot of time creating work in this area and he invited me to visit and go diving with him. It is an underwater paradise untouched by mass tourism. And above the water, the mountains, mangroves and remote beaches are untouched. The local fresh fish is delicious.

MOUNT EVEREST, NEPAL

Thinking about a holiday in 2010, I just thought: what is one place to visit before I die? Mount Everest popped straight to mind and I booked a flight. While seeing the world's biggest mountain is a spectacle, there are some amazing things to discover along the eight-day hike to get there such as beautiful mountainside villages, remote monasteries and a seemingly never-ending series of mountain peaks and side tracks.

Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival presents an array of Asian theatre, music, dance, visual arts, film, literature and food. The 12th OzAsia Festival runs October 25-November 11. See ozasiafestival.com.au