Asia Travel Information Blog

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, or Bandar as it’s known locally, is the capital of Brunei and the sultanate’s only settlement of any real size. Straddling the northern bank of a twist in the Sungei Brunei, the city is characterized by its unlikely juxtaposition of striking modern buildings (the latest and most impressive being the twin malls of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah shopping complex) and traditional stilt houses. These stilt houses make up the water village, or Kampung Ayer, Brunei’s original seat of power and still home to half the city’s population.

Ho Chi Minh City

Washed ashore above the Mekong Delta, some 40km north of the South China Sea, HO CHI MINH CITY is a city on the march, a boomtown where the rule of the dollar is absolute. Fuelled by the sweeping economic changes wrought by doi moi, this effervescent city, perched on the west bank of the Saigon River, now boasts fine restaurants, immaculate hotels, and glitzy bars among its colonial villas, venerable pagodas and austere, Soviet-style housing-blocks.

Overview

Cambodia’s capital, PHNOM PENH, sprawls west from the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. At first glance, the city is a confusing mess with no obvious landmarks. The main boulevards are choked with motos and other traffic and lined with generic low-rise, concrete blocks. Despite initial impressions, however, the heart of Phnom Penh, immediately west of the river, has a strong appeal. The French influence is evident in the colonial shop-houses lining the boulevards, with here and there a majestic Khmer building animating the cityscape.

Introduction to Luang Prabang, Laos

Nestling in a slim valley shaped by lofty, green mountains and cut by the swift Mekong and Khan rivers, LOUANG PHABANG exudes tranquillity and grandeur. A tiny mountain kingdom for more than a thousand years and designated a World Heritage site in 1995, it is endowed with a legacy of ancient, red-roofed temples and French-Indochinese architecture, not to mention some of the country’s most refined cuisine, its richest culture and most sacred Buddha image.

Macau is small. That is an inescapable fact. Made up of a peninsula and two islands, the area covered by the territory is a mere 23.5 square kilometres. So do not blink or you might miss something!

How to describe KATHMANDU? A medieval time capsule? An environmental disaster area? A pleasure dome? A tourist trap? A holy city? A dump? All of the above. There are a thousand Kathmandus, all layered and dovetailed and piled on top of one another in an extravagant morass of chaos and sophistication. Though its population barely tops 700,000, Nepal’s capital is far and away its biggest and most cosmopolitan city: a melting pot of a dozen ethnic groups, and the home town of the Newars, Nepal’s master craftsmen and traders extraordinaire. Trade, indeed, created Kathmandu – for at least a thousand years it controlled the most important caravan route between Tibet and India – and trade has always funded its Newar artisans. Little wonder, perhaps, that the city has so deftly embraced the tourist business.

Introduction to Krabi

The small fishing town of KRABI is the transport hub for the islands of Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta and makes a nice spot for a couple of nights. Although the town has no beaches of its own, it’s only a 45-minute boat ride to the stunning bays of Laem Phra Nang and about the same time in a songthaew to Ao Nang. Every Krabi travel agent sells sea-kayaking expeditions and snorkelling trips, and many also offer tours of Krabi’s mangrove swamps.

Splendid Isolation : Huvanfen Fushi , Maldives

We were spoiled , our honeymoon destination , we had a sensational time .Its a contemporay/trendsetting resort , arrived by speedboat from MLE . The property manager came to introduce himself , and we hadnt wear shoes ever since on the island. Great breakfast ( Includes w/ our pricey room rate) , we dined at Celsius mostly (Raw once) . Yoga class on the pavillion , spa at regular treatment room (only took photos at underwater spa ) . Snorkelling on your door steps , white sand beach . Ok staff . Free wine tasting at Vinum/ underground wine cellar .

We carried on further East into the Bumthang province – a 9 hour journey with an hour’s stop when we spotted a family of Common Langurs (or white cap langurs) and stopped to try and photograph them amongst the forest canopy. We crossed the Pe Le La pass at 3350m and climbed up through the clouds. With ever changing vegetation and rising and falling temperatures, we ascended and descended through 2000m.

As a sailing destination, Mu Koh Lanta National Park makes a fine day’s jaunt. You can snorkel, coastal cruise, trek and bird-watch, with wildlife encounters virtually guaranteed. The National Park is made up of 10 idyllic islands, of which Kho Lanta is the largest. Isolated and quiet, it is perfect for those tired urban attractions.