For now, to get to Koh Lanta, you must take a boat. At the Ban Hua Hin pier on the mainland of Krabi, cars, minivans, delivery trucks and, from time to time, a scooter with an entire family on it board a ferry with a flat deck and cross a narrow channel to Koh Lanta Noi; from there they continue on a bridge to Koh Lanta Yai, which is the island that most people mean
… Browsing: Asia
At the Long Bar inside Raffles Hotel, the colonial-era grand hotel on Beach Road that has hosted travelers since 1887, the floor crunches. Guests are invited to brush their peanut shells off the tables and onto the floor, and staff sweep them up by the thousands. In a country known for fining people who forget to flush a public toilet, this is the one room where littering is practically required. The drink that arrives with
… At Dong Ba Market, a vendor raises a conical hat toward the doorway and tilts it in the morning light. Between the layers of palm leaf, a shape becomes visible: a line of verse and a bundle of bamboo, something that was not visible a moment before. This is the non bai tho, the poem hat, and Hue regards it as its own. The trick lasts about three seconds and captures the city well. Nearly
… In the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam’s northeastern coast, more than 1,600 limestone islands rise straight from the water. This is Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Southeast Asia’s most visually arresting landscapes.
The name translates to “Descending Dragon,” drawn from legend: a celestial dragon, sent to defend Vietnam from invaders, entered the sea and left its body behind as the karst islands scattered across the bay. Whether myth or …
The street dogs of Kathmandu spend most of the year in a kind of dignified obscurity. They doze in doorways, trot along temple steps with the unbothered confidence of longtime residents, and generally receive the same attention any city gives its strays, which is to say very little. Then, for one day each autumn, everything changes. The same dogs that were ignored on Monday wake up on Tuesday to find themselves garlanded in marigolds, marked …
There is a particular kind of place in this world that doesn’t call out to you. It simply exists, waiting for the traveler who has finally learned that the most meaningful destinations are the ones that ask something of you in return. Kagawa is one of those places.
In the northeastern corner of Shikoku, facing the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan’s smallest prefecture wears its scale lightly. You won’t find the breathless …
Mongolia needs to be approached not as a checklist destination but as a study in contrast—between nomadic past and urban present, isolation and global ambition.
Its capital, Ulaanbaatar, is not a city that eases you in gently. It rises from the Tuul River valley in a sweep of concrete towers, Buddhist monasteries, Soviet-era blocks and distant mountains that seem to hold the capital in a quiet embrace. Bordering the vast expanse of Bogd Khan Uul …
There is a Japan that most visitors never find, along a rugged coast where the Sea of Japan meets the shore and centuries of isolation forged some of the world’s most extraordinary craft traditions. This is Hokuriku: the three-prefecture arc of Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui that stretches along Honshu’s northwestern flank. Once requiring a full day’s journey to reach from Tokyo, the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen has redrawn the map of Japanese travel, placing …
It’s always the weird sights that grab my attention on holiday.
While other tourists are admiring a gaudy temple in Ho Chi Minh City, I’m fascinated by a frog. He’s supposed to be compliantly waiting for death in a metal bowl in a pavement market. But this is Adventure Frog. He suddenly springs clean out of the bowl and starts hopping for freedom down the street. The stallholder leaps up and gives chase, plonking him …
I travel frequently, and always prepare for my various jaunts doing fact-finding, participating in forums, asking friends, and even reading literature from my destination country. I’m prepared, but not too prepared, ever open to the spur-of-the-moment experiences traveling promises. For my month-long voyage to Southern India I spent an excessive amount of time planning. Hours, days, and months were spent investigating the merits of the SteriPEN® and concocting a route south from Mumbai. I weighed …
Thailand is a diverse and wondrous country located in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide, offering beautiful islands, tropical jungles, and ancient temples. There are several misconceptions about traveling in Thailand, ranging from the sex culture (not all male tourists are seeking prostitutes) to ice (not all water is contaminated). Here are five travel myths to consider if you are planning a visit to Thailand:…
Bangkok is one of the world’s most visited destinations. It is deemed one of the largest capital cities on the globe, with a population of over 11 million people. As the capital city of Thailand, the appeal is easy to see with its spectacular temples, exotic sites and a variety of specialty markets. It is in these markets that visitors can experience the local culture through interaction with vendors and fellow shoppers. Most are open …
As iconic as New York City is to the USA, Mumbai is to India. This Alpha city is India’s financial powerhouse, one of the world’s top ten centers of commerce, and one of the most populous urban regions in the world. It’s the country’s fashion capital, entertainment HQ, and the trigger point of religious tension. It’s also home to one of Asia’s biggest slums, yet has some of the world’s most expensive real estate. Above …
As the home of Mount Fuji, there’s already an expectation that Shizuoka will be a scenic delight of any trip to Japan. But outside the shadow of Japan’s highest mountain is a cultural heritage, beaches, and fresh seafood cuisine.
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