The Komodo Dragon is a rare lizard found wild only on 4 islands in Indonesia, notably on
Komodo Island. This seven foot lizard
has fearsome teeth, teeth that are in the league of sharks. And saliva teeming
with bacteria. Its one bite will almost
certainly lead to an animal's slow death.
Besides watching Komodo Dragons and the breathtaking sunsets, one can go scuba diving in Komodo National Park, a marine reserve.
You can get to Komodo from Bali by air or go a cruise on the luxury Bugis Schooner from
Flores Island to view these monster lizards and go snorkelling or diving in the
marine park.
This video by
NationalGeographic gives a good introduction to the Komodo Dragon.
Singapore offers several unique day cruise packages. For couples, the sunset dinner cruise offered by a cruise company aboard an Imperial Chinese Junk replica, may be time well spent.
The cruise sets off before sunset and soon the waning twilight silhouette's the city's skyline. This slowly gives way to lamp lights from ships twinkling and reflecting in the sea and illuminating the waters. And from the city's towers, the lights came across as stars above the shores of Singapore. And all this followed by a nice dinner.
This video by joerggerczuk provides an idea of what the cruise would be like.
Dien Bien Phu is for history buffs, or a stopover for those on the way to Luang Prabang or other locales in Laos by road or to the touristy Sapa Highlands. This remote locale is the site of the French
surrender to Vietnamese forces in 1954. At this place, the Vietnamese achieved clear
tactical superiority over the French Foreign Legionnaires and inflicted the decisive
victory that led to Vietnamese Independence from France.
There
are many relics of the war maintained at Dien Bien Phu to commerate the victory
and to remember those slain in battle.
And a History Musuem for further browsing on that battle.
This
video by sinclair50 shows the snippet of the Dien Bien Phu Battle from the
History Channel’s 10,000 Day War documentary.
And
from asiapacifictravel we can see the adventurous taking the overland route
between Laos and Dien Bien Phu. From
this clip, we can also get a glimpse into the life of the hill tribes of that
mountainous region.
Brian Thacker is a backpacker with a yen for adventure. He went backpacking across
Southeast Asia, using as his only reference, a 1975 Lonely Planet book ‘South-East Asia on a
Shoestring’. It was an adventure to find out what changes had happened in the
last 36 years and boy did he have loads to share.
Because
Thacker was following a book that was 35 years old, many of the guesthouses
that were still standing were decrepit, however he wasn't deterred, no matter
how seedy they were.
"I'm
sort of a backpacker traveller anyway," he says. "I remember I read
this great quote once: 'A bed's a bed, the magic is outside'. "I'd rather spend the money on a great
meal or doing some great experience." Even
so, Thacker admits some of the hotels were dodgy and he'd spend the least
amount of time in the rooms as possible.
Between
November 2012 and March 2013, educational cruise line Voyages To Antiquity’s
Aegean Odyssey will be offering nine new trips that focus on the history, art
and culture of South East Asia, India and the South Pacific.
Ornate
temples, ancient cities and beautiful scenery are going to be some of the
highlights explained by guest lecturers on board. Shore excursions are included
in the cruise fare, which starts at £2,995 (about R32 000) per person for 18
days and includes tips, flights and some drinks.
Thai
Boat Noodles (Kway Tiao Rua) is a common dish that you’ll see everywhere in
Thailand. It’s available from the street
vendors or off the boats at the floating markets in Thailand.
Boat
noodles have a mix of spices and herbs in a soup that gives an awesome taste. With your choice of meat and noodles with
bean sprouts in the mix, you are in for a nice tasty meal. There are many good
write ups on the recipe for Thai Boat Noodles and I’ve selected one for you to
try out.
This
video from randymagnus gives a very good picture of the preparation on a boat!
Ayutthaya
was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world and renowned in Asia and
Europe. It was founded in 1350 by King U
Thong from Lopburi and named after the city of Ayodhya (the Indian city of King Rama
of the Ramayana). Its glorious era ended when it was raided and razed by the
Burmese in 1767. Today, it is UNESCO world heritage site.
To
discern just how beautiful this city must have been in its heydays, you must
visit the Sanphet Prasat Palace which has been reconstructed from its ruins. This palace was where the King of Siam received
the Asian and European envoys to Siam and gave the world a glittering introduction
to Siam. The Dutch had built a trading
post in 1608 and it was destroyed by the Burmese raid of 1767. On this ruined site, the Baan Hollanda museum
was established with an initial donation from Queen Beatrix.
And of
course, you can get the usual great Thai food.
From Boat Noodles, the usual Thai dishes with rice to vegetarian food!
This
video by MrKhobKhun shows Ayutthaya in its current splendour.
And
this video on Baan Hollanda by HolidayTVThailand, gives you a good idea on the
historical links and importance of Ayutthaya to Europeans, in this case the
Dutch.
Lopburi
is ancient and one of the oldest cities in Thailand. It is north of Bangkok and Ayutthaya. It is said to have been founded by the King of
Taxila. Today, Lopburi is famous for its
monkeys and ancient Khmer/Angkor temple ruins such as the Buddhist temples of Phra Prang Sam Yot and Wat
Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat and the Hindu temple of Prang Khaek. Of notable interest is the remains
of the palace of King Narai.
Besides
walking about seeing these ancient monuments, you can have a chance to watch a
traditional Thai dance and get up close and personal with the monkeys that run
this town.
This
video by nfsutton gives a good historical narrative of the monuments especially
on the palace of King Narai.
And this slideshow by
travelpod shows some of the pictures and activities of fellow travellers taken at Lopburi.
Tenggol Island (Pulau Tenggol) in Trengganu’s
Marine Park off the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia is a well kept secret of
coral and marine treasures. Divers can expect to see sharks and stingrays as well as beautiful corals and related marine life in these azure and warm waters.
This
video by virtualmalaysia gives you an idea of what can be seen at the corals of
Pulau Tenggol.
The Plain of Jars in the
mountains of Xieng Khouang province in Laos is an intriguing place to visit. There are several sites to visit with the
most common being Ban Ang, near Phonsavan, the capital of Xieng Khouang province. The jars are made of stone and can be up to 6
feet high. These megalithic structures
are a Loation treasure and archeologists hypothesise that these are funeral urns
and are related to similar structures in India and Vietnam.
Be aware that
unexploded munitions from the intense bombing by the USAF during the Vietnam
war are still around. The government and
the UN and other NGOs are working to clear the plains of these explosives. So bear that in mind and observe the warnings
as you walk around.
This video by positiveworldtravel gives a glimpse of what the Plain of Jars look like.
Luang Prabang is the
ancient royal capital of Laos. It sits
at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong rivers, where the Khan flows into
mighty Mekong. This city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Luang Prabang is
sleepy yet majestic with its ancient past.
The royal palace is still intact, and is now a museum, the Haw Kham Royal Palace Museum. There are many
Buddhists temples and daily at dawn, hundreds of monks ritually walk through
the city to collect alms with their begging bowls. Wat Xieng Thong is one of the more prominent
temples and a must see for tourists.
This video by
Laotian23 gives a pretty good overview of the things to do and see in Luang
Prabang. The audio is a bit crackly, but
the words are legible.
Looks like tour prices are dropping for tours to Southeast Asia from Shanghai. This will enable more options for Chinese tourists to on tours during their golden week holidays (30th September to 7th October). Read the link above on the survey done. Do note that in this article, the translation is not very smooth from Chinese to English.
CNN voted Assam Laksa as the top number 7 of the World's 50 most delicious foods. Wow. This noodle with fish broth is really an excellent try on the senses. It has an aroma, texture and taste to behold! As CNN says:
Poached, flaked mackerel, tamarind, chili, mint, lemongrass, onion, pineapple … one of Malaysia’s most popular dishes is an addictive spicy-sour fish broth with noodles (especially great when fused with ginger), that’ll have your nose running before the spoon even hits your lips.
This dish is native to Penang. For a detailed walk through on the recipe, go by rasa malaysia at this link for more pictures and information Assam Laksa recipe.
This video by LooseAppetiteMovement shows an example of a serving of assam laksa by one of the many assam laksa stalls in Penang. Bon appetite!
Updated 10th Sep 2011: CNN did a new poll on 7th Sep 2011, and that changed the rankings of this 21st July 2011 survey. Assam Laksa is now at number 26.
The Europeans came to Asia looking for riches from spices and trade. The British created free ports such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Penang to get a share of the money of the Chinese traders. The first of these free ports was Penang, established in 1786.
Armenians, Danes, Germans, Jews, British, Punjabis, Tamils, Malayalees, Bengalis, Arabs, Straits Chinese, Chinese, Siamese, Burmese, Achehnese, Javanese and Malays flocked to this beautiful island and were richly rewarded for their toils and enterprise.
The umbrella of the British Empire ensured that property was protected by law and the thriving community build institutions and shared their food and cultures. We can see the cemetaries, houses of worship, clan houses, beautiful parks and beaches and taste the mouth watering mix of food and drink that uniquely defines Penang. This unique melting pot has resulted in the capital city, Georgetown, to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, a joint listing with its sister heritage city, Malacca. It should be noted that Penang's special home grown dish 'Assam Laksa' made it to the top 10 (at number 7) of CNN's World's 50 most delicious food.
This video by Alfred and Jasmin Grech from their holiday in Penang sums it all. Its a colorful montage of the various spots to see and things to do in this cosmopolitan creation of the British Empire.
Dikir Barat is a traditional group song. This is usuallly found in Kelantan and Trengganu state on the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Its a to and fro singing, and is quite enchanting to watch. Wikipedia has an excellent write up at Dikir Barat.
Here is a video by Rentakinitv. It starts off with an occult cleansing ceremony (very mild version) and then goes on into Dikir Barat proper.
Swarnabhumi is a land filled with great food. From simple boiled rice with dried fish with some chilly paste for taste, to rice soaked in coconut milk, a variety of vegetarian dishes to a spread of seafood and meat curries.
Below is a quick glance (by qqstar8) of Nasi Lemak, the typical breakfast food in Malaysia. A traditional creation of the Malays, this dish is now a national dish, relished by all and a must have at all hotels in Malaysia.
As you have seen, this dish is very simple, with the trick that the rice must be rich in coconut milk and fragrant from pandan leaves. The 'sambal' i.e., the chilly paste rich in chilly, onions and other secret condiments of the cook. You can find more from this well written article on the secret to a great Nasi Lemak.
This is an excellent video (made by Arie van Houwelingen) showing the pagodas of Bagan at sunrise complete with the mystical aura from the mists. Notice the gold domes and the simple clothes and lifestyle of the people.
