Unseen Asia: 25 of Asia's most overlooked destinations

[TotallyOz]

CNN has a great piece on places that are great to see but few rarely see. I can count only 2. You?

 

http://www.cnngo.com...een-asia-040355

 

1. Hoh Xil, Tibet

2. An Bang Beach, Vietnam

3. Shodoshima, Japan

4. The Wild Wall, China

5. Garden of Dreams, Nepal

6. Ratu Boko, Indonesia

7. Rua da Tercena, Macau

8. Koh Kood, Thailand

9. Haedong Yonggung Temple, South Korea

10. Shandur Polo Tournament, Pakistan

11. Sea Urchin farm, Hong Kong

12. Miho Museum, Japan

13. Terelj National Park, Mongolia

14. Haputale, Sri Lanka

15. Hai Ba Trung district, Vietnam

16. Kota Gede, Indonesia

17. Kranji farms, Singapore

18. Pekan, Malaysia

19. Serosugil, South Korea

20. Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Japan

21. Burma

22. San Joaquin church, Philippines

23. Doi Inthanon, Thailand, the back way

24. Jungles near Tasik Chini, Malaysia

25. Tarim Poplar Forest Natural Reserve, Xinjiang

[pong]

even though I consider myself as being quite well travelled in Asia, I have seen/done just 4 out of this list-with ''Myanmar=Burma'' a rather odd standout between the specific others. But from 2 out of those 4 I really wonder what the heck this is all about (Kota Gede-Yogya, Java, Indo)-seem to be the fruit of non-visitors having scraped guidebooks from 30+ years ago. Hardly anythig left of it (last visit by me: around 1 yr ago)

[Guest fountainhall]

I also find it a very strange list, but then it does claim to be one for places few tourists rarely visit. Like pong I have travelled extensively throughout the region, but I have been to only one (although the Japan earthquake prevented me from visiting another which I plan to visit next Easter - the wonderful I. M. Pei-designed Miho Mueum which is built into the mountainside amidst exquisite scenery!)

 

 

(cannot source any copyright for these pics.)

 

I wonder if posters might like to list their own 10 most favourite places to visit in Asia (not the never-heard-of-before places - just places not too far from Thailand which are well worth a trip for a few days).

[Guest fountainhall]

Although it is slightly changing the topic, I’ll continue with the idea from my earlier post of suggesting ten sites/sights that perhaps those of us who live here know well – or know of well – and which we would recommend to visitors wanting to make one or two side trips during their time here.

 

I’ll start the ball rolling. Here are 10 places I have been fortunate enough to visit during my many years in Asia. All are easily accessible from Bangkok and most will not completely break the bank (although the Japan exchange rate and the daily spending requirement in Bhutan will put off those on tightish budgets). Note this is not a gay guide – merely a guide to great and interesting places.

 

Cambodia - Angkor Wat and the other Temples

 

Truly one of the must-see sights in the world. Why it did not make the new Seven Wonders of the World I can only assume less people know about it than, say Machu Picchu.

 

Bhutan - Tiger’s Nest Monastery

 

Perched almost impossibly 3,300 meters up on a sheer side of rock, this small monastery is the symbol of Bhutan.

 

Japan – the old town of Takayama

 

The temples in Kyoto and Nara are obviously on most people’s lists, but almost equidistant from Tokyo and Kyoto is the old town of Takayama, preserved almost as it was centuries ago.

 

Macao – Lou Lim Iok Garden

 

Escape from the ghastly Disney-esque area around the ferry terminal and into the old town. Nestled amongst the buildings is this exquisite little Chinese park. At its centre is a small pavilion which serves as a recital venue during the Macao Music Festival. Sun Yat Sen stayed here on a visit to Macao in 1915.

 

Nepal – Annapurna Range

 

If you are not venturing east to Nagarkot to see Everest, go west of Kathmandu to the Pokhara Valley. Rise well before dawn, get transport up to the viewing point at Sarangot, and then watch in sheer awe as dawn breaks and the sun comes up over the mighty Annapurna range – nine peaks between 6,400 and 7,900 meters that seem impossibly close. The supreme power and majesty of nature at its most magnificent.

 

Laos - Luang Prabang

 

1,000 miles up the Mekong and easily accessible from Thailand (they even accept Thai currency), this UNESCO World Heritage city is like stepping back in time. The old town has something like 37 temples in a tiny area. It’s also gaining a bit of a reputation for gay travellers.

 

China – Suzhou

 

One of the cities on China’s extensive Grand Canal system, Suzhou was a centre of the Silk Trade. Only 30 minutes from Shanghai by fast train, in addition to the quaint canals, Suzhou has a plethora of stunning of Chinese gardens.

 

Hong Kong

 

One of the world’s most amazing harbour views, superb scenery, great food, a wealth of shopping to suit most pockets – even some older parts that have not been bulldozed like the Wong Tai Sin Temple and Flagstaff House

 

Taipei – National Museum

 

Absolutely stunning, with the greatest collection of Chinese art and artefacts in the world, only a fraction of which can be displayed at one time. When Chiang Kai Shek was fighting the communists and Japanese, he had to be constantly on the move. So he had most of China’s art treasures carefully packed and crated. After losing the civil war and escaping to Taiwan, he made sure all the crates came with him. An added plus: Taiwanese food – and guys! – are wonderful.

 

Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur

 

It may seem odd to end with a whole city, but I happen to love the architecture of KL, especially the blend of old colonial and contemporary Islamic. I never tire of walking around – and not only because it is one of the cruisiest cities in the region!

 

There are hundreds more, as I have even not touched on Vietnam, Myanmar, beaches, The Philippines and so on. How about other suggestions?

[Guest]

I've overlooked all of the 25 overlooked destinations so far.

 

However, from places I have visited, Angkor Wat (& surrounding temples) & Luang Prabang in Laos count as outstanding.

 

At the other end of Asia, Gor

[Rogie]

This is a great topic. I was away the week it appeared and haven't had a chance to do it justice until now.

 

Out of Fountainhall's very interesting list, I've visited five. I haven't been to Bhutan, Nepal (Annapurna range), Macao, Taiwan (Taipei), or Japan. I would love to go to Bhutan but I'm put off by the cost. I have tentative plans to visit Taiwan in the next few months, mainly it has to be said for the reason Fountainhall mentions.

 

As an aside, there was a fantastic programme on British TV a few days ago: The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, told the tale of George Mallory, an Englishman born in Cheshire (my home county!) who obviously had climbing in his blood. He climbed the spire of the local church when still in short trousers! Later he turned his focus on Everest. Together with his climbing partner Sandy Irvine, they attempted the climb in 1924. They were last spotted 800 metres from the summit before the cloud rolled in and never seen again. Many years later Mallory's body was discovered by Conrad Anker. There were items in his clothing, but not the photo of his wife he had promised to leave at the summit. The programme follows Anker as he tries to establish whether it would have been possible for Mallory to have overcome the last major hurdle, an outcrop of rock deemed un-climbable by the climbing fraternity. It was wonderful to watch him and his colleague Leo Houlding as they approached this fearsome obstacle. I'm not sure if the programmme has been aired before - the main narration is by Liam Neeson, with his then wife Natasha Richardson narrating as Mallory's wife. Richardson died in 2009 from a skiing accident. If you ever get a chance to watch this, I firmly recommend it.

 

Back to the original list of 25 places Michael posted. I've only been to a couple. I see only two on the list are in Thailand and I am particularly interested in Koh Kood, (also spelt Ko Kut). Here is the description taken from the CNN site:

 

Thailand’s Koh Kood is possibly one of the very few places that can live up to the myth of the unpeopled Asian beachy paradise. It’s got the necessary props -- a rainforest, quaint fishing villages, coconut plantations, snorkeling spots, and a population of less than 2,000.

It’s also sufficiently out-of-the-way. Getting there requires an hour’s plane ride from Bangkok’s Trat airport, or a train and boat expedition from Bangkok. The Koh Kood experience is like taking a step back in civilization: minimal electricity, Internet access, and cars. The accommodation on the island ranges from wildly expensive resorts to homestays.

 

Has anyone been? I was toying with the idea on my last visit in March but decided against it owing to the logistics of getting there. I was put off also by the fact most places seem to be resorts catering for those on short package holidays. I tend to prefer the DiY approach.

[Guest fountainhall]

There were items in his clothing, but not the photo of his wife he had promised to leave at the summit.

I would love to have seen this programme. If I recall correctly from media reports when they found Mallory's body, the general conclusion seemed to be that he had made it to the top and was on his way down when he died.

 

Did you see the Discovery Channel's reality TV series Everest: Beyond The Limit (I believe there were at least two of them)? Fascinating viewing!

 

Don't give up on the idea of going to Nepal for a few days. It's not nearly as expensive as Bhutan.

[Rogie]

I would love to have seen this programme. If I recall correctly from media reports when they found Mallory's body, the general conclusion seemed to be that he had made it to the top and was on his way down when he died.

After their successful summit, following the route Mallory would have taken, that was also the opinion of the two men I referred to in my post. Obviously sentiment plays a part, but Mallory's contemporaries who knew him well and knew what made him tick, were also convinced he did.

 

Did you see the Discovery Channel's reality TV series Everest: Beyond The Limit (I believe there were at least two of them)? Fascinating viewing!

No! I'll look out for it.

 

Don't give up on the idea of going to Nepal for a few days. It's not nearly as expensive as Bhutan.

Good idea. Funnily enough I was chatting to two of my friends in the pub tonight who are off to Nepal for the whole of October, trekking around the Annapurna range. They drew me a diagram of the route they would be taking which involved trekking for nearly a month. Having seen the photo in your earlier post above, and not having read what you wrote properly, I naively assumed the peak shown was Everest (hence my posting about Mallory). When I said to them "Oh, so you can see Everest from where you will be?" they looked pityingly at me "No, there are just a few other mountains in the way!"

[Guest fountainhall]

Having seen the photo in your earlier post above, and not having read what you wrote properly, I naively assumed the peak shown was Everest

Alas, no! That is Machapuchare ("Fish Tail"), around 7,000 m. It is one of the smaller mountains in the range, although it seems higher since, from the Sarangot viewpoint, it is relatively closer than the higher peaks.