Asian Travel Blog

In the midst of forests, the capital city of Bhutan, Thimphu, has a magnificent 17th century fortress monastery known as Tashichoedzong on its northern edge, and this has now become the seat of the Bhutan government. Towards the end of the summer Tashichoedzong hosts a colourful masked-dance festival which attracts both tourists and locals alike.

The main street, Norzin Lam, is full of interesting shops and retail arcades, as well as a fair number of restaurants where you can both sample local cuisine, or get more international dishes. There are plenty of elegant public buildings on this street too, and it is interesting to note that in Bhutan it is the law that all buildings have to be designed in traditional Buddhist style – which gives all buildings, both public and private, old and modern, a certain formal and beautiful air. For example, the National Library, built in the sixties, is in the style of a traditional Buddhist temple.

Thimphu has a market that takes place near the river at the weekend, as well as selling meat and vegetables, there are also plenty of clothes, ornaments and tourist items for sale.

To the north of the city you can find Dechenphu Monastery, Tango Monastery and Cheri Monastery, as well as Dechenchoeling Palace, which is the official royal residence of the King.

It is interesting to note that Thimphu is the only national capital in Asia that does not have traffic lights. The story goes that when a set of traffic lights were installed, people complained that they were too impersonal, so the lights were replaced with hand waving traffic police, who can still be seen today – a sight not often seen in Europe or North American any more!

With its serenity and beautiful architecture, Thimphu is a wonderful place to visit, and still well off the usual tourist track.

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The small quiet city of Luang Prabang, overlooked by Mount Phousi, is in north central Laos, on the Mekong River. Relaxing and beautiful, it was formerly the capital of a kingdom of Luang Prabang, and, until the communist takeover of 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The architecture of Luang Prabang is a combination of Lao traditional wooden houses and the European colonial architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries, Laos once having been part of the French colony of Indochina.

Mount Phousi is really more of a hill than a mountain, and if you climb up it, which makes a great day out for the reasonably energetic, you get a panoramic view over the whole area. From here you will see many shining, golden roofs – these are the temples, also known as wats. Visit one of these and you will find that they are decorated with mosaics and murals of the life of Buddha. The city has some thirty monasteries as well as the old Royal Palace, Haw Kham. The oldest, and probably the most beautiful, monastery isVat Xieng Toung, which is well worth a visit.

For your shopping there is a night market where you can find all the traditional Lao arts and crafts.

Local natural wonders include Kuang Si Falls, which are 29 km to the south. This is a large cascade, with multiple stages and pools at different levels, which makes it very impressive. You can even bathe in the pools. Altogether, besides being very picturesque, this is a great place to chill out and meet other travellers.

Laos is still relatively undiscovered, and Luang Prabang is a good place to start your exploration of this intriguing country.

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China’s northernmost major city, Harbin is a delight for those who love to see a great range of architecture. The city was actually founded as late as 1897 as a camp for the Russian engineers who were building the Trans-Siberian Railway. The demand for workers brought in people from across Russia, Poland and from within Manchuria itself. Russian influence on the city continued due to the fact that after the 1917 Russian Revolution monarchist refugees escaped to Harbin, and the Russian influence is still clearly visible in many ways from the architecture to the food. During World War II the city was captured by the Japanese, and subsequently taken by the Chinese in 1946. Harbin has thus grown from a remote Russian outpost to the tenth largest city in China.

Harbin lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River, and has been alternately called Oriental Moscow, Oriental St Petersburg and Oriental Paris due to its unique European-influenced architecture. It is indeed one of China’s most beautiful cities.

One of the city’s most impressive streets is Zhong Yang Street, which has a fabulous array of varied European architectural styles, including Baroque and Byzantine façades, traditional Jewish architecture, small Russian cake shops and bakeries, fashionable French clothes stores, and Japanese restaurants. Nearby is the Russian Orthodox St. Sophia Cathedral, which has now been made into a museum.

Harbin has an Old Quarter near the Songhua River which is mostly made up of buildings that were constructed by the Russians at the turn of the 19th century. Most of these are built in Baroque or Byzantine style with intricate spires and cupolas, and painted in eye-catching shades of yellow, white, green, and red.

Harbin is also famous for its Russian influenced cuisine, and, unlike the rest of China, has plenty of bakeries producing a variety of differnt types of bread. Harbin is also known for its tasty European-style sausages.

Harbin has been holding an annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival since 1985, and this starts on January 5th and lasts one month. It is one of the world’s four largest ice and snow festivals.

So if you are looking for somewhere unusual to escape to in January, you could consider Harbin.

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Vietnam has such hot summers that, back in the colonial days, the French established the town of Dalat, because being up in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, in the Annamese Mountain Range, there the weather is cooler. Dalat is 1,500m above sea level, and has a temperate climate that makes a welcome relief from the hot sticky weather closer to sea level.

Dalat seems to have become Vietnam’s romantic capital, but there is a little bit too much kitsch for most western tastes. Surprisingly, Dalat has also become a bit of home to those of an avant garde and bohemian persuasion as well.

Dalat Flower Gardens, is an attractive floral park with beautifully planted flower beds and topiary. It even has a boating lake, although this is somewhat marred by people in fancy dress believing that they are entertaining people.

Dalat has a Valley of Love, once named the Valley of Peace, which is a forested canyon full of romantically inspired sculptures such as white swans with their necks entwined, Venus as the goddess of love, and a love swing. The Valley of Love also has a lake where couples can pedal swan-shaped craft.

Other delights of the area include visits to a silkworm hatchery. The silk is made up into a variety of silken goods, including pyjamas, lingerie and ties, which make great gifts and souvenirs.

One of the features of natural interest to take a look at is Elephant Falls, a mighty cascade of water, and noisy too.

For some bizarre reason, Dalat seems to be famous for stuffed animals. I don’t mean soft toys, but actual taxidermically stuffed animals. Although not to everyone’s taste, the reason may be due to the fact that Dalat was once renowned for its big-game hunting.

It may be due to the cool weather, and its popularity with university students that Dalat seems to have become a home for things avant garde. There is a local guest house, Hang Nga Guesthouse, which has also been dubbed The Crazy House, which has plenty of offbeat sculpture and art on display.

If you are planning on visiting Vietnam, Dalat may be the place to come to cool off and see something a bit different.

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Cambodia has a troubled past, but is now starting to recover, and open up to visitors. Visit Cambodia and you can enjoy the magnificent splendour of Khmer temples, wonderful tropical islands, impressive waterfalls and national parks. The best months to visit Cambodia are December and January, because then the temperatures are cooler, and the humidity is more bearable – it is also less likely to rain.

However, Cambodia’s biggest festival, Bon Om Tuk, is held in early November, and is worth seeing.

Sights to see include the capital Phnom Penh, with its beautiful Royal Palace - however the poverty and lack of infrastructure can come as a bit of a surprise to tourists accustomed to better organisation.

Kep is Cambodia’s top coastal resort, and has a fine sweep of beach that tends to be fairly quiet through the week. Kep is only just starting to be discovered by beach lovers, so if quiet stretches of sand are to your taste, it could be worth taking a look.

Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in south east Asia, and here you will find the remains of several capitals of the Khmer Empire – including great temples, old ruins and intricate carvings.

One thing that you have to be very careful of in Cambodia is landmines – they are still a real danger there, with about six million live mines still dotted around the countryside and near the border with Thailand. So never stray off the proper pathways.

Cambodia will appeal to the more adventurous traveller, who is interested in visiting places that have not yet been overwhelmed with tourists.

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