Asian Travel Blog

Located along an idyllic sweep of beach looking out onto the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin has been a resort for well over a hundred years, and much loved by generations of Thai royalty.

Many of the old buildings from the 1920’s have been preserved, and there is a delightful antique, wooden railway station, and row upon row of white villas. The town centre has a distinctive feel all its own, because the original charm of the place has been retained. By the shore there are original wooden fishermen’s piers, which give the place a feel of almost stepping back in time.

Don’t forget to try one of the town’s most famous noodle shops, Jeak Peak, which was established more than sixty years ago. Here you can get generous bowls of seafood noodle soup and plates of delicious pork satay.

Hua Hin has an abundance of top hotels: the Hilton, the Hyatt Regency, the Marriott, and many more. Most of the hotels run spa treatments as well, offering massage, saunas, jacuzzis, and holistic health advice.

And Hua Hin is not without its festivals. Every September is the rather novel King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, with teams coming to the town from as far away as Sri Lanka and Europe. This event raises money for the National Elephant Institute, and also includes parades and other activities. In June, it’s the Hua Hin Jazz Festival which provides three nights of local and international jazz on several stages on the beach. In March the skies dramatically and beautifully fill with colourful kites at the annual Kite Festival.

With its old world charm, Hua Hin is a Thai resort not to be missed.

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Dubai has changed drastically in the past ten years, and is still changing – it is fast becoming one of the most modern and upbeat centres of Asia, attracting attention as a world business hub, and becoming an increasingly popular spot for tourists, boasting magnificent five star hotels and a cornucopia of shopping with top brands, fine products and enviable prices.

The city is also developing a reputation for vibrant nightlife and top-quality restaurants – the pinnacle of which must be Gordon Ramsay’s refined Verre, which is a delight of white china, white linen, simple silver cutlery, and some truly gastronomic refined cusine.

Warm and sunny all year round, Dubai is a great place to jet off to for a bit of sunshine if you live in parts where the winter is cold and grey. At my time of writing, in January, the temperature in Dubai is twenty degrees Celsius. Summer gets a little sweaty, and if you feel the need to cool off, then what could be better than heading off for the slopes of Ski Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East.

The only possible problem with being in Dubai is that there is building work going on all over the place – but it’s a growing city and so inevitable. You might bear this in mind when choosing your hotel, and it is advisable to do a bit of research. One place which is currently unaffected by building work is the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which is particularly good for families and has its own private beach. Another hotel of the same group, which is not close to any current building work, is the Madinat Jumeirah, which is cleverly constructed in the style of an ancient Arabian city, and is threaded by waterways, with cafés, restaurants and its own souk.

For the ultimate in a luxury holiday, it just has to be Dubai.

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Goa in India is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday location, and it doesn’t just have to be about non-stop beach parties either. If you like to take care of your health, then you could give your body a real treat by staying at the Ayurvedic Natural Health Centre near Calangute. Ayurveda is an ancient system of health care that is native to area in and around the subcontinent, and practised by many people in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and beyond.

Ayus means life, in particular, long life, and veda means knowledge, hence, Ayurveda means the knowledge of how to lead a long life, and is very much concerned with healthy living and prevention of disease.

When you arrive at the centre you meet the physician, who discusses your health with you, runs a few tests, and decides what therapy you need to have. After this, you can unwind with a scented oil massage and steam bath.

You get to see the doctor every day, who takes the time to listen to your concerns. An important part of being here is the advice that you receive about diet and leading a healthy lifestyle. People who come here report positive effects lasting long after they return home, which is why many return year after year.

Set in its own beautiful grounds resplendent with coconut palms, the centre provides a calm and peaceful atmosphere in which to change your health for the better. It is just over a kilometre away from the Calangute beach, and half a kilometre from Calangute market and shopping area.

There is an outdoor restaurant, where you can eat wonderful simple Indian meals of rice, dal, and vegetables. There are also a number of international eateries at the beach.

Accommodation is mainly in simple but clean twin-bedded rooms which are serviced daily.

A two week stay costs 980 euro, including treatments, meals, medicines and accommodation.

So, if you want to improve your overall health, while at the same time enjoying a bit of relaxation, why not give it a try?

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I have talked a little previously about the exciting city of Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, and today I want to tell you about two of the best places from where to get fine views of the city.

One unmissable sight of Kuala Lumpur is the spectacular Petronas Twin Towers, which, until recently, standing at a magnificent 452 metres, were the tallest buildings in the world. These towers have only recently been superseded in height by the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan, and are regarded by many as a symbol of Malaysia’s modernity. The Skybridge, that connects the two towers, is one of the highest suspended bridges in the world. If you want to get the wonderful view from the Skybridge, entry to this is free, but only to the first 1,200 people who show up, so be sure to arrive early. It is interesting to note that the Skybridge, which is not actually at the top of the Petronas Twin Towers, is the highest point that the members of the general public can go.

If you would like to take in the view of the city from a point even higher than the Twin Towers, then you should try the observation deck on the top floor of the KL Tower. From here you can get really great city views, especially because the KL Tower is built on a hill, and so you are a few meters higher than the Twin Towers. As a bit of extra fun, why not try the revolving restaurant which is just one floor above the observation deck. Here you can get a really excellent all round view while you eat your meal.

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Kandy is the English name for the city of Maha Nuvara which is located in the centre of Sri Lanka, in the Kandy Valley, surrounded by tea plantations and hills. At 500m above sea level, the city is relatively cool, and popular for that very reason, as a retreat from the worst excesses of the hot Sri Lankan summers.

The city itself has an interesting layout, having been developed around three open spaces, a long square at the end of which are the public administration buildings, an artificial, square lake and a public park – these features give Kandy a very open, green and spacious feel.

On the north shore of the lake, you will find city’s official religious monuments, including the Royal Palace and the rather interestingly named Temple of the Tooth, which is purported to contain a relic of the tooth of Buddha.

Although Kandy started small, like most cities it has now grown outwards considerably from its original boundaries, and now encompasses Peradeniya, with its University of Peradeniya and beautiful Botanical Gardens.

Kandy offers a variety of shopping, including interesting markets, and beautiful boutiques.

There is a range of cuisine available including Chinese, European, Indian and, of course, Sri Lankan.

The city offers a modest nightlife, with a selection of bars and pubs in the city which appeal to local people and tourists alike, and some nightclubs in the hotels that cater mainly to the tourists.

So, if you are in Sri Lanka, and feel like escaping from the heat, Kandy could be your ideal destination.

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It’s always good fun to have a browse around a “pound shop”, or whatever they call them in your neck of the woods. In Japan these are hyaku-en mise, 100 yen shops, and it is really interesting to see the range of goods on offer for this simple amount, compared to the normally astronomical prices of the Land of Wa. In Tokyo a good hyaku-en mise to try is the Daiso 100-Yen Shop, not far from Harajuku Station, which actually has four flours of 100-yen merchandise, including cups, plates, bowls, pots and pans, tea towels, make up, tee-shirts and underwear.

But if you want to go more upmarket, how about a visit to the Museum Shop at the National Art Center in Roppongi? Thrillingly constructed using plenty of glass, this museum houses a number of great exhibitions, and in the shop you can buy postcards of the works on show, books, jewellry, and paper vases.

Feeling hungry? Don’t forget to check out the food basement at Takashiyama Department Store, at Takashiyama Times Square. Here you can buy sushi, a great variety of bento, (that’s a meal in a box, usually consisting of rice, meat and vegetables), traditional Japanese cakes made from rice and beans which taste just gorgeous, and loads of other lovely food.

When you’ve had plenty to eat, how about heading for the Japan Traditional Crafts Center at Ikebukuro? Here you don’t just get to see the crafts themselves, but also the craftsmen and women actually at work. Here you can get traditional raku pottery, lacquerware, traditional handmade paper known as washi, and beautiful wall hangings which incorporate traditional calligraphy.

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With its thousands of shops, its up-to-the-minute sense of fashion, its fantastic array of electrical goods, some simply great Japanese design, plus that inimitable sense of Japanese quirkiness, Tokyo has to be one of the shopping capitals of the world.

So let’s see what are the latest shops to browse.

Tokyu Hands, at Takashiyama Times Square, describes itself as a “Creative Life Store”. Here you can buy such useful items as electrically warmed pillows, a wide variety of teapots, cups, and mugs, and every mobile phone charm that you can think of. They also do collapsible bicycles alongside collapsible umbrellas, and traditional Japanese goods, such as those wonderful split-toed kimono socks.

Do you like manga? How about a stroll around Akihabara, where you will find one manga store after another. Or, if you feel like heading over to Shibuya, you will find Mandarake. Here you can get a wide variety of new and used manga of all the main genres. They also do video games, figurines of your favourite characters, and costumes, if you happen to feel like a bit of dressing up and role play.

Just a short train ride away from Shinjuku you will find the five-floor store of Bingoya, which sells traditional handicrafts. Here you can get lovely traditional hand made toys, bamboo tea canisters, beautifully decorated sake sets with carafe and little cups, Japanese floor cushions, and colourful happi coats to wear on festive occasions.

So are you tempted to get on a plane and head for Narita? In my next post I will have more Tokyo shops to reveal.

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