Saturday, December 13, 2008

Asia Vacations

By Jimmy Johnson

If you are trying to come up with a new destination to visit for your next vacation, why not consider Asia? An area that offers a bit of everything, culture, history and entertainment, Asia has it all. Go for a vacation that will introduce you to a whole new world, rich in culture and steeped in spirituality and superstition. Visiting Asia is like stepping back in time, where you can see practices carried out that have been part of their lives for hundreds of years, such as tea ceremonies and prayer incantations.

The region of Asia is a great place for Western travellers to visit because it offers fabulous value for money. Every region of Asia is hungry for US dollars, and will offer great exchange rates. Also, Asia is a great place to find deals on clothing and electronics, and the practice of bartering is widely used, so never accept the first price you are quoted as you can probably get an item for less.

An Asian vacation can offer you a bit of everything, from a pampered, lush hotel room with all the amenities within a metropolis, to thatched huts near temples and ruins where you can really get a feel for Asia's culture and history. You can get an even wider diversity of culture if you include India in your itinerary. Some choose to travel through several areas during their vacation, so they can experience many cultures all in one period. If you really want to get a great experience, you either want to have a long vacation so you don't feel hurried, or maybe limit your trip to just one or two regions.

The same is the case with China. Mainland China itself, with its millions of villages, cities and towns to see, will occupy a fair bit of your time. And when you consider that your Asian vacation will never be complete without visiting regions like Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan (associated in one way or another with China) you will see that you invariably will crave a longer vacation. And what is an Asian Vacation that does not include the famed temples of Cambodia and especially Angkor Vat in its itinerary? Most Americans ill also make Vietnam a part of their Asian vacation for obvious, historical reasons. Indonesia, Laos, Burma and Bhutan are often visited not just for their scenic beauty, but also for spiritual and religious reasons.

If you'd rather stay in the more industrial regions of Asia, where you can find easy access to amenities as well as having less of a struggle with the language (there are more English speaking people in the major cities) then you will want to focus your trip on areas of Singapore and Tokyo, Japan. Here you will find some similarities between this interesting culture but with more Westernization. If you decide during your vacation that you want to see some more of the cultural aspects of this great region, then you can easily find these things within the town, or even shortly outside it. Wherever you choose to go, you will have a great time and come home with excellent memories. - 15359

About the Author: