Everything Asia Has to Offer

Southeast Asia is one of the best places I love to visit. It has a wide variety of tourist destinations including majestic mountains, spectacular blue and white beaches, waterfalls, thousands of islands, tropical jungles with rare wildlife species, huge rice farms, magnificent ancient temples, and bustling modern cities with amazing skyscrapers.

Southeast Asia is not just about sightseeing, in every country you visit, there's a long list of fun activities to do from diving, swimming, kayaking, to hiking, dancing and night cruising. But the best part is the food. On the streets of most cities, you have an abundance of tasty Asian dishes and snacks. Come along as I share some of the best tourist destinations, activities and cuisine that you can enjoy in Southeast Asia.



Places to Visit
Boracay: I love visiting Boracay because it has some of the finest beaches, not only in Asia but also in the entire world. Boracay is a one of those small islands that has been well preserved by locals for centuries. To see some of the finest and cleanest beaches, make sure you come to Yapak, which has so many white oyster shells, and of course, the White Beach, where you can see some of the most stunning sunsets. When you visit this island, get ready to visit the Wiley's Rock where you can see a statue of Mary built on a rock created by a volcanic eruption.

Bangkok: This is the famous capital of Thailand - a bustling city with a rich history that dates back to the 14th century. If you have never seen floating markets before, you should visit Bangkok. Bangkok is a great place to shop. Here, you can buy a large variety of fruits, vegetables and other fresh tropical produce - plenty of healthy food. And if you want something to excite your taste buds, you should opt for the snacks made in one of the floating kitchens. Like many other old Asian cities, Bangkok has its fair share of Buddhist temples. But you will probably love to spend more time shopping here than visiting temples.

Phuket: Before you leave Thailand, be sure to visit Phuket - Thailand's biggest island. It is the most famous tourist destination outside the capital. Come here to enjoy the gorgeous beaches where you can enjoy a great diving experience. If you have little time to stay here, visit the Patong Beach where you enjoy brilliant sunshine and refreshing sea waves. Many well managed resorts, hotels and restaurants offer great service here and you will love the vibrant nightlife after dusk. You can also indulge yourself a little in one of the massage tents. 

Things to Do
Island Hopping and Swimming: In Southeast Asia, you not only have access to thousands of incredibly beautiful islands, you can also swim in some of the best preserved waters on the planet. Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand have wonderful places to swim. But one of the best places to swim is in the waters of Palawan, where the natural beauty is entrancing.
Diving and Snorkeling: For the best diving spots and resorts, you will need to take a speedboat into to the islands scattered off the coast of Asia. Lakayan Island is a great diving spot with many shipwrecks within a few dozen meters from the island. You may not have heard of Lankayan but it is one of the best places to go for diving. Apart from large schools of barracuda, you can also see the world's largest fish - the whale shark.

Junk Cruise: Take a cruise on the Ha Long Bay. This is one of the things you should do when visiting Vietnam. Go on one of the boat tours on a traditional Vietnamese junk boat and sail through mist, mazes of unusually shaped-cliffs, and floating villages. You will see stunning views of the entire bay area.
Elephant Riding: You can hike in hills of Northern Thailand and enjoy a night with the warm and friendly locals. Go with a guide on an elephant ride and enjoy the refreshing atmosphere around the warm waterfalls.

Food to Eat The best place to enjoy hot and sizzling food in Asia is on the streets is in Thailand. So if you want to have ready access to food when you are backpacking or traveling on a budget, the first place to visit in Asia is Thailand. As you get out of your hostel, you will see street vendors ready to sell hot Som Tam to you from their cart. At lunch time, vendors with sticky rice, noodles and other varieties of popular Thai food will take over, and dinner food vendors will not disappoint you either.  
But be warned, Thai food tends to be hot and spicy. When you are ordering for Som Tam, the green payaya salad made from a combination of shredded green papaya, dried shrimp, fish sauce, lime, sugar, peanuts, crunchy beans and chilli, please leave out the pungent crab and chilli. A perfect complement for Som Tam is sticky rice (which you have to pull apart before eating) and grilled chicken.



Another country that offers delicious Asian food on the streets is Vietnam. In Vietnam, you will cherish the taste of Banh Mi rolls - bread rolls containing roasted chicken and chilli. Get the best rolls from the nearest bakery. But if you are really hungry, you can buy them from street vendors. Another great Vietnamese dish is Bun Cha. It is a traditional dish of the northern region. Bun Cha has pork balls (or grilled meat), plenty of fresh herbs including coriander and mint, spring rolls, and a bowl of tangy fish sauce.
Those are some of the highlights of the activities, tourist sites and cuisine you will enjoy when you visit Southeast Asia. Take some time to do a little more research before you depart - there's so much to enjoy!

Guest Post by: Amanda Grison

Amanda Grison has always enjoyed starting and running businesses. In fact, by the time she was 16, she had already been the owner of two not so successful businesses. Soon afterwards, Amanda began globetrotting and never looked back. Now she is loving a mother and devoted wife first and now a successful business owner second. She, unfortunately, stopped travelling when her first sons were born and this wonderful pastime was behind her……until now.

Thanks a lot for this article  Amanda !

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