Things to do in Asia
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FEATURED
Bangkok To Hanoi
13 days (Bangkok)
by Intrepid
Cruise down Bangkok's canals on a longtail boat, Bargain up a storm in Chiang Mai's Night Bazaar, Relax on a slow boat down the Mekong, Take a dip beneath Kuang…Not LP reviewed
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Tuba
Used-furniture shop by day, Italian restaurant-slash-bar by night; oddly enough, this business formula is not entirely unheard of in Bangkok. Pull up a leatherette lounge and take the plunge and buy a whole bottle for once. And don’t miss the delicious chicken wings.
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TakeOut Comedy Club
If your idea of a perfect evening involves laughing, Hong Kong’s first comedy club will blow your socks off with consistent stand-up and improvised acts in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
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Yoga Training Centre
Yoga master Sunil Kumar runs two-hour classes three times a day (8am, 10am and 4pm; Rs200) at the Yoga Training Centre, on the 3rd floor of a small backstreet building near Meer Ghat. He teaches an integrated blend of hatha, Iyengar, pranayama and ashtanga, and serious students can continue on certificate and diploma courses. This place is highly recommended by travellers.
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A Dong Silk
Hoi An is bustling with tailors; get something made up to order here.
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Dreamland Trek & Tour
Reputable trek/tour operator.
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Mehrotra Silk Facto
Tucked away down a tiny alleyway near the Varanasi Junction train station, this pocket-sized, fixed-priced shop is a fun place to buy good-quality silk scarves (from Rs250), saris (from Rs1500) and bedspread sets (from Rs5000). Turn right out of the station, take the first major left turn, then turn left just before the iway Internet cafe and it’s down a small alleyway on your left.
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Bedudal Café
For bread, beer and English menus, try Bedudal Café or Canyon Café. They also prepare the local speciality, dadiah campur, which is a tasty mixture of oats, coconut, fruit, molasses and buffalo-milk yogurt.
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Baba Blacksheep
Another reasonable option for silk shopping, with similar prices to Mehrotra Silk Factory.
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Learn for Life Society
Learn for Life Society, which can be contacted through the nearby Brown Bread Bakery has established a small school for disadvantaged children, and travellers are welcome to turn up and help out. The charity also recently started a women’s empowerment group, offering fair-paid work to local women, some of whom are mothers of the school’s students. The women make produce such as jams and pickles which travellers can buy from Brown Bread Bakery. See the website for more details.
reviewed
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Taj Mahal
The Taj can be accessed through the west, south and east gates, which all lead to an outer courtyard. The south gate is the main access and is easiest to reach from Taj Ganj, while the east gate generally has the shortest queues. The west gate gets very crowded with tour groups, but they don’t normally arrive until after 9am. There are separate queues for men and women. Prohibited items such as food, tobacco, matches, mobile phones and camera tripods can be left without charge in cloakrooms. Don’t forget to visit the cloakroom first to avoid queuing twice.
reviewed
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Sadhana Yoga
This friendly and secluded retreat is hidden away in the village of Sedi Bagar, overlooking Phewa Tal, 2.5km northwest of Lakeside. One- to 21-day courses in Hatha yoga for Rs 1800 per day, including tuition, steam and mud baths, accommodation and meals. Enquire about yoga treks.
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Advantour
The reliable outfit located in the Rovshan Hotel can customize tours for both groups and individuals. The personable and knowledgeable husband-and-wife owners speak perfect English. They were relocating at research time.
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Chatuchak Weekend Market
Among the largest markets in the world, Chatuchak Weekend Market seems to unite everything buyable, from used vintage sneakers to baby squirrels. JJ, as it’s also known, is the ideal place to finally pick up those gifts for people back home, not to mention a pretty item or two for your own home. The market is roughly divided into thematic sections, the best guide to these being Nancy Chandler’s Map of Bangkok. Because Chatuchak is a Thai institution, food also plays a significant role, and there are numerous drinks and snack vendors, and several good restaurants on the outside edges of the market. Plan to spend a full day, as there’s plenty to see, do and buy. But…
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Tien-Shan Travel
Ex-cartographers with expedition gear and a menu of set group tours into the mountains, but unaccustomed to walk-in clients. Contact Vladimir Birukov.
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Cream Centre
An excellent ice-cream parlour in a bright, slick interior. Oh, and real food, too: a pure-veg hodgepodge of Indian, Mexican and Middle Eastern.
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German Bakery
Leafy and filled with prayer flags and jolly lights, this is a perfect place for a huge lunch chosen from an equally huge menu. Tofu balls in mustard sauce with parsley potatoes and salad is a piled-high winner at Rs150. Wi-fi is available for a fairly steep Rs100 per hour.
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Houseboat
Renting a houseboat designed like a kettuvallam (rice barge) could be one of your most expensive experiences in India, but it's worth every darned rupee. Drifting through quiet canals lined with coconut palms, eating deliciously authentic Keralan food, meeting local villagers and sleeping on the water under a galaxy of stars - it's a world away from the clamour of India.
Houseboats cater for groups (up to eight bunks) or couples (one or two double bedrooms). Food (and an onboard chef to cook it) is generally included in the quoted cost. Houseboats can be chartered through the DTPC in Kollam or Alleppey, or a multitude of private operators.
This is the biggest business in…
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Fushimi-Inari Taisha
This stunning shrine complex was dedicated to the gods of rice and sake by the Hata family in the 8th century. As the role of agriculture diminished, deities were enrolled to ensure prosperity in business. Nowadays, the shrine is one of Japan's most popular, and is the head shrine for some 30,000 Inari shrines scattered the length and breadth of Japan.
The entire complex sprawls across the wooded slopes of Inari-yama. A pathway wanders 4km up the mountain and is lined with thousands of red torii. There are also dozens of stone foxes. The fox is considered the messenger of Inari, the god of the rice harvest (and, later on, business). The Japanese traditionally see the fox…
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Mehrangarh
Still run by the descendants of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Mehrangarh is captivating. As you approach, the walls soar overhead in a mesmerising demonstration of the skills of the builders. Cast off your audio-tour prejudices, as this tour, covered by the foreign-visitor admission charge (which also includes camera fees), is terrific, with a mix of history, information and dramatically narrated anecdotes. It’s a real treat to wander around at your leisure, taking a fix of information when you feel like it. Personal guides are available for Rs150.
reviewed
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Hoi An Old Town
Now a Unesco World Heritage site, Hoi An Old Town is governed by preservation laws that are well up to speed. Several buildings of historical and cultural significance are open for public viewing, a number of streets in the centre of town are off-limits to cars, and building alterations and height restrictions are well enforced. If only Hanoi would follow suit in its historic Old Quarter.
reviewed
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Brothers’ Dhaba
Amritsar is famous for its dhabas (snack bars) such as Brothers’ Dhaba which has (mainly Indian) meals averaging Rs80, and open early to late. Brothers’ is the current sweetheart, but only by a whisker.
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Friends
The delightful Friends restaurant is run by the Mith Samlanh Friends NGO. Staffed by street youths training for the hospitality industry, it offers healthy international dishes and delicious fruit cocktails.
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Brown Bread Bakery
Not only does this place lead the way socially and environmentally – it supports a local school, runs a women’s empowerment group, uses organic produce wherever possible, and refills your water bottles for you (Rs5) – but the food is also terrific. The fabulous menu includes more than 20 varieties of cheese and more than 30 types of bread, cookies and cakes as well as main courses from around the world. The ambience is spot on too, with seating on cushions around low tables and live classical music performances in the evenings. Admittedly, it’s pricier than most, but part of the profits go to the charity Learn for Life.
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V Cafe
A travellers’ favourite, this cute bistro hung with Chinese lanterns serves a mix of Asian and Western mains. Service is very good and you can choose dessert from the small spread on the counter.
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Tsukiji Central Fish Market
If it lives in the sea, it's probably for sale in the Central Fish Market, where acres and acres of fish and fish products pass hands in a lively, almost chaotic atmosphere. Everything is allotted its own area, and a quick scan of the loading docks will reveal mountains of octopus, rows of giant tuna, endless varieties of shellfish and tanks upon tanks of live exotic fish.
About 2246 tonnes of fish, worth over 1.8 billion yen (US$15.5 million), are sold here daily; that's 615,409 tonnes of fish worth some US$4.25 billion a year. It's not unheard of for a single tuna to fetch an incredible around ¥20 million!
The auctions are not officially open to the general public, but…
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