Friday, May 21, 2010

Beyond Bangkok: The serene sides of Asia

Beyond Bangkok: The serene sides of Asia
Sun rise over Gunung Bromo resembles the backdrop to a sci-fi film


The volatility in Thailand should not put you off discovering some of the region’s many other charms, says Natalie Paris.

By Natalie Paris
Source: telegraph

Images this week of violence and killings on the streets of Bangkok - coupled with a hardening of Foreign Office advice not to travel there – will have horrified many British holidaymakers considering a trip to Thailand, traditionally the most popular destination in South-East Asia and a country that sells itself as the “Land of Smiles”.

However, travellers wanting to head to this part of the world should not be deterred: the region’s newer, less well explored destinations – Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – have an immense amount to offer – including breathtaking landscapes, timeless rivers (not least the Mekong), world-class ruins – and diverse minority tribes.

Malaysia has always appealed with its colonial cities and intriguing mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures. Indonesia, too, can compete by offering islands a touch wilder, and beaches more remote, and less crowded, than those in Thailand.

Destinations not on direct routes from the UK can be reached via Kuala Lumpur with the budget Air Asia (0845 605 3333; www.airasia.com) or via Singapore with Singapore Airlines (0844 800 2380; www.singaporeair.com).

Laos

Why go
Landlocked Laos has a relaxed pace of life and indifference to tourism that make it an idyllic escape. Luang Prabang is one of the most beguiling cities in Asia, with Unesco World Heritage status and faded French charm. Start the day watching alms-collecting monks file down the streets at dawn, and then visit a glittering Buddhist temple. At sunset, drink a Beer Lao on the banks of the Mekong before shopping for local crafts at the lantern-lit night market.

Travellers seeking the comforts of boutique hotels will find them here and in the country’s capital, Vientiane, alongside colonial villas, pleasant boulevards and the country’s most important golden stupa, the 150ft-tall Pha That Luang.

To get off the beaten track, take a boat along the bucolic Nam Ou river from Luang Prabang, and drift past caves filled with images of the Buddha and dramatic karst scenery, ending up in sleepy village backwaters. Accommodation is rustic, but nothing beats swinging in a hammock and letting time pass Lao-style.

Ecotourism is blossoming at Luang Nam Tha in the north, where it is possible to walk to the villages of the animist Akha people. Alternatively, head south to the Mekong islands of Si Phan Don, home to fishing villages, waterfalls and rare Irrawaddy dolphins.

Telegraph tip Lao food is relatively unknown, but there are some tasty dishes. Try some jaew, chilli dipping paste for balls of sticky rice, and laab, a fresh, spicy, minced-meat salad, tossed with mint and coriander.

  • Audley (01993 838160; www.audleytravel.com) can arrange tailor-made trips to northern and southern Laos. The 12-day Undiscovered Laos and Cambodia includes two nights in Si Phan Don and flights from Heathrow; £2,800.

Cambodia

Why go
This is a country proud of its ancient beginnings but recovering from a dark, more recent past.

Around two million people a year come to visit the great Khmer temple complex at Angkor and the tourism industry has mushroomed to accommodate them. Hidden in the jungle are the majestic corncob towers and lily-pond moat of Angkor Wat, hundreds of carved smiling faces at Bayon, and romantic Ta Prohm, left as it was discovered, with moss-covered reliefs buckling under the stranglehold of overgrown trees.

A three-day pass costing $40 (£28) is advisable. Start with a guided tour, and then rent a bicycle or play at being royalty by riding an elephant from the south gate.

Phnom Penh is a city that is fast rejuvenating, with boutique shops and new bars springing up along the riverside. Sights include the Royal Palace, whose gilded pagodas are similar to those in Bangkok. For those wanting to understand the horrors endured under Pol Pot’s regime, the Tuol Sleng Museum and collection of bones at the Killing Fields offer a sobering lesson.

The Cambodian coastline hugs the wild Cardamom Mountains in the west and curls past down-at-heel Sihanoukville to the more appealing resort ofKep, close to the Vietnamese border. Both are jumping-off points for trips to unspoilt islands ringed with golden sand. Kep was once a wealthy retreat, and some of its villas have reopened as chic hotels. Foodies should try local seafood and Kampot pepper crab at the crab market – a row of shacks on the water’s edge.

Telegraph tip Experience rural life on a slow boat across the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in south-east Asia, passing bird-filled wetlands, rickety fishing boats and villagers waving excitedly from the shore.

  • Audley (see above) offers a “Cambodia Discovered” tour flying into Siem Reap from Singapore, taking in Angkor, Phnom Penh and Kep. 14 days from £1,875, depending on hotels, including flights.
  • For further information contact the Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism (www.mot.gov.kh).

Vietnam

Why go Vietnam stretches between the chaotic but engaging cities of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, and Hanoi. The streets are a noisy public stage set for various acts of family life, played out against roaring motorcycle traffic and the persistent patter of street merchants.

Saigon is a buzzing sprawl, home to the moving War Remnants Museum.Hanoi’s old quarter is more manageable. Here you can pay your respects (no talking or shorts) to embalmed leader Ho Chi Minh. Sailing trips around the soaring limestone peaks of Halong Bay are another northern highlight. Created, legend has it, from the spikes of a falling dragon’s tail, they are a humbling sight come rain or shine.

In the misty hills of Sapa, near the Chinese border, hikes through minority-tribe territory can offer better settings and authenticity than those in northern Thailand. Walkers pass through valleys of bamboo forest and rice paddies to meet Hmong and Dao villagers clothed in traditional dress. Bac Ha market is the best place to see Flower Hmong people in their exuberant, fluorescent threads.

Good restaurants overlook the river at refined Hoi An, where tailors cut silk to order in quaint streets lined with Unesco-preserved houses. Vietnam’s central coastline is going upmarket swiftly. At Mui Ne you can find sand dunes, watersports and luxury hotels that dot the palm-tree lined strip heading north to Nha Trang. For quieter beaches backed by thick jungle, take a hydrofoil or fly to the tropical island of Phu Quoc, off the mainland’s southern tip.

Telegraph tip Drink Vietnamese beer hoi from makeshift stands. A fresh keg of beer is propped up on the street each day and sold to punters seated on plastic chairs, some 30cm off the ground. Rest a glass on your knee and get to know the person squatting next to you.

  • TransIndus (020 8231 0580; www.transindus.co.uk) offers a 13-day tour across the length of Vietnam, from £2,650, including flights. This can be extended with a five-day bolt-on trip visiting the hill tribes of Sapa; from £489.

Malaysia/Singapore

Why go
On the Malaysian peninsula, cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Malacca have a rich heritage and well-preserved colonial architecture. In Kuala Lumpur, the markets and restaurants of Little India, Chinatown and the Malay Kampung Baru make an interesting contrast to the Petronas Towers.

Singapore is clean and respectable in its modernity but also has ageing colonial relics, vibrant nightlife at Clarke Quay and even urban rainforest, at Bukit Timah.

For a little taste of Britain in Malaysia, head to the refreshingly cool retreat ofCameron Highlands and walk through verdant tea plantations. Further inland, the jungle of Taman Negara, one of the world’s oldest primary forests, has accessible trails, a canopy walkway and hides for spotting wildlife.

Beach-lovers can choose between islands off both the east and west coast.Pulau Langkawi, to the west, has sweeping sandy bays framed by green hills. Go east, and Palau Tiomen has shorter beaches but good snorkelling. The Perhentian Islands are small but perfectly formed and the least developed.

Malaysian Borneo attracts wildlife fanatics to the lush states of Sabah and Sarawak. At Sabah you can view orang-utans and long-nosed proboscis monkeys in the wild, dive at Pulau Sipadan and climb Mount Kinabalu (4,095m). Sarawak is famous for river trips to see indigenous tribes living in communal longhouses.

Telegraph tip In Singapore, eat at the elegant, cast-iron hawkers market Lau Pa Sat, commissioned by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822. There is a taste-bud-boggling range of cuisine on offer and live music in the evenings.

  • Travelmood (0800 840 7802; www.travelmood.com) offers a 17-night tour departing October 1, visiting Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi; from £1,595, including flights from Heathrow to Singapore, returning from Langkawi, all internal flights and some excursions. It also has a special offer on seven nights at Borneo’s five-star Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort on a room-only basis from £749, including return flight from Heathrow.

Indonesia

Why go
Bali is the region’s travel hub and its peaceful interior, with shimmering rice terraces and flower-strewn temples, is the perfect place to find your inner self – and indulge in some spa pampering. Ubud is the island’s cultural heart – there are great art galleries and countryside to wander in.

Neighbouring Lombok has a scaleable volcano, Mount Rinjani, and is growing in popularity as word gets out about its wide, deserted beaches. The most obvious resort is Senggigi, flanked by white-sand bays.

Gili Trawangan, to the north, offers the closest thing to Thailand’s full-moon parties. It is a hot spot for divers, who pack out the hotels and party at the bars and restaurants along the main beach. The smaller Gili Meno and Gili Air are more peaceful. Sail east of here to track Komodo dragons in Nusa Tenggara.

A trip to Java, Indonesia’s political powerhouse, is also worthwhile. Catch the amazing Buddhist and Hindu temples of Borobudur and Prambanan, built during a bout of ninth-century religious one-upmanship, then head east to watch the sun rise over the volcanoes thrusting out of a steep-sided caldera at Gunung Bromo. The result is an other-worldly scene that looks like the backdrop to a sci-fi film.

Telegraph tip If Bali’s busy southern resorts don’t provide the castaway experience you crave, escape to the tiny island of Nusa Lembongan. Here are a number of picturesque coves to laze on and gaze back at the mystical Agung mountain, looming over Bali’s eastern shore.

  • Imaginative Traveller (0845 026 1788; www.imaginative-traveller.com) runs a 21-day “Indonesian Paradise” tour, travelling from east Java to Bali and Lombok, ending in Bali, for £1,225, excluding flights. Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) offers London-Singapore-Bali returns from £595, including taxes.

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