Kick-arse, kung-fu travel
IN central China, martial arts tourism is all the rage, as Simon Rowe discovers when he signs up for a 10-day crash course in the ancient fighting art of Kung-fu.
Asia
Not all fun and Games
AS the 2008 Olympic Games draw nearer, Beijing is losing its battle to overcome smog problems. John Wright reports on the city’s race against time.
Lost weekend in Koh Samui
GOT 48 hours to explore Koh Samui, Thailand’s third largest island? Get the best out of your trip without getting lost in the tourist crowd with these insider tips.
Asia’s best beaches
AUSTRALIANS are royally spoiled when it comes to world-class coasts yet still we travel, chasing sandier or sunnier shores. Here are 10 of Asia’s best beaches.
Magician conjures own Hogwarts
A TOP Indian magician is opening a version of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hoping a degree in magic will keep the ancient art alive.
Kuala Lumpur goes on sale for shopping marathon
YOU need only two things when it comes to surviving Kuala Lumpur’s annual shopping marathon plenty of cash and Rottweiler-like haggling skills.
Cheaper, and cheerful
SIMON Benson discovered you can spend three weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for under $5000, and stay in some of the world’s most captivating hotels.
To the Bund
MUCH of 1930s Shanghai may be gone but in this emphatically 21st-century city there’s plenty of pre-war hedonism to be found in its nightclubs and restaurants.
Thrills and chills with tigers
WHETHER you’re on an elephant or inside a jeep, an Indian tiger safari is not for the faint-hearted, as Louise Goldsbury found during an unforgettable adventure.
Soaking up Japanese tradition
BRIAN Johnston immerses himself in Japan’s thermal baths and discovers a rich and age-old tradition that soothes away stress in superb surroundings.
More to Hong Kong than shopping
AT an English-style pub in a fishing village less than an hour from Hong Kong’s shopping district, David Ovens finds a home-away-from-home for ex-pat Aussies.
Nostalgia in adult sweet shops
ALL-you-can-eat cheap lolly shops are giving stressed-out Japanese a chance to relive carefree childhood days of eating fizzy sticks and sour plums.
48 hours in Koh Samui
WHETHER it’s relaxation, adventure or a burst of bargain shopping you’re after, Koh Samui has it all, discovers Bryan Littlely after a weekend on the Thai resort island.
Airport lays its demons to rest
CHRIS Pritchard dispels some myths about Bangkok’s controversial new gateway, which locals say had ghosts until Buddhist monks banished the spirits.
Pollution turning Taj Mahal yellow
POLLUTION is turning the Taj Mahal yellow, despite efforts by the Indian government to keep the poignant 17th century monument shimmering white.
India’s sweltering, dusty gem
THE vibrant city of Delhi may be a seething, hot living hell but the Indian capital is also an assault on the senses that’s intoxicating, writes Andrew Carswell.
Long Tan’s trail of peace
FOLLOW Chris Pritchard on a trip to Long Tan in Vietnam and discover why it and its war memorial have become a mini-Gallipoli for many Australian tourists.
Put your swimming trunks on
AN elephant with good ears is a must for the novice mahout. Tricia Welsh goes to elephant driving school in Thailand’s Golden Triangle.
Tradition among the neon
AUSTRALIANS are enjoying a new taste of a very friendly and neon-lit Japan, as Ellen Connolly found while travelling on the back of a strong Aussie dollar.
Wham, bam, thank you Nam
LINDA Silmalis falls in love with the freedom and frenzy of Vietnam while soaking up the atmosphere of the under-discovered white sands of Cua Dai Beach.
Yes, Yoko Ono approves
ALL you need is love in a Japanese John Lennon museum, writes Diana Plater of how the Saitama Super Arena chose a shrine to a Beatle over an aquarium.
Hunt for paradise in Thailand
A DAY trip to the Phi Phi Islands can show the best of Thailand’s many natural gifts. But, as Patrick Lion discovered, nature can be fickle.
Make benefit for Kazakh culture
THE former Soviet satellite defies the Borat movie cliches, as a queasy Fiona Hudson discovered after a few sips of camel milk at a Kazakh banquet.
Trekking the cultural trail
THERE’S something about the mountain air of Northern Thailand – the heartland of the country’s soft-adventure travel – that triggers the curious and the cultural.
Tiger tale’s sad demise
A HIKE through the spectacular Tiger Leaping Gorge in China stretches the muscles and the senses. But probably not for much longer, writes Andy Phillips.
West meets east in India
THERE’S a friendliness and energy in Mumbai India’s biggest and most international city that makes it worth visiting, writes Carol Pucci.
Angel’s song on river of kings
THE Chao Phraya River offers a unique way to discover the best Bangkok has to offer and is a relaxing escape from the city of angels’ frenetic pace.
Hello blossoms, it’s cherry time
WHEN it’s spring and the cherry trees are in bloom, it’s the silly season in Japan. This is the only time of year the Japanese truly let their hair down and party.
Timeless China to a tea
THERE’S an ageless serenity about the graceful villages that fringe Shanghai where, despite the Mao badges on sale, old China lives in a pre-revolution bubble.
Stopover in a tribal village
TUCKED away in a remote mountainous region of Thailand, Akha Hill House is far removed from tourist crowds but at the heart of a traditional tribal village.
Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/travel/destinations/asia/page/30