Blogs from Asia - page 14777

I have spent the past four days in a town called Emei, which lies at the base of Emei Shan (Mt. Emei), about 150 km. south of Chengdu. My goal was to climb to the summit of Emei Shan, which is at about 3100 meters above sea level, while starting at about 500 meters above sea level. I decided to challenge myself a bit, while I’m passing the time in China, but I may have over-done it a bit. The Lonely Planet says to allow oneself three days to ascend and descend Emei Shan and since I know I am in lousy shape, I gave myself those three days. However, I managed to climb it in two and a half days, but it was pure torture. In typical Chinese fashion, the mountain had a path, with ... read more

Just to reiterate I may have gone a little crazy with the old shopping in Bangkok. For your pleasure here is a mildly abbreviated summary of activities to date. 5 x polo shirts 3 x collared t-shirt (assorted brands) 3 x tailored business shirts 1 x tailored blazer/ Jacket 2 x Jeans (rip off Levi's/ Diesel) 1 x black work pants 4 x boysy war dvd's 2 x Football dvd's 1 x giant collection of scented soaps 6 x boxer shorts 4 x pairs of socks 1 x dickies shorts 1 x leather sandals 1 x Arsenal badge and finally 1 x gigantic useles bag, already semi broken, containing 26 kg's of excess pap. All for around 550 NZ dollars, not bad eh? I may be inadvertantly supporting sweatshop labour, and my environmental credentials are now ... read more

I woke up in my hostel bed in Singapore with a throbbing head ache. I felt the back of my head where two large bumps brought back a painful reminder of the previous nights proceedings. I would leave Singapore that morning. I caught the first bus to Johar Baru, then 2 connecting buses to Mersing, followed by a one hour speed boat ride to Air Batang on the island of Paluau Tioman off the East Coat of Peninsular Malaysia. Tioman is a sleepy tropical island filled with empty beaches, friendly locals, cheap accomodation and some of the best snorkeling and diving in South East Asia. I arrived at dusk and was taken aback by the stunning beauty of this place. The setting sun seemed to illuminate the beach and surrounding rain forest, the perfect place to ... read more

-- MALAYSIA TO THAILAND: KO PHA NGAN -- ...The night air was thick and humid. But at least it was quiet. As my tired head held up no longer, it banged against the window pane on the bumpy ride to the border. I woke to a surreal scene of thick fog as we stopped for food. With a parched mouth following my 4am munch of a melted chocolate bar, I bought some veg filled pao and crawled back into the bus for sleep... ...the border crossing was smooth and painless and I couldn't help but smile at yet another new stamp in my quickly filling passport. Crossing into the southern provinces, although akin to northern Malaysian, I felt distinctly better. The peaceful yellow flags of Buddhism flying smoothly beside the national Thai ones, symbolising the ... read more

Chamba : Chamba is the most attractive and ideal valley for various types of tourism. It is situated at 996mts in the bosoms of the Himalayan Mountains on the bank of the Ravi River and is known for its scenic beauty, landscapes. the valley has its own cultural heritage with rich art and culture due to cool climate and peace atmosphere, considerable flow of tourist from all parts of country and abroad poured into the valley to see its glamour. conjures up picture of distant land known for enchanting folklore unspoiled life style and cultural heritage, at once, unique and abundant. The landscape with its rugged beauty beckons the restless spirit. “Chamba -des-achambha” goes the saying above the town of Chamba,”if you come here for a day you spend a full month”. The town sprawls lazily ... read more