5 Great Itineraries in Asia for 5 Different Theme Trips
Posted September 30, 2009 , comments closedAsia is as broad and varied as a continent should be, so how does one plan to go around such a vast area? There is the banana pancake trial; where veering off the lonely planet recommendation is unheard of. But how about some themed trips instead to see the real Asia?So what is Asia known for? Well the food for one; have you ever struggled to find a Chinese take away? Thought not. UFC and other mixed martial arts tournaments dominates interest in combat these days, but a lot of martial arts originate from ancient Asian traditions so we have a martial art itinerary for you too. We will also look at how colonisation influenced Asia to what it is today and wars occurred in Asia. To top things off we will be using the vast land space to get away from it all with a very adventurous itinerary.
Food
What better theme to start off with than a sampling of some of the more notable culinary examples of the region?
- China – The real home of Chinese food. Everybody has a favourite dish; sweet and sour, black bean, ginger dipping, stir-fry, dim sum, soups, noodles, rice, steamed bun, dumplings, there is thousands of combinations, and you don’t have enough time to try them all.
- Japan – There is much more to Japanese food then sushi. Other popular dishes include Domburi, Onigiri, Yakizakana, Ramen, Yakisoba, Oden,Chanko Nabe, Nikujaga, Yudofu, Omuraisu, and Tsukemomo amongst many others, Google them to surprise yourself!
- Malaysia – I have a Malaysian friend who I asked what the Malaysians don’t eat, he replied ‘rocks’; everything that moves or grows is eaten. “We’d eat the clouds if we could catch them” he said. Satay is the national snack – dipping small meat kebabs into a peanut sauce.
- India – Like Japanese food, Indian food is often stereotyped to spicy curry and poppadom. The sheer amount of spices is what makes Indian food as varied as it is. In Northern India you can find dairy based food and flat-bread; Southern India brings the reliance on rice, coconuts and vegetable stews to the table; Eastern India is where you go for your sweet desserts and Western India tends to mix a lot of these combinations up.
- Laos – Yes, whilst you can get deep fried bat here, the French colonisation had a big influence on Laos cuisine, so you can enjoy a freshly baked baguette with melted garlic on with your crunchy bat.
Colonies
Thailand is the only Asian country to not be under control as a Colony, and thus there is a few options here to see external influence on a country. We have already seen how it can affect food, but it can also influence building structure, language, law, culture and even the way people think, prime examples to visit are:
- The French in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1858 to 1954.
- The British in Malaysia and Singapore from 1786 to 1957.
- The Japanese in Korea 1910 to 1945.
- The Spanish in The Philippines from 1565 to 1898.
- The Britain in India between 1765 and 1857.
War History
With such a large amount of colonisation, you can guess that Asia has had its fair amount of wars over the years making a significant impact in the history books.
- The forgotten war between North Korea and South Korea ending in stalemate which divided the 2 countries is still present today and tension on both sides can be seen at the border between the countries.
- The Vietnam war in Vietnam was fought with Viet Cong underground tunnels that you can visit to get a taste of what life was like in wartime Vietnam.
- World War II in Japan saw the only use of nuclear weapons in history in sobering Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the scars are still there today for visitors to see.
- In the 12th Century, one country reigned over nearly all of Asia: Mongolia. See the history of the invasions into China and beyond in museums across the region.
- Even further back in time you can find war and fighting references on the Angkor temples in Cambodia on which this is the only recorded history of that period.
Self Defense
With war comes self defence. Martial arts has spanned hundreds of years in different forms and Asia produces the majority of them such as:
- Tae Kwon Do is a martial art biased towards kicking and sports competition in South Korea.
- Muay Thai boxing in Thailand utilises the sharp quick attacks from knees, elbows and shins.
- Eskrima is the Filipino form of stick and sword fighting.
- Karate, Judo, Ninjutsu, Jujitsu and Sumo Wrestling were all made famous by Japan.
- Kung Fu was made famous and brought martial arts popularity to the world by Bruce Lee and originates from the monks in China.
Epic Trips
So far the itineraries have been quite heavily about war, colonisation and fighting, so it’s time to get away from it all with an epic Asian trip.
- Walk, run, motorcycle, unicycle or whatever you choose to move yourself down the Great Wall of China, it’s still going to take a while to do any significant percentage of the longest man made structure in the world.
- Borneo Island hosts a huge and unique jungle. Trekking through catching glimpses of the wildlife, flora and fauna would be a good decision as long as you can avoid the mosquitoes.
- Cycle through and over the Himalayas mountains including the worlds highest Mount Everest for a breath of fresh air and spectacular views.
- Follow the trial of Genghis Khan by riding a horse through the nomadic region of Mongolia.
- Sail and dive around the entire Asian coast. Some of the most beautiful and interesting. scenery can be seen from and under the sea bed.
Do you have a better way to theme your trip around Asia?
10 Miniature City Marvels Around the World
Posted , comments closed10 Miniature City Marvels Around the World
If you’ve ever read the book Gulliver’s Travels, and wondered how Gulliver felt when he was washed ashore from his shipwreck and woke up in a land of tiny people called Lilliput, here’s your opportunity to find out.
You probably won’t get tied up and find yourself in the middle of a war of tiny nations, but you will get to see some astounding miniature buildings. The attention to detail at these parks is hard to believe. You’ll find yourself wondering how the designers created such intricate, exact replicas.
Bekonscot Model Village and Railroad – United Kingdom
This miniature park is located just 10 minutes outside of London in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. It was constructed in 1929, making it the oldest park of it’s kind in the world. Walking through the two-acre site will undoubtedly give you a glimpse of what English country life was like in the 1930‘s.
It was built in the back garden of the designer, around his swimming pool (which he used to represent the sea) as entertainment for his guests. Much later it became a tourist attraction. The six model villages are all make-believe places with shops that have silly names like the Lee Key Plumbers Merchants.
Wander through the colorful gardens, take a train ride around the property, stroll along the elevated walkway, play with the radio-controlled boats and enjoy the picnic area.
Madurodam – The Netherlands
This was a great park that we visited when my children were small. They thought it was incredible that they were bigger than the buildings and it was fun to watch them race down the paths, stopping occasionally in front of a structure that they recognized from our travels through this small country.
While strolling through the miniature city you’ll see gabled houses, canals, windmills, cows, canal boats and other typical Dutch scenes. You’ll even find a mini version of Schiphol airport, which took two years and four months to complete. The detail in this park is so amazing that you’ll enjoy it even if you are traveling without kids.
The park is located in the Hague, just outside of Amsterdam. A route guide to help you navigate the park is available in 13 different languages.
Cockington Green Gardens – Australia
This park opened about 30 years ago and is still a family owned establishment. It’s so well done that it’s won several tourism awards. The gardens are located about 15 minutes outside of Canberra.
The original models include the thatched roof village of Cockington in Great Britain, Baraemar Castle in Scotland and Stonehenge. Since then, the owners have added an international area where you’ll see the Lahore Gate and Red Fort from India, St. Mark’s Church from Croatia, the Palace of Darius – Perspolis from Iran and a lot more.
Along with the miniatures there is also a cafe, a small steam train ride, a mini train display, lovely gardens that sprawl across a two acre area, and an indoor exhibit area which currently displays an incredible 34 room Georgian style doll house.
Window of the World – China
Located in the city of Shenzhen, this is a park where you can spend a good portion of a day and see 130 of the world’s most incredible sights. You’ll wonder why you bothered to travel the planet when you could have seen everything in one place.
Set on 148 acres, you’ll find replicas of a 354-foot tall Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, the Acropolis, the Pyramids, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal, Mt. Rushmore, the Grand Canyon and on and on. The displays in the park are built at ratios of 1:1, 1: 5 and 1:15.
If you like, you can choose different adventure trips to experience while you are visiting including skiing in the indoor alpine area or navigating the Colorado River. There are also several festivals each year hosted at the park – the Cherry Festival, International Beer Festival, Pop Music Festival, World Dance and Singing Gala and others.
Swiss Miniatur – Switzerland
This open-air miniature park is located in Melide on the shores of Lake Lugano. It was built about 50 years ago with the goal of representing a smaller version of the country of Switzerland. All of the models are built on a scale of 1:25.
Inside the park you’ll discover 120 replicas of houses, castles and cathedrals that represent life in Switzerland including Burgdorf Castle and Chillon Castle. There is also a wonderful display called Heidi’s Village in Maienfeld, which is a must-see for anyone who read and enjoyed the book.
For the train lover, there is an extensive miniature train display that includes 11,500 feet of track and 18 moving trains. This outdoor park is open from mid-March through mid-November.
Forbidden Gardens – United States
This park, which is located in Katy, Texas, about 25 miles outside of Houston, was built in 1997 by a Hong Kong native living in the United States. His idea behind the development of the park was the hope of educating people about the history and culture of ancient China.
The sprawling park sits on 40 acres and inside you’ll find replicas of the Forbidden City, the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Summer Palace and more. If you visit with your kids on Asian Adventure Day (which needs to be booked in advance) they will get a guided historical tour, and have a craft activity like making Chinese opera masks or paper lanterns.
Ave Maria Grotto – United States
This unusual park sits on four acres of a Benedictine Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. It was constructed over a 40-year period by a monk named Brother Joseph Zoetti. He built the 125 miniatures of famous churches, shrines and other buildings out of, well, basically junk that people donated for the cause – glass, marble, costume jewelry, broken tiles, whatever, along with some cement and other building materials.
As you walk down a forested trail you’ll pass by replicas of St. Peter’s Basilica, various Spanish missions, scenes of ancient Jerusalem and even a Tower of Babel. What started as a hobby for him became a life’s work and has been written about in a book entitled Miniature Miracles.
Mini Israel – Israel
This park is symbolically laid out in the shape of the star of David, with each point representing a specific area – Tel Aviv, Haifa, Negev, Jerusalem, Galil and Center. In it you’ll find 350 structures which have historical, cultural and religious importance to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
The models were built on a ratio of 1:25 and completed in 2002 by a diverse team of designers, architects and model builders from different areas and various religious affiliations. It is located in the Avalon Valley near the city of Latrun.
Along with all of the religious structures you’ll also see live bonsai trees, about 30,000 figurines of people, 500 figures of animals, and close to 5,000 mini automobiles, trains motorcycles and airplanes.
Mini Europe – Belgium
After spending a few hours at this park in Brussels, you’ll feel like you’ve visited all of Europe. The models are a representation of 80 cities consisting of 350 buildings. You’ll see things like the Viking Ring Fort of Denmark, the City Hall of Stockholm, the Doge’s Palace in Venice, the Acropolis of Athens and the Houses of Parliament in London.
This park is very well known for the quality of the models. Many of them were quite expensive to build (hundreds of thousands of dollars.) Some of the models were gifts donated by the country represented. Many of the models actually work, like an erupting Vesuvius.
Tobu World Square – Japan
Let’s face it, most people are not going to get to that many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But, if you make it to this park you’ll at least get to see 42 of them in a miniature 1:25 scale. Some of the models include the Great Wall of China, Parthenon, Statue of Liberty, Sphinx and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The creators of the park paid very close attention to detail during the five years of building. In fact, you may want to bring binoculars so you can get a really up-close look at the engravings, reliefs and stained glass found on some of the models. Every display has been well thought out – a great example of this is Tokyo Station surrounded by hordes of miniature people.
Read about author Deanna Hyland and check out her other BootsnAll articles
Photo credits:
Bekonscot by bortescristian on Flickr, Madurodam by przemion on Flickr, Cockington Gardens by mecookie on Flickr, Window of the World by dcmaster on Flickr, Swiss Miniatur by MnGyver on Flickr, Forbidden Gardens by Mr. Kimberly on Flickr, Ave Maria Grotto by southerntabitha on Flickr, Mini Israel by Templar1307 on Flickr, Mini Europe by Crispy Rice on Flickr, Tobu World Square by scion_cho on Flickr
Asia Vacations & South Pacific Vacations - Globus family of brands
Posted , comments closed) Travel to Asia and South Pacific regions of the world has increased with travelers’ growing interest in exotic travel. Whether they list China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tibet, Mongolia or Vietnam on their “must-see” lists for 2010, the Globus family of brands has unveiled a deep offering of vacations designed to enhance the lives of Americans venturing abroad.
“We are not only revealing new itineraries in Asia, our vacation styles to exotic locations worldwide have increased,” said Scott Nisbet, president and chief executive officer for the Globus family of brands. “We’re giving travelers a plethora of tours, river cruises and independent vacation packages to choose from.”
As part of its 2010 vacation offerings, Globus has unveiled several NEW vacations, including two tours: Essence of China and Exploring Australia vacations. And, Monograms the company’s independent travel arm has substantially increased offerings to Asia with NEW Tokyo & Kyoto, Beijing & Shanghai, Beijing & Hong Kong, China Escape and Bangkok & Phuket itineraries. On these vacations, travelers will traverse the Asia Pacific region of the world independently, with help from a Local Host.
“Our Monograms product has witnessed the most growth in these exotic destinations,” said Nisbet. “This expansion, in part, is because Monograms is the perfect choice for first-time travelers to a destination people who want the security and convenience of having an English-speaking Local Host on-hand to point them in the right direction and ensure they explore all of the ‘must-see’ sites.”
To celebrate its exotic vacations, the company is providing travelers $400 off per couple on the air-inclusive price on 2010 Asia & South Pacific vacations when booked before October 13, 2009.* Visit www.globusjourneys.com for more information.
2010 ASIA & CHINA VACATION HIGHLIGHTS:
NEW Essence of China (8 days), priced from $1,599 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Mystical Thailand (12 days), priced from $1,969 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Magical China & the Yangtze River (12 days), priced from $2,799 land/cruise- and intra-tour flights only.
Fascinating China & Mongolia with Yangtze River Cruise (17 days), priced from $5,389 land /cruise and intra-tour flights only.
NEW Bangkok & Phuket (9 days), priced from $989 land- only.
NEW Beijing & Shanghai (7 days), priced from $909 land- only.
2010 SOUTH PACIFIC VACATION HIGHLIGHTS:
NEW Exploring Australia (20 days), priced from $5,919 land- and intra-tour flights only.
South Pacific Sampler (13 days), priced from $3,139 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Naturally New Zealand (10 days), priced from $2,089 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Australia Escape (10 days), priced from $1,329 land- only.
Aussie & Kiwi Explorer (14 days), priced from $2,139 land- only.
*Book a 2010 Globus, Monograms or Avalon Asia or South Pacific air-inclusive vacation. Booking must be made, under deposit and discount applied between August 12 and October 13, 2009 for travel commencing through December 31, 2010. Offers not valid with any other offer except Journeys Club and applies to new 2010 bookings only. Offer reliant on space availability. Full cancellation penalties will apply. Additional restrictions may apply.
ABOUT THE GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS
Littleton, Colorado-based Group Voyagers, Inc. is the privately held company that markets and sells the Globus family of brands within the United States. Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways offer travelers unparalleled tour, independent travel package, river and small ship cruise options. Considered the world’s largest tour operator, with more than 80 years of international travel experience, the Globus family of brands is dedicated to enriching the lives of travelers by turning foreign destinations into familiar harbors, where the expense of travel is forgotten and replaced by personal value.
How Melbourne became Australia’s hottest destination
Posted , comments closed- Australia needs your input
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By
Diana Plater, Paul Mulvey and Gabrielle Dunlevy, theage.com.au |
Sep 30, 2009
It’s a miracle - culture has grown in popularity in Australia.
Well at least that’s what the numbers suggest.
For the first time, more Australians are visiting Victoria for a holiday than Queensland.
Data released by Tourism Research Australia shows NSW still heads the list with 7.2 million domestic visitors in 2008-09, followed by Victoria with 5.4 million and Queensland with 5.1 million.
Victorian tourist chiefs believe that during tough economic times, Australians’ tastes have shifted toward short breaks to experience Victoria’s cultural activities and away from Queensland’s physical attractions.
“The offer of big events, cultural events, retail, food and wine is considered more attractive than stuff like theme parks, Big Pineapples and gee-whizzy type of stuff,” Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief Anthony McIntosh says.
McIntosh says Victoria’s 20-year marketing campaign promoting its big events, such as the spring racing carnival, its shops, wineries and culture has paid off.
But he admitted visitors come for a good time, not a long time.
“The marketing has positioned Victoria as the place for short stay holidays, the place for dirty weekends basically,” he says.
“It’s a romantic, cultural, exciting place to visit for a short stay. People don’t stay here for weeks, they come and stay for a weekend or three or four days.
“They go to things like stage plays and big sporting events, musical tours, they go to wineries, they go to restaurants.”
As an example, both the National Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Museum recorded record crowds for their exhibitions on artist Salvador Dali and the ruins of Pompeii.
And the other blockbuster has been the musical Jersey Boys.
Melbourne Museum has had a record number to its exhibition, A Day in Pompeii.
And the NGV has had more than 150,000 people for its Salvador Dali Liquid Desire exhibition. Both exhibitions continue until October.
The gallery’s director Dr. Gerard Vaughan says the exhibition is second only in popularity to the NGV’s most attended Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, The Impressionists.
“Once again, the exhibition has proved extremely popular with visitors from Melbourne, regional Victoria, interstate and overseas,” Dr Vaughan says.
A Day in Pompeii tells the story of life in the ancient Roman city which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, AD79. It covers everything from food and dining to shopping, medicine and religion.
The CEO of of Museum Victoria Dr Patrick Green says no other ancient city had been found so complete and intact.
But it remained lost and forgotten until rediscovered by archaeologists in the early 1700s.
Of particular interest are the the body casts, made by pouring plaster into hollows left where victims of the eruption were buried.
It’s particularly moving to observe their positions. They were most likely to have been covering their faces with their hands or clothes to relieve themselves from the gases that eventually suffocated them.
It’s highly recommended that people book online (museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii) for a specific time so they don’t have to queue or come either in the afternoons (when the school kids have left) or Thursday nights when the Piazza Museo cafe is also open with musicians playing.
Both shows are part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, a Victorian government initiative that brings outstanding exhibitions from around the world exclusively to Melbourne. In its first five years it has attracted more than 1.34 million people.
Meanwhile, we found the audience at Jersey Boys playing at the historic Princess Theatre lively and friendly.
We got into the swing of things, playing a game of get up, sit down as other audience members climbed over us in the packed theatre.
The Australian version of the Tony Award-winning musical didn’t disappoint.
Written by Rick Elice it’s about the 60s pop group The Four Seasons, starring four relatively unknown Aussie actors.
It shows how Frankie Valli and his band were influenced by the mob influence of New Jersey in the 1950s and 60s but went on to sell 175 million records.
The show, which is running on Broadway and in more than six other cities, features their hit songs including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Rag Doll, Oh What a Night and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.
The actors/musicians for this version were chosen with the help of some of the original band members, including Valli.
They include Irish Dance champion and former Australia Mamma Mia star Bobby Fox as Valli, actor and musician Scott Johnson as Tommy DeVito, Glaston Toft as Nick Massi and Stephen Mahy as Bob Gaudio.
Some other places to visit and things to do in Melbourne:
Federation Square: Corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street. Call: (03) 9639 2800 or visit www.federationsquare.com.au. It’s a complete inner city block, connecting the central business district with the Yarra River and is a fusion of arts and events, leisure, hospitality and promenading.
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Federation Square: Flinders Street. Call: (03) 8663 2200 or visit www.acmi.net.au. It celebrates, champions and explores the moving image in all its forms - film, television, games, new media and art.
National Design Centre: Federation Square Flinders Street. Call: (03) 9654 6335 or visit: www.nationaldesigncentre.com. Combining a gallery space and resource centre, the NDC also hosts the annual Melbourne Design Festival which showcases the latest and greatest in local product and celebrates the classics.
Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia Cnr Russell and Flinders Sts. Call: (03) 8620-2222 or visit: www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Current exhibition: John Brack - runs until August 2009.
Eureka Skydeck: 88 7 Riverside Quay, Southbank. Call: (03) 9693-8888 or visit www.eurekaskydeck.com.au. It’s on Level 88 and is the highest public vantage point in Melbourne, Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Visitors are able to take in the 360 degree views through floor to ceiling glass windows, from the CBD to the Dandenong Ranges and across Port Phillip Bay.
Asian Trails celebrates 10th anniversary
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By
Luc Citrinot, eTN Asia Staff Writer |
Sep 30, 2009
It has been ten years now since Luzi Matzig, one of the most prominent personalities in Asian tourism, created his own tour operation. For eTurboNews, Matzig – who just celebrated his 60th birthday - gives his vision of tourism in southeast Asia.
eTN: What are the most dramatic changes you have experienced over the last ten years?
Luzi Matzig: This is definitely Internet booking that has revolutionized distribution and the way to do business. Booking engines are now into the hands of large travel groups that contract directly with travel suppliers such as hotels. Agoda.com has been taken over by Priceline and asiarooms.com by TUI. Tour operators such as ourselves are not anymore needed to book rooms. We just lost ourselves a contract with asiarooms.com as they decided to deal directly with hotels. And we cannot compete, as it would request a lot of effort and money. We have to adapt our strategy and concentrate on our core business, the tour operating. We just, in fact, gained Kuoni UK as a new customer.
eTN: Are travelers from today very different from ten years ago?
Matzig: We definitely experience[d] a strong rise in individual travelers. As soon as a market becomes mature, it walks away from group tourism. We see also emerging two strong types of travelers, both at the extreme. With the collapse in airlines and hotels prices due to increased competition, there is a trend for cheaper and ever-cheaper packages. But how cheap can we further go? Is it really worth the energy to chase those mass tourism markets producing a very small return on investment? We prefer to look after the other segment, FIT who looks after exclusive up-market products. There is more disposable money and less competition.
eTN: What are the products then that you can offer?
Matzig: These FIT travelers have very determined ideas about what they would like to do and when. Our strength is then to propose packages à la carte. We can arrange for a private car with chauffeur or offer a tailor-made circuit in southeast Asia. We see, for example, a strong interest for cruises as the choice becomes more sophisticated in the region. They are classical cruises on the Mekong River or on the Andaman Sea. Borneo is also emerging as an attractive cruise destination. We also propose private jet[s] for top travelers. We also find more holidaymakers looking for exclusive destinations. For example in Thailand, we see up-market clients moving away from well-known tourist destinations such as Krabi, Phuket, or Pattaya to go more to secluded islands. The last Kuoni Switzerland catalogue on Asia is a very good example of the current trend. It contains up to ten pages of stays and packages at little-know[n] Thai islands.
eTN: Did you also experience a shift in destinations requested by travelers?
Matzig: Indochina has seen the biggest growth over the decade with tourism booming in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and also Laos. Burma is coming back, rather slowly, but it went through a terrible time in 2008. I expect that Myanmar will double the number of its travelers next year compared to 2009… The Philippines is gaining in popularity, especially for Boracay with its fine beaches. But the most successful destination over the last two years is Indonesia. Especially for Bali, where it becomes extremely difficult to sort out an accommodation. The EU ban lift on air travel for some Indonesian airlines help us to design new packages. We propose again overland tours from Sumatra to Bali or propose tours to the Toraja in South Sulawesi in complement to a stay in Bali.
eTN: Is culture an attractive theme in Southeast Asia?
Matzig: It has always been, but as travelers are becoming more discerning, they like to link many cultural destinations with eventually a few days break at a seaside resort at the end of their tour. In Europe, travelers from France, Germany, or Switzerland are very keen at combining multi-countries cultural tours, such as Vietnam-Cambodia and Thailand. But Russians, Scandinavians, and Britons would mostly favor a single sea and sun holiday destination.
eTN: What are your predictions for 2010 for Asian Trails?
Matzig: We definitely will see a recovery, let[’s] say in a growth range of 10 percent. We are personally very happy with our position today and our presence all around southeast Asia. We do not plan to move to other markets as we estimate to remain among the best specialists in the region.