Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction to
Southeast Asia
With its tempting mix of volcanoes, rainforest, rice fields, beaches and coral
reefs, Southeast Asia is one of the most stimulating and accessible regions
for independent travel in the world. You can spend the day exploring
thousand-year-old Hindu ruins and the night at a rave on the beach; attend
a Buddhist alms-giving ceremony at dawn and go whitewater rafting in the
afternoon; chill out in a bamboo beach hut one week and hike through the
jungle looking for orang-utans the next.
In short, there is enough here to keep anyone hooked for months, and the average cost of
living is so low that many Western travellers find they can afford to take their time. he
region comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, hailand and Vietnam, and, as useful gateways to the region, we have also
included Southeast Asian neighbours
Hong Kong and Macau
. hough the region has long
been on the travellers' trail, it doesn't take too much to get off the beaten track - whether
it's to discover that perfect beach or to delve into the lush surrounds of the rainforest.
he
beaches
here are some of the finest in the world, and you'll find the cream of the
crop in hailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, all of which boast postcard-pretty,
white-sand bays, complete with azure waters and wooden beach shacks dotted along
their palm-fringed shores. he clear tropical waters also offer supreme diving
opportunities for novices and seasoned divers alike.
Southeast Asia's myriad
temple complexes
are another of the region's best-known
attractions. he Hindu Khmers left a string of magnificent monuments, the most
impressive of which can be seen at Angkor in Cambodia, while the Buddhists' most
impressive legacies include the colossal ninth-century stupa of Borobudur in Indonesia
and the temple-strewn plain of Bagan in Myanmar.
Almost every visitor to the region makes an effort to climb one of the spectacular
mountains
, whether getting up before dawn to watch the sun rise from Indonesia's
Mount Bromo or embarking on the two-day trek to scale Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
ABOVE
MONKS, CAMBODIA
OPPOSITE
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS, ILOILO, PHILIPPINES
