tips for Asias Top Destinations
Asia is a place of wonderment. The culture’s each areunique and worth exploring. You will find stunning visuals
and quant villages. The busy metropolises will amaze
and you will find yourself lost amidst the chaos.
Tokyo
Neon streaks down every building striking you hard, in the
face. A shrill cacophony of high-pitched sounds deafens
you as you purposefully walk. Fluorescent-clad shop
assistants with megaphones thrust the latest mobile
phones into your hand. Push them away, you don’t need
them. This is Tokyo of today – commercial, loud and
brash; yet the people walk a predictable life, in ordered
silence. A city for work, not leisure. Unique, deceptive,
superficial and odd. Heaven or Hell? It’s hard to
know
Tokyo Hostels
Kyoto
Nestled among mountains in Western Honshu, Kyoto has
a reputation worldwide as Japan’s most beautiful city.
However, visitors may be surprised by how much work
they will have to do to see its beautiful side. Most
visitors’ first impressions will be of the urban sprawl of
central Kyoto, around the ultra-modern glass-and-steel
train station, which is itself an example of a city steeped
in tradition colliding with the modern world. Nonetheless,
the persistent tourist will soon discover Kyoto’s hidden
beauty in the temples and parks which ring the city
center, and find that the city has much more than
immediately meets the eye.
Beijing
Beijing is the capital of the most populous country in the
world, the People’s Republic of China. It was also the
seat of the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors until the
formation of a republic in 1911. As such it is rich in
historical sites and important government institutions.
The city is well known for its flatness and regular
construction. There is only one hill to be found in the city
limits (in Jingshan Park to the north of the famous
Forbidden City). Like the configuration of the Forbidden
City, Beijing has concentric “ring roads”, which are
actually rectangular, that go around the metropolis.
Seoul
Seoul suffers from a partly unwarranted reputation for
pollution and traffic jams. These days, strict emissions
laws have brought the pollution under control and, while
traffic jams do still snarl up Seoul’s streets at rush hour,
the extensive subway network means that the traveler
can easily shortcut through it almost all of the time. With
beautiful palaces, great food and a hopping nightlife,
Macau
The ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral are the city’s most
famous landmark. Above Saint Paul’s are the remains of
a fort, now the city’s main museum. You can buy a pass
that gets you into all Macau museums, cheaper than the
individual admission fees if you want to see several.
Largo do Senado (Senate Square) is a colorful typical
Iberian town square at the heart of the city. On the hill
between Largo Do Senado and St. Paul’s is a church with
an incredible interior. The A-Ma Temple is perhaps the
most famous Chinese temple in Macau. It’s near the
southern tip of the peninsula, on the west side.
Taipei
However, Taipei 101 is perhaps most notable for its feats
of engineering; since 2004 it is the world’s tallest building,
as determined by three of the four standards designated
by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. It also
boasts the world’s fastest elevators, which will zip visitors
up to the 89th-floor observation deck in a mere 37
seconds (cost varies depending on age: NT$350 for
adults, NT$320 for kids under 12). It’s worth it. The views
are stunning; the best time to visit would be in the late
afternoon so you can hang around for a couple of hours
and see both day and night views of Taipei.
