While travelling, it’s great to visit places where the masses flock, the landmarks and sights of each country that draw people from across the globe. But sometimes you can get world weary, and need a respite from the hoards of people with cameras and maps. There are some amazing little towns in south East Asia where you can escape this, and chill out in your own little paradise.
Samosir, Indonesia: well off the beaten track, Samosir in Indonesia is surrounded by the largest volcanic lake in the world, and is a great destination for relaxing, soak up the sun and swim in the beautiful waters of the lake, while enjoying the beautiful vistas. The island is peaceful and ethnic, with comfortable lodgings and a relaxing atmosphere.
Kampot, Cambodia: famed for Kampot Pepper, a favourite with chefs all over the world, Kampot is a small town in the south of Cambodia. It sits close to Bokor National Park which has an amazing ruined French colonial town which is well worth a trip to.
Ao Nang, Thailand: famed to be one of Thailand’s best beaches, Ao Nang still manages to avoid being a must have on the tourist trail. It is more of a family and sports destination, so young travellers often get bored quickly, but the island offers a great choice, and is ecologically sustainable.
Ubud, Indonesia: A gorgeous alternative to the touristy trails of Bali, Ubud is quiet and relaxing.
Don Det, Laos: lie in your hammock and watch the day go by, or try and spot the endangered Mekong dolphin.
If you are looking to travel to any of these places, make sure you have your passport and valid Travel Insurance.
Let’s say if I wanted to travel to Asia, what area would be the best for a modern, cultural experience?
If you have traveled to Asia, please tell me your experience and on a scale of 1-10 how you liked it.
Answer
If it’s your first time in Asia, possibly Thailand is a good introduction. It’s exotic enough with a developed infrastructure for tourism. If you’re adventurous, continue on to Bhutan(this has to be planned very much in advance though due to the visas needed)- with Bangkok being the easiest entrypoint into the ‘hidden kingdom’.
You’d mentioned both ‘modern’ and ‘cultural’ within the same sentence- so am assuming you’re looking for a rather developed tourism infrastructure. The above combination(Thailand + Bhutan) would really be the best in terms of exposing you to ‘Asia’ within a relatively safe and controlled environment.
Had personally enjoyed Thailand due to the ease of finding good hotels, restaurants and shopping(while being relatively exotic enough). Bhutan is the exact opposite- I’d found myself without mooisturizer and couldn’t find a decent drugstore even in Thimphu, electricity is cut off after a certain hour in parts of Bhutan and there really isn’t much by way of restaurants and entertainment. The cultural experience of Bhutan and the Himalayan scenery however, more than compensates for whatever lack of ‘modern’ pursuits.
