Highlights Of South East Asia - Beaches, Monuments and Temples Highlights Of South East Asia - Cities, Scenery and Culture

Asian Metropolises

For modern shopping, nightlife, dining and entertainment, the city-state of Singapore along with Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are the top choices. Singapore is as developed as any Western city, with a noticeably cleaner look and a less chaotic or bustling atmosphere compared to its neighbours in the region. Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok may both be in developing countries, but it's easy to forget looking at their streets clogged with new cars and skylines of towering skyscrapers, modern shopping malls and office blocks. They are love-it-or-hate-it places though, with some finding the intensity and constant noise and activity just too stressful.

Although Indonesia's Jakarta and Manila in the Philippines are each huge cities with 10 million residents, they aren't generally seen as having much to offer visitors in themselves and are mainly used as transit points for nearby attractions. At the complete opposite end of the scale is Laos's capital Vientiane, still small enough and with little enough traffic that you can get around all of it by bicycle.

Landscape And Natural Scenery

The beauty and variety of both the natural and man-made landscape makes this a very photogenic part of the world. Indonesia's Java is popular for its numerous volcanoes, both live and dormant, while neighbouring Bali's emblematic stepped green rice terraces are also a result of its volcanic nature. Unspoiled tropical rainforests with their unique wildlife are also located throughout the region, mostly notably in Borneo. More highlights are the tea plantations and Langkawi's sky bridge in Malaysia, the karst limestone formations in southern Thailand and Vietnam and the mountainous scenery and waterfalls of Laos and northern Thailand.

People, Culture And Festivals

From the elegant hand movements and colorful costumes of Thai classical dance, to Balinese women somehow managing to carry towering offerings to a festival on their heads, the cultural images from this part of Asia practically define the word exotic. Festival highlights worth timing your visit to coincide with include are Songkran, the water-throwing traditional new year celebration in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia, the Mid-Autumn festivals in Singapore and Vietnam and the Galungan festival in Bali.