Best of Asia
About.com’s Asia for Visitors lists down 12 places in Asia that’s supposed to embody that what is Asia. It must have been extremely difficult to reduce the best of Asia into just 12 destinations, but here are the cities that made it to Greg Cruey’s “Best of Asia”:
- Guanzhou, China
- Goa, India
- Suzhou, China
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Beijing, China
- Xi’an, China
- Henan Province, China
- Tibet
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Angkor, Cambodia
- Saigon, Vietnam
- Bali, Indonesia
Personally, I think the list was too China-heavy. I would have picked one from East Asia to add to the mix– either Japan or Korea. If you consider Turkey as Asia, which I do, it also provides a different window to Asia. And a Muslim country shouldn’t be missed. Afterall a large portion of Asia is Islamic and it would be a pity to fail to showcase this facet of Asian culture. Of course, I may be thinking of a different gauge if I were to list down my version of “Best of Asia”: that of the people and cultures, instead of sights and tourist attractions.
How about you? Is there a place you think deserves to be among Asia’s best destinations?
Technorati Tags: asia, asia travel, china, asian tourism
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POSTED IN: Asian City Tours, General : Asia Travel
5 opinions for Best of Asia
Razib Ahmed
Apr 10, 2006 at 8:45 am
I am surprised that South Asia has largely been ignored. There should have been more places from India. I cannot see the justification of ignoring places like Indus civilization (the earliest civilization of South), the natural beauties of Bangladesh and Nepal.
Razib Ahmed
Apr 10, 2006 at 8:49 am
I am surprised that South Asia has largely been ignored. There should have been more places from India. I cannot see the justification of ignoring places like Indus civilization (the earliest civilization of South), the natural beauties of Bangladesh and Nepal.According to World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC),
India and Maldives are among the top ten successful countries in tourism.
Kristina
Apr 10, 2006 at 7:14 pm
I have not been to Laos but just finished reading Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down with students in a Cultural Anthropology class. It could be argued that the Hmong lived quite “outside” of Western culture until very recently—so Laos might give a very, very real sense of Asia.
Ruth
Apr 12, 2006 at 7:53 am
hi razib! i agree. goa is there on the list, but still… whether in terms of culture, population, size, or tourist attraction, that list was wanting more of South Asia. that WTTC article is interesting!
hi kristina! i haven’t been to laos myself, and whenever i think of it, images of a more rural chiang mai comes to mind. but then, that’s just based on what i gather from more popular, contemporary media. thanks for the comment!
Razib Ahmed
Apr 12, 2006 at 9:48 am
HI Ruth,
I am happy that you liked my article. ANy visit to India cannever be complete without Tajmahal. I am surprised that Tajamahal is not included here. Bangladesh has the longest sea beach in teh world at Cox’s bazar and the largest mangrove forest called the Sunderbans (along with India). Nepal has Himalayas. Nepal has the birth place of Buddha. Bhutan is still the unchartered territory. The list can continue but my point is that Greg Cruey should have done a bit more research before giving such a list.
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