Let’s Visit Asia

The following entry is written by Guest Blogger Tyler Bell, a blogger, vlogger, and sometimes English teacher living in Japan. You can read about his travels at his personal site www.tylerbell.net.
On May 28, 2008, Nepal elected to end 240 years of monarchy rule, giving 60-year-old King Gyanendra 15 days to pack up and clear out. The move comes after an increasing loss of power for Nepal’s royal family. In 2001, the crown prince went on a shooting spree that left the King, Queen, and himself dead. By 2006, concessions were forced upon the monarchy that ended Nepal’s status as a …read more

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No, that wasn’t a typo; I wasn’t referring to the Mile High Club
The mile high pub, located not one, but actually more than 7 miles off sea level, is the Rum Doodle Bar in Kathmandu, said to be THE place to go for a drink after an Everest climb. Share the exhilaration of conquering the highest peak in the world with other summiteers. And while you’re there, don’t forget to ask for a copy of “The Ascent of Rum Doodle” by W.E. Bowman which provided the inspiration for this jaunt.
The Rum Doodle
P.O. Box: 989 Thamel, Kathmandu
Phone: 977-1-414336, Fax: …read more

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Want to learn diving in Thailand? Or perhaps you’re already a seasoned diver but have never seen Thailand’s diverse underwater flora and fauna?
You might want to take advantage of Centara Hotels and Resorts’ Diving Packages. You can download a brochure of their diving packages here. They offer quite attractive rates that include hotel accommodations, plus confined training dives for beginners to open water certification dives and recreational fun dives for the more experienced divers. If you have teens and tweens tagging along, note that the dives most packages are ok for 10-12 year olds.

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I just bought the latest issue of Action Asia magazine– a must-have if you’re planning on wreck diving in Asia soon. The glossy pages also feature surfing in Malaysia, both on the open sea and in the city (!) and off-piste touring in Japan.

Adventure packed, that’s what this issue is!

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Thrill rides is your thing? Here’s a fun place for the family to see next time you’re in Manila: The Global Fun Carnival at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Until Jan 15, 2008, admission fees are just 100 pesos (about $2.35), with ride-all-you-can tickets pegged at P250 to 300. See Sherra’s pics and comments of their recent visit to the Global Fun Carnival.

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This 12-storey building in Osaka, Japan is not ordinary architectural curiosity.

This building houses namBa H!PS entertainment inside, and on the outside, that structure which looks like a musical instrument is Japan’s first building-mounted free-fall amusement ride, called Yabafo.
If thrill rides are your thing, you’ll have to try this one. Enjoy a panoramic city view at 74 m above the ground before the carriage plummets 60 meters down the side of the building at a speed of 22 meters per second.
Yabafo is expected to open in December.
Hat Tip: Pink Tentacle

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Travel back in time as your read this MSNBC’s feature story on Mongolia. If it entices you to come and see the steppes for yourself, here are some facts from the author:
WHEN TO GO: Mongolian winters are bitterly cold, with nighttime temperatures often as low as minus 18. June through September, daytime temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s.
GETTING THERE: The Mongolian airline MIAT flies to Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Moscow and Berlin. Ulan Bator also is served by Air China, Russia’s Aeroflot and Korean Airlines.
COSTS: For a 1 1/2-day trip to Terelj National Park from Ulan Bator, we paid …read more

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In the next few days, I’m planning on running a series on safaris in Asia. Honestly, I haven’t been to one, myself. It’s not because I don’t have an adventurous soul; indeed I would looooove to go on a safari tour or a jungle tour. Not on my own, mind, and not camping out either. I don’t think I’m cut out for that extreme. I mean, I’d love to go out in the wilderness, but I’d also like the comfort of knowing that the adventure is just going to be a few hours, perhaps days, at the end of which …read more

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Fodor’s presents five Hong Kong six must-see’s for those looking for adventure. In no particular order:

Peak Tram:
Hong Kong’s funicular is the world’s steepest — it climbs to a staggering 1,805 feet above sea level. You really can’t afford to miss what is ultimately a great ride. On the way up, grab a seat on the right-hand side for the best views of the harbor and mountains. The trams, which look like old-fashioned trolley cars, are hauled all the way up by cables — in a mere seven minutes.
Victoria’s Peak
Chinese name, Tai Ping Shan, means Mountain of Great Peace, …read more

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Phnom Pehn, Cambodia finds its way to the International Herald Tribune’s travel section recently, with author Stuart Emmrich describing the city as full of contrasts, a mix of old and new, traditional yet nearly
cosmopolitan.
At this moment, Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, seems frozen in time, as the scene in front of you plays out much the way it must have 70 or 80 years ago, when Cambodia was part of French-controlled Indochina and the city was known as the Pearl of Asia. But then you notice the bank of ATMs in the nearby storefronts, the Internet cafés crammed with fashionably …read more

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