Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Introduction to the Blog

Hello everyone, my blog is going to be about Eastern Asia. I will show you some things that are worth seeing in this area. Posts coming soon!
The main areas I will be focusing on are Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. Each post will focus on one of these.
migrationinformation.com
File:KotaKinabalu CityHall.jpg
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
File:Wat Chiang Man.jpg
Bact

Monday, 7 April 2014

Philippines

zamboanga.com


Ori~


This island country came to the attention of the world when it was hit by typhoon Haiyan last year
causing massive destruction. The culture of the country has been torn between Spain, the US and itself because it was originally owned by Spain but then by America during the 19th century. As a result, the names of places and people sound quite Spanish, the people speak English and they also have their own languages.
While not as "safe" to travel in as Malaysia or Singapore, there are so many beautiful places to see here.

Manila

File:Montage of Manila.png
compiled by Miguel Raul
Manila is the capital city of the Philippines. It is not the biggest city in the country, but it is second behind neighbouring Quezon City. It has a strange history which was made by the Spanish and the Americans. The Spanish came first, and their first forts can be seen at Intramuros (bottom right). As with most cities in this area, there is a large Chinatown with Chinese archways and buildings. Manila is also known for jeepneys, brightly coloured minibuses that transport people around the city.

Cebu

Miguel Raul
tripadvisor.com
tripsiders.com
Cebu is an island province in the Central Visayas region which is the red collection of islands on the map near the south of the country. The capital is Cebu City and it is shown in the collection of pictures at the top of the post. Cebu is known for its beaches and beautiful scenery. Its regional airline, Cebu Pacific, has also made a reputation for itself because the staff entertain the passengers with quizzes where they can win free flights.

Mount Apo

Suntown123
Mount Apo is the tallest mountain in the Philippines and is often nicknamed the "Grandfather of the Philippine Mountains". The mountain is situated near Davao City, in Mindanao. It is home to Lake Venado which is one of the highest lakes in the Philippines. Going on the easiest trail, the hike should take between 3 and 4 days.

Friday, 28 March 2014

Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. It is also the fourth most populated country. The landscape and language are quite similar to Malaysia's but the culture is completely different. It is also very diverse and there are over 300 ethnic groups within its borders.

 

Jakarta

File:Jakarta Pictures-4.jpg
Gunkarta

Jakarta is the Indonesian capital and has grown quicker than Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok and is the 17th biggest city in the world. It is known for being quite polluted and chaotic so I won't talk too much about it.
A lot of interesting buildings can be seen which were built by the Dutch when they controlled Indonesia such as the former town hall on the top right.

Aceh

File:Banda Aceh's Grand Mosque, Indonesia.jpg
paxsimius

What makes Aceh interesting is that it's the only place outside of Saudi Arabia/Iran where Sharia Islamic Law applies in full. This means that the women have to cover up outside the house and the Islamic faith is the only religion allowed. Outside of Aceh, people can choose if they want to follow Sharia Law or not.

Surabaya


File:All Panorama of Surabaya.jpg
baskoro f19
Surabaya is the easiest place to see orangutans without having to venture into wild, tribal Borneo. Since they are a protected species, they are often very hard to see. It is also a smaller, cleaner alternative to Jakarta and contains a lot of Dutch colonial buildings.
According to The Guardian, a recent scandal has emerged about the treatment of the animals. A number have died, including orangutans because the zoo hasn't got enough funding and also there are suspicions that some staff may be involved in animal trafficking.
theguardian.com

Bali

File:Pura Tanah Lot.jpg
Jos Dielis
The one place in Indonesia that everyone knows! This island is a popular tourist destination due to its beautiful beaches and Indonesian cultural experience. Also, it is extremely near the equator so it has very good weather!
Also, people come to see the monkeys which can be found pretty much everywhere.
Bair175

Borobudur

File:Borobudur-Nothwest-view.jpg
Gunawan Kartapranata
Borobudur is a Buddhist temple that was built during the 9th century. It is located outside the city of Mangelang, 5 hours drive from Surabaya. It is covered in stone mounds called stupa which have Buddha statues inside them. This is a must see if you are in Indonesia.

Monday, 24 March 2014

Singapore

video by SoltauCruiser
File:Singapore CBD skyline from Esplanade at dusk.jpg
Nicolas Lannuzel

Singapore is a tiny city-state located south of Malaysia that I had the pleasure of visiting about 3 years ago. It is home to about 7 million people and has made a reputation for being extremely clean and safe. For example, it is safe to walk the streets at midnight! There's no telling what could happen if you did that here in Ireland...

The best way to get here is through Singapore Changi Airport, continuously voted Best Airport in the World. It has a swimming pool, free internet access, luxury shops and a tropical butterfly garden (every airport should have one!).
doobybrain.com
metrogreece.gr


Things to do


Singapore Flyer

File:Singapore Flyer.JPG
David
The Singapore Flyer is a huge observation wheel similar to the London eye (but bigger!) that opened in 2008. It's the largest one of these in the world. I've been on it once and I think it took about 35 minutes to go the whole way around. Inside the base, there's a tropical garden with streams and trees. There are also lots of restaurants, a fish spa (very popular here) and even a flight simulator (?!).

Sentosa Island

sengkang
If you are interested in beaches/theme parks, Sentosa seems like heaven on earth. It is home to the only Universal Studios in Asia and has many beach side hotels and other interesting things for people to do. To get to Sentosa, you can use the boring way and go by car over the bridge (which is a toll bridge) or take the cable car or the very colourful (and very busy) Sentosa monorail.

Marina Bay Sands

File:MarinaBaySands22092012.jpg
bryantse

This is the world's most expensive casino/hotel property. It sits just across the river from the Singapore Flyer and contains many different facilities, from casinos to exhibition centres. It also has a so-called "Infinity Pool"...
media.tripadvisor.com
I'm not so sure I'd want to swim right at the edge of this pool!

Orchard Road

File:Orchard Road street sign - Singapore (gabbe).jpg
Gabbe
Orchard Road is heaven on earth for all shopaholics out there. It's a whole street lined with some of Singapore's most expensive designer shops and hotels. Ngee Ann City, Singapore's largest shopping centre is here and is stuffed to the brim with expensive clothes shops.

These are some of Singapore's main attractions but there is so much more to see in this tiny state.

Friday, 21 March 2014

Thailand



wanderlustmike.com


Thailand would probably be my favourite of the countries I mentioned in the introduction. The country itself is so beautiful and there's lots to see and do.

File:THAI AIRWAYS BOEING 777,S AT SUVARNAHUMI AIRPORT BANGKOK THAILAND FEB 2013 (8510505873).jpg
calflier001/russavia
The easiest ways to enter Thailand are Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Phuket International Airport (HKT).



Phuket



File:Phuket Viewpoint.jpg
Oberpepe
Phuket is an island province in the Andaman Sea just south of the Thai Mainland. It is an extremely popular as a tourist destination due to its climate and the beautiful beaches it has to offer. Phuket is famous for the limestone peaks in the sea.
The island used to be very quiet and peaceful but the western coast has been developed into tourist centres and Phuket City is on the east coast. There are still many quiet places though.
Below there are some pictures of Phuket and I will let them do the explaining.
 
ticketspy.nl
tourismzone.com
travelholidaygallery.com
 
impressivemagazine.com

Bangkok



A composite image, the top row showing a skyline with several skyscrapers; the second row shows, on the left, a Thai temple complex, and on the right, a temple with a large stupa surrounded by four smaller ones on a river bank; and the third rowing showing, on the left, a monument featuring bronze figures standing around the base of an obelisk, surrounded by a large traffic circle, with an elevated rail line passing in the foreground, and on the right, a tall gate-like structure, painted in red
Paul 012

Bamgkok is the Thai capital and is a very big and busy city. It is home to about 7 million people and is extremely polluted as a result. However, there are still many interesting things that can be found here such as the Grand Palace (centre left), Wat Arun (centre right) and the Giant Swing (bottom right).

Wat Arun

File:Templo Wat Arun, Bangkok, Tailandia, 2013-08-22, DD 37.jpg
Diego Delso
This is a Buddhist temple located inthe centre of Bangkok. It is one of the most well-known temples in Thailand and is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Each part of it represents a different symbol from Buddhist mythology.

Grand Palace

File:Bangkok GrandPalace from River2.jpg
mda with modifications by sodacan
The Grand Palace was built in the late 1700's when the capital was moved from Ayuthaya to Bangkok. It was the seat of the kings of Thailand/Siam until the constitutional monarchy was established in 1932. Today it is only used for official state and royal events but it mainly functions as a tourist attraction.

Giant Swing

File:Bangkok Sao Ching Cha.jpg
mattana
The Giant Swing is a religious monument located in the centre of Bangkok. It was constructed in 1782 and has been renovated several times due to weather damage. The most recent renovation was its entire reconstruction in 2005. It was reopened in a royal ceremony in 2007.

That pretty much sums up what you can see in Thailand and theres so much more but the blog would be really long if I did all of it...

Thursday, 20 March 2014

Malaysia

Malaysia

File:Malaysia states named.png
Golbez, Mdzafri

Anyone who's seen the news recently will know all about the trouble that happened here in the past 3 weeks, the missing plane, #prayformh370 and all that goes with it. The Malaysian government has been heavily criticised, mostly by the Chinese, about how they dealt with the situation but apart from that Malaysia is a perfectly stable country and much safer than neighbouring Indonesia in terms of crime rates.
The capital is Kuala Lumpur but other major cities are Johor Bahru, Putrajaya, Kuala Terengannu and Malacca.

Kuala Lumpur

File:KL Composite2.jpg
Compiled by Azreey
Kuala Lumpur has many interesting things to see and do. The Petronas Towers are the tallest twin towers in the world and are both linked by a bridge. The Chinatown (top centre) is a popular destination because of its exotic flavours and shops but I always wonder why people don't just go to China for that kind of thing. There's also the Jamek Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia. (top right)

Penang

Goh PS
I first heard of Penang because there is a Chinese restaurant near me called Penang Garden. When I looked it up I discovered Penang was actually in Malaysia...
This is the second smallest state in Malaysia (apparently Perlis is smallest but I don't know much else about it) and is mostly on an island with parts on the mainland. It is famous for the beaches, the tropical climate and a Chinese opera festival that takesplace every year.

File:Districts of Penang2.jpg
Dreamtrooper

Sabah

File:Sabah in Malaysia.svg
TUBS
Sabah is located on the island of Borneo. It is known for its beautiful landscapes and rainforests. The capital of the state is Kota Kinabalu. I'll let the pictures do most of the explaining...
Oscark
File:Northern Tip Of Borneo.jpg
Tony Jones