Culture & Sightseeing
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008Aisa’s rating of destinations - Culture & Sightseeing
Bali, Indonesia
Goa, India | Halong Bay, Vietnam
Koh Samui, Thailand | Maldives | Phuket, Thailand | Railay, Thailand | Sanya, China
With a long history & tradition, Asia boasts rich and diversified culture. They are so many historical site and cultural relics for you to see and explore, not to mention the beautiful scenery in natural scenic spots. You can easily find them all in our tropical destinations!
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Bali, Indonesia | Aisa’s rating
Home to vast majority of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority, Bali has around 20,000 Hindu temples on the island. It provides magnificent visual culture infused with spirituality, which is unusual for other tropical destinations. Tanah Lot temple is perhaps the most well known temple in Bali. Built atop a huge rock and surrounded by the sea in the 16th century, Tanah Lot’s rituals include paying of homage to the guardian spirits of the sea. The best time to view the place is during sunset, when the sunlight gives the temple an illuminated glow right behind. Pura Besakih temple, a complex of about 30 sanctuaries, is the most sacred of all Balinese temples.
In east Bali, Puri Kanginan Palace is a must visit. It’s a beautiful group of buildings, and home of the royal family of the king of Karangasem.
Bali is also famous for its beautiful landscape. A chain of six volcanoes stretches from west to east. One of the famous active volcanos in Bali is Mount Batur. Stop at Kintamani, a village offering an amazing panorama of Mount Batur. It’s one of the most impressing sites in Bali. There are also lush tropical forests, pristine crater lakes, fast flowing rivers and deep ravines, picturesque rice terraces, and fertile vegetable and fruit gardens.
There many galleries and two famous museums in Ubud. Museums Puri Lukisan has large collections of pictures by Balinese artists, featuring Balinese village life. Museum Neka also has a large collection of classical and more recent Balinese art.
Goa, India | Aisa’s rating
Goa is studded with temples, churches and forts, which gives Goa its culture depth and make Goa a superb place for sightseeing. The well preserved architectures reflect the Portuguese influence.
The old Goa hills are the main Hindu pilgrimage spots in Goa. One of the most sacred places is Sidhanath Mountain in Borim Village. Brahma Temple, dated from 5 AD, is the one the few temples dedicated to Brahma. (Brahma is the Hindu God of creation and one of the Trimuiti, the other two being Vishnu and Shiva.) Sri Mangesh is one of the most celebrated and most visited of Goan temples, dedicated to Shiva. Panji (Panjim) is the new captial of Goa and it feels like a small Mediterranean town with building in pastel colors.
Old Goa is a historic center of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bom Jesus Basillica in old Goa is world heritage architecture, and it’s one of the largest Christian pilgrimage sites in Asia. It’s build in 1605, and it houses a sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier. Opposite Bom Jesus Basillica is the Se Cathedral, the biggest cathedral in Asia built in 1650 by the Portuguese.
Goa is also known as a paradise for the hippies since 1960’s, where you can still find “the last hippies” hanging out and some drug if lucky.
Halong Bay, Vietnam | Aisa’s rating
Halong bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site, listed by UNESCO on December 1994 for its outstanding universal aesthetic value. Sightseeing in Halong bay is a feast to the eye - beautiful limestone formation, rock arches, clear turquoise water, scenic lagoons, caves, coves, cliffs and thousand of limestone islets…Among thousands of caves, Hang Dau Go (Grotto of Wooden Stakes) is one of the largest consisting of three chambers. Other big caves include Grotto of Bo Nau and 2 km long Hang Hanh Cave.
Koh Samui, Thailand | Aisa’s rating
There are a number of attractions on the island. Big Buddha Temple has a gigantic statue of the Buddha - 12 meter high! There are other temples as well.
Maldives | Aisa’s rating
Sightseeing activities are concentrated in Male, the capital city of Maldives, e.g., King’s Palace, Grand Friday Mosque, the Mulle Aage (Sultan’s Palace), the harbor, fish market, etc.
Phuket, Thailand | Aisa’s rating
Phuket has some notable historical temples. Wat Chalong in south Phuket is the most important Buddhist temple of the island. Wat Phra Nang Sang in the north is the oldest temple in Phuket. The other temple in the North, Wat Phra Thong, is famous for its Budda images.
Promthep Cape, near the southernmost point, is a great place for sunset viewing! It also offers spectacular view of the sea and he southern coast of Phuket. There is a shell museum on Rawai Beach.
Railay, Thailand | Aisa’s rating
Phra Nang Cave, a.k.a. Diamond Cave, is a beautiful sight-seeing destination at Railay. As you walk into the cave, you can hear the sound of bat screeching and birding flapping. In the center of the cave there is a huge gold lime stone waterfall.
Sanya, China | Aisa’s rating
Sanya has many attractions. Luhuitou Mountain (Turn Around Deer) Park offers a beautiful view of Sanya.
Lady Buddha (Goddess of Mercy) Park is located in the Nanshan area of Sanya. The park features a stunning 108-meter statue of the Goddess of Mercy, standing in a man-made island of the South China sea. It’s one of the top scenic spots in China.
The pearl culture center has eight showrooms and a range of exhibits including the commercial cultivation and international marketing of pearls in the region. Kids will love the Seashell Exhibition Center, which homes seashells of different shapes, colors and sizes.
Boracay, Philippines
