asia
All Asia-bound travelers need some guidance before tackling the largest and most populous continent on Earth.
⭐☆☆☆☆ (1/5) — “Didn't See No Hanging Gardens, Just Rude Babylonians”
We arrived at the Vaulted Building of the Royal Palace of King Nebuchadnezzar only to be informed there were no Hanging Gardens. The Babylonians then laughed at us for a solid five minutes before offering a palace tour for 50 shekels of silver.
By Paul Stewart6 months ago in Wander
Catching the Vegas Vibe in Singapore
Landing in Singapore after traveling throughout the rest of south east Asia was an eye opener. The city’s strategic location between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea has turned it into an international financial center. It's sophisticated, orderly, and wealthy - a hotbed of enterprise and capitalism.
By John Thomson6 months ago in Wander
Chilling With Elephants in Sri Lanka
“Colombo? Where’s Colombo?” I said. “It’s the capital city of Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean immediately south of the mainland,” my partner replied. Sri Lanka is a melting pot of colonizers and cultures, Portuguese, Dutch and finally the British who developed a lucrative trade in tea when Sri Lanka was called Ceylon. We were in Sri Lanka not for tea but for elephants.
By John Thomson6 months ago in Wander
How to Avoid Embarrassing Yourself in a Foreign Country
Short answer: you can’t. Embarrassing situations are inevitable, whether you’re living in your home country or visiting one that you’ve never been to before. But as someone who has embarrassed herself a few times living abroad, there are a few things I’ve figured out that have helped me to avoid embarrassment — and, hopefully, my experiences will be able to help you too.
By K. Lou Combs7 months ago in Wander
Small Towns, Big Stories
The map on Lina’s phone had stopped making sense two hours ago. The blue dot that marked her location hovered uncertainly between a thin grey line and a pale green patch labeled only with a name she couldn’t pronounce. The highway had long since dissolved into a narrow road, then into something even less defined—a ribbon of cracked asphalt that seemed to lead not to a destination, but into a story. She almost turned back. Almost. But something about the quiet—thick, uninterrupted, honest—kept her driving forward. The first town didn’t announce itself. There was no welcome sign, no cluster of gas stations or chain stores. Just a row of houses with peeling paint, a bakery with its door propped open, and a church whose bell rang as Lina slowed her car. She parked without thinking. Inside the bakery, the air was warm and smelled like butter and something sweet she couldn’t name. Behind the counter stood an elderly man with flour dusted across his shirt like snow. “You’re not from here,” he said, not unkindly. Lina smiled. “That obvious?” He gestured to the window. “People who belong don’t stop to look. They already know what’s here.” “And what’s here?” she asked. He handed her a small pastry, still warm. “Depends on what you’re looking for.” She bit into it—soft, rich, filled with something like honey and citrus. It tasted like a memory she hadn’t lived yet. “What’s the name of this town?” she asked. The man shrugged. “Names change. Stories don’t.” She stayed longer than she planned. Long enough to notice the woman who sat by the window every morning, writing in a notebook but never turning the page. Long enough to see children racing bicycles down the same street at the same hour each afternoon, as if time itself had made an agreement with them. On her second day, Lina asked about the woman. “She’s waiting,” the baker said. “For what?” “For the ending,” he replied simply. By the third day, Lina had forgotten why she was traveling in the first place. She had left the city with a vague intention—something about needing space, needing clarity, needing to feel like her life wasn’t a series of deadlines stitched together by exhaustion. But here, in this small town that barely existed on a map, those thoughts seemed distant. Unnecessary. Instead, there were simpler things. The rhythm of footsteps on quiet streets. The way the light shifted across the hills at dusk. The sound of laughter drifting from somewhere unseen. On the morning she decided to leave, Lina stopped by the bakery one last time. “You found what you were looking for?” the man asked. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But I think I found something I needed.” He nodded, as if this made perfect sense. Before she left, Lina glanced at the woman by the window. Her notebook was still open to the same page. But this time, she was smiling. The road out of town felt different. Or maybe Lina did. She drove without music, letting the silence stretch out around her like an old friend. The landscape shifted slowly—rolling hills giving way to dense trees, then to a sudden glimpse of water shimmering in the distance. She followed it. The second town was smaller. If the first had been quiet, this one was almost invisible. A handful of cottages clung to the edge of a coastline where the sea met jagged rocks in a restless dance. Lina parked near the water. A woman sat on a bench, watching the waves. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” the woman said without turning. “It is,” Lina replied. “It never repeats itself,” the woman continued. “Same ocean, same shore. But never the same moment twice.” Lina sat beside her. “Do you live here?” she asked. The woman nodded. “Have all my life.” “Don’t you ever want to leave?” The woman smiled. “Why would I? Everything comes here eventually.” They sat in silence for a while. The wind carried the scent of salt and something deeper—something ancient. “People think small towns are where stories end,” the woman said suddenly. “But they’re wrong.” “Where do they begin, then?” Lina asked. “Here,” she said, gesturing to the horizon. “In places where nothing is loud enough to drown them out.” Lina stayed until sunset. The sky turned shades she didn’t have names for—soft gold, deep violet, a fleeting blush of pink that disappeared almost as soon as it arrived. She took out her phone, then hesitated. For once, she didn’t want to capture it. She wanted to remember it.
By Sahir E Shafqat7 months ago in Wander
15 Countries You Can Live Happily
There was a time when the phrase “living on less than US$1,000 a month” sounded like a warning, not a dream. It suggested cutting corners, giving up comfort, and constantly watching every dollar. But in many parts of the world, that is no longer the full story. If you choose your location wisely, a modest monthly budget can still buy you something surprisingly good: a slower pace, lower stress, fresh food, affordable rent, and a life that feels richer than the price tag suggests.
By Edward Smith7 months ago in Wander
Escaping the Crowds: Hiking Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) via Uda Maliboda
Adam's Peak, also known by locals as "Sripadaya," is the most sacred mountain in Sri Lanka. Standing 2,243m (7,359 ft) tall above sea level, this mountain is revered by all faiths in Sri Lanka. The Buddhists believe Lord Buddha's footprint is placed atop a rock on the top of the mountain. Therefore, thousands of Buddhist pilgrims flock to this holy mountain every year to worship lord buddha's sacred footprint.
By Hasintha Weragala7 months ago in Wander
Lost in Translation: How Getting It Wrong in Asia Taught Me How to Travel Right
My first morning in Hanoi started with a sensory assault. I was sitting on a tiny blue plastic stool, knees touching my chin, watching a woman whisk an egg yolk into a cup of robusta coffee. The air smelled of charcoal smoke, cilantro, and exhaust fumes. It was chaotic, loud, and utterly mesmerizing.
By Eleni N. Markou8 months ago in Wander
