The Top 7 Asian Holiday Spots---part 1

As the largest continent on earth, Asia offersBarisan Forest Park), Harau Valley, Jangga Village,
travellers a huge variety of spots to visit, thingsKerinci-Seblat National Park, Lingga Village, Medan,
to do &, cultures to view. Asia is a charming mixMentawai Islands, Ngalau Indah Caves, Ngarai
of historical locales and modern cities. Asia hasSianok (Sianok Canyon), Padang, Pandaan Beach,
something to suit the taste of everyone in thePandi Sikat, Parapat, Samosir Island, Siberut Island,
family, there are historical monuments as well asSipiso-piso Waterfall, Taman Hutan Raya Bung
great malls, beautiful virgin forests to pristineHatta, and more.
beaches, exotic festivals to exotic food, Asia hasMalaysia
it all.The Malay Peninsula has thrived from its central
The Top 10 Asian Holiday Spotsposition in the maritime trade routes between
IndonesiaChina, India and the Middle East. It is shown on
The name Indonesia has its roots in two Greekearly map with a label that translates as "Golden
words: "Indos" meaning Indian and "Nesos" whichChersonese"; the Straits of Malacca were
means islands. It is an appropriate description ofreferred to as "Sinus Sabaricus". The two distinct
the archipelago as there are estimated to be aparts of Malaysia, separated from each other by
total of 17,508 islands, of which only about 6,000the South China Sea, share a largely similar
are inhabited, stretching for 5,150 km betweenlandscape in that both West and East Malaysia
the Australian and Asian continental. The mainfeature coastal plains rising to often densely
islands are Sumatra Kalimantan), Sulawesi Irianforested hills and mountains. Putrajaya is the
Jaya), and last but not least Java. The nation'snewly created administrative capital whereas the
capital, Jakarta, has a fascinating and significantcapital city is Kuala Lumpur. Georgetown, Ipoh,
historyJohor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Alor Star,
Climate-- Indonesia’s climate is definitelyMalacca Town, and Klang are the major cities.
tropical. The main seasons are summer, winterClimate-- It's hot and humid year-round in Malaysia
and monsoon; it is devoid of autumn and spring..
Culture-- Indonesia is rich in art and culture whichCulture-- Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural
are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions.and multilingual society, consisting of 52% Malays
The basic principles which guide life include theand other indigenous tribes. With Malays, Chinese
concepts of mutual assistance or "gotong royong".and Indians living side by sideThe music, art, food,
Religious influences on the community are varieddance, architecture and general day to day living
from island to island. Indonesia is rich with cultureare influenced by all three to some degree,
with 250 - 300 ethnic groups live here.creating some of Asia's most fascinating sounds,
From graceful court and temple dances tosights and tastes. Malaysian traditional music is
charming folk dances and boisterous play, theheavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms, it
performing arts of Indonesia offer an astoundingis based largely around the gendang (drum), but
range of types and styles, shadow puppeteer isincludes other percussion instruments. The country
famous.has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas,
Cuisine-- Fish features prominently in the diet assome of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other
fresh, salted, dried, smoked or a paste. Coconut isartistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow puppet
found everywhere. The staple food traditionallytheatre), silat (a stylised martial art).
ranges from rice corn, sago, cassava to sweetCuisine-- There is a great variety; spicy Malay
potatoes.Food, a seemingly endless variety of Chinese
Hot spots—Indonesia is a mix of beaches,food, exotic cuisine from North and South India,
forests and cities- Amlapura, Bali Barat Nationalas well as Nyonya and Portuguese Food.
Park, Irian Jaya, , Java, , Jakarta, Baluran NationalHot spots-- Malaysia's love of Western-style is
Park, Karimunjawa Islands, Kalimantan (Borneo),abundantly clear in its big cities, Kuala Lumpur,
Gili Islands, Gunung Rinjani (Mount Rinjani), Kuta, ,Penang etc. Malaysia boasts some of the most
Pulau Bunaken, Rantepao, Tanatoraja, , Sumatra, ,superb beaches, mountains and national parks in
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (Great BukitAsia.