
Far East & Pacific
Please Click on a destination below to view information on each area
Phuket, Thailand
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Dubbed 'Pearl of the South' by the tourist industry, Phuket is Thailand's largest, most populous and most visited island. A whirl of colour and cosmopolitanism, Thailand's only island province revolves around and thrives on tourism, but still retains a spark of
the real Thailand.
There are a hundred and one ways to pass the day in Phuket. There are also more tourists here than on any other Thai island - it certainly knows how to cater to tourists' every whim. Most flock to the beaches on the southwestern side, which are loaded with amenities and entertainment options.
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Tahiti
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Tahiti is a word that evokes images of lush tropical landscapes; of crystal clear azure lagoons surrounded by soaring volcanic peaks; of love and romance; of gentle goddesses and fierce warriors, it is the stuff of dreams and legends. The first explorers returned home boasting that they had discovered heaven on earth; writers and artists have captured its planning when to go back. So, what is it about Tahiti & Her Islands which makes us forget that life is short and that there is a world of beauty and tranquillity just waiting to be discovered? |
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Bangkok
(Click to got back up the page) Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban hierarchy as well as its political, commercial and cultural life since the late 18th century. Distinctly modern and Westernized, Bangkok is still a sleepy Thai village with a louder soundtrack of traffic and nightlife.
Bangkok proper seethes on the east side of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River), drawing rural Thai folk into its cluttered fold daily. The city is reportedly sinking at a rate of 5cm (2in) every year, but there's too much sànùk (a Thai sense of fun) going on for that to get anyone down.
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Vietnam
(Click to got back up the page) Most visitors to Vietnam are overwhelmed by the sublime beauty of the country's natural setting: the Red River Delta in the north, the Mekong Delta in the south and almost the entire coastal strip are a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies tended by women in conical hats.
There are some divine beaches along the coast, while inland there are soaring mountains, some of which are cloaked by dense, misty forests. Vietnam also offers an opportunity to see a country of traditional charm and rare beauty rapidly opening up to the outside world.
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Singapore
(Click to got back up the page) Singapore has traded in its rough-and-ready opium dens and pearl luggers for towers of concrete and glass, and its steamy rickshaw image for cool efficiency and spotless streets, but you can still recapture the colonial era with a Singapore Sling under the languorous ceiling fans at Raffles Hotel.
At first glance, Singapore appears shockingly modern and anonymous, but this is an undeniably Asian city where Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions from feng shui to ancestor worship create part of the everyday landscape - colourful contrasts that bring the city to life.
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Hong Kong
(Click to got back up the page) Hong Kong has the big city specials like smog, odour, 14 million elbows and an insane love of clatter. But it's also efficient, hushed and peaceful: the transport network is excellent, the shopping centres are sublime, and the temples and quiet corners of parks are contemplative oases.
The best thing about being in Hong Kong is getting flummoxed and fired by the confluences and contradictions of a Chinese city with multi-Asian and Western elements. It's about savouring new tastes, weaving through a human gridlock and humming some dumb Cantopop tune while slurping your noodles.
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Cambodia
(Click to got back up the page) You've trusted your eyes your whole life, but visit Cambodia and you just may start doubting them.
How else to explain the unthinkable splendour of the 9th- to 13th-century Khmer temples, the tropical islands with barely a beach hut in sight and the untold adventures lurking in northern forests?
Cambodia promises a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences to the intrepid traveller. Your heart will race at Angkor Wat, one of the world's greatest achievements, only to haltingly derail when faced with the impact of humankind's darkest moments. After two decades of war and isolation, only now is Cambodia truly starting to recover from the Khmer Rouge's genocidal 1975-79 rule.
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Malaysia
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Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia’s top travel destinations, possessing an endless range of attractions and activities that cater for the cosmopolitan shopper, cultural enthusiast, historical buff and nature-lover.
Divided into Peninsular Malaysia in the West and East Malaysia, part of the Borneo archipelago, the country will allure you with the shopping experience of its modern cities, the splendour of its cultural arts and natural heritage of rich flora and fauna!
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Australia
Sydney
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Sydney is Australia's oldest city, the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country's capital in everything but name. It's blessed with sun-drenched natural attractions, dizzy skyscrapers, delicious and daring restaurants, superb shopping and friendly folk.
Although it's come a long way from its convict beginnings, it still has a rough and ready energy, and offers an invigorating blend of the old and the new, the raw and the refined. While high culture attracts some to the Opera House, gaudy nightlife attracts others to
Kings Cross.
Perth
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Perth is a vibrant and modern city sitting between the cerulean Indian Ocean and the ancient Darling Ranges. It claims to be the sunniest state capital in Australia, though more striking is its isolation from the rest of the country - Perth is over 4400km (2750mi) from Sydney
by road.
It's true that the city centre's skyscrapers dominate a picturesque riverside location. But behind the towering edifices hide a handful of 19th-century buildings and facades, and some saving-grace patches of greenery. But these concerns fade in an instant when you glimpse the famous beaches.
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