Tagged: Unesco

Kuta beach sunset 3

Paradise island Bali: popular Kuta beach and cultural Ubud

I’ve finally arrived in the place many people call paradise. A popular honeymoon getaway for couples and lovers. However, it’s not all just about lovey dovey couples here in Bali. Before getting arrival, I had no idea that Bali was such a big island. I’ve always thought it was a rather small island with resorts and honeymoon suites but to my suprise, the island itself is pretty big and there’s actually more to do than just lie around on the beach. Kuta beach One of the most popular tourist areas in Bali is Kuta. Because of its long broad Indian...

Another temple in the Prambanan temple complex 4

Visiting Prambanan and Borobudur in Yogyakarta

The next stop on the Java island is Yogyakarta, one of the main touristic destinations in Indonesia. Mainly because of the 2 major sights around the cities. First major sight was the temple complex of Prambanan. Its the grandest and most evocative Hindu temple complex in Java that features some 50 temple sites. Many suffered extensive damage in the 2006 earthquake though. The temples survived but there are tons of stone blocks collapsed on the ground or cracked. The Shiva temple is the biggest one and also suffered a lot of damage. At the time of visit the temple itself...

Melaka - World Heritage city 1

UNESCO World Heritage site, Malacca or Melaka

Malacca or Melaka in Malay is an UNESCO World Heritage site just a few hours away from Kuala Lumpur. It’s the capital of the state of Malacca on the westcoast of Peninsular Malaysia. Back in the days the city was a major port hub for all the different nations that have occupied Malaysia, hence the influence of different countries you find in the city itself. First there was the Chinese, then came the Portugese, afterwards the Dutch and finally the British. The most interesting and scenic part of Melaka is Chinatown and partly Town Square, also known as Dutch Square....

Hawker food and street food stalls in Georgetown 0

UNESCO world heritage town of Georgetown in Penang

After the mindless partying and the chill-out beach islands it was time for a change of scene in the highly religious country of Malaysia. I went to Malaysia as a kid before but I’ve only stopped by Kuala Lumpur for a week or so, so I don’t really think that really counts as a real trip. This time around I was opening up more to the culture and the people in Malaysia. It wasn’t until in Kuala Lumpur near the end of my trip that I actually realised what Malaysia was made of. There are so many different ethnic groups...

One temple in the foreground with many more in the background 0

The ancient city of Bagan

The second place I visited, was also the reason why most people come from far and visit Myanmar. The temple-filled plains of Bagan rival the temples from Angkor Wat as one of the most impressive ancient sites in South-East Asia. There are about 4400 temples spread out all over the are. While the individual temples of Angkor are more impressive than in Bagan, the real beauty of Bagan is the overall view of the plains dotted with stupas all over. The best way to visit the plains is to wake up early to one of the viewpoints to catch the...

The faces of Bayon 0

The gem of Cambodia & 8th wonder of the world: Angkor Wat

The reason why most people come to visit Cambodia or even heard of Cambodia is Angkor Wat. For the people that don’t know, Siem Reap is the city that closest to the temples of Angkor wat, the 8th wonder of the world. Actually I stayed about 5 days or so in Siem Reap just relaxing and only on the 3rd day of being there I got off my lazy ass and visited the temples. I figured the temples weren’t going anywhere so I took my sweet little time. Depending on your time schedule, you can either get a 1 day...

Night market in Hoi An selling tons of lanterns 0

Historical port town Hoi An and beach towns Nha Trang & Mui Ne

Hoi An If you want to experience the historal value of Vietnam, you should definately stop by Hoi An for a couple of days. This place used to be a major trading port and you can still see a lot of Chinese, Japanese and even European influences in the architecture. The well-preserved and UNESCO World heritage Old Town of Hoi An is a great place place to stroll around. During the day you can admire the architecture and at night you can soak up the street stalls and the colorful lanterns that lit up the waterfront. With all that to...

Old deteriorated gates in Imperial Citadel 1

Northern Vietnam’s treasures: Halong Bay, Hue & Da Nang

After spending a lot of time in Sapa and Hanoi, I needed to hurry up to the other cities if I wanted to stick to my plan. A lot of these cities have only 1 or 2 things which were worth visiting for a couple of days. Halong Bay Halong Bay is one of the most scenic and famous places whenever you talk about Vietnam. This UNESCO World Heritage protected bay area with nearly 3000 little islands makes a great facebook cover photo and postcard picture. Of course with the luck I have, I visited Vietnam during raining season, meaning...

Sunset in Luang Prabang 2

Luang Prabang, UNESCO World Heritage centre

While some people decide to skip Vientiene or/and Vang Vieng, noone visits Laos without stopping by the charming little town of Luang Prabang. The entire peninsula surrounded by Mekong and the Nam Khan is UNESCO protected along with its numerous Wats and French colonial buildings. Traveling in Luang Prabang isn’t about trying to visit all the attraction. It’s about enjoying the laid-back traveling life. The heat probabbly also has something to do with it too though. We spent all and all about 5 days or so in the city itself. First day we rented a bike and went around the...

Lying buddha in Ayutthaya 3

Bangkok – heart of South East Asia

Bangkok is probably the most visited backpackers hub when coming to South-East Asia. I’ve visited Bangkok around 7-8 years ago (roughly) and it still wows me after all these years. The people are still extremely friend, the food cheap and the tuk-tuk drivers still try to rip tourists off. However, eventhough I visited Bangkok some years ago, I didn’t exactly go sightseeing and find out what it actually had to offer besides the obvious nightlife around Khaosan road. Heck it was one of my first “backpacking” trips. The main reason I come here was to celebrate Songkran, Thai new year....