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GUIDE: Asia’s splendours

A former reporter for The West Australian, photojournalist Ronan O’Connell has spent the past two and a half years travelling throughout Asia, based in Bangkok and roaming across countries from India and Nepal to China, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond. He finds it’s a part of the world that offers a singular diversity and dynamism.

No continent offers as diverse a range of travel experiences as Asia. Looking for a voyage through time? Asia gives you a peek at the future through the lens of the most futuristic cities on the planet, such as Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul. It also allows you to delve deep into the past by immersing yourself in some of the world’s oldest civilisations, their unique ancient cultures intact in remote locations.

Looking to test the sensitivity of your tastebuds? Again, Asia offers variety that cannot be matched. From eye-wateringly spicy dishes in its west to the rich, vegetable-heavy offerings of the south-east and the delicate raw fish meals of the north-east, Asia’s culinary scene is eclectic and alluring.

Looking to widen your understanding of the world?

Nowhere is the full spectrum of human experience more tightly compressed than in Asia.

Gleaming skyscrapers are home to the offices of Fortune 500 companies, opulent apartments, Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury brand outlets. Alongside these towering icons of modernity, homeless families beg for money in grubby alleys and street vendors work 14-hour days to feed their children.

In many parts of Asia, next to nothing is hidden from view. All of a country’s successes, failures, joys and tragedies can be witnessed during a 20-minute walk across a city. Within a matter of minutes, Asia can warm your heart and then break it. But this toying with your emotions isn’t gratuitous, like a manipulative TV drama.

It is instructive and illuminating and, ultimately, invaluable.

The Indian city of Jaipur is a colourful tourist destination. Picture: Ronan O’Connell.

Try visiting India and not coming back a changed person.

On the streets of Mumbai’s central business district, newly minted millionaires in Lamborghinis cruise past ramshackle markets where goods are bought and traded in the same rowdy manner they have been for centuries.

In the country’s south, hedonists gather on stunning tropical beaches.

In its centre, curious tourists explore the cultural relics of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.

In the north, adventurous types disappear into the breathtaking, forested environment of the Himalayas.

Indian culture has made its mark throughout much of Asia. Singapore and Malaysia, in particular, have large Indian populations, yet are vastly different to the world’s second- most-populous nation.

Chinatown is one of the liveliest areas of Singapore. Picture: Ronan O’Connell.

Where India is a wildly unpredictable place, Singapore is one of the most sanitised environments on the planet, where order and cleanliness are valued over almost everything else. This is First World Asia, a city-country which has more in common with Melbourne than Manila. Singapore is hugely proud of its economic success and high standard of living. It markets itself as a gateway to Asia, where you can get a refined, gentle taste of the continent.

Crossing the border from Singapore into Malaysia is like taking your first big step into the continent. It has a long, rich history, a much more clearly defined culture and a greater diversity of travel experiences.

Kuala Lumpur is a city which perfectly juggles the East with the West, its teeming street markets contrasting with up-market shopping precincts. Malaysia’s location, straddling the equator, has gifted it remarkable tropical scenery, including sun-soaked islands such as Langkawi and Penang.

Over the sea from the Malay Peninsula, the country’s wild side is revealed in Borneo. Here, amid the densest of jungle, ancient tribes hold firm, exotic animals frolic and adventure travel reigns.

The National Mosque of Malaysia in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Picture: Ronan O’Connell.

Indonesia offers similar natural wonders, whether in the wilderness of Sumatra, the volcano-laced landscape of Java or the pristine islands of its east. While the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Yogyakarta all have their own appeal, it is the beaches of Bali and Lombok which dominate Indonesian tourism. When reclining by a resort pool in Seminyak, walking through rice paddies in Ubud or trawling for bargains in Kuta, Australian accents will provide the soundtrack to your trip. Nowhere in Asia is more popular with Australians than Bali, which is close enough to allow a quick getaway but distant enough to help you forget everyday life.

On the opposite side of Borneo, past its northern tip, is one of the region’s most unusual countries, the Philippines. It’s Asian, but it’s American, but it’s Latin. It’s a predominantly Christian nation among countries dominated by Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. It’s an archipelago of more than 7000 islands, at least 5000 of which are uninhabited, making it an enticing destination for explorer types. The capital, Manila, is intent on swiftly becoming a modern metropolis but in most of the rest of the country no one is in a rush. The remnants of its occupations by the US and Spain are evident in its English proficiency, weathered forts and Gothic cathedrals.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s more homogeneous, Buddhist-influenced culture stems from the fact that it’s the only South-East Asian nation never to be colonised by the West.

Long a Goliath of Asian tourism, it is the second-most- visited country on the continent after China. Thailand offers every imaginable experience for visitors. Choose from spiritual sojourns among the ancient temples of Ayutthaya, the modern pleasures of shopping, fine dining and nightlife in Bangkok, relaxation and recreation on its plethora of lush islands, or hiking and adventure sports in the mountains of the north.

Thai monks gather inside a huge temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Picture: Ronan O’Connell.

Thailand’s hordes of tourists have discouraged some travellers and pushed them across its borders to Burma, Cambodia or Laos. Burma, in particular, is the hottest new travel spot in South-East Asia, having only recently opened its arms to tourism following long-awaited democratic reforms. Although its borders have been tightly controlled, Burma has obvious influences from its neighbours. It is part-Thai in its religion, food and the calm demeanour of its people, and part-Indian in the raw energy of its street life.

Cambodia, meanwhile, has an identity all of its own, forged on the conquering efforts of the Khmer Empire which once spread into what is now Laos, to the coast of Burma and south to the Malay Peninsula. And although the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime are not long passed, Cambodians are wonderfully friendly people who are clearly relishing the increasing number of tourists visiting their country.

Beyond the bustling capital of Phnom Penh, with its gold- encrusted palaces and captivating museums, Cambodia’s drawcard is the ruins near Siem Reap. The jungle has tried to reclaim parts of the sprawling remains of Angkor Wat but that has only made this massive complex of time-worn temples and royal abodes even more enchanting.

Angkor Wat is a tourist drawcard in Cambodia. Picture: Ronan O'Connell

Laos lacks a star attraction of this type to act as a magnet for tourists. Instead, visitors are drawn by the promise of peace and quiet in a country where, even in its cities, the pace of life is slow. In the capital, Vientiane, and the spiritual hub of Luang Prabang, there is little else to do but inspect temples and embrace the laid-back atmosphere.

However, cross Laos’ eastern border and the tempo rises immediately. Vietnam is not that much bigger in land area than Laos, yet has many times the population. And in its big cities, it can at times seem as if every one of those tens of millions of Vietnamese residents is riding a motorbike, right now, on the street you’re trying to cross.

In Ho Chi Minh City, its largest metropolis, remnants of the Vietnam War fascinate many tourists. Its capital, Hanoi, has more refined charms — beautiful lakes and parks where locals rest and play, fading French mansions and a beguiling old quarter. Not to mention the city’s easy access to the wonders of Halong Bay, with its glistening waters spiked by hundreds of karst formations.

Vietnam is a treasure-trove for tourists, although no country offers more travel experiences in Asia, perhaps even the world, than China. Its more than 1.35 billion people are scattered across dozens of enormous cities in a nation which is larger in geographical size than either Australia or the US.

Vietnam’s cities teem with activity. Picture: Ronan O’Connell.

China is cloaked in fascinating modern cities, old villages and stunning national parks. Beijing is one of the oldest and most absorbing metropolises on the planet, Shanghai is an unfathomably huge neon-drenched spectacle and Hong Kong is among the world’s favourite tourist cities. Beyond its sprawling urban centres, there are hundreds of towns and villages, largely untouched by tourism, where ancient lifestyles and traditions are maintained amid the beguiling landscapes of inland China. These natural settings range from wetlands to deserts to alpine forests to high-altitude plateaus.

China is, however, a difficult place in which to travel because of the culture shock and the sometimes-impenetrable language barrier.

Tourists wishing to have a Chinese experience without that hassle would do well to visit Taiwan. Ruled for centuries by the Han Chinese, Taiwan is China with the rough edges smoothed off. The cities are not nearly as crowded, there is far less traffic, it is easier to navigate by public transport, the food is more Westernised and English-language skills are among the best in Asia. Yet it is still decidedly Chinese in its culture.

To Taiwan’s north-east are a pair of countries which represent the height of sophistication in Asia — the economic powerhouses of Japan and South Korea.

Although Japan is one of the most expensive Asian countries to travel in, its lure is strong for Australians.

They come for the unique food, the futuristic feel of its cities, its countless subcultures and the many well-preserved vestiges of its history. Japan is the most orderly of places yet can offer up the quirkiest of experiences.

Students line up next to a guard outside the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. Picture: Ronan O'Connell

South Korea is similarly genteel but is less eccentric and more accommodating to tourists. Home to perhaps the friendliest people in Asia, it is a country where Western travellers are approached by strangers either offering assistance or simply striking up a conversation.

While inspecting the glorious palaces of its capital Seoul, the seaside temples of cosmopolitan Busan, or trekking in one of its many gorgeous national parks, such friendly interactions enhance your travel experience.

This is true all across Asia. Language barriers often stand between you and the locals but that won’t prevent them from engaging with you.

From the gregarious Delhi taxi driver speaking to you in Hindi to the cheeky Indonesian children poking their tongues at you to the curious Vietnamese students keen to practise their English, the locals will make you smile.

Their faces will long linger, attached to treasured recollections of the adventures Asia has offered.