When looking to escape the boring and tedious weekly routine, you can always count on a trip that will lighten your spirits. But then again, if you travel to the same old places where you have travelled to before, you tend to find it dissatisfying and boring. It is not a trip worth if you are going to have to lock yourself in a cubicle feeling utterly dissatisfied with a break you thought might cheer you up. So how do you spice up your holidays, to make them more interesting? How do you bring in that salting of an adventurous twist?
Here we bring you top five Asian destinations to pipe up the adventurer in you.
Mandalay, Myanmar
Mandalay is Myanmar’s second largest and its commercial center. It is known to be the last royal capital of Burma and is even today the centre of Burmese culture and traditions. In the midst of all the growing modernized establishments and increase in traffic, there are many well- preserved pagodas and old monasteries.
In just 10,000$, you could book up a taxi for a day and go on a private tour to Saguing, Inn Wa and Amarapura. Here in Inn Wa, there are many temples and monasteries to choose from. The Maha Bon Zan is a place that shouldn’t be missed. It smells like a mouldering organism, in a dark empty basement. And if you are game for triller and spookiness, then you should try the spectacular sunset at the World’s longest teak wood bridge across Taungthaman Lake.
Leh, India
In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, lies the beautiful Leh, which is the capital of Ladakh. This Indian town offers a fantastic landscape of brown rocky hills, bestrewed with Tibetan traditional brick houses all the way down the slopes and a Valley enliven by a myriad of restaurants, shops, guesthouses, souvenir shops, etc.
The trip to Leh itself proves to be an adventure to remember. A travel from Manali is a must do, which is a travel of two days by road with an overnight stay in a tent at a chilly campground midway. You could make several stops on the way to admire the beauty and appreciate the captivating vales and mountains in Himachal Pradesh and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Vang Vieng, Laos
Vang Vieng is known as the party capital of Laos. It is a simple river town, but it is always so alive with numerous guesthouses, bars and restaurants lined so close to each other that it can almost be called a single neighborhood. Frequent people who visit here are usually backpackers who wanna stop for the pub, or nightlifers who are charmed by the picturesque view of the Nam Song River with the Karst Mountains in the background during the day.
The best of adventures that one can find here is on the river. Go tubing down the rapids and embark on all the water sports that you can find. There are some water activities that can be done in Vang Vieng, but floating down the river on a tire is much more exciting. What’s more all the fun adds up to its peak when it is raining. Grab yourself a can of soda and spin about on that tyre while you still can.
Pokhara, Nepal
Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal and the haven for trekkers all around the world, due to its proximity to the Annapurna Range. This place offers a wide range of attractions, like the world Peace pagoda on the top of Ananda hill, or the placid Phewa Lake and the Sarangkot viewpoint where the snowcapped peaks can be viewed as they change colour from grey to gold and then to shiny white as the sun rises.
Paragliding from the Sangkot hill down to a fild at the lake side is an activity that cannot be overlooked. The unpredictable weather makes it really dangerous at times and they have been cases of paragliders landing in the middle of the lake or being blown far away… but again, its adventure right? No stopping them!
Lombok, Indonesia
Saving the best for the last, we have a less popular but adventurous Lombok. Lombok is an Indonesian Island off the east coast of Bali. Though not much is known, and it isn’t popular as a tourist destination, there are a number of natural parks, bays, surfing and scuba diving locations yelling out to be explored.
Here, you could choose to explore the unexplored, or join a trekking team to trek up to the highest volcano in Indonesia. Many climbers attempt to reach an altitude of 3,729, but a majority of them eventually fail. The volcanic sand and gravel makes it more difficult a climb and more exciting an adventure. Those who don’t have the proper gear, stay at the base and explore the lakes.