Melaka,
Malaysia
The old town at the core of Melaka,
Malaysia is all that remains of the European presence that
eliminated a once-thriving empire. Believing they could simply
supplant the Melaka sultanate that dominated trade in the region,
the Portuguese invaded the city and found themselves in the middle
of a power struggle that eventually saw the British come out on
top.
Melaka's legacy of conquest can
still be seen in the preserved colonial buildings within the oldest
parts of the city: from the grand houses of the Chinese quarter to
the gardens in the Portuguese quarter to the majestic Dutch Square
and the Stadhuys, the oldest Dutch building in Asia.
Angkor Temples,
Cambodia
The Angkor temples near the
present-day city of Siem Reap are all that's left of what was once
a massive Khmer empire, laid low by environmental damage and
successive invasion from neighbouring empires. Even in its
relatively ruined state, the collective Angkor temples are a sight
to behold, particularly Angkor Wat: a huge temple complex of both
massive height and breadth, delineated by a square
moat.
Angkor Wat was built as a stand-in
for the Khmer conception of the Universe: the towers are
representative of Mount Meru where the Hindu gods reside, while the
moat stands for the oceans surrounding the earth. Its visitors,
mostly unaware of the temple's cosmological meaning, stand
transfixed at the sheer grace and power of this massive temple
complex in the midst of Cambodian countryside
Prambanan,
Indonesia
Candi Prambanan, a Hindu temple
complex near Yogyakarta in Central Java, Indonesia, is a work in
progress: several earthquakes over the past century have felled the
temples more than once, and even now the Indonesian government is
trying to put the pieces together.
The temple was first built in 856
and over a thousand years since it first saw light, Prambanan is
still quite a sight to behold, even in its half-reassembled state:
three sharp spires set off the low-slung jumble of temples in the
vicinity. Visitors are permitted to climb the temple of Shiva in
the center, where they'll discover statues of the Hindu god and his
entourage peering impassively at intruders.
Come after dark and you'll see the
temple spires illuminated with floodlights and a live performance
of the Hindu epic Ramayana being performed at a nearby concert
hall
Gunung Mulu,
Malaysia
Gunung Mulu, the second-highest
mountain in Sarawak at 2,376 meters in height, bears a secret at
its foothills: a massive cave network and karst (limestone)
formations amidst thick tropical rainforest. If you can make the
grueling trip to this remote spot in Borneo, you'll be rewarded
with several days' exploration of one of Malaysia's most beautiful
landscapes at your leisure.
Gunung Mulu National Park's caves
are nothing to sneeze at; the Sarawak Chamber and Deer Cave are two
of the world's biggest cave chambers. The forests beyond the caves
retain the rich biodiversity for which Sarawak has won wide renown:
27 species of bats, eight species of hornbill, and a menagerie of
mammals that includes the sun bear, the "moon rat", the Bornean
tarsier, the bearded pig, and three species of deer
Komodo Island,
Indonesia
Adventurous tourists can travel to
The Komodo National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia
to see the Komodo dragon in its native habitat. These gigantic
lizards, which can weigh up to 300 pounds and grow up to 3 metres
long, are dangerous when hungry, and common sense tells you to give
these monsters a wide berth.
The Park was set up in 1980 to
protect the endangered dragon from human encroachment (dragons are
still prized for their skins); UNESCO World Heritage status was
attained in 1991. Today, over 2,600 dragons live in relative safety
in the Park, along with wild buffalo, wild boar, the Sunda deer,
and over 150 species of birds. The dragons bear electronic tags,
but are otherwise left alone by the 70-odd rangers who patrol the
islands
Vigan,
Philippines
The powers that established the town
of Vigan in the northern Philippines may have been European, but
another heritage is immediately apparent to whoever cares to look.
Many of the prosperous traders who inhabited Vigan's well-preserved
houses traced their descent from Chinese Hokkien immigrants (the
surnames betray their Chinese roots: Syquia and Quema are prime
examples). Thus it's no surprise that the houses lining Vigan's
impeccably-preserved streets betray Vigan's Asian roots: the tiled
roofs and facades show influences from China, adapted for Ilocano
climes.
Unlike its counterparts elsewhere in
formerly Spanish-occupied Philippines, Vigan remains well
preserved, the stone-and-wood houses retaining their old-world
charm through the centuries. From the Quema house to the Cathedral
of St. Paul to more modern piles like the neoclassical provincial
capitol building, a visit to Vigan feels like a quick jump through
the Philippines' living history
Ha Long Bay,
Vietnam
Limestone is a wondrously versatile
art material when the artist is Mother Nature; such is the case
with Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, a body of water dotted with over 3,000
curvy karst outcrops whose collective undulating shape inspired the
name ("ha long" means "descending dragon"; you might well imagine
the outcrops to be the dragon's back winding in and out of the
water).
This bay is one of the most
congested UNESCO sites on the record, as the enterprising
Vietnamese do all they can to cash in on the area's natural beauty:
hotels, restaurants, and cruise services cram the surrounding
towns. Once you're on the boat with nothing coming between you and
the majestic view, all that hubbub is easily forgotten
Hue, Vietnam
The former imperial capital of Hue
in Vietnam shone bright in the 19th century before colonisation by
the French and successive wars did it in. What survived, though, is
still breathtaking to behold: a massive citadel by the Huong
(Perfume) River that houses the Emperor's official residence; a
pagoda overlooking a river bend; and several intricate tombs, built
for Vietnamese emperors. These surviving buildings earned Hue
UNESCO World Heritage status in 1993.
From the dawn of the 19th century
till the end of World War II, Hue was home to the Nguyen emperors,
who mostly ruled in name only while the French ruled Vietnam in
reality. Despite this colonial charade, the emperors lived large:
the massive Forbidden Purple City within the Citadel's walls housed
the Emperor and his entourage in palatial splendor, and upon their
deaths, the Nguyen rulers were ensconced in lavishly extravagant
tombs.
