South-East Asia [antikvár]

Introduction South-East Asia has so many highlights it is difficult to know where to begin. Volcanos, jungles, ancient cultures, thriving metropolises, pristine beaches and spellbinding ritual - you'll fmd them all. But perhaps it's easiest to sum it all up with a cliche - it's the people you meet that make it all worthwhile, and South-East Asia's greatest highlight is its peoples. Chances are you'll arrive via one of the big Asian gateways. If Bangkok, Jakarta or almost any other capital city is your first taste of Asia, you may wonder why you bothered. Most Asian capitals are sprawling, congested, polluted boom towns. On arrival you can be guaranteed culture shock, but on departure, after a broader taste of the region, these places can be fascinating, vibrant microcosms of Asia. Hong Kong thrives with activity and commerce, Jakarta is the melting pot of Indonesia and Bangkok may shock but is guaranteed not to bore. Singapore is not so much 'shocking Asia' as 'shopping Asia', but a good place for Western delights and a bit of R & R. Or there are the quieter backwater capitals of Yangon and Hanoi. Yangon (Rangoon) is certainly a microcosm of Myanmar (Burma) - crumbling and antiquated with few signs of improvement since colonial days. Hanoi has unhurried French charm and wide, clean socialist boulevards. South-East Asia has plenty of interesting cities nestling in the hills or on fine bays, but Asia's most likeable city is Georgetown on Penang (Malaysia). It is big enough to be exciting, small enough to be laid back. It is unmistakably Chinese, has predominantly British colonial architecture, good food and a ready supply of things to see. But Asia's real sights are out in the countryside, and some are simply spectacular. For volcanos try Mayon, the 'most perfect', in the Philippines, or the moonscapes of Mt Bromo on Java. For mountain views they don't come much higher than Mt Kinabalu in Borneo; or for a hit-you-in-the-eye panorama the first views of Lake Toba in