Asia, the Best Travel Destination

If the time has come for your vacation or a holiday getaway, read this article before making your plans. There are many places of great beauty and interest to be seen in the USA and Europe. But, whether transportation, touring, theme park, or food and lodging, it is expensive. This article is written for every traveler, whether a backpacker on a budget, or a first class – five star traveler.

Travel in Asia is inexpensive and opens the door to different cultural experiences. Planning can be for a short holiday, an extended stay, or choices of laying the groundwork for the ultimate stay, retirement. Nowadays, with so many opportunities to make money using the Internet it is not out of the question to “retire” early.

Medical Tourism in Asia growing in popularity. It is high quality and affordable. Just one of International standard hospitals in Bangkok serves 400,000 international patients annually, In the USA cataract surgery for one eye runs around $8,000. At a prestigious International hospital in Thailand cataract surgery can be performed on both eyes for around $2,500. It is possible to have quality medical care, and an Asian holiday, for a fraction of the cost of the same procedure in the USA.

Let us take a tantalizing glimpse at just some of the countries.

Thailand – Land of Smiles. Often referred to as the most exotic country in Southeast Asia. A visit to the Grand Palace in Bangkok for sure. Trips to a floating market or to the Bridge on the River Kwai. From pristine beaches in the Southern Islands to the Northern mountains with its waterfalls, elephants bathing in mountain streams, and Hill Tribe villages.

India – Delhi is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. India Gate, an imposing structure, has emerged as one of the most popular tourist spots in Delhi. The Red Fort Delhi, a masterpiece of architecture, is a popular spot. A trip to India would not be complete without a visit to Agra, famous as the site of one of the world’s most romantic, graceful and photographed buildings, the Taj Mahal.

Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos – Three small countries neighboring Thailand. Each opens a different world of exploration. Cambodia – the highlight is visiting Angkor Wat, an architectural masterpiece constructed in the jungle in the early 12th century. Vietnam – is a varied country, offering beaches, mountains and hundreds of years of history from the ancient Cham Towers to remnants from the Vietnam War. Laos – savor the crafts, culture and hospitality of Laos with a river trip, visits to ancient temples, gorgeous palaces, and traditional villages.

Nepal – Adventure, travel, trekking, birding, wildlife, and cultural & overland Safaris. Take an air flight along the Himalayas and view magnificent Mount Everest. Nearby, discover the serene beauty of Tibet, the country which inspired the Dalai Lama. .

Indonesia – Jakarta, the capital city of the world’s fourth most-populous nation. Bali is Indonesia’s main holiday destination. Flores is a pretty lush green island with forests, palm and banana trees, rice fields and many volcanoes. Highlights are the three small offshore islands of “Gillis” that invite snorkeling, diving and relaxing. For hikers, a climb to the top of the volcano Rijani.

Philippines – An island nation comprising over 7,000 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Manila, the bustling capital has powerful reminders of the country’s past, along with attractive parks, fine museums, and exhilarating nightlife. The Ifugao Rice Terraces

are a testimony to the early technological advancement of the Ifugao people. Take a jeepney ride to the market. Be brave, try balut, a Philippine delicacy. Go diving in the Visayas.

Singapore – Shopping on famous Orchard Road, the dream of every woman. The Night Safari at Singapore Zoo is fabulous. Chinatown, a little glitzy, but you can buy all the souvenirs you want there. Interestingly, one of Singapore’s most beautiful Hindu temples is smack dab in the middle of Chinatown. Decide if a Singapore Sling is worth the hype in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel. There’s more to Singapore than urban glitz, like rambling in the rain forest of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Japan – Tokyo is the capital city and home of the Imperial Residence and Emperor’s Palace. Select a popular destination or region in Japan and explore its attractions. Ride the Bullet Train to the magnificent city of Kyoto. Visit Hiroshima and the Peace Memorial Park. Castles, temples, gardens, the list of top destinations in Japan is too long for this article..

Taiwan – Taipei, the country’s booming, vibrant capital remains steeped in Chinese, Japanese and native Taiwanese cultures. Some of its most impressive sights include the Grand Hotel, topped by the largest Classical Chinese roof in the world, the Shihlin Night Market, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial with the National Theater and Concert Hall located directly across from each other on the grounds. A popular day trip is Tailuge (Taroko Gorge), considered one of the natural wonders of the world.

Hong Kong – the Pearl of East and jewel of The Orient. Nathan Road is lined with shops, restaurants, nightspots and cheap places to stay. If you’re in Hong Kong with the little ones, they’ll probably appreciate Ocean Park (aquarium), Water World (swimming pools and water slides), and of course Disneyland. If you’re in Hong Kong for more than a few days, then there’s plenty of outlying islands to discover.

It is often said that for the traveler that has seen it all and done it all, there is still Katmandu, Nepal. And, that too is in Asia!

If you do not visit Asia, you will be missing not only a paradise of affordable travel, but the chance to see an alternative living location. For retirees, it is luxury living for pennies, not just getting by on their pension. Asia, a paradise experience is waiting for you.

Best Honeymoon Spots

Honeymoon is one of the most precious time of a couple’s life and it is much awaited also. For every honeymoon couple choosing the best honeymoon places is a challenge in itself. In order to spice up the life one has to choose one of the best honeymoon spots depending on the  preference of both the spouse. If a couple prefers to indulge themselves in to recreational activities while honeymooning they should choose a beach resort to spent their honeymoon. Again nature lovers who prefer to spent their honeymoon in peaceful serenity should opt for a mountain resort. Top honeymoon destinations generally include mind blowing hill stations, sandy cool beaches, secluded islands, picturesque valleys. Making a decision about choosing the best honeymoon places is really tough. Some popular locations which find place among the top honeymoon destinations in the world include Maldives, New York, Bahamas, Switzerland, Seychelles, Las Vegas, Alaska, Florida, Australia, Mexico, Greece, Bermuda, Thailand, Jamaica, India, Chile, Austria, Singapore, US Virgin Islands etc.

Honeymoon Destinations in Asia:

Asia is the home for many popular and world famous honeymoon destinations. Thailand, Maldives, Goa, Kerala, Singapore, Malaysia are some of the most sought after honeymoon spots in Asia. Tourists and honeymooners from across the world come to spent their most precious post marriage days in the beaches of Goa. Again the cool and serene beaches of Maldives offer excellent  opportunities to relax and enjoy during Honeymoon. Shop at the world’s best shopping arcades at Singapore and make your honeymoon memorable.

Honeymoon Destinations in India:

India is a perfect choice for spending the honeymoon and making the event a lifelong memorable experience. Beach lovers have an array of options to choose from for their honeymoon in India. There are some popular beach resorts in Goa, Kerala, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa. Goa has been  attracting international travelers specially honeymooners since years. Honeymooners who are looking for a fascinating hill station as their honeymoon destinations can choose from Shimla, Lonavala, Mount Abu, Darjeeling, Pelling, Srinagar, Mahabaleshwar, Coorg, Nainital, Dharamsala etc. All these Honeymoon locations have abundance of luxury hotels specially keeping in ming the honeymooners.

Honeymoon Destinations in USA:

Some of the best honeymoon destinations in USA include exotic beaches like Hawaii on one hand and mind blowing beauty of Niagara Falls on the other hand. Miami beach in Florida is another popular honeymoon destination which serves the best way to relax and enjoy under the sun on a beautiful beach. Las Vegas, the entertainment capital in Nevada in USA is another Honeymoon destination that offers all sorts of entertainment that a honeymoon couple look for.

Breakfast with the Monks at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi

Breakfast with the Monks

Due to both coverage on the national Geographic channel and word of mouth the Tiger Temple at Kanchanaburi is a world famous tourist attraction and is becoming more popular than ever. If you go on YouTube and type in ‘Tiger Temple Thailand’ or even just ‘tigers Thailand’ and it’s guaranteed that the first videos that come up in the search will be amateur vids of travelers visits to the world famous Tiger Temple or short promotional videos of toursmade by the various tour companies that run trips there.

With so many tour companies running trips to the Tiger Temple, luxury trips, budget tours and both private and group tours it’s certain that whenever you go there will be other tour groups there besides the one you are visiting the temple with.

A Very Personal Tour

However there is one specific tour to the Tiger Temple that is more personal than your average trip simply because only twelve passengers are allowed on this tour and the fact that you arrive there hours before the rest of the insane tourists arrive. The ‘Breakfast with the Monks’ tour is both a personal and spiritual tour, making you feel good inside knowing that you started the day off making a merit or ‘tam boon’ as the Thai people called it doing a good thing by buying the monks breakfast and knowing that the extra money that you paid for this special tour has gone towards a good cause and that is to preserve the environment in which the tigers are kept in.

Breakfast with the Monks Tour Itinerary The tour starts at 5 am when you will be picked up from your hotel in a luxurious minivan with leather seats and plenty of leg room. When all 12 passengers are safely in the van (if the tour is full) then we head off on a two hour journey to Kanchanaburi. When we arrive at Kanchanaburi the first stop is an early morning shopping spree at the local market where you will buy breakfast for the monks which will cost you around an extra 300 baht or so.  At around 7.30 am you will sit down for a relaxed breakfast with the lunch after which you will help the monks prepare the tigers for a shower and feed them before walking these magnificent beasts down to the canyon for their morning exercise.

At around 11 am we bid farewell to the monks and tigers and head off to the other destinations on our tour itinerary which include a visit to the veterans home who take care of the tiger’s habitat, where you will also eat lunch. From there it’s on to the Wang Po Elephant camp to enjoy elephant trekking and River Rafting on the Kwai Noi River allowing you time to feed the wild monkeys and then onto Buddha cave, Death Railway and then finally back to Bangkok. For more information prices and booking you can visit the Tiger Temple Thailand website or Thailand Tours Center.

Belgrade – Serbia and Montenegro, Something Different and Exiting for the Tourist Looking for Something Different, Taste the Soul and Mind of Serbia

Most interesting parts of Belgrade for the tourist is found between the outer walls of the Kalemegdan fortress and the Republic Square. This is an area with a diameter of about 1300 meters. Most tourist targets are therefore within walking distance from each other. Traffic in Belgrade is quite dense, and the public transportation system is somewhat less efficient. You should plan your visit by foot.

The lively parts of the city, at least in the summer evenings, are found along the pedestrian road Kneza Mihaila , straying in the side alleys looking for cafes, pubs and clubs, until reaching the Republic Square , and then proceed to Skadarlija . In daytime the animated area is somewhat larger, extending on one side to the Kalemegdan park, and on the other side to Terazije , Mose Pijade and the first part of Boulevar revolucije . These streets and squares still have the same name, while the toponomastic of the city has significantly changed in other cases, as a result of the dissolution of the communist regime and of the Yugoslav federation.

The commercial and cultural center of the city is along Kneza Mihaila , a pedestrian street dedicated to Prince Michael, the first ruler of a fully independent Serbia. Beginning from Terazije, where the Belgrade Cultural Center is located and nearby, in an underground passage, the Tourist Information Center, which is not very informed. Then the road widens to a square, called locally a terrace, of the Ruski Car (Russian Emperor), full of open air cafes. Turning on the right, you can get to Trg Republike , the Republic Square, with the Narodni muzej and the Narodno pozoriste (National Theater).

The Kneza Mihaila proceeds with porches, many shops, some monuments in the middle, and in the summer evenings there are always singers and artists performing on the street. Then you can find the French and American Cultural Centers.

On the right there is the faculty of Philosophy, going down a few steps, passing among the used book stalls, to Akademski Trg where there is the Plato cafe, book shop and jazz club. From there, you can proceed to the Studentski Trg, the Square of the Students, with the Kolarac Cultural Center, the Studentski Park and the Faculty of Sciences. This is one of the centers of the students’ life, although many more faculties and the University Library are along Boulevar revolucije. The students spend their nights in some of the pubs, cafes and clubs.

Back to Kneza Mihaila, one finds on the left the SANU building of the Serbian Academy of Science and Art, with book shops and galleries; many more private galleries, with exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, are nearby. Then on the left the British Council , and on the right the German Cultural Center. The last portion of Kneza Mihaila has cafes and restaurants spread on the street, the Faculty of Painting and the City Library, and ends across the street from the entrance of the Kalemegdan park.

In the eastern part of the old city, traditionally the Bohemian quarter, there are several streets with interesting shops and well preserved buildings. In particular you should visit Skadarlija, which is the familiar name of the street, whose actual name is Skadarska, which is immediately east of Republic Square. In this pedestrian only street the appearance of the city, as it was in the 19th and early 20th century. Restaurants and pubs fill most of it with their open air tables, there are art galleries and bakeries open all night, folk groups singing either gypsy music of traditional city music, people dressed in traditional Serb costumes.

This is a place for families, full of children, but also of young couples; a place to taste the typical rostili , that is grill with a pivo (beer), and to spend an evening talking with friends. The few tourists now visiting Belgrade mix with the local people, here more than everywhere else in the city.

Museums and monuments are a very important tourist attraction of Belgrade, They are also the biggest source of frustration for the foreign tourist. The Museums and monuments open to the public have plenty of personnel, but few of them have guides qualified and capable of speaking in some foreign language. The museum bookshops typically have very few catalogues and monographs, almost all in Serbian. Some museums are closed, sometimes for reasons which are not explained and some do not actually exist any more.

The only systematic sources of information on Museums and exhibitions are in the journal Weekly Beograd , in English, which is on sale at Plato and at few other book shops, in the leaflet Beograd this week which is distributed at the Tourist Information Center , plus the museum and monument symbols on the city maps . However, these listings have low reliability.

Ayahuasca Shaman – Javier Arevalo Interviewed in the Amazon Rainforest Peru

Spirituality is at the centre of the Ayahuasca experience. Purification and cleansing of body, mind, and spirit in a shamanic ceremony can be the beginning of a process of profound personal and spiritual discovery. This process can continue indefinitely even if one never drinks Ayahuasca again. We believe that by seriously looking at the way Ayahuasca is used we can improve our life experience and benefit more from this medicine. This article is extracted from the original interview by Howard G Charing and Peter Cloudsley which appeared in Sacred Hoop Magazine.

We worked extensively with Javier Arevalo on our Ayahuasca Retreats since 1998, and we had many discussions on the role of the Amazonian shaman and the use of ayahuasca. Javier comes from Nuevo Progreso, a community of 50 families on the Rio Napo, Department of Loreto, Peru. Several generations of his family before him have been shamans and already at the age of 17, he knew this would be his future. However it was not until he was 20 when his father died from a ‘virote’ (a poisoned dart in the spiritual world) sent by a jealous brujo, (sorcerer) that he felt compelled to follow the arduous five-year apprenticeship to be a shaman.

Javier, what is the role of a shaman?

He learns everything about the rain forest and uses that knowledge to heal his people since they do not have money for Western style doctors. He uses Ayahuasca to discover in his visions, which plants will be effective for which illnesses.

How do you perceive this?

The sprits or plant doctors tell us. As they are pure, they are made happy when we are too, so we must diet in order to attract them. That means we should not eat salt, sugar or alcohol, and abstain from sex. The spirits come and say, for example they will cure in two months if the patient takes a particular plant. Then the shaman goes out to look for the plant.

It is said that every environments has the necessary plants to heal the people?

Yes, every plant has a spirit, the shaman goes into the forest as part of his apprenticeship and spends two years taking plants and roots. He takes Ayahuasca too and the spirit tells him what it cures. Then the shaman tries another plant, each time remembering which ailment is cured by what.

Does each shaman have to find it all out for himself or is there a body of knowledge handed down?

The maestro goes with the apprentice into the wilderness and gives him the different plants and it is like a test or trial to overcome. The maestro is usually a member of family. In my case both my grandfather and my uncle were maestros. You go off deep into the forest with your maestro and make a very simple shelter or ‘tambo’. A shaman must not live in a big house, its just for sleeping and dieting.

How long do you have to diet the plant?

Just one day to know its process, the next day you move onto another. This is if you do not return to the city, you can get through a lot of plants. This is different from dieting a plant for a month say.

So does every condition or illness have a particular plant to remedy it or is it a spirit energy which comes through the plant which can cure many things?

One plant may cure lots of ailments. A particular plant has a spirit which can either heal or kill. As for example with another shaman (who we worked with earlier) , who had not dieted Ayahuasca correctly and poom! it caused fever and people caught colds.

So why would a plant kill or cure?

Because an hechicero (sorcerer) also learns from the plants. He may for example learn from dieting a plant which has spines or phlegm which could be good for certain things. But if he is bad no one can stop him and in the night ‘ffoooo’ he uses it for harm or to kill. These are the brujos who come back from the forest with eyes red like the huayruro (red beans with black spots). He is a bad shaman and we have to cure the people they harm.

Who would want to do such things?

There are some people who have a squabble with someone, and then they go off to see a brujo and say “this Senora talks too much and has insulted me, kill her and I’ll pay you”. They pay them and they do harm.

But the shaman who made us ill did not do it intentionally.

No, of ignorance. It was a shaman from the city not from the forest. He went away and left us to mop up the ill effects. He may have had a good teacher but does not diet, he is very fat! (People in the jungle are rarely fat.)

In addition he probably eats the day of the session and that is why he threw up himself!

How does this affect Westerners?

It doesn’t matter, they will probably throw up and not have any vision because when he blows he has condiments on his breath. However, it matters much less if the clients have eaten or not stuck rigorously to the diet. The important thing is that the shaman diets.

Note: There is much discrepancy between shamans concerning the question of vomiting. Some say it is necessary for the body to rid itself of what ever is necessary and that if they are not sick they might get ill. (Ayahusaca is often referred to as La Purga.) Others say if you vomit you will not have such good vision and on no account should a shaman vomit.

Why and how did you become a shaman?

I never thought of being a shaman. I took Ayahuasca from 14 years old just to clean my stomach. Later my father said I heard you chanting, you are going to be a shaman. I don’t want to I said. Later when I was 20 my father died from sorcery so then I wanted to learn in order to take vengeance. During my apprenticeship I had a change of heart and understood that God knew best in such situations.

Why did the brujo want to kill your father?

Because he was a curandero who had cured someone who had been harmed by the brujo. It happens because we curanderos undo the work of the brujos and they get angry with us. This is the famous spiritual battle between the brujos. When you cure you send the bad magic back to where it comes from and the brujos get their own dirty medicine back. This is why there is a fight between the good and the bad.

Howard tells story of his battle with one of Javier’s assistants 3 weeks earlier.

(Javier laughs a lot and explains.) Well because he was not really a shaman, he works as a guide, he drinks liquor. Then when he takes Ayahuasca and chants icaros he is not pure and his doctors don’t take any notice of him. The spirits start bothering (molesting) the people participating in the session. That is what happened to Howard. When I take Ayahuasca I talk to the doctors who give visions, I ask them to cure, I have dominion over them because I diet. If I don’t, they make you crazy or annoy you.

So if the shaman cannot control himself, then the spirits get out of hand?

If you can’t dominate the spirits of the jungle you are nobody, instead of curing they run away or take no notice of you.

So the control of the spirits is fundamental?

Spirits are like angels. God withstood 40 days of hunger and temptation by the devil and was resurrected. That’s what we have to do too.

This is Christianity, but your (Javier’s) people were practicing long before the missionaries came. Is it possible to separate the Christian from the wisdom of the jungle?

No, no, they work together. But it has nothing to do with going to a church. You learn all this in the wilderness. The spirits there are the angels of each plant to which you add your will to heal the client. This is the will of Christ.

Where does the power of the shaman end and the spirits begin?

The shaman receives the power from the jungle, he doesn’t have any power of his own that he doesn’t get from the forest.

When I look at you by day I see just a normal young man, when you wear your clothes and move into the ayahuasca space you become different, a different presence, you become larger…

(Javier laughs!) The medicine is not in the body, the body can wear clothes for example, and you see that by day. But at night you don’t see my body, you see my spirit which receives the medicine which transforms me through the vision. I have to be pure so as to be a receptacle of the spirit of the medicine. It is essential too for a shaman to be happy, the shaman laughs at everything, because a happy heart is what cures. He can’t have a long face or fight with his wife and children.

You started off with a desire for revenge, what changed you into a shaman?

My grandfather saw that my heart was bitter and he told me that it would not get me anywhere. My heart was still hard and wanted to kill! Bit by bit through taking the very plants that I had intended to use for revenge, the spirits told me it was wrong to kill and my heart softened.