Things to Do in Asia

The Cholon neighborhood, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, is dotted with traditional Chinese-style pagodas and temples, including one of the neighborhood’s most popular places of worship, the Thien Hau Temple. Built by Cantonese immigrants in the early 19th century, this temple honors the goddess of the sea, Thien Hau (more commonly named Mazu).

Located on a busy street, it would be easy to walk right past Thien Hau, but it’s well worth stopping in to see the architecture and interior. On the outside, the temple roof is adorned with delicately worked porcelain figures depicting scenes from Chinese legend. You’ll find even more of these porcelain dioramas on the interior walls of the temple as well.

Before you even step through the exterior gate of the temple, the smells of burning incense should already be apparent. Dozens of huge conical coiled incense hang from the ceiling over the main worship area, permeating the space with a smoky haze and an intense odor.

You can find Tiger beer throughout Asia, but in Singapore, you can actually see where and how it’s made. Tiger Beer started brewing the first local Singaporean beer in 1932, and today, their signature bottled pale lager is sold in more than 60 countries.

At the Tiger Brewery, visitors can take a 45-minute tour of the facilities to find out firsthand how malt, hops, water and yeast are transformed into beer. While the entire process is now automated, you can still see the ingredients being milled, mashed, boiled, fermented and filtered in the brew house before getting sent to the packaging gallery for bottling.

At the end of the tour, guests can enjoy complimentary samples in the Tiger Tavern. The ticket cost includes a 45-minute beer appreciation session that includes unlimited samples of freshly tapped Tiger beer and a range of other beers brewed on the grounds. Children are welcome on the tour, but guests must be 18 years of age to sample.

One of Japan’s heralded philosophers is said to have meditated daily as he walked on a stone route alongside a canal on his commute to Kyoto University. The scenic path, shaded by hundreds of cherry trees, quickly became known as The Philosopher’s Path (or The Path of Philosophy), and today hundreds of people traverse the two-kilometer trail every day searching for peace, insight, and a clear mind. Small temples and shrines peek out from the cherry trees, beckoning to thinkers and walkers in search of religious observance.

Originating near Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion temple, the trail extends to the Kyoto neighborhood of Nanzenji. Near the end of the trail, a large aqueduct greets visitors, a popular spot to stop and take photos. Restaurants and cafes dot the trail. In the Spring, The Philosopher’s Path is one of the best places in all of Kyoto  to enjoy the vibrant cherry blossoms in bloom.

Thailand has plenty of wats (temples), but the Tiger Cave Temple - or Wat Tham Seua - is a standout.

In a forest setting, the wat’s main hall is built into a long limestone cave and surrounded by monastic cells built into the cliffs and caves. Underscoring the brevity of life, the temple is decorated with skulls, skeletons and graphic pictures of human entrails.

A lighter note is struck by the troop of monkeys living around the temple. Walks through the temple grounds lead to 1,200 steps climbing to the summit of a 600 meter (1,968 foot) peak topped with a gilded Buddha statue. If the sky is clear, you can see the sea from here. Another set of steps leads to a second network of limestone caves.

Often described as the lungs of Kolkata (Calcutta), the Maidan (Esplanade) is the city’s largest urban green space and home to numerous cricket and soccer fields, playgrounds, the flowery Eden Gardens and several memorials and monuments. The park is as important to Kolkata as Central Park is to New York City, and residents head to the Maidan for entertainment and leisure on the weekends.

After Fort William was constructed in 1758, the jungle that used to occupy the Maidan was cleared out to give the fort’s cannons a clear line of fire. Besides being used as a parade ground for the British military stationed at Fort William, the park has also played an important role in the establishment of several team sports in the city. The biggest three soccer teams in Kolkata maintain a presence at the Maidan, and the now popular sport of cricket was introduced to India with a two-day match in the park in 1804.

While park maintenance leaves something to be desired, a morning visit makes for some of the best people watching around, giving visitors a peek into the day-to-day lives of Bengali residents. Set aside a few hours to wander the park grounds, watch some cricket and stroll through the Eden Gardens. When you’ve thoroughly explored the park, pay a visit to the nearby St Paul’s Cathedral to gaze at its stained-glass window and Italian-style frescos.

Regarded as the unofficial symbol of Hue, Tien Mu Pagoda stands seven stories--the tallest monument in Vietnam. This working monastery was originally designed for Buddhist scholars, however it’s recently become known as a site for anti-communist protests. Thich Quang Duc was the first Buddhist clergy member to self-immolate and bring attention to the plight of his people. His actions inspired the artwork for a Rage Against the Machine album, raising awareness of injustice for a wider audience.

An impressive six-tiered Chinese temple, Thean Hou Temple was opened in 1987 and is dedicated to Thean Hou, the heavenly mother.

It is the largest Chinese temple in Kuala Lumpur and sits atop Robson’s Hill 6 mi (8 km) from the city center offering excellent views back over the city.

The prayer rooms are filled with bright golden statues and dedicated also to the Goddess of the Waterfront and the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.

Below the main prayer rooms are hawker stalls and souvenir stalls while outside there is a Chinese medicinal herbs garden and a tortoise pond.

The celebrations at Chinese New Year are a riot of color and noise as revellers, wearing predominantly red (a lucky color), bang drums and clash symbols while watching the lions dance to ward off evil spirits.