Things to Do in Asia

Opened in 2000, the Chimelong International Circus has become the largest professional circus venue in the world, where guests are taken on a multimedia journey of special effects, laser lights, acrobatics, horsemanship, clown antics, magic, dancing and a thrilling motorcycle Ball of Death, where nine riders perform at high speeds inside a suspended metal globe.

Before and after the 80-minute show, guests can shop for circus-themed souvenirs at the Circusky or Day & Night shops or grab something to eat at the Circustar Restaurant.

Arguably the most famous tourist attraction in all of Bohol, the Chocolate Hills are featured on the provincial flag and draw thousands of travelers to their  unique and breathtaking wonder each year. 

An estimated 1,300 individual hills cover a span of some 50 square kilometers in what is, without a doubt, one of the most stunning natural landscapes in the nation. These rolling green wonders change to brown in drier months, and appear like chocolate kisses, giving them their namesake. 

Several local legends seek to explain the creation of this geological formation, including stories of feuding giants and star-crossed lovers. But experts say these hills were formed by coral deposits and underwater reefs that shifted with erosion and ancient seismic activity, creating one of the Philippines most incredible natural landscapes.

Chobhar is a small town on the southwestern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, inhabited mainly by ethnic Newari people. Although it’s only about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Kathmandu, it feels much like a rural village. The main reason to visit Chobhar is to experience rura Nepalil life, and as a biking destination.

Chobhar is believed to be one of the most ancient settlements in the Kathmandu Valley, and even features in Hindu and Buddhist creation myths about Kathmandu. Kathmandu city is now spreading to the very outer limits of the valley, but villages along its edge—such as Chobhar—still feel rural, as they’re surrounded by rice fields and forest. Chobhar is home to the Chobhar Gorge—where the Bagmati River leaves the Kathmandu Valley—and the Chobhar Caves network. There are also some attractive Hindu and Buddhist temples, including the curious Adinath Lokeshwar Temple, which for mysterious reasons is adorned with thousands of everyday kitchen implements.

Chobhar is just south of Kirtipur, so many visitors like to combine a trip to both places, especially if biking or hiking. 

Local buses from Kathmandu (Ratna Park) and Patan (Lagankhel) to Pharping and Dakshinkali stop at the turnoff to Chobhar. A quicker and easier (though more expensive) way to get there is by taxi. Alternatively, hire a bike in Kathmandu and cycle there. Once you’ve left the Kathmandu traffic and crossed the Ring Road, the ride is pleasant.

Chobhar can be visited any time of year. As a predominantly Newari town, visiting during a Newari festival makes for a fascinating visit. These include Gai Jatra in August, and Yomari Punhi in December.

Chobhar is on the way out to Dakshinkali, a rather infamous place. The Dakshinkali Temple is dedicated to the goddess Kali, who is believed to demand animal sacrifices. Every day, cockerels and goats are sacrificed at the temple, and it’s usually slick with blood. Dakshinkali is about half a mile (one kilometer) outside Pharping, and can easily be reached by bicycle from Kathmandu, Kirtipur, or Chobhar.

One of the top spots to watch the sunset in Mumbai, Chowpatty Beach is a busy expanse of sand and sea that's fun to visit, day or night. People watching is one of the main draws here, because this beach attracts Mumbai residents from all walks of life, from multigenerational families to canoodling couples.

 

Though Chowpatty Beach is more about strolling than sunbathing, it's a fun spot to walk around, especially at dusk when the beach fills up with locals taking evening strolls and vendors selling everything from food to LED toys. It’s a popular spot on night tours of the city, and with its numerous food stalls and wandering snack merchants, the beach makes for a great place to try out street food.

 

 

Chowpatty Beach is located on Marine Drive. It’s just north of South Mumbai's Colaba neighborhood, about 15 minutes’ drive from the Gateway of India and less than 10 minutes from Fashion Street. It’s a 15-minute walk south of the Hanging Gardens. The nearest municipal railway station is on Charni Road, a 5-minute walk from the sand.

 

Chowpatty Beach is fun to explore anytime, but it’s at its most animated around sunset, when people of all ages crowd onto the beach to watch the sunset. If you are in Mumbai for the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations (September or October) and don't mind crowds, it can be worth coming to the beach to watch tens of thousands of pilgrims parade idols of the elephant-headed god Ganesh down to the sea.

Chowpatty beach is famous for its bhelpuri, a popular Indian street-food snack made of puffed rice mixed with chopped onions and tomatoes, spices, and chutney, and usually topped with fresh coriander and sev (tiny crisp noodles made from chickpea flour) along with chaat masala spice mix and a squeeze of lemon. Hawkers sell this popular treat all over the beach, often in cones made from recycled newsprint.

The Chitose River in Hookaido flows from Lake Shikotsu before eventually joining the Ishikari River past the city of Ebetsu. For visitors to Sapporo, the Chitose River offers myriad opportunities for outdoor recreation amidst the natural beauty of the region. 

The gently flowing waters of the river are ideal for canoeing and kayaking, though you won’t find any rushing rapids. Sport fishing enthusiasts will find kokanee salmon, rainbow trout and whitespotted char in the waters of the river. Nature lovers looking to learn more about the ecology of the Chitose River can so just that at the Chitose Salmon Aquarium. This freshwater facility overlooking the river features native species, like salmon, in massive, lifelike tanks.

On shore, paths and trails through the countryside along the banks of the river offer the perfect setting for horseback riding and cycling in summer, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling in winter.

In death as in life, Manila’s rich Chinese like to live large, and the renowned Chinese Cemetery—lined with otherworldly mansions, some complete with air-conditioning and flush toilets—is a tribute to their wealth. Sprawling over 133 acres (54 hectares), it’s one of Manila’s quirkiest attractions: You can even rent a bike to get around.

There is no fee to enter Manila’s Chinese Cemetery, although you may want to to rent a bicycle to explore its sprawling avenues. Signage is very limited, which means that to find the most impressive mansion tombs, not to mention official temples and memorial halls, it helps to have a guide, who can also explain the complex fusions of Chinese Buddhism and Christianity here.

Chinese Cemetery tours typically form part of a longer Manila day or half-day tour, but the sheer weirdness of the place means some could happily spend half a day exploring. For this, it’s often best to hire a private guide (you shouldn’t need a driver).

Set in Loma, south central Manila, the Chinese Cemetery is refreshingly easy to reach by public transport. Just catch LRT Line 1 to Abad Santos and walk for a few minutes (or take a tricycle). If you’re combining the Chinese Cemetery with other Manila attractions, it makes sense to book a tour that includes transport.

The Manila Chinese Cemetery is open seven days a week from morning until early evening. Two substantial festivals see Tsinoys—Chinese Filipinos—paying their respects to the souls of the ancestors here. The first is the ancient Chinese tomb-sweeping festival of Qingming, which follows the lunar calendar and usually falls in early April. The second is comprised of the Christian festivals of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, on November 1 and 2.

Known as Tsinoy (based on “Pinoy,” meaning Filipino), Chinese Filipinos are one of southeast Asia’s largest Chinese communities. Their influence is obvious in Binondo, the city’s historical Chinatown, and at the Chinese Cemetery, the second oldest in Manila. Many Chinese Filipinos come from Hokkien or Cantonese backgrounds, and although the Chinese Cemetery features temples, the overwhelming majority of Chinese Filipinos are Christian.

The inverted scarlet pyramid that towers over Pudong isn’t just an icon of Shanghai. It’s home to one of Asia’s largest art museums, including works previously housed at the Shanghai Art Museum. Spread across several huge floors, the China Art Museum tells the story of the rise of modern art in Shanghai and hosts world-class exhibitions.

Tickets to the main galleries of the China Art Museum are free, with charges for exhibitions. However, navigating almost 700,000 square feet (64,000 square meters) of art, much of it labeled only in Chinese, can be challenging. If you’re serious about discovering Chinese modern art, it’s well worth joining a Shanghai art tour, a China Art Museum tour, or hiring a specialist private guide to introduce you to the megacity’s vibrant art scene. The signage at temporary exhibitions is generally more discernible.

The museum is easily reached and has its own metro station: China Art Museum (Zhonghua Yishugong) on Line 8. You can also ride Line 7 to Yuntai Road (Yuntai Lu) and walk around 2,300 feet (700 meters). For a more scenic ride, choose a hop-on hop-off bus tour that stops at the museum. 

The China Art Museum is closed on Mondays, except on national holidays. Although admission is free, you still have to present ID, obtain tickets, and clear security, so there can be lines at busy times of year, like weekends and national holidays.

The China Art Museum started its life as the Shanghai Art Museum in the center of town in 1956, then moved to the building still known as the Shanghai Art Museum in 2000. It relocated to its current Pudong structure, created for the China Expo, in 2012. The new China Art Museum is more than 10 times bigger than its former home. 

Few of Mongolia’s temples or museums offer travelers as much color, culture and history as the Choijin Lama Temple and Museum that’s located in the heart of Ulaanbaatar. This stunning landmark was once home to Luvsan Haidav Choijin Lama and opened in 1908. Like many places of worship, the temple closed when Mongolia fell under communist rule. And while religious freedom was returned to the nation in the 1990s, Choijin Lama Temple was converted into a museum, rather than a place of worship.

Visitors to this stunning destination will find five distinct temples dedicated to Buddhist teachers and various gods. The colorful rooms hold statues made of wood and bronze, portraits and religious deities, as well as paper machete masks and other items used in religious ceremonies.

Visitors can explore the temple museum on there own, or include it as a stop on a guided city tour. It’s close proximity to central Ulaanbaatar makes it an ideal stop for those exploring other museums or Genghis Khan Square.

Located south of Hangzhou’s West Lake, the UNESCO World Heritage–listed China National Silk Museum is the largest museum in the world devoted to silk. In addition to an extensive collection of silk garments, textiles, and relics, the museum covers 5,000 years of silk development, history, and culture across eight galleries.

You can easily spend a few hours exploring the China National Silk Museum’s 86,110 square feet (8,000 square meters) of exhibition space, which are set on an area of more than a half-million square feet (50,000 square meters). There is a lot to see, including textiles from the Han and Tang dynasties, modern-day cheongsams, and traditional weaving machines. The museum’s proximity to West Lake and other top Hangzhou sights make it easy to visit the museum and other attractions on the same day, either independently or as part of a guided tour covering other landmarks such as Leifeng Pagoda and Qinghefang Ancient Street. If visiting on your own, guided museum tours are available by appointment.

 

The museum is located at the southern side of West Lake, at No. 73-1 Yuhuangshan Road in the Shangcheng district. A number of buses stop at the museum, including 4, 12, 31, 42, 87, and 133. Alternatively, take a taxi or ride a bicycle around West Lake to the museum.

The museum is open from 12pm to 5pm Monday and 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday year-round. The exhibition halls are cleared out 15 minutes prior to closing. On weekends and national holidays, the Textile Conservation Gallery is closed.

After an extensive renovation in 2016, the museum reopened with impressive updates to its permanent galleries, including the Story of Chinese Silk, Sericulture and Silk Craftsmanship in China, the Textile Conservation Gallery, and the Xinyou Archive Center. These galleries are complemented by a variety of changing exhibitions covering various topics related to silk, textiles, and relics—particularly those of Chinese origin.

Occupying 10 acres (4 hectares) of land just outside of Chennai, Cholamandal Artists’ Village is the largest self-supporting artists’ village in India and an excellent place to feel the pulse of Chennai’s contemporary arts scene. Starting in the 1950s, the commune played a fundamental role in the Madras Movement of Art which helped bring the modernist movement to South India.

Tucked away in a quiet wooded area, the Village is home to two dozen artists, who all help maintain galleries, a performance space and an intimate cafe. For collectors of modern art, there are few better places to buy pieces directly from the artists who made them.

“Chisapani” means cold water in Nepali, and towns with springs in them share this name throughout Nepal. This particular Chisapani is found on the edge of the Shivapuri National Park, in the northern Kathmandu Valley. It’s a popular overnight stop for hikers on their way to other villages around the valley rim.

Located at an altitude of 7,217 feet (2,200 meters), Chisapani offers beautiful views of the Himalayas on clear days. You may be able to see the Annapurna Range, Everest, and the Langtang Range. It’s a common resting point for hikers crossing Shivapuri National Park from Budhanilkantha or Sundarijal. 

Many visitors time their stay in Chisapani to coincide with sunset and sunrise. While Chisapani is not located on one of Nepal’s major hiking routes, it’s a good alternative for hikers who don’t have as much time, or who want to stay closer to Kathmandu.

While Chisapani can be reached via a poorly maintained road from Sundarijal, most visitors hike there through the Shivapuri National Park. It’s easy to reach the park entrances at Budhanilkantha or Sundarijal from central Kathmandu by local bus or taxi. There are many paths through the park to Chisapani, but each takes several hours of walking to reach the town.

Spring and fall are the most popular times to go hiking in Nepal, because the weather is generally warm and dry. As Chisapani is not so high in altitude (compared to other Himalayan hikes), it can also be visited comfortably in winter, and the mountain views will actually be best then. Avoid the monsoon season (June–August), as trails to Chisapani will be muddy and slippery, and mountain views rare. 

The town of Budhanilkantha, on the northern edge of Kathmandu, provides a gateway to the Shivapuri National Park. It’s home to a special temple that features a large statue of Lord Vishnu lying down and surrounded by snakes (Hindu gods are usually depicted standing up). If hiking to Chisapani, it’s worth a stop.

Travelers don’t have to venture out into nature to get an up close look at one of China’s top wildlife attractions. That’s because since 1955 Chongqing Zoo has been showcasing the country’s most rare and most beloved animals—like giant pandas and the South China Tiger—to visitors. This destination is stationed along the Yangtze River and serves as a hub for both research and conservation. It’s home to some 230 species and more than 4,000 animals. 

In addition to natural landscapes, protected areas and animal exhibitions, families will find an amusement park, outdoor stage, restaurant and even a dry skating rink. The Chongqing Zoo is the perfect place to spend an afternoon—or even an entire day—getting a unique look at nature without ever leaving the city.

One of Mumbai's largest markets, gritty and loud Chor Bazaar is packed to the brim with second-hand items, from old furniture to antique bric-a-brac. Its name translates to "thieves market" and according to a local running joke, anything you lose in Mumbai will eventually make its way here. Rest assured, though: Most of the goods aren't actually stolen.

 

A maze of narrow streets crammed with storefronts, Chor Bazaar is an oftentimes packed market full of all sorts of items and the fast-moving wooden hand carts that transport them. Out-of-town visitors are unlikely to want to purchase huge pieces of furniture, but many smaller items here could make unusual souvenirs. Bargaining is a must, and while plenty of travelers visit independently, it’s possible to join an organized tour to help navigate the hectic market.

  

 

Chor Bazaar is located in South Mumbai, just north of the Bhuleshwar Market and a 15-minute walk west of the Sandhurst Road railway station. The market is easiest to get to by taxi or as part of an organized tour. By car, it's about 20 minutes from the tourist hub of Colaba or about 15 minutes from Chowpatty Beach.

 

Many of the shops and stalls at Chor Bazaar are open Monday through Saturday around 11–8, though Muslim-owned shops sometimes close on Fridays for prayers. It’s best to visit first thing in the day when temperatures are cooler. You’re also likely to get good bargains if you’re the first customer of the day, which is considered auspicious according to local tradition.

 

While many believe that Chor Bazaar was once a resale spot for stolen goods, its unsavory name may have come from a simple misunderstanding. The market may have been called "Shor Bazaar" (noisy market), but British settlers mispronouncing its name consequently morphed it into "Chor Bazaar" (thieves’ market).

The China Aviation Museum is the largest of its kind in Asia. This huge facility, located in an old air force base, is an aircraft enthusiast’s dream, but is also fascinating for anyone with an interest in engineering or the military. The museum is also family-friendly, with various attractions and games for the kids.

Located around 50 kilometers north of central Beijing, close to several sections of the Great Wall, the China Aviation Museum makes for a great day trip from the city. There are hundreds of aircrafts and missile launchers of various makes to see, including various Russian and Chinese crafts, as well as two British Spitfires and a US Starfighter.

The museum features a large U-shaped underground hangar that used to shelter old warplanes, but is now filled with rows of planes and other exhibits. It was built with huge steel doors in case of nuclear attack.

Insider’s Tip: Battery-powered vehicles are available for those less able to walk around the museum’s vast site, while everyone else should be sure to wear comfortable shoes. To really appreciate the China Aviation Museum, it’s a good idea to read up on the history of aviation in China prior to your visit.

Chitwan National Park is situated in a plain at the foot of the Himalayas, right on the border to India. The area in which the park is located is called Terai and has not only the highest precipitation levels, but is also the warmest and most forested part of Nepal. Once, Terai was sparsely populated, hard to reach and dominated by thick forests, swamps and swarms of mosquitoes. Wild animals lived here and the malaria risk was omnipresent. Still, it was the favorite hunting ground for Nepal’s wealthy as well as monarchs from abroad and they arrived in droves from Kathmandu to hunt rhinos, elephants, bears, tigers and leopards when they were still plentiful here. 

After much destruction and heavy agriculture in the area, the Nepalese government declared the former hunting grounds in Terai the first national park in the country and today, visitors can luckily once again enjoy the jungle landscape and its fauna. In fact, Chitwan National Park – the name literally means “Heart of the Jungle” in Sanskrit - has become one of the most spectacular sights in Nepal. The jungle is left completely natural, with a constantly changing vegetation due to flooding and erosion by the river Rapti. Of particular interest to visitors are the Bengal Tigers, which thanks to this park, were just barely saved from extinction. Their population has recovered from only 25 animals to about 100 tigers, but it is still extremely rare to spot them in the dense jungle foliage. The population of rhinos has grown even more to over 500 animals and there are now so many, that some of them could be relocated to other parks. Apart from the rhinoceros, the Bengal Tigers share their habitat with hundreds of other species, among them 40 other cat types such as the Bengal Cat and leopards, Tiger Pythons, King Cobras, Yellow Headed Turtles, Sloth Bears, Golden Jackals and a myriad of insects that haven’t even been fully catalogued yet.

Built more than two centuries ago, Chowmahalla Palace was once the epicenter of Hyderabad. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and where the Nizams entertained their royal visitors and other esteemed guests.

Widely believed to be modelled on the Shah of Iran's palace in Tehran, Chowmahalla Palace is a unique blend of various architectural styles and influences, such as its Mughal domes and Persian-influenced stucco work. 

The palace complex has been considerately restored and is well-maintained throughout. It is made up of two courtyards, the northern and the southern, which consist of grand palaces, the Khilwat Mubarak (or Dharbar Hall) with its stunning chandeliers, gardens with fountains, and a clock tower presiding over the main gate at the palace’s entrance.

One of the buildings within the palace grounds is also used as a car museum for all the vehicles imported by Nizam at the turn of the last century. The collection includes vintage Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and a range of well-maintained American cars.