Things to Do in Asia

The largest palace in all of Rajasthan, the Udaipur City Palace built by Udaipur founder Maharana Udai Singh II, sits perched on hill overlooking the city and Lake Pichola. Construction began on the intricately worked stone structure in 1559 and continued for over 450 years as successive Maharanas added on to the original. Today, the entire complex comprises 11 total palaces connected by maze-like passageways, all maintaining a surprising uniformity given the huge time span during which they were constructed.

The main part of the palace complex now serves as the City Palace Museum, housing a collection of miniatures, ceramics, paintings, inlay glass, antiques and enamel works. The windows throughout the palace offer spectacular views of Lake Pichola, particularly when the water level is normal.

Plan on arriving at the Udaipur City Palace when it opens in the morning if you want to avoid getting herded through the grounds between busloads of tourists. At sunset, take a boat tour of Lake Pichola for the best views of the palace's facade from afar.

If you’re planning a trip to Macau during your stay in Hong Kong, chances are you’ll be riding with TurboJet. This fleet of red and white hydrofoil ferries shuttles passengers between Hong Kong and Macau day and night, and the short hour-long journey is the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Macau.

From early morning until midnight, TurboJet boats depart every 15 minutes, but if you find you’ve lost track of time in one of Macau’s huge casinos, you’ll still be able to catch a ferry back to Hong Kong every 30 minutes to an hour all night long. Much like an airplane, each TurboJet is divided into economy and Super Class seating areas. The economy cabins are equipped with air conditioning, luggage storage areas and televisions, though they’re usually playing Mandarin or Cantonese television shows or music videos sans English subtitles.

Vintage fun comes to Osaka in the shape of the Tsutenkaku, Osaka’s answer to the Eiffel Tower. Tsutenkaku, translated into "tower reaching heaven," reaches 338 feet (103 meters) high, making it one of the tallest buildings in Asia when it was built in 1912.

Beautifully illuminated and outlined in neon by night, the tower has a decidedly kitsch but cute 1950s futuristic look. Take the elevator to the observation deck on the summit’s fifth level to visit the popular good luck symbol, Billiken, the God of Happiness. A popular American doll in the early 1900s, Billiken was enshrined in the nearby Luna Park, but went missing when the park closed in 1923. To revive the tower and park, a replica was put in the tower and is considered a good luck symbol. Each year thousands of visitors place a coin in his donation box and rub the soles of his feet to make their wishes come true.

Tsutenkaku also boasts some other cool features. The neon lights at the top of the tower are also a weather vane and will predict the next day's forecast. And the clock located on the east side of the building is huge - 18 feet (5.5 meters) across and weighing about 55lbs (25kg). There is also a theater and a few toy museums located within!

The Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, handling more than 2,000 tons of marine products a day. Although the market wasn’t originally intended to be a major tourist attraction when it opened in 1935, Tsukiji now regularly shows up on visitors’ lists of must-see destinations in Tokyo. Witnessing the fresh tuna auction before the sun rises is the primary draw.

The Basics

The market is comprised of two areas: the public Outer Market, which features shops, sushi, and various market stalls; and the Inner Market, where the famous fresh tuna fish auctions are held. The Tsukiji Market is often visited with a tour guide on city walking and biking tours. Fish market tours can also be combined with other Japanese cuisine experiences, such as sushi making classes, cooking classes, and tastings. Nearby attractions seen on sightseeing tours include the Hamarikyu Gardens, the Asakusa district, and the upscale Ginza neighborhood.

Tips for Viewing the Tuna Fish Auction

Whether you’re a sushi connoisseur or just starting to appreciate this popular cuisine, it’s a unique experience to stand amidst freshly caught tuna the size of small children and observe how quickly the pieces are snapped up and carted off to be sliced into nigiri and more.

• The early morning tuna fish auction is free and open to the public, although registration is on a strict first-come, first-serve basis and typically opens at 5am before the first 20-minute viewing at 5:25 and the second at 5:50am.
  
• It’s best to arrive at least two hours early, as crowds are large and the maximum number of visitors allowed in each viewing group is 60. Lines are known to queue up as early as 1am.
  
• You’ll know you’re getting in if the staff provides you with a vest and directs you to a waiting room where you can sit on the floor if necessary. Keep in mind that there is no flash photography.
  
• Be sure to dress warm and wear comfortable shoes.
  

Wildlife abounds in southern Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park. Here, open-top jeep safaris bring visitors within close range of members of the park’s resident elephant population — some say it’s the country’s largest, with as many as 400 individuals. The park is centered around a massive man-made reservoir, which displaced hundreds of hectares when it was created in the 1970s but now draws wild buffaloes, sambar deer, crocodiles, jackals, macaques, leopards and flocks of water birds. Udawalawe’s dry weather and short, grassy vegetation provides an ideal setting for viewing these creatures.

Most park visitors arrive via an organized tour; only official vehicles and those with park-licensed guides are allowed to explore the park. For an extended stay and a greater chance of seeing some of the park’s rarer critters, visitors can also opt to stay in onsite accommodations, which include four campsites and bungalows ranging from plain rustic to rustic chic.

Just outside the park, the ETH, or Elephant Transit Home, is a popular stop often combined with a trip to Udawalawe — there, baby elephants, orphaned by the ivory trade, are rehabilitated and released to join the park’s population.

Hong Kong has a reputation for being a shopper’s paradise, and most of the night markets, shopping centers and electronics stores can be found in Tsim Sha Tsui on the tip of the Hong Kong peninsula. It’s also Hong Kong’s hotel central, with accommodations ranging from the cheap hostels of the notorious Chongqing Mansion to the luxurious InterContinental.

Nathan Road is the main artery of the district, and a walk down the mile-long stretch of shops known as the Golden Mile is a quintessential Hong Kong experience. Stop in for tea at the Peninsula Hotel, sample fiery Indian curries on the first floor of the Chongqing Mansion or head to nearby Knutsford Terrace for cocktails with the locals.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront, is by far the best place to view the skyline of Hong Kong Island, especially at night during the Symphony of Lights show. Many of the city’s best museums, including the Hong Kong Science Museum, Museum of Art, Museum of History and Space Museum are all located in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Thanks to the rising of sea levels at the end of the last ice age, what were once sandstone mountains connected to the mainland are now a collection of five tropical islands left piercing the surface just off the coastline of Kota Kinabalu. Comprised of the islands of Manukan, Gaya, Sapi, Mamutuk, and Sulug, these five forested islets make up Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, conveniently located an easy 20 minute speedboat ride from downtown Kota Kinabalu.

Though the reefs of the marine park aren’t quite as vibrant as those found down in Sipadan or Mabul in the southeastern corner of Sabah, the waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman nonetheless still teem with marine life such as blue spotted stingrays, mantis shrimp, and the occasional Hawksbill turtle, making them the most convenient options for Sabah visitors looking to snorkel or scuba dive the shallow waters directly off of Kota Kinabalu. Though Sabah is dealing with growing amounts of rubbish and marine debris, classifying the area as a national park and making efforts towards conservation are steps in the right direction for an area that, when combined with the white sand beaches, has tremendous potential for being one of the better regional excursions.

Pulau Gaya is the largest of the islands in the national park, and along with Manukan and Mamutik offers overnight eco-accommodations for visitors looking to escape the city for a night. Though the park headquarters is located on Pulau Gaya, it, too, is home to some downtrodden stilt villages which are considered unsafe by KK locals and visitors alike. Nonetheless, thousands of people annually make daytrips or overnight excursions into Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park and leave satisfied with the tropical simplicity found within such a short distance of the thumping industrial capital.

Located in the lively Hongdae nightlife district, Seoul’s Trickeye Museum does just what it says; it teases your senses with an optical illusion technique called trompe l'oeil that gives two dimensional works of art a 3D appearance. It’s also one of the few museums in the world that makes art interactive.

Bring a camera, because the exhibits at the Trickeye Museum are designed for photo ops. Plant a big wet one on the cheek of Mona Lisa, launch a giant Angry Bird or pose in an upside-down room that makes you look like you’re meditating on the ceiling. The museum’s Santorini Gallery houses three additional exhibit rooms with more serious works of art from contemporary artists.

The museum stays open well into the evening hours, so it’s a good place to visit on your way to a night out in Hongdae. For the price of admission, you’ll have a camera full of unique souvenirs to take home with you.

Tung trees, characterized by their clusters of white blossoms that emerge in late spring, were once widely cultivated by the Hakka ethnic group throughout Taiwan. The blossom has become a cultural symbol of the Hakka, and each spring, people from around the country come to see the beautiful trees in bloom along the Tucheng Tung Blossom Trail

Near the trail’s halfway point, you’ll find Tung Blossom Park, an open performance space and recreational where you can stop to admire the blossoms. At night, the space lights up as hundreds of fireflies take to the air.

Each year at the end of April through early May, the Tucheng Tung Blossom Trail and Tung Blossom Park serve as sites for the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival. With a full lineup of music, dance performances and cultural exhibitions, the festival is a great time to visit and learn about the culture of the Hakka people when the Tung trees are at their best.