Be sure to also see our average daily travel costs for countries in Asia.
The superpower nation of China is big, not just in land mass, but in population as well. With about 1.4 billion people (that is 4 Chinese for every 1 American), and 12-24 hour train rides between each major city, the country is only recently trying to integrate on the world stage. Even with this recent push, certain traits have not been adapted to the world scale. One of these is the language barrier.
This week's photos are from Turkey, a country that has history, culture, food, hiking, stunning landscapes, and amazing beaches. There you'll also find one of the most fascinating cities in the world: Istanbul.
This week's photos are from Petra, Jordan. These rock buildings were carved out of the cliffs in the 6th century as the capital city of the Nabataeans. Now it is Jordan's most popular tourist attraction.
Nepal is mesmerizing and beautiful. It is a land of peaceful mountain people who welcome travelers into their homes and show them the serenity of the land and the friendliness of the nation. During our year-long trip around the world, we spent a month in Nepal. During that time, we spent almost three weeks hiking through the Himalayas, and it was one of the best experiences of our life.
In 2006, we spent a month in Vietnam. We crossed the border from China in the north near Sapa, where we spent an amazing few days amongst the Hmong people and their beautifully terraced rice fields. Next we ventured down to Hanoi, and then spent a few days on a boat in the Halong Bay. Afterwards we made our way south, but for now we have plenty of photos to show of Northern Vietnam. If you find yourself wandering around Southeast Asia, don't miss this amazing country, especially Sapa (sometimes spelled "Sa Pa") and the surrounding areas.
Cambodia is one of our favorite places in the entire world. If you haven't been there, put it on your list. Here are a few great pics of Cambodia from feleciacruz.
In 2009, we spent 11 months traveling through Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. We want you to learn from our experience, so we put together a trip planning guide: How To Plan A Trip Around The World. We cover everything from budgeting to packing, route planning to insurance, safety to vaccinations, and visas to round-the-world plane tickets. Combining our first hand experience with tips and resources from other travelers, we leave no stone unturned.
Asia, is large, and of course diverse. But when you move beyond the glitz and glamour of Hong Kong and Singapore you can find some of the least expensive and most inspiring travel destinations. We've compiled a list of what we think are the most interesting, and cheapest, destinations in eastern Asia.
Because the U.S. Dollar is so strong against the Syrian Pound, we found ourselves much wealthier than our Syrian counterparts. Despite this, the local people treated us as if we were the guests of honor to be looked after and taken care of - and they were not after our money. We were invited into homes for lunch, given free food at restaurants, and taken on free tours of historic sites.