Overview of Southeast Asia
Published by Toby July 10th, 2006 in Burma, Cambodia, General, Laos, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.On a January afternoon in 1861, Henri Mouhot, a French naturalist, was hacking his way through the almost impenetrable jungle of Cambodia when suddenly he burst into a clearing and stopped dead in his tracks. Before his astonished eyes loomed the outlines of a stone structure. Its long grey battlements appeared to stretch into infinity, magnificent terraces and galleries vaulted upwards and five towers shaped like lotus buds soared into the heavens. Touched by the setting sun, the whole grey mass burned fiery red.
His search for rare insects forgotten, Mouhot plunged about for days exploring not only this great temple, which he called ’a rival to Solomon’s’ but also hundreds of other structures which he found half submerged in the jungle. Mouhot had stumbled upon the enormous ruins of Angkor, legendary capital of the Khmer Empire. The empire had once stretched from the South China Sea to the Gulf of Siam, including all of the present day Cambodia, part of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, and had embraced the most brilliant civilization ever to flourish in South—east Asia.
And they dug dikes and canals on the flood plains that provided perpetual irrigation for their fields.
The results of all their labour and the sacrifices their slaves made can still be seen today — and should be seen, for they are truly remarkable. The stony testaments are of such magnitude and splendour as to dwarf the wonders of Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Numbers of tourists to these beautiful countries are growing on a daily basis. This is predominantly due to the word spreading that you will be received with warmth and curiosity rather than resentment and war fatigue. Shimmering paddy fields, exquisite pagodas and sugar—white beaches beckon the intrepid traveller.
Ho Chi Minh City provides a head—spinning introduction to Vietnam, as does Bangkok in Thailand, so trips out into the rice fields, orchards and jungles make a welcome change.
The temples, palaces and imperial mausoleums of aristocratic Hue in Vietnam should not be missed. Crawl through the original Cu Chi tunnels, the underground tunnel system which was home to the Vietcong during the Vietnam war. Have a new silk wardrobe made up at the cheapest prices in the charming ancient port town of Hoi An. And sail through the spectacular world heritage site of Ha Long Bay which is crammed with grottoes, islands and jagged limestone outcrops jutting out of the sea.
In Thailand you must ensure you visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, home of the holiest and most dazzling temple. In Kanchanaburi you could stay in a rafthouse on the River Kwai, ride the historic Death Railway and explore temples and waterfalls by bicycle. For the truly adventurous you could explore the extraordinary Andaman coast by sea—kayaking in the Krabi region.
Laos also has sights not be missed, including Wat Phou which was one of the most important religious sites of the great Khmer Empire. You could take a slow boat on the Mekong River or be the first to unravel the mystery of The Plain Jars which is one of the world’s great archeological puzzles where hundreds of ancient giant stone urns are scattered across the Xiang Khouang Plateau.
And finally Cambodia, where memories of your visit here will remain etched in your minds forever. You should not miss seeing Angkor Wat’s soaring towers, or glimpsing the silver heads of rare dolphins flitting through the rapids at Kample. Nor should you miss the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, whose gleaming golden spires and vivid Ramayana murals making for a stunning sight.
0 Responses to “Overview of Southeast Asia”
Please Wait
Leave a Reply