Travel stories on Southeast Asia

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  • Eating in Burma

    Eating in Burma

    Thailand has pad thai and tom yam; Vietnam is known for pho; so what dish puts Burma on the culinary world map? With a wide range of cultures and ethnic groups all living in the same area plus a history of being colonised, food in Burma is sometimes hard to pin down and categorise. It's not uncommon to hear about people eating Indian naan bread for breakfast, having a Burmese salad for lunch, then finishing the day at a Chinese restaurant -- all the better for you, the traveller, as you have a wide variety of food to consider. Here are some common choices that you may see on your trip to Burma.

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  • 2011 Best places to stay in Kuala Lumpur

    2011 Best places to stay in Kuala Lumpur

    Kuala Lumpur boasts an abundance of accommodation, from basic hostels through to luxurious hotels. Finding a room you like may not be a particular challenge, but being able to afford it is another matter entirely. Going by hotel rack rates, KL is undoubtedly one of Southeast Asia's most expensive cities to stay in.

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  • 2011 Best places to stay on Ko Phi Phi

    2011 Best places to stay on Ko Phi Phi

    A lot of mediocre guesthouses and hotels are available on Ko Phi Phi, despite its popularity (or perhaps because of it). Booking in advance, sight unseen, can often yield unpleasant surprises. But the alternatives aren't much more promising: tramping around the island on your first day trying to find a decent spot, or trusting one of the touts who greets you at the pier. But never fear — we've done the tramping for you.

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  • Village trekking in Tana Toraja

    Village trekking in Tana Toraja

    After a few days in Rantepao, in the South Sulawesi uplands of Tana Toraja, we asked a trekking guide to come by the guesthouse to discuss an overnight trip. Under five feet, barrel-chested, chain-smoking, and pushing 50, our prospective guide extended his hand and said in a deep baritone, "My name is Yatim." Fatherless. He wrote out a string of villages he wanted to take us to, and told us to bring water, rain gear, good shoes, a flashlight.

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  • Transport in Burma: Getting around the city

    Transport in Burma: Getting around the city

    The trusted taxi. Always there, always taking you to where you want to go on time, and almost always the easiest choice when you're trying to cross the city. Because it is so easy, though, it quite often ends up being a crutch for most travellers in Burma. Fortunately though, it doesn't have to be this way. Burma's cities provide a plethora of colourful and interesting ways to move about. So skip the taxi and try some of these ways of getting around the city.

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  • The best places to stay on Cambodia's islands

    The best places to stay on Cambodia's islands

    A few years ago if you wanted to go to one of the Cambodian islands in the Gulf of Thailand you'd have had to have been willing to settle for one of the few island bungalows that were on offer. In the last year or so though, new accommodation has sprung up on a number of islands off the coast of Sihanoukville and travellers are beginning to be confronted with too many choices.

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  • The hidden cost of travel

    The hidden cost of travel

    If you've travelled much further than down to the shops for a pint of milk, you'll know extra costs loom on every corner when you're on the road. You've probably learned, the hard way, that one of those "$1 tickets" never costs just one dollar. So with that in mind, here's our guide to making sure you're aware of some of the hidden costs of travel so you keep to your trip budget.

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  • Vientiane's Chinatown

    Vientiane's Chinatown

    Just a few kilometres from the centre of the Lao capital of Vientiane, you'll find a little piece of mainland China that most visitors don't even know exists. While not on the scale of the Chinatowns you'll find elsewhere in the world, Sānjiāng is still a fascinating enclave, where thousands of Chinese immigrants seek to recreate through food and shopping, the home they left behind in China.

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  • Responsible shopping and eating in Hoi An

    Responsible shopping and eating in Hoi An

    What comes to mind when you think of Hoi An? Beautiful ancient buildings? Fabulous hotels? An overwhelming number of tailor shops? An abundance of dining options? Let me add one more that should be on that list: socially responsible businesses. For some reason, Hoi An has attracted quite a wealth of restaurants and shops that cater to those of us who like to feel a bit better about shopping-till-we-drop and over-indulging in Hoi An's specialities. Let's start with the shopping.

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  • Phuket by night

    Phuket by night

    When you've finished sunbathing and splashing about on the beaches of Phuket, you'll likely want to shower off the sand and see what else the island has to offer after dark. A lot of what's on offer is sleaze — though officials would deny this — but here's a selection of some of the better, family-friendly stuff on offer.

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  • The best islands in Cambodia

    The best islands in Cambodia

    Sihanoukville is Cambodia's premier beach destination, popular with locals, backpackers and expats alike. But despite massive amounts of recent development, the town can still be disappointing for those who come expecting a Thailand-like beach experience.

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  • Know Before You Go: Burma

    Know Before You Go: Burma

    Burma. Just the name conjures up all kinds of images, from glittering, golden pagodas, to despotic, totalitarianism regimes. It's a land where people regularly rub ground-up tree bark on their faces and drinking sweetened tea is not a snack, but a way of life. Before you visit this enigmatic land, you should know a number of logistical details.

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