Chinatown, Little India, the Arab Quarter Towered over by the new Singapore skyline, these remaining ethnic enclaves are relatively untouched by modern development. Some of their tiny, terraced shophouses are still in operation ? the shop operates from the front downstairs rooms, while the inhabitants live behind and above. Not surprisingly, traditional paces of worship remain most evocative of times past. The Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple, with its exuberant carvings; the graceful domes and dignified interior of the Sultan Mosque; and the Than Hock Keng Chinese temple are especially atmospheric and picturesque View Photos of , and The Zoo A shining example: most of the bigger animals are kept in huge enclosures, separated from visitors by deep moats. Also on offer is a brilliant Night Safari for viewing nocturnal animals View Photos of Food Head for the food courts, lines with numerous stalls selling their own specialties; you put your meal together from whichever stalls take your fancy. The surrounding at these places may be pretty uninspiring, but the range of Asian cuisines on offer is amazing, from Malay satay to Indian biriyanis via Thai tom yam soup. Those missing more familiar tastes will be pleased to find that Singapore also offers everything from Italian and French to Mexican, and American coffee-bar chains have hit the only big-time View Photos of Raffles Hotel The luxurious atmosphere of this colonial-era institution is still much in evidence, and a visit is considered a must for tourists, though much of the site has been turned into a shopping arcade. You can even have a Singapore Sling at the very bar where the cocktail was created ? though it'll cost you more than a night in one of the city's budget guesthouses View Photos of Shopping Singapore's number-one hobby. The island's shopping malls are certainly on a grand scale, and boast aggressive air-conditioning ? useful if the heat gets too much. You'll find the greatest concentration of malls along Orchard Road. If you're on a wider trip through Asia, though, you'll usually find better prices elsewhere View Photos of Sentosa This offshore-island amusement park has plenty of rides, exhibitions and museums. Underwater World, where a moving walkway carries you through a transparent underwater tunnel with sharks and other sea creatures swimming around outside, is hard to beat, as are the views of the city's skyscrapers you get as you side the cable car here. View Photos of Jurong Bird Park In the west of the main island, the park contains over six hundred species of bird, including, remarkably, Antarctic penguins. There's also a gigantic walk-in aviary so visitors can stroll among the birds View Photos of A cruise on the Singapore River A chance to see the city's fabulously modern high-rises, gentrified warehouses and Chinese shophouses from a different angle View Photos of Bukit Timah Hill Singapore's highest peak (at a mere 162.5m) is home to the island's last pocket of primary rainforest, the habitat of macaques, butterflies and flying lemurs. It's said there are more plant species here that in the whole of North America View Photos of Drink at the Swisshotel's City Space Bar So high up in the stratosphere, you can see as far as Indonesia to the south and Malaysia to the north View Photos of Pulau Ubin Just 7km and 2km wide, this tiny island tucked into the waters between Singapore and Malaysia gives a glimpse into a rural Singapore long gone elsewhere, with Malay stilt houses and little racks View Photos of Asian Civilisation Museum If you're looking for inspiration for the next leg of your journey you'll surely find it here, in this stylish, perfectly judged introduction to the cultures, arts and faiths of Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, China and Islamic Asia View Photos of Esplanade Singapore's high profile entertainment complex is a must, not least for the startlingly futuristic design View Photos of
Bangkok Most people spend a few days in the Thai capital, but many find the pollution, traffic congestion and chaotic street life extremely wearing. There's plenty to take you off the street, however, including the glittering Grand Palace compound and its beautiful gigantic Reclining Buddha; the comprehensively stocked National Museum; the massive Chatuchak weekend market; with over eight thousand different nightlife that suns the full range from cutting-edge clubs to depressing strip joints. View Photos of Beaches Thailand's beaches are among the world's best. You'll find the most developed and expensive resorts, and some of the finest sands, on the islands of and , while backpakers tend to head for the more budget oriented Ko Pha Ngan, , Ko Lanta and Ko Mook. ?s Railay beaches are nothing short of stunning, Ko Samet makes and easy and economical break from and Ko Chang is handy for travelers headingin and out of Cambodia. View Photos of , , and Trekking Unlike the organized treks in the Himalayas, Thailand's ?hill-tribe treks? focus on the ethnic-minority villages that you walk to, rather than on the walking itself or the scenery. The hill tribes live way out in the sticks, but their villages are connected by tracks, so the hiking is not difficult. Most treks last two to four days and feature nights in the villages, as well as an elephant ride and river rafting. The main trekking centres are the northern cities of and Chiang Rai, but routes out of both are hugely over subscribed, so it's better to start from Mae Hing Sin, Pai, or Umphang instead, where trails are quieter and more rewarding. View Photos of The ruined former capitals of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya Dating from the thirteen century, is a beautiful example og thoughtful city planning enlivened by lakes and elegant statues of the Buddha. The 300-year-old temples and palaces of display a refined mix of Hindu and Buddhist sculpture and are fun to explore by bicycle. Both sets of ruins are now conserved as historical parks. There are plenty of sobering World War II sights in the town, as well as reasonable range of trekking, rafting and cycle options that make the most or the fine river scenery, plus some appealing rafthouse accommodation too. View Photos of and Kanchanaburi Sited on the banks of the River Kwai, the town is most famous for its role as a POW camp in World War II and for its bridge, whose destruction by the Allied Forces was immortalized in Davis Lean's movie. There are plenty of sobering World War II sights in the town, as well as a reasonable range of trekking, rafting and cycling options that make the most of the fine river scenery, plus some appealing rafthouse accommodation too View Photos of Khao Sok National Park Here you can sleep in a tree house under limestone karst, wake to the sound ogf the hooting gibbons, and take an adventure tour via waterlogged caves and jungles trails to a lake View Photos of The ancient Khmer temple of Phanom Rung This exquisite pink sandstone complex was built in the tenth century as a blueprint for the Angkor temples across the border in Cambodia View Photos of Thai massage Enjoy a traditional massage at Bangkok's Wat Pho temple, then learn the techniques yourself at a course in or . Snorkelling and diving off the remote Similan Island The turquoise water, powdery sands and banks of coral are regularly visited by sharks, rays and turtles View Photos of The Mae Hong Song loop Hire a motor bike and spend as many days as you can spare on the circular 600-kilometre route through the glorious upland scenery of the remote northwest View Photos of Kayaking along the Krabi coastline An exhilarating way of exploring the spectacularly craggy outcrops and remote uninhabited islands of the south west-coast View Photos of Sang Khom It's great to just chill out in this idyllis tree-shaded little town on the Mekong river, where you can hire bicycles to visit traditional local villages and mess about on the water in inner tubes and dugout canoes Pai This laid back north-Thai town has a distinct New Age air and is the perfect place to take some courses in alternative therapies, browse the art shops and arrange a trek. Full-moon beach party Join the hordes for the monthly full-moon parties on Ko Pha Ngan, an infamous back-packers? beach rave attracts up to 30,000 clubbers.
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