Latest Asia Pacific Headlines

Jetlagged and confused, John Gimlette finds himself slipping in and out of reality on a – very slightly dangerous – drive across Madagascar’s highlands, now a deforested, landslipping plain.

Somehow we should have known that 2020 has been the ‘Year of the Rat’ according to the Chinese calendar. In Singapore’s traditional street-vendor region Amanda Jaffe gets a taste of things to come with a cataclysmic horoscope.

Paul Michelson visits the Southeast Asian country of Laos and finds it’s capital city challenges his preconceptions. Not least because there seems not a lot goes on. Apart from a mysterious set of gleaming golf clubs.

Paul Michelson breezes through Cambodia’s greatest city, but takes time to visit Tuol Sleng, the infamous prison used by the Khmer Rouge when the country went thoroughly to the bad. This brings unsettling thoughts.

The Principality of Hutt River rejoined the nation of Australia this month, in August, 2020. Nick Elvin recalls crossing the border from Western Australia into a wonderfully strange micronation.

Paul Michelson finds Bangkok’s klongs reach to the heart of Asia’s busiest city in a way the clogged roads can’t do. Welcome to the Venice of the Orient.

For a first time visitor Japanese customs are unfamiliar and daunting. Elizabeth von Pier has learned some useful lessons, including how to operate their high-tech loos.

Tea in Japan is a very ceremonial occasion. Elizabeth von Pier tucks up on a tatami mat and drinks green tea from a bowl.

Even the new King of Thailand commands serious respect. It’s his birthday so Elizabeth von Pier pays her respects.

Good, better best butts with bad, terrible, are you kidding? Bonnie Lynn’s Australian tour slips in between the bushfires and a growing Covid epidemic.

Paul Michelson needs crutches to get around. Next year his health might be better – or not. So he travels to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and does it now.

One of Thailand’s largest islands, Koh Chang was late to be developed – and is all the better for it. Lucy Barker tells you what to see and do.

Ciarán Logue finds and old Toyota Camry perfectly adequate to deal with Australia’s fearsome distances.

To see Thailand at its best, head to its northern capital, Chiang Mai. Lucy Barker has some tips for visitors.

Thailand expert Philipp Meier says there’s still an island that’s off the electricity grid – and the tourist trail. Here he introduces Koh Phraphong.

When Teja travels to Easter Islands the locals do a double-take. Southeast Asian and a Muslim? Now that’s something new.

James March finds his first impressions of Hong Kong slightly coloured by the relentless rain. It makes him somewhat philosophical – and wet.

Biran W Fisher has already toured most of Thailand’s islands but not, till now, the most accessible from Bangkok. He finds Koh Samet is crowded with a litter issue.

Photographer Kyle Oberman talks to the Travelmag about his expedition into China in search of the elusive – and endangered – panda bears.

Eric Whitehead heads into the Pacific to discover the mysterious death of Easter Island, where a culture that could carve – and move – 80-ton stones inexplicably vanished.

Ian Lloyd Neubauer explains why his motorbike tour of Papua New Guinea inspired him to write a guide to other bikers in this unexplored corner of Southeast Asia.

Cambodia’s iconic highlight comes as something of a revelation to Kirsty and Bill Haskins, as they belatedly hobble along the Hippy Trail in Southeast Asia.

A traditional village welcome makes Lindsay Salt feel fully attuned to the proud and sturdy Maori culture. Photos, as ever, by David Grimble.

The sun comes out in South Island for Lindsay Salt as she explores New Zealand’s adventure capital. Photos, as ever, by David Grimble.

The Tongariro crossing is one of New Zealand’s most challenging day hikes through an Alpine landscape. Lindsay Salt steps out boldly. Photos, as ever and with perfectly straight horizons, by David Grimble.

An early injury curbs Brian Fisher’s ambitious plans for travelling around Thailand. But not by much..

David Nesbit takes a group of children to the Cikananga Wildlife Center on Indonesia’s most crowded island, where they learn to rehabilitate orphaned wildlife for release into the wild.

When Nicoleta Radoi first went to Thailand she was sure to spend at least half her visit volunteering. Now, she says, it’s a way of life.

Five years in jail for sex outside marriage? That’s what the Indonesian government seems to be legislating. J M Daniels says that’s not just unwise, but insane.

When Kristina Johnson sets off into the hills of Northern Thailand to learn how to cook, she discovers a whole lot more about life than she expects.

Japan’s legendary dry and light powder attracts a growing number of foreign skiers every year. Ryoko Amano shares some insider tips.

There’s nothing wrong with Bali now Mt Agung has gone quiet. Indonesia’s Hindu outpost charms Lucy Barker again.

Digestive problems don’t stop Cole Evanek appreciating the sense of hope sweeping through one of the world’s least visited destinations, the country once called Burma.

Indonesia’s active volcanoes challenge serious hikers everywhere. Jacob Laukaitis takes his Go-Pro to the peak of Rinjani Mountain on Lombok so we can see how exhausting it is without having to make the climb ourselves.

The ‘Land of the White Cloud’ is a long way away. But Bhupender Gupta finds a self-drive holiday in New Zealand is an uplifting experience.

Whatever it says in overseas property supplements, Indonesia’s underpriced villas cannot safely be bought by foreign nationals. John M Daniels corrects one well-known newspaper that should have known better.

As tension mounts over North Korea, Jacob Laukaitis – who has visited both – has put together a timely video to illustrate what each country is actually like.

Back in the 70’s the surf scene in Sri Lanka is pretty much a paradise, according to Devika A Rosamund. It probably still is.