Latest Asia Pacific Headlines

From the Philippines, Southeast Asia is almost on the doorstep. Mary Rose Acosta travels inexpensively around a range of countries most Westerners can only dream of.

Koh Chang is one of Thailand’s least-visited islands, perhaps because in the past it used to harbour Dengue Fever. Brian Fisher finds the slow pace of life and lack of tourists just adds to its appeal.

The Philippines’ stunning rice terraces are now an UNESCO heritage site. But in 1963 they were simply quite hard to get to. Martin Berthoud takes time out from diplomacy to make the expedition into upcountry Luzon.

Renting a scooter is commonplace amongst travellers throughout the Far East. But Jacob Laukaitis discovers that one drunk driver can make a holiday adventure turn suddenly expensive. Worst thing is he was actually lucky.

At this time of year Southern Australia is at its best, and everyone in Sydney heads for the beach. Anthony Toole tours the eastern beaches through the long day of an Austral summer.

The limestone outcrops of Ha Long Bay are an iconic highlight of northern Vietnam. Patterson Riley explores by kayak and catches a few of samples of the local sealife.

Australia’s two heavyweight southern cities enjoy a healthy rivalry. Sydney has its harbour but Melbourne has the edge for cafe culture. Andy Morrow says both are worth a visit.

Myanmar might have problems accepting its Muslims, but it’s not widely known there are also Jews in Burma. Sankar Chatterjee explores Yangon’s (once Rangoon) only synagogue.

When Hans Ebenman flies in to Hong Kong, he plans to tour the rooftop bars. But he’d reckoned without a typhoon that turned the Far East’s most sophisticated city into a ghost town. Happily things soon look up.

There are better places than Ho Chi Minh city to learn how to ride a scooter, and better islands than Phu Quoc to practice riding in mud. Laura sails through the experience to reach beach, beer and hammock.

Linda Caradine finds her first experience of China as much baffling as intriguing. Despite an economic and social revolution the sheer scale of the country shelters a distinctively different way of thought.

Bonnie Lynn finds that stopping off in Singapore doesn’t just provide a much-needed break on a long journey. Thanks to the region’s cut-price airlines it also saves her money as well.

Jacob Laukaitis shares his travelling impressions of one of the world’s most secretive nations. Staying out of trouble seems to be the major challenge: 15 years hard labour would be a stern price to pay for travel journalism.

The limestone islands and sheltered caves of Thailand’s beautiful Andaman Sea coast is the perfect setting for Tim Morch’s latest waterborne adventure.

The world’s biggest lizard kills with the sheer filth of its spit. Luckily it’s only found on one island in Indonesia. Bonnie Lynn heads to Flores and finds realism and surrealism come together in the daily life of the Komodo Dragon.

Spas are often seen as female domains, perhaps because the process is so dull. But Adam Jacot de Boinod says all that should change as he tries Thailand’s finest.

Love it or loathe it, cockfights take place in several southeast asian countries. Crystal Wilde brings a video insight into a largely hidden sport.

Brian W Fisher takes a tour of Southeast Asia’s most reclusive country, tiny landlocked Laos. Distressingly he observes, in the end, it’s a ‘Land of Linear Litter’.

Should you be using Changi Airport as a far-eastern hub, Singapore resident Rosie Milne suggests you break your journey for a while. There is plenty to see and do.

When Dustin Grinnell spends three nights in China’s capital he finds it strangely hard to sleep. Two traditional Chinese doctors go to great lengths to solve his insomnia but in the end he decides he just doesn’t care.

Thailand’s capital has a huge range of public transport, with boats and ferries on the rivers and canals, tuk-tuks, scooters and taxis as well as buses and trains. Christian Cummins, however, takes an alternative approach: he pedals a bicycle on an inner-city tour.

It’s easy, according to Jacob Laukaitis, to climb Japan’s iconic volcano. Just wait for closed season when there’s no-one on the mountain to tell you to get off.

Jacob Laukatis takes an unusually outward-looking tour around Japan on a very basic rented bike. Take a pillion seat on a ride along the the Shimanami Kaido route that includes several different bridges and at least one meal.

In 1950’s Malaya A J Box finds his rubber-tapping tedium relieved by a surprise invitation to a religious ceremony. This involves several more beers than are quite compatible with a motorbike ride home.

Too many people spend their whole time in the Barrier Reef diving. Ciarán Logue goes the other way, taking to the sky for a thrilling sky-dive.

Myanmar’s photogenic highlight lures Brian Fisher to its shores. But a chartered boat trip becomes a nightmare when the weather turns.

When Brian Fisher decides to travel to Myanmar, he plans carefully. He seems to find Burma without any trouble, and books himself a private tour.

Indonesia’s tourist paradise proves a visual feast for Jacob Laukaitis’ 21st century scrapbook, a video selfie binge for the youtube generation.

While the Northern Hemisphere shivers it’s summer down under and you still get a white Christmas, just with sand not snow. Jen Thames presents the ultimate guide to Australia’s fabulous Whitsunday Islands.

In Southeast Asia Laura French finds here western complexion ruins her attempts to pass as a savvy local. But she has plenty of fun as she travels through Camrobya and Vietscam.

All hotels are full in downtown Dunedin, but Benjamin Rietama comes up with a cunning plan. He signs up for Airbnb and finds himself totally immersed in Kiwi life.

Once of the least-visited countries in the south Pacific has great beaches, fascinating cultures and dramatic volcanoes. Lucy Barker explores Vanuatu.

There’s birdlife aplenty on Australia’s long southern coast. Anthony Toole starts out on the outskirts of Melbourne and continues along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

In a land that seems to be obsessed with scooters, Janet Myers worries she might feel out of place. But she has no trouble getting around the cities and even spends a night on a junk as she tours the country.

Will Ottley explores the Buddhist/Hindu temples of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex and discovers that ancient wisdom lives on in the temples and monuments they left behind.

There’s so much to see in Australia and New Zealand that it’s hard to know where to spend your time. Lucy Barker suggests the best things to see and do.

Japan’s longest river flows through the island of Honshu: miraculously clean, ultimately tidy and teeming with fish. Sze-Leng Tan finds a serene simplicity on its elegant banks.

South Australia’s capital city has a world image that generally ranges all the way from dull to genteel. But Mae Demdam says it’s anything but. Her bachelorette party in Adelaide finds bars and speakeasies that are bang on trend.