Travel Tales from Asia

taiwan lantern festival

Taiwan is world famous for its festivals which date back to thousands of years ago.

Taiwan Lantern Festival
Every year for example they hold the Taiwan Lantern Festival. This now 20 years old and takes on ideas from ancient Chinese culture. Lanterns represent dead relatives and other spirits and are released into the air or onto rivers in their thousands during the Chinese New Year and the Lunar Festival.

In the Taiwan Lantern Festival, participants parade through the streets carrying lanterns in their hands.

Taipei and Kaohsiung Lantern Festival
There is also a Taipei and Kaohsiung Lantern Festival which is celebrated as a national festival as well as a major event in both cities.

The festival takes place at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial hall and there is even a gigantic lantern which is made to represent the current Chinese zodiac animal. During this festival the Love River is ablaze with thousands of lanterns slowly sailing out to sea.

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
The unique event of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is when thousands of lanterns are released into the sky with some helium. The lanterns hovering through the air are beautiful to behold but have ironically contributed to many UFO sightings as well. Lanterns were used in the past in this way as warning signals to let family members know that you are safe. Today they are used as a symbol of good fortune.

Yenshui Fireworks Festival
The Taiwanese have been using fireworks and gunpowder for about 5,000 years – in fact, it was Marco Polo who brought this item back to Europe in the 15th century.

During the fire festival to the God of War in the temple in Yenshui, there is a massive fireworks display that is hard to forget if you’ve ever seen it. There is also a parade throughout the city with firecrackers being hurled day and night for several days.

Olu Deniz is a fantastic holiday destination for families, couples and groups of all ages but it’s important to pick your hotel carefully; you don’t want all night parties next door while your children are trying to sleep or kids running around, dive-bombing the swimming pool on your romantic getaway. So we’ve put together a compilation of some of the best hotels in Olu Deniz to help you book the perfect accommodation for your Turkey holiday.

Hotels for families
The most popular family-friendly hotel in Olu Deniz according to TripAdvisor is Lykia World Olu Deniz. Not only is it a five star luxury hotel in a stunning area of the resort but reviewers have also commented on the amazing quality of the restaurant’s food, the beautiful hotel gardens and the 19 swimming pools so there’s something for all ages! Sometimes family holidays need to be a little less luxurious but still packed with action and this is where the Karbel Sun Hotel comes in. It’s just 300 metres from the famous Belcekiz beach, 100 metres from the centre of Olu deniz and the beautiful Blue Lagoon is only 10 minutes’ walk away so it’s perfect for being right in the centre of the resort and there’s a childrens’ pool and play area too so you can relax whilst the kids keep busy.

Hotels for groups
The best accommodation for lively groups is in the centre of the resort so hotels such as Tonoz Beach hotel (just 30m from the beach), Hotel Asena (100m from the beach) and the ATA Lagoon Hotel are great choices. TripAdvisor reviewers have picked the Belcehan Hotel as one of their top choices for groups and it’s easy to see why with its large pools, snack bar, restaurant and beautiful surroundings but if you want something a little quieter, the Olu Deniz Resort Hotel is worth a look.

Hotels for couples
LykiaWorld is also a popular choice for couples as the beautiful rooms, massage services, adult pools, quality restaurants and its position right next to the beach make for a perfect romantic holiday in the stunning Turkish sunshine but if you need something a little less pricey, the villa-style Dorian Hotel is a great choice. It has everything you need including large pool, beautiful gardens and entertainment programmes, but without the hefty price tag.

A tropical paradise located on the west coast of India, Goa offers some of the best beaches in Asia. Goa has a varied and rich past being a Portuguese colony with a large number of cathedrals and Christian architecture, and although it is India’s smallest state it boasts one of the largest Christian populations. The capital of Goa, Panaji offers a breath of local culture topped with rich ambience that makes it one of the country’s favourite tourist destinations.

Most holiday packages to Goa are tailored around beach holidays and most flights to Goa transit through Mumbai, but there are also first class coaches that travel between Goa and Mumbai.

Once in Goa, there is no shortage of what to do or places to visit. The state is renowned for its sandy beaches, water sports, easygoing lifestyle and exotic festivals. Goa also boasts a rich tropical flora and fauna habitat that preserves a wild range of exotic wildlife.

Goa has a large collection of hotels that range from basic to five star ones which offer superb amenities of luxurious standard. You can always find cheap flights to Goa with a lot of travel companies offering packages and flight deals.

What makes Goa stand out as a perfect holiday destination is that it has a diverse and rich history influenced by being a former colony of the British Empire and the Portuguese colony which embolden the spirit of the state leading to a flowering, creative and undeviating character of its people. Goa is a place with soul, history and because it’s not so well know, is an excellent place to go to discover new horizons.

Asia is the largest continent in the world and an ever popular tourist destination. With so many countries to choose from, each with their unique culture, traditions and attractions, it is sometimes difficult to decide where to go. Asia is too massive and diverse to conceptualize as a single digestible travel “destination”. Even defining the borders of this continent is difficult – from the mountains around the Black Sea in the west, to the snow fields of Siberia in the east, there are more people and cities in Asia than outside of it.

Thailand, China, India, Japan…….the list of destinations in Asia goes on. Thailand has its paradise islands, Buddhist temples and beautiful capital Bangkok; China has its architectural wonders such as the Great Wall, as well as sacred buildings and a unique culture; India has its own manmade wonders such as the Taj Mahal, not to mention a rich smell of spices coming from the wonderful restaurants in Delhi, and Japan has its spectacular Mount Fuji and cherry blossom trees.

Checking out the price of airline tickets online is perhaps crucial to the decision-making process. Search and comparison websites allow you to enter in the flight criteria so that you can price airfares for different destinations and book the cheapest you find. Asia’s largest airports by number of intercontinental connections include Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Mumbai and Singapore. For the Middle East, Dubai is by far the largest hub, with Doha and Abu Dhabi also having reasonably good connections.

Thailand has fast become one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Backpackers flock to Bangkok; honeymooners retreat to Phuket and nature seekers head to Chiang Mai. Its paradise islands, luxury resorts, charming capital and natural beauty are its most appealing assets. Thailand is the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia, and for a reason. You can find almost anything here: thick jungle as green as can be, crystal blue beaches that feel more like a warm bath than a swim in the ocean and food that can curl your nose hairs while tap dancing across your taste buds. Exotic, yet safe; cheap, yet equipped with every modern amenity you need, there is something for every interest and every price bracket, from beach front backpacker bungalows to some of the best luxury hotels in the world. And despite the heavy flow of tourism, Thailand retains its quintessential Thainess, with a culture and history all its own and a carefree people famed for their smiles and their fun-seeking sanuk lifestyle. Many travelers come to Thailand and extend their stay well beyond their original plans and others never find a reason to leave. Whatever your cup of tea is, they know how to make it in Thailand. These features, along with the rising popularity of this country as a holiday destination mean that finding cheap flights to Thailand is not always easy.

It goes without saying that booking in advance increases the chances of finding cheap flights. However, doing a simple price check on search and comparison websites is another good way of getting bargain flights. The main airlines which operate flights from worldwide destinations to Thailand are Delta Airlines, Thai Airways International, Jet Airways and Emirates. To help you decide which airline to fly with, check out airline reviews. Search for customer feedback on airlines, airports and hotels so that you can find out about other travellers’ experiences and it will help you pick the right travel deals. Life is easy with the internet.

Asia provides some of the best diving sites in the world. In fact, divers seem to have come to some sort of consensus that regards Asia (and the Pacific Southeast specifically) as being the best in the world when it comes to top-rate diving locations. A lot of this consensus has to do with the sheer number of dive sites located in Asia. This also means that the more diving sites to choose from, the harder it is to come up with a list of the best. However, we must try…so here it goes.

Let’s begin with Thailand. The Similan Islands and Burma Banks are located up the coast from Phuket. Although due to Phuket’s popularity the waters can get busy, they seldom disappoint with their clear waters, granite islands, and sandy beaches. What makes it such a great diving spot is the fact that the islands are protected under Thai law, which shields the area from fishing. Diving is easy and navigation is simple, making for comfortable dives. Along the north end are whale shark populations, as well as several species of rays, and the leopard shark.

Papua New Guinea dive sites may be difficult to get to, but they are well worth the effort. Kavieng features current-swept channels, which attract a variety of big fish. You can observe eagle rays, mantas, tuna, barracudas, reef sharks, and oceanic white tip sharks. Kavieng is also home to miles of reef walls which drop away to great depths and are covered in big fans, sponges and beautiful hard corals. This area is also home to several World War II wrecks.

Sipadan in Malaysia is an Asian diving classic. It contains more than most, as it is at the epicenter of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. Groups of greenback and hawksbill turtles, barracuda, big-eyed trevallies, manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks, and whale sharks all call this area home. There is also a mysterious turtle tomb hidden beneath the reef in an underwater limestone cave. It contains many skeletal remains of turtles, but is dangerous for humans as well, as divers have died here. So don’t attempt this without cave experience and a first class local guide.

Raja Ampat in Indonesia provides all that could be desired in terms of diversity. The waters are home to more than 1,000 species of fish and the diving offers diverse terrain and marine life. Most dives are drift dives due to strong currents, and large schools of fish populate the region such as sharks, manta rays, mobula rays, dolphins, whales, and turtles. Some sites have huge rocks rising up from the ground and water, surrounded by barracuda and manta rays. Rare animals like the wobbegong shark can also be spotted, as well as the epaulette shark which is only a foot long and is indigenous to the region.

Finally, the tiny nation of Palau is a great dive site for jellyfish. The popular lagoon near the island of Malakal has World War II wrecks and pelagic fish. Palau’s amazing Jellyfish Lake is in the Rock Islands. Visitors can swim with millions of soft jellyfish. These jellyfish have evolved without any stinger as there is no predator in the vicinity.