A Jewel To Explore
Asia is one of the most exotic destinations in the world, having one of the oldest and most advanced cultures known to man, steeped in ancient arts, a people wrapped in mystery, dance, dress, and customs, representing centuries of learning and tradition.

A Wealth of History, Culture and Excitement
Asia is the largest and most densely populated continent in the world. As a result, many of the world's countries are located within Asia. Some of the most well known countries include China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Israel, Korea, Kuwait, Russia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Traveling Through Countries in the Continent of Asia
Asia is a land of many cultures, languages, cuisine, archaeological history, and countries. Places to go inside of it would depend on the preference of the traveler and the specific destination in mind.

In The Thick of the Action
Asia the continent is the largest landmass in the world. There are forty-four countries in Asia and a large number of islands and other land groups. The world’s tallest mountain, located in Nepal is part of Asia; the lowest point in the world, the Dead Sea is located in Israel, which is also part of Asia.

Magnificent Asia
From Mount Everest, the planet earth’s highest mountain, to Tokyo, the most populated metropolis in the world, Asia is a land of grand proportions. Asia contains more than half of the human population of the world and spreads geographically over a huge area.

Malaysia
Malaysia has fervently embraced modern technology—it boasts two of the world's tallest skyscrapers and a super multimedia/cyber corridor. But it still has some of the world's most remote jungle (in Sabah and Sarawak), one of Southeast Asia's most vibrant old ports (Georgetown) and an atmospheric, colonial hill station (the Cameron Highlands).

Japan
At Tokyo station, waiting for the bullet train (Shinkasen), we watched as everyone bought boxed lunches (obento in Japanese). So we bought one, too. It was inviting: The map on the cover suggested each of the foods inside had been harvested in a different part of Japan—white radishes from the far west, salmon roe from the far northeast, eel from the south coast. We saw it as the "Japan Sampler."

China
These days, it's quite jarring to walk around parts of old Beijing. Although old grannies can still be seen pushing cabbages in rickety wooden carts amidst huddles of men playing chess, it's not uncommon to see them all suddenly scurry to the side to make way for a brand-new BMW luxury sedan squeezing through the narrow hutong (a traditional Beijing alleyway).

India
A trip to India is an all-out assault on the senses. You'll travel through dusty heat (or snowy cold in the north), sharing roads with a parade of bicycles, auto-rickshaws, sputtering motorcycles, tinsel-draped trucks, camel carts and the occasional cow.

Thailand
Thailand offers something for everyone. The capital, Bangkok, is alive with commerce and street-bustle nearly every hour of the day and night.

Laos
Travelers who have visited Asia previously and are looking for something new—or rather, are looking for Southeast Asia as it was 50 years ago—should add Laos to their vacation list.

Maldives
The Maldives is a great place to play Robinson Crusoe: You can stay on a tiny island that has a soft, sandy beach, a sparkling turquoise lagoon and only a single dwelling (although Crusoe could only have imagined the

Vietnam
Many historical sites have been fully restored, the country's economy is booming and the infrastructure for tourism is developing rapidly.

South Korea
For most of the 20th century, South Korea was hardly the Land of the Morning Calm, as it calls itself. From the Japanese occupation to the Korean War to 1997's economic crisis, life there was mostly about calamity. But the country seems determined to leave its troubles in the old century.

Sri Lanka
A visit to Sri Lanka sometimes feels like a vacation at the circus. Sitting along the road at the famous Kandy perahera (parade), we watched bare-chested men crack whips, boys on stilts juggle torches and crimson-robed elephants lumber along beside their bejeweled mahouts.

Bangladesh
Ibn Battuta, the 14th-century Moroccan traveler, wrote that the Bengalis referred to their homeland as "a hell crammed with blessings." Most travelers today would have to look hard to find the blessings. Nearly every year, Bangladesh, one of the most heavily populated countries in the world, is afflicted with catastrophes.

Indonesia
Not long ago, Indonesia was one of Southeast Asia's business hot spots and a growing travel destination. Bali, especially, was (and still is) an easy and enjoyable place to visit, full of stunning sights, interesting Hindu culture, friendly people and comfortable amenities.

Bhutan
Bhutan is the only country in the Himalayas where the Vajrayana Buddhist culture survives intact. However, the fall of other kingdoms that represent this vibrant culture, such as Tibet, Sikkim and Ladakh, and the encroachment of globalization make the survival of this tiny Buddhist nation increasingly fragile and poignant.

Brunei Darussalam
An oil-rich speck on the north coast of Borneo, the country of Brunei Darussalam is probably best known for its free-spending Sultan, who makes the fabled pashas of the thousand-and-one-nights stories seem like skinflints.

Cambodia
Travelers to Cambodia should best proceed directly to Angkor to explore a selection of the fabulous Khmer temples there. After years of external and internal war, Cambodia now has a tenuous measure of stability.

Mongolia
The world of the Mongols may have shrunk a bit since Genghis Khan and his hordes overran most of Asia, but when you're in Mongolia nowadays, you may think its vistas are boundless. From steppe to desert, the empty landscape seems to stretch into infinity.

Myanmar
Myanmar presents a dilemma. On the one hand, it has a timeless beauty—it feels like something out of a dream. It's one of the last remaining places where you can catch a glimpse of Old Asia—of men and women in traditional longyis walking beside golden pagodas and dilapidated colonial buildings as horse carts and vintage taxis ply the streets.

Nepal
Nepal is still a heady place, whether you're a trekker on a trail to Annapurna, a climber on your way to Everest or a seeker on the path to enlightenment.

North Korea
For decades, North Korea has operated more like a national cult than a country. Dictator Kim Il Sung, known as the Great Leader, who was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Il (the "Dear Leader"), created one of the most isolated and eccentric cultures in the world. The few visitors allowed into the country are usually struck by how clean, how controlled and how eerily quiet it is.

East Timor
he Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor, certainly earned its nationhood. After being released from hundreds of years of colonial rule only in the 1970s, it endured 24 more years of oppressive occupation by Indonesia. After the country finally achieved independence, pro-Indonesian militias swept through the celebrations, slaughtering citizens.

Afghanistan
This Central Asian country has started to rebuild after the fall of the repressive Taliban regime in November 2001. It is redefining its politics and alliances, and re-creating its physical infrastructure and society. But it still has a long way to go. Although little girls are once again allowed to attend school, many parts of the country remain lawless and outside central government control.

Pakistan
No matter which direction you turn in Pakistan, there's potential for trouble. On one side is Afghanistan, a country still in upheaval following anti-Taliban military operations. On the other is India, Pakistan's bitter rival. The two countries have been engaged in an on-again, off-again battle over the region of Kashmir for decades. Today, the situation is more tense than ever, with both sides brandishing nuclear weapons, and within Pakistan al-Qaida elements engaging in acts of violence against foreigners.

Philippines
The Philippines is full of natural beauty, including gorgeous beaches, hills that look like candy drops, amazing waterfalls, old rice terraces and reefs full of marine life.

Taiwan
Taiwan has always been a popular refuge from mainland China. Over the centuries, everyone from fortune hunters and farmers to persecuted minorities and exiled members of the royal court has found a haven there.