All in Travel
Singapore’s Little India is a vibrant district full of colour, culture, atmosphere and vitality. It’s best explored on foot and there’s a lot for older travellers to enjoy from temples, mosques, art exhibitions, historical places, great shopping and of course a wide variety of food from many regions of India.
Taiwan has a lot of to offer first-time visitors, especially those who would like to see more of its natural attractions than its city life. Here’s an independent traveller’s 10-day itinerary that incorporates a hiking and biking adventure in the beautiful Taroko National Park and a visit to the wild coast of the Kenting National Park, as well as some highlights in and around the capital, Taipei.
Home exchanges are a wonderful way to experience different cultures. More so if it can be combined with sightseeing in the destination country. This story describes how one couple travelled overland from Istanbul, using ferry, train and buses, to visit some of Turkey’s great UNESCO World Heritage sites on their way to a home exchange in Sarigerme on the Mediterranean coast.
While most visitors only travel to Seoul or Busan when visiting South Korea, one of the best places to connect with the country's delights is its fifth-largest city, Daejeon. This slow-paced city is safe, but it isn’t boring. There’s plenty to see and do for older travellers in and around the city. And everything from shopping and eating out to travelling around is cheap.
Asia has a surprisingly good number of locations where it is possible to take hot air balloon flights. Drifting over a scenic landscape as the sun rises is both exciting and relaxing, and many travellers who are nervous about flying or suffer vertigo in tall buildings have said that flying in a hot air balloon was one of their most exhilarating experiences ever. It’s a wonderful way to see places from a new perspective.
Langkawi is a tropical island waiting for the good times to return. The Malaysian resort island in the Andaman Sea has long been popular with international visitors. When foreign tourism resumes, it will have much to offer those keen to get close to nature and enjoy some peace and relaxation.
Muscat, the capital of Oman, is probably the most relaxing and laidback of the capital cities in the Gulf region of the Middle East. It has also retained more of its history and traditional culture than other cities. It has one of the oldest markets in the world and there are some excellent walking tours of the old city.
Lhong 1919 at the Wanglee Pier on Bangkok’s riverside is an historic steamship pier and warehouse complex that’s been preserved and now houses boutique shops, art galleries, and eateries. It’s easy to reach by either river ferry or tuk-tuk and provides the opportunity enjoy a few relaxing hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
With international air travel still out of bounds for most people, many in Asia are turning to domestic getaways instead. But not all are comfortable with the idea of travelling by air domestically. Safety concerns are still putting some off. So what’s it like to take a domestic flight in Asia in the time of Covid-19? Our senior correspondent Alan Williams, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, decided to find out.
Ipoh, the capital of Malaysia’s Perak state, has become a popular stopover for older travellers interested to view its street art which depicts the history and heritage of this once-booming tin mining town with opium and gambling dens and streets where wealthy Chinese kept their mistresses. These days it’s also rivaling Georgetown in Penang as a destination for food and coffee lovers.
Singapore’s popular Night Safari has reopened after a four-month closure caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. With international tourism yet to resume, it will be a while before foreign travellers can again visit this attraction. But people planning a trip to Singapore at some time in the future may want to add it to their list of things to see. It’s been operating for more than 25 years and remains one of the country’s most popular attractions. It’s a user-friendly experience for older travellers.
When you’ve been travelling in Turkey, have you ever wondered about the meaning or purpose of the cobalt blue-eye glass amulets and ornaments that you see in souvenir shops, people’s homes, businesses, hotels, restaurants — in fact almost anywhere? They are to ward off the ‘evil eye’ and ensure that you have a safe visit and onward journey. The belief in the power of these amulets extends back many centuries.
Shaggy and hard-working, the yak plays an essential role in the lives of people on the high plateaus of the Himalayas. It’s a pack animal and important provider of milk, food and much else for communities across the far-flung region. Here are some facts about this distinctively Asian animal.
If you have an overnight stopover in Singapore on a journey through Asia, and you are looking for somewhere quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city, then why not try Changi Village. It’s close to the airport and offers some easy habourside walks for exercise, or if you have half a day to spare, a 15 mins boat ride takes you to Pulau Ubin, a tranquil island sanctuary where you can cycle or just relax and enjoy nature.
Slow travel is a term used to describe travelling at a pace that enables you to connect to local communities and culture. It’s about spending more time in places and discovering the soul of those places through their history, food, language and people, rather than chasing bucket list ticks. It’s likely to be the way in which many older travellers explore the region in the months to come.
With some countries opening up in Asia, but no way to get there because many airlines have grounded their international flights, small group travel on private jets offers a way around the restrictions for those who can afford it. We take a look at what one Singapore charter operator is doing to help travellers get around the region.
