Southeast Asia travel guide
Southeast Asia is a collection of dissimilar but not unrelated states squeezed between the twin giants of India and China. The area has long been a favorite corner of the world for globe-tramping backpackers, well-known for its perfect beaches, tasty cuisine, low prices, and good air connections.* Brunei - tiny oil-rich sultanate in Borneo
* Cambodia - recovering from decades of war and home of Angkor
* East Timor - one of the world's newest states, at the eastern tip of Indonesia
* Indonesia - the giant, the largest archipelagic country in the world, with more than 18,000 islands
* Laos - the forgotten, but growing, country of South-East Asia, landlocked by Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
* Malaysia - multicultural country covering the skyscrapers of KL and the jungle headhunters of Borneo
* Myanmar (Burma) - military dictatorship open to the adventurous traveller
* Philippines - freewheeling former Spanish and American colony with over 7,100 islands and beautiful tropical beaches
* Singapore - clean and orderly island-city state
* Thailand - the most popular destination in the region
* Vietnam - firmly marching down the long road to capitalism
Southeast Asia is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, and for a reason. Some of the countries here have it all: a tropical climate, warm (or hot!) all year around, rich culture, gorgeous beaches, wonderful food and last but not least, low prices. While its history and modern-day politics are complex, most of it is also quite safe for the traveller and easy to travel around in.
Southeast Asian history is very diverse and often tumultous, and has to an important extent been shaped by European colonialism. The very term Southeast Asia was invented by American Naval strategists around 1940. Southeast Asia was prior to WWII referred to with reference to the colonial powers; farther India for Burma and Thailand, with reference to the main British colony of India, although Thailand was never formally colonized; Indochina referred to the French colonies of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and Indonesia and parts of maritime Southeast Asia was referred to as the Dutch East Indies. The Philippines on the other hand was colonized by Spain for 333 years and by the United States for 44 years.
Pre-historic Southeast Asia was largely underpopulated. A process of immigration from India across the Bay of Bengal is referred to as the process of Indianization. Exactly how and when it happened is contested; however, the population of the mainland region largely happened through immigration from India. The Sanskrit script still used as the basis for modern Thai, Burmese and Khmer has its roots from this process. One the other hand, population of the archipelegos of Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as Malaysia on the mainland is thought to have come about though immigration from Taiwan.
For at least two thousand years (and to this day), Southeast Asia has been a conduit for trade between India and China, but large-scale Chinese immigration only began with the advent of the colonial era. In Singapore, the Chinese form a majority of the population, but there are substantial Chinese minorities, assimilated to varying degrees, across all countries in the region.
It's difficult to choose favorites from a region as varied as Southeast Asia, but picking one representative sight per country:
* The awe-inspiring temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia
* The eerie, continually erupting volcanoes of Mount Bromo in Indonesia
* The laid-back former royal capital of Luang Prabang in Laos
* The surreal mix of modernity and tradition in Malaysia's capital-to-be Putrajaya
* The limestone cliffs, azure waters and perfect beaches of Krabi in Thailand
* The colorful ethnic districts of Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam in Singapore
* The delightfully well-preserved ancient trading port of Hoi An in Vietnam
Pre-historic Southeast Asia was largely underpopulated. A process of immigration from India across the Bay of Bengal is referred to as the process of Indianization. Exactly how and when it happened is contested; however, the population of the mainland region largely happened through immigration from India. The Sanskrit script still used as the basis for modern Thai, Burmese and Khmer has its roots from this process. One the other hand, population of the archipelegos of Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as Malaysia on the mainland is thought to have come about though immigration from Taiwan.
For at least two thousand years (and to this day), Southeast Asia has been a conduit for trade between India and China, but large-scale Chinese immigration only began with the advent of the colonial era. In Singapore, the Chinese form a majority of the population, but there are substantial Chinese minorities, assimilated to varying degrees, across all countries in the region.
It's difficult to choose favorites from a region as varied as Southeast Asia, but picking one representative sight per country:
* The awe-inspiring temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia
* The eerie, continually erupting volcanoes of Mount Bromo in Indonesia
* The laid-back former royal capital of Luang Prabang in Laos
* The surreal mix of modernity and tradition in Malaysia's capital-to-be Putrajaya
* The limestone cliffs, azure waters and perfect beaches of Krabi in Thailand
* The colorful ethnic districts of Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam in Singapore
* The delightfully well-preserved ancient trading port of Hoi An in Vietnam
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