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Suivant Gretchen
ASIA
SCROLL DOWN FOR INFORMATION ON CHINA, THAILAND, INDONESIA, SINGAPORE
Practical Information:    
Fly China is a low cost airline throughout China  
Air China is now a partner to the Star Alliance  
Cathay Pacific Airlines is a Oneworld Alliance partner  

Trains are comfortable and affordable. You can get a soft sleeper 4 berth on most trains; some have luxury soft sleepers

  
The Man in Seat 61 - This guy has traveled the world by train. His website is pretty amazing if your up for a long train ride
Singapore Airlines and Thai airlines are both Star Alliance partners. Asian airlines are the best int he world.  
A visa is required for entrance to China from the US
 
CHINA
CHINA HISTORICAL TIMELINE - It goes back to 1.6 million BC (and that's pretty far back)
Asian Historical Architecture
BEIJING
Apartment rentals and Hotels:
Peninsula Hotel - Great location, beautiful property and amazing service all for a very reasonable price
After the 2008 Olympics in Beijing there will be a lot more hotels to choose from but for now we recommend the Peninsula
 
Museums and Destinations:    

Great Wall of China
Guided Tours:
We did this one on our own. Make sure the hotel gives you a translation card for the cab drivers. It is essential.
 
Restaurants and Food:
Check out the Night Market. It's very close to the Peninsula Hotel. Really good (and strange) food on a stick.
Chang Pu He Garden restaurant near Tianamen Square (and close to the Peninsula) is an amazing meal. Sorry no phone or website
Most small restaurants have photo cards to help make your selections.
     
SHANGHAI
Apartment rentals and Hotels:
Le Meridien Hotel is righ on the glitzy Nanking Road. It's comfortable, convenient and has amazing views but you are right int he thick of it all
JIA Boutique Hotel is small, luxurious and brand new (at least as of 2008)
There are lots of modern Highrise Hotels all very close to the Bund, just make sure you are NOT on the Pudong side of the river
Museums and Destinations:
Shanghai Museum

Yuyuan Gardens
French Concession
Antique Market
Guided Tours:    
Shanghai is a city like New York. There is a gvery good metro system, the roads are good and the cabs are inexpensive. Itàs a great city to see on your own
     
Restaurants and Food:
This is the land of Dim sum.
   
     
THAILAND
Thailand Historical Timeline going back to 20,000 BC
Asian Historical Architecture
BANGKOK
Apartment rentals and Hotels:
Thailand Hotels.net is a good site to browse. There are so many to consider. There is even a Hard Rock Hotel.
Peninsula Bangkok, The Oriental and (as always) the Four Seasons are great choices for upscale traveling.
Sukothai Hotel is a little further afield. It's a beautiful hotel and more affordable than the river Palaces but it takes a good 20 minutes by cab (even though it's only 3km from the city center (traffic in Bangkok is brutal). You can also take the metro.
Planet Holiday is a good Asian discount hotel service
Museums and Destinations:    

Wat Arun
Guided Tours:    
Grab a guide book and a Tuk-Tuk and have a great time. There are good local guides at all the monuments
Restaurants and Food:
It's all good. We ate a lot of street food and never got sick once.
 
CHANG MAI
Apartment rentals and Hotels:    
As with Bangkok, Thailand Hotels.net and Planet Holiday.com are good for hotel searches
The Regent Resort (now the Four Seasons) is one of the most wonderful destinations ever.
 
 
Museums and Destinations: Doi Suthep
You can also watch the Elephants paint and play football (if you're into this kind of tourist silliness) at the Mae Sa Elephant Camp
The Soi Suithep-Pui national park is filled with hiking paths, waterfalls and cascades.
There are loads of wonderful silk shops for handmade clothing. We like the Empire Collection International Tailors. Bring one of your favorite pieces of clothing and they'll make a perfect copy. Their website is pretty goofy but their work is very good.
And the spa at the Four Seasons is unbelievable (and I'm not much of a spa guy)
Guided Tours:    
You can arrange a car and guide with your hotel for a visit to Doi Suthep
Restaurants and Food:
It's alot of fun to have dinner within the Night Market.
PHUKET
Apartment rentals and Hotels:    
As with Bangkok, Thailand Hotels.net and Planet Holiday.com are good for hotel searches
The Regent Resort (now the Four Seasons) is one of the most wonderful destinations ever.
Phuket.com has great packages for sun, golf, spa, etc.
Phuket is a very touristy destination. The beaches are great, the golf is wonderful and the spas delightful, but if you want to get away from the crowds, check out Phi Phi Islands. They are more secluded from the masses.
Museums and Destinations:  
Sea kayaking, beach, snorkling, scuba diving, white water rafting, game fishing, boat crusies, eco tours (hikiing), golf, spa, night clubs.
Guided Tours:    
You can arrange a car and guide with your hotel or check out Phuket.com
Restaurants and Food:
 
     
INDONESIA
Indonesian Timeline
Asian Historical Architecture
     
BALI
Apartment rentals and Hotels:  
The Four Seasons Sayan is magical. There is also a Four Seasons in Jimbaran (near the beach) but it's a little more chaotic, but you can book a package for 3 nights at each resort.
If you want your own private villa with cook, butler and lots of other ammenities check out Bali Villas. It's much less expensive than the Four Seasons
Here's a site for good discount prices on lots of Bali Hotels  
   
Museums and Destinations: Bali Guide  
There are thousands of temples, lots of beaches, volcanoes, sports, shopping, dance perfomances, hiking and relaxation. It is truly a paradise.
Guided Tours: Book them through your hotel  
     
Restaurants and Food:
     
SINGAPORE
Singapore Timeline
Asian Historical Architecture
     
Apartment rentals and Hotels:  
Raffles is the classic Colonial hotel in Singapore. Even if you don't stay there, go to the Long bar and have a Singapore sling. It was invented here.
We found good values from AsiaTravel.com but you will have to prepay the room.  
   
Museums and Destinations: Uniquely Singapore is a very good website for all things Singapore  
This is a big, modern city. There are lots of olf temples mixed in but for the most part, it's lots of shopping malls and high rise buildings. However, there are still some things worth taking in. There are a lot of museums and a Bumboat ride on the river is a great view of the city. There are also a shopping in the bazaars of old Arab Street, or a visit to Little India and the very ornate Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple built in 1881. There is also a large Chinatown and if you're there for it you can catch the Million Dollar Duck (rubber ducky) Race.
Restaurants and Food:
Eat a Durian. The taste might not be for everyone. The smell has been compared to turpentine, skunk spray, sewage and civet. The author Anthony Burgess famously said that munching on a durian was like eating a magnificent raspberry blancmange in a foul public toilet. Some believe it has great medicinal properties. The Javanese believe it to be an aphrodisiac. These things can grow up to a foot long and weigh up to 7 pound. It could do a lot of damamge if one bonked you on the head.