The Land of Gold
Over two decades ago, a Cambodian tablet was found by archaeologists with inscriptions naming the country as the Land of Gold. However, up until today several places in Southeast Asia claim this name, also known as Suvarnabhumi, named by Indian merchants of the 1st millennium BPE.
The Land of Gold is thought to refer to the mainland, including lower Burma, the Thai Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian Archipelago, including mainly the island of Sumatra. The exact location of Suvarnabhumi is still covered in mystery.
Mystery, diversity, invigoration, and fascination are the perfect words to describe South East Asia.
Asia’s Diversity
Home to some of the oldest civilisations on the planet, the Asian continent is extremely diverse. The incredible diversity of art, cuisine, and culture is amazing. It is packed with historic cities, towering temples, ancient forts, and natural wonders. It is also home to 37 wonderful UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Stepping into another World
Visiting Asia feels like stepping into another world as their culture differs so wildly from the Western world. Whether you’re going to climb a volcano in Japan, make an overnight luxury cruise in Halong Bay - Vietnam, dive in Raja Ampat - Indonesia, take a private helicopter to Everest Base Camp - Nepal, or visit the lush jungles of Cambodia, a trip to South East Asia is absolutely life-changing and magnificent. Colourful Asia ticks all the right boxes for a luxury holiday destination.
Fine dining vs Street food
Whatever you choose to do or which country you would like to visit, it really comes alive through their local gourmet. Step away from the well-known food chains and be adventurous. You can rest assured the local food will be so delicious. Whether settling down for a Michelin-starred meal in one of Singapore’s finest restaurants or sitting down at one of the many plastic stools on a Bangkok street, you will never be disappointed by the flavours of Asia’s cuisine.
Traditional Spa Treatments
How about trying out Asia’s typical and traditional spa treatments? Like Thailands’ Yam Khang, which is considered a sacred art where the therapist is required to have gained high spiritual maturity. The unique spa treatment uses solely the feet, which are first bathed in healing oil infused with mixed local herbs. The therapist then slips her foot onto an iron plowshare or khang, that has been heated over an open fire, skilfully balanced; she massages the guest with one foot only. As the treatment uses an open fire, it is done outdoors. As each country and region has their own authentic treatments to invigorate your wellbeing, you’ll have so many options to choose from.
Beach Destinations
To relax you can of course always visit one of the beaches in South East Asia. And while many would think of Malaysia, Thailand or the Philippines as their dream location, don’t forget to look at countries such as India, Japan and South Korea, just to name a few.
Cultural Events
Timing your visit to South East Asia coinciding with a cultural event can profoundly transform your travel experience. It’s a great way to learn more about the continent’s rich cultural and religious traditions. They are meant to rejoice special moments and emotions in people’s lives with their loved ones.
Whether you visit the Bali Art Festival, Gion Matsuri in Japan or Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnam, you’ll get a wonderful insight into their culture and beliefs. There are several cultural events each month, so definitely make use of this opportunity while being there.
Modern Asia
While the name Land of Gold is still applicable as six countries in Asia still produce 91% of gold in the continent with China the leader of the world’s gold-producing nations and Indonesia following suit, we should also not forget that South East Asia has rapidly evolved itself with revolutionary innovation and technology. We can almost say that the Asian continent is a front runner on many levels. Several countries in the region, including Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and Korea, have been progressive in defining regulatory frameworks and licensing programs for cryptocurrencies and digital assets.
The Future is Now
With the newest shiny smartphones, modern skyscrapers, rooftop bars, and high speed magnetic trains, for South East Asia, the future is now. India is a hub for growing technology; South Korea has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world, and places like Japan and Malaysia are known for its fashion trends. Singapore and Hongkong are continuously moving forward business-wise. Asian metropoles are easily challenging the biggest European and American cities for their status as global hubs. This ever-evolving modernity can make for some incredibly special travel experiences: watch nature passing by from a high-speed train, go to one of Asia’s Fashion Weeks to discover the newest fashion trends, buy the newest smartphone, laptop or camera in one of the electronics markets or visit ATxSG in Singapore while you’re there. It’s the biggest tech event in Asia.
The combination of having a glimpse into lost cultures and historical knowledge, combined with today’s technology and ideas, makes South East Asia such an interesting place to visit.