One of the hardest questions to answer when I returned home from my five month journey through Asia was, “What was your favorite part?”

Several  people requested for me to do a post on my favorite highlights from each of the countries I visited in Asia. It was rather difficult to choose only a couple items on each category. It’s no surprise that I already want to go back.

Just to set the stage and remind those that have been reading, here are the 15 countries I visited during this trip: South Korea, Singapore, Myanmar/Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Laos, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and China. I didn’t visit Indonesia this trip because we spent our honeymoon there. If I was including Indonesia, it’d definitely make several of these categories, but since I didn’t visit it during this trip I’m not going to include it. I’d still like to go to Bhutan and Japan.

It’s hard to say, but I think my overall favorite countries were Malaysia, Laos, and Sri Lanka.  If you have additional categories, then comment, and I’ll update the post. Following this one, I’ll do a post that has the trip by the numbers and one on my recommendations by country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAVORITES BROKEN DOWN:

Experience: Teaching English for a few days to my monk friends and children on the Thai/Burmese border; Swimming underwater through rocks to a secret beach in Palawan, Philippines

Food (Country): Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea

Food (Dish): Curry in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sticky Rice, Red Curry, and Dumplings in Thailand; Banh Mi in Vietnam; Hainanese Chicken Rice in hawker stations in Singapore;  Biryani, naan, and curry, hawker station, Singapore

Meal: Jumbo Seafood in Singapore on my birthday which including baby squid, jellyfish, buttery-sauced prawns, razor clams, chicken/beef satay with peanut sauce, and chili crab

Street Food (Country): Thailand; Vietnam; Taiwan; Hawker stations in Singapore

Market: Inle Lake, Myanmar; Seafood night market, Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo

Beach: Palawan, Philippines

Mountains: Pokhara, Annapurna Mountain Range, Himalayas, Nepal; Ulsanbawi Rock and Gwongeumseong Fortress, Seoraksan National Park

Hikes/Trek: Burma/Myanmar – Kalaw to Inle Lake, overnight village stay

SCUBA Diving: Perhentian Islands, Malaysia; Indonesia would win this one if it were included.

Diverse Landscape: Jeju, South Korea; Sri Lanka

Most Romantic: Maldives huts; Hoi An, Vietnam (the town)

Most Luxurious: Maldives beach hut over the water

Unique Hotel: W Hotel in Seoul, South Korea

Rice Fields: Laos, Myanmar

Touristy Stop (Best): Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia; Temples, Pagodas, Stupas, and ruins in Bagan, Myanmar

Hostel: Pak Up Hostel, Krabi, Thailand; Singgahsana Lodge, Kuching, Malaysia, Borneo; House Hostel, Sokcho, South Korea

Adventurous Food: Fried Ants in Cambodia; Soup Tulang, Golden Mile Food Centre in Singapore; Frog legs with blood pockets (not on purpose!) in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Train Ride: Slow train through Sri Lanka’s mountains

Best Value (Purchase): $5-$10 sixty minute massages, best one by a blind masseuse in Pokhara, Nepal

Unexpected Surprise: Seeing someone from my small town high school in the top of the Seoul Tower

Places I’d Could Live (at least for awhile): Luang Prabang, Laos; Chiang Mai, Thailand

Safari: Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka

Buildings: Globe building in Shanghai; Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Temples: Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) in Chiang Rai; Grand Palace in Bangkok; Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Fruits: Rambutan and Lychee; Jackfruit, Fresh Coconut

Plants: Rafflesia Arnoldii saw in Sarawak, Borneo; World’s smallest orchid saw in Sarawak, Borneo (at least that’s what they said); Giant Bamboo, Kandy, Sri Lanka

Animals: Proboscis monkeys swinging through jungle while I hike by myself; Nudibranch (actually a mollusk)

Subway/Metro System: Seoul, South Korea

River: Irrawaddy River, Ayeyarwady, Myanmar; Mekong; Nam Song River (Tubing!), Vang Vieng, Laos

Lake: Inle Lake, Myanmar

Daring Experience: Paragliding, Pokhara, Nepal

Airport: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Yang Yang International Airport, South Korea (weird place)

Fly-In Cities/Countries: Maldives; Kathmandu, Nepal; Palawan, Philippines; Busan, South Korea; Kuching, Malaysia, Borneo

Best Value (Country):

Friendliest People: Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka

Odd Experience: Chiang Mai Night Bazaar; Grabbing a tiger by the tail, Chiang Mai, Thailand; DMZ  between North and South Korea

OTHER CATEGORIES

Least Friendly People (to me at least): China & Thailand

Dirtiest: Beijing, China

Most Secluded/Remote: Myanmar

Hardest History to Swallow (from what I learned at least): Cambodia; Myanmar; Vietnam

Poorest: Myanmar

Biggest Tourist Trap: Seoul Tower, South Korea

Worst Injuries: Ankle sprain in Seoraksan National Park; Sore from bad fins and too many dives in Thailand, then into Malaysia