Preparing for the Last Six Months of the Year

 

Now that we are nearing the second half of the year and spent the first half working hard, it may be good to spend some part of your time once every month in visiting wondrous places in Asia . Westhill Consulting Travel and Tours have listed a special place to spend your weekend at.

July – Sumatra, Indonesia

Sumatra is the second island popular for surfing with the most number of surf spots, with 18 altogether and an island away from the capital, Jakarta, Indonesia. The common time for surfing is around May to September with the trade winds blowing from east to south-east. From October to April, winds tend to come from the west to north-west, so the east coast breaks get the offshore winds.

August – Chinatown, Singapore/ Chinese Enclaves, Malaysia

            If you are up for a little visit to the dead, you should join the celebration of Hungry Ghost Festival in basically almost all of countries with Chinatown of their own. In Asia, the celebration of the event is widely awesome in Singapore and Malaysia.  The Hungry Ghost Festival celebrates the Taoist belief in the afterlife.

Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore believe that the gates of Hell open on the 7th lunar month, freeing the spirits of the dead to roam in the world of the living.

The living, in turn, must make offerings of food and burnt prayer money to the souls of the dead to appease them. They shouldn’t show complaints or heavy feelings, though, as ghost are said to hunt those that do.

September – Borneo

Malaysian Borneo is one of those rare places where you can sense the adventure in the air, along with the green smells from thousands of miles of rainforest just waiting to be explored. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, and a virtual paradise on earth for anyone who shares a love for plants, wildlife, and adventure.

October - Beijing, China

Asia in October can very enjoyable; the month is a transition period. Countries with hot summers and high humidity finally start to cool off, and the leaves will be changing colors in China, Japan, and other parts of East Asia. Families with young children and backpacking students have all returned to their home countries for school, so many islands and attractions are less crowded. You can explore the Forbidden City and the Tiananmen Square and find out the hidden secrets of Chinese cultures.

November - Rajasthan India

Occupying the northwest corner of the subcontinent and bordered by Pakistan, Rajasthan is India's desert state. Forget the typical drab desert; Rajasthan, India, is famous for its colorful cities, brightly dyed traditional attire, and romantic history of forts, desert raids, and epic battles. If you've ever wanted to ride a camel across a desert, Rajasthan is the place!

December – Luang Prabang, Laos

While most people would stay at home and spend the holidays surrounded by snows, turkeys and Santa, some people would try out holiday getaway visiting exotic places and thinking or reviewing how people in the rough places celebrate their Christmas.

One of the most charming cities in south-east Asia, Luang Prabang is the most popular tourist attraction in Laos. Until 1975, when the communist took over the country, it was the royal capital of Laos. The main part of Luang Prabang is located on a peninsula between the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. A collection of golden-roofed temples, wooden houses and crumbling French provincial buildings fill the main roads. At dawn, monks from the various monasteries walk through the streets collecting alms of rice.