PEARLS OF ASIA

The Hong Kong Island skyline, with its ever-growing number of skyscrapers, speaks to ambition and money. Paris, London, even New York were centuries in the making, while Hong Kong's towers, bright lights, and glitzy shopping emporia weren't yet part of the urban scene when many of the young investment bankers who fuel one of the world's leading financial centers were born. Commerce is concentrated in the glittering high-rises of Central, tucked between Victoria Harbor and forested peaks on Hong Kong Island's north shore. While it's easy to think all the bright lights are the sum of today's Hong Kong, you need only walk or board a tram for the short jaunt west into Western to discover a side of Hong Kong that is more traditionally Chinese but no less high-energy. You'll discover the real Hong Kong to the east of Central, too, in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and beyond. Amid the residential towers are restaurants, shopping malls, bars, convention centers, a nice smattering of museums, and—depending on fate and the horse you wager on—one of Hong Kong's luckiest or unluckiest spots, the Happy Valley Racecourse. Kowloon sprawls across a generous swath of the Chinese mainland across Victoria Harbour from Central. Tsim Sha Tsui, at the tip of Kowloon peninsula, is packed with glitzy shops, first-rate museums, and eye-popping views of the skyline across the water. Just to the north are the teeming market streets of Mong Kok and in the dense residential neighborhoods beyond, two of Hong Kong's most enchanting spiritual sights, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery. As you navigate this huge metropolis (easy to do on the excellent transportation network), keep in mind that streets are usually numbered odd on one side, even on the other. There's no baseline for street numbers and no block-based numbering system, but street signs indicate building numbers for any given block.

Choose from 11 excursions to really explore Hong Kong. A city where future and tradition collides - perhaps best illustrated by the skyscrapers that feature gaping holes, designed to allow spirit dragons to soar from the hills to the waterfront unimpeded. Wander flowing shopping streets, wade through sprawling markets and soak up the neon glory of this one-of-a-kind city - which continues to reach for the sky.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Hue (pronounced hway), bisected by the Perfume River and 13 km (8 mi) inland from the South China Sea, in the foothills of the Annamite Mountains (Truong Son Mountains), stands as a reminder of Vietnam's imperial past. The seat of 13 Nguyen-dynasty emperors between 1802 and 1945, Hue was once Vietnam's splendid Imperial City. Although it was devastated by the French in the 19th century and again by fighting between the Vietnamese Communists and the Americans in the 20th, the monument-speckled former capital has a war-ravaged beauty. One can still imagine its former splendor, despite gaping holes in its silhouette. Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city's gems are slowly being restored.

Located on the south central coast of Vietnam, at the mouth of the Han River, Da Nang is a modern, evolving port city, with the highest urbanisation ratio of any centrally-governed city in the country. Central Vietnam's commercial and educational heartland, Da Nang is also an important tourist destination, attracting throngs of local and international visitors every year.

Popular tourist attractions in and around Da Nang include the Museum of Cham Sculpture; the Montgomerie Links golf course, roundly considered the best in Vietnam; the Marble Mountains, a cluster of five marble and limestone hills, famous for their caves, tunnels, carvings and sculptures; and the My Son ruins, an unmissable UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of Hindu temples first built in the 4th century.

Da Nang is a popular stop-over point for travellers looking to access the even more bewitching, close-lying areas of Hoi An and the imperial city of Hue. The city also features a few slightly more resort-style areas, such as Non Nuoc Beach, a white-sand beach renowned for both its spectacular beauty and for its history as a 'R&R' destination for American troops during the Vietnam War, and the Ba Na Hills, a mountain resort with a 3 mile-long (5km) cable car system.

Da Nang, a booming metropolis with a thriving culinary scene and plenty of options when it comes to nightlife, is easily accessible by train, bus, plane or boat. The city is definitely worth a stop to get a more varied view of Vietnam. Go between February and May, when it'll be dry, and daytime temperatures will be bearable.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Ho Chi Minh City better known by its former name of Saigon is a brazen industrious and dense metropolis the largest city in Vietnam and the business capital of the country. With a population of five million it is crowded noisy and dirty yet it is also exciting and historic the essence of the nation.Located on the Saigon River on the edge of the Mekong Delta Saigon became the capital of the Republic of South Vietnam and was the American headquarters during the Vietnam War. Two years later the Communist north took control of the country the city's name was changed to Ho Chi Minh City and recession and poverty ensued.Today Ho Chi Minh City has a cosmopolitan and energetic atmosphere and having actively welcomed the new capitalist principle the business-minded spirit of the people is much in evidence. Although relatively modern it has still managed to hold onto its Asian character and fine restaurants smart hotels and chic bars line the sidewalks crammed with noodle stands markets and shoeshine boys. The buzzing of motorbikes and scooters merges with the cries of street vendors and the urgent business of stall owners selling barbecued dog writhing snakes and tropical fruits. The sight of a family of four balanced precariously on a scooter a squealing pig strapped onto the back of a bicycle bowed heads topped by pointed lampshade-style hats and orange-clothed monks are just some of the vibrant images the city has to offer.Although overshadowed by modern and Asiatic influences a little of Ho Chi Minh City's French colonial charm still remains evident in the graceful architecture wide boulevards and a sidewalk cafe society. It is not for the attractions that one visits Ho Chi Minh City however but for the vibrancy of its street life and its proximity to the Mekong Delta.

The city was affectionately-labelled the Pearl of the Orient by the French. Afternoons here drift by lazily on the gentle chaos of the River Saigon, as taxi boats and motor canoes flit up and down, and parks fill out with locals playing jianzi, kicking shuttlecocks back and forth. The French colonial imprint is evidenced in the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica, which stands out with its grand double bell towers and red brick hue.

Taste the street food to get under Ho Chi Minh City's skin, with humble restaurants serving up rich flavours - from the Vietnamese take on the baguette, a banh mi sandwich - to the local staple of pho, a delicious noodle soup. The Tortoise pagoda is a tranquil escape and a serene place of worship for Vietnamese who practice Buddhism and Taoism, while the Vietnamese medical museum has a fascinating collection of remedies and potions - some dating back to Stone Age. Journey out to learn more of the Vietnam War at the Remnants Museum and Cu Chi tunnels. Offering a vivid glimpse of conditions, and the ingenuity and resilience of the soldiers, you'll learn of the guerrilla war campaign raged from within this claustrophobic, 70-mile network of war tunnels.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Chaotic, carnal and congested, Thailand's capital is divided by the Chao Phraya River and is nestled in one of the world's most fertile rice-producing deltas. Bangkok's 605 square miles (1,568 sq km) are criss-crossed by a series of canals carrying passengers and cargo, its roads clotted with endless traffic jams, while the city sprawls in all directions with a hodgepodge of urban, commercial and industrial buildings. An overland metropolitan railway speeds above the city, providing visitors with a relaxed and efficient way to observe the hustle and bustle below.

Despite its pollution and overcrowding, Bangkok is undoubtedly one of Asia's most exciting cities, and one of the world's largest, promising to reveal to each traveller the wild and untamed mysteries of the east. Khao San Road is one of the city's most vibrant streets, and is probably one of the best examples in the world of a backpacker's 'ghetto'. Day and night the short stretch of road is abuzz with activity. On the banks of the Chao Phraya, visitors will find the Grand Palace as well as Wat Phra Kaew, the palace temple housing the Emerald Buddha, constructed entirely from translucent green jade. Slightly upriver are the exquisitely ornamented Royal Barges, still used today for special floating processions.

Of the 30 or so temples in Bangkok, the largest is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, which houses an impressive statue of the deity. The famous Floating Market is a delight to visitors and well worth a visit. As the sun lurches towards the horizon in the west and the sweat cools, this city of royalty and religion comes alive with a palpable decadence. Music and dazzling neon advertise a plethora of trendy bars and nightclubs, as well as the notorious 'girlie joints' that have ensured the Patpong district its reputation for hedonism.

Though the city's frenetic pace and infamous congestion can be overwhelming, a holiday in Bangkok is a must for anyone travelling in Thailand.

A voyage of flavour, and an all-out sensory assault, Bangkok is one of the world's most fascinating cities, and a place to plunge right in at the deep end. Immense tradition and relentless modernity combines, and it's these contrasts and collisions that make Bangkok the remarkable, all-encompassing experience it is.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Beguiling Singapore is a modern city-state embracing economic progress against the backdrop of age-old tradition. Many business people and holidaymakers travel to Singapore on their way to the Far East, or as a stop-off between Australia and Europe, and are eager to see and experience this legendary hi-tech Asian city, which combines traditional enclaves with the towering steel and cement of a cosmopolitan international power-house. The customs that underpin community life emerge out of a cultural mix that includes predominantly Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnic groups.

Singapore is an island off the southern tip of Malaysia, linked to it by a causeway. It evolved from a sleepy fishing village in the early 1900s to become one of Asia's economic tigers. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on Singapore's northern bank in 1819, quickly identifying a strategic trading location. Singapore's rural landscape was transformed by British colonial rule, Japanese occupation, Communist insurrection and finally, independence. Since becoming a republic in 1965 the island has experienced increased prosperity and exponential economic growth. Shimmering skyscrapers tower above the slick financial districts and elegant colonial buildings preserve a lingering old-world charm.

Singapore's full calendar of events showcases a spectrum of cultural celebrations and shopping activities. The early summer months bustle in anticipation of the Singapore Sale - a time when tourists can cash in on the competitive prices of electronic equipment, jewellery and other merchandise. The business activity thrives amid the celebration of Chinese, Hindu and Muslim festivals that punctuate the year with their colourful representations. These include the Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Hari Raya Puasa, Vesak Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, Festival of the Hungry Ghosts and Thaipusam.

The core of downtown Singapore is formed by the Colonial District, embellished by cathedrals and cricket lawns. The notable sites of the area include the Empress Place Building and the luxurious Raffles Hotel. Although most of old Singapore has been demolished to make way for the modern city, many major landmarks within the Colonial District have been preserved. The surrounding ethnic enclaves of Little India, Chinatown and the Arab Quarter also provide glimpses into the traditions that have sustained their respective communities through the centuries.