5 Reasons I’m Madly in Love with South East Asia

It’s no surprise I love Asia; I don’t even know the number of times I’ve visited or the total amount of time spent there. It was the first place I travelled solo, and since then I’ve been back with my sister and some friends. I actually have a slight problem – I’m addicted to Asia. I almost feel like I’ve done it to death, although there are a few place I still haven’t made it to. That’s part of the reason I boarded a flight to New York the other day; to spice things up. Asia is a really great destination, and here’s why:

1) There are a Lot of Soulful Places

One of my favourite places is Ubud, in Bali which is a small island in Indonesia. It’s the perfect place to go to do yoga, eat healthy food and focus on self-improvement. You’ll notice that the crowd in Ubud tends to be a lot healthier than other parts of Asia, so it’s a good place to stop off for a bit to have a detox from all the partying. There’s a lot to see in Indonesia, but Bali will always hold a special place in my heart. It doesn’t help that there are great beaches only a short drive away from wherever you are.

2) Amazing Beaches

The movie The Beach was filmed in Thailand.. and there are great beaches scattered throughout the region. Some of my favourite beach areas include the Gilli Islands – Indonesia, Koh Phi Phi – Thailand and Nha Trang in Vietnam. If you’re a beach person, you’ll be spoiled for choices. One of the countries I haven’t been to, the Philippines, has some really fantastic beaches too. Poctoy White Beach looks insane – check out the pictures from Traveling Morion’s blog.

3) Great Food

Is there anything better than Thai food? Probably not. There’s some great food to be had in Asia, especially in Vietnam and Thailand in my opinion. Unfortunately food can be a bit hit and miss in other countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, but as a general rule there’s a lot of delicious food in Asia. My favourites are a Thai red curry and Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. It’s the perfect place to do a cooking course as well, so you can learn how to make your favourite dishes at home.

4) Friendly People

I think South East Asia is home to some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. Unsurprisingly my two favourite countries: Cambodia and Myanmar are where I’ve found the most friendly people. Both of these countries have been through some really tough times and I think that’s resulted in two very resilient and caring countries.

5) It’s Cheap

Traveling can be really inexpensive if you choose the right places. Yes, things like airfare and taxes will eat into your budgets. The truth is for me traveling throughout South East Asia is actually cheaper than living in NZ. When you consider all the other the perks of South East Asia, it’s definitely worth visiting if you haven’t yet already.