With so much land and so many people' Asia makes for a mesmerising holiday. Spanning modern metropolitan cities like Beijing and Singapore' to rural' hidden outposts like the Himalayan hideaway of Srinagar on Kashmir's Dal lake' Asia holds more cities and people than the rest of the world combined. A myriad of religions are practiced here' and countless holy sites and temples are found in sight of virtually every place tourists venture. Theravada Buddhism thrives in the southeast nations of Myanmar' Thailand' Laos and Cambodia' while Zen' Confucian and Taoist sensibilities dominate the Far East. Meanwhile' portions of Afghanistan's Spice Trail still host ancient shrines from some of the world's oldest civilisations. Stretching into the southern seas' island destinations in Malaysia' Singapore and the Philippines offer a unique sampling of 16th century colonial architecture.
