The Top 100 Experiences in Asia

This week at Asia Insider, we hit an impressive milestone … our 100th post! Coupled with the fact that it’s approaching year’s end and pundits have begun compiling their own reflective lists, we decided to make a list of our own – the top 100 Asian experiences. What follows is - in no particular order - our subjective round-up of Asia’s greatest adventures.

1. Hike the Himalayas in the shadow of Mt Everest
2. Watch the sunrise from the peak of Japan’s Mt Fuji
3. Come face to face with an orangutan in Borneo
4. Walk along the Great Wall, one of the world’s most impressive fortifications
5. Ponder the vagaries of war at Panmunjom, Korea
6. Spend a night on the serene waters of Halong Bay, Vietnam
7. Take the Star Ferry across Hong Kong Bay at sunset
8. Breathe in the sights, sounds and smells of Pushkar’s annual camel fair
9. Spend a night out on the steppes in a Mongolian ger
10. Ride the newly-connected rails overland from Beijing to Tibet
11. Eat your way around Singapore’s diverse neighborhoods
12. Marvel at the artistry of the temples at Angkor Wat
13. Join a sunrise tai chi session along The Bund in Shanghai
14. Share a kiss at the Taj Mahal, the ultimate monument to love
15. Chow down on dumplings in Taipei
16. Tour the DMZ in Vietnam with an army veteran
17. Stretch out on a sunny beach in Thailand
18. Engage in retail therapy in Kuala Lumpur’s shopping districts
19. Taste the freshest fish at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market
20. Tap into your spiritual side in a Bhutanese temple
21. Cruise the backwaters of Kerala, India
22. Take time for tea in Seoul’s classic teahouses
23. Peer into the depths of China’s Tiger Leaping Gorge
24. Catch a Bollywood flick in Mumbai
25. Sign up for a cooking class … anywhere!
26. Ride an elephant in Nepal’s Royal Chitwan National Park
27. Marvel at the view from Taipei 101, the world’s second tallest building
28. Admire the craftmanship of the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, China
29. Glimpse a geisha in the willow-lined streets of Gion, Kyoto
30. Savor high tea at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong
31. Catch the misty sunrise over the Ganges in Varanasi, India
32. Ride a horse across the empty Mongolian steppes
33. Go back to school at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore
34. Soak with snow monkeys at an outdoor onsen in Japan
35. Float down the Irawaddy River to Bagan, Burma’s land of 5000 pagodas
36. Walk the remarkably preserved city walls of Pingyao, China
37. Test the strength of your tastebuds on Korea’s fiery cuisine
38. Discover the pirate legacy of Melaka, Malaysia
39. Shop for silks in the charming riverside town of Hoi An, Vietnam
40. Explore India’s famed “Pink City” of Jaipur
41. Brush up on your chopstick skills at a kaiseki (high class) dinner in Japan
42. Make friends with Thailand’s hilltribes on a multi-day trek
43. Explore the underground river in Palawan, Philippines, one of the world’s newest natural wonders
44. Catch one of Bhutan’s colorful festivals
45. Feast on Peking duck in a Beijing hutong
46. Join Hindu pilgrims at Nepal’s holy Pashupatinath Temple
47. Trek through the deserts of Rajasthan on camel-back
48. Cheer on wrestlers and archers at Mongolia’s Nadaam Festival
49. Be buried alive – well almost – in the volcanic sands of Beppu, Japan
50. Explore the watery world of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
51. Chill out on Jeju Island, Korea’s vacation hotspot
52. Bear witness to Cambodia’s troubled history at the Killing Fields
53. Ride a century-old tram to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong
54. Participate in a ceremony at a traditional Sarawak longhouse
55. Cycle the karst-studded landscapes of Guilin, China
56. Tread in the footsteps of Genghis Khan in the ancient Mongolian capital of Karakorum.
57. Sip a Singapore sling in its original home, the historic bar of Raffles Hotel
58. Kayak the iridescent waters of the Gulf of Thailand
59. Celebrate the luminous festival of Diwali in India
60. Watch weavers at work in the villages of Laos
61. Wander the streets of the fortress city of Suwon, Korea
62. Bike the neon-green rice paddies of Mai Chau, Vietnam
63. Trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary in mountainous Nepal
64. Catch a few rays on the quiet sands of Sihanoukville, Cambodia
65. Ride the Central-Midlevels escalator up the slopes of Hong Kong Island
66. Spread a picnic under Japan’s sakura branches in the spring
67. Hail a trishaw for a atmospheric ride through old Georgetown in Penang
68. Escape the masses on a boat ride through the canals of Tonli, China
69. Ooh and ahh over New Year’s fireworks from one of Singapore’s sky bars
70. Trace the path of WWII history while riding Thailand’s Death Railway
71. Marvel at the fortress of Trongsa, Bhutan
72. Witness the birth of democracy in the streets of Burma’s cities
73. Snorkel the crystalline waters of Boracay in the Philippines
74. Track tigers in India’s Kanha National Park
75. Explore the vastness of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert
76. Whip up your own kimchi in a Korean kitchen
77. Eat your way through Hanoi’s up and coming food scene
78. Blaze a trail through Taiwan’s stunning Taroko Gorge
79. Stroll along the colonial-era riverfront of Battammbang, Cambodia
80. Savor a spicy curry meal in Kolkatta, India
81. Stumble upon a free martial arts demo in the hometown of Jack Chan, Hong Kong
82. Whiz from winter snows to volcanic landscapes on Japan’s bullet train
83. Watch a kitemaker at work in Kelantan, Malaysia
84. Feel the weight of history in the 9,999 rooms of Beijing’s Forbidden City
85. Ride a colorful jeepney through the streets of Manila
86. Sharpen your night vision at the Singapore Zoo’s Night Safari
87. Cycle among the stupas of Thailand’s ancient capital, Ayutthaya
88. Admire the architectural feat of the rice terraces in Banaue, the Philippines
89. Wander the streets of Mandalay, ancient capital of the Burmese royal family
90. Dive the coral-reefs off the coast of Okinawa, Japan
91. Dodge a mass of motor scooters in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
92. Cruise the waters of Phewa Tal, Nepal
93. Attend an opera in Hong Kong
94. Be amazed by larger-than-life snow sculptures at the annual Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan
95. Get up close and personal with an impressive array of avian life at Kuala Lumpur’s Bird Park
96. Watch cormorant fishing on the rivers of southeast China
97. Explore hidden gardens in Hue, Vietnam
98. Shop for the perfect sari at the frenetic markets of Delhi, India
99. Stop off at a stilt village in the middle of Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia
100. Make a new friend, taste a new food and experience a new outlook on life

How many of these can you check off you “life list”? What have we missed that YOU would have added? Let us know – we’d love to hear from you!