A few years ago I wrote a post about my
three favorite cities in Asia. Since then, I've travelled quite a bit more and seen several new places. I thought it's about time that I update my list and add three more of my favorite cities that I've been to!
Luang Prabang, Laos
Last year, I spent a month in the Lao PDR, and about two and a half weeks in Luang Prabang. We only meant to stay in the city for a week and a half, but ended up extending our stay. I completely fell in love with Luang Prabang, and even started a secondary side project blog,
luangprabangtemples.com, which is a sort of online guide book to the city.
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| the Royal Palace and Temple of Laos |
Last year, my girlfriend and I spent three weeks in Luang Prabang, Laos. LP is the ancient capital of Royal Laos, and the "Holy City" of Lao Buddhism. It is the site of the Royal Palace of Laos and the Royal Temple of the ancient Kingdom of Laos. Needless to say, it's a city full of history, heritage, culture, and coffee.
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| along the riverside in Laos |
The thing about Luang Prabang is that it's totally laid-back. The city moves at a slow pace; barely creeping along. Visiting LP is like going back in time fifty years, and that's what most visitors like about it! There's not much to do except spend time drinking beer along the river, visiting temples, and soaking in the culture of the small, Communist, predominately-Buddhist nation.
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| the morning Buddhist alms-giving ceremony |
We did a lot during our extended stay in Luang Prabang. In fact, we loved the city so much that we extended our visit to as long as possible! These are our favorite things that we did while we were in the old Laotian capital of Luang Prabang:
Macau (Special Administrative Region of China)
Another city that I've recently fallen in love with is Macau.
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| the Golden Lotus of Macau |
This is the younger sister to my old favorite, Hong Kong. Until 1999, Macau was a territory of Portugal, and the city still exudes old southwest-European charm. From the names of the streets to the old Catholic churches, Macau is a Portuguese city in the Far East through and through.
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| the ruins of St. Paul's Church |
I visited for a day trip with my old buddy from college years ago, but it wasn't until my extended visit this winter when I really came to appreciate China's smaller and less well-known Special Administrative Region (SAR).
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| an old church (St. Francis) in Macau, China |
Most people spend time at the casinos, but I was more interested in the museums, forts, and churches.
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| the church and lighthouse on the hill, Macau, China |
In Macau, some of my favorite things to do are:
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
My first visit to Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, was less than auspicious.
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| the Pink Mosque of Putrajaya |
My girlfriend had her bag (containing her passport) snatched by a thief on a motorbike, and we had a stressful time figuring out what to do! In the end, I had to come back to Thailand without her (my visa was about to expire), and she had to spend way too much time at Malay Immigration trying to sort everything out. It wasn't a good experience.
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| a bit of nature in Kuala LUmpur |
The second time I visited KL (this year, in 2019), I had a much better time. I wanted to give the city a second chance and boy, did it deliver! My first visit to the city didn't sit right with me, but the second time I visited, I completely fell for it. From the soaring Patronas Twin Towers (one of the tallest buildings in the world), to the amazing food, KL is now one of my favorite cities in Asia.
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| the Patronas Towers, KL, Malaysia |
What to do in and around KL, Malaysia:
Maybe in a year or two I'll write about three MORE of my favorite cites in Asia! Until then, keep checking my blog for regular updates on my life in Thailand and beyond!
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