Let Me Inspire You By Sharing My Trip To Asia

A couple of decades ago, I prepared a travel bucket list of all the countries and continents that I wanted to visit. In fact, I purchased a book titled 1,000 Places to See Before You Die that I meticulously read and cross referenced with my bucket list.

As the years progressed, I’ve been so fortunate to have traveled to many of those places, but Asia remained on that list. So, I did what I have always done when I can’t stop thinking about something; I started planning an Asian adventure two years ago. My plan included Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Being a travel agent, I extended an invitation to everyone I knew and my husband, and I soon discovered that we had seven couples joining us for various parts of our amazing itinerary. There are too many wonderful places, sights and adventures to recount, so I’ve included my favourite experiences that I will share with you.

First Stop: Hong Kong

Our first stop was Hong Kong where we rang in the 2025 new year with the locals. The city is exceptionally large, geographically, and also remarkably busy, as one would expect. As such, we learned to use the MTR system in order to see as much as we could. We rode the subway to the Peak Tram where we observed stunning views of the 355 towering skyscrapers and Victoria Harbour.

We got off at a subway stop in Hong Kong Park and marvelled at the beautiful gardens and grounds of this massive park. We even rode the subway to the downtown area with government buildings, shopping malls, and witnessed a slew of residents camping out on the streets while sharing food and playing games during their holiday season.

After an exceedingly long day with lots of sight seeing and walking, we shared a bottle of wine and snacks with our tour companions, John and Diana, and we all agreed that we wished we had more time to spend in this incredible city.

Off to Vietnam

The next day we hopped on our Celebrity cruise ship and our first port was Halong Bay, Vietnam. We took a junk boat cruise to the magnificent Sung Sot Cave, enjoyed the most delicious 10 course lunch, and observed the most stunning sunset and night views of the Bay.

The big cities in Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh, are the scariest to walk and drive in, because there are no stop signs or traffic lights to direct pedestrians and vehicles. Pedestrians cross the street hoping and praying that cars or motor bikes drive around them (I prayed every time I crossed a street).

I have never seen so many motor bikes in my life as I have in Vietnam, many of the bikes transporting babies and children who aren’t even fastened in with seat belts. I was amazed at their lack of safety road rules.

Our most impressive attraction that we visited in Vietnam, was Sunworld Ba Na Hills in Danang. Cable cars transport visitors up the steep hills to a magical French village of breath-taking views, buildings, gardens, temples, amusement attractions and cuisine. We spent most of a day there and would have liked to spend even longer.

Next: Thailand

What I adored most about Thailand, was the warm people, their predominantly Buddhism faith and their respectful culture. The Thai people are some of the loveliest people that I’ve met from my travels around the world. They are polite, friendly, respectful, and value the most important things in life, such as faith, family, and graciousness.

I would also rate Thai food as the best in Asia and some of my choice dishes are Tom Yum Goong soup, any noodle dishes, and Khao Niao Mamuang (mango sticky rice). We enjoyed touring lovely Phuket and Palong Beach and magnificent Bangkok. Our most profound attraction in Thailand was visiting the spectacular Grand Palace in Bangkok.

The Palace is comprised of many stunning and unique buildings capped in gold, as well as beautiful temples and gardens, all backing onto a river. My husband still recounts to his friends his phenomenal experience visiting this opulent site.

Thailand is home to approximately 34,000 temples. There is an extremely strict dress code in place for tourists visiting temples throughout Asia, and we were called out on our attire just before visiting our very first temple in Thailand. Our exceedingly kind tour guide informed my husband and myself that we would be required to wear their infamous elephant pants to cover our knees as, apparently, our shorts were just a little too short. He was so accommodating that he even loaned us the pants.

Malaysia

My favourite port in Malysia was the beautiful island of Langkawi. I had organized a private tour for my husband and myself, that would take us to several known tourist spots. We lucked in when our guide, Zana picked us up, spoke particularly good English, and advised us she had lived in Langkawi her entire life and would take us anywhere we wanted to go and also had suggestions for us.

Zana was so kind and knowledgeable, sharing interesting information about Langkawi and the three of us bonded immediately. We visited the Sky Bridge which features astonishing views, Eagle Square, and she drove us to the most stunning beaches and neighbourhoods that we would never have seen on our own.

The best part of our day was stopping for a late lunch at a remote restaurant that was surrounded by breathtaking rice fields. The restaurant was packed with locals who selected their raw seafood (cooked on the spot), accompanied by large bowls of rice, and then delivered to their respective table. We selected large prawns that were cooked perfectly and sat on the second floor that offered us open sprawling views of the beautiful rice fields.

A local live band entertained everyone while we ate and drank local beer. We didn’t want to leave this enticing establishment, but Zana said we had much more to see. When Zana eventually dropped us off at our cruise ship at the end of the day, we took our last selfie photo together, hugged, and thanked Zana for providing us with the perfect tour day.

On to Singapore

I love it when I discover a new place that I can add to my top 10 list, and Singapore is now one of my top world destinations. I was fortunate to have three full days and nights to explore, and I enjoyed every minute of this clean and beautiful island country. Singapore is more expensive than other Asian countries but one of the cleanest and most beautiful places in the world.

My hotel was the size of a closet but it was located within walking distance to many of the major attractions and I averaged 15 to 20 km on my daily walking explorations. I walked through the most beautiful Botanical Gardens and Gardens by the Bay, the Sentosa Boardwalk and Harbourfront, many of the paths of Fort Canning Park, to Chinatown for lunch, and to Marina Bay and Clarke Quay for dinner.

Singapore buildings along the river light up beautifully at night. You can dine there el fresco and watch ferries cruise back and forth from Marina bay to Clarke Quay. Of course, the highlight attractions at night were the most stunning lit-up Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

Final Stop: Bali

I fell completely in love with the Nusa Dua community in southern Bali, Indonesia, from the lush greenery, loveliest locals, scrumptious cuisine to the most gorgeous beaches. I visited Bali near the end of the adventure and was ready for some R & R. My days were filled with walking the beautiful trails and beaches in the mornings, beach bumming on comfy lounge chairs in the afternoons, and eating with the locals in the evenings.

I learned a long time ago to ask where the locals eat as those are usually the restaurants that offer the best quality of food for an inexpensive price. I found several within walking distance of my hotel and even ate at my hotel one night where the kind server offered me a complimentary fruit platter for dessert.

The Bali locals are kind and gracious, much like the Thai locals. My hotel room steward made me a towel decoration and provided me with a handwritten note every day. I wrote him a note on my last day, telling him how much his gracious daily gesture had meant to me and how much I loved my time spent in beautiful Bali.

My Takeaways

It really is the people you meet along your journeys, the amazing cultures that you immerse yourself in, and the magnificent sites and attractions that you see, that are the best parts about traveling around the world.

My trip to Asia was no exception.

It was a trip of a lifetime for me, and one of the last items that I got to check off of my travel bucket list. I have gained so many phenomenal experiences and memories that will remain remarkably close to my heart and will last me a lifetime. After touring inspiring Asia, my traveling soul feels very fulfilled.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What was your once-in-a-lifetime trip? If you haven’t taken one yet, what’s on your bucket list? Where have you felt most inspired?