19 Days Pearls of the Southeast Asia Journey

About the destination: Manila is the largest city and the financial and commercial capital of the Philippines. It is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on Luzon, the country's largest island. Manila is a modern metropolis with Filipino heritage and Spanish, Chinese and American cultures creating a unique atmosphere. Spread throughout the city there are many temples and places of worship of different religions. Baroque colonial churches, Buddhist and Taoist temples and the beautiful Golden Mosque are an example of the city’s multi-cultural heritage. Rizal Park, also known as the Luneta, is the city’s main attraction. Inside the park there are many important sites to explore such as the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the National Museum of the Philippines, The National Library of the Philippines, the Planetarium, an Orchidarium, an open-air auditorium for cultural performances, and the monument and final resting place of the country’s hero, José Rizal. At the northern end of Manila Bay lies the old walled Spanish settlement of Manila, Intramuros, meaning within the walls. Sadly much of it was destroyed during the war but it still contains some of the city's most interesting museums, ruins, and churches including the Manila Cathedral, the most important church in the country. Colorful and energetic, Manila is a city full of history, edgy galleries, exciting nightlife, delicious restaurants and modern shopping malls. Once known as the Pearl of the Orient, Manila still is a tourist attraction all by itself.

About the destination: Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is the capital city of the province of Cebu and is the "second city" of the Philippines, being the center of Metro Cebu, the second most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines after Metro Manila. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Basilica of Santo Niño. A large and venerable church that traces its history to the founding of the convent of the Santo Niño de Cebu in 1565. • Colon St. Brave the cacophanous traffic to see the oldest street in the Philippines with some nice worn-out classical buildings dating back to the American Era. • Fort San Pedro (Fuerza de San Pedro). The smallest Spanish outpost in the Philippines during the colonial era. It has a small museum showcasing the wreckage and treasures from the sunken San Diego galleon from Mexico. The area is scenic with the newly renovated and open-air Plaza Independencia at the entrance. edit • Fuente Osmeña • Magellan's Cross. An octagonal building decorated with murals containing a large wooden cross that commemorates the Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan who planted a wooden cross upon converting the original inhabitants to Christianity. • Casa Gorordo Museum.

About the destination: Davao Region or Southern Mindanao is one of the regions of the Philippines. It is located on the southeastern portion of Mindanao, and consists of five provinces: Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and the newly created, Davao Occidental. MIAN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Mt. Apo. the highest mountain in the Philippines. • Crocodile Park. The home of the Philippine crocodiles. This park serves as a breeding center and a great tourist attraction. • Eden Nature Park. It's located in the mountains so it's cooler than Davao City. • Jack's Ridge. • Philippine Eagle Center. The center is home to about 30 Philippine Eagles, aside from eagles it is also home to other birds and animals as well as raptors in a simulated forest environment. • People's Park. • San Pedro Cathedral. • Lonwa buddhist temple. • Dabawenyo museum.

About the destination: Bangkok, one of Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities, is the capital of Thailand. Bangkok is hot and crowded, but it's fairly clean and offers lots of fun things to do. Bangkok has great shopping, plenty of culture, amazing temples, delicious food and a decent art scene. Most of Bangkok's sights are concentrated on the island of Rattanakosin, often referred to as the Old City. The Grand Palace is the absolute must see site. The Grand Palace complex also houses the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Keow, the most sacred Buddhist temple. Other famous temples in Bangkok are the Wat Pho and Wat Arun temples. Bangkok is a great place for shopping. There are many shops, shopping centers and markets to satisfy every wish. The nightlife scene in Bangkok is as varied as the city itself, from beer bars to exclusive clubs, night shopping markets, discos to hippie parties. Bangkok is a large sprawling metropolis, noisy and crowded yet peaceful and delicate. It is one of the world’s top destinations that one has to visit at least once in life.

About the destination: Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. It is a popular resort town and a gateway to the Angkor region. Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In the city, there are museums, traditional Apsara dance performances, a Cambodian cultural village, souvenir and handycraft shops, silk farms, rice-paddies in the countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake. Siem Reap today—being a popular tourist destination—has a large number of hotels, resorts, restaurants and businesses closely related to tourism. This is much owed to its proximity to the Angkor temples, the most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia.

About the destination: Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam. It is a modern, lively and bustling city. It is economically active, filled with lively markets and it is unequivocally the nation’s commercial center. Though the country’s most modern city by far, it retains a unique Vietnamese flavor and you can still see evidences of an illustrious Colonial past of this former pearl of the orient. In the core area, which locals still affectionately refer to as Saigon, you’ll find some of the city’s main attractions such as the Opera house, railway station, Notre Dame cathedral, Reunification Palace, the Saigon river and the Markets. To take a break from the city, you can take a tour to the Mekong Delta or to Da Lat, if you have more time. Da Lat, located in the highlands approximately 300km from the city is worth the trip as there is plenty to see and do including waterfalls, gardens, the old French Quarter and the local restaurants which served magnificent local food. The commercial and financial hub of Vietnam is an exciting and interesting sprawling metropolis that does its best to preserve the way of life and culture of this magnificent county.

About the destination: Singapore is a city-state and the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Singapore has the highest standard of living in Asia and is a spotlessly clean, efficient, regulated, modern city. The city has an interesting mix of old and new cultures, combining the skyscrapers of the Business District with a very interesting blend of ancient cultures in some of its districts. Singapore is one of the greenest cities so much so that the city is dubbed the Garden City. One of the main attractions are the Botanic Gardens, which includes the superb Orchid garden that is beautifully landscaped and has a great variety of orchids. The Merlion is probably Singapore's most famous landmark. This Merlion structure is located at Merlion Park, which is located in the Central Business District. There are some fascinating ethnic areas such as Little India, Arab Street, Chinatown and Geylang. These areas are definitely worth visiting if you want to experience some real Singaporean culture. Other attractions include world class museums, stunning colourful shops, Marina bay and lush parks. Besides the shopping, Singapore has great food. Being home to various ethnic groups, Singapore has created a wonderful mix of flavors and textures in their cuisine. Singapore is one of the most vibrant and modern cites in Asia with a tropical climate, with delicious food, good shopping and a vibrant night-life scene it has become one top destination on its own right.