Asia Travel Vacation

Southeast Asia consists of many countries with fascinating cultural variations. From Afghanistan to Sri Lanka, you could spend a lifetime and still have more to learn. Perhaps chief among Asian countries is the Peoples Republic of China.

China is the oldest continuous major world civilization, with records dating back over 3,500 years. Successive dynasties developed a system of bureaucratic control which gave the agrarian-based Chinese an advantage over neighboring nomadic and hill cultures. Chinese civilization was further strengthened by the development of a common written language that bridged the gaps among the country's many local languages and dialects.

There are several major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. The Beijing dialect, often called Mandarin (or Putonghua), is taught in all schools and is the medium of government. Almost two-thirds of Han Chinese are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the other major Chinese dialects.

China's population in mid-1995 was over 1.2 billion, with an estimated growth rate of 1.2%. The largest ethnic group is the Han Chinese, who constitute about 93% of the total population. The remaining 7% are Zhuang (16 million), Manchu (9 million), Hui (8 million), Miao (8 million), Uygur (7 million), Yi (7 million), Tibetan (5 million), Mongol (5 million), and Korean (1 million).

China is full of natural and man-made wonders. Its great rivers include the Yellow and the Yangtze. There are also many mountain ranges including the Himalayas along the southern border of Tibet and the Kunlun Mountains stretching east and west along Tibet's northern edge. Part of the Gobi desert is located in China's Inner Mongolia.

China's most popular man-made wonder is the Great Wall. The Great Wall was built in the 3rd century B.C. (completed in 204 B.C.). It extends for about 1500 miles from Gansu province to the Bohai Gulf. The wall averages 20 to 50 feet high and 15 to 25 feet thick. The actual length, including branches and windings, is more than 2000 miles.

Ultimate Asia Travel Resources Book more than 46,000 hotels worldwide! City/Location : Hotel Name : (optional) Check In : JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 200120022003 Check Out : JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 200120022002 Number of Rooms : 1 2 3

If you have a choice, winter is the best time to visit most areas of South Asia. South of the Himalayas, South Asian weather is warm to very hot. Hot, humid regions like Bangladesh and central, eastern, and southern India are somewhat more comfortable in December through February.

Hot, dry regions like Pakistan and northern India have pleasant weather from October to March, with the winter months cool enough for light woolens.

The worst weather in the dry regions, when heat and dust can make sight-seeing or other outdoor activity a chore, is during the pre-monsoon period from approximately April through mid-July.

In the United States, local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), private doctors, and travel clinics can provide information on health precautions for travelers to South Asia. Depending on your destination, immunization is recommended against cholera, diphtheria/tetanus, hepatitis, Japanese B encephalitis, meningitis, polio, and typhoid. Drug prophylaxis against malaria may also be necessary.

General guidance may also be found in the booklet, Health Information for International Travel, which is available for $7 from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, or from local, or state health departments. The CDC has an international travelers hotline that can be reached at 404-332-4559.

Travelers should be careful to drink only boiled water (bottled water is not always safe) or bottled drinks, to avoid ice cubes in beverages and unpeeled fruits and vegetables, to take precautions against mosquitoes, and to guard against overexertion at high altitudes.

Trekkers and mountain climbers, in particular, should take precautions to avoid frostbite, hypothermia, and altitude sickness. The latter two can be fatal if not detected in time. Modern health facilities are not always available, particularly in rural areas. Prospective travelers should review their health insurance policies to see if they provide coverage while overseas, including medical evacuation service.

For a health care policy to give you assurance and peace of mind you may wish to examine the offerings of the World Travel Center.

A U.S. passport is required for travel to all countries in the region. Most South Asian countries also require entry visas. Travel to certain areas of many South Asian countries is restricted and special permits may be required for these areas in addition to the entry visa. Prospective travelers should contact the embassy or consulate of the country they plan to visit for specific information (see list of foreign embassies at end of document).

All South Asian countries require travelers who have been in yellow-fever infected areas within the last six days to show valid yellow-fever immunization certificates. Yellow fever is found in some African and some Latin American countries. If you plan to travel from Africa or Latin America directly to South Asia, check with the embassy of the South Asian country where you are going to see if a yellow-fever certificate is required. If the certificate is required and you do not have it, you will be refused entry unless you are inoculated and kept in quarantine for up to six days.

Most South Asian countries require that foreign currency and valuables be declared upon entry as a means of enforcing restrictions on the importation of items such as gold, electronic equipment, firearms, and prescription drugs. Failure to make an accurate declaration or other violations of these restrictions can lead to high fines and/or imprisonment.

Most South Asian countries have strict regulations against the unlicensed export of antiquities. Items that are antique, or even appear to be, may be confiscated by customs officials unless the traveler has proof of authorization from the appropriate government office to export the antique, or proof that the item is not an antique.

The United States prohibits importation of Asian ivory because Asian elephants are an endangered species. Most lizardskin and many snakeskin products cannot be brought into the United States. The penalty for importing products derived from endangered species is seizure of the product and a substantial fine.