The fantastic Ice and Snow World opened to tourists last December 24th in in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The freezing park covers an area of 600,000 square meters and presents over 2,000 ice and snow sculptures.

Image credits: Xinhua

Traditional Chinese shoes are being handmade in Taoshan Township in Hanshan County, east China’s Anhui Province with unique Tiger designs just perfect for 2010 Year of the Tiger.

These cute little Tiger Shoes are being sold in local markets and are in demand since the Chinese Lunar New Year  is drawing near.

Image credit: Xinhua

Unesco’s Cultural Heritage Administration said that the International Council on Monuments and Sites has recommended the inclusion of 40 royal tombs from the Chosun dynasty in the list of World Heritage sites. The final listing will be determined at the 33rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Commission in Seville, Spain on June 22-30.

The tombs are those of 27 Chosun kings and their queens which showcases a rare preservation of an entire royal lineage. If listed, the Chosun tombs will bring Korea’s World Heritage sites to nine, including the Jongmyo Shrine and the Seokguram Grotto.

More of these at The Chosun Ilbo.

Asia is becoming more and more the place to travel for a lot of Westerners. It’s easy to see why. The Asian region is so diverse and exotic when it comes to its people and its culture. A lot of Western tourists though a bit intimidated by traveling to Asia than traveling to Europe, the US or South America. The language is a big factor.

But now that the Asian region is opening up and becoming partially Westernized, traveling to Asia can now be easily enjoyed. Here are some tips on how you can have some adventure and new experiences when you travel to Asia.

Keep in mind that Asia is the biggest continent. It is not homogenous and not all countries you can cover by simply taking a train. Asia is comprised of several countries with hundreds of different cultures you can explore. A lot of islands can be found in the Asian region as well.

The best thing to do first is to find out which are best interests you. You may want to explore: • East Asia which includes China, Mongolia, North and South Korea, and Japan. • Southeast Asia is composed of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines. • South Asia region includes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan; • Southwest Asia includes Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait; This region is also called the Middle East. • Russia and the states of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan Uzbekistan.

Learn about travel restrictions and the visa requirements of a country before you embark on your Asian travel. Some of the countries above are not safe for travel. North Korea most probably won’t give you a visa while other countries like Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand are easier to get in to.

Read the rest of this entry »