Time: 25 Authentic Asian Experiences

From taking in the towering mountain ranges flanking the Karakoram Highway to a tall, pink glass of air bandung, here are 25 places to go, people to see and things to try across Asia. 25 Authentic Asian Experiences
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Catch a Fly Ball at the Tokyo Dome
TOKYO

Men in tights try to swat a ball over a fence with a wooden stick. It may look familiar, but where else can you get a side of battered octopus balls with those hot dogs and nachos? Welcome to Japanese baseball at the 55,000-seat, inflatable Tokyo Dome, home to the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. More World Cup than World Series, here the crowd has a different chant for every player, and roving beer girls pour Kirin drafts from pony kegs on their backs. No worries if you spill one on the salaryman who bear-hugs you after every Giants homer. But if the visitors take the lead, please don't boo. The bleacher nuts at Fenway would never, ever be so nice, but in Japan, it just wouldn't be polite.


Find Out What Marmot Tastes Like
MONGOLIA

It's a mystery how Mongolian barbecue became a fixture in U.S. food courts and strip malls. Nothing like it is anywhere to be found in the Mongolian countryside, where fermented mare's milk, salty goat-milk tea and marmot meat dominate local fare. After the marmots - think big squirrels - are killed and gutted, they're roasted from the outside, while at the same time slow-cooked from the inside using fiery-hot stones. The flavor's a little gamey, but taking in this steppe snack with the endless prairie surrounding you, you'll probably forget the aftertaste.


Forge Through a Gorge in Yunnan
CHINA

For centuries, the rocky pathway that clings to the steep sides of the narrow Tiger Leaping Gorge in China's Yunnan province was traversed only by the horse caravans of tea merchants. Now this ancient route offers one of the most rewarding hikes on the planet. Imposing Himalayan foothills tower over either side of the canyon, framing the nine-mile (15 km) trek as amazing scenes of rugged natural beauty emerge around each of the many switchbacks. The two-day hike isn't particularly difficult, but it should be broken up with a stay at one of the hostels in the farming villages along the route. The Halfway House is a simple inn that serves up cold beer, magical apple pie and the "Toilet with the Best View Under Heaven" - a convenience offering a spectacular vista of the jagged peaks of the Jade Dragon Mountains.


Find Your Own Beach in Boracay
THE PHILIPPINES

The outside world discovered the Philippine island of Boracay back in the 1970s, but this tiny isle less than an hour's flight south of Manila (followed by a quick ferry ride) has managed to retain an air of Crusoe-esque seclusion. To get away from the small but growing crowd, stay at one of the resorts at either end of White Beach, where rooms open right onto open stretches of luxurious white sand. And if that isn't quite isolated enough, rent a bike and cycle for 20 minutes to the amazingly quiet Pukka Beach on the north end of the island, where you'll almost certainly be the only person splashing around in the azure sea. As other Asian beach destinations reach saturation point, Boracay's popularity is rising steadily; an international airport for the nearest mainland town has already been tabled. So suit up and get to Boracay before the hordes do.


Worship the Moon at Loy Krathong
THAILAND

After local tourism authorities get their hands on them, Asian festivals can quickly veer into twee territory. But Loy Krathong, the full-moon festival in the 12th month of the Thai calendar, remains magical. After nightfall, locals send candlelit and flower-strewn floats made of banana leaves down rivers to represent relinquishing one's negative emotions for the upcoming year. Otherworldly schools of lantern balloons are also dispatched into the sky. In big cities, firework displays complete the show. Next Loy Krathong: November 2010.


Witness a Disappearing Act
HONG KONG

Hong Kong's last dedicated Cantonese opera theater, the Sunbeam, has had multiple near death experiences. The latest came in February 2009, when a rent increase seemed to indicate the final blow for the 37-year-old venue for the classical Cantonese art form. In a coup for preservationists, the government stepped in and decided to subsidize half of the venue's rent for the next three years. That's good news for now, but the theater's owner has said he will not extend the lease again. The point? Get there before 2012. You may not understand the lyrics, but the dazzling costumes and cheering grannies from the neighborhood provide more than enough entertainment.


Watch the Bulls Run on Madura
INDONESIA

If you like the idea of running with the bulls in Pamplona, but risking a horn in your spleen puts you off, consider a visit to Indonesia's Madura Island. The Karapan Sapi, or bull race, is an annual tradition on this small island off Java, attracting thousands of visitors in search of local music, food and, of course, speed. Though not exactly Kentucky Downs, the races whip up plenty of excitement as contestants and their bulls bolt the 100-meter track in seconds. The races are held throughout September in the island's four districts, with the final sprint for the President's Cup held every October. Madura is more accessible than ever following the recent completion of the Suramadu Bridge across the Madura Straits, reducing the travel time by car from the major city of Surabaya to just a few hours. Cowboy boots are welcome, but early fall is Indonesia's rainy season, so make sure they're rubber.


Catch the Frontier Spirit
Xinjiang

For millenniums, jade has been a symbol of wealth and virtue in China - a ring of jade was even inserted into the 2008 Beijing Olympics medals. Among the most valuable is the "mutton fat" jade from the Yurungkash River that flows through Hotan, a city in China's far western province of Xinjiang. At more than $120 a gram for high-quality stones, rumor has it some locals have found jade pebbles and immediately crossed the street to exchange them for cars. You can roll up your pant legs and join the residents scouring the stony river bottom. After thousands of years, the jade is a little picked over, but it's a fun excuse to get one's feet wet, overturn some boulders and go digging in the muck. Cost: free.


Ride a Giant in Mondulkiri
CAMBODIA

The Phnong minority in Cambodia's eastern Mondulkiri province are among the world's best elephant trainers, having been using elephants as beasts of burden for centuries. Not far from the provincial capital of Sen Monorom, these local mahouts and their steeds will walk visitors through the lush jungles and swidden farms to one of the province's numerous waterfalls. But be warned, these elephants enjoy throwing mud and spraying water at each other and tourists. The modest fee doesn't just benefit the local guides; 100% of the profit goes to the Elephants Livelihood Initiative Environment, an NGO devoted to improving the welfare of Mondulkiri's domestic elephants. Cost: $50 per day including transport, food and accommodation in a "jungle luxury" guesthouse.


Try an Aesthetically Challenged Fruit
TAIWAN

Don't hate the custard apple because it's not beautiful. The gnarled ridge of bumps that forms its outer skin, like a cluster of barnacles, conceals what is perhaps Asia's most delectable fruit: creamy, white and phenomenally sweet. The variety common in the island of Taiwan is locally called sek-kia, a reference to depictions of the Buddha where the deity sports knotted braids on his head. Eating this local delicacy certainly promises a transcendental experience. Taiwanese custard apples are larger than most, with black seeds scattered in the fruit's copious, juicy flesh. Get your fix at stalls in any of Taipei's vast night markets and you'll breeze through the city's streets with sticky fingers and a smile of serene satisfaction to make the Buddha proud.


Walk Among the Faithful in Manila
THE PHILIPPINES

Few displays of faith are as transfixing as Manila's annual Grand Marian Procession. On the first Sunday of every December, candle-bearing acolytes and Blessed Virgin devotees dressed in pure white parade through the cobbled streets of Intramuros, the 16th century walled Spanish fortress, along with brass marching bands trumpeting Christmas hymns. At night, as they pass in front of Manila Cathedral, itself dedicated to Mother Mary, the illuminated floats that carry sacred statues of Our Lady are glowing reminders that despite Manila's many hours of darkness, including the recent biblical floods following tropical storm Ketsana in September, there will still be lights to shine on the Philippines' resilient and spirited capital.


Watch a Dancing Storyteller
INDIA

The Kalakshetra dance academy in Chennai in southern India was founded by Rukmini Devi, the woman who brought Bharatanatyam dance out of the temples and into its full recognition as a classical art form in the 1930s. She built schools for classical art, dance and music, performance spaces and a weaving center to continue the traditions of handloomed and hand-painted textiles. Kalakshetra is now run by one of her students, Leela Samson, and its jewel is the Koothambalam, a gorgeous performance hall inspired by the temple architecture of Kerala. Thoroughly modern, with unobstructed views for the whole audience, the slatted walls and tiled roof allow natural light and air into the space. Watching dancers animate the stories of the Indian epics there, the art feels more vibrant than it would in a concert hall or auditorium. It becomes a living tradition, connected to the past but always moving forward.


Get Lost on the Karakoram Highway
CHINA AND PAKISTAN

When China and Pakistan embarked in the late 1960s on the Herculean task of building the Karakoram Highway linking Islamabad to the ancient Silk Road trading post of Kashgar in China's far west, it was with the relentless practicality of bureaucrats. This was the quickest way to get from A to B. Little did they know that they had built one of Asia's most extraordinary drives - an asphalt ribbon snaking its way through the world's great mountain ranges, where the Himalayan massif collides with the Hindu Kush and the Afghan Pamirs. The views are, quite literally, breathtaking. Craning your neck upward to peer at the peaks more than 23,000 ft. (7,000 m) high is exhausting, and looking down the sheer precipices just inches beyond your car tires is terrifying. Who knew bureaucrats were capable of engineering awe?


Drink Something Pink in Malaysia
MALAYSIA

Fancy a nice cold glass of Pepto-Bismol? That's exactly what air bandung, a liquid concoction of rose syrup and evaporated milk, looks like. No one seems to know the true origins of the sweet Malaysian drink, the hot-pink coloring of which also conjures Barbie and vintage Cadillacs. Some say it hails from Bandung, an Indonesian city in West Java, but like Java noodles, another Malaysian specialty, you'll be hard-pressed to find it there (though soda gembira, another rose-flavored drink, influenced by Indian and Arab traders, is popular in Indonesia). Whatever. Malaysian epicures are bad taxonomists, but they're great mixologists. Who needs antacids when there's a drink that tastes like bubble gum to cut that fiery laksa?


Take the Slow Boat on Inle Lake
BURMA

Deep in Burma's eastern Shan state lies Inle Lake, a 17-sq.-mi. (45 sq km) body of water ringed by mountains and dotted with villages all perched on stilts. The lake is home to Burma's traditional fishermen that use a unique, one-leg rowing technique and use tall, conical bamboo nets that they gently push down into the water, giving the fish plenty of time to swim away. But then most things about this peaceful spot in a strife-filled country move at a slow clip. For a front-row seat, arrange an early morning boat ride through the watery byways, as children head to school, farmers pick tomatoes from their floating gardens and monks prepare for prayers. Half-day boat trip: $25.


Give the Kitchen God an Offering He Can't Refuse
VIETNAM

Come the end of the lunar year, the Vietnamese Kitchen God - the one privy to all the family secrets - must return to heaven to make his report. Not that you would ever bribe the gods, but consider helping Ong Tao get to heaven faster by getting him a carp to ride home on. Once a year, families all across Vietnam schlep to nearby ponds and lakes to release a fish in the water. Unfortunately, most also toss the plastic bag in too. If your fish succumbs to the toxic soup, don't be too surprised if your prayers are not answered. Next Kitchen God Day: Feb. 6, 2010.


Place Your Bets at Macau's Dog Races
MACAU

Most visitors to Macau head straight to the gambling mecca's glitzy colony of new casinos. For a taste of the city's gambling past, head north of the main strips to the 78-year-old Canidrome, Asia's last dog-racing track. There's no big money there - last year's bets at the track amounted to less than 1% of the city's $14 billion gaming revenue - but the up-close view of lightning-fast greyhounds will make your head spin. Take your glasses.


Pick Up Some Ancient Wisdom
CHINA

Liu Dalin and Hu Hongxia's museum was so hot it got booted out of Shanghai in 2004. Not to be discouraged, the Chinese sexologists took their 4,000-piece collection of ancient erotica and reopened in nearby Wujiang, Jiangsu province. Inside the China Sex Museum, you'll find an eye-opening exhibition including a Qing dynasty brothel "menu," a silk donut-shaped masturbation pillow and a Ming-style wooden chair built for particularly acrobatic sexual positions. You won't see that in the Forbidden City. Open seven days a week. Admission: $3.

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