Petong, Sports Heritage in Laos
Wherever your travels within Laos brings you, it’s quite certain you will stumble upon Pétanque (locally known as Petong), one of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic most popular sports. Introduced to Southeast Asia by the French, when Laos formed part of its colony Indochine, the Gallic visitors brought the game with them and the past-time gradually […]
Sports Activities in Brunei & Cambodia
In this series of articles about Sports in South East Asia /ASEAN a quick overview is given of the most popular sports in each single country of the region. Naturally there are many similarities and overlaps between those sports across SEA. Therefore, in addition for each country a special sport, whether traditional or modern, has […]
Sports Activities in the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam
PHILIPPINES: In the Philippines, the most popular sports refer to a list of sports that enjoy a significant following among majority of Filipinos either as actual participants or as avid spectators. These sports are either individual or team in nature and have become part of the Filipino way of life. These are basketball, boxing, billiards, football, chess, bowling and volleyball. Other sports […]
Sports Activities in Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore
Sports in Malaysia are comprised of both traditional and Western games. Football and badminton are among the most popular sports in the country. Others include golf, bowling, squash, and water sports, such as yachting, kayaking, swimming, water polo and diving. Traditional games include silat, gasing and sepak takraw. Many Malaysian athletes achieve excellence at international level. For instance, in badminton, […]
Sports Activities in Indonesia and Lao PDR
Arguably football is Indonesia’s most popular sport, whereas badminton the most successful and basketball popular especially among Indonesian youth. Indonesia’s badminton, likely introduced to the country by the Dutch, has enjoyed tremendous success. From the beginning of the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic Games (1992) till the last one, Indonesia has won series of […]
Philippines: Cruise & River-Based Tourism
The Philippines’ rivers lead to all sorts of adventures, from whitewater rafting down wildly bucking rapids to watching fireflies dance in the early evening hours. 1.1. Loboc River Cruise Just off the ruins of Loboc Church stands the jump-off point for the Loboc River Cruise: an hour-long leisurely trip down the Loboc River on a […]
Mind Your Makrut
Lending an essential fragrance and flavour to Southeast Asian cuisine, Citrus hystrix, commonly known as kaffir lime or makrut, is a thorny bushy tree native to the region. Makrut leaves, which grow in figure-eight-shaped pairs, are very hard to substitute from many Southeast Asian dishes. They are used whole like curry leaves or bay leaves to […]
Greetings
reetings from Southeast Asia: How to Say Hello without Offending Anyone Southeast Asia’s famous warmth will increase a degree or two if you demonstrate some effort to learn some manners. As first impressions count for so much, it’s best to start with your greeting! [The following is very general in nature and is based on […]
Deep Calm
A deep calm ensues as the massage progresses; you enter a dreamlike, meditative state; totally trusting even as your therapist walks all over you (literally). Your body relaxes, your joints loosen, your muscles stretch, and a sense of healing takes hold. By the end, you feel both relaxed and energized as if you have undergone […]
The Sweet Sap
The exquisite flavours of wonderful foods and images of swaying palm trees are frequently evoked when people think of Southeast Asia. Perhaps not readily apparent to travellers to ASEAN is that an important ingredient of Southeast Asian cuisine is palm sugar – sugar made from the sap of palm trees. Popular throughout Southeast Asia, the […]