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6 – Rajasthan, India
Most who visit India have seeing the
Taj Mahal at the top of their list, and
as understandable as that is, it’s a
huge shame if people zero in on that
one palace in Agra, just a bit south of
Delhi, and ignore this region that is
filled with mysticism, camels, forts,
temples, and a blinding array of bright
colors. Rajasthan is the largest state in
this huge country, and it’s also home
to much of what people picture when
they think of “exotic India.” Stop off
in the capital of Jaipur for a mind-
blowing urban experience, but also
be sure to spend some time in one or
more of the small towns. The extreme-
ly holy village of Pushkar is popular
with backpackers, especially
those willing to trade ac-
cess to the spiritual aid of
a famous bhang lassi for
any possibility of finding
alcohol or meat.
You can fly into Jaipur, Jodh-
pur, or Udaipur from any of India’s
larger cities, or you can arrive on the
country’s well-known train system,
which is probably more luxurious than
you expect as long as you spring a bit
more for one of the still-cheap upper
classes of service. There is also cheap,
almost-daily bus service that connects
all the points of interest, so as long
as you do a bit of research you’ll find
getting around to be quite easy and
affordable. There are a few interna-
tional-class resorts in this region, but
aside from those you’ll find
hotels and food to be
amazingly cheap.
7 – Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Spending part of your holiday in
Cambodia isn’t an obvious choice,
but it’s a must for anyone heading
into Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat is
actually just one of the 12th century
temples that make up this huge and
mind-blowing complex. You can, and
probably should, spend a whole day
seeing this popular site, but it tends to
be very crowded in the middle of the
day so it’s recommended to go early
or late, as the sunrise and sunset over
the main temple is a magical experi-
ence for those lucky enough to witness
it.
You can reach the town of Angkor
by flying into Cambodia’s capital of
Phnom Penh, or you can fly directly
into Siem Reap, which is about 5
kilometers from Angkor, and the
second busiest airport in the country.
There are plenty of 5-star hotels in the
area, but plenty of low budget hotels
and guesthouses that are ideal for the
backpacking set.
From Bangkok you can book package
tours that include Angkor Wat
along with flights or vari-
ous forms of over-
land transpor-
tation.