Angkor, Cambodia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Angkor, Cambodia

Weather: Generally sunny, 75/96F.

Route: From Sukhothai 739 km southeast on route 33.

Significance:  Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to 15th centuries. Angkor Wat is one of the most iconic temples in Southeast Asia. It was initially designed as a Hindu Temple, but then became a Buddhist Temple in the 12th century.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Images:

An aerial view of Angkor, as you can see the temple is on an island (from whc.unesco.org)

Detail of relief at Angkor Wat (from whc.unesco.org)

Sukhothai, Thailand - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Sukhothai, Thailand

Weather: Generally sunny with a few afternoon clouds, 69/96F.

Route: From Ayutthaya 356 km north on AH2 and Route 117.

Significance: Sukhothai was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam in the 13th and 14th centuries, prior to moving to Ayutthaya.  Like Ayutthaya, it has many prang (towers) and Buddhist sculptures, including one Buddhist sculpture that is 15 meters high.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Large Buddha statue with prang behind (from whc.unesco.org)

Elephant sculptures at the base of a prang (from whc.unesco.org)

Ayutthaya, Thailand - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Ayutthaya, Thailand

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 74/91F.

Route: From Bangkok 78 km north on AH2.

Significance: Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 to 1767, when it was destroyed by the Burmese.  The city has many towers, called prang, which were built to honor their kings.  There are also many statues of the Buddha and Buddhist monasteries.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Buddhist Temple of Wat Chaiwatthanaram (from whc.unesco.org)

Row of Buddha statues (from whc.unesco.org)

Bangkok, Thailand

Place: Bangkok, Thailand

Weather:  Sunshine and clouds mixed, 72/88F.

Route: From Taipei 2533 km SE.

Population: 8,305,218

Places to visit: Wat Phra Chetuphon, Temple of Dawn, Jim Thompson House, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, The Golden Mount, Temple of the Golden Buddha, The Grand Palace, Lumpini Park, Sea Life, Wat Pak Nam, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Museum of Contemporary Art, The National Museum Bangkok.

Images:

The Grand Palace (from hotels.com)

The Business District (from bortonoverseas.com)

Taipei, Taiwan

 Place: Taipei, Taiwan

Weather: Occasional light rain, 56/60F.

Route: From Vigan City 838 km north.

Population: 2,553,798

Places to visit: Minatures Museum of Taiwan, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Elephant Mountain, Dalongdong Bao an Temple, Longshan Temple, National Palace Museum, National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine, Taipei Confucius Temple, Hsing Tian Kong, Fine Arts Museum.

Images:

Skyline of Taipei at night (from taiwannews.com.tw)

Longsham Temple (from inspiredbymaps.com)

Vigan, Philippines - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Vigan, Philippines

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 74/87F.

Route: From Manila 403 km north on MacArthur Highway.

Population: 53,935

Significance: Vigan is a traditional Spanish colonial town, like you might find in Central or South America - except that of course it has an Asian influence.  It was founded in 1572.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Main street of Vigan (from whc.unesco.org)

Plaza Salcedo (from whc.unesco.org)

Manila, Philippines

 Place: Manila, Philippines

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 77/89.

Route: From Melaka 2,475 km NE.

Population: 1,846,513

Places to visit: National Museum, Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church, San Agustin Museum, Manila Cathedral, National Museum of Natural History, Casa Manila, National Museum of Anthropology, Quiapo Church, San Sibastian Church, Malate Church, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Images:

The skyline (from theculturetrip.com)

Malate Church (from globeguide.ca)

Melaka, Malaysia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Melaka, Malaysia

Weather: Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms.

Route: From Kuala Lumpur 144km SE on E2.

Population: 579,000

Significance: Melaka was founded in the 14th century and became an important trading post during the Sultanate, Portuguese and Dutch periods. The city attracted people from all over the world. There are houses of worship for people from many places in Southeast Asia and Europe. At one time it was said that 84 languages were spoken here.

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Chinese Temple (from whc.unesco.org)

Houses along the river (from whc.unesco.org)

Kuala Lumpur, Malasia

 Place: Kuala Lumpur, Malasia

Weather: Thunderstorms likely, 73/88F.

Route: From Singapore 355 km NW on AH2.

Population: 1,782,500

Places to visit: Petronas Twin Towers, MinNature Malaysia, Aquaria, KLCC Park, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Perdana Botanical Garden, Thean Hou Temple, National Museum.

Images:

Skyline of Kuala Lumpur (from thecrazytourist.com)

Putra Mosque (from intrepidtravel.com)

Singapore

 Place: Singapore

Weather: Thunderstorms likely, 77/86F.

Route: From Jakarta 1,269 km NNW on ferry.

Population: 5,453,600

Places to visit: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Botanic Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Singapore Zoo, National Orchid Garden, Jurong Bird Park, National Museum of Singapore, MacRitchie Nature Trail, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, Battlebox, National Gallery Singapore, Asian Civilizations Museum, Chinese and Japanese Gardens.

Images:

The skyline (from nytimes.com)

Singapore Botanic Gardens (from roots.gov.sg)

Jakarta, Indonesia

 Place: Jakarta, Indonesia

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 78/87F.

Route: From Borobudur Temple 528 km WNW on Jl. Tol Cikopo.

Population: 10,562,088

Places to visit: Istiqlal Mosque, National Monument, National Museum, Museum Bank Indonesia, Jakarta Cathedral, Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta Aquarium & Safari, Taman Suopati, Wayang Museum, Jakarta History Museum.

Images:

The skyline of Jakarta (from dezeen.com)

Istiqlal Mosque (from vivitravels.com)

Borobudur Temple Compounds, Indonesia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Borobudur Temple Compounds, Indonesia

Weather: Thunderstorms likely, 73/87F.

Route: From Prambanan 53 km NW on Jl. Magelang.

Significance: This temple was built in the 8th and 9th centuries. It is a large pyramid shaped building. If the walls were put into a straight line it would stretch for 5 kilometers. These walls are decorated with reliefs of the Buddha and his life. There are also 72 Buddhas in stupas.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Images:

The compound from a nearby hill (from whc.unesco.org)

A closeup view of one of the reliefs and a Buddha statue (from whc.unesco.org)

Prambanan Temple Compounds, Indonesia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Prambanan Temple Compounds, Indonesia

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 72/87F.

Route: From Sangiran Early Man Site 73 km SW on JI. Raya Solo.

Significance: This is the largest Hindu Temple Complex in Indonesia - these temples were built between the 8th and 10th centuries.  The complex is mostly dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and creation.  The complex is made up of 240 temples.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Prambanan Temple (from whc.unesco.org)

Sculpture of Ganesha, offspring of Shiva and remover of obstacles (from whc.unesco.org)

Sangiran Early Man Site, Indonesia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Sangiran Early Man Site, Indonesia

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 75/87F.

Route: From Bali 669 km west on ferry and Jl. Tol Bangil.

Significance: This area of Java has yielded as many early hominid fossils as anywhere in the world. Explorations starting in the 1930's, when "Java Man" was found, have unearthed over 100 fossils of Homo Erectus going back 1.5 million years.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Skull fossil of Homo Erectus (from whc.unesco.org)

Cliffs where many of the fossils have been found (from whc.unesco.org)

Bali, Indonesia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Bali, Indonesia

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 76/86F.

Route: From Komodo National Park 472km west.

Significance: This isn't the Bali of beach resorts, its the Bali of rice terraces and water water management system that dates back to the 9th century. There have been centuries of cultural exchange between Bali and India - making this island the only island of Indonesia to be majority Hindu.  

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

A water temple (from whc.unesco.org)

Rice terraces (from whc.unesco.org)

Komodo National Park, Indonesia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Weather: Thunderstorms likely, 75/81F.

Route: From Darwin 1,316 km WNW.

Significance: The volcanic island is the only place in the world where the well-known Komodo Dragons exist in the wild. They descend from a lizard that existed at the time of the dinosaurs. They grow up to 2-3 meters long.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Komodo Island (from whc.unesco.org)

The Komodo Dragon in its natural environment (from whc.unesco.org)

Darwin, Australia

 Place: Darwin, Australia

Weather: Partly cloudy skies, 79/91F.

Route: From Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 1,943 km north on Stuart Highway.

Population: 147,255

Places to visit: Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Berry Springs Nature Park, Defence of Darwin Experience, Darwin Aviation Museum, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Cathedral, Chinese Temple and Museum Chung Wah, Charles Darwin National Park.

Images:

Downtown skyline (from forbes.com)

Waterfall in George Brown Botanical Garden (from northerterritory.com)