Cele mai bune Asia Travel podcast-uri (2024)

1
Upscale beef language 5:02

16d ago5:02

5:02

After Turkish investors backed out, the first international hotel in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek officially became a “Joint Kyrgyz-Malaysian Venture.” Because English is widely spoken in Malaysia, you’d expect the new foreign partner to have tidied up the English grammar and spelling on the hotel’s printed materials. No way. The room service menu …

1
This is how Russians live? 3:55

16d ago3:55

3:55

As the train pulled out of Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Valery opened the first bottle of cognac and was figuring out how much alcohol our compartment would need for the 15-hour overnight trip. It was only 4:30 p.m. and, with several hours of daylight left, I wanted to look out of the window, not drink. But to be sociable, I agreed to a couple of s…

1
Soviet gerrymandering 7:07

16d ago7:07

7:07

Before the Soviet era, there were no national borders between the peoples of Centra Asia, and identity was defined by religion, family, clan and place. The Soviets attempted to counter pan-Islamic and pan-Turkic tendencies by constructing nationalities, giving each a defined territory with national borders, along with a ready-made history, language…

1
Lost in Stanland 8:51

16d ago8:51

8:51

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 gave us fourteen new countries (plus Russia) including the five “stans” of Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. We can be grateful the Soviet Union did not break up any further, or we would have to deal with Bashkortostan, Dagestan, and Tatarstan, all now Russian rep…

1
From southern Kyrgyzstan to suburban Maryland 6:21

16d ago6:21

6:21

On Christmas Eve 1995, my wife, Stephanie, picked me up at Washington’s Dulles airport. After almost a month in Central Asia, I looked forward to returning to the United States. Instead, I experienced, for the first time in my life, reverse culture shock. One of the blessings—but also one of the curses—of international air travel is that in the spa…

1
Central Asia frequent flier 6:41

16d ago6:41

6:41

When the Soviet Union broke up, its national airline Aeroflot suffered the same fate. The governments of cash-strapped new republics seized the aircraft sitting on the tarmac, repainted them in the new national colors and hoped they could round up enough spare parts to keep them flying. National airlines have since modernized their fleets, adding B…

1
Camping Indoors, Soviet style 6:17

16d ago6:17

6:17

Provincial Soviet-era hotels reflect the ostentatious public architecture of the Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras. The impressive facades often conceal dark and drab interiors, with poor heating and ventilation, dangerous wiring, and leaky pipes. Even small cities boasted establishments with several hundred rooms. Of course, the number bore no …

1
Shanghaied 4:31

18d ago4:31

4:31

It was a classic Catch-22. I did not have a confirmed itinerary or a China transit visa. The Malaysian Airlines agent in Kuala Lumpur could have refused to rebook me, but he realized that the problem was not of my making. “Here’s your boarding card,” he said. “I’m just not sure what will happen in Shanghai.” The arrival of an itinerary-less, visa-l…

1
Bangladesh: The barrels of Barishal 6:51

18d ago6:51

6:51

Since the Mughal era, Barishal has been the commercial gateway to the southwest delta. It’s been whimsically described as the “Venice of Bengal.” although if you’re just counting waterways, almost any large town in southwestern Bangladesh is a Venice. At its commercial dock, brightly colored barges were drawn up on the muddy, litter-strewn beach, w…

1
Bangladesh: Land of rivers 8:25

18d ago8:25

8:25

For a small country, Bangladesh has a lot of rivers, around 700 according to most estimates. Roughly 10 percent of its total area is water, a high proportion considering that it has no large lakes. In other words, most of that water is moving. For the rural population, the rivers are interwoven with every aspect of their lives. They sustain agricul…

1
The $2.50 phone bill 2:58

20d ago2:58

2:58

Even for those with good language skills, getting things done in Kyrgyzstan in the mid-1990s was a challenge. A seemingly straightforward task, such as banking or paying a utility bill, often turned out to be a complex, time-consuming activity that required visiting several offices, filling out forms and slips of paper, and obtaining signatures and…

1
India-Bangladesh: The world's craziest border 8:52

25d ago8:52

8:52

The 1947 partition of British India into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan created artificial borders that are still hotly disputed today. In Bengal, the zigzagging border with East Pakistan (and from 1971, Bangladesh) was dotted with enclaves—little islands of one country surrounded by the territory of the other. In total, there we…

1
South Africa: Allemand right to Elsburg 7:24

25d ago7:24

7:24

I drive out to a Johannesburg suburb for a church dinner and barn dance and find myself deep in Afrikaner country. Descendants of the Boers who trekked north from the Cape from the 1830s settled on the High Veld, a plateau region of grassland and scrub bushes. More than 4,000 feet above sea level, it resembles the High Plains of Montana or Wyoming.…

1
South Africa: The borders of Johannesburg 12:09

25d ago12:09

12:09

It tells you something about how South Africa has changed that the sprawling townships of Soweto outside Johannesburg are now on the tourist bus routes. Soweto came to world attention in 1976, when police opened fire on 10,000 secondary school students marching to protest the policy of enforcing Afrikaans as the only language of instruction in scho…

1
Malawi: The bus to Blantyre 7:10

25d ago7:10

7:10

The main north-south highway from Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, to Blantyre, the commercial capital, passes through a dry, flat landscape of scrub grass and small trees, broken by cultivated fields, with goats and cattle wandering close to the road and groups of men squatting under trees. The bus passed roadside stalls selling fruits, vegetables, hou…

1
Malawi: Incredible miracles and supernatural breakthroughs 8:45

25d ago8:45

8:45

According to the census, two out of three Malawians claim to be Christian. One in five is Catholic, with others scattered among the mainstream Protestant groups; Muslims make up about one quarter of the population. Christianity is mixed with traditional beliefs drawn from animism and witchcraft, and often has a revivalist fringe. In storefront chur…

1
Malawi: South Africa's only ally 6:27

25d ago6:27

6:27

It is a paradox of history that South Africa’s apartheid regime, sanctioned and shunned by the international community, had a friend in Malawi. Its long-time authoritarian president, Hastings Banda, was politically conservative, suspicious and fearful of the socialist regimes of other countries in the region. Malawi was the only country in Africa t…

1
Who drew the borders? 8:11

25d ago8:11

8:11

As a history student, it was challenging enough to keep up with the shifting borders of European countries. When I opened the atlas and turned to other continents, the borders of some countries seemed to make no sense at all. Why were some strangely shaped, with portions of their territory protruding into other countries? Why were there straight li…

1
Crossing borders 6:01

25d ago6:01

6:01

A shakedown by cops at Almaty airport in Kazakhstan provides a glimpse of life in a post-Soviet society undergoing wrenching social and economic transition. And as travel writer Thomas Swick notes, travel only becomes interesting (and therefore worth writing about) when things go wrong.De către davidhmould

1
Passport from adolescence 6:40

25d ago6:40

6:40

It was a proud day in 1965 when, at the age of 15, I was issued my first British passport. Looking back, the stern instruction in elaborate cursive not to mess with the Queen’s loyal subject seems like the pompous posturing of a country that had surrendered its empire but was not yet ready to accept its new, reduced role in the world. I’ve held a U…

1
Nairobi Airport: No time for the lion park 7:55

25d ago7:55

7:55

After a 12-hour delay on a return flight from Madagascar, I engage in a polite but frustrating battle with the Kenya Airways customer service staff at Nairobi International Airport.De către davidhmould

1
Ep 200: A Look Back 32:50

3M ago32:50

32:50

When Scott and Trevor started this podcast back in 2014 they didn’t think much about where the show would take them. A decade later, celebrating the 200th episode of Talk Travel Asia, they have discussed nearly every country in Asia, with over 100 experts on the region. Join them as they take a look back over 200 episode of Talk Travel Asia!!…

1
Ep. 199: Adding Pizzazz to your Asian Trip with Daniel Fraser 48:53

3M ago48:53

48:53

Some of us travel more than others. A few are blessed with a career in travel and learn the ins and outs so well that sometimes the exotic can become ordinary. Many have far less time to travel, particularly for fun, and must dream and plan for that special adventure for years. Today, we’ll share experiences of the former to enhance those of the la…

1
Ep. 198: Snakes in Asia with Mark Dainty 48:19

4M ago48:19

48:19

Snakes are abundant in much of Asia, particularly SE Asia. Visitors to the region might be seeking them out as part of a wildlife holiday, but likely many more persons at some point during their journey are thinking about how they can avoid snakes during a trip. But alas, snakes are likely not as dangerous as some might think and even if you’re not…

1
Ep. 197: Traveling Iraq with John Fiddler 39:11

4M ago39:11

39:11

When one thinks of Iraq, they likely aren’t considering it as their next holiday destination. Those more familiar with the country know its location in the Fertile Crescent was responsible for the earliest human civilizations to call Iraq home. But one must also wonder if decades of war has left any remaining history of ancient Babylonia available …

1
Ep. 196: How Asia has had a Lasting Impact on Us 39:14

5M ago39:14

39:14

Between the two of us, Trevor and I have lived and worked in Asia for nearly 50-years. This has also coincided with most of our adult years, when people tend to discover more about who they really are and more fully form as individuals. But damn, 50-years is a long amount of time to live in what was a foreign land and is now simply ‘home’. This got…

1
Ep. 195: Harry Mitsidis - ‘The World's Most Traveled Man’ - on his travels to Tajikistan 38:44

5M ago38:44

38:44

Tajikistan, one of several former Soviet republics located along the Silk Road linking Europe and Asia, may be one of the least well known — and least visited — tourist destinations in Asia. Over several episodes touching on the central Asian nations colloquially known as ‘the Stans’ we’ve explored Tajikistan briefly, including an episode with Lone…

1
Ep.194: Exploring Asian UNESCO World Heritage Sites Part 2 36:48

6M ago36:48

36:48

When we travel, many of us hope to experience an exotic culture or visit a spectacular natural attraction. Often these are chosen based on recommendations from family and friends or may be long-awaited bucket list destinations. Little do many of us know, however, that the United Nations has already selected more than 1000 such sites, hundreds of wh…

1
Ep. 193: Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority provinces with Ryan Ver Berkmoes 34:33

6M ago34:33

34:33

One of the world’s most exotic islands, Sri Lanka boasts diverse culture and religious beliefs, as well as considerable natural beauty. After five decades of civil war, peace in Sri Lanka opened the island to international travel in 2009; a decade later, a burgeoning tourism was nipped in the bud by COVID. Today, we’ll have a guest with great knowl…

1
Patron Bonus: Traveling Japan by Phone w Chris Rowthorn 16:25

6M ago16:25

16:25

On this Patron bonus episode (usually only for Patrons of the show but we're sharing with everyone this time) we chat with Inside Kyoto and Chris Rowthorn Tours.com founder, Chris Rowthorn, about an experiment where he tried to travel Japan just using his phone. And he shares tips on how you can setup your phone for travel in the country.…

1
Ep. 192: Royal Palaces of Asia (with BKK Podcast) 52:39

7M ago52:39

52:39

As expats who have lived in Asia for almost 25-years each - how’s that possible! - we recently got thinking about our proximity to famous, royal palaces. Scott is not so far from Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Trevor for many years lived very close to Cambodia’s Khemarin Palace. That got us thinking about other royal palaces we’ve been to throughout As…

1
Ep. 191: Patron Adventures in Asia - David Rockman on Family Travel Bali 28:15

7M ago28:15

28:15

From time to time we receive messages from Talk Travel Asia listeners about their travels in Asia and we’re glad to have inspired or assisted them with their experiences. After some recent back and forths with several patrons about their Asian adventures, we decided to David Rockman to come on the show and share about his adult family trip to Bali …

1
Ep. 190: Japan by Train with Ryan Ver Berkmoes 32:34

8M ago32:34

32:34

Ryan Ver Berkmoes has authored over 130 guidebooks to destinations worldwide, including Lonely Planet guidebooks for Oahu, Hawaii, Indonesia, Crete, and Sri Lanka. Today he joins us from Greece to talk about traveling Japan by train on Talk Travel Asia podcast with Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges.De către Talk Travel Asia

1
Ep. 189: Sneak Preview of Upcoming Episodes 25:14

8M ago25:14

25:14

As we near 200 episodes of Talk Travel Asia, on one hand we sometimes wonder what we could possibly still talk about, and on the other, we’re continually looking to up our game, think of topics we have not yet considered, and get even more interesting guests to share with us. We hope you have enjoyed the travel chat thus far and we have good news -…

1
Ep. 188: Patron Adventures in Asia - Donna Kitchen 30:32

9M ago30:32

30:32

Donna Kitchen and her husband recently returned from a 3 month trip through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Koh Lanta, Thailand. It was their first trip to all but Thailand, where they traveled previously in 1994. As a couple in their 50s who use the IG handle (notsogreytravellers.com), Donna and her companion traveled as glampackers, using local trans…

1
Ep. 187: Trevor’s First Trip to Asia 38:59

9M ago38:59

38:59

One’s first trip to Asia. It’s something few forget. The smells, the sounds, the crowds, big cities, wild landscapes, exotic food, a sometimes frenetic pace, tropical beaches, incredible mountains - you’re in Asia! We recently got chatting about our early trips to the continent, started to feel old, or perhaps well-experienced, and thought it might…

1
Ep. 186: Slow Travel with Stuart McDonald of Travelfish 51:48

10M ago51:48

51:48

Slow travel is a buzzword that’s been kicking around a while. A “trend” in the travel industry, some might say, in the vein of ecotourism. Just as the terminology has evolved from global warming to climate change, however, more humans are increasingly considering their footprint, both on the environment and on the destinations they visit, often in …

1
Ep. 185: Scott’s First Trip to Asia 30:54

10M ago30:54

30:54

One’s first trip to Asia: it’s something hard to forget. The smells, the sounds, the crowds, big cities, wild landscapes, exotic food, a sometimes frenetic pace, tropical beaches, incredible mountains - you’re in Asia! We recently got chatting about our early trips to the continent, started to feel old, or perhaps well-experienced, and thought it m…

1
Ep. 184: Wild Journey to Kashmir and Ladakh with Dave Stamboulis 50:04

11M ago50:04

50:04

Those are the opening lines of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, a “musical and metaphorical drive toward some irresistible far-off horizon”. The song has long-enticed me with it’s melodic mysticism, and when former guest Dave Stamboulis told me that he’d, quote, “Just completed a rather wild journey to Kashmir and Ladakh,” I knew that we had to have him bac…

1
Ep. 183: Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan 42:24

11M ago42:24

42:24

When most people think of Asia, the countries that come to mind aren’t likely to be those we’re about to discuss today. Located in Western Asia, on the border of Eastern Europe, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are countries most westerners are largely unfamiliar with at all. That's all the more reason to learn a bit about them, as each has unique …

1
Ep. 182: Travel in the Age of Artificial Intelligence 29:43

12M ago29:43

29:43

A.I. - Artificial Intelligence. It’s almost the only thing anyone is talking about in some circles. AI seems to be everywhere nowadays and creative industry workers are panicking over being replaced. On the other end of the spectrum, those already using it to produce grant proposals or file TPS reports rave about AI’s efficiency and accuracy, savin…

1
Ep. 181: Myanmar to Holland by Car with Edwin Briels 46:11

12M ago46:11

46:11

Road trips are one of travel’s great forms of adventures. From the Griswald’s cross-country family vacation to Wally World to my own explorations of Eastern Cambodia to design tours for international visitors, the road trip is a time-honored tradition. Nowadays, one might imagine traveling by camper-van to Mexico or Central America, or even renting…

1
Ep. 180: Exploring Asian UNESCO World Heritage Sites 34:52

1y ago34:52

34:52

When we travel, many of us hope to experience an exotic culture or visit a spectacular natural attraction. Often these are chosen based on recommendations from family and friends or may be long-awaited bucket list destinations. Little do many of us know, however, that the United Nations has already selected more than 1000 such sites, hundreds of wh…

1
Ep. 179: Cycling Taiwan's East Coast with Simon Foster 37:09

1y ago37:09

37:09

Taiwan is a country? - is it..? Okay, let’s start again… Taiwan is a territory that traditionally has way less people traveling it than should do so. Sitting off the east coast of China, there are few spots hotter geopolitically that Taiwan. But what’s there? Are the people the same as those from mainland China? What’s the terrain like? Is it safe?…

1
Ep. 178: Scott & Trevor’s Excellent Travel Dreaming Adventure 32:41

1y ago32:41

32:41

Suppose I told you that you were stranded on a deserted island? What’s the first thing you think of? Mine was, which island should it be? A random one in the south Pacific or a specific one I’ve long dreamt of returning to. Suppose you found a genie bottle there? What three wishes would you ask for? To be rescued, perhaps, or use one of the wishes …

1
Ep.177: Cambodian Artisanal Handicrafts with Pierre Andre Romano 37:44

1y ago37:44

37:44

We chat with Pierre Andre Romano about artisanal crafts in Cambodia.De către Talk Travel Asia

1
Ep. 176: Trans-Siberian Railway+ 39:30

1y ago39:30

39:30

When it comes to mammoth, legendary train journeys, the Trans-Siberian Railway is up there. Coming in at 9,289 kilometers, simply put, it’s the longest railway line in the world. Starting in Moscow, it chugs east to its terminus, Vladivostok, but has another interchange where it then forks south to Mongolia and continues to Beijing, ultimately link…

1
Ep. 175: Frisbee in Asia with Jared Cahners 40:06

1y ago40:06

40:06

According to the History Channel, the Frisbee story started in 1871 when William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company. Students from Connecticut universities were soon throwing the tin pie plate to each other, yelling “Frisbie!” as they did so. In 1958, Wham-O (the company responsible for the Hula-Hoop, Super Ball and Water Wiggle) changed its na…

1
Ep. 174: Exploring Hoi An and Hue, Vietnam 30:32

1+ y ago30:32

30:32

Vietnam is a fascinating country that continues to get busier by the year as more and more travelers become intrigued and visit this country on the move. With a coastline of more than 3,000km, a varied landscape, and incredible food, it’s hot on many levels. Two destinations in the middle of the country, Hoi An and Hue are mainstays of a full Vietn…

1
Ep. 173: Lesser Known Laos with Jason Rolan Pt. 2 33:32

1+ y ago33:32

33:32

Part 2 of our conversation with Jason Rolan - Sandwiched in between Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Cambodia, The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is one of SEA’s most lesser known tourist destinations. Landlocked, mostly mountainous, with rivers and waterfalls nearly everywhere in between, Laos is most famous for its natural beauty and friendly, lai…

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