5 weekend destinations in Asia

Did you ever just want to escape your life to a secluded island in the middle of nowhere? Lie on white beaches, swim in crystal clear waters, sip cocoa while lying in a hammock and not have a single wonder for that very moment other than whether to move a bit further into the shade....?

1. Koh Rong Sanloem

This is a beautiful little chill and a relaxing island around an hour boat ride from the mainland where you can chill all-day and chill all night. Take the speedboat and get off at M’Pai Bay. Pick a hostel in the first row for waves lullabying you to sleep at night, or 2nd or 3rd row for a bit cheaper and quieter nights. Nighttime is good for enjoying a bonfire, the Milky Way, and the amazing experience of the glowing planktons in the water - which actually make the stars appear 3D - 360 degrees around you.

In the daytime you can relax on the beach, snorkel the sea, or go trekking in the jungle - remember to get a guide because without a machete you won't get far, and you will definitely get lost. 

Wildlife contains snakes, spiders, and a wide variety of insects, birds, lizards, and monkeys. 

The owner of the drift (just turn to the left when you get off the pier and you can not miss it) has a passion for animals and jungle so he organizes trips into the jungle a few times a week. This trip is free of charge and quite the experience. 

Beach-wise Clear Water Bay is the most beautiful beach around Koh Rong Sanloem. Located about 1-1,5 hours from the hostels in M’Pai Bay, through the waters and into the wild. It is hard work but worth your while when you arrive. Enjoy a drink on the beach and experience perfection of simple moments.

Sunset is caught at the Dragonfly (just walk straight off the Jetty and continue for around 5 minutes inland and turn right and follow the signs) and the surrounding rocks where you can enjoy a drink at happy hour while looking at the sun and get those breath-taking photos for Instagram that will get you 100s of likes.

Keep in mind that Cambodia is still a 3rd world country, so they are still fighting ignorance of a few issues but they are working on the task. Koh Rong Sanloem is in the process of being cleaned from rubbish.

2. Langkawi, Malaysia

If you are looking to spend a few days in a Malaysian Island paradise Langkawi isn’t a poor choice. Langkawi is made up of 99 small islands on Malaysia’s west coast. There is something to entertain everyone there. Langkawi is known for its diving, duty-free shopping, and island hopping between the small and untouched islands surrounding the main island. That being said there is much to do in a weekend getaway to this little gem. 

Explore the sea:

The most famous spot for diving around Langkawi is the Pulau Payar Marine Park. Located around an hour ferry ride south of Langkawi leaving the Kuah Jetty. I did two dives here. The main attraction is the Coral Garden. The rocks are covered with beautiful soft corals in clear white, blue and purple colors. You will also encounter plenty of the branching tree corals, anemones hiding schools of clownfish and huge sea fans. There is a great variety of plant and animal wildlife with many of the regular reef-fish in bright colors to escort you around on your dive.

Explore the Island.

I would recommend renting a scooter for a day to go explore the island. It is the cheapest and most comfortable way to do it. You can stop wherever you want for however long you want. And as soon as you leave the main towns you see that the island has more to offer and that most of the inhabitants are farmers and fishermen. The scooter ride around the island will take you through paddy fields, small towns, and rainforest featuring heaps of monkeys along the road.

Go beach hopping and enjoy beaches covered with powder-fine sand and swaying coconut trees, and swim in turquoise waters off the coast. Three of the beaches with easy public access are Pantai Cenang Pantai Kok and Tanjung Rhu. 

Places to visit:

Park your scooter at the Oriental Village and go on the islands’ main attraction: the Cable Car 15-minute to the top of Mount Mat Cincang. The trip gives you a great view of the rainforests, islets, and waterfalls. After reaching the peak, stroll through all the stalls selling T-shirts and souvenirs and climb a set of staircases that cut through a thin forest to reach the observatory deck where you can take the mandatory photos. The view is amazing when the weather allows you to see the horizon and the beautiful blue water below.

Stop by the Hotsprings in Ayer Hangat Village north of Kuah Town. These hot springs are made up of natural salt water. If you pay 5 RM you get to walk around the place and stick your feet into the warm water. (This location is great for rainy and cold days).

7 Wells or Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls got its name referring to the seven connected natural pools fed by seven separate bigger or smaller waterfalls descending from Gunung Mat Cincang. In for a hike? Then climb the road to the top of the waterfalls and jump in the ice-cold water. It is said to bring luck to swim in the different ponds. On the way, you will meet plenty of monkeys and other wildlife to enjoy and feel close to nature.  

3. Sumatra, Indonesia

There are plenty of options to discover undiscovered lands and wonderful untouched nature. Sumatra is one of the most biodiverse areas on earth, known for its extraordinarily rich flora and fauna. Visiting this huge island I wasn’t the king of the jungle, but I sure felt like a jungle VIP. When I went to Sumatra's’ rainforest to experience orang-utans up close I felt like an 8-year-old in a candy shop.

Bukit Lawang

Your best chance of seeing orang-utans in the wild is to venture into the jungle and head for Bukit Lawang. Bukit Lawang is located just short of a hundred kilometers north-west of Medan, the capital city of Sumatra. It is located in the jungle, build on the sides of the fast raging Bahorok River. The jungle on each side creating a dense and monkey-filled sanctum of precious diverse life.

Orang-utans

So why were all the tourists here? Bukit Lawang is famous for being the largest animal sanctuary of Sumatran Orang-utan and this is of course what everyone has come here to explore. A population of 5.000 orang-utans should be living in Gunung Leuser National Park, which is the jungle that surrounds the village. So let the orang-utans adventure begin... 

In Bahasa, the word orang-utan means “person of the forest.” And when you research on them you will learn that they are quite like humans in many ways. They are considered some of the most intelligent primates, after being extensively studied for their learning abilities through many years. They use tools, build quite complicated nests and have a quite established hierarchy.

These long-haired, orangish primates of wonders, are found only in Sumatra and Borneo. They are some of our closest relatives and when you meet them up close you will easily see the resemblance. Many of the orang-utans who live here are what we call semi-wild because they were set out from the Bukit Lawang rehabilitation center for orangutang. This means that they are very used to humans and most of them do get fairly close. 

We booked a tour with our guest house and got a tour just the two of us with two guides. The tour starts at dawn and lets you trek for around 5-6 hours in an unspoiled, beautiful, untouched jungle. The treks are overgrown, the vines hang down from the old forest and the smell is so fantastic. You are in the heart of the jungle and once you get away from the other tourist groups you can almost hear the jungle breathe. We spotted seven orang-utans and two small toddlers. They were the most adorable sight for sore eyes.

Other Monkeys

There are many other treasures in the jungle, and after seeing the orang-utans we were able to properly enjoy our encounters with many other fascinating animals of the forest like baboons, peacocks, gibbons, Siamang, macaques, Thomas's langur, Leaf monkeys and Slow Loris

What the city has to offer

Orangutang trekking and monkey watching aside, Bukit Lawang is a very traveler-friendly place. The people are friendly and very social. There is a boy in every hostel or guest house that plays the guitar and most places have live music every night. You can easily spend a few days here untugging, relaxing and chilling in hammocks, and enjoying being so close to nature. For a bit of adventure go splashing or tubing in the river. DO NOT GO ALONE. The river is ranging and very dangerous. You can rent the tubes but bring a guide. Many of the boys will go with you if you pay for their tube, and it is not safe alone. 

4. Sarawak, Borneo

Okay, so Kuching is probably more of a long weekend destination, but worth a trip anyways :)

Kuching:

The way into Sarawak if you are arriving by flight is through Kuching, the capital city and famous for cats and cake, and Cats you will see. The Malay word for cat is Kuching so the name of the capital here is the City of cats. You will not spend much time here before seeing why. The citizens of Kuching love cats. There is a tall cat obelisk on the main street surrounded by cats. The roundabouts in the city are decorated with cats, and China town is crawling with statues of cats in every pose and size. Roaming through the city are thousands of cats, most of them friendly and playful. Pet a cat in a public park or watch them play on the river bank, there is no escaping them.

Taking you through the city it has an almost small-town vibe with the wonderful river, the Sarawak, threading its way through the center of town. Most of the city tourism things are located along the banks of the river.  It’s wonderful to sit on the riverbank for hours and watch life and people passing by. You do not see many tourists but the hostels, homestays, and hotels are located here in these beautiful settings. While sitting here it becomes evident that not much happens here.

So what can you do besides watching cats and locals? Well, try the delicacy here, the Kek Lapis, a specialty of Sarawak. It is a layered dry cake and you can buy it everywhere and with different tastes.

Kek Lapis are very colorful. Each layer contains a different color and taste. The ladies selling them give out free samples so you can try quite a few different ones before deciding on your favorite. Do buy one though.  The ladies baking them tell takes about 6 hours to bake them and they do it home in their own small kitchens. It is a bit touristy “attraction” and exported all over Malaysia.

Santubong; Damai, Sarawak

If you enjoy using your body and your muscles as well as your willpower you can climb the highest mountain in Sarawak. Head to Damai and spend a day or two on a beautiful beach. Get up early preferably around 6 and head out to climb Mount Santubong. It is free, all you have to do is sign in and out at the entry of the mountain. The climb takes around 7-8 hours depending on your fitness level and how fast you are comfortable walking/climbing on the surface. It is a hard yet a gorgeous climb and you can climb it fairly privately. If you choose to spend a few days in Damai there are a few different treks around Mt. Santubong that don’t involve climbing the actual mountain if you do not want to. They are very remote and you are lucky if you meet anything but nature and animals here. Enjoy the solitude, but remember to sign in at the headquarters for safety.

mt. Santubong

Bako National Park

A short grab ride and a little boat trip away from Kuching you find Bako National park. This park is yet another location with beautiful scenery where you get a chance to stretch your legs. You sign in and decide on a trek you want to take. Just remember to make sure you make it back to headquarters for the last boat. Otherwise, you are stranded on the island.

Walking around the national park you become one with nature. You can hear monkeys roar, birds sing and spot the occasional giant lizard enjoying the sun. The landscape is spectacular. Feel comfortable with nature if you choose some of the less popular routes because the treks are not well maintained and very overgrown. If you are scared of animals this will be scary for you. I would personally say worth every step of the way.

Kubah National Park

Last recommendation for trekking around Kuching is Kubah National Park. A few days here can easily be spent in this piece of the rainforest and depending on the trail you pick you can spend them alone. There is an option for camping out here if you arrange it with the park.

When you are here you get a chance to really experience the rainforest and smell the age of it. You can feel the age of the trees with every step, feel your feet sink into the meters of fallen leaves that cover your tracks. Everything here is old and unspoiled.

5. Karimunjava, Indonesia

Who said tropical paradise? Bounty beaches, beautiful sunsets, and front row location where the sand from the bed gets into your bed because you are literary staying on the beach. Karimunjava is a precious little pearl of an island located a couple of hour’s boat ride from Jepara in Java, Indonesia. Karimunjava is an archipelago of 27 islands and while visiting, do yourself the favor and go visit a few.

One of my favorite memories of this place was one night at our homestay when a thunderstorm hit the horizon. I and my travel companion were sitting in the oceans lovely warm water and watching as many as 5 lightings strike the surface of the ocean on the horizon. We spent a few hours sitting in the shallow water drinking tea and being entertained. It was amazing.

The Island.

This area is a national marine park. The main island(s) are of two small islands tugged together only separated by a small bridge. Karimunjava and Kemujan Islands. The smaller ones I can mention are the smaller ones being Menjangan Besar Island and Menjangan Kecil Island, but with 27 islands you can take your pick.

The people who live here are kind and friendly people. They can and will help you with everything as long as you ask. Everything you need to get or organize you will find at least 5 people to help you with on Karimunjava.

Karimunjava is the biggest one and where the ferry docks. The main, (read) the only, village is located on a point on the south-west coast. Once you set your foot here you can discover many beautiful beaches rent a scooter and go explore clear water and empty beaches all over the island. Into snorkeling, even better, much of the island has fringing reefs.

The nights can be spent watching the local boys playing guitar and singing along to popular songs under an open sky. There are quite a few friendly hostels where you can buy a beer and participate in the fun and live performances. In the mood for solitude? Take your scooter and enjoy the stars at an empty beach. Pick the right beach though, because the locals often arrange beach and bonfire parties on the beaches. Here you can join and drink a few beers and hear some of the local bands play. The bands can also be found in the market square almost every evening performing just for you to get in the right vibe.

Kemujan Island is a place to scooter over if you want to explore some mangrove forests and has a less touristy feel to it. It is definitely worth the scooter ride to go there.

Surrounding islands

The smaller, outer islands have pristine, white sandy beaches and coral reefs located just off the shore. These are perfect places for snorkeling and spotting turtles and everything else the heart desires. Most of the locals offer tours out visiting these islands. Make sure the boat carries proper equipment. You will have a better snorkeling experience. Remember sun lotion or keep your clothes on, the sun is strong.

The entire area is a national marine park and most of the activities involve visiting different islands and snorkeling on the reefs. Depending on the wind and weather, you can pick the islands you want to visit but weather changes fast in the tropics so even though you start out with a scorching sun it can change to a tropical storm fairly fast. That being said I went on several snorkeling trips to different locations during my stay and even though the weather changed and rain fell I had some amazing trips.

Dining

Because this little gemstone of a place is surrounded by seas, Karimunjawa provides lots of sea food. Fresh fish in every color of the scale can be consumed every day. Restaurants are located in hotels but I would recommend going to the local market and eat. The town square provides decent cheap food like fried or grilled fish or an assortment of veggies. This is a perfect option for you to try 15 different kinds of fish completely fresh. You sit at community tables on the ground so sharing is literally on the table J.