prolog

Map 1 Asia's BEST 170 You Didn't Know About
Recommended travel destinations
Map 2 Direct flights from Korea
Map 3 Visa Status
Map 4 For long-term travelers
Trans-Asia Travel Route
Map 5 Neighboring Country Package for Short-Term Travelers

Recommended 1 Seasonal Asian Travel
Recommendation 2: Traveling Asia with Your Special Someone
3 Reasons to Travel to Asia

PART 1: A Pair of Sneakers is Enough for Your Trip
- Find the path you want to walk in Asia
Malacca, Malaysia
Chinese hutongs
Galle Old Town, Sri Lanka
Chinese Shitang
Langmusi, China
Khao San Road, Thailand

PART 2 My journey is someone's daily life
- Find the place you want to stay in Asia
Indian Leh
Pokhara, Nepal
Xishuangbanna, China
Pai, Thailand
Ubud, Indonesia
Laos Siphandon
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hunza, Pakistan

PART 3 Familiarity in an Unfamiliar Place
Meet Other Markets in Asia
Panjiayuan Antique Market in China
Inle Lake Market in Myanmar
Sunday Market in Kashgar, China
Amphawa Floating Market in Thailand
Traditional market in China's Dali

SPECIAL ASIA 1 Delicious Asian Food
SPECIAL ASIA 2 Noodle Road in Asia _ Noodle Cuisine
SPECIAL ASIA 3 Sweet Asia _ Fruits
SPECIAL ASIA 4 Sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter _ Beverages, alcohol

PART 4 ​​A Conversation Across Thousands of Years
- Discover a city steeped in time in Asia.
Varanasi, India
Luang Prabang, Laos
Beijing, China
Xi'an, China
Kyoto, Japan
Hoi An, Vietnam
Istanbul, Turkey
Isfahan, Iran
Peshawar, Pakistan
Bhaktapur, Nepal
Hampi, India
Jerusalem, Israel

PART 5: A History Lesson That Isn't Boring
- Discover the cultural heritage you want to preserve in Asia.
Palmyra, Syria
Persepolis, Iran
Petra, Jordan
Doubeyazit, Turkey
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Bagan, Myanmar
Great Wall of China
Khajuraho Temples in India
Ajanta & Ellora, India
Angkor Archaeological Site in Cambodia
Taj Mahal, India

PART 6 The Road That Made Asia, The Road That Flows Through Asia
- Discover a path connecting history and culture in Asia.
Cambodia~Vietnam - Mekong River
Russia - Trans-Siberian Railway
Tibet - The Road to the Guge Kingdom
China-Pakistan - Karakoram Highway
China - East Tibet
China Qinghai-Tibet Railway
The road over Qilian Mountain in China
China - Silk Road

SPECIAL ASIA 5 Asia on Stage _ Performances
SPECIAL ASIA 6 People Hotter Than Anyone Else _ Festival

PART 7: A Moment of Overwhelming Natural Wonder
- Discover incredible scenery in Asia
Jiuzhaigou, China
Mount Kailash in Tibet
Badanjilin, China
Namtso Lake, Tibet
Lake Baikal in Siberia
Yaqingsi, China
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Bromo volcano in Indonesia
Cappadocia, Türkiye
Haputale, Sri Lanka
Zhangjiajie, China
Mongolian Gobi Desert

PART 8 What you don't know before you walk, what you don't feel before you jump in
- Discover the experiences you want to experience in Asia.
Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka
Jaisalmer Camel Safari in India
Kalaw Trekking in Myanmar
Borneo Sepilok & Turtle Island
Mount Kinabalu, Borneo
Lamma Island, Hong Kong
China Hutaosha

PART 9 A MOVIE-LIKE MOMENT FOR EVERYONE
- Encounter a scene from a movie in Asia
Taiwan Zhoufen
Macau Sanba Hotel
Calcutta, India
Wadi Rum, Jordan
Jodhpur, India
Hong Kong Hong Kong
Taipei, Taiwan

PART 10 WHERE IS YOUR ASIA?
- My one and only place in Asia
Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva
Nepal Gokyo
New Beishan Mountain, China
Komodo Island, Indonesia
Chiang Khan, Thailand

Beyond the Asia you knew,
Introducing Asia, a new world you'll discover.

The images we have of Asia—the vast natural landscapes of China, package tours of Southeast Asia, and Pacific islands perfect for vacation—may be a bit clichéd.
So, it is no wonder that the number of Koreans visiting these Asian countries has increased rapidly after discovering new charms in the Taiwan episode of Grandpas Over Flowers or the Laos episode of Youth Over Flowers.


So, in fact, our continent, Asia, was full of more realistic and fun things like ‘the endless leisure of tubing on the Laotian river, tropical fruits that boast a sweetness on a different level from those you get in Korea by plane, the bright smiles of tribal girls choosing pretty accessories at the floating market on the lake that opens once every five days, the speechless grandeur of the Silk Road that connects the continents, and the absurd beauty of the night sky of the Gobi Desert viewed from the back of a camel.’


Asia, where all the kinds of travel we dream of are possible

While Europe evoked romantic emotions in travelers, Asia presented a more specific image of a travel destination.
Most of the cities worth visiting in Asia seem similar to ours, and the tourist destinations in Southeast Asia are too much of a "tourist destination," and the few places that come to mind with the keyword "romance" feel like remote places with long, difficult roads. This was the image we had of Asia.
But the truth is, we don't know as much about Asia as we think.


The Peranakans renovated houses built during the Dutch colonial period in their own style.
The exterior is Dutch-style, surrounded by high walls and fences, but the interior is in a typical traditional style from the Jiangnan region of China.
… … As I glance at the fence, peer at the windows, and peek into the courtyard through the open gate, I find myself wondering if it is really this much fun to explore other people’s homes.
? [PART 1 A trip that requires only a pair of sneakers: Malacca, Malaysia]

I've traveled to many countries, but few places have offered a sanctuary as beautiful as Hunza, with its jewel-like nature and slow pace of life.
… … In spring, white cherry blossoms and apricot blossoms bloom against the backdrop of the snow-covered peaks, and in summer, fresh cherries and apricots ripen lusciously.
And in autumn, ripe apple trees and yellow poplar trees color the village and valley.
After a very short autumn, a long winter comes, and the snow-covered mountains shine dazzlingly...
- [PART 2 My Journey is Someone's Daily Life: Hunza, Pakistan]

At dawn, I sat by the river like a monk and watched the rising sun.
On this side of the river, the smoke of death was rising, and the sun rising from the afterlife across the river was illuminating the world once again.
And in the Ganges River, which flows between this world and the next, people prayed with their hands clasped together.
? [PART 4 ​​A conversation across thousands of years: Varanasi, India]

A remarkable sight was the pilgrims prostrating themselves and taking steps toward Tibet on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, which ran parallel to the railway.
A place unlike any I'd ever imagined in this world... As I walked through Kora, the thought struck me that, regardless of my religion, 'prayer is ultimately an honest conversation with myself.'
As I walked slowly along the Cora, I had a deep conversation with myself that is difficult to have in everyday life.
This is the real reason I took the Qinghai-Tibet train.
? [PART 6 The Road That Made Asia, The Road That Flows Through Asia: China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway]

The sky and the lake are connected, and the lake resembles the color of the sky.
Rather than saying that it is close to the sky, it would be more appropriate to say that it embraces the sky.
All the beauty that exists on earth was reflected in the lake.
I thought that perhaps it was a beauty that did not exist in the human world.
? [PART 7 Moments of being overwhelmed by the wonders of nature: Namtso Lake, Tibet]

In fact, Asia is a more interesting place because it is so specific.
There are streets like Samcheong-dong where you want to walk because of the cute shops in the alleys, there are roads at an altitude of 4000 meters that you want to challenge because of the mysterious feeling of being on an alien planet, there are desert night skies where you want to lie down holding the hand of a loved one in the silence where only the sound of the wind and breathing can be heard, and there are small towns with delicious tropical fruits that even your mother would really like.


Decades spent on the road by five authors,
A story on the road we walked for decades

We've gathered five expert travel writers who want to share their insights with you on Asia's many hidden gems.
The five authors, who came together with a love for Asia, completed this book with the hope that it would convey the deeper and more diverse values ​​and richness of Asia to those who are familiar with it as well as those who are unfamiliar with it.
We've collected and compiled their experiences, which are so numerous they can't be contained in a single book, and we've introduced 170 stories about travel destinations, festivals, and food that are impossible to narrow down.


The stories of these authors, each with a different perspective, a different heartbeat, a slightly different style of travel, and even a more poignant place, have brought together to create a collection of 170 fascinating places in Asia.
Among the 170 BEST places in Asia you didn't know about, which one is the most attractive to you?
It doesn't have to be a place like the one in the book.
If you have discovered the charm of Asia that you never knew before, that is enough.
I wonder what your Asia will be like.