Now the massive fuss about that Olympics thing has started to die down, you might have a chance of hearing about some things to see in this incredible country aside from underage bendy kids in naff leotards.

So what are some must-sees for the autumn? I’m a big theatre fan, and on 8asians blog I found a recommendation for a fascinating ‘Chinese theatrical extravaganza’, Zen Shaolin, held in the mountains of the Hunan Province, ‘celebrating China’s rich history, beautiful natural settings, traditional art and music, and even religious roots’ - sounds pretty good.

For something a bit more urban, forget Beijing and explore culinary Hong Kong. Karen Hamilton has an incredible set of Flickr photos from the city, mainly focused on the food and restaurants to be found in the city, and also recorded the highlights on her blog.

On a practical note, I also found this really handy forum thread which is packed with tips such as how to cross a Chinese intersection, finding Muslim food in Shenzhen, and booking for the Forbidden City.

It seems that STA Travel are thinking alone the same lines. Our sometime informant, Tom, has alerted me that they currently have a load of deals for flights and tours around China (including a package where you can learn to be a travel photographer - intriguing…) Let us know if you’re booking any of them and would like to blog about the country behind the cliches.

At the TravellersPoint, in amongst the Asia forum Matt, who is looking to spend a month in Thailand has asked when the best time to go is. Presumably an thorough fellow he has also tagged on the end a note wondering how much money he’ll need to see him through a four week tour.

Im looking at my next trip for next year and I was thinking about Thailand for a month. Could someone please tell me when is best to go there, Im planning on going to the islands, phuket probably land in Bankok so spend a few days there. I was wondering when most travellers tend to go over.
Also how much money would you recommend I need, im not planning on living the high life in 5* hotels, more hostels etc try and possible experience how they live out there.

Cheers, Matt

There have been a couple of responses offering Matt details about the best time to go, and now we’ve got Jen of STA do divulge some travel gems of information regarding where and how much.

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Now, there are blog posts and there are blog posts, and Flynn Lund’s latest update on her adventures in Asia is one mother of an interesting, informative insight into Vietnam. Packing in over 3,000 words worth of hints and highlights, Flynn’s post is essential reading for anyone interested in visiting the historic region.

In UNESCO heritage town Hoi An she finds a local tailor to whip her up a stunning coat, blouse and silk dress before hitting some culture in the form of the ‘My Son’ temples and sampling the magical, lantern-strewn evening ambience.

Stopping off for a spot of yoga in Hue, Flynn and her travel buddy Chloe head on to the capital Hanoi, exploring the labyrinthine back streets of the ‘truly cryptic’ Old Town. A cruise through Halong Bay is a particular highlight, as is the Ho Chi Mind Museum and a memorable meal of snake!

Flynn also coins a brilliant term for some of the manky student travellers they meet on their way:

the blinking ‘Bearded Brigade’. What, what?? I hear you cry! Yes, this is a new species of male that we have encountered on our travels. Hairy, dirty and generally disgusting….Honestly, STA travel ought to provide a ‘how to stay clean on your travels’ kit for boys - complete with a razor and foot scrubber.

Most, most excellent idea. I’ll suggest it to them. So, if you’re a clean, curious culture vulture with a passion for the east, follow Flynn for more in-depth blogging as she heads into China.

New STA Explorer Alison descirbes herself as an ‘organised, structured lass’. Good thing really, as she’s facing some serious upheaval as she moves from London back to her homeland Australia - and visits eight countries in four months along the way.

As she writes in On The Road Home, the blog she’s created to chronicle her experiences, the cornerstone of her trip planning has been The Spreadsheet, a colour-coded masterpiece ‘that lısted where and when I wanted to travel, which tours wıth which companies I’d chosen and how much İ thought it all would cost’. Deciding to plan and book her journey with STA Travel, Alison initially found sterling support from Beth in the Ealing Broadway branch, who

relentlessly worked on my itınerary, working and reworking the order of things to get me the best price on flights that she could find. She even took a moment wıth me to grieve the loss of Mongolia when that proved to be a country too far for my budget. She was there to have a little clap when İ paid for the trip and hold my hand through all manner of creative debit/credit card management.

However, she got an unwelcome shock when she returned to the branch to find that Beth had disappeared. Her laid-back successor Saxon has done his best to get to grips with her repeated questions and crises (such as her passport being held hostage by the Uzbekistan Embassy), and thankfully Alison’s organisation paid off as she’s ‘finally lıvıng The Damn Spreadsheet.’

Her first stop is beautiful Istanbul, where she is staying in a basic hostel but has loved the Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. She’s moving onto central Asia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia over the next months, promising to review the many adventure tours she’s booked along the way with STA, and uploading photos onto her Flickr account. So follow her blog and get involved by leaving a comment. If it’s a thorough and as opinionated as her travel planning, you’d be mad to miss it.

Our budding Buddhist, Isobel Jones, has brought us another update from her Nepal Weblog.

It is at it’s heart a traffic update of sorts, with Isobel letting us all know about the state of the Boudhanath Main Road. Nevertheless she does away with the formalities usually afforded with such reportage and I have to say it makes it all the better:

“The Boudha Main Road in Boudhanath is MAD!

“You walk around the Stupa and even though everything seems quite busy; with nuns, monks and pilgrims, kids coming home from school, shoppers, dogs, Buddhist music, the occasional (well actually one, very small) cow and even the odd car or motorbike, this is nothing but nothing compared to the Boudha Main Road.”

Isobel is able to give some details about the locale where she is staying, such as where the nearest cashpoint is and also mentions again before signing off that in case she didn’t say so before:

“It is MAD… “

Need to know about Japan? Then keep reading and hopefully those most friendly of resources for useful information forums will be able to point in the right direction.

Obviously if you’re going to Japan, you’ll be eating raw fish, or as it is far more politely referred to sushi.  Tokyo is a big place, so you’ll need this tripadvisor thread to find the eateries at the pinnacle when it comes to providing the nation’s famed dish.

Then you’ll need to get to aforementioned eateries. Look no further than this thread on the Tokyo subway system. If you’re concerned about travelling in a country that has shunned the English alphabet, sign reading I imagine could be tricky, then fear not. Instead be comforted by Jo Trouble:

“Providing you don’t allow yourself to be easily overwelmed you’ll be fine. There are maps by all the ticket machines in English as well as Japanese. Have a look at the one in LP (or another guidebook) before you go so you have an idea of what you’ll be seeing, and where the places you want to go to are.”

After getting to the restaurant and you’ve polished off some sake, time to party? If so, then travel forum contributors are able to give you a nudge to the night spots that may or may not be just your scene…

Finally there is the morning after and what better way to spend it than taking in some culture and sights and for that Japanese Lifestyle duly obliges.

It’s the oldest cliche in the book that travellers set off to far-flung places to ‘find themselves’. But it’s also very true that many of us harbour a secret desire to escape our humdrum existence, press eject from the sedentary sofa of our comfort zone, and go and blow our minds and nourish our souls.

So I suspect a fair number of us busy, wired, sometimes disillusioned netheads will be intrigued by Isobel Jones’ blog posts, photos and videos. Our new STA Explorer has just arrived in Nepal, where she will be spending a good nine months studying Buddhism in the foothills of the Himalayas. In her blog’s about page, Isobel explains:

I strongly suspect that many of my preconceptions about Nepal and living there will be wildly inaccurate; even having pored over some of the guidebooks and websites as I have.  So one of the things I am interested in exploring is how the ideas and perceptions I have now differ from my actual experiences later on.  I am also going to be writing about the pitfalls and joys of preparing for what is quite a radical change and upheaval in my life.  My hope is that as this blog builds up it might be of interest and benefit to other people thinking of traveling in the region.  We’ll see!

Like all our Explorers, Isobel will be seeing just how well she can use social media to enhance and connect others to her experiences travelling with STA Travel. Isobel’s currently blogging about the culture shock in Boudhanath Supa - cow festival, curfews, clean water and all - and has just uploaded her first set of photos from the stunning region. So head on over to ask questions, lend advice, or simply enjoy the stories of our spiritually inclined adventurer.