Asia Cruise - from Sydney - 126748

Brisbane or 'Brissie', as the city is familiarly known to Australians, is on the east coast of southern Queensland. Beautifully sited by the Brisbane river, it has many sights, lively shopping streets, a huge variety of restaurants and a very broad and ambitious cultural programme. Sights include: the Botanic Gardens, the Lone Pine Sanctuary with its Koalas and Kangaroos, Brisbane City Hall, the pedestrian area at Queen Street Mall , Roma Street Parkland, South Bank Parklands, the viewing point at Mt. Coot-tha Lookout, with its fantastic view of Brisbane and the suburbs.

Founded in 1864 by Robert Towns, the city today has a double name ("Townsville"). It is the starting point for excursions to Magnetic Island (lined with palm-trees and paradise beaches) but Townsville itself also has a lot to offer. Townsville's aquarium, the Great Barrier Reef Wonderland, is a first-class aquarium with a live coral reef, which visitors can even walk through thanks to the glass underwater tunnel. The colourful Great Barrier Reef lies just off the coast of Townsville. Here, visitors can dive to the huge area of coral or swim in the shallow waters.

Cairns, the capital of the "Far North" region is full of that tropical lust for life. As the secret "backpacker capital" of Australia, it has an almost magical pull on young travellers thanks to the seemingly limitless recreational activities it has to offer. It is far easier to reach the Great Barrier Reef from here than from central Queensland. The crystal-clear waters, palm-lined islands and sandbanks attract divers and snorkellers in particular, making the two offshore islands, Green Island and Fitzroy Island, hugely popular holiday destinations. The outer reef loved by divers is around 50 km away. In the near vicinity are untouched sections of coast and a mysterious wilderness of rainforest backed by a high mountain range.

The relaxed atmosphere of the outback dominates in Darwin too. The nearby wilderness of Cockatoo National Park boasts cave paintings and aboriginal art, rock formations that are more than 20,000 years old, and the dense lush Australian rainforest with many many waterfalls.

Benoa is a traditional fishing village in the South of Bali. At the entrance to the port is the Pura Sakenan temple . It is linked with the pilgrimage of the Buddhist saint Dang Hyang Nirartha and is particularly important during the Galungan Festival celebrated every second year.

Singapore is a city state at the lower end of the Malay Peninsula, only around 100 km North of the equator. Today the city is one of the most important ports and trading centres in South East Asia. Singapore has a population of over 3 million, including first and foremost Chinese, Malaysians and Indians. Europeans and other ethnic groups round off the city of many nationalities and four official languages. Visitors will notice the spotlessly clean and well-kept roads and squares; Singapore is also one of the safest cities in the world. Some interesting buildings dating from the colonial era have been placed under preservation order, including several former British administrative buildings and Raffles Hotel, whose guests included many authors. From the southern shore of the Singapore River visitors can take a boat trip around the river and Marina Bay. Sights include: the shopping street Orchard Road, Chinatown, Little India, Singapore River, the Botanic Gardens, the zoo and Fort Canning.

Ho Chi Minh City is the former capital of South Vietnam. It was renamed in honour of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and represents the economic centre of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh is divided into 17 urban and 5 rural districts. A large number of cafés, markets and shops dominate the varied cityscape. Sights include: the Dragon House, the Giac-Lam Pagoda, the Historical Museum, the zoo, the Botanic Gardens, the Cathedral "Notre Dame" (1877-1883), the central post office, the town hall (1908), the water puppet shows and Nghia An Hoi Pagoda.

Ho Chi Minh City is the former capital of South Vietnam. It was renamed in honour of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and represents the economic centre of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh is divided into 17 urban and 5 rural districts. A large number of cafés, markets and shops dominate the varied cityscape. Sights include: the Dragon House, the Giac-Lam Pagoda, the Historical Museum, the zoo, the Botanic Gardens, the Cathedral "Notre Dame" (1877-1883), the central post office, the town hall (1908), the water puppet shows and Nghia An Hoi Pagoda.

The Chinese island of Hong Kong ("Xiang Gang" in Chinese) has, together with the island of Lantao and the Kowloon peninsula, has belonged to the Chinese special administrative region since July 1st 1997. "Hong Kong in the narrow sense" forms the core settlement of the group of islands with a population of more than 4 million. The city is one of the largest financial centres in the world and represents a major junction for sea transport in the region. Sights include: floating restaurants at the harbour, Tai Po racecourse, the beaches at Castle Peak, Man Mo Temple; the bell tower at the tip of the Kowloon peninsula serves as an excellent viewing platform of the city skyline; the 800 m long escalator on Hongkong Island (the longest in the world), "Tiger Balm Garden" with its small caves and statues from Chinese mythology, Victoria Peak with views of the port and the city. There is also a huge number of restaurants and shops.

Naha is a vibrant city with a proud history. Even between the department stores and boutiques of Kokusai-dori ("international street") all kinds of Okinawan specialities are sold, such as lacquerware, textiles, glassware and local Tsuboya pottery. All this and more can be found in the many shops of Heiwa-dori, where goods are stacked high to the ceiling. The nearby public market is an excellent place to get an idea (and a taste!) of Okinawan cuisine. Naha, with a population of 300,000 is the capital of Okinawa. From Naha it is worthwhile doing some exploring in the surrounding area. One of the most famous attractions is Gyokusendo, a 5 kilometre long cave - the largest in the Orient - with a roof crowded with thousands of stalactites formed around 3 million years ago from coral. This region is also where you will find Gyokusendo Kingdom Village, a Ryukyu culture theme park, showing local handicrafts such as glass-blowing, pottery and Awamori brewing, as well as traditional local dances.

Kochi is one of the few originally preserved castle towns in Japan and is located on the island of Shikoku. Alongside the Chikurin-ji temple, Kochi Castle is the city's most important tourist attraction. Kochi's diverse nature can be enjoyed on a walk through one of the impressive parks, for example, while the extensive caves in the surrounding area are also well worth a visit.

Osaka is the port town on the island of Honshu, the capital of the prefecture and the third-largest city in Japan. With a population of 2.5 million, the city, which is surrounded by satellite towns, lies at the estuary of various rivers in Osaka By. In early history Osaka was the seat of the Japanese emperor several times. The city is seen as a centre of industry, trade, culture and research (5 universities, various research institutions). The Daimyo castle dating from the 16th century, the many temples and gardens are all worth a visit. The most important sectors of the economy here are textiles, iron and steel, machine manufacturing, the chemicals industry and the oil refineries. Many prospering companies have their headquarters in the city, laying the foundations for a modern infrastructure and cultural tradition. In 1970 Osaka hosted the World's Fair. The city is currently experiencing somewhat of an architectural renaissance, with the objective of making it a focus for people, goods and information from all over the world.

With a population of 3.4 million, Yokohama, on the western shore of the Bay of Tokyo, is the second largest city in Japan and the capital of the prefecture of Kanagawa. The city's port was one of the first to be opened to the western world in the 19th century and even today the metropolis is renowned for its international atmosphere. The city is home to both the largest Chinatown in the world and the tallest building in Japan, from where you can enjoy a wonderful view of Yokohama and the port. Many futuristic shopping centres provide fantastic shopping, excellent entertainment and culinary delights all under one roof. The landscaped garden of Sankei-en, created in 1906 by a silk trader from Yokohama is also worth seeing.