STOPOVERS

KUALA LUMPUR

MALAYSIA’S VIBRANT CAPITAL CITY – KUALA LUMPUR - IS KNOWN FOR ART AND CULTURE, SHOPPING AND DINING, WITH CHOICES EXTENDING FROM HUGE SHOPPING CENTERS AND CONTEMPORARY CAFÉS TO SHOPHOUSES AND STREET FOOD. The iconic glass-and-steel 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers dominate the city’s skyline. The towers offer visitors a skybridge and observation deck for those who can brave its heights. The city is home to colonial British landmarks such as Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. At the city’s northern edge is Batu Caves, natural limestone caves which have been made into Hindu temples. Bukit Bintang offers unique entertainment, boutique designers, and extravagant retail shopping. The art deco Central Market houses various specialty merchants while tiny, beautiful shops adorn Brickfields (Little India) and Chinatown. Malaysian culture and history are on display at the National Museum and the Islamic Arts Museum.

BANGKOK

THAILAND‘S FAMOUS CAPITAL IS AN ENORMOUS CITY KNOWN FOR LAVISH BUDDHIST TEMPLES AND LIVELY NIGHT LIFE. Winding through the center, the bustling Chao Phraya River feeds the canals of the old city, streaming past the iconic “Temple of the Dawn,” Wat Arun, the lavish Grand Palace and its holy Wat Phra Kaew, the “Temple of the Emerald Buddha.” Close by is Wat Pho Temple with a gigantic reclining Buddha. The Jim Thompson House and M.R. Kukrit House are two of the best-preserved examples of traditional Thai teak architecture. Bangkok is famous worldwide for its food scene. From Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants to food trucks and street food, Bangkok will serve up the sweet, sour, spicy, salty treats you crave. If it’s vibrant nightlife you’re looking for, you will find it throughout the city in chic and trendy rooftop bars and notorious nightclubs. For those more interested in shopping, you can choose from the luxury malls of the Chit Lom and Siam neighborhoods to Chatuchak Weekend Market, southeast Asia’s largest outdoor market with more than 15,000 stalls.

SINGAPORE

ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST IMPORTANT FINANCIAL CENTERS, THE TROPICAL, MULTICULTURAL, ISLAND CITY-STATE OF SINGAPORE SITS JUST OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN MALAYSIA. Dating back to colonial times, Singapore’s center is built around the Padang, a cricket field since the 1830s and now surrounded by City Hall and other impressive buildings. Singapore is full of striking cultural structures. The National Museum of Singapore contains displays on the city’s neoclassical culture and history. Visit Chinatown and walk through the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, adorned in red and gold, and believed to house one of Buddha’s teeth. Or see the quiet Lian Shan Shuang Lin Buddhist monastery, bright Sri Mariamman Hindu sanctuary and the enormous Sultan Mosque. Get your shopping fix at the luxury shopping centers of Orchard Road and the in-vogue boutiques of Kampong Glam. Look for souvenirs in Little India and textiles on Arab Street. Get some street food in Tiong Bahru and Maxwell Road. And don’t forget iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel and SkyPark rising 200m over the water with amazing view of the city.

AS A FORMER BRITISH COLONY, HONG KONG MAINTAINS A SPECIAL STATUS IN SOUTHEASTERN CHINA. One of the world’s most densely-populated urban cores is a worldwide financial center with a high-rise studded horizon that is second to none. Cable car rides up to Victoria Peak offer the best views of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. Board a Star Ferry boat to cross Victoria Harbor to the Kowloon Peninsula. Look for Nathan Road, the “Golden Mile of Shopping,” the collectible shops of Hollywood Road, the bespoke tailors, or the Temple Street Night Market. Hong Kong is another Asian city known for its vivacious food scene, from Cantonese dim sum to extravagant afternoon tea.

Visit Lantau Island, renowned for its gigantic bronze Tian Tan Buddha. Walk along the waterfront promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui. Explore Man Mo Temple, dedicated to the divine forces of literature and war.

HONG KONG