What Americans need to know to benefit from an EMERGING ASIA
India is certainly one of the cradles of human civilization. Hinduism and Buddism began here. The teachings of Mahatma Gandhi helped shaped cultural revolutions all over the world. India is a hodge podge of different cultures, ethnicities and languages.
It is the second most populous country on Earth and the second fastest growing large economy behind China. In fact, many economists believe that someday India will one day surpass China economically. English is the common language and there is a large, educated working force that is already providing much of America's outsourcing labor. You will want to keep an eye on India for the long term.
LOCATION:
India is bordered by Pakistan in the northwest, China, Bhutan and Nepal
in the northeast, and Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east. The
northern part of the country faces the Himalaya mountains. The
southern part is faces the Indian Ocean.
SIZE: About one-third the size of the United States.
POPULATION: 1.13 billion people. India is the second most populous country in the world behind China.
PEOPLE:
India is the most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse
country in the world. 80.5% of Indians are Hindu (more than 800
million). 13.4% are Muslims, 2.3% Christians, 1.9% Sikhs, and 0.8%
Buddhists.
GOVERNMENT: India is
the largest democracy in the world. The president is the official head
of state, but the prime minister holds the real power.
CURRENCY: The rupee.
LANGUAGE:
It is estimated that as many as 1652 dialects are spoken in India.
Hindi is the official language of India, but English is widely spoken
and considered a second official language.
TRAVEL: India can be a difficult place to travel. Visitors are faced with severe poverty, pollution and over crowding on a daily basis. With poverty comes crime so you need to remain aware at all times. Several Indian regions like Jammu and Kashmir are prone to political violence. Things can be inefficient. Schedules are not always followed, lines are often unruly mobs, and many officials expect a bribe before performing the simplest of tasks. It's a good place to hire a package tour and let someone else handle the details. The Taj Mahal is a must see sight and one of the few tourist attractions meticulously maintained in India.
VISA: You must have a visa. $60 for 6 months, $75 for a year. If you are on a Student, Employment, Research or Missionary visa, you need to register within 14 days of arrival with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer where you will be staying. If the place you are staying at doesn't have one, you need to register at the local police station. All visitors who intend to stay more than 180 days also need to be registered.
GETTING THERE: Direct flights from the United States are provided by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Air India, and Jet Airways. Cathay Pacific Airlines connects to Mumbai through Hong Kong.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: India may have a disturbing poverty problem right now, but their future looks promising. India adds about five million telephone subscribers every month. The total number of subscribers now is estimated near 250 million. In 2005-2006 international and domestic air traffic grew by 35% while cargo grew 12%. India's retail sector is estimated to be a US$350 billion industry and is growing at a growth rate of 47% a year.
It is a wonderous place full of fragrant sensations and an always smiling people. It is a longtime favorite travel destination for Americans who are lured here by cheap prices, friendly locals and a stunning culture.
LOCATION: Southeast Asia bordering Myanmar to the west, Laos and Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south.
SIZE: 198 thousand square miles. About the size of California.
POPULATION: 63 million people
PEOPLE: 75% Thai, 14% Chinese, 11% other. Thailand is a devoutly Buddhist country with 95% of the population Buddhist.
GOVERNMENT:
Officially Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, or King Rama IX, the ninth king of the Chakri
Dynasty as Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, Upholder of the
Buddhist religion and Upholder of all religions. However, there have
been many military coups over the years. The last one in 2006 that
overthrew the elected government of Thaksin Shinawatra. A new
constitution was approved and elections held but it's still not clear
which direction the government is heading or for how long.
CURRENCY: Thai Baht
LANGUAGE: Thai
Flag of Thailand
ECONOMY: Thailand was at the center of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Since then, however, they've had steady growth bolstered by a strengthening currency and steady exports. Thailand exports more than $105 billion worth of products every year. They are the number one exporter of rice in the world. This is becoming increasingly important as the world faces a rice shortage.
TRAVEL: Bangkok is a legendary city. If you are looking for a good time you will find it. If you are looking for trouble you will find it. We recommend sticking to the temples, restaurants and Thai boxing matches. Thailand has many beautiful beaches around Phuket, and cultural treasures in the hills around Chiang Mai. It is also one of the cheapest places to travel in Asia.
VISA: No visa required for Americans for stays up to 30 days. Proof of ticket leaving Thailand within 30 days is required.
GETTING THERE: Direct flights from the United States are provided by Thai Airways. Cathay Pacific Airlines flies to Bangkok through Hong Kong. United Airlines flies to Bangkok through its Tokyo hub.
Both countries are essentially huge archipelagos consisting of thousands of islands each. Indonesia has more islands than any other country on Earth. It's also increadibly diverse with 300 ethnic groups. Indonesian law says you must have a religeon. You can pick any one you want but you have to have one. The Philippines used to be an American colony. As a result it has close ties to the United States. It's considered the third largest-English speaking country in the world.
SIZE: 17,508 islands covering 735 thousand square miles.
POPULATION: 235 million people making it the 4th most populous nation on Earth.
PEOPLE: There are more than 300 different ethnic groups in Indonesia. The Javanese the largest and most politically dominant. Indonesia has developed a shared identity defined by a national language (Indonesian), a majority Muslim population, and a history of rebellion against colonialism.
GOVERNMENT: Indonesia is a republic with an elected parliament and president. The government has stabilized a bit since the resignation of embattled President Suharto in 1998.
CURRENCY: Rupiah
LANGUAGE: There are 742 languages spoken in Indonesia. The official language is Indonesian which is a modified version of Malay. Many Indonesian speak some English or want to learn.
Map of Indonesia
TRAVEL: There are a lot of beaches in Indonesia. Bali is the best known vacation spot. However the 2002 bombing of a night club there that killed 202 people raised concerns about terrorism. Most Indonesians are friendly and welcome tourists. Only a few want to kill you.
VISA: Visitors must purchase one of two visas on arrival: a $10 visa valid for 10 days or a $25 visa valid for 30 days. This was heavily protested by the tourist industry who point out that this cost adds up for families and 30 days is a very limited time to travel in Indonesia with a number of remote and hard to reach locations.
Flag of Indonesia
GETTING THERE: Most flights to Indonesia from the United States will be through other countries. Try Cathay Pacific Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Philippine Airlines.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: There are around 400 volcanoes in Indonesia, 150 of them active, which is 75% of all active volcano on the planet. People in Indonesia eat only with their right hand believing the left is impure. They do not hand or receive things with their left hand and would not wave at anyone with their left hand.
SIZE: 7,107 islands covering an area slightly larger than the state of Arizona.
POPULATION: About 90 million making it the 12th most populous nation on Earth.
PEOPLE: 95.5% Filipino, 1.5% Chinese. About 4% of the population is Muslim.
GOVERNMENT: Similar to the US with three branches of government and a strong President who serves as head of state and commander in chief. Filipinos seem to like electing film starts to higher office. In 1998 former action film star Joseph Estrada was elected president, but within two years was being investigated for corruption charges. The current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo barely survived an impeachment vote after admitting to calling an election official during the 2004 election.
CURRENCY: The Philippine Peso
LANGUAGE: Filipino (also called Tagalog) and English are the official languages, but more than 180 languages and dialects are spoken.
Map of the Philippines
VISA: You automatically get a 3 week tourist visa. If longer, you have to apply to an extension visa, easier to get it from their embassy before leaving for your trip.
GETTING THERE: Direct flights from the United States are provided by Philippine Airlines.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
The Philippines is a predominently Catholic country. A prayer is often
read aloud prior to ships sailing or buses departing. Singing seems to
be a national pasttime. People break out into song all the time for
just about every reason. Filipinos are a very friendly and hospitable
people, sometimes even to a fault. Take the time to smile and say
"thank you", and you'll receive much better responses. You will receive
an even better response if you throw in a little Tagalog, such as
"salamat", which means "thank you".
Flag of the Philippines
TRAVEL: The Philippines is a very inexpensive place to travel. There are many fine beaches and the island of Bohol is particularly nice. However, the U.S. Government warns that Americans need to be aware of the risks of terrorism. There are Islamic extremists based in the Philippines who prey on Americans.
The motto of Malaysia is ‘Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu’, which means ‘Unity is Strength’. The oldest human remains in Southeast Asia, dating from forty thousand years ago, have been found in ‘The Great Cave’ in Borneo. Malaysia boasts of being home to the oldest rainforests in the world. They are full of trees, as much as 100 m in height.
Location of Malaysia
LOCATION: In Southeast Asia, north of Singapore and south of Thailand. Malaysia consists of two areas: Peninsular Malaysia, on the Asian mainland, and the states of Sarawak and Sabah, known together as East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo.
SIZE: Slightly larger than the state of New Mexico.
POPULATION: 27.5 million people.
PEOPLE: 65% Malays, 26% Chinese, 8% Indian. It is a multi religeous society with 60% Muslim, 19% Buddhist, 9% Christian, and 6% Hindu.
GOVERNMENT: Federal Constitutional Elective Monarchy. The King of Malaysia is elected to a five year term among the nine hereditary Sultans of the Malay states.
CURRENCY: The Ringgit
LANGUAGE: Malay is the official language. Tamil is considered a second official language and English is widely spoken.
Flag of Malaysia
TRAVEL: Most visitors will find Malaysia quite cheap, although it is noticeably more expensive than Thailand to the north. You can live in hostel dorms and feast on hawker food for a few bucks a day. There are many beautiful beaches and Kuala Lumpur is a major city boasting the Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest twin buildings.
VISA: None required for stays up to 3 months.
GETTING THERE: Malaysia Airlines flies from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur via Taipei, and Newark to Kuala Lumpur via Stockholm. Other airlines like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airlines will also fly you to Malaysia through cities like Singapore and Hong Kong.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: A peculiar local favourite is the ‘kopi tongkat ali ginseng’. It is a mixture of coffee, a local aphrodisiacal root, and ginseng served with condensed milk. It is touted as an alternative to viagra and red bull combined, and is usually advertised with a picture of a bed broken in half. As in any predominantly Muslim country, you should dress respectfully. This is especially true in rural areas and if you are a woman. Even if it's very hot, and it usually is, you should wear long pants instead of shorts and cover your shoulders.
It is a region of great diversity and complex cultures. Much of it is undeveloped and ripe for expansion but held back by political constraints. Technically, Southeast Asia encompasses Indochina on the continent of Asia as well as Maritime Southeast Asia. In this section we stick to four nations in Indochina. They are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. We cover Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines on separate pages of EmergingDragon.com.
LOCATION: Southeastern portion of Asia, south of China and east of India.
PEOPLE: A broad range of ethnic groups live in Southeast Asia. Most people are descendants of Austronesian, Tai, and Mon-Khmer-speaking immigrants who migrated from Southern China during the Bronze Age and Iron Age. There are also large pockets of ethnic Chinese as well as smaller groups decended from immigrants from India, Arab countries and Polynesia. The majority religeon is Buddhist with significant Christian, Islam, and Animist minorities.
GOVERNMENT: Southeast Asia has a variety of governments. None of them are very friendly with the United States. Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy. Laos and Vietnam are Socialist Republics. Myanmar is run by a military junta that hates the United States. In fact they flat out refused US military help after the deadly cyclone of 2008.
CURRENCY: Cambodia riel, Laos kip, Myanmar kyat, Vietnam dong
LANGUAGE:
Each country has its own primary language. Khmer (Cambodia), Lao
(Laos), Burmese (Myanmar), and Vietnamese (Vietnam). Since they are so
close together there is quite a bit of overlap. Chinese is widely
spoken throughout Southeast Asia.
Flag of Cambodia
Flag of Laos
Flag of Myanmar
Flag of Vietnam
ECONOMY:
Economies of Southeast Asia are still based primarily on agriculture.
Common exports are rice, fish and timber. The countries lack
modern infrastructure. There is great development potential in
Southeast Asia but the governments there must decide they want that
first.
TRAVEL: Tourism is of
growing importance in Southeast Asia. Most visitors come for a
specific reason like seeing Angor Wat in Cambodia or war sights in
Vietnam. Travel is relatively cheap but beware of government
restrictions. Going to Myanmar is very difficult. The government is
paranoid of Americans.
VISA: A Cambodian visa can be obtained on arrival for $20 and is good for 30 days. A visa for Laos or Myanmar can be obtained on arrival at the airport (not border crossings) for $20 and is good for 15 days. If you want to stay longer get a visa in advance from their embassy. You need to provide proof of tour group or hotel. For Vietnam you need to get an approval letter from their embassy before arrival. They will then issue you a visa on arrival at the airport for $25 for 30 days. Requirements and fees change frequently in Southeast Asia so be sure to check visa details before you depart.
GETTING THERE: There are very few direct flights from the United States to Southeast Asia. Vietnam Airlines flies from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City. Other airlines like Cathay Pacific Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and Philippine Airlines offer connecting flights through they home countries.WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: The governments of Southeast Asia are restrictive and suspicious of foreigners, especially Americans. If you are willing to deal with the hassles you can travel there. There are facinating cultures and kind people there, but it is definitely the third world, so it's a little like going back in time. The Cyclone that hit Myanmar focused a lot of attention on the military junta that runs the country. It will be interesting to see if the disaster opens up the nation or causes it to strengthen its resolve to reject the West at the expense of its people.
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Thanks! Kent Ninomiya, Managing Editor EmergingDragon.com
