Avoid being overwhelmed on your first visit to this changing but traditional country — check out these temple tips and insider insights from Gill Charlton.

Teuila Fuatai finds herself relaxing in a Balinese paradise and considers relocating.

Far from usual tourist haunts, Katelyn Catanzariti uncovers a way of life that has flourished for centuries in Thailand.

Twentieth-century tragedy provides a moving lesson in post-war recovery during a visit to Japan's Hiroshima, writes Josh Martin.

On a hot-air balloon ride, Brett Atkinson gets to look down on Myanmar's temples from the heavens.

Airbus Group expects to see growing demand for military aircraft in Asia amid simmering tensions in the South China Sea and other areas.

Colonial charm and Southeast Asian mystery come together in Myanmar, finds Brett Atkinson.

Belinda Merhab travels to an ashram in Northern India to find herself, but discovers something else entirely.

Immerse yourself in the sacred, inky chaos of the Ganges River in Varanasi, writes Heather Ramsay.

Pakistan has test-fired a ballistic missile able to carry a nuclear warhead to every part of India. Yesterday's test was another escalation in Islamabad's effort to keep pace with its neighbouring rival's formidable military advancements.

It is spring in Tokyo, but Toshiko Takagi cannot bear to see office workers sitting beneath cherry blossom in the parks that dot the Sumida district where she lives.

To repent for his misdeeds, Tibetan monks tell Jim Eagles he must do circuits of Labrang Monastery for about two months. He makes a start.

From architectural wonders to nature reserves, excellent restaurants, its shopping scene — and even a Grand Prix circuit — there's plenty to wow tourists in Singapore, discovers Sam Wylie-Harris.

It's been 40 years since the end of the Vietnam War and this vibrant country has never stood taller, writes Nel Staveley.

Taking your king or queen to Mumbai? Why not stay in style at this regal establishment, writes Chris Leadbeater.

Liz Light walks the Great Rann of Kutch.

In a style that acknowledges the extravagant comforts of early 20th-century travel, Sarah Marshall sips prosecco on a train trip from Bangkok to Vientiane.

In Dubai, Peter Calder looks on enviously as the well-heeled browse among $12,000 bottles of wine.

Weird adventures with mushrooms and a winery visit are unexpected surprises for Pamela Wade in Thailand.

An absent millionaire's place can be your home away from home, writes Tamara McLean.

On the island of Maafushivaru, in the Maldives, Sam Wylie-Harris and her husband savour a holiday befitting a king and queen.

Turkey's largest city is a place of grandeur and contradiction, writes Nicola Lamb.

Twenty-six years ago, Nicholas Jones' father tested his youthful stamina on the mountainsides of Nepal. Recently, he returned to the roof of the world with his sons to relive his trekking adventure.

Alex Robertson makes a moonlight trek up a sacred mountain to experience its magnificent view of the rising sun.

Modern history is a presence in Turkey that confronts visitors, writes Brett Atkinson. For Kiwis, though, the welcome is always warm.

A couple and their toddler who survived the crash of a TransAsia Airways plane in Taiwan changed seats just before the plane took off.

"This pilot decided to land in a narrow river without buildings because there is a residential area nearby. He did all he could do."

Katelyn Catanzariti enjoys Thailand far more now than she did as a backpacker.

Malaysian officials finally call disappearance of the aircraft an "accident". But this means that there are many things we will - probably - never know.

In the midst of one of the world's greatest metropolises, Sarah MacDonald goes on a quest for the ultimate urban sanctuary - Tokyo's natural hot spring.