March 1, 2024

Traveling in Asia isn’t like traveling in Europe or even the Americas. Customs are so different, food is sometimes unrecognizable and life there is just different. Plus, there are so many cultures, religions and nationalities of people.

You will not be able to blend in like you would in Europe or North America. So, we thought we would share some of our thoughts/tips and insights for your first visit to Asia.

Note: While some of my comments below may seem a bit harsh, I am not being critical or judgmental – just stating how we see things from American eyes.

Money

I’m frequently asked about what currency people should use when traveling. I always remind them that the US only accepts US currency. With that knowledge, follow suit and don’t be the ugly American waving your pile of $5 bills thinking that everyone will bow down to you. Because, they won’t and they won’t accept your US dollars.

ATM: We always get cash from an ATM machine at the airport. They are generally located after you exit the “Nothing to Declare” area. They offer a good exchange rate and it’s always good to hit the ground running with some local currency in your pocket. Unlike Europe that operates on one currency, you will have to get new currency in every country you visit in Asia.

Covid has also changed much of the world beyond our borders. Many restaurants in Europe and Asia will not accept cash. Instead, they bring you a bill and they bring their hand held charge machine. They never take your card but they will ask you to either tap or insert it into the credit card machine. These machines also take Apple and Google pay – our preferred method of paying.

Note: Before leaving the US, make sure your debit cards and credit cards are tap cards – it’s the way of the world and security wise – it’s safer. A tap card never gives the merchant your credit card number, just an authorization code (same with Apple/Google pay). Also, make sure you have your four digit pin set.

Also, we always carry two credit cards and two debit cards – from different banks. You don’t want your only credit card or debit card to be cancelled while you are traveling. ALWAYS check the expiration date on your card at least a month in advance of leaving home.

Accessibility

The United States does an amazing job with accessibility for handicapped and limited mobility persons. With that being said, Asia is not at all handicapped accessible and it’s not even handicap friendly.

There will be stairs – many – and very few escalators where you want/need them. Stairs are not an even 7” rise with an 11” tread that is pretty standard in the US. There doesn’t seem to be a standard in Asia other than the fact that the rise and tread will probably change multiple times in a flight of stairs.

Sidewalks are generally not very wide and are commonly the cover for their drainage system. This means that many of the covers might be cracked, broken or missing. So, watch where you step. Sidewalks are also an alternate route for scooters – pay attention!

Even in airports, be prepared to climb. Many planes land outside of the terminal and you will have a set of portable stairs brought to the plane.

Once you get to the terminal, you will probably have to climb up to the terminal. Be prepared to walk a distance to the baggage claim. More and more airports are extending your walk from the plane to the baggage area. Don’t expect the moving sidewalks to be operational.

Shoes and Clothing

If you are traveling in Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Borneo, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Loas, you will probably be visiting lots of temples. For this reason alone, you will want to WEAR SANDALS or some type of shoes that slip on and off easily.

Most temples require that you remove your shoes before entry. Shoe storage racks are generally located at the entrance (many will want a donation for watching your shoes). Many hotels and restaurants might also ask you to take off your shoes before entering and you will probably see shoes left outside the doors to hotel rooms.

Along with the proper foot wear, you also need to be mindful of your clothing. In most mosques they will provide a robe for women to wear. Men will need to be in pants and no crop tops.

In non-Muslim temples, women will need to have their legs covered to their knees and a shirt with sleeves – short sleeves are fine. Please make sure that you are not greatly exposing your decolletage or you will be asked to cover up.

I always carry a pareo/scarf with me in case my skirt/top isn’t appropriate. Men will need to be in long pants and appropriate shirts.

Most importantly, if you are traveling to a Muslim country, please remember that the women might be totally covered from head to toe in a hajib and a burka. So please be modest in your clothing choice and in your bathing attire as Muslim women are also fully covered at the beach. Remember, it’s their country and it’s nice to be respectful.

Food – What to Eat?

Food is always the biggest topic of conversation whenever we talk with someone about visiting a foreign country. In some Asian countries, we just look at the food and shake our heads and in other countries you want to try everything. Here are a few of our rules that we always follow:

*If you have an aversion to MSG, you need to verify that your food doesn’t contain this product. Almost all of your packaged snacks will probably contain MSG. So, if it’s a problem, pay attention or ask.

*If you are in a night market or street food setting – ALWAYS – follow this advice: Look for the lines of locals and especially lines that have mothers and children in them. Why? Because a mother will not take her child to a food stall where they might get food poisoning. Check out the lines, check out the food and then make your choice from there.

*In this day and age of Facebook, TripAdvisor and Yelp, restaurants can’t afford to have a customer get sick from bad water or food poisoning. So, in a popular area, do a little research, check out the reviews and then have a great meal that is different from a US burger.

*Still not sure about what to have for dinner? Then we highly suggest that you take a local cooking class or a Viator/Klook food tasting excursion.

These classes are fantastic and will help demystify what your food options are. Plus, the cooking classes generally take you to the markets where you buy all the ingredients first. I can’t tell you how many times I have said “There is no way I will ever eat that” only to realize it is the tasty ingredient in the dinner we are cooking.

Ice: I always hear people say that ice is not safe in foreign countries. You CAN have ice IF it is the type that has a hole in the middle. This means that they have purchased their ice from a company that filters their water – thus making it safe to drink. When in doubt, ask for the ice to be in a glass on the side.

Note: You probably won’t get pork in a Muslim country AND your fish and shrimp will probably look back at you.

Bonus: If you like pineapple, most pineapples in Asia are small and the core is just as sweet and tender as the rest of the fruit!!! Bonus!!!!

Try it: Give the following a try

• Green, Yellow, Lentil or Masaman Curry
• Fruits: Lychee, Dragonfruit, Rambutan, Pineapple, Mango, Bananas (finger and egg)
• Nasi lemek (above), pork tocino, spring rolls, coconut or garlic rice, chicken satay, roti, deep fried bananas, curry puffs

Will There Be Rice?

Oh yes Virginia, there will be rice, rice and more rice. Since just about every country in Asia produces rice, this is their main food group. It’s abundant, it grows well and it is cheap and filling. Don’t be surprised if you order a meal that comes with rice and the side dish is a different variety of rice.

What I can guarantee is that your rice will be perfectly cooked. So, don’t expect potatoes and just walk a little extra to get rid of the starch/sugars.

Drink it from a Can, Man

When you visit just about any Asian country, you will NOT be drinking water from the tap. All water will be bottled or filtered because it’s just not safe to drink. We always carry our water bottles with us and keep them filled from the large 5 gallon water jugs that are in most hotels. We also bring drink sticks because sometimes with the heat, it’s good to have a bit of flavor and some sugars to keep you going.

If you are not a water drinker then your other option is going to be canned or bottled sodas or beer.

On a positive note, your hotel room will always have bottled water in your room. Generally, soft drinks are much cheaper than in the US and beer is generally less expensive than sodas.

What’s Wrong With Her Skin?

There are so many things that I can’t understand and this falls into the category of I understand…..but I don’t.

In the US we like to be nice and tanned or at least have a little colour so that we have a few more freckles. In Asia, this is the opposite case with the more privileged society. Covering up to have very pale skin is the mark of upper class.

In order to intensify the pale skin, many women will bleach their skin. There are all kinds of skin bleachers on the market and even their sun lotion has bleaching properties (be cautious if you pick up a sun lotion as you might get sun screen and skin bleacher).

You won’t have any trouble identifying those that bleach their skin. In the past, we have only seen women with the pale skin hue; however, on this trip we also saw a large number of young males bleaching their skin. It really gives them a “ghostly” look. Yep, I understand…..but I don’t.

Pinkie Up!

This probably should not have even been in my list, but it is something that is very Asian. While it’s hard to tell the work status by their clothing (Asians love designer threads), there is one tell tale sign for men in Asia that is unmistakable- the pinkie nail.

Yes, I didn’t stumble when I typed that. If you see a man with long pinkie fingernails – all other nails are groomed short- then he is telling the world that he does not do manual labor. He is a white collar worker.

In the well dressed man, you can understand. However, there will be multiple times that you will look and think to yourself – hmmmmm, no way or just lazy or just hmmmmm.

Sniff, Snot, Spit and Slurp

Asians will not use a Kleenex in public- period! So, when you are sitting next to a young man at the airport that desperately needs to blow his nose – it ain’t going to happen. You can offer a Kleenex and they will look at you in utter shock and still won’t blow their nose (although they might retreat to the restroom, blow their nose and find a different seat to sit in). So, be warned.

On the flip side, spitting seems to be totally accepted. I don’t understand why blowing your nose is a disgrace but spitting on the sidewalk is perfectly acceptable. Pay attention as you are walking and when you hear the tell tale spitting sounds, don’t walk into the path of yuck.

And slurping – eating soup is noisy business. The better the soup the louder the slurp. Believe me, this can be really distracting in a restaurant.

Eastern vs Western Toilets

I know, my mother would tell me it’s very improper to talk about using the bathroom in a public post. But let me be the one to share with you before you open a stall door and exclaim loudly to everyone in line “NO WAY”!

Knowledge is power and believe me, this is good info to have so you can pee with confidence.

Not every place you visit in Asia will have the nice western toilets that you are accustomed to in the US. When visiting a tourist attraction, you will quickly know which is the western toilet line and the squat toilet line. In other words, there will not be a line at the squat toilet. So, if you do your yoga daily, the squat toilet should not be a problem.

First: Always have change with you for the toilets – local change – not US coins.

Second: Chances are there will not be toilet paper in the bathroom. If there is an attendant, get it from her before entering the stall. If there isn’t an attendant, you will have to use the stash of Kleenex that you have in your purse. No kleenex = air dry.

Third: Toilet paper goes in the trash can and not down the toilet. All bathrooms will have a small rubbish bin for your tp. Yep, it’s gross but their septic systems aren’t like ours. And remember why they are so good at growing rice – high water table!

Inside the stall it will probably look like one of the two pictures below. Don’t be surprised when the toilet seat and the floor are all wet. I haven’t figured out what precipitates washing the toilet seat and floor after use, but it’s pretty common. So, pay attention before you sit and pay attention before you squat. The seat might be wet and the floor might be slippery.

In the pics below, there will be a bucket of water filled with a dipper inside. Not all toilet tanks fill so they have provided you with water and a way to “flush” the toilet (green arrow).

If you need to rinse off or if you need to wash off the seat of the toilet after using the facilities, a spray hose is generally attached to the wall next to the toilet (yellow arrow).

ALWAYS wash your hands when you leave the bathroom. When traveling in Asia I ALWAYS have hand sanitizer wipes. I think you can understand why.

Important Note: Toilet paper, paper towels and Kleenex are all made out of the same quickly disintegrating material. Just image what it’s like to dry your hands with a few tp squares. I think you probably get my point!

When visiting Singapore or Japan, you will find that many of their toilets are Toto products. These are the total opposite to the ones listed above. The Toto toilets are the Taj Mahal of the bathroom scene. In fact, you might not ever leave the bathroom and I bet you’ll be ordering one when you get home.

Loud vs Quiet

Ok, this is where I have to be blunt about a couple specific groups of people (I’m NOT being prejudiced). This is from our observations of what we have seen, heard and dealt with in multiple countries.

The two most difficult groups of people that you will encounter are the Chinese and Russians. Now that China is allowing their citizens to travel again, and Russia is in a war, the number of these travelers are increasing. Several countries are making it very easy for young Russian men to stay for longer periods of time.

You will find that both groups are extremely loud, travel on sidewalks in groups and won’t give way (think Yellowstone on their boardwalks), break the western toilet seats (don’t even ask), and are generally very rude, and will pose for pictures (complete with the Nixon peace sign) anywhere. Restaurant etiquette is a totally different subject unto itself.

While we were traveling in Laos, a group of Chinese travelers jumped off the sidewalk and into the middle of the street to pose for pictures – a busy street. Of course, it wasn’t one quick pic and back to the sidewalk – it was multiple poses while the traffic was stopped. Jeff and I, along with multiple other witnesses, were shocked. They just do some really dangerous things and they seem to think the world will stop for them.

The groups of young Russian males are pretty aggressive. When you see a group of them, just give way. In subways they will do a massive push to get into a crowded car knocking people down in their paths if they see the need.

This was especially bad in Thailand where they are welcoming them and their money. They are dumping lots of money into the Thai economy. I guess if you don’t want your sons to die in war, you can safely tuck them away someplace else. As a mother, I think I understand that you do what you can to keep your children safe from unnecessary harm. I would also think you would treat them how to act respectfully to others.

Politics – Stay Away!!

Enough said! I can guarantee that if the subject is broached you will be told immediately what they think of our politics and they will probably be more informed than you. Be polite and shrug your shoulders and change the subject quickly.

The King and Queen of Thailand

Just a word of warning that you do not speak about the King Rama X, his Queen or the King’s Consort or family. Don’t ask the locals as it is against the law for them to speak, tell stories, speculate or be disrespectful to the Royal Family. Thais can end up in jail for these offenses.

If you have interest, please do this searching before or after you arrive in Thailand.

Enjoy

We hope these few tips will help you prepare for your trip to Asia. It is a location in the world that we love to visit. There will be challenges but the experiences far outweigh any obstacles. We wish you safe travels and feel free to drop us a note if you have any questions or thoughts.

Singapore and Japan Addendum

For everything that I have said above, it does not apply to Singapore or Japan. These two countries are very progressive, exceptionally clean and on the cutting edge of technology.

Tap your wallet or Google pay in the subway- no ticket needed. Most food locations are credit only. Sadly, covid has created this environment to avoid contact with currency. However, when visiting small towns or street markets, cash is still king. So you will need to head to the ATM to get local currency.

Bathrooms are spotless and everything flushes with no tp in the rubbish bin. Depending on the toilet, you might even get a wash and spin dry (see Toto toilets).

Last but not least, there will be cameras. Singapore is the most watched city in the world. Don’t litter, don’t molest and don’t steal because they are watching and they still cane people.