Central

Central is the major business district and also the administrative centre of Hong Kong; the area probably has the highest concentration of skyscrapers in Asia.

Skyline of Central and Victoria Harbour at night (Image by Dave)

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 6 – Hong Kong from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Ximending, Taipei

Ximending is one of the most bustling areas in Taipei with a mixture of new and old culture.

You can find the latest trends and hype in Ximending… fashion, books, entertainment, cosplay, games etc; and on contrary also home to some of the oldest shops and restaurants in Taipei.

Ximending is also a popular place for celebrities to hold fans meeting or small concerts.

Ximending in a relatively quiet night (Image by Kok)

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 4 & 5 – Taipei from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Hue City

Huế is a historic city in central Vietnam and was the imperial capital of Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Hue is located about 1100km from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s capital city. It took about 25 hours of bus ride to travel from HCMC to Hue.

Complex of Hue Monuments

The Complex of Hue Monuments is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the complex comprises of 16 historic monuments from the Nguyen Dynasty. Among the monuments that featured in The Amazing Race Asia were the Khai Dinh Tomb, Minh Mang Tomb and Hue Citadel (the pitstop).

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 3 – Hue from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Mae Kompong

Mae Kompong is a village in Chiang Mai Province. Once a poppy growing area, but now home to a small community of forest dwellers who cultivate tea and coffee plantations.

Mae Kompong is also home to the Treetop eco-tourism village where visitors can take an exhilarating flight (with zip line and slide) through a 1500 year-old rainforest in the “Flight of the Gibbon” adventure…

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 2 – Chiangmai to HCMC from YeinJee's Asian Journal

I know most of the regulars here are not watching this show (or not able to), thus I’m not going to bore you with the details… but will share some Asian cultures and places that are featured in the race instead.

Tuk-Tuk

The race started at the Rama 1 Monument in Bangkok… the first feature that came onto scene was the famous auto-rickshaws commonly known as ‘Tuk Tuk’ in Thailand.

Similar auto-rickshaws can also be found in other South Asian countries, but Thai’s Tuk Tuk is probably the most iconic version. Little known fact though, is that Tuk Tuk was originated from Japan and was brought into Thailand in late 1950s. Most of the Tuk Tuk these days are local made.

Tuk Tuk in Bangkok (Image from Heinrich Damm)

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 1 – Bangkok to Chiangmai from YeinJee's Asian Journal

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The Amazing Race Asia – Season 3 from YeinJee's Asian Journal

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Paula Taylor – Canon digicams and gadgets CF from YeinJee's Asian Journal