As of writing, the current live ranking of the nominees to become a New 7 Wonders of Nature indicate that the top 7 places are all to be found in Asia!

1. Ha Long Bay - Vietnam
2. Tubbataha Reef - Philippines
3. Chocolate Hills - Philippines
4. Coxs Bazar Beach- Bangladesh
5. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park - Philippines
6. Ganges River - Bangladesh/India
7. Mount Everest - Nepal

Have you been to any one of them yet?

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Yes, even though the matches are shown at midnight to the wee hours of the morning here in our part of the world, the Euro 2008 fever is burning high too! According to David Farrelly of www.euro2008.UEFA.com, about 13% of their users come from Asia.

Considering that football (or soccer to some of you) is not a popular choice of sport among Asians, I find this fascination to the Euro 2008 quite intriguing. Until a cab driver enlightened me: it’s not so much as the sport itself (though you do find real fans here, too), but as this Carlsberg report says, it’s soccer being an object of betting.

In several Asian countries, people are crazy about betting. Betting is a very large industry and betting on football results has become very popular, says Berky Y.W. Kong, Carlsbergs head of communications in Asia.

In Hong Kong and Macau, for instance, betting on football results was only made legal a few years ago. But now, only horse races are a bigger betting object than European football teams.

Ahhh, makes sense, doesn’t it?

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It turned out that my mother-in-law and her sister, who wanted to spend a week in Beijing, weren’t able to secure the necessary tourist visa to enter China as the country tightens security in reference to the Olympics. What a bummer! Oh well, they’re heading to Ho Chi Minh City instead.

That’s one great thing being based here in Singapore– it’s easy to hop off to the neighboring Asian cities, being one the main airline hubs in Asia. Assuming you get the visa, that is.

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Not my style… erm, more like not my budget, but if luxury travel is what you want, check this out: Andrew Harper, the Ultimate Resource for the Luxury Traveler.

Designed exclusively for Andrew Harper members, Andrew Harper Signature Tours present the opportunity to experience exotic destinations in VIP comfort and style. As would be expected, each sophisticated one-of-a-kind tour is with groups no larger than 20 like-minded luxury travelers, ensuring an intimate travel experience. Each tour includes the very best guides, accommodations and transport. And thanks to Andrew Harpers worldwide contacts, guests will personally meet many prominent local figures along the way, providing fascinating cultural insights, and unprecedented insider access to places seen by few foreigners. Add in colorful surprise events at private venues, the exclusivity of only one departure per year, memorable luxury touches, and youll explore the world in Andrew Harper style.

For Asian destinations, check out The Essence of Japan tour, slated for October 25 - November 7, 2008.

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Out of the many out there, which website do you use to book your accommodations online? Which website do you find easiest to use? Which offers the best room rates?

Often, I consult 2-3 websites to book my travel needs, compare the rates offered, and book from that which returns the best offer. Although I have my favorites, they don’t consistently show the best rates, and sometimes I’m surprised to find better offers from websites I wold never have thought of checking out.

With Hotels Combined, the search for that best deal has become a few clicks easier. It searches more than 30 hotel reservation websites– including AsiaRooms.com, Orbitz, LastMinute.com, HotelClub.com, Travelocity.com, and many others– simultaneously to help you find the lowest rate instantly. Give it a spin here!

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