Latest from Asia

Thailand: More Bangkok for your Buck
Getting more Bangkok for your buck is fraught with pitfalls for rookie westerners.

Uzbekistan: In awe of Soviet-era locomotives
Many of Tashkent's streets are built on an impressively generous scale - a legacy of the Soviet era.

Playing hide and seek in Kazakhstan
Hospitality from an ex-pat Kiwi family in Kazakhstan provides a restful break for the 51st Traverse team.

Tourism foibles can be a challenge
I can't help wondering why countries like Uzbekistan, which want to attract more tourists, persist in making arrival unwelcoming.

Mfat trying to contact Kiwi in flood zone
Efforts to contact a New Zealander known to be in India's remote Himalayan region of Ladakh hit by flash floods are continuing today.

NZ man missing in flooded northern India
A New Zealand man is missing in a flood-stricken area of northern India.

Search continues for missing pilot in Hong Kong
The search will continue today for an Air New Zealand pilot who went missing on a tramp in Hong Kong four days ago.

Basketball: Breakers head to China
The NZ Breakers basketball team leave today for a hastily arranged trip to China to play in an annual pre-season tournament.

Indonesia: Stalking the world's most magical bean
Winston Aldworth finds a coffee culture of a different kind in this Balinese village.

Chilli may lower blood pressure, scientists say
Spicy food flavoured with hot chilli peppers contains a natural chemical ingredient that may lower blood pressure, the study revealed.

Shaolin temple on heritage list
Shaolin temple, the Buddhist monastery that's also the birthplace of Chinese kung fu, is now a World Heritage site.