A journey through the Suez Canal is a unique experience, passing one of humanity's oldest cultivated landscapes. Malaysia is a fascinating country full of contrasts – spectacular beaches, impressive fauna and flora, rain forests and wonderful mountains make it paradise indeed. China, long hidden beneath a veil of discipline and uniformity, has developed in just 20 years to become Asia's most important economic power and will soon complete construction on the largest reservoir dam project in the world, the three-gorge-reservoir. Hong Kong, shopper’s paradise, the financial centre of Asia and former British colony, unites Asian and European cultures like no other country. Colombo and its magnificent buildings is fascinating, and not just for nostalgia tourists. The Japanese can look back on a culture that is thousands of years old, and often appears "strange" to Europeans. Once you have sampled from the dish of Japanese hospitality, you will be sure to smile about it in the future, like the Japanese.