Best of Asia (Best of Asia 2004)
The insider's guide to the very finest Asia has to offer

Most Romantic Meal (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
The Floating Market
DAL LAKE, KASHMIR

Best Beach You'll Never Get To (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Ashmore Islands
AUSTRALIA

Best Beaches You Can Get To (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Beaches No. 5 and No. 7, Havelock Island
ANDAMAN SEA, INDIA

Best Live Music Venue (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Club Quattro
TOKYO, JAPAN

Best Place to Indulge while Saving the Planet (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
The Green Hotel
MYSORE, INDIA

Best Lobby for Watching the World Go By (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Mustafa Hotel
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

Best Animal Encounter (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Whale Sharks
DONSOL, THE PHILIPPINES

Best Buddhas (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Pagan
BURMA

Best Place to Fall Off the Map (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Mustang
NEPAL

Best Public Art (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
The Sogetsu Ikebana Installations
TOKYO, JAPAN

Best Urban Oasis (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Soul)
Lodi Garden
NEW DELHI, INDIA

Most Beautiful Game (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Takraw
THAILAND

Best Single Spa Treatment (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
The Lulur Body Treatment, Four Seasons
BALI, INDONESIA

Best Airport Surprise (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
The Swimming Pool, Changi
SINGAPORE

Best Local Beer (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Bia Lao
LAOS

Best Urban Hike (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
The Dragon's Back Trail
HONG KONG

Best Place to Get A Suit (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Sam's Tailor
HONG KONG

Best Singapore Sling in Singapore (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
The Boom Boom Room
SINGAPORE

Best Budget Hotel (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Hotel 1929
SINGAPORE

Best Street Food (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Penang
MALAYSIA

Best Market (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Panjiayuan
BEIJING, CHINA

Best Peking Duck in Beijing (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant
BEIJING, CHINA

Best Park for Kids (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Best Ramen outside Japan (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Body)
Teum Sae Ramen
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

Best Tonic for A Tired Brain (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Parahawking
POKHARA, NEPAL

Most Spectacular Golf Course (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
The Gulmarg Golf Club
GULMARG, KASHMIR

Best Place to Display Your New Wealth (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Paiza Club, Sands Casino
MACAU

Best Bookstore (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Eslite
TAIPEI, TAIWAN

Best Place to Buy High-Tech Wizardry (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Yodobashi Camera
TOKYO, JAPAN

Best Café for Avant-Garde Idling (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
SuperDeluxe
TOKYO, JAPAN

The One Museum You Shouldn't Miss (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

Best Place to Catch a Lecture (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
The Asia Society
HONG KONG

Best City for a Budding Painter (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Hanoi
VIETNAM

Best Film Festival (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
The Pusan International Film Festival
SOUTH KOREA

Best Place to Play Chess (Best of Asia 2004 | Best for your Mind)
Temple Street
HONG KONG

The Worst of Asia (Best of Asia 2004)
It is a Chinese custom to end the most lavish banquets with a simple bowl of rice. The reason? To teach humility. In the same way, we conclude our tour of the Best of Asia with a look at the worst. Here's one man's list


The Two Men of Power
When Bush meets Hu, they will find that they have much in common


The Thrill of the Chase (TIME Global Adviser)
Avid British hunters cross the channel to track wild boar in Burgundy

Dada's Birthplace (TIME Global Adviser)
The famous Cabaret Voltaire has been revived as a showcase for quirky art

Songs of Freedom (TIME Global Adviser)
Compilations of traditional South African music energize the mind and soothe the spirit

Tech Watch (TIME Global Adviser)
A Guidebook for the Wrist

Wheels and Deals (TIME Global Adviser)
Women buy more new cars than men do. But many could negotiate better

British Cuisine, Seriously (TIME Global Adviser)
It's no longer a punchline: quality British food can be a pleasure—and can also be ordered online

China's Shadow Banks
Illegal lenders are siphoning money from state-owned banks, but they may do more good than harm


Breaking the Ice
Were Korea's speed skaters subjected to beatings by their coaches?

Playing it Straight
An expert panel suggests exonerating controversial cricket bowler Muralitharan

TIME/CNN Poll
Four More Years: the Asian Perspective

Milestones
Iris Chang, noted historian, dies

Milestones
Iris Chang, noted historian, dies

Verbatim
Quotes of the week

Letters
Visions of Tomorrow