This Week’s Take offers you a capsule summary of the high and low lights of TakeOffeh.com’s Daily Dispatches from the past seven days.

Here are a few of the more unusual travel tales TakeOffeh has been tracking in recent weeks.

Adventure specialist Intrepid Travel has been operating small group adventures to Asia for 22 years. The staff know the continent very well, and they’ve put together a Top 10 list of unforgettable Asian travel experiences – ranging from the sublime to the bizarre.

Why Here:
Maybe life is just that little bit more precious in a place that has suffered through war after war, survived colonialism and communism and is now adapting to the challenges of rampant capitalism. Whatever its impetus, there’s a frenetic vibrancy to life in Vietnam, an electric atmosphere that tourists from around the world find increasingly compelling. After so many barbarians have stormed its gates, it’s a wonder that Vietnam is so welcoming – but it is, with visitors raving about the openness and kindness of their hosts. While Vietnam’s troubled history is something worth exploring on a visit, there’s a great deal more. Nature has blessed the country with dramatic landscapes, from scenic coastlines to idyllic beaches, soaring mountains to day-glo green terraced rice fields. Colonizers and invaders – especially the French - left their influences on Vietnamese cuisine, now widely recognized as one of the world’s healthiest and tastiest, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil and the energizing flavours of fresh herbs.