TEXT

FERINA NATASYA ABDUL AZIZ

RECESSION-BUSTING TRAVEL TIPS!

The Power of One IRAN

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR BUCK IN ASIA?
US$1 ~ 10,000 RIAL
• 3 cups of doogh, a yoghurt-based
beverage popular in Iran
• A pot of strong Iranian tea,
INDONESIA
sipped whilst holding a sugar
lump between your teeth
US$1 ~ 10,500 RUPIAH • 2 short hops in a taxi
• Ride an andhong (horse-drawn • 10 litres of petrol, refined in and
carriage) or becak (trishaw) imported from India
around Yogyakarta Photo: Heinz Tschanz-Hofmann / Photolibrary
• One bowl of mee bakso, MALAYSIA
Indonesia’s popular meatball
noodles
• A pack of kretek cigarettes and US$1 ~ 3.5 RINGGIT
a cup of coffee • 3 packets of nasi lemak, a rice dish
• A prepaid card to call overseas served with cucumber slices, dried
for an hour anchovies, roasted peanuts, fish
Photo: Robert Francis / Photolibrary and spicy sauce, and wrapped in
banana leaves
• 4 handcrafted paper fans to keep
you from overheating
• 2 servings of chendol, a traditional INDIA
THE dessert of crushed ice, coconut
PHILIPPINES milk, red beans and grass jelly
• A Burger Ramly, Malaysia’s famous US$1 ~ 48 RUPEES
customisable burger • 3 cans of ghee (butter oil), a must-
US$1 ~ 49 PESOS have ingredient for all Indian
• 4 baluts, cooked duck CHINA dishes
embryos seasoned with chili, • 2 sets of bangles (6 pieces each)
vinegar or salt – a high-protein • 20 strings of jasmine flowers
US$1 ~ 7 RENMINBI
food that’s believed by some • 3 bottles of hair oil (not to be
• 3 hours of censored Internet access
to be an aphrodisiac confused with ghee)
• A city map
• 10 strings of sampaguita,
• 3 zongzi, glutinous rice wrapped in Photo: Martin Harvey / Photolibrary
the national flower of the
bamboo leaves with savoury or
Philippines, made into
sweet fillings
necklaces or used as a
• 5 pairs of chopsticks
fragrance for cars
Photo: Mirko Iannace / Photolibrary
• A McDonald’s burger with
soft drink
• A kilogramme of fresh mangoes
VIETNAM

US$1 ~ 18,000 DONG

JAPAN
• 2 bowls of pho bo soup, a classic
Vietnamese dish made with beef
US$1 ~ 97 YEN and flat rice noodles
• A digital download of manga • 2 litres of bottled water
(Japanese comics) • Bicycle rental for a day
• 5 packets of instant ramen • A meal for two at a street stall
• A short rub in a vending massage Photo: Jason Lowe / Photolibrary
chair (which are everywhere in this
vending-machine-obsessed country)
• 2 pieces of sushi at an average
restaurant
Photo: Steve & Ghy Sampson / Photolibrary

128 ONE FOR THE ROAD IAN02.indd 128 7/1/09 7:00:53 PM