While places in Asia rated highly on the New York Times list of places to visit in 2012, only two locations in China made the list. The newspaper's annual list starts with Panama and circles the globe, even including space this year. As a region, places in Asia received numerous mentions, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, China and Malaysia.
The first place in China to make the list was Lhasa, Tibet, which came in at No. 9, but apparently not for its rich Buddhist history or its stunning scenery. The Times' reasons for visiting Tibet started with listing the new luxury hotels the city boasts. While I have no problem with staying in luxury hotels, I doubt most travelers base their decision on where to visit based on accommodations, but rather choose their destinations based on cultural, historic or artistic features, cuisine or maybe just a desire to learn more about a destination.
Unfortunately, staying in a luxury hotel in Lhasa is not something I have to worry about, nor will I have to worry about staying in a no-star hotel there. As much as I would love to visit Lhasa, I can't because I do not handle high altitudes very well.
Moganshan was the other listing for China. The reason for visiting the mountain resort again started with luxury hotels; I noticed this was the case for many Third World countries. The blurb also noted that Moganshan, which is about a three-hour drive from Shanghai, was a former hideout for Shanghai gangsters back in the 1920s.
Are you going to China?
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