TIMELESS
A Decade
When you came, you were like red wine and honey, And the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness. Now you are like morning bread, Smooth and pleasant. I hardly taste you at all for I know your savour, But I am completely nourished.
– Amy Lowell

Best of COVERS
When ASIAN Geographic started, it was with a mission to bring Asia’s hidden marvels and enlightening secrets to the world. Every issue is a keepsake as its contents speak of the celebration of what it is to be Asian in Asia. This celebratory issue starts of with ASIAN Geographic's Best Of Covers. In this industry, we ultimately judge a magazine by its cover. It is the face of what lies beneath, and every issue, ASIAN Geographic has displayed the best of Asia to the world, promising continued tales of cultural richness and real social concerns within this colourful region. Intriguing, eye-catching and unforgettable, this is the Best Of ASIAN Geographic.

Best of PHOTOGRAPHY
Because a picture is worth a thousand words, ASIAN Geographic has been celebrating photography since its formative years, bringing the best of Asia by presenting its visual soul. Someone once said, "I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programmes because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it." With this in mind, we honour ASIAN Geographic's Best Of Photography.

Best of HERITAGE
... that which makes us who we are, our culture. By the 20th century, more than 164 defi nitions of culture was amassed. Yet in Asia's melting pot of ancient and colourful traditions, appreciation trumps defi nitions. Indeed, as Mohandas Gandhi aptly puts it, "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." 'Nu said.

Best of EXPLORATION
A journey of discovery...
The past decade of exploration by ASIAN Geographic’s fi eld editors and contributors has presented a plethora of stories that have emerged from Asia’s unexplored regions. Many have also delved straight into the heart of current and controversial issues. This is the best of journeys over the years.

Best of CONSERVATION
"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children."
(John James Audubon, 1785–1851, was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter and painter.)

With this in mind, ASIAN Geographic celebrates the Best Of Conservation, in stories that have been pillars in supporting our environmental, cultural and animal legacies.

Best of NATURE
Celebrating the world as is, has been man’s greatest fulfi lment. From the most delicate of fl ower, to the ginormous dams of Asia, ASIAN Geographic has brought its readers the Best Of Nature (and the worst of man’s destruction of it) over the past years. We take a moment to refl ect and honour some of the most a ecting tales.

Best of SCIENCE
"It is through science that we prove, but through intuition that we discover."
(Jules Henri Poincaré, 1854–1912, French mathematician and theoretical physicist, and a philosopher of science.)

ASIAN Geographic commemorates both the wonders of science and the spirit of discovery.

Best of SOCIETY
ASIAN Geographic picks the best of stories that focus on the various social issues that plague Asia, exposing their origins and causes, challenging our readers to take action. In the decade past, ASIAN Geographic has scoured the land and the ocean, bringing the plight of Asia's peoples to readers, with the hope of making the world a better place.

Best of WILD
The Best Of Wild is a celebration of Asia’s unique animals, highlighting their history, characteristics, biology and behaviour. In addition, Wild has been educating readers on the di erent threats that the various species have been facing.

Best of ARTS
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward signifi cance." – Aristotle

ASIAN Geographic has been celebrating the most thought-provoking artistic movements in Asia, as well as revisiting some of Asia’s greatest lost art.

HIGHLIGHTS
Rising demand for Asian pangolins
Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, according to a group of leading pangolin experts. Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. China has a long history of consuming pangolin as meat and in traditional medicine.

ELEMENTS
Birthstones
Ancient meanings and mythical tales remain
Birthstones have been around since ancient times, and in those days, they were believed to possess some magical force that could protect the owner or wearer of the stone. These birthstones were traditionally linked to the Zodiac.

TOP TEN
Asia's Top 10

ASIAN Geographic PASSPORT
EXPEDITION 2009
The Pushkar Affair
Camels coming through!
Once upon a time in the month of Karthik, Brahma, the Hindu God of creation, was looking for a place on earth to perform a special yagna or fi re sacrifi ce. Depending on the version of the story, he either released a swan carrying a lotus fl ower, or dropped a lotus fl ower from his hand. The fl ower landed on the edge of the desert in Rajasthan, and a lake sprang up. The lake was called Pushkar, meaning ‘Born of a Flower', and he performed the yagna here on Purnima, the night of the full moon.

MEMORIES
Notes from the Founding Fathers
ASIAN Geographic had humble beginnings.
The first few issues were completed out of a spare bedroom of our house in Holland Village (in Singapore). I was lucky enough to have the fi nancial support of my wife and used a contract completion bonus from a previous job as seed funding for the company, along with co-founder, Michael Aw.

WORDS OF WISDOM
ASIAN Geographic ISSUE 34/2006
Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever.
Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi (1869–1948)