South East Asia Various

OUR KUMUKA ADVENTRUE

SOUTH EAST ASIA - January 4th to February 5th 2009

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia

I start by saying that we loved our Kumuka South East Asia Tour. Overall it was well organized, the guides were very good, though a couple of them (we had five in all) were hard to understand at times. All the guides went out of their way to be helpful and were prepared to answer questions, no matter how strange. One of our party was not well at one stage, the guide helped find very good medical treatment.

Most of the accommodation was excellent, all was clean, the villages on the Trek in Thailand were basic, but the villagers did everything to make us welcome.

During the month that we travelled there was a great deal of variety over and above the various temples and shrines. In most places we were given time to explore on our own - which we like. It is great to have a balance between being guided round a place and having time to explore on your own. Kumuka, seems to have done this well.

HIGHLIGHTS

Thailand:

Travelling along the rivers and canals in Bangkok.

Bridge Over the River Kwai and especially Hell Fire Pass, a memorial to the thousands that died building the Burmese Railway that is a credit to the Australians.

Trekking in the tropical forest and visiting villages, an elephant ride and Bamboo rafting.

Laos:

Spending two days on a boat making our way down the Mekong River in Laos was another great adventure. I loved the villages that we stopped at on the way. Overnighting in a beautiful hotel that overlooked the Mekong. The hotel was within walking distance of quite a large but interesting village.

Luang Prabang was my favourite town in Laos - a French influenced town built on the banks of the Mekong. Many interesting places to visit and the night market is quite something.

Vietnam:

The highlights of Vietnam were numerous. Two days sailing round Howlong Bay, with its hundreds of Islands was relaxing and photogenic. We were served delicious fish meals on the boat. I have a deep concern though, over this World Heritage site, because before long this area is going to become extremely polluted, as the affluent from the hundreds of boats out there is all poured into the sea.

Hue, Hoi An and Dalat were my favourite cities. We were given plenty of time to explore. Hue we were taxied round on tricycles, Hoi An we made our way out into the countryside on bikes and in Dalat we were pinion riders on motor scooters - lots of fun. Cu Chi (the underground tunnels) and the Mekong Delta were also interesting places to visit.

Cambodia:

It is quite a shock to visit S21 and the Killing Fields in Phenom Penh - a sombre reminder of how, at times, humans treat each other.

Angkor Wat of course was Cambodia's spectacle - this amazing place is a must to visit and a visit is the only way to realize just how beautiful it is now and even more so when it was built all those years ago.

I also enjoyed a visit to Tonle Sap - a river/lake that reverses it's flow.

This tour of SE Asia, was varied and interesting. Having a small group (16) is ideal. I would certainly recommend Kumuka SE Asia tour to anyone. THANKYOU KUMUKA