The Southeast Asia Travel Specialists Since 1999
Not only is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Yuanyang’s rice terraces truly spectacular but the town itself would be well worth a visit in its own right even if the surrounding scenery was totally mundane. The bustling little market town – perched on a mountain top – is the main commercial and social site for all the surrounding Hani…
Since being declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997 the spectacular and beautifully preserved old town of Lijiang has boomed in terms of domestic tourism – weekenders from Shanghai or Beijing – though sadly foreign visitors still seem to have difficulty finding their way here. China’s a vast country with tons to offer yet unfortunately many potential visitors can’t…
Pix by guests on this New Year special, North Thailand – Hills of Mae Salong tour. Songkran, the Thai New Year, falls on April 13th each year – corresponding to the Theravada Buddhist New Year, also celebrated in Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Sri Lanka. (The date for the Mahayana Buddhist annual celebration, in Vietnam or China, for instance, changes every…
A selection of pix from our recent Cambodia family tour, Ruined Cities and Tropical Islands. First up – a pavement haircut for Zach who quickly realised Cambodia was going to be too hot for a pony tail so…Barber did charge the ‘Barang’ rate of $3, claiming he’d never had to cut so much hair before – fair enough I guess!?…
As we see it a tour of Laos or Vietnam, should include a tour of Lao and Vietnamese food so here’s a brief run down on the All Points East meal thinking, or as we’ve titledit, responsible eating in Southeast Asia. Local food and meals are an essential part of any culture therefore an essential part of enjoying new and…
Just received some excellent Cambodia overland – photos from Gerry who participated in our recent Vietnam and Cambodia tour so, though there are way too many good ones to post here, (he claims to have taken over 3,000 photos in 2 weeks!), we’d like to stick up a few for your perusal! (Gerry’s captions, our comments.) Classic Cambodian shot –…
The Black Hmong sub group of Northern Vietnam are particularly well known due to Sapa’splace on the well-trodden tourist trail. Although the town itself is actually inhabited by Vietnamese traders and cafe and hotel staff Sapa is totally swamped on most days by Hmong from the surrounding villages. You’ll also come across the distinctively dressed Red Dzao, the more discreet…
Below, a photo fo a Flower Hmong girl taken at Bac Ha’s Sunday Market. Don’t intend to be patronising – these guys have as much right to a cellphone as anyone – but it does look incongruous next to their centuries-old traditional costumes! The ‘Flower Hmong’ or ‘Variegated Hmong’ is one of the numerous sub groups of the Hmong ethnic…
The famous Chiang Mai Sunday Market – known locally as just Walking Street – is a vast affair stretching from the tourist hub of Tha Pae Gate as far as the ancient temple of Wat Pra Singh in the Old Town as well as, taking in many of the side streets along the way. (In fact, it seems to grow…
Our Northern Lao tour continues today with a scenic ride across the mountains to the picturesque town of Nong Khiaw situated on the Ou River. (Or Nong Keow, Nong Khiau – there’s no accepted transliteration and numerous versions). We’ll stay at the small and friendly Nong Khiau Riverside – a charming little spot with individual Lao-style wooden chalets set on…
A few Northern Laos tour photos for your perusal with Wi having just crossed the Mekong at Chiang Khong this morning with her group on a Northern Laos and the Golden Triangle tour and now heading north into Laos where their first stop will be Luang Nam Tha and the excellent Boat Landing eco-resort. After spending Chinese New Year in…
The ruins of the so-called ‘haunted casino at Bokor, near Kampot in Southern Cambodia, certainly look creepy enough! (Apparently heavy losers at the casino frequently threw themselves off the conveniently placed adjacent clifftop!). Bokor Town, perched high on Bokor Mountain overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, was set up as cool, breezy kind of hill-station-come-resort for hot and sweaty French colonists…
Thanks to Sandra in Mulu and our colleagues at Fieldskills for this great shot of the famous Deer Cave in Mulu National Park in Malaysia’s Sarawak State. Now whether it’s still the world’s largest cave is a subject of hot debate and all depends upon what type of cave one’s talking about anyway, but it is certainly one of the…
Mu Koh Chang National Marine Park to give it its full name is situated in the eastern Thai province of Trat, abutting Cambodia, (or Cambodian waters to be precise!). The national park comprises of the mountainous interior and surrounding waters of the large island of Koh Chang, as well as the myriad coral-fringed rocks and smaller islands of the archipelago…
Khao Phra Viharn, or Preah Vihear in Khmer – and the famous 11th-century Hindu temple itself is 100% Cambodian, whatever various lunatic fringe Thais might claim! (Since most of the local Thais in that part of the kingdom – southern Si Saket Province – speak Khmer anyway they could have just kept the original name instead of the cumbersome Thai…
King Suryavarman I acceded to the throne of Angkor in 1006 after a 4-year struggle with rival claimant Jayaviravarman. Later inscriptions do backdate his reign to 1002 – presumably to delete any traces of his pesky antagonist – but Jayaviravarman, ensconced in the imperial capital, Yasodharapura, and a close relative (possibly a brother) of the previous monarch Udayadityavarman I and…
Interesting article on Vang Vieng Laos by friend and colleague Jason in Vientiane. Seasons greetings from Vientiane Laos. My name is Jason and I am Adventure Travel Manager for Viengchampa Tour in Laos. I was asked by Mark a considerable time ago to contribute something about Laos to his excellent blog. Having been caught up in high season here, and…
We are well chuffed to announce that All Points East was voted the winner in the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand)/Responsible Travel, ‘Green Awards‘ for 2010 in the ‘Best UK Tour Operator for Local Communities in Thailand’ category!!! Particularly pleased with ourselves since it follows on from our 2008 award in the same competition for best UK specialist tour operator…
So, weird food of Southeast Asia!? Well, durian, rats, birds’ nests – fair enough, but there are a host of other weird and wonderful food and drink items to be found in S. E. Asia. Some that will have you asking where you can buy a kilo to take home, some that will leave you totally indifferent and others that…
Unspoilt, pristine tropical islands are wonderful; everyone’s dream – we’d all love to be on one! Well, they certainly sound like paradise but maybe that’s perhaps only true in small doses and maybe the idea is better than the reality? We reckon the novelty may wear off pretty quickly so would you, in all honesty, want to be in paradise…