|
Sacred Travel to Burma, Cambodia and Thailand
The Strength & Courage of Two Cultures
Discovering the Wonders of Burma and Cambodia with an add-on portion in Thailand
January 31 - February 16, 2008
January 31 - February 21, 2008 (with Thailand extension)
The complete itinerary is listed below, but it looks much better if you follow this link!
Thursday January 31, 2008 (D)
Singapore Airlines Flight 25
Departs New York JFK 9:05 pm
Arrives Singapore 6:55 am (on morning of February 2nd)
Friday February 1, 2008 (B L)
Day "lost" in transit. You have a 90-minute stop in Frankfurt en route to Singapore
Saturday February 2, 2008 (B D)
Singapore Airlines Flight 25
Arrives Singapore 6:55 am this morning
You will be transferred to a hotel about 15 minutes from the airport so you can grab a shower and a rest before your flight to Yangon, Burma. Burma has very limited international airline service, and there is no way around this layover. The good news is that Singapore is extremely efficient, and you will be given a pleasant hotel room to catch your breathe and rest before your afternoon nonstop flight to Burma. (The cost of the hotel in Singapore is included in the cost of your trip).
Silk Air Flight 518 (owned by Singapore Airlines)
Departs Singapore 2:05 pm
Arrives Yangon (Rangoon) 3:20 pm
We will be met by our driver at Yangoon airport and transfer to The Savoy Hotel which is right at the base of Shwedagon Paya. This is a small, old, colonial-style hotel with lovely sweets and beautiful polished teak floors. The Belgian chef here (Yves) is phenomenal, and we have asked him to prepare a special light menu of Burmese and European dishes for an early dinner tonight. Your table will look out at the golden light shining from the neighboring pagoda (the most famous in Burma - stunning!), and we'll tuck you in to your soft sheets for a good night's sleep. We are using this hotel as a comfortable, quiet overnight. Tomorrow morning we will take the dawn flight from Rangoon to Bagan.
Overnight: The Savoy Hotel, Rangoon, Burma
Sunday February 3, 2008 (B L D)
The flight schedules within Burma are important to understand. There are basically four airlines. We are using the airline with the largest plane and the best safety record. All four airlines take off from Rangoon airport at 6:30am and fly a loop from Rangoon to Bagan to Mandalay to Heho and back to Rangoon. You basically travel with the loop (unless you want to waste time), and you set your body clock to a schedule of getting up early and going to bed early which works for the flights, the touring, and also the jet lag as well. Short of using a private plane in Burma (I am not recommending as the costs are quite high), we need to conform to the flight pattern that is used to serve the country. Our days therefore start early, and we will travel in a clockwise direction around Burma. Throughout our adventure in Burma we will stay on an "early to bed - early to rise" type of schedule as this best suits our destinations.
Air Bagan Departs Yangoon (Rangoon) 6:30 am Arrives Bagan 7:15 am
Our driver and guide will meet us at Bagan Airport and we'll take a 20-minute ride to our hotel to check in. The ride itself drops your jaw as you suddenly realize you are traveling amidst thousands of temples which cover the horizon every way you look.
Our hotel in Bagan is on the banks of The Irrawaddy River. This is the nicest hotel in Bagan, and you will find the setting lovely. The hotel even comes with its own 1000-year old temple on the grounds. It is a quiet, spiritual place, and we will spend two nights here to soak in the ambiance and explore this very unique region,
We have a private guide and private vehicles at our disposal for our whole time in Burma, so we can adjust our touring schedules as we wish. Today we'll head out for touring after freshening up in our rooms. The temples here are very different from those you have seen in Thailand and those you will see in Cambodia. Some of the Bagan temples are as small as 12 feet tall, and they range in age from 1300 years old to the present. This is not a dull day of looking out the window of a bus. The temples are all very close to our hotel (none more than fifteen minutes), and every drive is an exotic one.
Included in the day is a pizza lunch at a little off-the-beaten-track Burmese restaurant that actually does great pizzas and salads. You'll also have the chance to shop for two Burmese specialties that are made in the area - masks and beautiful lacquer ware. Costs for anything you buy in Burma are ridiculously cheap, and we can ship things home.
After lunch we will be visiting a very old teak wood monastery that is not on the normal tourist track. Rustic Pathways has begun to support this monastery, and while you are here we will meet with the monks and the abbot. The temple itself is very old - some of the teak logs and supports being more than 500 years old. It's a great place to explore, take photos, and absorb the ambience of Burma as well.
At the end of the day we will go through a walk through a small (not on the tourist route) village where you will have the chance to see what life is like in a Burmese village (think Thailand 300 years ago). I have included meetings with local people throughout your itinerary, but I am not mentioning them in every case they occur.
Just after sunset we'll have enjoy a traditional Burmese puppet show using very large marionette-style characters. It's fun and very Burmese.
We can arrange a massage for you at the hotel tonight if you wish. Then it's off to bed.
Overnight: The Bagan Hotel On The Irrawaddy River Bagan,Burma
Monday February 4, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is provided at our hotel this morning. The breakfasts here are served alongside the Irrawaddy River on the hotel lawns - a spectacular place to start your day. Next to the area where breakfast is served is a 1000 year old temple on the grounds of the hotel. There is a special feeling in this place, and you know even with your eyes closed that you are surrounded by a place with a very special history.
We will spend our day touring ancient temples and also visiting villages and spending time with small artisans. We will also take in a traditional village market, take a walk through a non-touristy village, and have the chance to shop for local art, silver, lacquer ware, and handicrafts.
At sunset today we will take a sunset cruise on the Irrawaddy River, and then head out for a peaceful Burmese meal in town.
Tuesday February 5, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is served on the lawn of the hotel overlooking the Irrawaddy River which is spectacular at sunrise.
Then we check out (painless here in Burma) and take the short hop to the airport for the short flight up to Mandalay.
Air Bagan: Departs Bagan 7:30 am Arrives Mandalay 7:50 am
(Note: I use Air Bagan because they have a modern fleet and a perfect safety record. We have a lot of short hops as the roads are horrible here, but the system is slick, and in most cases our guide or staff will be checking you in so you just walk through the airport and onto the plane.)
We will leave Mandalay airport and begin a very interesting trip up into the mountains which will take us to our final destination. We will be driving from Mandalay to the East and into the Shan Hills. The drive is about three hours in length, sometimes shorter, and sometimes a bit longer. But getting there is a real education in itself. We are stepping away from the major tourist centers that the government keeps under control and tries to make modern and bright. Heading off the beaten track and into the Hill Station area takes us into areas that are off the tourist track and very enlightening.
We'll have a lot of small adventures along the way today. We'll be visiting tea houses and a great French coffee shop in the middle of nowhere, touring the town of Pwin Oo Lwin by horse cart, and doing many other "local" activities. This area also has a very traditional market frequented by Bamar and many Hill Tribe people.
One of the areas we pass through "just happens" to be the training center for 20,000 young Burmese military officers, and I know where they go to hang out. This gives us access to (and a chance to look right into the eyes of.) a whole generation of 18 - to -22 year olds who are in the midst of being "educated" by the Burmese Ruling Junta. I like this area and this place a lot, and I look at this as a more intimate day of exploring what real Burma looks like. You will certainly go home with a better understanding of Burma than almost any visitor as most visitors are locked into package tours that only show the shiny sides of the coin.
Our hotel here is charming and fairly basic. It is a family run hotel, and although it is nothing flashy you will find the rooms clean and the staff kind and welcoming. Villages and small towns that are off the beaten tourist track offer great insights into real life. On our trip, we will use Pwin Oo Lwin and the surrounding areas as a way to look at real life in Burma.
Overnight: Royal Park View Hotel, Pyin Oo Lwin Northern Burma
Wednesday February 6, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is served at the hotel. Then it's off for a day of interesting touring in and around Pwin Oo Lwin.
Breakfast is served at the hotel this morning. The hotel is clean and basic, and they serve a pleasant but simple breakfast. Then we are off for some very interesting touring!
This morning we will be meeting with some monks who are friends of mine. There are 3 adult monks who look after 23 young novice monks. They have a beautiful, simple monastery which Rustic Pathways supports, and we will be spending time with the monks here.
Then we will move on to the Royal Burmese Gardens which are very close to the monastery. This is a beautiful place to take a walk and also to pause and meditate. It is a very large complex of gardens and forests that covers several hundred acres. This is a great place for our picnic lunch and some peaceful time to relax and enjoy the mountain air.
This afternoon we will be visiting two Shan Villages. These are off the formal tourist route, but we know how to get there and we have always been warmly welcomed. You'll have the chance to see how the Shan people live, talk with the monks, and learn about the differences between the life that the Bamar people have as compared to the life and opportunities that the Shan people have.
Included today is a visit with some monks that are good friends of ours, as well as a walk through the beautiful gardens that the town is known for. We will also explore a Shan Village, and shop in a very local market.
Towards the end of the afternoon we will leave the mountains and wind our way down to The Irrawaddy River and Mandalay where we will be spending the next two nights.
Mandalay has enough to keep us busy for a month, so our two days will be filled with some pretty exciting stuff. You'll be staying at The Mandalay Hill Resort while you are here - one of the nicest hotels in Burma. It's close to everything, has a wonderful swimming pool and the largest gym in Burma, and they also offer great massages. They have a business center as well, although please remember that you can not count on internet access or on reliable international phone dialing anywhere in Burma.
Tonight's dinner is at The Green Elephant - an elegant Burmese restaurant serving traditional Burmese food. It's casual and the food is very good. I like their tea-leaf salad and their fresh fish steamed in garlic.
After dinner we can organize a foot massage (small optional cost), or head in for an early night. There is not a lot of night life in Burma aside from visiting the Burmese Tea Shops which is fun and which we will do at least a couple of times while we are in the country.
Overnight: Mandalay Hill Resort, Mandalay, Burma
Thursday February 7, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is served at the hotel this morning. It's a beautiful feast to start off an exciting day of exploring Burma.
After breakfast we are off to visit a temple where more than 1000 monks eat in silence every morning. It's really something to see, and makes for great photographs. From here we'll go to see (and walk across) the longest teak bridge in the world. This also makes for great photos, and you get access to a whole bunch of odd and inexpensive Burmese handicrafts. The younger set will like some of the carvings and especially the hand-made bracelets, necklaces, and jewelry.
At lunch time we will head back into Mandalay town, stopping to see a village where everyone is a marble-carver. We'll have lunch at a funky, local-style, very tasty Shan Restaurant (I don't believe that the USA has even one restaurant that serves Shan food, so this should be a first for you!). Then we're off to see a beautiful, very old teak temple and visit an art market.
Late in the afternoon we will head back into Mandalay. We are going to jump on boats and watch the sunset on a beautiful lake just outside the city. It's a quiet pause and a very special sunset that will give everyone a chance to collect their thoughts after their adventures to date.
Dinner tonight is at Ko's Kitchen - a great Thai eatery in the heart of Mandalay. After dinner those who are interested in seeing the local culture can stop and have tea at a Burmese tea shop.
Have a pleasant sleep at the base of Mandalay Hill!
Friday February 8, 2008 (B D)
After a lovely breakfast at the hotel we will discuss with the group our options for the day. There are lots of sites to see in Mandalay proper, and some members of the group might like to take the day to relax, stroll the streets, visit shops, walk along the waterfront, take a cruise on The Irrawaddy River, or perhaps get a massage and then spend some time meditating. So it can be a free day for those who want one.
For those who want to go out touring, we will be heading out from Mandalay mid-morning to visit two of the ancient capitals of Northern Burma. These are about an hour out of the city, and we reach them first by coach and then by a one hour boat trip. The trip is lovely - allowing you to see life along the Irrawaddy River and relax as we cruise away from Mandalay proper. We will eat lunch away from Mandalay, explore in the afternoon, and return to the city in time for dinner. It's our last night in Mandalay!
Saturday February 9, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is served at The Mandalay Hill Resort this morning. You will then transfer to Mandalay airport for the twenty minute flight down to Inle Lake. Due to the road system in Burma, the drive between these two points would be 11-12 hours, so we use the plane.
Air Bagan: Departs Mandalay 7:55 am Arrives Heho (Inle Lake Area) 8:20 am
Landing at Heho Airport (add this airport to your weird places I have landed list) takes us into the mountains. This area is populated by Shan, Pa O, and Inta people - each with its own unique dress, its own unique language, and its own distinct culture. If you haven't read Amy Tan's book Saving Fish From Drowning, then you may want to bring it with you and start to read it now. The majority of the book is set in this area and the storyline revolves around a tour group whose tour leader dies but joins them on their trip through Burma in spirit only. The group is "kidnapped" here in Inle Lake by a group of Hill Tribe people who believe one of them is a God. It's a funny book and a great story, and it is set right where you will be staying!
From the airport we'll stop at a local market (real colorful), and then head out to the pier where we will catch a small, chartered boat (we'll actually probably end up in 6 or 7 small boats) for the trip to our hotel. We will have these same boats and drivers for our whole time here, and all of the touring we do here is by boat as all of the villages are either floating on the lake (cool - whole floating villages!), or built around the lake.
Without letting too much of the cat out of the bag, we'll spend our time here exploring ancient temples (one of which I think will blow Sarah away), visiting strange markets, visiting tiny villages, and learning about life in this very unique setting.
We will be staying at the beautiful Inle Lake Resort for two nights. It's a great resort in a really beautiful setting (nestled right alongside the lake), and it provides great access to all of the sites in the area.
While at the resort all of your meals are provided. In some cases we will be eating at the resort, and in other cases we will be eating "out" as sometimes we travel more than twenty miles away from our base to visit sites, villages, local markets, tribal groups, and "happenings" around the lake.
Overnight: Inle Lake Resort, Naunge Shwe Area, Burma
Sunday February 10, 2008 (B L)
Breakfast will be served at Inle Lake Resort this morning. Then we are off to the local market where you will see Shan and Inta locals shopping for foodstuffs, buying and selling buffaloes, and catching up on the local gossip.
Our day's touring continues around the western side of Inle Lake where we will be visiting villages, stopping at local temples, and learning about some of the beliefs and "magic" of the local Inta people who inhabit the villages which surround the lake.
At the end of the day we will stop in a village which sees very few tourists, and walk around the village as villagers wind down from their day's work in the fields and return home. This is a great chance to see real life in its distinct Inle Lake fashion.
Dinner tonight is at the resort - served just after the sun sets over the mountains. The cost of tonight's meal is not included in case any of you would like to go out or vary the menu. As almost all meals costs are included on this trip, we thought tonight would give some of you freedom to graze out or dine away from the group.
Monday February 11, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is served at The Inle Lake Resort early this morning. Then we jump in our boats with our boatmen for one last time (you will miss having a private boat and boatman on standby 24 hours a day once you get back to Ohio!) and head towards land and the Heho airport nearby.
Air Bagan: Departs Heho 8:30 am Arrives Yangon 9:15 am
In Yangon you will walk off the airplane and move directly to a private vehicle waiting for you to take you to The Shwedagon Paya or Shwedagon Pagoda. Kipling called this amazing construction "a golden mystery. a beautiful winking wonder." For many Buddhists, the Shwedagon Paya is the most sacred of all Buddhist sites in SE Asia. The golden dome of the central stupa rises more than 300 feet above the ground, and around the temple there are dozens of unusual and beautiful structures.
After touring Burma's most famous site, we will head back to Yangon airport where we will check in for our flight from Burma to Cambodia (Via Bangkok).
Bangkok Airways Flight 702 Departs Yangon 1:45 pm
Arrives Bangkok 3:30 pm
Connects Directly To:
Bangkok Airways Flight 909
Departs Bangkok 6:10 pm
Arrives Siem Reap (Cambodia) 7:25 pm
At Siem Reap airport you will apply for and receive your visa on arrival. You will need to bring 4 color, passport photos with you to expedite this visa process.
Then we will clear immigration and meet our guide and driver and make the short 15-minute trip to our hotel. We have arranged a light meal for dinner, and then it's off to bed as we will be starting our touring fairly early in the morning to catch the glorious dawn light on the temples of Angkor!
Overnight: City Royal Angkor Hotel, Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)
Cambodia
Tuesday February 12, 2008 (B D)
Breakfast is provided at our hotel this morning.
After breakfast we head out for a morning of touring at Angkor Wat. The schedule for touring today includes The South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon (the "big face" you often see as an icon of Angkor Wat), and The Elephant and Leper King Terrace. This will give you some idea of the scope and the diversity of the Angkor complex. We will adjust our schedule according to the weather and our own individual tastes while we are here. We have our own private vehicle and our own guides and driver so we can change plans and adjust our schedule here as we see fit as we travel.
We'll return to our hotel for lunch today, taking a mid-day siesta so you can catch a nap or grab a swim or perhaps do some shopping. Lunch today is at your own expense, giving you the chance to go out if you wish. The temples are most beautiful in the morning and afternoon light, so we avoid the heat of the day to catch these sites at their most beautiful point. It's also nice to have a break in the middle of the day.
After lunch you will visit Angkor Wat itself. This is the primary temple in the complex. Rustic Pathways has its own hand-picked Cambodian native guides who are specialists in the history of these historical sites. The trip we have organized for you takes in all of the major Angkor sites, but does not go deeply into the detailed history and finer points of archeology of the area. Most "normal" visitors are happy to see the major sites of this world wonder. Spending a week or more getting into the more refined points is too much for normal humans who aren't focused on SE Asian history or culture.
For dinner tonight we are going out to a lovely café in the heart of Siem Reap. Then you'll have time to visit an internet café and go shopping at the local street markets in the town.
Wednesday February 13, 2008 (B L)
Breakfast is served at our hotel this morning.
After breakfast we're off for another interesting day of touring. On our schedule today is Preah Khan, and either Neak Pean, Ta Som, Ta Prohm or Pre Rup. All of these are quite special, and based on the interests of the group we will pick which sites we are going to visit. Please note that you will not be going to all of these sites - just a few of the finer examples of this wondrous complex. Also please note that each of these locations is completely different and touring each of them offers a unique experience. There is no sense of seeing "temple after temple" as our experience at each is distinct. Also - we will be learning about Cambodian life today and one thousand years ago as we tour. We will also be integrating time to relax, meditate, or just "soak in" the spirit of these special places. In some cases we will go to have coffee or a light picnic at a temple. In other cases we may stop to hear traditional Cambodian music played in the shadow of an ancient Angkor site.
Lunch each day is followed by a siesta of an hour or two. The temples in this region are all best viewed in either the dawn or the dusk light.
At the end of the day we will board a boat and head out to see the floating villages. This area is only 20 minutes from the temple sites, and it gives you some idea of the lifestyle and challenges faced by the people of Cambodia. The boat trip is about an hour long and will provide you with some beautiful scenery, a good snapshot of Cambodian culture, and a great chance to take some fascinating pictures.
Dinner is not included tonight, allowing you to go out and sample any one of the great restaurants or cafes in and around Siem Reap. We are happy to make recommendations!
Thursday February 14, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is provided at The City Angkor Hotel this morning.
The first part of the morning is at leisure so you can catch up on your journal, get some exercise, have a swim, or catch some extra sleep. Around noon we will make the short trip to Siem Reap airport and take the short flight from Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) to Phnom Penh - the capital of Cambodia.
(Flight Details Not Available Yet)
In Phnom Penh we will check into our hotel, grab a light lunch, and then head out to see S-21. This is one of the most famous historical sites in Cambodia, and it has a sad and tragic history. S-21 was a public school in a middle class neighborhood that was turned into a torture camp during the Khmer Rouge rule under Pol Pot (1975-9). The fact that the neighborhood is so normal and the events were so recent makes the whole visit here deeply disturbing. You'll have time to explore each of the converted classrooms yourself, and meet with survivors of the Khmer Rouge period. It is not a "blood and guts" visit, but almost everyone here can feel the weight in their spirit of the atrocities that occurred here.
In the later afternoon we will board a chartered boat for a sunset cruise on The Mekong River. This is a great way to see the great contrasts of this interesting city - the royal palaces and the squatters camps are all in view as the sun sets over the Mekong.
Dinner tonight is near our hotel in a neat, local restaurant. Then it's off to bed as we have a busy day tomorrow - our last day together in Cambodia.
Overnight: The Sunway Hotel , Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Friday February 15, 2008 (B L D)
Breakfast is provided at the hotel this morning.
After breakfast we will be visiting The Killing Fields Memorial. You have seen pictures from this place, and it is an important stop. You will have time to explore the site yourself. David finds the most disturbing part of the visit in seeing thousands and thousands of teeth, bone fragments, and old pieces of clothing which keep making their way up through the soil to the surface. You can not walk through the site without seeing parts of the people killed here rising up from their graves. There is a very special spirit in this place - a calm, strong feeling that we all have a responsibility not to allow something like this happen again when it is in our power to stop it. I believe the people who died here often talk to visitors. It's not frightening to see, but it leaves a very strong impression on your spirit.
In the late morning we will stop for lunch in town, and then head out to see the small, lovely Royal Palace of Cambodia. We will also visit the National Museum of Cambodia (they have a problem with bats), and see some of the old, colonial buildings of the city.
At the end of the afternoon we make the easy trip to Phnom Penh airport and then take the short flight down to Singapore where we will catch our Singapore Airlines flight back to New York.
Silk Air Flight 607
Departs Phnom Penh 6:10 pm
Arrives Singapore 9:10 pm
Singapore Airlines Flight 26
Departs Singapore 11:55 pm
Arrives New York (JFK)10:55 am on 16 February
*** END OF TOURING ITINERARY ***
TRIP COSTS
The cost of this program varies according to the number of paying guests participating on the program. Please see the schedule below:
Particpants Price Per Person
8 to 12 paying participants $ 3835
13 to 18 paying passengers $ 3605
19 to 23 paying passengers $ 3535
24 or more $ 3490
Single Supplement Cost:
Please add $ 685 per person for those who wish to have a private room throughout their trip. This is subject to availability and must be requested when booking the trip.
Payment Terms:
$ 500 deposit due by August 15, 2007 for each confirmed participant
50% of remaining balance due by October 1,2007 for each confirmed participant. Final payment must be received in our Ohio office no later than November 15, 2007.
Late Payments: Payments which are received up to seven (7) days late will incur a $ 50 late fee. Payments which are received between 8 and 15 days late will incur a $ 100 late fee. Participants who are more than 15 days late in their payments will be treated as cancellations.
Refunds: Any cancellation received before August 15, 2007 - all funds aside from $ 100 per individual who cancels will be refunded. Cancellation received after August 15, 2007 but before November 15, 2007 - all funds aside from $ 250 per individual who cancels will be refunded. Cancellation received after November 15th but before January 1, 2008 - all funds aside from 500 per individual who cancels will be refunded.
Included Items: This itinerary includes all flights from Cleveland to New York and on to Asia, and from Asia back to Cleveland. Participants may join from other cities, and costs will vary according to the city selected. All accommodation, all food, all activities, and all admissions and fees for specified activities are included. Almost all meals throughout the trip are included in the cost of the trip as outlined in this itinerary.
Items not included: An optional five-day trip extension is offered in this itinerary and can be joined at an extra cost. Please speak with Sarah about this extension, or about her experiences at The Ricefields Base. Individuals are responsible for their own personal expenses while traveling, including but not limited to phone calls, internet time, medical expenses, shopping, and souvenirs. Drinks are not included. Gratuities are also not included, but these are quite modest in Asia.
Payment Address: Please make your checks payable to: Rustic Pathways and mail these to our Ohio office at: Rustic Pathways, PO Box 1150, Willoughby OH 44096
Or stop by our store in Willoughby and drop off your checks at:
Rustic Pathways, 4121 Erie Street, Willoughby OH 44094
Click here for important notes, questions or to book your reservation. |
