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From the Ground: New Luang Prabang Evening Chanting and Meditation Tour

Posted by Courtney Ridgel on (Updated: )  |  1 Comment

By Nicole Long and Jay Austin,

 Luang Prabang is known for its many beautiful and historic temples, and for the hundreds of monks collecting alms around dawn each morning.  For guests who want to enrich their experience by stepping into Laos’ spiritual world, rising before dawn is no longer the only option.  We now offer a new evening mediation tour!  This tour makes an excellent add-on and can easily combined with any itinerary.   We find that our guests love the chance to learn more about the life of the local monks and participating in this activity will add to feeling of serenity and peace that accompanies spending time in Laos. Participating in this Chanting and Mediation tour also gives travelers the opportunity to help give back to the local community through the temple donation included.

Here’s what the new Evening Chanting and Meditation Tour looks like:

This evening, at approximately 5:30pm you will join your guide at Wat Nong Temple for the monks’ evening chanting and meditation. You will have the opportunity to absorb the sounds of the monks chanting as you take in the splendor of the gold stenciling and woodwork of Wat Nong, located in the heart of Luang Prabang’s old town. After chanting, the abbot of the temple will lead the monks in meditation. Your guide will help translate if needed for your introduction to their meditation practice. At the end of the session, you and your guide will give a donation offering to the temple before departing for dinner at a local Lao restaurant.… Read more »

Exotic foodie tours along the Cambodian coast

Posted by Courtney Ridgel on (Updated: )  |  Leave a comment
Photo Courtesy of Knai Bang Chatt

The Cambodian coast has been getting a lot of publicity lately, and we love all the options that are coming available.  This region is still rather undeveloped, so traveling here will likely not be your typical beach vacation (unless you go ultra-luxury for a stay at Song Saa Private Island).  One of our favorite hotels in this area, Knai Bang Chatt is offering some new tour options to spice up your time at the beach. 

Photo Courtesy of Knai Bang Chatt

CAMBODIAN COOKING EXPERIENCE

Often overlooked in favor of its neighbors more popular Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, Cambodian food has recently garnered praise from chefs around the world for its use of fresh spices and unique blend of contrasting flavors and textures.  Some of the favorite dishes include Fish Amok, Banana Blossom Salad, and Mango Salad. Your half-day cooking course starts with a visit to the famous Crab Market where the chefs will introduce and explain the various spices and local produce on offer. Here you will learn to identify local ingredients and understand the importance of seasonality in Khmer cooking. Once back at the resort, your private chef will assist you in preparing 3-4 traditional Cambodian dishes which you will enjoy together at the end of the class.

Photo Courtesy of Knai Bang Chatt

PRIVATE ROOFTOP DINNER

At 6:30pm this evening, you will be escorted to a private rooftop terrace overlooking the gardens to the sea where you will enjoy sunset with a glass of sparkling wine in your very own private location. Once the sun has set, your dining experience will begin as you are served a 4 course, wine paired meal by candle light.

Photo Courtesy of Knai Bang Chatt

SAILING CLUB FLOATING DINNER

You will be transferred to the Sailing Club Pier and escorted to your dining location at the end of the private jetty for your meal this evening. You will be greeted with a welcome cocktail and enjoy the sunset over the water as your 3 course meals is served in this stunning private location.

There are a plethora of other options in this area that we offer for our guests as well, including visits to the nearby national park, exploring the abandoned villas of the colonial period or a local cave, trying your hand at fishing in the local style, visiting the nearby villages and pepper farms or spending the day relaxing on an island with your own private BBQ.   

For other unique beach options along the Cambodia coast, check out our blogs about Koh Rong Sanloem and Lazy Beach – Both locations were recently featured in National Geographic as being among the best beaches in the world!

Photo Courtesy of Knai Bang Chatt
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From the Ground: The Siem Reap, Cambodia Boutique Shopping Tour

Posted by Courtney Ridgel on (Updated: )  |  1 Comment

By Jay Austin

We always provide our guests with ‘Cheat Sheets’ that list our favorite shopping and restaurant suggestions.  However, we’re taking it to the next level!  Our new Siem Reap Shopping Tour is a great way for guests to experience the boutique side of Siem Reap.  This tour provides the perfect ‘girls’ day out’ which begins with cocktails before stepping out for some serious shopping, and is led by either Jay or Naida – Siem Reap’s shopping experts!

Here’s what the new Shopping Tour looks like:

Your driver will collect you from your hotel at 2pm to begin your boutique shopping experience.  This afternoon you will have the opportunity to visit some of Siem Reap’s finest boutique stores and experience creativity inspired from across the globe. You will begin your afternoon with a visit to the trendy Kandal Village, a street lined with boutique stores of all types and tastes from clothing to homewares.

From here you will move on to visit the Eric Raisina Couture House where you will find some of Asia’s finest textiles.  Eric Raisina is a world renowned textile designer born in Madagascar whose career has included highlights such as producing textiles for Yves Saint- Laurent and Christian Lacroix.

From here you will return to the center of Siem Reap city to visit the well populated Alley West, a small laneway in the center of town offering a diverse range of boutique stores from fashion, to ceramics, to swimwear.

Your final stop on this boutique exploration is the Kings Road complex, a newly developed shopping area housing photography galleries, vintage stores and in the center of it all lies the Made in Cambodia Market offering a range of individually styled souvenirs to suit all tastes. The Kings Road complex is home to some of the restaurants on our cheat sheet if you would like to stay for dinner or you can have your driver take you back to the hotel with all of your purchases.

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Thank you from Wendell Alderson & Ken Nather

Posted by Courtney Ridgel on (Updated: )  |  1 Comment
Photo Credit: Wendell Alderson & Ken Nather

Our mission is to make each and every trip a unique and memorable experience, so we especially love it when we hear back from guests and get to see their photos.  This note and these photos are from Journeys Within guests, Wendell Alderson and Ken Nather:

We loved our holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia.  You did a great job picking out hotels and things for us to do that matched the way we travel. There seemed to be enough down time for Ken and I to explore on our own which we love to do. Thanks for that.

We really enjoyed the moped tours of the HCMC and Hoi An. That was one of our highlights.

The staff at every place was stayed was above and beyond our expectation. Everyone so very nice and accommodating to us.  Ending our holiday at a beach resort was perfect. Loved the place we stayed.

I liked having some flexibility as well. When we got to Siem Reap it was very hot in the afternoons. After speaking with the guide we changed our bike ride to a morning ride instead of an afternoon ride. We drove to the village for the tour and that was great and the next am at 7 we did a bike ride around Angkor Tom and the jungle area. That was perfect. Each day there we were done touring/biking by 2pm and back at the pool with a drink in our hand.

The bike rides were leisurely and very beautiful. I know we would never have seen these areas without the bike rides. We loved our lunch the day we did our bike ride outside of Ha Noi. We learned how to make spring rolls and even shopped in the market for the ingredients.

Thanks again for wonderful holiday.

Best, Wendell & Ken

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From the Ground: New Kanchanaburi Tour with Elephants

Posted by Courtney Ridgel on (Updated: )  |  1 Comment

By Nicole Long & Jay Austin,

We are excited to announce a new 2 day Kanchanaburi Option.  Kanachanaburi is beautiful and for guests with the time, we highly recommend visiting this region to take in more of Thailand’s recent history and beautiful countryside.  This particular option combines the historical significance of the area with a more active, philanthropic element with a visit to ElephantsWorld. This nonprofit organization was founded in 2008 and considers itself a “retirement home” for elephants who are too old or have become injured working in the tourism industry.  We love this tour option for returning guests who have been to Thailand before, and want to spend time with elephants in a sustainable setting, without needing to return to Chiang Mai.  This option is also great for families as there are discounted rates for kids aged 4-11, and children under 3 years are free!

Here’s what you can expect from this two-day tour, which can be combined with any itinerary:

Day 1: Bridge Over The River Kwai

You will be met at your hotel in Bangkok at 7:00am and taken by minivan to Kanchanburi. Enjoy the beautiful views along the way, with your guide available to answer any questions you may have. Your first stop will be the WWII Museum and Donrak POW Cemetery, before continuing on to the infamous bridge over the River Kwai. You can walk across the bridge and take some time to soak up the atmosphere and watch the river go by before taking the original “death railway” train to Krasae station, stopping for lunch at a local restaurant. Later you will board a long-tailed boat and head up river to your hotel with wonderful views of the jungle along the way. After checking in to your floating accommodation, enjoy your dinner before watching a Traditional Mon Dance performance.

Day 2: ElephantsWorld Day Program

After an early breakfast, check out of your hotel and coast down river to meet your driver, who will transfer you ElphantsWorld’s camp, located approximately an hour from the town of Kanchanburi.  When you arrive at the camp, you’ll join the other participants for your introduction to the camp and ElephantsWorld’s mission, which is to provide sanctuary for sick, old, disabled, abused and rescued elephants. You will have the opportunity to meet and feed the elephants and meet their mahouts. You will assist with preparing food for the elephants by cleaning fruits and vegetables, and preparing sticky rice for the elderly giants. Afterwards, you and the group will break for lunch. Work off your lunch by planting fruit trees and/or gathering food for the elephants’ afternoon meal before helping the mahouts to feed sticky rice balls to the older elephants. Then it’s to the river for bath time! Enjoy getting wet with these gentle giants as you bathe and scrub them clean. Finally, give them the fruit and vegetables you collected earlier before saying goodbye to your new friends. You will depart the camp at approximately 4pm and head back to Bangkok.

Please note: We recommend bringing a change of clothes as you will get wet in assisting with the elephant’s bath.

… Read more »