YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE®

Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam 2022

Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13)

Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler,

At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these:

Whether it is the cities of the lowlands or the villages of the highlands, Laos offers opportunities for intimate interactions with the local people. You’ll experience the warm welcome of locals during A Day in the Life of a Laotian village, where you’ll meet young schoolchildren at a local elementary school— supported in part through Grand Circle Foundation’s World Classroom initiative. You’ll then meet members of the Hmong hill tribe, an indigenous people of Laos’ northern highlands, and step into the home of shaman who will delve into the time-honored traditions of his people. After a community-hosted lunch with the village chief and his wife, you’ll visit the village’s weaving center.

The most moving stories you’ll hear as you travel the world are from the locals who live and work in these areas, and you’ll have the opportunity to hear from local student activists when you visit Thammasat University in Bangkok. They will share their opinions on freedom of expression in Thailand. The students leading this discussion have been on the front lines of protest against the militaristic government, which they feel oppresses their freedoms.

The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can.

To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests.

So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925.

Love and peace,

Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel

P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking.

USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler

2 CONTENTS

A Letter from Harriet Lewis ...... 2 The O.A.T. Difference...... 4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ...... 6 Grand Circle Foundation...... 8 The Leader in Solo Travel ...... 9

ANCIENT KINGDOMS: THAILAND, ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: LAOS, CAMBODIA & VIETNAM CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Your Adventure at a Glance: The Culture of Southeast Asia ...... 93 Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Religion and Religious Observances ...... 93 and What’s Included ...... 10 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ...... 12 Shipping & More ...... 101 Optional Tours ...... 39 Pre-Trip Extensions ...... 40 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Post-Trip Extensions ...... 51 Thailand...... 105 Dates & Prices ...... 65 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 105 Thailand: A Brief History ...... 106 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Laos...... 107 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. . . 66 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 107 Laos: A Brief History ...... 107 Visas Required ...... 67 Cambodia ...... 108 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ...... 69 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 108 Vaccines Required ...... 70 Cambodia: A Brief History ...... 109 Money Matters: Local Currency & Tipping Guidelines...... 73 Vietnam ...... 110 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 110 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 78 Vietnam: A Brief History ...... 111 Optional Tours ...... 78 Burma...... 112 Optional Tours: Reserve Before You Go .... 79 Communicating with Home from Abroad . . 79 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 112 Burma: A Brief History ...... 113 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . . . 82 114 Suggested Packing Lists ...... 84 Sri Lanka ...... Electricity Abroad ...... 87 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 114 Sri Lanka: A Brief History ...... 115 Climate & Average Temperatures ...... 89 RESOURCES Suggested Reading ...... 118 Suggested Film & Video ...... 122

O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures...... 126 Notes...... 127 Map ...... 131

3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in southeast Asia

This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are visiting, hospitality. so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the stories, food, OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES customs, hidden treasures and more. With 36 regional offices around the world, we are perfectly poised to leverage our local AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS relationships to deliver an excellent experience Engage with local people through visits to and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ by our team in Bangkok, Thailand; Ho Chi studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; Minh City, Vietnam; and Siem Reap, Cambodia. and more.

Shop like a local in Luang Prabang's markets Savor local ingredients during a Home-Hosted meal

4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY En riching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Ancient Kingdoms adventure.

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT Let’s find out during your O.A.T. A Day in the Life GCF was established in 1992 to help change , an exclusive, immersive experience people’s lives in the world where we live, that places you in the heart of a community work, and travel. To date, we have pledged or where you’ll meet various people where they donated $200 million worldwide. live, work, and play; visit the neighborhood school; lend a hand with daily chores; and You’ll see GCF’s work in action when you visit break bread with our hosts. After enjoying an elementary school, supported in part by a community-hosted lunch with the Grand Circle Foundation as part of the World villagers, you will witness local women Classroom initiative, in a small village near creating handcrafted goods at the village’s Luang Prabang. You’ll join the students in weaving group. their classroom and get a intimate view into A Day in the Life the village’s education system. You’ll also This adventure includes have the opportunity to ask the teacher and experience of a local village near Luang students any questions you may have. Prabang. Your discoveries will begin with a visit to a local elementary school to interact CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS with the students and teachers. Then, you’ll Every culture has its joys and achievements, visit a nearby community, whose residents and we celebrate them all. But every place are part of the Hmong hill tribe, and a local also has its challenges, and to gloss over them shaman will show you traditional dress, would not do justice to those whose stories instruments, and tools used for hunting. need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES deserves more than a sugar-coated version of things. So our Trip Experience Leaders will Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds lead frank discussions on controversial issues, engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the and introduce you to people whose stories will things that can happen across a kitchen table, expand your understanding. so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join a local family in their home for a snack or a meal. This For example, we’ll visit Thammasat University is a rare opportunity to witness family life, in Bangkok to meet with local student learn local customs, and taste some home- activists. They will delve into the complexities cooked fare. of freedom of expression in Thailand. The students leading this discussion have been On this adventure, we’ll learn more about the on the front lines of protest against the rich culture of Laos when we share a meal militaristic government, which they feel with a local family in Vientiane. First, you’ll oppresses their freedoms. discuss daily life over a glass of a local herbal drink. Your hosts will share insights into the A DAY IN THE LIFE economy, education, and traditional customs of Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like the area before you help prepare a savory meal to live here?” when you visit new lands? of local specialties for dinner.

5 You're in control with THE FREEDOM TO PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE Exclusively with O.A.T. Your Choice. Your Adventure. Your Way.

It’s your adventure, so why not make it exactly what you want it to be? We offer an exclusive variety of options that let you tailor your adventure so it’s completely your own. In fact, O.A.T. is the only travel company to offer this level of flexibility and choice for a truly personalized experience.

PRE- OR POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS 2. Great value: All extensions include Every O.A.T. adventure offers at least one accommodations, daily breakfast, and optional pre-trip and one post-trip extension. airport transfers. Here’s why more than 55% of O.A.T. travelers 3. Continuity and camaraderie: You’ll usually choose to take a pre- or post-trip extension: travel with the same Trip Experience 1. You’ll maximize your discoveries—often Leader who leads your main trip, enjoying in an even smaller group than your main more of his or her insider expertise— adventure (on average, 6 travelers with a and more time to bond with the group. dedicated Trip Experience Leader)—and take advantage of your included airfare.

Optional Extensions offered with your Southeast Asia adventure

Jewels of Burma’s Irrawaddy River: NEW! Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean Rangoon, Bagan & Mandalay 7 nights pre-trip from $2495 7 nights pre-trip from $1995

Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, Burma Dambulia, Sri Lanka

Northern Vietnam: From Hanoi to NEW! Thailand: The River Kwai, the Hill Tribes of Sapa Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai 7 nights post-trip from $1595 8 nights post-trip from $1395

Rice paddy terraces, Sapa, Vietnam Chiang Mai, Thailand

6 ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATER breakfasts, and roundtrip private airport Extending your time abroad—with us or transfers. Here are a few popular destinations: on your own—is the best way to broaden • Istanbul: $745 per person your experience. It’s also a practical way to • Seoul: $845 per person maximize the value of the international airfare • Dubai or Hong Kong: $895 per person covered in your main itinerary. Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If the city Expand Your Discoveries Before you’re interested in is not offered, our Regional or After Your Adventure Adventure Counselors can arrange your airfare. Arrive early in the first destination on your COMBINE ADVENTURES pre-trip extension or main adventure, or stay You’re already overseas. Why not see more and later in the last city on your main adventure or maximize your value by avoiding the cost and post-trip extension. By coming early, you can length of another international flight? Here’s rest after your flight and adjust—with time to why 2,250 O.A.T. travelers combined two or explore. By staying later, you have extra time more adventures in 2019: to relax, pack, or continue exploring. • Save a total of $600-$3000 per person when This option lets you take advantage of our you combine two adventures compared to the lower group rates, with prices from $25 per cost of taking each trip separately. person per night—including accommodations, • Apply the 5% or 6% Frequent Traveler Credit private airport transfer, and daily breakfast. you earn on your first trip to your second trip. • Arrive early in Bangkok for $25 per • Sir Edmund Hillary Club members save an person, per night extra $250-$350 per person when booking • Arrive early in Rangoon on the Burma pre- multiple trips in a calendar year. trip extension for $75 per person, per night • Our Regional Adventure Counselors make all • Arrive early in Colombo on the Sri Lanka pre- the arrangements for a seamless experience. trip extension for $100 per person, per night Combine this trip with our Japan’s Cultural • Conclude your main trip with more Treasures adventure—for a total cost of $7790- time in Ho Chi Minh City for $50 per 10,190 per person—and save $1300-$1800 per person, per night person versus taking each trip separately. • Remain in Hanoi after your Northern AIR PREFERENCES Vietnam post-trip extension for $50 per 54% of our travelers customize their air person, per night itineraries: • Remain in Bangkok after your Thailand post- • Choose your departure city and airline trip extension for $25 per person, per night • Depart from one city and return to another Accommodations are at the same hotels where • Upgrade to Premium Economy or you begin or end the main trip and optional Business Class extensions, so transitions will be seamless. FREEDOM OF CHOICE NEW! Stopover in any major international city DURING YOUR ADVENTURE Travelers with O.A.T. airfare have the Our itineraries provide a balance of included opportunity to Stopover in popular cities. Your activities and free time so you always have the price includes 3 nights accommodations, daily flexibility to participate in included activities, go off on your own entirely, or do a mix of both.

7 GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION Changing people’s lives, one village, one school, one person at a time

ON THIS ADVENTURE … Dear Traveler, Since our inception in 1992, the Grand Circle In 1992 we established Grand Circle Foundation has pledged or donated more Foundation, an entity of the Lewis Family than $200 million to projects around the Foundation, as a means to give back to world. Here are just a few of the ways we have the world that had already given us so partnered with the communities on this trip. much. We’ve pledged or donated more than $200 million worldwide to support Tin Keo Village the education of young people and the Total Donations: $74,490 preservation of international treasures To help support the community’s basic needs, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and GCF funded community toilets, a water well, the conservation of natural resources for water tank and reservoir, and paved a sidewalk. future generations. Then, GCF supported the creation of a chicken Of course, none of this would be possible farm, so local families had a means of earning income while also offering something of without your help. A portion of the proceeds nutritional value. of every adventure is donated to Grand Circle Foundation—so just as your life will Minh Tu Orphanage be enriched by the discoveries you’ll make Total Donations: $376,374 on your journey, you’ll also help to enrich From a new kitchen, dining hall, dormitories, the lives of the people you’ll meet along the bathrooms and classrooms, GCF's support way. Thank you for traveling with us, and has been extensive and ongoing. To help the for helping to change people’s lives. orphanage become self sufficient, farm land was purchased to grow mushrooms and vegetables Love and peace, both to feed the children and to sell. Bicycles were also purchased for the older children to use to attend school. Harriet R. Lewis Chair, Grand Circle Foundation

SCAN ME See how Grand Circle Foundation is giving back in this video Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you directly to the video.

www.grandcirclefoundation.org

8 THE LEADER IN SOLO TRAVEL in southeast Asia—and Around the World

ON THIS ADVENTURE … FREE Single Supplements: We don’t charge The leader in solo-friendly a single supplement on this adventure and travel for Americans—by optional trip extensions—a savings of $900- the numbers $1795 per person compared to other travel companies. But single spaces fill quickly, so early reservations are advised. More than 50% of all O.A.T. travelers are women who travel solo One of our most popular trips for solo travelers. More than 1350 solo travelers joined us on this adventure in 2018 and In 2022, we’re offering 30,000 2019—either independently or sharing singles spaces across all O.A.T. a room with a mother, daughter, sister, adventures. That’s 86% more than or friend. offered in 2019 High ratings: More than 93% of these solo travelers rated their adventure excellent. 92% of our 30,000 single spaces On average, half of your group will also have FREE Single Supplements. The be traveling independently, so it’s easy remaining 8% have the lowest single to forge special bonds as you experience supplements in the industry. unforgettable moments together.

You’ll be in good hands, thanks to your In 2022, we’re offering 25 exclusive dedicated local Trip Experience Leader (a women’s departures on some of our resident of southeast Asia), and the expertise most popular itineraries of our regional office teams in Bangkok, Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Siem Reap, Cambodia. NEW! 101+ SCAN ME Increased Single Space: In 2022, we have Tips for Solo 36% more single spaces than in 2019, Women Travelers with up to 8 single spaces per departure. See available FREE single space at This complimentary, 96-page booklet is a comprehensive www.oattravel.com/lvc2022. collection of savvy tips Exclusive Women’s Departures: We are specifically for seasoned women travelers going solo. Learn about thrilled to offer a women-only departure of safety for solos, packing like a pro, Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia the best travel apps, self-care on & Vietnam: February 18, 2022. Space is the road, and more. Scan this code limited so don’t delay. Join our traveling to view an online copy or to request sisterhood today! one by mail.

9 Lower prices than last year—a value of up to $600 per person

Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam Small Group Adventure Thailand:ÖłėĴŋĴ̳Ά̳Laos:dŽÖłė”ũÖðÖłė̇māĴŋłė˜ĢƑāũ!ũŽĢŭā̇ÁĢāłŶĢÖłā̳Ά̳Cambodia: Phnom Penh, łėĴŋũÂÖŶ̳Ά̳Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Countries: 4 Ά!ĢŶĢāŭ̆6Ά1ƗťāũĢāłóāA Day in the Life of a Hmong village in Laos

Small groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! It’s Included (average of 13)

Explore in a small group of 8-16 40 meals—18 breakfasts, 15 lunches, FROM PER DAY DAYS • • travelers (average group size of 13) and 7 dinners (including 2 Home- $ $ Hosted meals) 4095 205 20 • International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel • 32 small group activities Including international airfare surcharges unless you choose to make Services of a local O.A.T. Trip your own air arrangements • D˜11œĢłėķāœŽťťķāĿāłŶ Experience Leader All land transportation and • Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and 4 internal flights • luggage porters mÖƗĢĿĢơāÈŋŽũ Accommodations for 18 nights • • 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward Discoveries & Value your next adventure—an average of $306 SCAN ME zťŶĢŋłÖķāƗŶāłŭĢŋłŭ̆ Watch our #1 most popular video Jewels of Burma’s Irrawaddy River: for this adventure Rangoon, Bagan & Mandalay 7 nights pre-trip from $1995 Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover Travel from only $285 per night the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you directly to the video. New! Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean 7 nights pre-trip from $2495 Travel from only $357 per night Northern Vietnam: From Hanoi to the Hill Tribes of Sapa 7 nights post-trip from $1595 Travel from only $228 per night Thailand: The River Kwai, Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai 8 nights post-trip from $1395 Travel from only $175 per night PLUS, see Dates & Prices for Stopover city options

Alms-giving ceremony, Luang Prabang, Laos

Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

10 Itinerary Summary PRE-TRIP EXTENSIONS POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS Mingun Mandalay CHINA Lao Cai CHINA Bagan Sapa Pre-trip extensions: 7 nights in Jewels of MYANMAR M (BURMA) ek VIETNAM o n Burma’s Irrawaddy River: Rangoon, Bagan T g H Hanoi Bay of A & Mandalay OR New! 7 nights in Sri Lanka: I Gulf of Bengal L A Ninh Binh Tonkin Rangoon N MYANMAR The Pearl of the Indian Ocean D LAOS From Saigon To Bangkok (BURMA) Pak Ou Cave Golden Triangle

G To Bangkok l Luang Prabang Elephant Chiang Rai u DAYS DESTINATION a

l g Eco Valley

f

n o SRI LANKA LAOS e Chiang Mai f Colombo L M B A B 1 Fly to Bangkok, Thailand a f U n o R Vientiane O n M Yala N.P. y a A a THAILAND r M S B ek Hambantora on 2-5 Bangkok Galle Matara g Hellfire Pass Indian Ocean THAILAND Bangkok Kanchanaburi Mahachai 6-8 Fly to Luang Prabang, Laos Ayutthaya Angkor From Saigon Andaman Sea Wat Bangkok CAMBODIA Siem Reap VIETNAM South 9-10 Fly to Vientiane To/From U.S. Tonle Sap Internal flight China Land route Phnom Penh Sea Rail route 11-12 Fly to Phnom Penh, Gulf of Cu Chi Tunnels 0Miles 200 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Cambodia Thailand Mekong Delta 13-15 Siem Reap

16-19 Fly to Ho Chi Minh City What to Expect (Saigon), Vietnam 20 Return to U.S.

Post-trip extensions: 7 nights in Northern Vietnam: From Hanoi to the Hill Tribes of Pacing: 6 locations in 19 days with some early mornings Sapa OR 8 nights in Thailand: The River Physical requirements: You must be able to walk 3 miles unassisted and participate Kwai, Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai in 5-7 hours of physical activities each day. Travel over some bumpy, unpaved roads; climb uneven stairways at ancient ruins; and walk over uneven ground. Flight Time: Travel time will be 20-27 hours and will most likely have one or two Arrive Early, Stay Later connections Prices below include accommodations, daily breakfast, and private airport transfer. View all physical requirements at www.oattravel.com/lvc2022 • Arrive early for your main trip or con- clude your Thailand post-trip extension Southeast Asia : The O.A.T. Difference with more time in Bangkok for $25 per person, per night

Our Best Value in Over 5 Years: Save up to $600 per person, and travel at the • Arrive early in Rangoon on your Burma pre-trip extension for $75 per person, lowest price and per diems in the industry. per night

People-to-People Experiences: Give alms to local Buddhist monks before seeing • Arrive early in Colombo on your Sri Lanka pre-trip extension for $100 per the daily routines of the Hmong people during our A Day in the Life experience. person, per night Plus, we have the special privilege to hear a genocide survivor’s touching story at • Conclude your main trip with more time the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. in Ho Chi Minh City for $50 per person, per night O.A.T. Exclusives: Watch traditional Khmer dances performed by local students • Remain in Hanoi after your Northern at the Champey Academy of Arts, an organization that few American tour Vietnam post-trip extension for $50 per operators visit. person, per night

More than 92% of travelers rated this trip excellent

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/lvc2022

11 Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

YOUR DETAILED ITINERARY

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL PRE-TRIP EXTENSION 7 nights in Jewels of Burma’s Irrawaddy River: Rangoon, Bagan & Mandalay

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 6 Bagan • Explore Bagan by horse-drawn carriage • Optional Hot Day 2 Arrive Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) Air Balloon Ride • Optional Lives Behind Day 3 Explore Rangoon • Visit Bagan’s Ancient Pagodas tour Shwedagon Pagoda Day 7 Fly to Mandalay • Visit Day 4 Explore Rangoon • Visit Bogyoke Mahamuni Buddha Aung San Market • Optional Beyond the Day 8 Boat ride to Mingun • Visit U Bein Rangoon River tour Footbridge Day 5 Fly to Bagan • Explore Bagan Day 9 Fly to Bangkok, Thailand • Village market visit • Ananda Pahto Temple

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

12 OR 7 nights in Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 6 Yala National Park morning safari • Controversial Topic: Challenges of living Day 2 Cross International Date Line with wild elephants with a local farmer • Day 3 Arrive in Colombo, Sri Lanka • Visit Yala National Park afternoon safari Pettah Market Day 7 Transfer to Galle • Explore Galle Day 4 Explore Colombo • Controversial Day 8 Galle • Visit tea plantation • Cooking Topic: War crimes stemming from the Civil demonstration & lunch with local family • War with a disabled soldier Sunset cruise Day 5 Colombo • Visit Hambantota • Day 9 Transfer to Colombo • Fly Transfer to Yala to Bangkok, Thailand • Begin main adventure

Day 1 Depart U.S. and outdoor swimming pool. Each of the hotel’s air-conditioned rooms typically includes a safe, Fly overnight from the U.S. to Bangkok, wireless Internet, a refrigerator, and a private Thailand, losing one day en route as you cross bathroom. Tonight, you can rest at your hotel the International Date Line over the Pacific. before exploring the city tomorrow.

Day 2 Arrive Bangkok, Thailand Freedom To Explore: During your three full days in Bangkok, you have the freedom to • Destination: Bangkok explore this vibrant city on your own during • Accommodations: De Prime Rangnam your free time. Below are a few recommended or similar options for independent explorations: Evening: This evening, arrive in Bangkok • Step back in time at the Jim Thompson where you will be met at the airport by an House: Visit the wooden teak home of a O.A.T. representative. You’ll take around one 20th-century textile baron for a glimpse hour to transfer by van to our hotel, which is of Thai architectural traditions and fine located in the heart of downtown Bangkok. Southeast Asian art. After working in Thailand Upon arrival, you will check in, receive your during World War II, American ex-pat Jim room assignments, and meet travelers who Thompson settled in Bangkok and launched took our optional Jewels of Burma’s Irrawaddy an international silk empire. Using the spoils River: Rangoon, Bagan & Mandalay or New! Sri of his booming business, Thompson salvaged Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean pre-trip parts of derelict houses to build a Thai-style extension. We spend four nights in Bangkok and home of his own—and he filled it with his depending on which hotel we stay at, amenities collection of paintings, porcelain, and statues. may include an award-winning Chinese During your visit, you’ll witness traditional restaurant, café, lobby lounge, fitness center,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

13 construction techniques, marvel at art from and the musical stylings of the so (Thai Myanmar (Burma) to China, and learn about fiddle), khong wong yai (circular gong), and the mysterious disappearance of the “Thai taphon (sacred barrel drum). Performances Silk King.” Guided tours are required; visits typically last 45 minutes; admission to the typically last 1.5 hours. show is included in your Grand Palace ticket. • How to get there: A 10-minute taxi ride, • How to get there: A 20-minute taxi ride, about $3 USD one way. about $5 USD one way. • Hours: 9am-6pm, daily. • Hours: Showtimes at 10am, 1pm, 2:30pm, • Cost: About $6 USD. 4pm, and 5:30pm; Monday-Friday. • Visit Wat Pho, the Temple of Reclining • Cost: Free. (Included in your Grand Palace Buddha: Witness the second-largest reclining admission ticket.) Buddha statue in the world at Bangkok’s oldest temple. In addition to its center- Day 3 Discover Bangkok • Local home visit piece—a 150-foot-long, gilded Buddha—Wat • Exclusive cooking lesson & lunch Pho also houses 394 smaller Buddha statues • Destination: Bangkok in adjoining temples. Try to spot them all • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch as you explore, while also admiring the • Accommodations: De Prime Rangnam marble diagrams and inscriptions that adorn or similar the walls. They were added in the 1830s for Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel instructional purposes, and Wat Pho now starting at 6am, with Thai and American is considered to be the earliest center of options available. public education in Thailand. It’s also the birthplace of Thai massage, and you may opt Morning: You’ll meet your small group to enjoy one during your visit. Modest attire around 11am for a Welcome Briefing at the is required at this religious site. If you desire hotel. During this briefing, we will introduce a Thai massage, it is recommended to reserve ourselves and review our itinerary in more one as soon as you arrive. Visitors typically detail (including any changes that may need spend 1.5 hours here. to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader will • How to get there: A 30-minute taxi ride, also discuss logistics, safety and emergency about $6 USD one way. procedures, and answer questions we may have. • Hours: 8am-5pm, daily. Around noon, we’ll board a bus and drive for • Cost: About $6 USD to enter. Massages are about 30 minutes to the Ruan Khun Yai house, an additional $8-$13 USD. located on the banks of the Bangkok Noi Canal. • Witness a Thai masked dance performance: Here, we’ll enjoy an O.A.T.-exclusive lesson on Delight in the drama of Khon, a traditional how to prepare traditional curry paste. During style of dance dating to the 15th century, at this 30-minute hands-on experience, a local the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theater. Khon woman will invite us to help her make curry. performers use brightly colored masks, ornate costumes, massive set pieces, and Lunch: At the Ruan Khun Yai house around martial arts-inspired movement to tell tales 1pm. We’ll sit down to enjoy the Thai dishes of war and heroism from the Ramakien, that we just learned how to make. Thailand’s national epic. The dances are typically accompanied by a singing narrator

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

14 Afternoon: Around 2pm, our hosts will lead which is a refreshing soup that uses coconut us on a tour around their house to see what a milk to tame the kick of chilis that are also in traditional home located on the canal looks this dish. like and to share insight into their daily lives. Evening: You are free to return to your room to Along the way, we’ll discover a Thai spirit rest before our explorations tomorrow, or you house, which serves as a dwelling for spirits may venture back out to experience Bangkok’s of the dead. These spirits may be connected to nightlife. the family or they may be previously connected to the home itself, but either way, the current owners of the home provide offerings to the Day 4 Explore Bangkok • Visit Grand spirits at the spirit houses. Our hosts will teach Palace • Controversial Topic: The fight for us the traditional way to pray to these spirits. freedom of expression in Thailand with Just after 2:30pm, we’ll board a bus bound for a university student • Chaopraya River our hotel, approximately 30 minutes away. dinner cruise

Around 3:15pm, we’ll set off on an orientation • Destination: Bangkok walk around the vicinity of our hotel with our • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Trip Experience Leader. He or she will point • Accommodations: De Prime Rangnam out restaurants and sites you may want to or similar visit during your free time here. During our Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s activities walk, we’ll stop to try some local street snacks include a visit to the student union at and drinks. We may sample hoi tod, an egg Thammasart University, where we’ll participate pancake that sometimes incorporates seafood in a conversation about the Controversial Topic ingredients, before washing it down with of freedom of expression in Thailand, led by a roselle juice or cha Thai, an herbal drink. This student member of a liberal, pro-free speech is also a great opportunity to practice wai, the organization. Read below to learn more about traditional way to greet locals by pressing your this discussion. hands together and bowing. The remainder of the day is yours to do as you please. Perhaps Activity Note: The Grand Palace has a strict you’ll take the Skytrain, a local transit system, dress code. Men should wear pants, women to the Jim Thompson House. Here, learn about should wear pants or long skirts that cover the fascinating life of James Thompson—from their knees, and both men and women should his success as the founder of a silk-making cover their shoulders. It is also recommended to company in Thailand to his mysterious wear shoes that you can easily remove as you’ll disappearance in 1967. need to take your shoes off before entering the Royal Chapel. Thammasart University is closed Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience to the public during semester examinations in Leader can provide recommendations on the May, July, and December, as well as for public best locales for whatever your preferences holidays. If your visit falls on one of these days, are. You may seek out a restaurant that serves you will participate in a conversation with a traditional dishes like som tum, a typical salad local activist about the struggle for freedom of made with green papaya and various spices. Or, expression at the hotel. We’ll also ride through if you’re worried that the spice level may be too the streets of Bangkok like locals when we hop much, perhaps you’ll try a dish like tom kha kai, aboard tuk-tuks(three-wheeled vehicles). We

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15 may drive over uneven and bumpy roads. This Over the last 15 years, freedom of expression evening’s dinner cruise is weather dependent, has emerged as a politically polarizing issue and water may be choppy. in Thailand. On one side of the divide are the so-called “Yellow Shirts,” a conservative, Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel pro-monarchy, military-backed party. starting at 6am, with Thai and American On the other side are the “Red Shirts,” options available. a younger-leaning, more liberal party Morning: At approximately 8:30am, we’ll who seek the ability to express their board a bus and drive for about 30 minutes from opinions—particularly those opinions the hotel to Bangkok’s crown jewel—the Grand criticizing the government and the Thai royal Palace of Thailand, a sprawling compound of family—freely. In 2014, the “Red Shirt” ceremonial halls, gilded spires, and ornate government was overthrown as part of a buildings. The city’s defining landmark since military coup on the alleged basis of corruption 1782, the palace became the centerpiece of a and disrespect to the royal family. Since then, new Thai capital called Krung Thep (City of the ruling “Yellow Shirts” have gone about Angels), known outside of Thailand as Bangkok. rewriting elements of the Thai constitution to It was King Mongkut (or Rama IV) who ruled deepen protections of the royal family, obscure from this palace, expanded trade with the public details of the military budget, and limit West, and was romanticized in the musical freedom of expression. The King and I. The focal point of the palace is A 2019 election was the tipping point for the Emerald Buddha. Carved out of jade and many young Thais: The election was presided adorned with gold, the Emerald Buddha made over by a “Yellow Shirt”-backed election a dramatic appearance in 1434, when it was commissioner, who declared the results in his found hidden in a temple stupa. Since 1785, party’s favor. In the face of what many believe the Emerald Buddha—the most highly revered to be corrupt and anti-democratic results, image of the Buddha—has resided in the Royal students and young people across Thailand Chapel of the Grand Palace. rose up to join the “Red Shirts” in protest. Around 11am, we’ll walk about 10 minutes The Student Union of Thailand, a nation-wide to Thammasart University. Upon arrival, university organization, joined together with we’ll meet 22-year-old Chutathip or Thai high schoolers to form “Free Youth,” an 21-year-old Napat at the student union to organization devoted to advocating for freedom participate in an hour-long conversation of expression. Since March of 2020, more than about the Controversial Topic of freedom of thirty student leaders of “Free Youth” have expression in Thailand. Chutathip and Napat been charged by the government for violating are both students at Thammasart University the rules of the new constitution. and have been on the front lines of protest For approximately 15 minutes, Chutathip against Thailand’s government, which they or Napat will detail their experiences in the feel oppresses their freedoms. Both have movement and share their hopes for the faced personal and legal backlash for their future of Thailand. We’ll then have about 45 progressive views. Due to the sensitive nature minutes to ask the student our questions about of this topic, we have kept their personal details this controversial issue. Keep the student’s to a minimum. viewpoint in mind for our visit to Koh Kerd village tomorrow. It’s a much more traditional

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16 community, and you may want to compare the feature khai yud sai, a Thai-style omelet stuffed village chief’s opinion of this controversy to the with ground pork and peppers and seasoned one we heard from the student today. with fish sauce, vinegar, and cilantro.

Around 12:15pm, we’ll drive about 10 minutes to Evening: We’ll cruise for about 1.5 hours, our lunch spot for the day. passing the Temple of the Dawn and the Grand Palace. Following the conclusion of our dinner Lunch: At a local restaurant around 12:30pm. cruise around 7:45pm, we arrive back at our You’ll have a selection of dishes that you can hotel around 8:15pm, where you may want to order, including pad thai, a popular fried retire to your room to relax. noodle dish that combines a variety of flavors and textures. Typically pad thai is made with beansprouts, onions, eggs, and seafood, Day 5 Explore Ayutthaya • Koh Kerd chicken, or meat. But what gives this dish Village visit its signature flavor is the fish sauce that it is • Destination: Ayutthaya soaked in as it cooks. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: De Prime Rangnam Afternoon: Lunch concludes around 1:15pm, or similar at which time you have free time to do as you please. Tuk-tuks will be available to transport Activity Note: Because Ayutthaya is a religious us back to our hotel, about 15 minutes away. site, visitors are asked to abide by the dress If you’re interested in exploring on your own, code. Men should wear knee-length shorts our Trip Experience Leader would be happy to and women should wear knee-length shorts or tell your tuk-tuk driver where you’re headed. skirts. Today, we will drive to Ayutthaya where Perhaps you’ll visit Wat Pho temple, home to we’ll walk over uneven, bumpy pathways. the second-largest reclining Buddha statue Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel in the world. The temple is also considered starting at 6am, with Thai and American to be the birthplace of Thai massage, and options available. you may want to indulge in one while you’re there. Or simply stroll around the city to take Morning: We depart the hotel around 8:30am in the exciting energy of motorcycles zipping and we’ll drive for around 1.5 hours to the down the streets, the fragrant smell of street ancient city of Ayutthaya, located about 50 food wafting from carts, and the sights of miles north of Bangkok. This UNESCO World skyscrapers located next to temples and parks. Heritage Site was home to 33 kings from many different dynasties. The capital of Siam from Around 5:45pm, we’ll gather at our hotel and 1353 to 1767, the city was once a place of such drive about 30 minutes to the pier where we’ll fabulous wealth that early travelers described board a private, traditional, wooden rice barge its “2,000 spires clad in gold.” While here, for a cruise on the Chaophraya River. we’ll see the preserved temple ruins of Phra Dinner: During our cruise around 6:15pm, we’ll Sri Sanphet. enjoy a memorable Welcome Dinner—exclusive Just before 11am, we’ll drive to Koh Kerd Village. to our O.A.T. group. We’ll savor traditional Upon arrival around 11:15am, we’ll travel as favorites like massaman curry, a hearty stew the locals do when we hop aboard a tram and flavored with lemongrass, coconut milk, take a ride through the valley to the village cardamom, and cloves. The menu will also chief’s home. When we arrive around 11:30am,

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17 we’ll sit down with her to discuss her role as small group will divide into even smaller groups the leader of the village, as well as how she is to ride in the jumbos, and we may drive over combating the issue of children abandoning uneven or bumpy roads. their traditions for more modern customs. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Lunch: Just after noon, we’ll gather around starting at 6am, with Thai and American the chief’s table for a meal featuring typical options available. Thai dishes. Morning: We’ll leave the hotel early—around Afternoon: Shortly after 1pm, we’ll walk about 7:30am—for the 1-hour drive to the airport 10 minutes to the village pier, where we’ll where we’ll catch a 1.5-hour flight to Luang embark the small boat that will take us back to Prabang, Laos. The ancient, royal capital of our bus via the Chaophraya River. Our cruise Laos is located on a peninsula between the concludes around 1:45pm, at which time we’ll Mekong and Khan rivers with green mountains begin our return journey to the hotel, arriving all around. Recognized as a UNESCO World around 2:45pm. The rest of the afternoon is Heritage Site, this is considered one of free for you to make your own discoveries. Southeast Asia’s best-preserved small towns. You may want to escape the hustle and bustle Upon arrival in Luang Prabang around noon, of Bangkok, without actually leaving the city, we’ll take a bus ride to the edge of the town. by taking a stroll through the forest-like Since large coaches aren’t allowed in the landscape of Lumpini Park. inner city, we’ll use jumbos, the local mode of Dinner: On your own. Perhaps you’ll seek out a transport that are similar to tuk-tuks. traditional dish like green papaya salad, a light, Lunch: We’ll take our jumbos to a local bakery refreshing bite made with peanuts and dried that serves typical North American dishes, shrimp. Or for something a little more familiar, arriving around 1pm. We’ll have a selection of you might try a fusion restaurant, where Thai western-style sandwiches and salads to choose flavors meet Western ingredients. from for lunch, and we’ll finish our meal off Evening: At leisure. If you haven’t have the with slices of pie and cake. chance to attend a khon (masked dance) Afternoon: At about 2:30pm, we’ll check performance yet, now would be an excellent into our centrally-located hotel. Depending opportunity. Or return to the hotel to prepare on which hotel we stay at, amenities may for our transfer to Laos tomorrow. include a bar and restaurant. Typically, each air-conditioned rooms includes a safe, minibar, Day 6 Bangkok • Fly to Luang satellite TV, coffee- and tea-making facilities, Prabang, Laos and a private bathroom. • Destination: Luang Prabang, Laos Enjoy some time to explore on your own • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner this afternoon. Along with its scenic setting, • Accommodations: Muangthong Hotel Luang Prabang is famous for the more than 30 or similar active temples and hundreds of architectural Activity note: Jumbos, our main mode of treasures that reside here. It will be like a transportation in Luang Prabang, can only journey into the distant past as we mingle with carry five to six people at a time. Therefore, our monks and local people heading to markets and going about their daily business.

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18 Around 5pm, we’ll gather and take jumbos to a exercises, and teamwork. Big Brother Mouse nearby night market. From there, we’ll enjoy an produces books for children that help them orientation walk along the Mekong River before learn to read, as well as encourages them to arriving at a local ferry station just before ask questions and solve problems. Big Sister 5:30pm. Here, we’ll meet locals who will share Mouse is the organization’s school, which nam paan with us, a traditional mixed fruit welcomes children and young adults ages smoothie. A rising number of women who live 3-23. During your visit here, you can play in the countryside depend on transportation on board games, read books, and discuss daily the river to get into the city where they make a life with the students. You’ll find that the living by managing these snack and drink carts. kids are eager to practice their English and We’ll discuss this profession with them during share their culture with you. Plan to spend our time here. While we enjoy our drinks, we’ll approximately 1 hour here. also get a glimpse of the daily routines of locals • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute jumbo who rely on the ferry to cross the Mekong River ride, about $3 USD one way. to get to their homes, markets, and more. • Hours: 8:30am-5pm, daily. Just before 6pm, we’ll walk 5 minutes to a local • Cost: Free. restaurant for dinner. • Enjoy a Lao storytelling performance: Every evening, the Garavek theater presents a Dinner: Around 6pm at a local restaurant, selection of traditional myths and folktales featuring traditional cuisine. from Luang Prabang. In an intimate, 30-seat Evening: Around 7pm, we’ll depart for the space, an English-speaking storyteller 5-minute walk back to the hotel, where you will delight you with insightful (and often have the option to retire to your room for humorous) cultural tales—from how local the evening. landmarks got their names to the legend of Phra Bang Buddha (the city’s namesake). If you want to continue exploring the city this Tickets can be purchased at the door evening, you may choose to stay in the center beginning at 6pm. Seating is unassigned, so of town where you can browse the stalls of it’s best to arrive early. Performances last Luang Prabang’s night market. Here, you’ll approximately one hour. find everything from clothes and jewelry to • How to get there: A 5-minute jumbo ride, handcrafted purses, pottery, and artwork. about $3 USD one way. Jumbos typically wait along the edge of the • Hours: 6:30pm-7:30pm, daily. market where you can grab one to take back to • Cost: About $6 USD. the hotel. • Discover the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Freedom To Explore: During your three days Center (TAEC): Learn about Laos’ diverse in Luang Prabang, you have the freedom to ethnic groups—approximately 50—and their explore this quiet town on your own during myriad micro-cultures. The mission of the your free time. Below are a few recommended center is to explore, celebrate, and preserve options for independent explorations: these cultures, as well as educate visitors about them. Peruse a collection of jewelry, • Visit Big Brother Mouse: Discover how this musical instruments, household tools, educational organization makes learning religious artifacts, traditional tribal wears and fun for children through games that develop various other textiles. Browse quotes, photos, number and word skills, strategic thinking

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19 and videos contextualizing the tribal expe- watch them demonstrate how to prepare dried rience in Laos through firsthand testimony. river weed before we have the chance to help Plan to spend approximately 1 hour here. make this tasty treat ourselves. Around 11am, • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute jumbo we’ll head back to our boat and continue on ride, about $3 USD one way. for another hour to the Pak Ou Cave. The cave, • Hours: 9am-6pm, Tuesday-Sunday. hidden in the underside of a cliff, is filled with • Cost: About $3 USD. thousands of Buddha icons. Around 1pm, we’ll return to our boat.

Day 7 Cruise the Mekong River • Village Lunch: Around 1pm on the boat, where we’ll visit • Explore Pak Ou Cave savor a traditional lunch, taking in the lush • Destination: Luang Prabang scenery that passes us by as we cruise back to • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Luang Prabang. • Accommodations: Muangthong Hotel Afternoon: We arrive back at the pier shortly or similar before 2:30pm where you can take a jumbo Activity Note: We’ll cruise for 1.5 hours in a back to the hotel. Or, you may choose to stay in traditional wooden boat on the Mekong River town where you can walk around to admire the today. To access the Pak Ou Cave, you’ll need to French architecture, pop into a bakery for an walk up steep stairs. afternoon snack, or visit the Wat Xieng Thong royal temple, the city’s oldest. Around 5pm, you Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel have some time to relax, explore on your own, starting at 6:30am, with Thai and American or you can choose to visit Big Brother Mouse, a options available. free time activity that will be led by your Trip Morning: We’ll board jumbos around 9am and Experience Leader. Here, you can discover take a short 15-minute drive to the Royal Pier how this organization aims to make learning where we’ll board a traditional wooden boat. enjoyable for children. Shortly after arriving We start our day on an excursion along one of just after 5pm, you can join the children the longest rivers in the world. The Mekong who will show you games, books, and more River, or “mother of all rivers,” supports some resources they use to learn. We’ll conclude our 90 million people who produce rice on the discoveries here just after 6pm. Around 6:15pm, surrounding 54,000 square miles of land. Also our group will gather and we’ll hop aboard home to more species of giant fish than any the local mode of transportation, jumbos, for a other river, this majestic waterway is said to short ride to a nearby restaurant. produce balls of light along its surface, which Dinner: Around 6:30pm in a local restaurant, the locals attribute to the Phaya Naga, or featuring traditional cuisine. Mekong Dragons. Evening: We’ll take a jumbo back to the hotel, We’ll cruise for around 30 minutes before arriving around 7:30pm. If you choose to stopping at Muangkham Village, an participate in the alms-giving ceremony early O.A.T.-exclusive experience. During our time in tomorrow morning, you may want to retire to this small rural village located on the shores of your room to get some sleep, or perhaps you’ll the Mekong, we’ll have the chance to interact grab a cocktail at the hotel’s bar and sit out on with some of the locals, and we’ll help one the patio. villager prepare a traditional snack. First, we’ll

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20 Day 8 Alms-giving ceremony • A Day in the locals. Dressed in traditional Lao orange the Life of a local village • Grand Circle robes, the monks provide a sense of calm to the Foundation visit: Village school inhabitants of the city each morning. • Destination: Luang Prabang Then around 6:30am, we’ll make our way to • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch a nearby market, where we’ll enjoy a light, • Accommodations: Muangthong Hotel local breakfast before heading into the stalls or similar to purchase ingredients for our lunch with a village chief later today. The chief’s family Exclusive O.A.T. Activities: Today, we’ll spend will prepare several Lao specialties for us, and A Day in the Life of one of two neighboring in return, we’ll treat our hosts to a taste of Laotian villages: Tin Keo and Nonsaath. America. It’s up to your small group to decide Regardless of which village you visit, you’ll what dish you’ll prepare. participate in a wealth of activities designed to help you see what life is really like in rural Breakfast: After returning to our hotel around Laos. With the village chief as your guide, 8:15am, you’ll have approximately one hour you’ll meet a Hmong hill tribe shaman, visit a to enjoy a cup of coffee or larger breakfast at weaving center, and enjoy lunch at the chief’s the buffet, which features both Laotian and home. Our activities also include a visit to American options. a village school sponsored by Grand Circle Morning: At about 9:15am, we’ll begin the Foundation. Since 2012, travelers have donated 45-minute drive to one of two neighboring more than $27,000 apiece to the two schools in villages, where we’ll enjoy an O.A.T.-exclusive: these villages. Travelers who spend the day in A Day in the Life experience. The specific Nonsaath village will also get to know locals at village you’ll visit depends on your individual the community center. Read more about these departure; however, both villages are quite activities below. similar, with fewer than 500 residents apiece, Activity Note: This morning, you have the representing three different ethnic groups. option to rise very early to depart the hotel by While nearly 80% of residents live in homes 5:45am for the alms-giving ceremony. Then made of wood and concrete, villagers from during our A Day in the Life experience today, the Hmong and Khmu tribes typically live in we’ll be walking over uneven, dusty, and more modest accommodations, with bamboo bumpy terrain. The local school is closed on walls and thatched roofs. The majority of the Saturdays and Sundays. villagers earn their living by farming.

Early morning: You may rise very early Upon arrival, we’ll be greeted by the village to participate in an ancient Buddhist chief, an elected official who is responsible for tradition: alms-giving to local monks. This overseeing village administration. While the is a quintessential part of Laotian culture chief earns a small salary in this role, he also and is considered to be a highlight of this supplements his income by working, as most adventure for many travelers. In the quiet of his neighbors do, on his farm or in the local of early morning (around 6am), we’ll take a general store. We’ll begin getting acquainted 10-minute jumbo ride to an area where we’ll with daily life here during a walking tour led by wait for hundreds of monks to parade solemnly the chief. As we stroll, we’ll meet and mingle and single-file through the streets of Luang with any residents we encounter, such as basket Prabang, collecting food offerings from us and weavers or rice pounders.

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21 Our walk concludes around 11am at the village local way of life—from ceremonial traditions school, which is supported by Grand Circle and natural health remedies to traditional Foundation as part of the World Classroom clothing, tools, and musical instruments. initiative. Lunch: We’ll make our way to the village chief’s Grand Circle Foundation home around 12:30pm for lunch. Using the ingredients we purchased at the local market Tin Keo Village School this morning, we’ll work alongside our hosts to Total donated: $30,276 prepare our American contribution to the meal. Partner since: 2012 At approximately 1pm, we’ll gather around Nonsaath Village School the table with the chief, his wife, and several Total donated: $27,760 children and grandchildren to enjoy the food Partner since: 2015 we’ve prepared. In addition to our own dish, we’ll enjoy the myriad flavors of Laos—fried Since 2012, more than $27,000 has been noodles, steamed pork with herbs and sticky donated to each of the village schools we visit rice, or spinach leaf soup. on this adventure—thanks to our travelers’ generosity. As we’ll learn from the chief during Afternoon: After bidding farewell to the chief’s our tour of the school, the donations have been family around 2pm, we’ll visit the village’s used to install electricity, add ceiling fans, weaving center, which is supported in part by paint the interior and exterior of the building, Grand Circle Foundation. Here, we’ll see the build toilets, and add a playground and a local women create handcrafted textiles, and library room. you’ll have a chance to try your own hand at weaving. The traditional weaving techniques Because these village schools are so and patterns are passed down through the small—with no more than 20 elementary-aged generations from mother to daughter. Many students each—one teacher is responsible for families even keep their own silk worms, all grade levels. We’ll have the opportunity to who produce the silk that is then woven into meet the teacher this morning and engage in complex patterns. a 15-minute conversation about the education system in Laos. We’ll also have the chance to Our A Day in the Life experience ends around interact with some of the students. They speak 2:45pm, when we’ll leave the village for the very little English, so you may be encouraged hotel. Back in Luang Prabang shortly before to help them with a language lesson. You might 3:30pm, the rest of the day is free for you to also participate in outdoor activities or listen as make your own discoveries. the children perform a traditional song. Dinner: On your own. You may ask your After our school visit concludes, we’ll make our Trip Experience Leader where you can find a way to a nearby community whose residents restaurant that serves traditional dishes, like are members of the Hmong hill tribe, an one made with black sticky rice. Similar to the indigenous people of Laos’ northern highlands white rice that we’re accustomed to, black rice that make up the largest hill tribe group in Laos. has a hint of natural sweetness to it so it is Here, we’ll visit the home of a local shaman for sometimes incorporated into desserts. approximately 30 minutes to learn about the

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22 Evening: On your own—you may retire to your population, the city still retains a small-town room to rest before tomorrow’s explorations. feel: Laundry dries in the sun on French-style Or, you may take a jumbo to the night market to balconies, and street vendors spread out their grab any last-minute souvenirs. wares on blankets and banana leaves.

We arrive around 2:15pm and take a short drive Day 9 Fly to Vientiane • to the hotel where we’ll check in. Depending Home-Hosted Dinner on where we stay, our centrally-located hotel • Destination: Vientiane should feature amenities like a restaurant and • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner outdoor bar. Each air-conditioned room should • Accommodations: Sabaidee @ Lao Hotel include a satellite TV, complimentary Internet or similar access, and a private bathroom. The remainder of the afternoon is yours to settle in or explore Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today you’ll savor independently. an authentic slice of life in Laos during a Home-Hosted Dinner with a family in Dinner: At approximately 6pm, we’ll Vientiane. In smaller groups of no more than 5, re-convene in the hotel lobby, where we’ll meet you’ll dine on traditional, homemade cuisine members of the families we’ll be joining for our and enjoy spirited conversation about local Home-Hosted Dinner this evening. To ensure customs and lifestyles. Read more about this an intimate experience, we’ll break into even activity below. smaller groups for no more than 5 travelers for this special meal. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel starting at 6:30am, with Laotian and American All of our host families live in either the options available. Saysetha district or the Sikhottabong district, two middle-class neighborhoods located Morning: You have the morning to relax approximately 30 to 45 minutes from our before we leave the hotel around 10:30am for hotel. Upon arrival, we’ll meet the rest of the the airport. We’ll stop along the way at a local family, enjoy a tour of the home, and begin bakery where you can purchase a sandwich or our cultural conversations. Because we’ll be salad to enjoy for lunch later today. We continue joined by several generations, our discussions to the airport, arriving around 12:15pm. will likely cover a range of topics—from the Lunch: After checking in for our flight to primary, secondary, and collegiate education Vientiane and going through security, you’ll systems in Laos; to local wedding traditions; have time to enjoy the meal you purchased and employment opportunities in Vientiane. We at the bakery earlier this morning before may even find some commonalities between our flight. our two cultures.

Afternoon: Around 1:30pm, we’ll take a Our hosts will also invite us to help them 45-minute flight to Laos’ easy-going capital. prepare dishes for dinner, which may include Home to nearly one million residents, Vientiane tam mark houng, a traditional green papaya is Laos’ economic engine. While commercial salad made with lime and garlic, and laab, a trading and tourism have long been the city’s spicy minced pork salad with mint. economic backbone, Vientiane has experienced a boom in recent years as a result of foreign investment. Despite its growing influence and

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23 Evening: We’ll return to the hotel around also come away with a good understanding of 8:30pm where you may retire to your room to local Laotian artistry. Plan to spend approxi- rest before tomorrow’s explorations, or you mately 1 hour here. may take advantage of the hotel’s outdoor bar • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute walk and lounge area. from the hotel. Freedom To Explore: During your two days • Hours: 8am-4pm, Monday-Saturday. in Vientiane, you have the freedom to explore • Cost: About $2-$8 USD. this bustling city on your own during your free • Dance with locals at Chao Anouvong Park: time. Below are a few recommended options for Every evening, women gather at Vientiane’s independent explorations: waterfront park for dance aerobics. You may choose to join them, or simply soak in scenes • Visit Carol Cassidy’s Lao Textiles Workshop: of everyday life as you meander through this Carol Cassidy is an American textile expert 35-acre green space. Witness families enjoy- who has showcased her craft around the ing picnics by the Mekong, joggers traversing world for decades, and brought her work to the paved trails, and dog-owners taking their Laos in 1989. Now, you can see the intricate, pets for a sunset stroll along the promenade. handcrafted, silk wall hangings, scarves, The park also hosts a lively night market shawls, and more that Cassidy and her team where you can find everything from jewelry create. In addition to perusing a variety of and crafts to tempting street food. textiles, you’ll also have the opportunity to explore the on-site hand loom weaving • How to get there: A 10-minute walk from workshop and gain a better understanding of the hotel. the diversity of craftsmanship from the Lao • Hours: Aerobics from 5:30pm-7pm, daily. Women Association. Plan to spend approxi- Park is open 24 hours/day. mately 1 hour at the workshop. • Cost: Free. • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute walk Day 10 Vientiane • Controversial Topic: from the hotel. The ongoing threat of unexploded • Hours: 8am-12pm and 2pm-5pm bombs in Laos with victim Phouma or Monday-Friday; and 8am-12pm Saturday. Tim Keokhiew & advocate Phawadee • Cost: Free. Keomouansaen • Meet a Buddhist monk • • Explore the Institute of Fine Arts (NIFA): C.O.P.E. Center tour Some of the country’s most respected artists attended this school, and now you can get a • Destination: Vientiane glimpse of where they had their start. You can • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch even sign up to take an art class during your • Accommodations: Sabaidee @ Lao Hotel visit and observe painting, clay, and carving or similar demonstrations. Should you be interested Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s discoveries in taking a tour of the institute, it will be led feature the Controversial Topic of the ongoing by either a student or teacher, providing the threat of unexploded bombs in Laos, which opportunity to ask any questions you may have killed or injured more than 20,000 have and learn firsthand what it’s like to be civilians since the end of the Vietnam War. affiliated with this prestigious institute. You’ll During our visit to the C.O.P.E. Center, which provides prostheses and rehabilitation services

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24 to survivors, we’ll meet with a victim and Keokhiew or his wife, Tim, both of whom a C.O.P.E. representative to learn about the were permanently disfigured by unexploded devastating impacts of this countrywide crisis. bombs in the 1970s. 69-year-old Phouma Read more about this experience below. lost both of his legs while serving in the Royal Lao Army. Tim, now 48, lost a leg and an eye Activity Note: Men should wear knee-length when she stepped on a bomb in her parents’ shorts and women should wear knee-length backyard when she was just 5 years old. We’ll shorts or skirts for the Wat Sisaket visit. also be joined by Phawadee Keomouansaen, Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel a representative from the C.O.P.E. Center starting at 6:30am, with Laotian and American who works with bomb victims and oversees options available. the distribution of foreign funds. Together, our speakers will put a human face on this Morning: We’ll set out at by bus around 8:30am interminable tragedy. to explore some of the famous city landmarks of Vientiane. Pronounced “Vieng Chan,” the Between 1964 and 1973, the United States Army capital of Laos is a slow-paced, friendly city scattered more than 2 million tons of explosives of some 600,000 people. First, we’ll visit Wat along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which Communist Sisaket, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Laos forces used to transport troops and supplies featuring more than 6,800 images of the seated between Vietnam and Laos. When this so-called Buddha in wood, stone, and bronze. We’ll “Secret War” ended, approximately 78 million have the special opportunity to sit down with live bombs were left behind. a Buddhist monk to learn about why men in Today, the majority of these munitions are Southeast Asia become monks and what their buried under peoples’ homes or in farmlands. daily routines are like—an O.A.T.-exclusive Because the economy of Laos is largely activity. agrarian, tens of thousands of Laotians face Then around 10:15am, we’ll arrive at our next considerable risk whenever they work the destination: the C.O.P.E. Center (Cooperative fields, and farmers who are wounded by bombs Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise), a often lose their livelihoods. non-government organization (NGO) that The most common type of explosive hidden in supports victims of bombs that were dropped Laos is the small, ball-shaped cluster bomb. To over Laos during the Vietnam War, but failed unwitting children, especially in impoverished to detonate on impact. Since 1973, more than communities where toys are hard to come 20,000 civilians have been injured or killed by by, these bombs peek out of the ground like these unexploded bombs. As we’ll learn from irresistible playthings. Unsurprisingly, 40% the staff members who greet us this morning, of victims within the last decade have been C.O.P.E.’s mission is to provide prostheses children. and physical rehabilitation to survivors and to educate visitors about this crisis. Of the 20,000 civilians that have encountered one of these explosives since the end of the Our own education begins around 10:45am, war, 5,000 have lost their lives. Approximately with a 45-minute visit to the C.O.P.E. Center 13,500 of the survivors are living with Museum. Then, around 11:30am, we’ll gather permanent deformities and require ongoing in a private room to discuss this Controversial medical support, long-term care, and financial Topic with one of the victims—either Phouma assistance.

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25 Since the early 1990s, foreign governments Day 11 Vientiane • Fly to Phnom have poured millions of dollars into Laos to Penh, Cambodia • Visit the Champey provide aid to victims and to facilitate the Academy of Arts removal of the unexploded bombs. In 2016, • Destination: Phnom Penh, Cambodia President Obama committed an additional $90 million in aid to Laos, on top of the $15 million • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner that the U.S. was already providing annually. • Accommodations: Phnom Penh Katari Hotel Unfortunately, bomb disposal and victim or similar support are expensive undertakings; the Lao Activity note: The Champey Academy of Arts National Unexploded Bomb Clearance Agency is closed Sundays and public holidays. If your is suffering from a budget shortfall of $4.5 visit falls on one of these days, you may visit million. And because the process for removing the academy on Day 12. Also, we’ll use remorks, the explosives is so slow and methodical, a popular mode of transport, throughout our experts estimate that it could take up to 200 time in Cambodia. Similar to the jumbos in years to clear all the live munitions. Laos, we’ll divide into smaller groups to ride in the remorks. During our hour-long conversation, Phouma or Tim will detail their own encounters with Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel unexploded bombs and explain how the trauma starting at 6:30am, with Laotian and American has impacted their lives—from obtaining options available. prostheses, to finding jobs, and integrating into society. Phawadee, the C.O.P.E. representative, Morning: We depart the hotel around 9:30am will share her experiences working with victims for the airport where we’ll catch a flight to and provide more information about how Phnom Penh, Cambodia around 11:30am. foreign funds are used. After listening to our Lunch: A light lunch will be served during our speakers for approximately 20 minutes, we’ll flight today. You may want to purchase a snack have 40 minutes to ask the questions we’re at the airport. sure to have. Afternoon: We’ll fly for 1.5 hours before landing Lunch: Around noon, we’ll head to a local in Phnom Penh around 1pm. Upon arrival we’ll restaurant for a traditional lunch. transfer to our hotel, stopping along the way at Afternoon: We’ll take a short walk back to our the Champey Academy of Arts, an opportunity hotel, arriving around 1:15pm. You’ll have free exclusive to O.A.T. travelers, as few American time to make your own discoveries. tour companies go here.

Dinner: On your own. You may seek out a The Champey Academy strives to preserve restaurant that serves Laos’ national dish, Khmer culture, and while here, a group of laap. This popular, and simple, meal is made of students will show us some traditional dances minced meat, garlic, onion, and fish sauce. that showcase the history of their country. Then, it’ll be our turn to try out some moves as Evening: On your own—you are free to return the children teach us a traditional dance. We’ll to your room to rest before your explorations also view some of the handcrafted goods and tomorrow, or you may venture out to artwork that the students produce here. experience Vientiane’s nightlife.

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26 We arrive at our hotel around 4pm and you’ll • Visit the Royal Palace of Cambodia: Admire have some free time. Depending on which the extravagant gardens and gleaming hotel we stay at, amenities may include two Khmer flourishes of Cambodia’s official royal restaurants and a bar. Each air-conditioned residence. The Throne Hall is the palace’s room typically includes a TV, Internet access, crowning glory, boasting a 194-foot-tall and coffee- and tea-making facilities. spire and a roof made of gold tiles. Beneath its ornately painted ceiling, you’ll witness Dinner: Around 6pm, we’ll depart the hotel three golden thrones: one Western and two and ride for around 20 minutes in remorks traditional. The hall is still used today for to a local restaurant where we’ll have a religious and government ceremonies, as well traditional dinner. as coronations. Adjacent to the Throne Hall, Evening: We return to the hotel around 7:30pm. you’ll find the Silver Pagoda, which houses You have the freedom to spend the rest of your more than 1,000 Buddhist treasures made evening as you wish, whether you want to of gold, silver, and jewels. The pagoda is a retire to your room to rest before tomorrow’s treasure in its own right: Its floors are paved discoveries or join your fellow travelers for a with more than five tons of silver blocks, and nightcap in the hotel bar. its walls are adorned with colorful frescoes. Visitors are required to wear modest clothing. Freedom To Explore: During your two days in Plan to spend approximately 1 hour here. Phnom Penh, you have the freedom to explore • How to get there: A 15-minute taxi ride, this bustling city on your own during your free about $3 USD one way. time. Below are a few recommended options for • Hours: 8am-11am and 2pm-5pm, daily. independent explorations: • Cost: $5 USD. • Learn about the Daughters of Cambodia: • Ride a remok to Riverside Park: Step aboard a Discover how this organization works to free remok (motorized carriage) for a ride through women from Cambodia’s sex industry, em- the heart of Phnom Penh to the waterfront. power them, and set them up for success in Soak in views of the Tonle Sap river as you their new lives through counseling, medical stroll along the tree-lined promenade, which treatment, and life-skills classes. The orga- culminates at the city’s night market. In nization also assists women in securing and addition to crafts and clothing, you’ll also sustaining employment. Hear directly from find ample street food options here. Consider the foundation director about the mission sampling a bowl of noodle soup, a platter of of the foundation and the progress made steamed steamed snails or barbecue, or a pod thus far. Learn how the resources provided of nutty lotus seeds. to victims promotes healing, restores their • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute dignity, and gives them tools to build a better remok ride, about $5 USD one way. future. You’ll also be able to hear firsthand • Hours: 24 hours/day. from former sex workers about how this • Cost: Free. organization has changed their lives. Plan to spend approximately 1 hour here. • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi ride, about $3 USD one way. • Hours: 9am-5:30pm, Monday-Saturday. • Cost: Free.

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27 Day 12 Phnom Penh • Controversial 25% of Cambodia’s population at the time) of Topic: The quest for justice at the Khmer the 1975-79 genocide. This execution site is one Rouge Tribunal with a genocide survivor of many throughout Cambodia. • Visit Killing Fields of Choeung Ek & Tuol The Khmer Rouge came to power under the Sleng Prison Museum Marxist leader Pol Pot, who sought to turn • Destination: Phnom Penh Cambodia into a socialist, agrarian republic. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Anyone who opposed those aims—and in particular, Cambodian intellectuals—were • Accommodations: Phnom Penh Katari Hotel rounded up, imprisoned, and murdered. or similar

Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: During our time We’ll spend around an hour walking through at the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum we will the Killing Fields before we head to the Tuol also meet with a survivor of the prison to Sleng Prison Museum, arriving around 10:30am. learn about the Controversial Topic of the We’ll learn about the atrocities committed here, Khmer Rouge tribunal. Despite U.N. support where more than 10,000 prisoners were held and funding, the tribunal has failed to before they were led to the Killing Fields. Out of achieve justice for the genocide survivors in the thousands of victims that were imprisoned any meaningful way. Read more about this in Tuol Sleng, there were only seven survivors. experience below. We have the special privilege to meet with one of them today to hear their deeply moving story Activity Note: Today’s visits to the Killing as we discuss the Controversial Topic of the Fields and Tuol Sleng Prison Museum cover Khmer Rouge tribunal. particularly difficult subject matter. While it may be hard to hear the specifics of this point In 2006, the Khmer Rouge tribunal was set up in Cambodia’s history, it is important to learn to seek justice for the victims and survivors of about to better understand the country’s Pol Pot’s genocide by trying the leaders “most current political landscape. You’ll also walk responsible” for these crimes. The tribunal is a around for approximately one hour on some hybrid court, established jointly by the United unpaved pathways. The Daughters of Cambodia Nations and by the Cambodian government, organization, which is an elective activity, is and features both local and international closed on Sundays. judges. But disappointingly, after more than 10 years and $300 million, the court has convicted Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel only three high-ranking Khmer Rouge starting at 6:30am, with Cambodian and officials—a blow to the remaining survivors. American options available. Instead, many of the genocide’s perpetrators have managed to escape trial altogether Morning: We leave the hotel around 8am and as a result of their positions in the current drive for 30 minutes to the Killing Fields of Cambodian government. Choeung Ek—a grim reminder of Cambodia’s bloody past under Pol Pot and the Khmer While millions of Cambodians have followed Rouge. It is almost inconceivable to confront along with the tribunal, either by attending the nature of true evil here in this gentle land, trials in person or by watching on television or but the Buddhist memorial at Choeung Ek online, many feel there is nothing to be done commemorates the 1.7 million victims (about to get justice for the victims, and they would rather not re-live the war. As we’ll learn, this

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28 puts survivors with a vested interest in the Evening: On your own—you may want to tribunal outcomes in a tricky position. To learn retire to your room to get some sleep before more about this, we’ll hear from one of the our early start tomorrow morning, or perhaps remaining survivors of the Tuol Sleng prison. you’ll visit the Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel Le While the survivor we speak with will depend Royal where you can grab a drink and explore on the day of your visit, all of the survivors this fascinating hotel. Built in the late 1920s, experienced unimaginable horrors, including the hotel was frequented by journalists and the death of their family members. As such, foreign diplomats—Jacqueline Kennedy even we will want to approach this conversation stayed here. with sensitivity and care. You’ll have time to ask questions about their experiences, and Day 13 Phnom Penh • Overland to Siem about what they hope for the future of both the Reap • Local interaction tribunal and their government, during the hour • Destination: Siem Reap or so we spend with them. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner We then board our bus and depart for a local • Accommodations: Regency Angkor Hotel restaurant just after 12:30pm. or similar

Lunch: Around 12:45pm at a local restaurant. Activity note: Our overland transfer to Siem We’ll have a family-style meal that allows us to Reap will take approximately eight hours in an sample several different traditional dishes. air-conditioned bus, with included stops for lunch and activities en route. Afternoon: Arrive back at the hotel around 2pm where you have the rest of the day to make Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel your own discoveries. You may take a remork starting at 6:30am, with Cambodian and to Phnom Penh’s riverfront park to take in the American options available. sights and sounds of the city. Locals regularly Morning: We board our bus around 7:45am and have aerobic dance classes at the park, which begin our 8-hour overland drive to Siem Reap. you can join, or you can take a relaxing stroll During our journey, we’ll pass through the along the edge of the water. You may also Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom provinces choose to visit the Daughters of Cambodia where we’ll pass scenes of everyday life. organization around 3pm. You’ll spend about We’ll see expansive landscapes of rice fields an hour with some of the organization’s and towering palm trees where farmers tend employees to learn how they help free women to their crops and Brahman cows and water from the sex industry and how they help them buffalo graze. build lives for themselves. The on-site spa is staffed by a few of these women; if you would Depending on availability, we may stop at like to support the organization, you may want around 9:15am at the home of a local woman to indulge in a massage or nail treatment before who hunts for tarantulas, cooks them, and returning to the hotel. sells them at her village’s market. We’ll have the opportunity to learn about her unique Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience profession before we trek into the forest Leader can provide recommendations if you’d surrounding her home to hunt for tarantulas like to venture out for Cambodian favorites like with her. Then, she’ll show us how she prepares amok, a thick and flavorful curry typically made with fish, garlic, coconut milk, and more.

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29 these arachnids—and we may have the chance • Watch APOPO’s “HeroRATS” in action: to sample the fried spiders. We’ll leave her APOPO is a Belgian organization that stands home around 9:45am and continue our journey. for Anti-Personnel Landmines Removal Product Development in English. Visit the Lunch: Around noon, we’ll stop at a local APOPO visitor center to learn about the restaurant for lunch, featuring family-style impact of landmines on Cambodian locals and regional cuisine. how rats, known as “HeroRATS,” are trained Afternoon: We leave the restaurant around 1pm to locate these explosives. But landmines are and continue driving to our next stop: Kampong not all these immensely intelligent rodents Kdei Bridge. Built around 1,000 years ago, the can detect—they are also trained to sense structure holds its title as the world’s longest tuberculosis in those afflicted with the corbelled arch bridge. disease. During your visit to the center, you’ll learn how the rats are trained, the process by We arrive in Siem Reap around 2:45pm and which they sense things, as well as how they head to the hotel to drop our bags off. Just can be used to fight other global issues. Plan before 4pm, we’ll set off on a 30-minute to spend approximately 1 hour here. orientation walk to acquaint ourselves with • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi the area before we return to our hotel where ride, about $5 USD one way. we’ll check in. Depending on where we stay, • Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm, our hotel may include two dining rooms, an Monday-Saturday. outdoor pool, an outdoor bar, and a spa. Each • Cost: About $5-$15 USD. air-conditioned room typically includes a TV, Internet access, minibar, safe, coffee- and • Catch a Khmer circus performance: The tea-making facilities, and a private bathroom. Brightness of the Arts is a non-profit school that provides a creative outlet for disad- You have some free time this afternoon to get vantaged children, as well as social support, settled in at the hotel, or you may take a remork education, and visual and performing arts to a local market in search of souvenirs—don’t training. From acrobatics to juggling and forget to haggle. contortion, enjoy a circus performance by the children that aims to preserve Khmer Dinner: We’ll gather at the hotel’s traditions through incorporating Cambodian restaurant at about 6:30pm for dinner. We’ll folklore into the show. The costumes and set enjoy Western-style cuisine for our meal are minimalist so as not to detract from the this evening. raw talent and enthusiasm of these young Evening: On your own—you may retire to your performers. By attending this exhilarating room to get some sleep before our early start show, you’re donating to the annual educa- tomorrow. Or, perhaps you and your fellow tion of over a thousand at-risk youth. The travelers will head to the hotel’s outdoor bar for typical length of a show is 1 hour. a nightcap to discuss your discoveries thus far. • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi Freedom To Explore: During your three days ride, about $5 USD one way. in Siem Reap, you have the freedom to explore • Hours: 7:30pm-8:30pm, daily. this historic city on your own during your free • Cost: About $18-$38 USD. time. Below are a few recommended options for independent explorations:

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30 • Witness the sun rise over Angkor Wat: Rise Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel early to catch an unparalleled view of the starting at 6:30am, with Cambodian and world’s largest religious building at dawn. American options available. You can use your 3-day O.A.T. pass to get into Morning: At approximately 8am, we’ll drive Angkor Wat. Please note that while this is for about an hour out to a local village where often a very crowded, touristic experience, it we’ll ride in traditional buffalo-drawn carts is a highlight for many travelers. You increase in pairs. We’ll take in scenes of daily life your chances of securing a good vantage point as we ride through the village for about 30 the earlier you arrive. minutes before we meet up with our bus. We’ll • How to get there: A 20- to 30-minute taxi transfer to the pier, arriving around 10am ride, about $10 USD one way. (or longer, depending on the season), where • Hours: Sunrise is between 5am-6:30am we’ll take an exclusive, private boat to visit depending on the time of year. the nearby floating village, which is home to • Cost: Free. approximately 300 people.

Day 14 Siem Reap • Visit a floating village We’ll spend 1.5 hours discovering how • Controversial Topic: Cambodian this isolated community has built homes, healthcare inequality with Chea, the gardens, and schools on the water before we village midwife • Explore Angkor stop at one of the homes to get a closer look. The homeowners, Chea Ny and Yory Boun, • Destination: Siem Reap will sit down with our group to discuss life • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch in the village and how it is impacted by a • Accommodations: Regency Angkor Hotel Controversial Topic: inequality and corruption or similar in the Cambodian healthcare system. The Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: During our visit to the matriarch of the family, Chea, has a particularly floating village this morning, we’ll learn about special role in the community: She’s been the Controversial Topic of Cambodia’s corrupt the go-to midwife for 40 years. Known healthcare system during a discussion with the throughout the village as “Big Mom” and village midwife. If the midwife is not available, “Hero Lady,” Chea is available to help deliver we will meet with the village chief, who works babies at any time of day and never accepts with several non-governmental organizations compensation. But her selfless work was (NGOs) to improve local healthcare access. Read borne out of necessity, as the local healthcare more about this conversation below. system provides few other options to expectant mothers. Activity note: Depending on the season, our drive to the local village and the boat pier may While Cambodia offers state-run healthcare be particularly bumpy as we’ll pass over dirt with public hospitals, many Cambodians are roads that have been eroded by rain. Once either unable to access adequate care, or the we reach the village, we’ll get a glimpse into care they receive is poor. From the floating Cambodia’s past as we ride on traditional village, for example, it takes a 1-hour boat ride buffalo-drawn carts, passing over uneven, followed by a 1-hour drive to reach the nearest dusty, and bumpy roads. We’ll also ride in medical facility. Because of their geographical a wooden boat for around one hour later this morning.

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31 isolation, many villagers choose to forego We’ll get our first glimpse of Angkor today, a routine medical care, resulting in malnutrition, holy city that took centuries to build and whose illness, and high rates of infant mortality. scale is still breathtaking today—it sprawls across an area of roughly 96 square miles. At the same time, corruption is rampant among The Khmer Empire aristocrats who built the the country’s high-ranking medical official temples and monuments here between AD and healthcare providers. It’s common for 800-1200 were motivated by their Hindu and public officials to pay money in exchange for Buddhist beliefs. government or hospital positions, and it’s believed that 5-10% of the public healthcare We arrive in Angkor around 4pm and we’ll have budget goes “missing” every year. The issue is about an hour to explore Angkor Thom. We’ll compounded by stark levels of socioeconomic visit the 12th-century Bayon temple where inequality in the country: upper-class we’ll be greeted by over 200 smiling faces. Cambodians are able to afford private hospitals, Hidden in plain sight of the structure’s 54 and some government officials have even stone towers are massive grinning heads that been known to fly to Singapore or Thailand for symbolize the spirit of one of Cambodia’s most medical treatment. Meanwhile, Cambodia’s beloved kings, Jayavarman VII. We’ll also make poor must make do with the inadequate public a brief stop at the Terrace of the Elephants, hospitals. where a series of almost life-sized bas-reliefs depict the huge beasts, before returning to the Chea, who has 10 children and 23 grandchildren hotel by about 5:30pm. of her own, will share a unique perspective on the country’s healthcare woes. During our Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience hour-long conversation, we’ll hear about the Leader will be ready with recommendations health difficulties members of the village face for you, should you like to venture out to a and about what’s being done to improve the local restaurant. You may choose to seek out a situation. For example, the current government traditional dish like Khmer red curry, a classic recently established an anti-corruption unit to curry made with coconut milk. crack down on unscrupulous state officials in Evening: Enjoy free time this evening. You can the healthcare sector and beyond, resulting in retire to your room to get some sleep before hundreds of arrests. We’ll also have time to ask our full day of exploring Angkor tomorrow, or our questions about life in the floating village you may take a remork to explore the charming before we board our boat and make our way shops and cafés of Siem Reap. back to dry land.

Lunch: Around 11:30am, we’ll take a 30-minute Day 15 Siem Reap • Explore Angkor bus ride from the pier to a local restaurant. Wat temples Enjoy typical Cambodian cuisine for lunch • Destination: Siem Reap today before a 5-minute ride back to the hotel, arriving around 1:30pm. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Regency Angkor Hotel Afternoon: Take a couple of hours to rest back or similar at the hotel or explore Siem Reap on your own Activity note: Today’s activities include about before our group gathers at 3:30pm to board a three hours of walking through three miles of small bus and head to Angkor. Angkor Wat on uneven surfaces and up steep

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32 stairs. Angkor Wat has a strict dress code. Men Dinner: We will arrive back at the hotel around and women should wear pants or knee-length 6:30pm, where you can enjoy dinner on your shorts, and cover their shoulders. own, either at the hotel or at a local restaurant.

Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Evening: Your evening is on your own—you starting at 6:30am, with Cambodian and are free to rest in your room to prepare for American options available. tomorrow’s discoveries, or reach out to your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations Morning: We leave the hotel around 8:30am on things to do in the area. this morning and drive approximately 30 minutes to Angkor Wat, a masterpiece of Khmer architecture. Angkor Wat is a large Day 16 Siem Reap • Optional Banteay pyramid temple, built between 1113 and 1150, Srei tour • Fly to Ho Chi Minh City surrounded by a great moat 570 feet wide. Note (Saigon), Vietnam the bas-relief carvings throughout the temple, • Destination: Ho Chi Minh City and take a moment to stand in the courtyard (Saigon), Vietnam of this temple whose towers represent Mount • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Meru, the center of all physical and spiritual • Accommodations: Huong Sen Hotel Saigon universes and the home to many gods in Hindu or similar and Buddhist mythologies. Around 11:15am, we’ll depart Angkor for a 30-minute drive to a Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel local restaurant. starting at 6:30am, with Cambodian and American options available. Lunch: At a local restaurant just before noon, featuring the traditional Cambodian dishes we Morning: Enjoy free time to make your own have come to know. discoveries. Or you may choose to join our Optional Tour this morning to visit Banteay Afternoon: Around 1pm, we’ll arrive back at Srei, one of the oldest and best-preserved the hotel where you’ll have a couple of hours to temple sites in Cambodia. Built in AD 967, yourself before we set off to explore Ta Prohm. Banteay Srei means “Citadel of Women,” and is Unlike Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm has been left the recognized as a tribute to female beauty. Leave way it was found, covered by a dense jungle of the hotel by bus at 8am for the temple, followed trees and roots, allowing you to discover this by a 15-minute drive out to a local village, archaeological treasure just as it was found by where we’ll visit with a Khmer noodle maker the French in the mid-1800s. The site is most and learn the secrets of making the dish that famous for its strangler fig trees whose roots is closest to the hearts of Cambodians. You’ll seemingly drip down over Ta Prohm’s temple return to the hotel around 11:45am and rejoin and its appearance in the Lara Croft: Tomb our group. At around 12:45pm, we’ll all take a Raider movie. 10-minute bus ride to a local restaurant.

After exploring Ta Prohm for an hour, we Lunch: At a local restaurant just after 1pm, return to Angkor Wat, around 5:15pm, where featuring traditional Cambodian dishes. we’ll toast to our discoveries as we watch the sun set. Afternoon: We’ll spend our last couple of hours in Siem Reap at the Angkor National Museum where we’ll trace the history of the Khmer empire through its comprehensive collection

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33 of relics that span from the pre-Angkor Period • Discover Ho Chi Minh by scooter: With an to the great Khmer kings, and more. At about English-speaking, female student as your 4:30pm, we’ll take a short drive to the airport driver and guide, you’ll zip through the where we’ll check in for our flight. streets of Ho Chi Minh like a true local. Along the way, you’ll witness famous landmarks, Dinner: On your own around 5:15pm at the discover hidden gems, and learn about your airport. The airport offers a mix of western and driver’s life. You’ll also visit several street traditional options. food vendors and have the chance to sample Evening: Just before 6:30pm, we’ll catch Vietnamese delicacies. Be sure to ask your a 1-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. After guide which one is her favorite. Tours typi- a half-hour drive from the airport, we’ll cally last about 2 hours. Food and gratuity are arrive at our hotel around 8:30pm and check not included in the tour price. in. Depending on which hotel we stay at, • How to get there: Scooters pick up at our amenities may include a pool, restaurant and hotel. bar, and a fitness center. Typically, each of the • Hours: 8am or 1pm, daily. air-conditioned rooms have wireless internet • Cost: About $15 USD. access, a TV, minibar, and a private bathroom. • Step back in time on a tour of Dong Khoi Freedom To Explore: During your four days street: Delve into the colonial heritage of in Ho Chi Minh City, you have the freedom Ho Chi Minh on a walking tour of one of the to explore this lively city on your own during city’s most glamorous streets. During the your free time. Below are a few recommended French occupation, several opulent buildings options for independent explorations: were constructed along this central avenue, including an opera house, several high-end • Explore Ben Thanh Market: Housed in one of hotels, and a post office designed by Gustav the oldest surviving buildings in Ho Chi Minh, Eiffel. The hallmark of Dong Khoi street is the Ben Thanh has been a magnet for visitors Notre Dame Cathedral that resides within the and locals alike since 1912. Spanning more aptly-named Paris Square. Today, these colo- than 140,000 square feet and housing more nial vestiges are peppered among high-rises, 1,500 booths, Ben Thanh is the largest market boutiques, and stylish cafes. The price of this in the city and a veritable treasure trove of tour includes transportation to and from food, clothing, housewares, and handmade the hotel by scooter. Plan to spend 3 hours goods. Marvel at the bountiful bins of fresh in-transit and exploring Dong Khoi street. produce—from durian to mangosteen—or • How to get there: Scooters pick up at our pick up a non la (woven, conical hat) or a phin hotel. for making Vietnamese coffee at home. Stop • Hours: 9am-9pm, daily. by the food hall at the back of the market for • Cost: About $45 USD. a banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) or a bowl of hu tieu (pork soup). Or visit an on-site coffee shop or pedicure shop to mingle with locals. Plan to spend about 1 hour here. • How to get there: A 5-minute taxi ride, about $2 USD one way. • Hours: 6am-6pm, daily. • Cost: Free.

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34 Day 17 Ho Chi Minh City • Mekong Lunch: Around noon, we’ll sit down to Delta discovery a traditional Vietnamese meal at a local restaurant. • Destination: Ho Chi Minh City • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Afternoon: Then, around 1pm, we’ll walk 10 • Accommodations: Huong Sen Hotel Saigon minutes to a coconut candy workshop to learn or similar about making the sweet keo dua the region is known for. Following our 20-minute lesson and Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel tasting, a motorized boat will take us back to starting at 6:30am, with Vietnamese and the pier about 25 minutes away, where our bus American options available. will be waiting to take us back to Ho Chi Minh. Morning: We’ll depart the hotel by 8am for a We arrive around 4pm and you’ll have the rest 1.5-hour bus ride to Vietnam’s famous Mekong of the day to make your own discoveries. You Delta. En route, we’ll visit a hammock café for may head to the War Remnants Museum where a taste of one of the country’s most famous you can get a glimpse into the harsh realities beverages: Vietnamese coffee. Vietnam is of war and its effects on a society. You’ll find the second-largest coffee producer in the an impressive collection of armored vehicles, world after Brazil, and the most popular way bomb remnants, historical photos, and artillery to consume the bold, local brew is iced with weapons on display here. sweetened condensed milk. You’ll have about 15 Dinner: On your own—perhaps you and your minutes to kick back in a hammock and enjoy fellow travelers will explore the area around a glass before we continue on to My Tho, the the hotel in search of a restaurant where you gateway to the Mekong. can savor traditional cuisine. Perhaps you’ll Upon arrival around 9:45am, we’ll head to the try a local favorite—such as bahn tam bi, thick dock where a motorized wooden rice barge will tapioca noodles served with pickled vegetables, be waiting for us. During our approximately pork sausage, a meatball, and a dense 35-minute cruise, we’ll witness everyday life coconut sauce. on both sides of the Mekong—from colorful Evening: You are free to explore more of this fishing vessels to houses wading into the energetic city, return to your room to rest river on stilts. Around 10:45am, our boat before your explorations tomorrow, or join will pull into Vam Xep, a natural canal the fellow travelers in the main hotel area for a courses through a canopy of mangroves. We’ll nightcap to discuss the day’s activities. disembark for a brief visit to the home of a local family who lives along the canal’s banks. Then, we’ll board a private sampan for an O.A.T.-exclusive ride along the canal. Sampans are like local houseboats and are the traditional forms of transportation in the delta, built to navigate narrow channels and waterways that deep-hulled, motorized boats cannot. Our sampan ride concludes around 11:30am, at which time we’ll board the xe lambro (motorized, three-wheel carriage) that will transport us to lunch.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

35 Day 18 Ho Chi Minh City • Optional Or, you may wish to join our Optional Tour at tour: Traditional water puppet show, 4:30pm, which starts with a traditional puppet cyclo-rickshaw ride & dinner show and is followed by a cyclo-rickshaw ride through the city, drinks at a beer garden, and • Destination: Ho Chi Minh City dinner at a local restaurant. You’ll return to the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch hotel around 8:15pm this evening. • Accommodations: Huong Sen Hotel Saigon or similar Dinner: On your own if you don’t choose to join our Optional Tour. Ask your Trip Experience Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Leader for recommendations on some of the starting at 6:30am, with Vietnamese and best places for local fare, like bun bo nam bo, a American options available. dry noodle dish that combines a symphony of Morning: At 8:30am, we’ll board our bus and flavors and textures. head out for a city tour. Our first stop is the Evening: On your own—you may retire to your Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame. Our bus room to rest before tomorrow’s explorations. will drop us off at the cathedral, where we’ll Or, perhaps you’ll stroll down Nguyen Hue admire the red-brick façade before discovering Street to get a true taste of the city’s nightlife. the Central Post Office. Then, we’ll re-board Here, you may strike up conversation with a the bus and head to the Southern Women’s local to learn more about their culture. Museum, where we’ll learn about the role women played during the Vietnam War. During Day 19 Ho Chi Minh City • Controversial our visit, we’ll meet with a female military Topic officer, who will share stories about her service : The imperfect legacy of the and reveal how life has changed for women in Vietnam War with a Viet Cong veteran • Vietnam. We’ll continue our tour around 11am Visit Cu Chi Tunnels with a 20-minute bus ride to a secret bunker • Destination: Ho Chi Minh City used to house communities during the Vietnam • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner War, which we’ll explore for about one hour. • Accommodations: Huong Sen Hotel Saigon Then, we’ll make the 15-minute drive by bus to or similar our lunch spot. Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: During our visit to Lunch: Around 12:30pm, we’ll arrive at a local the Cu Chi Tunnels, we’ll meet a Viet Cong restaurant where we’ll enjoy pho (a traditional veteran to discuss the Controversial Topic of noodle soup). the outcome of the Vietnam War. As passionate defenders of Communism’s egalitarian ideals, Afternoon: We’ll arrive back at the hotel at Viet Cong veterans are troubled by Vietnam’s about 2:30pm and enjoy a free afternoon growing social inequality issues and trend to make your own discoveries. Perhaps toward capitalism. Read more about this you’ll take the elevator up 49 floors of activity below. the Bitexco Financial Tower—the city’s tallest building—where you can take in Activity Note: Our visit to the Cu Chi sweeping views of Ho Chi Minh City from the Tunnels will take us through some narrow, observation deck. enclosed spaces.

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36 Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel The veterans also feel they have been treated starting at 6:30am, with Vietnamese and unfairly since the war ended. Many suffered American options available. serious injuries, including loss of limb or sight, during their wartime service. Sadly, the fallout Morning: We’ll leave the hotel around 8am. from the war isn’t contained to just those who We drive for one hour before visiting the Cu Chi fought: the children of many Viet Cong veterans Tunnels—a 125-mile-long underground maze were born with disabilities—a result of their where thousands of fighters and villagers hid parent’s exposure to Agent Orange. There are and fought during the Vietnam War, referred about 500,000 grown-up children of veterans to by locals as the “American War.” The South with disabilities. Vietnamese Communists, or Viet Cong, built this vast network of tunnels in and around the Our conversation today may be difficult for district of Cu Chi and worked continually over some travelers, especially in light of America’s 25 years to expand the multi-level network. The involvement in the war, but by speaking with tunnels—which include mess halls, meeting and asking questions of the veteran we hope rooms, small factories, and vast ammunition to shed light on an important topic—one with stores—allowed the Viet Cong to control large continuing impact in modern Vietnam. areas near Saigon. Today, the Cu Chi Tunnels We’ll depart the Cu Chi Tunnels at around provide invaluable insight into the war era, 11:30am, and take a 5- to 10-minute drive to a and we’ll get a unique glimpse of the site as we nearby restaurant. explore an area of the tunnels most American tourists don’t typically visit. Lunch: We arrive at a local restaurant around 11:45am where we’ll enjoy traditional cuisine. Around 10am, we’ll participate in an eye-opening discussion with a Viet Cong Afternoon: We depart the Cu Chi area around veteran about a Controversial Topic: the 1pm for a 1.5-hour drive back to our hotel. Upon imperfect legacy of the Vietnam War. To better arrival, you’ll have the rest of the afternoon understand this issue, we’ll hear from a veteran to make your own discoveries. Perhaps you’ll who lives in or around the village of Cu Chi. indulge your curiosity at the Maison Saigon Depending on which veteran we meet with, Marou café. Discover the country’s original he will likely have joined the Viet Cong as a chocolate maker and sample some of his sweet teenager and spent much of the war living and creations. At around 6pm, we’ll depart our hotel fighting around the tunnels. To protect our for a 15-minute bus ride to a local restaurant. speaker’s identity and his veteran’s benefits, we have opted not to share his name. Dinner: We’ll cap off our adventure at a local restaurant this evening around 6:15pm. We’ll Those who chose to join the Viet Cong during reminisce about our discoveries over the the war did so because of their passionate past few weeks as we enjoy a Farewell Dinner belief in a more equal society, and many of together. the veterans are proud of their anti-capitalist actions during the war. That’s why so many are Evening: On your own—you are free to return disappointed by the capitalist direction their to your room to pack and rest before your country is going. One result has been the rising return flight home tomorrow, or join fellow levels inequality among Vietnam’s people, travelers in the main hotel area for a nightcap which the veterans find disheartening. to discuss the highlights of your adventure.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

37 Day 20 Return to U.S. or begin your The River Kwai, Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai. will post-trip extension be served a buffet-style breakfast at the hotel, featuring Vietnamese and American options. • Destination: U.S. • Included Meals: Breakfast Early morning: Travelers who are returning to the U.S. will depart the hotel around 6:30am, Breakfast: Travelers who are returning home board a bus with your luggage, and take a will enjoy a breakfast box provided by the hotel 45-minute drive to the airport for your return early this morning. Travelers who are joining us flight home. on our post-trip extension to Northern Vietnam: From Hanoi to the Hill Tribes of Sapa or Thailand: Morning: Travelers joining us on our post-trip extension will depart for the airport around 11am to catch a flight to Hanoi.

END YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL POST-TRIP EXTENSION 7 nights in Northern Vietnam: From Hanoi to the Hill Tribes of Sapa

Day 1 Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam • Explore Day 4 Overland to Sapa • Visit Lao Cai Old Quarter Day 5 Trek to Lao Chai and Ta Van Villages Day 2 Ninh Binh • Son Ha village walk • Day 6 Sapa • Sin Chai Village school visit • Visit Galaxy Cave Transfer to overnight train Day 3 Hanoi • Explore French Quarter • Day 7 Hanoi Visit Ho Chi Minh mausoleum Day 8 Return to U.S.

OR 8 nights in Thailand: The River Kwai, Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai

Day 1 Fly to Bangkok, Thailand Day 6 Chiang Rai • Visit Wat Rong Khun • Overland to Chiang Mai Day 2 Travel to Kanchanaburi via Mahachai • River Kwai bridge walk Day 7 Chiang Mai • Karen hill tribe village visit • Elephant care center visit Day 3 Discover Hellfire Pass • Boat ride on the River Kwai Day 8 Explore Chiang Mai’s Old City • Fly to Bangkok Day 4 Fly to Chiang Rai Day 9 Return to U.S. Day 5 Chiang Rai • Golden Triangle • Visit Opium Museum

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

38 OPTIONAL TOURS

During your trip you will be able to book optional tours directly with your Trip Experience Leader. He or she will ask you to confirm the payment for these tours by filling out a payment form. Optional tours can only be purchased with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. We also accept Visa and MasterCard debit cards, but it must be a debit card that allows you to sign for purchases.

In order to correctly process these charges, there can be a delay of 2-3 months from the date of your return for the charges to be posted to your account. Therefore we ask that you use a card that will not expire in the 2-3 months following your return.

Please note: Optional tour prices are listed in U.S. dollar estimates determined at the time of publication and are subject to change. Optional tours may vary.

Banteay Srei the locals do. Then, we’ll tap into Ho Chi Minh (Day 16 $45 per person) City’s street food and drink culture at a beer garden where we can mingle with the locals, Visit Banteay Srei, one of the oldest and most followed by dinner at a local restaurant. beautifully preserved temple sites in Cambodia. Built in AD 967, Banteay Srei means “Citadel of Women,” and is recognized as a tribute to female beauty. The structures here have been carved in painstaking detail out of sandstone with detail as intricate as a woven tapestry—a testament to the craft of the original artisans. The temple rises out of a tangle of forest some 20 miles from Angkor. This tour also offers a glimpse into the daily life of rural Cambodia, as we stop to visit a Khmer noodle maker.

Traditional Puppet Show, Cyclo-Rickshaw Ride & Dinner (Day 18 $70 per person)

This optional tour begins at a local theater, where you’ll watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show, Mua Roi Nuoc, which uses water for the stage and depicts humorous tales from Vietnamese folklore. After the show, take an exciting ride on a cyclo-rickshaw ride through the energetic streets of Ho Chi Minh City, seeing the city’s narrow streets the way

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

39 PRE-TRIP Jewels of Burma’s Irrawaddy River: Rangoon, Bagan & Mandalay

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Airfare from Mandalay to Bangkok, plus 2 » 6 small group activities internal flights » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip » Accommodations: 3 nights in Rangoon at Experience Leader the Chatrium Hotel, 2 nights in Bagan at the » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Aye Yar River View Hotel, and 2 nights in luggage porters Mandalay at the Eastern Palace Hotel » All transfers » 13 meals—7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 2 dinners

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Burma, currently known as Myanmar, is a forest-clad country of mountain ranges and river systems, with an abundance of golden pagodas. After a period of isolation, it has again opened itself to visitors, while remaining one of the least Western-influenced countries in Southeast Asia. Travel to Burma to experience Asia as it once was.

Day 1 Depart U.S. a terrace overlooking the lake and Golden Pagoda. Each room typically includes cable TV, Since your overnight flight to Rangoon a safe, minibar, wireless Internet, coffee- and (Yangon) departs Los Angeles very early in the tea-making facilities, and a private bathroom. morning, travelers are advised to arrive at LAX the night before. Day 3 Explore Rangoon • Visit Shwedagon Pagoda Day 2 Arrive Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) • Destination: Rangoon • Destination: Rangoon • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Accommodations: Chatrium Hotel or similar • Accommodations: Chatrium Hotel or similar Evening: You will arrive in Rangoon late Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel tonight. You are met at the airport by your starting at 6am, with hot and cold options O.A.T. representative and transferred to your available. hotel—about a 30-minute drive. Depending on which centrally-located hotel we stay at, Morning: Around 9:30am, our group will amenities may include a pool, fitness center, gather for a Welcome Briefing at the hotel sauna, Jacuzzi, restaurants and bars, and led by your Trip Experience Leader. We’ll get

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

40 to know our fellow travelers and review our Day 4 Explore Rangoon • Visit Bogyoke itinerary in more detail (including any changes Aung San Market • Optional Beyond the that may need to occur). Rangoon River tour Around 10:15am, we’ll take a 15-minute bus • Destination: Rangoon ride to Shwedagon Pagoda, often called the • Included Meals: Breakfast Golden Pagoda. Shwedagon is the most sacred • Accommodations: Chatrium Hotel or similar pagoda in Burma, housing relics of the past four Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Buddhas—namely the staff of Kakusandha, the starting at 6am, with hot and cold options water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe available. of Kassapa, and eight hairs of Gautama. The pagoda dominates the city’s skyline with its Morning: At about 8:30am, we’ll take grandeur. We’ll spend one hour exploring this a 30-minute bus ride to the city center, 2500-year-old site and then take a 20-minute where we’ll enjoy a walking tour around the drive to our lunch location. area of Sule Pagoda, the City Hall, and the Independence Monument in Mahabandoola Lunch: Around 12:30pm at a local restaurant, Park. We’ll walk along Strand Road, where we’ll featuring traditional cuisine. find remnants of old colonial-era buildings as Afternoon: At about 1:45pm, we’ll depart the well as modern architecture. restaurant to drive back to our hotel. You’ll Our walk will take us to the historic Bogyoke have around three hours to yourself to relax Aung San Market (formerly called Scott or explore the city on your own. Perhaps you’ll Market), where we’ll spend about an hour roam the stalls of Bogyoke Market selling browsing the colorful stalls, glimpsing both the jewelry, Burmese fabric and dresses, local wares for sale and the lives of those who sell artwork, and souvenirs. Or, if you’re looking for or shop here. Around 12pm, we’ll drive about a more scenic activity, venture to Kandawgyi a half hour to reach the Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda, Park. Spread across 260 acres, this park has home to one of Burma’s most revered reclining lush gardens and an artificial lake. We’ll Buddhas. Begun in 1899, the massive image of reconvene around 6pm back at the hotel and the elegant Buddha resting on its side in the depart by bus for a half-hour ride to a local six-story pagoda is more than 200 feet long. restaurant. We’ll then return back to the hotel. We’ll spend Dinner: Around 6:30pm at a local restaurant about a half hour here, giving us ample time where we’ll experience an introduction to to admire the effigy, before returning to our traditional Myanmar cuisine during our hotel by bus. Welcome Dinner. Lunch: On your own around Evening: We’ll arrive back at the hotel around 1:30pm—your Trip Experience Leader can 8:30pm, and the rest of the evening is on your provide recommendations on the best locales own. You are free to retire to your room to rest for whatever your preferences are. You may before tomorrow’s explorations, or you may choose to venture to Barbecue Street where take advantage of the hotel’s amenities. you’ll not only find traditional meat dishes, but also vegetarian cuisine as well.

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41 Afternoon: You have the rest of the day to relax will take just over 1.5 hours. Our destination is or make your own discoveries. Perhaps you’ll Bagan, also known as the “City of Four Million visit a traditional tea house to sample local Pagodas.” Many of the pagodas and temples varieties of tea, or you may explore Pomelo, a are small and simple—but the number of them fair trade market that aims to give back to the is staggering. Although Bagan’s centuries-old community and promote handcrafted items shrines, pagodas, and stupas do not actually that were created by locals. total in the millions, there are well over 2,000 of them scattered along the remote plain, Or, you can join an optional Beyond the flanked on one side by the Irrawaddy River. This Rangoon River tour, which features a ferry qualifies Bagan as the largest temple city on ride to Dala, a rural village on the banks of the the planet, as well as one of the most important Rangoon River, around 2:30pm. Here, we’ll archaeological areas in all of Asia. The majority explore by rickshaw, meet some of the local of ruins in Bagan were constructed between the people, and discover a family-owned food eleventh and 13th centuries, a time when Bagan preparation business. We’ll conclude our tour was the capital of the First Burmese Empire. back in Rangoon where we’ll visit Chinatown, around 5pm. From the airport, we’ll head to a village market in the town of Nyaung-U, arriving just before Dinner: Travelers joining us on the Optional 9am. This is a great opportunity to mingle with Tour will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. If the locals and wander among stalls that feature you choose to spend the rest of the day making locally-grown crops, rattan items, tea leaves, independent discoveries, you’ll have dinner on and colorful traditional clothing. your own. Around 10:30am, we’ll venture to Ananda Evening: On your own—you are free to explore Pahto, a terraced temple peaked in shimmering more of the area or retire to your room to rest. gold that is considered a symmetrical masterpiece. Built around 1090 by a Burmese Day 5 Fly to Bagan • Explore Bagan king inspired by tales of visiting Indian monks, • Village market visit • Ananda Ananda’s perfection qualified it to serve as a Pahto Temple prototype for successive Burmese temples. The • Destination: Bagan inner shrine of the temple is home to four large statues of Buddha. We’ll spend about one hour • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner here before taking a 20-minute bus ride to a • Accommodations: Aye Yar River View Hotel restaurant for our lunch. or similar

Activity note: We’ll set out very early in the Lunch: Around 12:30pm at a local restaurant, morning, around 5am. featuring authentic cuisine.

Breakfast: Early this morning (around 5am), Afternoon: At about 1:45pm, we’ll head to we’ll get a boxed breakfast from the hotel, our hotel, arriving around 2pm. We’ll check which you can enjoy on your way to the airport in and you’ll have the rest of the afternoon to or after you go through security. get settled in and relax. Depending on which hotel we stay at, amenities may include two Morning: We leave the hotel at approximately restaurants, a bar, outdoor pool, and fitness 5am and drive for 30 minutes to the airport. center. Typically, each air-conditioned room Then, our flight leaves a little after 6am and

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

42 has a telephone, satellite TV, minibar, wireless sun rising over the ancient temples of Bagan. Internet, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and Afterwards, enjoy a sparkling wine toast and a private bathroom. return to the hotel for breakfast.

This afternoon, you may venture to the nearby At about 8:30am, we’ll all depart the hotel to Taung Bi Village to get a glimpse of rural life, gain another unique perspective of Bagan by or perhaps you’ll rent a bike and explore the traveling by horse-drawn carriage through the treasures of Bagan at your own pace. archaeological zone. Witnessing the morning sun illuminating the ancient temples of Bagan Dinner: At the hotel around 6pm, including can be a memorable experience. We’ll make traditional dishes. our first stop at Damayangyi Temple at about Evening: You have the freedom to spend the 9:30am before continuing on to a local farm. rest of your evening as you wish. You may We’ll pause at the farm for about 30 minutes to retire to your room to rest before tomorrow’s interact with the farmer and his family, as well discoveries or join your fellow travelers for a as sample some of the crops grown here. After, nightcap in the hotel bar. we’ll head to a local shop, arriving just before 11am. Here, we’ll get a glimpse of another Day 6 Bagan • Explore Bagan by traditional custom—lacquer ware. Then at about 12pm, we’ll drive back to the hotel. horse-drawn carriage • Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride • Optional Lives Behind Lunch: On your own. This is a great Bagan’s Ancient Pagodas tour opportunity to seek out traditional cuisine at local restaurants. Perhaps you’ll search for a • Destination: Bagan restaurant that serves traditional green curry • Included Meals: Breakfast and fish. • Accommodations: Aye Yar River View Hotel or similar Afternoon: Enjoy free time this afternoon to make your own discoveries. Or, perhaps you’ll Activity note: If you choose to join our optional join our optional Lives Behind Bagan’s Ancient hot air balloon ride this morning, we’ll leave Pagodas tour. If you choose to join this Optional the hotel around 5:30am. This balloon flight Tour, we’ll leave the hotel at about 2:30pm and is only available from October 1 to March 31. arrive at the Nanmyint Observatory Tower at The tour must be reserved at least 30 days about 3pm where we’ll enjoy a view of Bagan’s prior to your departure, and requires that you pagoda-studded plains. Afterward, we’ll visit a fill out and return a brief medical form. If you nearby village to learn more about daily life and have reserved this tour but have not returned the local culture. your medical form, please contact our Traveler Support Department. Dinner: If you choose to spend the rest of the day exploring at your own pace, dinner will be Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at 6am, on your own this evening. For travelers who with cold and hot options available. join our Optional Tour, dinner is included at a Morning: You may rise very early this morning local restaurant around 6:15pm. to leave the hotel at approximately 5:30am for an optional hot air balloon ride, a memorable opportunity to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the

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43 Evening: On your own—you may choose to Enjoy the rest of the afternoon on your own retire to your room to get some sleep before to make independent discoveries. You may our very early start tomorrow morning. For choose to visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, a travelers who joined our Optional Tour, you’ll 19th-century wooden monastery. Or, perhaps return to the hotel around 8pm. you’ll venture to the gilded Kuthodaw Pagoda. This site is often referred to as “the world’s Day 7 Fly to Mandalay • Visit biggest book” due to its marble slabs inscribed Mahamuni Buddha with the entire collection of early Buddhist writings (which, if read for eight hours a day, • Destination: Mandalay would take more than a year to finish). • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Eastern Palace Hotel Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience or similar Leader can provide recommendations of the best restaurants and which traditional dishes Activity note: We rise very early this morning you should try. You may choose to find a and leave for the airport at about 6:30am. restaurant that serves kausuetho, a rice noodle Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at 6am, that is yellow in color as a result of the spices with cold and hot options available. used to prepare it.

Morning: We’ll depart our hotel at about Evening: On your own—you may retire to your 6:30am and we’ll head to the airport. We’ll room to rest before tomorrow’s explorations. catch a half-hour flight just after 8am. Or, you may choose to venture out to discover the city’s nightlife. Upon arrival in Mandalay around 10am, we’ll drive one hour to the Mahamuni Buddha, the Day 8 Boat ride to Mingun • Visit U Bein most sacred shrine in upper Burma, covered Footbridge with so much gold leaf that its body has lost all proportion. Then around 11:30am, we’ll take an • Destination: Mandalay orientation drive around the city to acquaint • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch ourselves with our surroundings. During this • Accommodations: Eastern Palace Hotel drive, our Trip Experience Leader will point or similar out restaurants to try for meals on your own, Activity note: Agility and balance are required sites to visit during free time, and ATMs. We’ll for our 1-hour boat ride to Mingun. conclude our drive at a local restaurant. Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at 6am, Lunch: Around noon at a local restaurant, with cold and hot options available. featuring traditional cuisine. Morning: We’ll leave our hotel around 8am and Afternoon: At about 1:15pm, we’ll depart drive for 20 minutes to a nearby jetty where we the restaurant for our hotel where we’ll board a boat for a ride upriver to the village of check in. Depending on where we stay, our Mingun. Our journey will take approximately centrally-located hotel likely features a one hour, and upon arrival, we’ll stop to see restaurant, rooftop bar, and fitness center. one of the world’s largest ringing bells, still Typical hotels feature air-conditioned rooms un-cracked and weighing in at 90 tons. Bells with a satellite TV, a safe, a coffee- and are a common feature used in many of Burma’s tea-making facility, and a private bathroom. religious rituals. It is said that people ring

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44 this bell after performing a good deed so they city to find a local restaurant. You may search can share with others the merit they earned. for mohinga, a traditional soup dish made with Burmese Buddhists consider it one of the fish and a variety of spices. world’s sweetest sounds. Then, we’ll visit Mya Evening: You have the rest of the evening on Thein Dan Stupa to behold its completely white your own. You may choose to join your fellow façade and distinct architectural features. travelers at the bar where you can grab a Around 11am, we’ll leave Mingun and return to cocktail and reminisce about your discoveries Mandalay, arriving around 11:45am. Then, we’ll thus far. Or, you may retire to your room to get take a 15-minute drive out to a local restaurant. some sleep.

Lunch: At noon, we’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant where we may savor Day 9 Fly to Bangkok, Thailand traditional dishes. • Destination: Bangkok • Included Meals: Breakfast Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll go back to the hotel to rest before we leave again at 3:45pm. Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at 6am, Our destination is the longest wooden bridge with cold and hot options available. in Burma. We’ll drive for about an hour to the Morning: Enjoy some free time to relax before U Bein footbridge, which stretches almost we depart our hotel around 11:15am. We’ll drive three-quarters of a mile over the shallow for about one hour to the airport to catch a Thaung Thaman Lake. It is constructed of teak flight to Bangkok to begin our Ancient Kingdoms: planks and has withstood the elements for Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam adventure. more than two centuries. Lunch: Lunch is on your own today, so you may After our explorations, we’ll return to the hotel grab something to eat at the airport. around 5:30pm. Afternoon: We’ll leave Mandalay at about Dinner: On your own—you may dine in the 2:15pm and fly for almost 2.5 hours to Bangkok. hotel’s restaurant, which features traditional dishes, or perhaps you’ll venture out into the We’ll transfer from the airport in Bangkok and take a 30-minute drive to our hotel, arriving around 6pm.

OPTIONAL TOURS

Beyond the Rangoon River urban Rangoon, the small, rural town feels like (Day 4 $70 per person) a world away. We’ll explore Dala by rickshaw Learn more about life in Burma on our before meeting locals at a family-owned food Beyond the Rangoon River optional tour. In preparation business. Later, we’ll depart Dala the afternoon, we’ll depart for the Pansodan by ferry, returning to Rangoon with time Jetty, where we’ll board a local ferry to take to explore its colorful Chinatown before an us across the Rangoon River to Dala. Although included dinner at a local restaurant. Dala is only a five-minute ferry ride from

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45 Lives Behind Bagan’s Ancient Pagodas (Day 6 $65 per person) Discover the beauty of Bagan at the Nanmyint Observatory Tower, where we’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the area’s pagoda-studded plains. Afterwards, we’ll visit a nearby village to learn more about local life by watching a game of chinlone—a traditional Burmese sport—and meeting friendly residents. Then, we’ll depart for a local restaurant, where we’ll enjoy an included dinner.

Hot Air Balloon Ride (Day 6 $320 per person) Join a hot air balloon ride over Bagan. We’ll rise early to enjoy a bird’s eye view of ancient Bagan and its pagodas at sunrise. This balloon flight is only available from October 20 to April 10. The tour must be reserved at least 30 days prior to your departure, and requires that you fill out and return a brief medical form. If you have reserved this tour but have not returned your medical form, please contact our Traveler Support Department.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

46 PRE-TRIP Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Airfare from Colombo to Bangkok » 9 small group activities » Accommodations: 3 nights in Colombo at » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel or similar, 2 Experience Leader nights in Yala at Cinnamon Wild Hotel or » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and similar, and 2 nights in Galle at a centrally luggage porters located hotel » All transfers » 14 meals—7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 3 dinners

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Discover a sumptuous tropical island, home to myriad natural landscapes and boasting a rich, multifaceted history. Experience the fast streets of Colombo, gaze up at a matriarch elephant in Yala National Park, and venture back in time with a visit to the Dutch Colonial-era fort of Galle all in one comprehensive adventure.

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 3 Arrive in Colombo, Sri Lanka • Visit Pettah Market Afternoon: Depart the U.S. on your flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka, via Los Angeles. • Destination: Colombo • Included Meals: Breakfast Day 2 Cross International Date Line • Accommodations: Cinnamon Lakeside or similar • Accommodations: Cinnamon Lakeside or similar Activity Note: You will arrive early this morning in Colombo. Depending on your You continue your flight from Los Angeles to flight arrangements, you may get to the hotel Colombo, losing one day en route as you cross between 3:30am-4:15am. the International Date Line. You regain this day when you fly back to the U.S. at the end of the Early Morning: Arrive in Colombo and transfer trip. Depending on your flight arrangements, to your hotel. you may arrive in the early hours of the Breakfast: At the hotel. morning the following day and check in to your hotel. Morning: Free to rest after your flights or explore independently. Later this morning our group will come together for a Welcome Briefing. During this briefing, we will introduce ourselves and review our itinerary in more

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47 detail (including any changes that may need Following our tour, we’ll then drive to the Army to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader will Rehabilitation center, where we’ll meet with also discuss logistics, safety and emergency a disabled soldier to discuss the Controversial procedures, and answer questions we may have. Topic of war crimes during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which lasted from 1983 to 2009. We’ll hear Lunch: On your own. firsthand the tragedies this veteran endured Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll venture to the and witnessed, and we’ll also glean insight open-air Pettah Market by tuk-tuk, where we’ll into the government’s role in the conflict—one embark on a walking tour past colorful market that is charged with serious and disturbing stalls and in and out of various shops. From allegations. jewelry to food and household goods, we’ll see Lunch: At a local restaurant. how locals live and shop in this popular and diverse corner of the city. Afternoon: Enjoy free time to discover Colombo on your own. Dinner: On your own. Dinner: On your own. Evening: Free to explore as you’d like. Evening: You have the freedom to spend the Day 4 Explore Colombo • Controversial rest of your evening as you wish. Topic: War crimes stemming from the Civil War with a disabled soldier Day 5 Colombo • Visit Hambantota • Transfer to Yala • Destination: Colombo • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Destination: Yala • Accommodations: Cinnamon Lakeside • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or similar • Accommodations: Cinnamon Wild Hotel or similar Breakfast: At the hotel. Breakfast: At the hotel. Morning: We’ll explore Colombo—Sri Lanka’s bustling commercial capital. While Colombo Morning: Depart for Yala, with a couple stops was once known as the “garden city of the along the way. East,” today it’s flourishing as a cosmopolitan Lunch: At a local restaurant en route to Matara. hub, filled with a growing array of chic restaurants, museums, shops, and cafés. In Afternoon: Continue in the direction of Yala, the north lies the Fort district, with its unusual and stop for a brief visit in Hambantota, combination of modern financial institutions the country’s largest producer of salt. Here, (like the World Trade Center) and colonial we’ll visit the salterns to witness traditional buildings, while the south is home to the harvesting methods and come to learn fashionable and evocatively named Cinnamon their history before continuing on to our Gardens neighborhood. Our walking tour today hotel in Yala. includes the Dutch Colonial-era Wolvendaal Church and the late 19th-century Old City Hall. Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: Free to explore on your own.

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48 Day 6 Yala National Park morning safari • Evening: Free for your own discoveries. Controversial Topic: Challenges of living with wild elephants with a local farmer • Day 7 Transfer to Galle • Explore Galle Yala National Park afternoon safari • Destination: Galle • Destination: Yala • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Accommodations: Reef Garden Hotel • Accommodations: Cinnamon Wild Hotel or similar or similar Breakfast: At the hotel. Early Morning: We’ll embark on a nature safari Morning: We’ll transfer to Galle this morning. at Yala National Park. Spanning an area of nearly 500 square miles, we’ll traverse dense Lunch: At a local restaurant in Galle. forest, grassy plains, and marine wetlands to Afternoon: Following lunch, we’ll check in view animals such as elephants, crocodiles, to our hotel. Enjoy free time to explore before buffaloes, and monkeys. If we’re really lucky, our group reconvenes for a walking tour of we might spot the elusive sloth bear or leopard, this UNESCO World Heritage-listed city. both of which are critically threatened. Galle is a historic port town, sprinkled with Breakfast: A boxed meal during our safari. Dutch-Colonial buildings, age-old mosques, opulent mansions, and insightful museums. Morning: We’ll venture back to the hotel, We’ll begin by exploring its crown jewel: the where we’ll have free time before departing 17th-century Galle Fort, a fortified enclave to meet with a local farmer. The farmer will surrounded by the ocean. We’ll also stop by the introduce us to the Controversial Topic of 18th-century Dutch Reform Church, maritime human and elephant conflict, a hot-button training school, and local court houses. issue here due to the abundant population of wild elephant. Farmers who live on the edge of Dinner: On your own. Yala National Park are particularly susceptible Evening: You have the freedom to make your to run-ins with these giant mammals, which own discoveries. can often be destructive to their crops, and most of all, dangerous. We’ll hear how this farmer copes with these risks and whether or Day 8 Galle • Visit tea plantation • Cooking not he believes more should be done to protect demonstration & lunch with local family • agricultural workers, rather than protecting the Sunset cruise elephants. • Destination: Galle Lunch: On your own. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Accommodations: Reef Garden Hotel Afternoon: After some free time to rest or or similar explore on your own, we’ll depart for another safari at Yala National Park. In the company of a Breakfast: At the hotel. professional tracker, we’ll attempt to spot even Morning: We’ll depart for a nearby tea more animals in their natural habitat, as well as plantation, where we’ll learn about Sri Lanka’s enjoy the wild jungle flora. enduring history of tea production—an Dinner: At the hotel. industry that accounts for 2% of the country’s

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49 GDP. Sri Lanka’s climate and varying elevations provide ideal growing conditions for a multitude of teas; in fact, the plantation we’ll visit this morning produces nearly thirty varieties. During our visit, we’ll meet with the local farmer and harvesters to learn about growing methods, as well as the production process.

After our visit to the plantation, we’ll depart for the home of a local family, where we’ll watch a cooking demonstration and then have the opportunity to join in and try our hand at regional delicacies.

Lunch: At the home of the local family.

Afternoon: Upon arrival back at the hotel, you’ll have free time to make your own discoveries. Later, our group will depart for a nearby dock, where we’ll board a boat for a sunset cruise around Galle Harbor. We’ll take in scenic views of the city and watch as the sun slowly descends into the shimmering Laccadive Sea.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Free to explore on your own.

Day 9 Transfer to Colombo • Fly to Bangkok, Thailand • Begin main adventure • Destination: Bangkok • Included Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Depart for Colombo and fly to Bangkok to begin our Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam adventure.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

50 POST-TRIP Northern Vietnam: From Hanoi to the Hill Tribes of Sapa

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» All internal transportation » 9 small group activities » Accommodations: 4 nights in Hanoi at » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Sunway Hotel Hanoi or similar, 2 nights in Experience Leader Sapa at Sapa Charm Hotel or similar, and 1 » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and night on an overnight sleeper train luggage porters » 15 meals—7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, » All transfers and 3 dinners

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

See Northern Vietnam from two perspectives when we explore the region’s exciting capital and scenic countryside. Feel the pulse of cosmopolitan Hanoi during a tour, then leave the city behind when we travel through spectacular landscapes, passing expansive rice fields and mountains cloaked in vegetation on our way to remote villages. We’ll meet Vietnam’s distinct hill tribes, including the Black H’mong tribe who is known for their weaving and indigo-dyeing, before capping off our discoveries back in Hanoi.

Day 1 Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam • Explore Afternoon: An O.A.T. representative will Old Quarter meet us at the airport and transfer us to our hotel—about a 45-minute drive. We’ll arrive at • Destination: Hanoi our hotel at about 1:30pm where we’ll check in • Included Meals: Dinner and have some time to get settled in. Depending • Accommodations: Sunway Hotel Hanoi on where we stay, our hotel may have a or similar restaurant, bar, terrace, and fitness center. Morning: Around 7:30am, we’ll leave the hotel Typically, the hotel’s rooms include a safe, TV, and head to the airport, where we’ll catch a tea- and coffee-making facilities, and a private 2-hour flight to Hanoi, arriving around noon. bathroom.

Lunch: Lunch will be on your own after arriving Our group will gather at about 4:45pm for a at our hotel in Hanoi, around 1:30pm. You may trip briefing with Trip Experience Leader. We’ll venture out in search of a restaurant that serves review our itinerary in more detail (including local dishes like banh xeo. A mix of French any changes that may need to occur). influence and Vietnamese flavors compliment Around 5:15pm, we’ll enjoy a walking tour of each other in this dish made with a crepe, pork, Hanoi’s Old Quarter. While the Old Quarter shrimp, and bean sprouts. boasts a modern appearance, its history can be traced back some 1,000 years when artisan

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51 workshops around the palace of Emperor Ly Later this morning, around 11:15am, we’ll board Thai To joined into guilds to safeguard their sampans, or oar-propelled fishing boats, and trade secrets. The guilds have disappeared, but set off for the Thien Ha “Galaxy” Cave where the craftsmen here have held onto the tradition we’ll witness a series of natural stalactites. of grouping their shops by specialty on each Then, our boat will take us to a local restaurant. street. The neighborhood’s low-rise shops Lunch: At about 1pm, we’ll enjoy a traditional date back to the 15th century, with French lunch at a local restaurant. shutters and balconies added during the early 20th century. We’ll cap off our tour at about Afternoon: Around 2pm, we’ll depart by bus 5:45pm and take a 15-minute bus ride to a local back to Hanoi, arriving at our hotel around restaurant for dinner 4pm. Then, you have the rest of the day to make your own discoveries. You may choose Dinner: At a local restaurant around 6pm, visit the Vietnamese Women’s Museum where featuring regional cuisine. you can trace evolution of women’s roles here Evening: We’ll board our motorcoach just after throughout history. 7pm and drive about 10 minutes back to our Dinner: On your own—you can venture out hotel. The rest of the evening is on your own. into the city to find dinner at a local restaurant You may retire to your room to rest before this evening. You may want to find a place that tomorrow’s discoveries. Or, you may relax on serves traditional dishes like refreshing spring the hotel’s terrace—weather permitting. rolls, known as goi cuon. Or, you may stay at the hotel to have dinner. Day 2 Ninh Binh • Son Ha village walk • Visit Galaxy Cave Evening: Later, you may grab a cocktail at the bar with your fellow travelers to discuss today’s • Destination: Hanoi discoveries. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Sunway Hotel Hanoi Day 3 Hanoi • Explore French Quarter • or similar Visit Ho Chi Minh mausoleum Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at • Destination: Hanoi 6:30am, with Vietnamese and American options available. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Sunway Hotel Hanoi Morning: Around 8am, we’ll depart by bus or similar for Ninh Binh, a scenic location where vibrant Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at rice fields hug craggy cliffs covered in velvety 6:30am, with Vietnamese and American options vegetation. Upon arrival, around 10:30am, we’ll available. take a short walk to the local village of Son Ha. We’ll see scenes of rural life and learn about Morning: Around 8:30am, we’ll set off by bus different ways of farming in northern Vietnam to explore more of Hanoi. We’ll start today’s as we explore the village, and we’ll get a sense tour in the French Quarter at the mausoleum of what the local culture is like. of Ho Chi Minh, an impressive marble and granite structure that houses the preserved remains of Vietnam’s beloved national leader. After exploring the Ho Chi Minh complex

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52 for approximately two hours, we’ll take a Day 4 Overland to Sapa • Visit Lao Cai 15-minute drive to visit the Vietnam Museum • Destination: Sapa of Ethnology, where we’ll spend one hour. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Here, we’ll learn about the country’s myriad ethnic groups. Shortly after noon, we’ll take a • Accommodations: Sapa Charm Hotel 15-minute bus ride out to a local restaurant. or similar Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at Lunch: Around 12:30pm at a local restaurant, 6:30am, with Vietnamese and American options where we’ll enjoy a traditional meal together. available. Afternoon: Around 2pm, we’ll return to our Morning: At about 7:30am, we’ll check out of hotel and you have the rest of the day to the hotel and begin our bus journey to Sapa yourself to make your own discoveries. Perhaps via Lao Cai, located at the heart of the Red and you’ll visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s Nanxi rivers, bordering China. first university. Constructed in 1076 to honor Confucius and high-ranking scholars, its five Lunch: Just after noon, we’ll stop in Lao Cai to grassy courtyards feature several architectural enjoy a traditional lunch at a local restaurant. styles from this 1,000-year-old civilization. Or, you may visit the Hoa Lo Prison, also referred to Afternoon: We’ll continue our journey to Sapa, as the “Hanoi Hilton.” Hoa Lo was constructed arriving around 1:45pm. We’ll check in at our during the French occupation of Vietnam in hotel, which may feature a restaurant and bar. the 19th century and it was active until the late Typically, the hotel’s air-conditioned rooms 20th century. Now the majority of the prison include a balcony, TV, safe, and a private serves as a museum, which gives insight into bathroom. its controversial history. Learn about the POWs At about 2:15pm, we’ll head out for a that were held here and the overcrowding and 45-minute orientation walk. Sapa is located a unsanitary living conditions that they were mile above sea level, and boasts a lush, vivid subjected to. green landscape of rice paddies, forests, and Dinner: On your own—you may choose to have waterfalls. The heart of the timber industry, dinner at the hotel’s restaurant this evening. Sapa is also the place where members of many Perhaps you’ll seek out a traditional dish hill tribes gather to socialize and sell their like banh khot. You can pop these miniature handcrafts. After, you’ll have a few hours to pancakes, topped with ingredients like shrimp, yourself to settle in or start exploring on your into your mouth to savor every morsel of own. Perhaps you’ll ride in a cable car to the flavor at once. top of Fansipan Mountain to soak up views of the Muong Hoa Valley and the Hoang Lien Son Evening: You may choose to retire to your Mountains. room to get some sleep before our early start tomorrow morning. Dinner: At about 6:30pm, our group will have dinner at the restaurant in our hotel.

Evening: On your own—you are free to spend the rest of the evening as you wish. You may wish to retire to your room to rest before our explorations tomorrow.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

53 Day 5 Trek to Lao Chai and Ta Van Villages in Sapa. You may choose to seek out a classic Vietnamese dish like bánh mì, a sandwich that • Destination: Sapa combines French and Vietnamese influence. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Sapa Charm Hotel Evening: Free. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a nighttime or similar stroll through Sapa or a nightcap at the hotel bar. Activity note: You’ll hike over uneven terrain on the way to a couple of villages. Day 6 Sapa • Sin Chai Village school visit • Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at Transfer to overnight train 6:30am, with Vietnamese and American options • Destination: Hanoi available. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Morning: We’ll leave the hotel at about 9am, • Accommodations: Overnight sleeper train and take a 20-minute drive to a spot outside Activity note: Today is a long transfer day. The of Sapa where we’ll hike down the main road journey to Lao Cai will take approximately five on the mountain slope. From this vantage hours, and our train ride to Hanoi will take point, we’ll enjoy sweeping views of villages around nine hours. We’ll spend the night on below, mountains beyond, and the meandering an air-conditioned sleeper train. Each of the river. Our trek takes us down into the Lao Chai train’s cabins includes reading lights, baggage Village, home to 100 Black H’mong people. storage, and large windows. Bathrooms Recognized by their embroidered indigo are shared. clothing, the Black H’mong work and live off the land. They are also known for their hemp Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at and brocade goods, which we’ll notice in many 6:30am, with Vietnamese and American options places in and around Sapa. available.

Around 10:30am, we’ll conclude our discoveries Morning: Around 8:30am, we’ll board a in the village and return to the trail head, bus for a 30-minute drive to the village of trekking through fields on our way. Then, Sin Chai. Located at the foot of Fansipan we’ll board our bus and drive about 30 minutes Mountain—“the roof of Indochina”—Sin Chai back to Sapa. is home to an agricultural community of Black H’mong people, who preserve the practices of Lunch: Around 12:30pm at a local restaurant in weaving and indigo-dyeing. We’ll arrive around Sapa, featuring regional dishes. 9am, and have a little more than an hour to Afternoon: We’ll return to our hotel around interact with locals and some of the children in 2pm, and the rest of the day is free. Choose to the village school. rest after the morning’s activities, or continue Then, we’ll make our return journey to Sapa, exploring on Sapa on your own. Perhaps you’ll arriving around noon. hike up Hamrong Mountain, stopping along a way at a mountainside garden that boasts over Lunch: On your own shortly after noon. 6,000 orchids. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations on some of the best places Dinner: On your own, whenever you’d like. Your Trip Experience Leader will be happy to provide recommendations for preferred dining options

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

54 for local fare, like bun bo nam bo, a dry noodle Typically, the hotel’s rooms include a safe, TV, dish that combines a symphony of flavors and tea- and coffee-making facilities, and a private textures. bathroom.

Afternoon: On your own—perhaps you’ll Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel relax at the hotel or ask your Trip Experience starting at 8am, with Vietnamese and American Leader for recommendations. You may choose options available. to explore one of the area’s markets where you Morning: Following breakfast, you’ll have the can shop for souvenirs and see locals going day to make your own discoveries. Perhaps about their daily routines. you’ll explore the Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam Around 4pm, we’ll leave our hotel and head to where a mix of historical pieces contrast more Lao Cai, pausing en route to view the border contemporary artwork. with China and see beyond to the Chinese Lunch: Around 1pm, our group will gather and village of Ha Kou across the river. About 1.5 depart by bus for lunch at a local restaurant hours into our journey, we’ll pause at a local where we may sample traditional dishes. hotel so you can freshen up and relax. Afternoon: Depending on your gateway Dinner: We’ll continue on before stopping at a city in the U.S., some travelers will transfer local restaurant around 7:15pm to have dinner to the airport this afternoon or evening for together. their return flights home; others will fly out Evening: After departing the restaurant, we’ll tomorrow morning. drive for another hour before reaching the Dinner: Enjoy dinner on your own—you’re train station at about 9:30pm. We’ll board free to indulge in more local favorites. Perhaps our overnight sleeper train to Hanoi, which you’ll try a popular street food like bánh tráng includes air-conditioned sleeper cars that kep (grilled egg, pork, and shrimp on rice feature simple twin berths for the 9-hour trip paper). Your Trip Experience Leader can tell you to Hanoi. Each of the train’s cabins includes where to find this “Vietnamese pizza.” reading lights, baggage storage, and large windows. Bathrooms are shared. Evening: On your own—your Trip Experience Leader is happy to provide you Day 7 Hanoi recommendations. Or, you may choose to retire to your room to pack if your flight leaves • Destination: Hanoi tomorrow morning. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Sunway Hotel Hanoi or similar Day 8 Return to U.S. • Destination: U.S. Early morning: We’ll arrive in Hanoi between 5:30am and 6:30am. After leaving our overnight • Included Meals: Breakfast sleeper train behind, we’ll board a bus and drive Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel to our hotel, arriving around 8am. Depending starting at 6:30am, with Vietnamese and on where we stay, our hotel may have a American options available. restaurant, bar, terrace, and fitness center.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

55 Morning: Travelers who did not depart yesterday evening will transfer to the airport for return flights to the U.S. A room at the hotel is available until noon for travelers departing later in the day.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

56 POST-TRIP Thailand: The River Kwai, Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» All internal transportation » 17 meals—8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, » Accommodations: 2 nights in Bangkok and 4 dinners at Evergreen Laurel Hotel or similar, 2 » 3 small group activities nights in Kanchanaburi at Hin Tok River » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Camp, 2 nights in Chiang Rai at Wiang Inn Experience Leader Hotel, and 2 nights in Chiang Mai at Amora » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Hotel Tapae luggage porters » All transfers

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Following your Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam adventure, experience another side of Thailand. On this extension, you’ll dive into the country’s World War II past during a visit to the original bridge on the River Kwai, which you’ll see on foot and by boat. Then, venture up to northern Thailand where cultural treasures abound—from discovering the Golden Triangle’s complicated history to meeting members of the Karen Long Neck Village, and experiencing the inner workings of an elephant care center.

Day 1 Fly to Bangkok, Thailand and outdoor swimming pool. Typically, the hotel’s rooms include a safe, minibar, cable • Destination: Bangkok TV, wireless Internet access, and a private • Accommodations: De Prime Rangnam bathroom. We’ll check in and you have the rest or similar of the day on your own. You may choose to relax Morning: Around 9am, we’ll leave the hotel at the hotel, or explore Bangkok on your own. and head to the airport, where we’ll catch a 1.5-hour flight to Bangkok. Dinner: On your own—your Trip Experience Leader can provide you with restaurant Lunch: On your own. Perhaps you’ll grab recommendations. You may choose to find a something to eat upon arrival in Bangkok just restaurant that serves traditional tom yum after 1pm, or you may venture out to find a local goong, a soup dish made with shrimp and a restaurant after we check in at our hotel. variety of spices.

Afternoon: We arrive in Bangkok just after 1pm, and our Trip Experience Leader will meet us at the airport and assist with our transfer to our hotel. Depending on where we stay, our hotel may have a restaurant, café, fitness center,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

57 Evening: Enjoy free time this evening. You may were forced to build the infamous World War II retire to your room to rest before tomorrow’s railway. In the summer of 1942, World War II travels, or you may choose to find a nearby bar was raging across Europe and Asia. The Allies where you can grab a drink with your fellow were rapidly capturing the sea routes to Burma, travelers. forcing the Japanese to develop an overland supply route from the east to support their Day 2 Travel to Kanchanaburi via troops. The Japanese decided that the most Mahachai • River Kwai bridge walk viable option was a railway that followed the River Kwai through the dense jungle on either • Destination: Kanchanaburi side. About 200,000 Asian laborers and 61,000 • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Allied prisoners of war built this 260-mile • Accommodations: Hin Tok River Camp stretch of rail in abominable conditions—for or similar every half-mile of track laid, 38 POWs perished. Activity note: Today, we’ll experience the many During our visit, our Trip Experience Leader modes of transportation that locals use to travel will share more of the history of this iconic across the country. We’ll travel by bus, train, site before we conclude our discoveries around and ferry to Kanchanaburi for a total travel time 2:45pm and take a one-hour drive to our hotel. of about 5.5 hours. Depending on where we stay, our hotel may Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel feature an open-air restaurant and a swimming starting at 6am, with Thai and American pool fed by a natural spring. Typical rooms are options available. tented and air-conditioned, and should include a minibar, refrigerator, and private bath. Enjoy Morning: We’ll depart our hotel around some free time to get settled in this afternoon. 7:30am and begin our travels to Kanchanaburi. Or, you may choose to visit the JEATH War We’ll drive a little more than 30 minutes to Museum where you’ll learn more about the the train station where we’ll ride the rails for construction of the bridge on the River Kwai one hour to Mahachai, an area located in the from the perspectives of POWs. This open-air Samut Sakhon province known for its thriving museum contains photos and artifacts from the seafood industry. From here, we’ll board a POWs who helped build the bridge. ferry just after 9:30am and cross the Tha Chin River. We’ll arrive in the Tha Chalom district, Dinner: Around 6pm at our hotel, featuring also known for its booming fishing industry, regional dishes. and begin the last leg of our journey. We’ll Evening: On your own—you may wish to retire drive for two hours to Kanchanaburi, arriving to your room early to prepare for tomorrow’s around 1pm. discoveries. Lunch: Just after 1pm in a local restaurant, Freedom To Explore: During your two full featuring traditional cuisine. days in Kanchanaburi, you have the freedom Afternoon: Shortly after 2pm, we’ll walk to the to explore this scenic city on your own during original bridge on the River Kwai. Kanchanaburi your free time. Below are a few recommended Province is a green region where the riverside options for independent explorations: scenery belies its dramatic history, portrayed in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai. It was here that Allied POWs and Asian conscripts

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58 • Zip-line to get a unique perspective of boasts a lush forest of bamboo and evergreen, Kanchanaburi: See the region from above as numerous caves, and a spectacular waterfall. you glide between trees in Kanchanaburi’s The seven-tiered Erawan Waterfall is a forest. In addition to zip-lining, you can must-see sight with its turquoise waters and also pass over rope bridges, walk along serene setting—you may even want to go for tight ropes, and swing by rope for a thrilling a dip. The park is also laden with a number forest experience. If you identify as more of trails, offering great hiking opportunities of a ground dweller, the treetops are not for the active traveler. During your visit, keep all that provide exhilarating opportunities an eye out for elephants and deer, two major for exploration: the landscape offers hikers mammals that occupy this pristine habitat. the ability to admire the surrounding forest Plan to spend approximately 2-3 hours here. on foot. The best time to go is in the early • How to get there: A 1.5- to 2-hour taxi morning to beat the crowds and increase your ride, about $50 USD one way. wildlife viewing opportunities. This activity is • Hours: 8am-4:30pm, daily. typically 2-3 hours. • Cost: About $10 USD. • How to get there: A 20- to 30-minute taxi ride, about $20 USD one way. Day 3 Discover Hellfire Pass • Boat ride on • Hours: 8:30am-5pm, daily. the River Kwai • Cost: About $55 USD. • Destination: Kanchanaburi • Explore Lawa Cave: Discover the largest • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner cave in Kanchanaburi where you’ll behold • Accommodations: Hin Tok River Camp a natural wonderland of stalactites and or similar stalagmites that rise up out of the ground Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel and seemingly drip from the ceiling. Inside starting at 7am, with Thai and American the once-inhabited cave, you’ll find several options available. distinct chambers and Buddha statues. During excavations within the cave, human skeletons Morning: We depart the hotel around 8:30am indicated that the inhabitants and their cave and set off for the Hellfire Pass Museum. creations are approximately 3,000 years old. Here, we’ll trace the turbulent history of the These inhabitants were believed to have had “Death Railroad,” followed by a visit to the excellent night vision, as the cave is extreme- former River Kwai Railway. The area is now ly long and dark. During your explorations, peaceful, but many lives were lost during you may even spot the Khun Kitti Bats, one of the construction of one of the most difficult the smallest breeds of bats in the world. We sections of the railway. Around 10:15am, we’ll recommend spending around 3 hours here. have the chance to walk over the railway before • How to get there: A 30- to 40-minute driving in pickup trucks to a nearby pier, drive to the dock, and a 30- to 40-minute arriving just after 11am. Our small group will boat ride, about $35 USD one way. board a longtail speedboat, and we’ll see the • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. infamous bridge from another perspective as • Cost: About $6 USD. we cruise on the River Kwai. We’ll arrive back at the pier around noon. Then, we’ll take a • Soak up the splendors of Erawan National 15-minute bus ride to a nearby restaurant. Park: It’s no wonder that Erawan is one of Thailand’s most well-known parks as it

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59 Lunch: At a local restaurant around 12:15pm, shop, nightclub, fitness center, and outdoor featuring local dishes. swimming pool. Typically, each of the hotel’s rooms feature a TV, minibar, wireless Internet Afternoon: Just before 1:30pm, we’ll drive back access, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and a to our hotel. Enjoy free time this afternoon to private bathroom. You’ll have some free time to relax before we gather around 6pm and head get settled in before we gather around 5:45pm to our dinner location. You may choose to see to set off on an orientation walk around the Kanchanaburi from another perspective when vicinity of our hotel. Our Trip Experience Leader you zip-line through the region’s verdant will point out ATMs, restaurants, and sites you forest. Or, perhaps you’ll visit the Lawa Cave may want to visit during your free time. We’ll where you’ll witness stalactites and stalagmites also stop by a night market during our walk all around. where you can browse the stalls for souvenirs Dinner: A little after 6pm at a local restaurant, and try traditional delicacies and street food. featuring regional cuisine. Dinner: On your own starting around 6:30pm. Evening: We arrive back at out hotel around You may choose to try one of the restaurants 7:30pm and you are free to retire to your room that we passed during our orientation walk, or to rest or venture out to a bar where you can ask our Trip Experience Leader for additional your fellow travelers can grab a drink together. recommendations.

Evening: You are free to retire to your room to Day 4 Fly to Chiang Rai rest before our discoveries tomorrow. Or, you • Destination: Chiang Rai may choose to experience Chiang Rai’s nightlife • Included Meals: Breakfast with your fellow travelers.

• Accommodations: Wiang Inn Hotel or similar Freedom To Explore: During your two full days Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel in Chiang Rai, you have the freedom to explore starting at 7am, with Thai and American this historic city on your own during your free options available. time. Below are a few recommended options for independent explorations: Morning: We’ll check out of our hotel around 9am and drive for 3.5 hours to the airport in • Discover Art Bridge Gallery: Learn how this Bangkok. Upon arrival, we’ll check in and you’ll community-based art gallery aims to provide have some time to relax before our flight to local artists with a space to display and work Chiang Rai. on their crafts. At any given time, around 30 different artists can display their work here Lunch: On your own. You may want to grab and the art on display varies every month. something to eat at the airport. You may want Typically, the pieces showcased at Art Bridge to find a place that prepares refreshing green Gallery focus on themes of history, culture, papaya salad, a Thai staple. and Chiang Rai’s landscape. Depending on the date of your visit, artists sometimes visit Afternoon: Our flight departs around 2:15pm the gallery during which you can interact and will last about 1.5 hours. Upon arrival, we’ll transfer to our hotel (about a 15-minute drive) and check in. Depending on which hotel we stay at, amenities may include a restaurant, coffee

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60 with them to learn more about their creative Day 5 Chiang Rai • Golden Triangle • Visit processes. We recommend spending around 3 Opium Museum hours here. • Destination: Chiang Rai How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi • • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ride, about $4 USD one way. • Accommodations: Wiang Inn Hotel or similar • Hours: 10am-7pm, Tuesday-Sunday. • Cost: Free. Activity Note: Today’s discoveries include a 20-minute ride aboard a local farmer’s truck, • Uncover Baan Dam Museum’s unique which may be along a bumpy road. collection: Also known as the “Black House Museum,” this fascinating site holds artwork Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel by Thawan Duchanee, a famous local artist starting at 6am, with Thai and American who is revered for his abstract paintings, options available. sculptures, and architecture. Explore the museum’s 15 buildings to see an extensive Morning: We’ll depart our hotel around 8:30am collection of taxidermy animals and art and travel for two hours to the region known displays made out of animal bones. While as the Golden Triangle. Upon arrival, we’ll the focus of this museum may seem grim, have the opportunity to see where Thailand’s, all of the animals on display are believed to Laos’, and Burma’s borders meet as we walk have passed from natural causes and all hold along the Mekong River. Then around 11am, spiritual significance. We recommend spend- we’ll visit the Opium Museum where we’ll get ing around 2 hours exploring the museum. an in-depth look at the history of the opium industry in northern Thailand. At one time, the How to get there: A 20- to 30-minute taxi • hill tribes in this region relied on the cultivation ride, about $8 USD one way. of opium for survival—including several bands Hours: 9am-5pm, daily. • of the Chinese nationalist followers of Chiang Cost: About $3 USD. • Kai Shek, who have been living here (somewhat • Relax at the Cat ‘N’ A Cup Café: Whether in hiding and in dwindling numbers) since you’re a cat lover or just want to relax and the Revolution. But times have changed. The escape the city, this café gives you the tran- government has established many programs quil break you’re looking for. Located in the to introduce more viable crops, and most of city center, the menu offers both both food the people are law-abiding farmers. Today, and drink, such as hot chocolate, a variety tourism has become a preferable alternative to of coffees and teas, and an assortment of drug smuggling, and the hill tribes are more cakes. No entry fee is required, but you are concerned about preserving their old traditions. expected to purchase something to enter the “cat zone.” For a cat-filled afternoon away We’ll conclude our discoveries just before noon from the hustle and bustle, get to know the and board trucks that will take us to a local resident felines who walk freely throughout restaurant. this locally beloved establishment. Lunch: Around 12:15pm at a local restaurant, • How to get there: A 5-minute walk. featuring local cuisine. • Hours: 11:30am-10pm, daily. • Cost: Free to enter; varies depending on Afternoon: Around 1:30pm, we’ll drive 1.5 independent purchases. hours back to our hotel. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon on your own to make independent

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61 discoveries. Perhaps you’ll visit the Baan Dam, We’ll conclude our discoveries around 9:15am or “Black House.” This complex is actually and begin our 3-hour drive to Chiang Mai—the made up of 15 buildings that were designed principal city of the north, a major cultural by the artist Thawan Duchanee to hold a large center, and a favorite with visitors. collection of taxidermy. Or, you may want to Lunch: At a local restaurant along the way at cool off by taking a dip in the water or just relax about 11:30am. at the Chiang Rai River Beach. We’ll regroup around 6pm and walk to a local restaurant. Afternoon: We’ll continue on around 12:45pm, arriving in Chiang Mai around 2:15pm. Dinner: At a local restaurant a little after 6pm. Depending on which hotel we’re staying at, Evening: On your own to explore Chiang Rai amenities may include a swimming pool, as you wish. Or, you may choose to stay at the restaurant, and bar. Typically, each room hotel where you can retire to your room to pack features a TV, minibar, coffee- and tea-making before we leave Chiang Rai tomorrow. facilities, wireless Internet access, and a private bathroom. Enjoy a few hours of free time to Day 6 Chiang Rai • Visit Wat Rong Khun • start exploring on your own before we gather Overland to Chiang Mai around 6pm for an orientation walk. We’ll take a 30-minute walk around the vicinity • Destination: Chiang Mai of our hotel to acquaint ourselves with our • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch surroundings. Our Trip Experience Leader will • Accommodations: Amora Hotel Tapae point out sites you can visit during your free or similar time, as well as ATMs. This is also a great time Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel to ask them for restaurant recommendations starting at 6am, with Thai and American for meals on your own. options available. Dinner: On your own—you can ask our Trip Morning: We’ll check out of our hotel around Experience Leader for recommendations during 8am and venture 15 minutes to Wat Rong our orientation walk. Perhaps you’ll seek out Khun, commonly referred to as the “White a restaurant that serves tom kha kai, a sweet Temple.” This contemporary, and controversial coconut soup made with chicken. temple was constructed in 1997 by local artist Evening: You are free to retire to your room Chalermchai Kositpipa. The striking all-white to rest, or you may choose to find a bar in exterior is the least shocking aspect of this the city where you and your fellow travelers architectural treasure. Access the temple by can grab a drink together and discuss your crossing over a bridge that was built over a pit experience thus far. of reaching arms, meant to symbolize souls reaching up from hell. Then, step inside Wat Freedom To Explore: During your two full days Rong Khun where you’ll see an interesting in Chiang Mai, you have the freedom to explore blend of Buddhist art and murals of pop culture this culturally-rich city on your own during icons, including Harry Potter and Michael your free time. Below are a few recommended Jackson. While photography is prohibited in this options for independent explorations: temple, it will surely be an experience that you • Stroll through Suan Buak Haad Park: You won’t forget. may choose to find a seat in the park where you can watch scenes of daily life. Or, perhaps

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62 you’ll participate in one of the myriad Day 7 Chiang Mai • Karen hill tribe village activities that take place here, including yoga visit • Elephant care center visit and Thai takraw, a local sport that combines • Destination: Chiang Mai elements from volleyball and soccer. Locals are enthusiastic to share their customs with • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner travelers, so you just need to ask if you want • Accommodations: Amora Hotel Tapae to participate in one of these activities. We or similar recommend visiting the park in the evening Activity Note: Today’s activities include several when more locals are out of work and the park short drives aboard pick-up trucks along is more lively. bumpy roads. How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi • Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel ride, about $3 USD one way. starting at 6am, with Thai and American Hours: 6am-9pm, daily. • options available. • Cost: Free. • Dive into Chiang Mai’s history at the City Arts Morning: We’ll board our motorcoach around and Cultural Center: Discover a collection 8am and drive for one hour before changing to of photos, artifacts, and maps that provide pickup trucks. We’ll drive another 15 minutes insight into the city’s past. And, enjoy an before arriving at the Karen Long Neck Village. audiovisual introduction to Chiang Mai’s During our time here, we’ll discover this ancient and modern histories. Upon request, group’s age-old traditions, including how the you may choose to reserve a guided tour of women of the village wear large rings around the center. If you choose to explore on your their necks to give the appearance of elongated own, we recommend spending around two necks. Then around 9:45am, we’ll depart hours here to truly soak up the visual repre- the village by pick-up trucks for a visit to a sentations of Chiang Mai’s history. nearby elephant care center. Here, we’ll meet a mahout, a local who takes care of the elephants, How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute walk. • to learn more about these gentle giants, and we Hours: 8:30am-5pm, Tuesday-Sunday. • may even have a chance to feed and help bathe Cost: About $3 USD. • the elephants living at the center. • Enjoy a traditional Thai massage at the Women’s Correctional Institution: A mas- Lunch: Just before noon, we’ll have a picnic sage parlor is on the premises of this institu- lunch at the elephant care center. tion where you can get a traditional massage. Afternoon: Shortly before 1pm, we’ll take a The prison trains inmates skills that they can short ride by pick-up truck to meet our bus. At use once they are released, including how to around 1pm, we’ll drive for one hour back to give a Thai massage. During your massage, the hotel. You’ll have some free time to rest or get to know your masseuse by discussing the venture out to explore on your own. You may local culture and customs. We recommend choose to visit Suan Buak Haad Park where you spending around 1-2 hours here. can relax and people watch, or you can join • How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute walk. in on one of the activities that the park hosts, • Hours: 8:30am-4pm, daily. including yoga. Then, we’ll gather at about 6pm • Cost: About $6 USD per hour. Tips of $2 and head to a local restaurant. USD per hour are typical.

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63 Dinner: At a local restaurant around 6:15pm, Dinner: On your own—you can enjoy dinner featuring traditional cuisine. in the hotel’s restaurant, or you may choose to venture out into the city in search of traditional Evening: Free for your own discoveries. You cuisine. Thailand is known for their variety of can retire to your room to pack before we curries, so you may ask your Trip Experience leave Chiang Mai tomorrow, or ask your Trip Leader to point out a restaurant they Experience Leader for recommendations. recommend for this popular dish.

Day 8 Explore Chiang Mai’s Old City • Fly Evening: On your own. Perhaps you’ll retire to Bangkok to your room to get some sleep before our early start tomorrow, or you may wish to • Destination: Bangkok enjoy the city’s nightlife one last time before • Included Meals: Breakfast returning home. • Accommodations: De Prime Rangnam or similar Day 9 Return to U.S. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel • Destination: U.S. starting at 6am, with Thai and American • Included Meals: Breakfast options available. Breakfast: Enjoy a boxed breakfast provided by Morning: Around 9am, we’ll set out on a the hotel this morning. walking tour of Chiang Mai’s Old City. The city’s medieval walls encircle more than 30 active Early morning: Around 4:30am, we’ll depart Buddhist temples, and the metropolitan region our hotel and transfer to the airport for our boasts another 80 religious sites. We’ll have return flights to the U.S. the opportunity to see some of these landmarks along the way before returning to our hotel around 10:30am to rest and finish packing.

Lunch: On your own—you may choose to grab something in Chiang Mai to bring with you to the airport this afternoon, or you can pick up food at the airport.

Afternoon: Around 12:30pm, we’ll head to the airport (about a half-hour drive). Our 1-hour flight to Bangkok departs around 2:30pm. Upon arrival, we’ll transfer to our hotel (the same accommodations as at the beginning of this extension) and you’ll have the rest of the day to relax or explore independently. You may want to escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, without actually leaving the city, by taking a stroll through the forest-like landscape of Lumpini Park. This forest-like landscape is located in the heart of the city, yet retains a tranquility about it.

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64 Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, OUR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURE COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY To ensure the safety of all of our travelers, we are requiring that all travelers Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam joining us on one of our Small Group Adventures must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure of their adventure— and provide proof of their vaccination on-site. 2022 Dates & Prices For more details, please visit www.oattravel.com/covid-update.

APRIL; OCTOBER- DEPART FROM J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y M A R C H SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER DEC 2-7 DEC 9-23

Los Angeles $ 4795 $ 4595 $ 4395 $ 4095 $ 4895 $ 5095 $ 5295

Chicago, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, $ 4895 $4695 $4495 $4195 $4995 $5195 $5395 Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, DC

Atlanta, Boston, Houston, New York, $ 4995 $4795 $4595 $4295 $5095 $5295 $5495 Newark

Detroit, Phoenix $ 5095 $ 4895 $ 4695 $ 4395 $ 5195 $ 5395 $ 5595

Dallas $ 5195 $4995 $4795 $4495 $5295 $5495 $5695

Without international airfare $3495 $3295 $3095 $2795 $3595 $3795 $3695

Additional departure cities are available. Upgrade to Business Class may be available for the international portion of your flight. Call for details.

NEW! STOPOVERS RISK-FREE BOOKING POLICY: RESERVE WITH CONFIDENCE— All O.A.T. Stopovers include 3 nights in a centrally- NOW THROUGH 12/31/21 located hotel, daily breakfasts, and roundtrip We will waive any change fees if you transfer to another departure date for any private airport transfers. reason—up until 24 hours prior to departure. See details at www.oattravel.com/ Istanbul: $745 per person riskfree-booking. Seoul: $845 per person Dubai or Hong Kong: $895 per person Prices are per person. Airfare prices include government taxes, fees, and airline fuel Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If a city you surcharges. All prices and availability are effective as of the date of this publication, and are are interested in is not offered, we can arrange subject to change without notice. Standard Terms & Conditions apply, please visit our website: your airfare for that, too. www.oattravel.com/tc. Every effort has been made to produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors. Call your Regional Adventure Counselor for full details at 1-800-955-1925.

For specific departure dates, current availability, and detailed pricing, visit www.oattravel.com/lvc2022 pricing

SAVE UP TO 10% WITH FREE SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS SHARE YOUR LOVE OF TRAVEL OUR GOOD BUY PLAN We offer FREE Single Supplements on all New travelers you refer will instantly save The earlier you reserve your departure of our adventures and pre- and post-trip $100, and you’ll earn increasing rewards— and pay in full, the more you’ll save—up extensions. up to a FREE trip! to 10%—plus, you’ll lock in your price. Each departure has limited solo space For details, visit www.oattravel.com/va For details, visit www.oattravel.com/gbd available—call today to reserve.

Publication Date 5/24/21

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/lvc2022

65 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your Passport • Must be in good condition

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S.

• Must have the required number of blank pages (details below)

• The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable

Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport

Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this adventure.

• Main trip only: If you are taking only the main trip, you will need 9 blank passport pages.

• Pre-trip extension to Burma (Myanmar): You will need 2 additional passport pages, for a total of 11.

• Pre-trip extension to Sri Lanka: You will need 2 additional passport pages, for a total of 11.

• Post-trip extension to Northern Vietnam: No additional pages needed.

• Post-trip extension to Thailand: You will need an additional page, for a total of 10.

• Both a pre- and a post-trip extension: You will need a total of 11 blank passport pages if you’re taking the Northern Vietnam post-trip extension, or a total of 12 blank pages for the Thailand post-trip extension.

• Stopover in Bangkok, Doha, Istanbul, or Singapore: You will need to add 2 additional pages to the applicable total listed above.

• Stopover in Denpasar, Dubai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, or Tokyo: You will need to add an additional page to the applicable total listed above.

IMPORTANT: Our regional office reports that some travelers on this adventure have been fined by local authorities for not having enough blank pages. At time of writing the fines were roughly $50-$80 and could happen in any and all of the countries on the trip. Please double-check your

66 passport before you leave. The numbers we have given above may seem like a lot, but the goal is for you to have more blank pages than you actually need to complete the trip; this will help you avoid a fine.

Visas Required We’ll be sending you a detailed Visa Packet with instructions, application forms, and fees about 100 days prior to your departure. In the meantime, we’re providing the information below as a guideline on what to expect. This information is for U.S. citizens only. All visas and fees are subject to change.

• Thailand: No visa required. For a U.S. citizen, a visa is not required for entry into Thailand on this adventure.

• Vietnam: Visa required. Can only be obtained in advance. You must obtain your visa for Vietnam before you leave home; it cannot be obtained on arrival.

• Laos and Cambodia: Visas required. We recommend you obtain these in advance. Although these visas may be obtained upon your arrival, we recommend you obtain them in advance. Entry requirements can change at any time; obtaining your visas in advance decreases the likelihood that you will encounter problems at the border and may protect you if entry requirements subsequently change.

• Burma (optional extension): Visa required. Can only be obtained in advance. You must obtain your visa for Burma before you leave home; it cannot be obtained on arrival.

• Sri Lanka (optional extension): Visa required. We recommend you obtain in advance. Although this visa may be obtained upon your arrival, we recommend you obtain them in advance. Entry requirements can change at any time and long waits to receive your visa at arrival have been reported. Obtaining your visa in advance will decrease the likelihood that you will encounter problems at the border and may protect you if entry requirements subsequently change.

• Qatar (optional stopover only): Visa required. For U.S. citizens, a free visa waiver can be obtained at arrival for a stay of 30 days or less as long as your passport is valid for the next 6 months and you have proof of a return flight.

• Turkey (optional stopover only): Visa required. We suggest you obtain an e-visa in advance through the Turkish government’s website as visas cannot be obtained upon arrival.

• South Korea (optional stopover only): An Electronic Travel Authorization is required. Note that this is a digital process only and you must apply online or via an app (we will send instructions). You will not receive a visa sticker for this ETA in your passport.

• U.A.E (optional stopover only): Visa required. Currently, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) allows U.S. citizens to get a tourist visa free of charge on arrival in Dubai.

• Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, or Japan (optional stopovers only): No visas required. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens for stays of up to 90 days.

67 Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www.pvsinternational.org.

Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate.

Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals.

If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip.

Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents.

68 RIGORS, VACCINES & GENERAL HEALTH

Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers.

PACING • 6 locations in 19 days with some early mornings

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids

• You must be able to walk 3 miles unassisted and participate in 5-7 hours of physical activities each day

• Our activities include a 4-hour walk through 3 miles of Angkor Wat on uneven surfaces and up 300 non-consecutive steps on Day 15

• We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience

CLIMATE • Tropical, with daytime temperatures reaching 95°F with high levels of humidity, especially between March-May

• Potential for heavy rains between July-October

TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • Travel over some bumpy, unpaved roads; climb uneven stairways at ancient ruins; and walk over uneven ground

• Travel primarily via air-conditioned 20-passenger coach (no toilet on board)

• Other modes of transportation include: ox cart; tuk-tuks (three-wheeled vehicles); jumbos (three-wheeled vehicles); remork (a trailer pulled by a motorcycle); motorbike taxi; motorized boat on the Mekong, which will require agility to embark; and a horse-drawn carriage ride on an optional trip extension

• One 8-hour bus drive and 4 internal flights of about one hour each with potential for delays

• One overland transfer of about eight hours in an air-conditioned bus, with included stops for lunch and activities en route

69 FLIGHT INFORMATION • Travel time will be 20-27 hours and will most likely have two connections

ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • All accommodations feature private baths and Western-style toilet facilities

• Outside of our accommodations, some public restrooms will be limited to Asian-style squat toilets

Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following:

• Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636.

• Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip.

• Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

• Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent)

Vaccines Required

COVID-19 Overseas Adventure Travel requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are able provide proof of their vaccination upon arrival at their destination. A full vaccination is defined as having been inoculated at least 14 days prior to departure by an approved vaccine. This requirement is not contingent on the countries the tour visits, but a strict company policy due to the nature of the pandemic.

Medication Suggestions • An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

• Prescription pain medication in the unlikely event of an injury in a remote location

• Anti-malaria medication—At time of writing, the CDC reported that the risk of malaria was low in Thailand and Vietnam, but was moderate in Laos, Cambodia, and Burma. For this reason, the CDC suggested that travelers discuss an anti-malarial medication with their doctor. Anti-malarial medication can have strong side effects, so be certain to ask your doctor first.

Traveling with Medications • Pack medications in your carry-on bag to avoid loss and to have them handy.

• Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers for a quicker security screen at the airport and a better experience if you get stopped by customs while overseas.

70 • Bring copies of your prescriptions, written using the generic drug name rather than a brand name to be prepared for any unforeseen loss of your medications.

We recommend checking with the State Department for medication restrictions by country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages.html. (Pick the country and then follow the links to “Local Laws & Special Circumstances”; if you don’t see any medications specifically mentioned, then you can presume major U.S. brands should be OK).

Staying Healthy on Your Trip Jet Lag Tips

• Start your trip well-rested.

• Begin a gradual transition to your new time zone before you leave or switch to your destination time zone when you get on the plane.

• Attempt to sleep and eat according to the new schedule.

• Avoid heavy eating and drinking caffeine or alcoholic beverages right before–and during– your flight.

• Drink plenty of water and/or fruit juice while flying

• Stretch your legs, neck, and back periodically while seated on the plane.

• After arrival, avoid the temptation to nap.

• Don’t push yourself to see a lot on your first day.

• Try to stay awake your first day until after dinner.

Allergies

If you have any serious allergies or dietary restrictions, we advise you to notify us at least 30 days prior to your departure. Please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814, and we will communicate them to our regional office. Every effort will be made to accommodate you.

Water • Tap water on this adventure is not safe to drink, so we recommend you use only bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth.

• Avoid drinks with ice or salads/fruits unless you first confirm that the ice is made with safe water or the salad/fruit has been washed in safe water. (Fruit you peel yourself should be fine.)

• Hot drinks made with water are safe if they have been boiled.

71 • Bottled water is readily available for purchase; just be sure to check that the cap is sealed properly before buying.

• Some previous travelers on this adventure have suggested bringing sachets of powdered electrolytes or powdered sports drink with you. If you feel dehydrated, you can mix them with bottled water, and this should help you re-hydrate quickly.

Food • We’ve carefully chosen the restaurants for your group meals. Your Trip Experience Leader can suggest restaurants for meals you take on your own.

• When dining on your own, keep in mind that meats sold by street vendors may not have had proper refrigeration.

• Be cautious with non-pasteurized milk products—they may or may not upset your stomach.

Electricity Supply A constant electricity supply cannot be guaranteed during overnight stays. Travelers dependent on electricity supply for health reasons (as in the case of those with sleep apnea) may want to consider a different O.A.T. adventure.

72 MONEY MATTERS: LOCAL CURRENCY & TIPPING GUIDELINES

Top Three Tips • Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as U.S. dollars, local currency, an ATM card, and a credit card. Traveler’s checks are not accepted in the countries you will be visiting.

• Bring a cash reserve for the extension to Burma. Burma is still much more reliant on cash and ATMs may not be available. We recommend that you bring a cash reserve to cover your basic expenses in Burma.

• U.S. dollars should be in excellent condition (especially in Burma) and dated 2006 or later. Torn, worn, dirty, or taped U.S. bills may not be accepted. In Burma, bills should be pristine (not folded); uncirculated bills are best.

Local Currency For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/ currencyconverter, your bank, or the financial section of your newspaper.

Thailand The basic unit of currency in Thailand is the baht (THB), easily distinguished by color and marked with both Thai and Arabic numerals. The baht is divided into 100 satang. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 20 baht (green), 50 baht (blue), 100 baht (red), and 500 baht (purple), 1000 baht (reddish brown)

• Coins: 25 satang, 50 satang, 1 baht, 2 baht, 5 baht, and 10 baht

Baht are generally preferred. When changing U.S. dollars to baht, you will find that you get a slightly better exchange rate on larger bills.

Laos The basic unit of currency in Laos is the kip (LAK). Banknote denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 1,000 kips, 2,000 kips, 5,000 kips, 10,000 kips, 20,000 kips, 50,000 kips, and 100,000 kips

• Coins: Not commonly in use.

Many businesses will accept U.S. dollars, but some will use Laotian kips. When using or exchanging U.S. dollars know that crisp bills in very good condition are preferred—bills that are worn, torn, or even folded might be rejected. The bills can be the newer “large portrait” style or the older, less colorful style; the condition is more important than the age.

73 Cambodia The official currency of Cambodia is the riel (KHR), but U.S. dollars are widely accepted. Some businesses will also take Thai baht. Riel banknote denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and higher

• Coins are no longer in general circulation

Previous travelers have suggested that since U.S. dollars are widely accepted in Cambodia, and prices are low, a mix of smaller bills—such as ones, fives, and tens—is more useful than a few large bills. A small amount of local currency is useful for some situations, such as to pay/tip the attendant at a public restroom. If you pay in U.S. dollars, it is fairly common to get your small change back in riels.

Vietnam The Vietnamese monetary unit is the New Dong (VND). Banknote denominations are:

• 1,000d, 2,000d, 5,000d, 10,000d, 20,000d, 50,000d, 100,000d, 200,000d, and 500,000d

Some businesses in Vietnam do not accept credit cards, so you should carry some cash. Many businesses will accept U.S. dollars. Dongs are usually preferred for small transactions (taxis, public restrooms, small tips).

Burma The basic unit of currency in Burma is the kyat (K). The kyat is divided into 100 pyas. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 50 pyas, K 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000

• Coins: K 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 Coins are rarely used.

Burma is still a “cash only” society, with little ATM and credit card use. You’ll want a mix of mostly smaller U.S. bills to pay with, plus a few large bills (like $100s) to exchange.

Sri Lanka The official currency of Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan rupee, which is divided into 100 cents.

• Bills come in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, and 5000 rupees

• Coins come in denominations of 25 and 50 cents and 1, 2, and 5 rupees

There are smaller coins of 1, 2, 5, and 10 cents, but they are not commonly used. U.S. dollars are not widely accepted in Sri Lanka; the local currency is preferred.

74 How to Exchange Money You can change money when you arrive at banks, most hotels, and money exchange offices. In some countries you do not even need to exchange money at all—you can use U.S. dollars. For information on what type of currency can be used on this trip, see the “Currency” section.

You can also obtain local currency from an ATM. Using a local ATM on an international network will allow you to withdraw money from your U.S. account in local currency; your bank at home will calculate the conversion rate and charge you in U.S. dollars. Keep in mind, that ATM availability on this trip may be limited in Burma, so you should plan to bring a cash reserve to cover your basic expenses and only use the ATM as a backup or supplement.

Throughout the trip, your Trip Experience Leader can advise you of ATM availability and warn you before you enter areas where there are no ATMs, but will not be able to guarantee which ATM will take your card.

ATMs When using the ATM, keep in mind that it may only accept cards from local banks, and may not allow cash advances on credit cards; you might need to try more than one ATM or more than one card.

Many banks charge a fee of $1-$10 each time you use a foreign ATM. Others may charge you a percentage of the amount you withdraw. We recommend that you check with your bank before you depart.

Lastly, don’t forget to memorize the actual digits of your card’s PIN number (many keypads at foreign ATMs do not include letters on their keys—they only display numbers.)

Thailand: ATMs are fairly common.

Laos: ATMs can be hard to find in Laos, and the ones that are available may not take American cards.

Cambodia: ATMs are only somewhat available in Cambodia. You’ll find them in large cities, but not out in rural areas or at archeological sites. Because U.S. dollars are in widespread use in Cambodia, most ATMs will give you dollars and not local currency.

Vietnam: ATMs are fairly common in Vietnam. Occasionally travelers report having to try more than one bank to find an ATM that works with their U.S.-based card.

Burma: Do not rely on ATMs alone in Burma. In the past few years, the number of ATMs has increased in Burma, especially in major cities and towns. However, these ATMs have some important limitations:

• They typically accept Visa, MasterCard, China’s Union Pay, and Japan’s JCB only.

• There is usually a fee of about $5 per transaction, and there may be a cap of $200-$250 per withdrawal.

75 • Connectivity is unreliable. And if the ATM cannot connect to your bank, then it won’t work for you.

Because of these limits, we recommend having a cash reserve to cover your basic expenses in Burma, and only use the ATM as a backup or supplement.

Sri Lanka: ATMs are somewhat available in Sri Lanka. Generally speaking, ATMs are common in large cities and more limited in smaller towns and villages. Some ATMs will not accept U.S. cards (we suggest that you confirm if your card will work in Sri Lanka with your bank). Even when you do find a machine that takes your card, they aren’t always reliable. You will often find machines that are either out of order, or out of money, so you may need to try more than one machine. Your Trip Experience Leader will advise you on ATM availability and locations during the trip.

Credit & Debit Cards Even if you don’t plan on using a credit card during your trip, we still suggest that you bring one or two as a backup, especially if you are planning a large purchase (artwork, jewelry). We also suggest that you bring more than one brand of card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express) if possible, because not every shop will take every card. For example, although the Discover card is accepted in some countries outside the U.S., it is not widely adopted, so other brands will work at a much larger range of stores, restaurants, etc.

Thailand: Credit cards are commonly accepted as payment.

Laos: Credit cards are rarely accepted.

Cambodia: Credit cards are somewhat accepted—you’ll be able to use them in nicer hotels, shops, and restaurants but not at small businesses.

Vietnam: Credit cards are commonly accepted. However, some businesses in Vietnam do not accept them, so you should carry some cash on you.

Burma: Credit card use is just starting to gain traction in Burma. Most businesses are still “cash only”. And unfortunately, the places that do take credit cards can be very inconsistent. They may only take one type of card (MasterCard only or Visa only)…they may or may not charge you a fee…the fee may or may not be the same fee as yesterday…you get the idea. Because of these inconsistencies, it is important that you don’t rely on your credit card alone. It makes more sense to bring a card or two as a supplement to your cash reserve. Burma is changing fast, but cash is still king.

Sri Lanka: Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted in Sri Lanka for major purchases and in shops associated with the tourist trade but may not be accepted by smaller restaurants or shops.

76 Notify Card Providers of Upcoming Travel Many credit card companies and banks have fraud alert departments that will freeze your card if they see suspicious charges—such as charges or withdrawals from another country. To avoid an accidental security block, it is a good idea to notify your credit card company and/or bank you will be using your cards abroad. You can do this by calling their customer service number a week or two before your departure. Some banks or credit card companies will also let you do this online.

You should also double-check what phone number you could call if you have a problem with a card while you are abroad. Don’t assume you can use the 1-800 number printed on the back of your card—most 1 800 numbers don’t work outside of the U.S.!

Tipping Guidelines Of course, whether you tip, and how much, is always at your own discretion. But for those of you who have asked for tipping suggestions, we offer these guidelines.

• O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader: It is customary to express a personal “thank you” to your Trip Experience Leader at the end of your trip. As a guideline, many travelers give $7-$10 USD (or equivalent in local currency) per person for each day their Trip Experience Leader is with them. Please note that these tips can only be in cash. If you are taking any of the optional extensions, your Trip Experience Leader during the extension(s) may not be the same as the one on your main trip.

• Housekeeping staff at hotels: $1-2 per room, per night

• Waiters: Tipping waiters is not common practice, but if the service is excellent you may leave about 10% of the bill in appreciation. Your Trip Experience Leader will handle any tips, if appropriate, for included meals.

• Taxi drivers: If you are taking a taxi by yourself, keep in mind that tipping is not common practice, but many people simply let the driver keep the change by rounding up the fare to the next whole number.

• Your Trip Price Includes: Gratuities are included for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters on your main trip, extensions, and all optional tours.

Please note: For your convenience, tips to O.A.T. staff can be paid in U.S. dollars or local currency. Please do not use personal or traveler’s checks for tips.

77 AIR, OPTIONAL TOURS & STAYING IN TOUCH

Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air Quick Definitions

• Land Only: You will be booking your own international flights. Airport transfers are not included.

• Air-Inclusive: You booked international air with us. Airport transfers are included as long as you didn’t customize your trip’s dates (see next bullet).

• Personalized Air: You booked international air with us, and have customized it in some way. If you have customized your trip’s dates to arrive early, stay longer, or stop on your own in a connecting city, airport transfers will NOT be included. You must also arrange your own accommodations for any additional nights. For your convenience, a preliminary list of your included hotels is available on your My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount under “My Reservations”.

Airport Transfers Can Be Purchased For eligible flights, airport transfers may be purchased separately as an optional add-on, subject to availability. To be eligible, your flight(s) must meet the following requirements:

• You must fly into or fly home from the same airport as O.A.T. travelers who purchased included airfare.

• Your flight(s) must arrive/depart on the same day that the group arrives or departs.

Airport transfers can be purchased up to 45 days prior to your departure; they are not available for purchase onsite. To learn more, or purchase airport transfers, please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you’ll need to make your own transfer arrangements. We suggest the Rome to Rio website as a handy resource: www.rome2rio.com.

Optional Tours Optional tours are additional add-on tours that allow you to personalize your adventure by tailoring it to your tastes and needs. And if you decide not to join an optional tour? Then you’ll have free time to relax or explore on your own—it’s about options, not obligations.

What You Need to Know • All optional tours are subject to change and availability.

78 • Optional tours that are reserved with your Trip Experience Leader can be paid for using credit/debit cards only. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover credit cards; we can also take MasterCard or Visa debit cards as long as the card allows you to sign for purchases. (You won’t be able to enter a PIN.)

• To ensure that you are charged in U.S. dollars, your payment will be processed by our U.S. headquarters in Boston. This process can take up to three months, so we ask that you only use a card that will still be valid three months after your trip is over. The charge may appear on your credit card statement as being from Boston, MA or may be labeled as “OPT Boston”.

• Your Trip Experience Leader will give you details on the optional tours while you’re on the trip. But if you’d like to look over descriptions of them earlier, you can do so at any time by referring to your Day-to-Day Itinerary (available online by signing into My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount).

Optional Tours: Reserve Before You Go We strongly recommend that you reserve the following optional tours in advance. Unless otherwise noted, the deadline to do so is 45 days prior to your departure. Occasionally, space will be available for booking onsite, but this not guaranteed. Optional tours with O.A.T. can only be purchased with a credit card (Visa or MasterCard) or a debit card with credit card functionality. Because our headquarters are in Boston, charges may appear to be from Boston or might be labeled as “OPT Boston” (depending on your credit card company).

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Join a hot air balloon ride over Bagan. We’ll rise early to enjoy a bird’s eye view of ancient Bagan and its pagodas at sunrise.

This optional tour is offered during the Jewels of Burma’s Irrawaddy River: Rangoon, Bagan & Mandalay trip extension. The cost is $320 per person.

Please note: This balloon flight is only available from October 20 to April 10. The tour must be reserved at least 30 days prior to your departure, and requires that you fill out and return a brief medical form. If you have reserved this tour but have not returned your medical form, please contact our Traveler Support Department.

Communicating with Home from Abroad To ensure you are available during your trip to friends and relatives at home, you will receive two copies of your hotel list, including phone numbers, with your Final Documents. One copy is for you to bring, and one to leave behind with friends or relatives in case they need to contact you during the trip.

79 Cell Phones If you want to use your cell phone on the trip, check with your phone provider to see if your phone and service will work outside of the U.S. It may turn out to be cheaper to rent an international phone or buy a SIM card onsite. If you want to use a local SIM, just make certain your phone can accept one.

Phone Availability in Burma For a long time visitors could not use their own phone in Burma, but international roaming with western cell phones is now possible in some cases; the situation is changing fast, so it is best to check with your own cellular provider. Even if you can use your cell phone to make calls in Burma, you might not be able to use other services (like texting). Network access is often patchy or non- existent in rural areas, but usually works well in towns.

If you can’t use your own phone, then other options are available, such as making calls from your hotel. (Public phones are rare, even in large cities.) Domestic calls costs aren’t extravagant, but overseas calls from Burma are some of the most expensive in the world. Calling “collect” is not available in Burma.

Another option is to try using a local GSM SIM card, which can be purchased in Rangoon in small phone stores. Two cellular companies offer services in Bruma, Ooredoo (based in Qatar) and Telenor (based in Norway). And finally, some roaming services are available with Asian networks, including Thailand (AIS), Singapore (M1 and Singtel), Indonesia (Telkomsel) and Vietnam (Viettel).

Calling Apps Another option is to use a smartphone app like Skype or FaceTime. These services are usually less expensive than making a traditional call, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection and the calls may count towards your phone plan’s data allowance. Many smartphones—and some tablets or laptops—come with one of these apps pre-installed or you can download them for free from the appropriate apps store.

Calling Cards and 1-800 Numbers When calling the U.S. from a foreign country, a prepaid calling card can be useful because it circumvents unexpected charges from the hotel. Calling cards purchased locally are typically the best (less expensive, more likely to work with the local phones, etc.).

One reminder: Do not call U.S. 1-800 numbers outside the continental United States. This can result in costly long distance fees, since 1-800 numbers do not work outside the country.

80 How to Call Overseas When calling overseas from the U.S., dial 011 for international exchange, then the country code (indicated by a plus sign: +), and then the number. Note that foreign phone numbers may not have the same number of digits as U.S. numbers; even within a country the number of digits can vary depending on the city and if the phone is a land line or cell phone.

Thailand: +66 Vietnam: +84

Laos: +856 Burma: +95

Cambodia: +855 Sri Lanka: +94

81 PACKING: WHAT TO BRING & LUGGAGE LIMITS

Luggage Limits

MAIN TRIP LIMITS

Pieces per person One checked bag and one carry-on per person.

Weight restrictions Checked bag is limited to 44 lbs total. Carry-on is limited to 15 lbs total.

Size Restrictions Standard airline size: checked luggage should not exceed 62 linear inches (length+ width + depth) and carry-on should not exceed 45 linear inches

Luggage Type Duffel bag or soft-sided suitcase. Please do not bring a hard-sided (clamshell) suitcase.

TRIP EXTENSION(S) LIMITS

Same as the main trip.

REMARKS/SUGGESTIONS

Luggage rules: Luggage rules and limits are set by governmental and airline policy. Enforcement of the rules may include spot checks or may be inconsistent. However one thing is the same across the board: If you are found to have oversized or overweight luggage, you will be subject to additional fees, to be assessed by—and paid to—the airline in question.

Don’t Forget: • These luggage limits may change. If the airline(s) notify us of any changes, we will include an update in your Final Documents booklet.

• It’s a good idea to reconfirm baggage restrictions and fees directly with the airline a week or so prior to departure. For your convenience, we maintain a list of the toll-free numbers for the most common airlines on our website in the FAQ section.

• Baggage fees are not included in your trip price; they are payable directly to the airlines.

• The luggage limits above are based on your regional flights, which may be less than your international flights. Even if your international airline offers a larger weight limit, you will need to pack according to the lower restrictions.

82 Your Luggage • Checked Luggage: One duffel bag or suitcase. Look for one with heavy nylon fabric, wrap- around handles, built-in wheels, and a heavy duty lockable zipper. Please do not bring a rigid (plastic shell) suitcase.

• Carry-on Bag: You are allowed one carry-on bag per person. We suggest a tote or small backpack that can be used as both a carry-on bag for your flight and to carry your daily necessities—water bottle, camera, etc—during your daily activities.

• Locks: For flights that originate in the U.S., you can either use a TSA-approved lock or leave your luggage unlocked. Outside of the U.S. we strongly recommend locking your luggage as a theft-prevention measure.

Clothing Suggestions: Functional Tips As you will experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, we suggest several layers of clothing. If you like to hand-wash your clothes, look for fabrics that will dry out overnight. You can buy clothing designed especially for travel, with features like wrinkle- resistant fabric or built-in sun protection.

• Footwear: You’ll be on your feet and walking a lot, sometimes over rough and slippery surfaces, so choose your footwear carefully. The soles of your shoes should offer good traction. You can find especially supportive shoes designed for walking. Light hiking boots might be useful for the ankle support, but they are optional.

• December and January travel: If you are traveling during December and January, please bring some warm clothing for Laos; average lows are in the 50-65 degree range.

• Walking sticks: Many past travelers have recommended bringing a folding walking stick, sold in most camping stores. An alternative is a folding ski pole. This is very useful when exploring ruins and trails that have no handrails.

Style Hints and Dress Codes • Dress on our trip is functional and casual. The most formal you might need for a city evening would be a sport jacket with no tie for men, a dress and dressy sandals for women— but this is not necessary on this trip—the decision is yours.

• Wearing shorts is acceptable in most places, except at some religious sites. Specifically, shorts, knee-baring skirts, sleeveless shirts, and tank tops, are often forbidden in temples, so we suggest that you stick to trousers or a long skirt for temple visits. If you forget and wear shorts on a day that includes a temple visit, all is not lost—temples will generally loan cover-ups to visitors who are perceived as “too bare”—but you must cover up to go inside.

• TIP: Both our regional staff and previous travelers on this adventure have recommended that you bring enough long trousers and sleeved shirts for at least 4-6 temple visits.

83 • It is common practice to remove your shoes inside the temple, so consider a pair that you can get on/off easily and perhaps a couple extra pairs of socks. (Use these to replace the ones that will get extra dirty in the temples. Or you could designate a couple pairs as your “temple socks” and wear them more than once.) In Burma, this practice goes even further—you usually take off both shoes and socks. So for Burma, you might want to bring a few moist towelettes to wash the bottom of your feet “on the go”.

Suggested Packing Lists We have included suggestions from Trip Experience Leaders and former travelers to help you pack. These lists are only jumping-off points—they offer recommendations based on experience, but not requirements. You may also want to consult the “Climate” chapter of this handbook.

And don’t forget a reusable water bottle—you’ll need it to take advantage of any refills we offer as we are working to eliminate single-use plastic bottles on all of our trips.

Recommended Clothing ‰Shirts: A mixture of short and long-sleeved shirts in a breathable fabric, like cotton or cotton-blend. Polo shirts are more versatile than T-shirts. For temple visits, you’ll want tops with sleeves (bare shoulders are considered inappropriate for religious sites).

‰Trousers and/or jeans: Comfortable and loose fitting. No matter the time of year, you’ll want a few long trousers or jeans for temple visits. See “Style Hints and Dress Codes” for details.

‰Walking shorts: A longer cut shows the more sensitivity to the local culture, which tends to be modest. Shorts are viewed as inappropriate for visiting a temple, so we suggest you stick to trousers or a long skirt (below the knee or longer) for temple visits. In a pinch you could wear one of the temple’s cover-ups.

‰Shoes and socks: Shoes should be comfortable walking/ running shoes or low-cut hiking shoes, with arch support. A pair of sport sandals with secure ankle strap (such as Tevas) are recommended; flip-flops are not. Because it is common to remove your shoes inside the temples and local homes, bring at least one pair of shoes that you can get on/off easily. You might want a couple extra pairs of socks.

‰Light cotton or wool sweater: Because motor coach air conditioning can be cold. ‰Light rain jacket/windbreaker with hood ‰Wide-brim sun hat ‰Underwear and sleepwear ‰Swimsuit

84 Seasonal Clothing Recommendations For winter (December-February): ‰Warm clothing for Laos—days are warm, but nights are cool. The average low temperature is in the range of 50-65 degrees F.

Essential Items ‰Daily essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hairbrush or comb, shaving items, deodorant, etc. Our hotels will provide the basics like soap and shampoo, but if you are sensitive to fragrances or new products, you may wish to bring your preferred brands.

‰Spare eyeglasses/contact lenses ‰Sunglasses, 100% UV block ‰Sunscreen, SPF 30 or stronger ‰Insect repellent with DEET (30-35% strength) ‰Cold-water hand-wash laundry soap such as Woolite, plastic clothespins, sink stopper ‰Light folding umbrella ‰Packets of pocket-size tissues or small roll of toilet paper ‰Moisturizer and sun-blocking lip balm ‰Moist towelettes (not individual packets) and/or anti-bacterial “water-free” hand cleanser

‰Flashlight or headlamp, extra batteries/bulb ‰Electrical converter & plug adapter: see “A Word about Electricity” for details ‰Camera gear with extra batteries or battery charger

Medicines & First Aid ‰Your own prescription medicines ‰Travel first aid kit: Band-Aids, headache and pain relief, laxatives and anti-diarrhea tablets, something for upset stomach. Maybe a cold remedy, moleskin foot pads, antibiotic cream, or allergy medication.

85 ‰Sachets of powdered electrolytes or powdered sports drink. If you feel dehydrated, you can mix them with bottled water, and this should help you rehydrate quickly.

‰An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness ‰Optional: Prescription medicine to prevent malaria ‰Optional: A strong prescription pain medication for rare emergency purposes ‰Optional: Motion sickness medicine if you are susceptible

Optional Gear ‰Travel alarm or travel watch with alarm ‰Lightweight binoculars (if you plan to bird watch) ‰Folding walking stick, sold in most camping stores ‰Hanging toiletry bag (with hook to hang on doorknob and pockets to organize items) ‰Basic sewing kit ‰Hair dryer (most hotels will provide one, but not all) ‰Washcloth, and small thin towel. Hotels will provide towels, but not washcloths. Having your own small towel can be useful on extremely hot/humid days.

‰Handkerchiefs ‰Eye drops ‰Reading materials, phrase book ‰Travel journal/note pad and pens ‰Narrow-mouth water bottle. One from home may be easier to drink from than locally purchased water bottles.

‰Favorite snacks. Snacks are readily available for purchase locally, but the selection will be different than in the U.S., so this suggestion is only if you have a very specific type of snack you need/want.

‰Home address book ‰Photos or post cards from home, small gift for home-hosted visit

86 ‰Pocket-size calculator for exchange rates ‰For asthma sufferers (or other breathing complaints) a face mask may be useful, particularly during rice burning season (Feb).

Home-Hosted Visits Many of our adventures feature a visit with a local family, often as part of the A Day in the Life experience. It is customary, though not necessary, to return your hosts’ generosity with a small gift. If you do bring a gift, we recommend that you bring something the whole family can enjoy, or something that represents your region, state, or hometown. Get creative and keep it small—peach jelly from Georgia, maple sugar candy from New England, orange blossom soap from California; something that can be used or used up is best. When choosing a gift, be certain to consider the local culture as well. For example, we do not recommend alcohol in Muslim countries because it is forbidden in Islam, and your hosts may be religious. Not all O.A.T. adventures include a Home-Hosted Visit; please check your final itinerary before you depart.

Electricity Abroad When traveling overseas, the voltage is usually different and the plugs might not be the same shape.

Voltage Electricity in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, and Sri Lanka is 220-230 volts. In the U.S. it is 110 volts. Most of the things a traveler will want to plug in—battery chargers, MP3 players, tablets or computers—can run off both 110 and 220-240. But you should check the item or the owner’s guide first to confirm this before you plug it in. If you have something that needs 110 volts—like a shaver or a hairdryer—you can bring a transformer to change the current. (But transformers tend to burn out, so it might be better to leave whatever it is at home.)

Plugs The shape of plugs will vary from country to country, and sometimes even within a country depending on when that building was built. To plug something from the U.S. into a local socket you’ll need an adapter that fits between the plug and the socket. Because there are many different types of plugs in this region, it may be easier to purchase an all-in-one, universal adapter/ converter combo. Versatile and lightweight, these can usually be found at your local electronics goods or hardware stores. Sometimes you can buy them at large retailers too, like Target or Walmart. If you forget to bring an adapter, you might also find them for sale at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

87 Different plug shapes are named by letters of the alphabet. Standard U.S. plugs are Type A and Type B. Here is the list of plugs for the countries on this trip:

Thailand: A and B (same as the U.S.) or C

Laos: A and B (same as the U.S.), C, E, or F

Cambodia: A (same as the U.S.), C, or G

Vietnam: A (same as the U.S.), C, or G

Burma: C, D, F, or G

Sri Lanka: C or D

Type A Type C Type D Type G

Availability A constant electricity supply cannot be guaranteed during overnight stays. In some places, the electricity may be supplied by a generator, and lighting may not be as bright as you are used to. Travelers dependent on electricity supply (as in the case of those with sleep apnea) should consider a different adventure or ensure their apparatus has back-up battery power.

88 CLIMATE & AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

Thailand: Thailand’s climate is tropical, high both in temperature and humidity, and dominated by monsoons. April and May are the hottest months of the year, when even the locals are moved to complain about the heat. June sees the beginning of the South West Monsoon, and brings with it the rainy season, which continues intermittently until the end of October. During this season, the air is warm and humid and the sky is typically overcast. From November to April, the air is much drier, with only a few days of rainfall per month. During the rainy season, and particularly from June to September, sunshine is limited to about five or six hours per day.

The north and northeast are generally cooler than Bangkok in winter, and hotter in summer. It will be warm during most of the trip. It gets hot in the sun at midday; in the north, it will cool down in the evening. Most of the country has abundant rainfall from May to October.

Laos: Laos has a typical tropical monsoon climate, but with some cool temperatures in winter. During the rainy season (May to October), the winds of the southwest monsoon deposit an average rainfall of between 50 and 90 inches. The dry season (November to April) is dominated by the northeast monsoon. December through February can be quite cool at night—lows can be in the 50s, even though daytime highs will be warm. Daytime highs increase to more than 90° F in March and stay that way through September. In October and November, the average temperature is in the 80s.

Cambodia: Cambodia’s climate can generally be described as tropical with seasonal monsoons. There are two distinct seasons, the rainy and dry. Temperatures during the rainy season, between June and October, average 80-95°F. The dry season is characterized by cool months, November to February, with temperatures averaging 80-95°F and hot months, from March till May, which sees temperature range between 84-100°F.

Vietnam: Vietnam lies entirely within the tropics. It has wet and dry seasons, which vary from north to south and with elevation changes. In the south, temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year, ranging between 75º and 85º F. The dry season runs from November to April and the wet season from May to October. The hottest period is during April to August, before the rains have broken. In the north, there’s also a short “winter” season, which runs from December to February. At this time, temperatures can drop to the 50s, with some drizzle. Typhoons are quite common in coastal areas between September and January.

Burma: Burma has a largely tropical climate with three seasons: the monsoon or rainy season, from May to October; the cool season, from late November to February; and the hot season, generally in March and April. Rainfall during the monsoon season totals more than 200 inches in upper Burma and over 100 inches in lower Burma and Rangoon. Central Burma, called the dry zone, and Mandalay, the chief city in the area, each receive about 30 inches. Mandalay is usually warm to hot, with average daily temperatures ranging from 56-82°F in January (cool season) to 77-100°F in April (hot season).

89 Like the central region, lower Burma is warm to hot most of the year, especially in the delta and coastal areas. It is also the most humid region. Average daily temperatures in Rangoon range from 64–90°F in January (cool season) and from 75–97°F in April (hot season).

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka is tropical, with distinct dry and wet seasons. The seasons are slightly complicated by having two monsoons; one from April to July and one from October to December. In the area we visit, the driest months are January, February, and August.

Northern Vietnam: The climate in this region is cooler than the rest of the country. Summertime highs are usually in the 70s, although it can get hotter. But it’s winter that surprises most travelers. From December-March the low temperatures can be in the 40s and the daytime high might only be in the 50s. So if you’re traveling during these months, be sure to bring some warm clothing and/or clothing you can layer.

NOTE: If you are taking one of our optional stopovers before or after your OAT adventure, please be aware the climate and temperatures might be different from what you experienced during your tour. To prepare for weather differences and pack appropriate clothing, we recommend the following world weather sites:

• www.intellicast.com

• www.weather.com

• www.wunderground.com

Climate Averages & Online Forecast The following charts reflect the average climate as opposed to exact weather conditions. This means they serve only as general indicators of what can reasonably be expected. An extreme heat wave or cold snap could fall outside these ranges. As your departure approaches, we encourage you to go online to www.oattravel.com/myaccount for your 10-day forecast.

90 Average Daily High/Low Temperatures (°F), Humidity & Monthly Rainfall

MONTH BANGKOK, THAILAND LUANG PRABANG, LAOS

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 89 to 71 88 to 49 0.4 82 to 56 70 0.6 FEB 90 to 75 89 to 53 1.1 89 to 58 62 0.7 MAR 92 to 78 88 to 55 1.2 93 to 63 58 1.2 APR 94 to 80 86 to 56 2.8 96 to 69 58 4.3 MAY 92 to 80 87 to 62 7.5 95 to 73 62 6.4 JUN 91 to 80 85 to 64 6.0 93 to 74 71 9.1 JUL 90 to 78 86 to 64 6.2 90 to 74 71 9.1 AUG 90 to 78 87 to 66 7.4 90 to 74 78 11.8 SEP 89 to 77 91 to 68 12.6 91 to 73 72 6.5 OCT 89 to 77 92 to 67 9.1 89 to 69 71 3.1 NOV 88 to 74 87 to 58 2.3 85 to 64 70 1.2 DEC 87 to 70 84 to 49 0.4 81 to 59 71 0.5

MONTH SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (avg) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 88 to 67 71 0.1 88 to 72 87 to 51 0.6 FEB 90 to 70 70 0.5 90 to 73 85 to 50 0.1 MAR 93 to 74 69 1.0 92 to 76 83 to 52 0.4 APR 94 to 76 68 2.5 93 to 79 83 to 56 2.0 MAY 93 to 76 75 5.9 92 to 79 86 to 65 8.4 JUN 91 to 76 79 7.0 89 to 77 89 to 71 12.2 JUL 89 to 75 81 7.9 89 to 77 90 to 70 11.6 AUG 89 to 75 82 7.9 88 to 77 91 to 71 10.7 SEP 87 to 75 84 10.6 88 to 76 92 to 72 13.5 OCT 87 to 73 84 9.3 87 to 76 92 to 73 10.3 NOV 87 to 71 80 3.4 87 to 74 90 to 65 4.7 DEC 86 to 67 75 0.6 87 to 72 87 to 58 1.8

91 MONTH RANGOON, BURMA COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

Temp. High-Low % Relative Average # of Days Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) with Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 89 to 65 86 to 40 1 86 to 74 87 to 59 3.3 FEB 94 to 67 88 to 33 1 87 to 76 90 to 60 2.5 MAR 97 to 71 91 to 35 2 88 to 78 91 to 62 4.5 APR 99 to 76 90 to 40 2 88 to 79 91 to 67 10.0 MAY 92 to 78 92 to 65 17 87 to 80 87 to 72 13.2 JUN 86 to 77 96 to 84 26 86 to 80 86 to 73 7.5 JUL 85 to 76 96 to 85 28 85 to 80 85 to 72 5.1 AUG 85 to 76 97 to 86 28 85 to 79 85 to 72 3.8 SEP 86 to 76 96 to 80 22 85 to 79 87 to 72 6.2 OCT 88 to 77 95 to 72 13 85 to 78 91 to 72 13.9 NOV 89 to 73 92 to 60 6 85 to 77 93 to 70 12.1 DEC 88 to 67 88 to 48 1 86 to 76 91 to 64 6.0

MONTH HANOI, VIETNAM CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (avg) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 66 to 59 85 0.8 84 to 58 90 to 41 0.3 FEB 66 to 59 85 1.1 89 to 60 84 to 34 0.2 MAR 73 to 64 90 1.8 94 to 66 78 to 33 0.6 APR 79 to 70 90 3.6 97 to 73 78 to 38 1.8 MAY 88 to 75 85 7.2 93 to 75 83 to 52 6.0 JUN 90 to 77 85 9.0 90 to 76 86 to 60 5.3 JUL 90 to 79 85 10.1 89 to 75 88 to 63 6.6 AUG 90 to 79 90 11.7 88 to 75 90 to 65 8.9 SEP 88 to 77 85 9.9 88 to 74 91 to 64 9.9 OCT 82 to 72 80 5.8 88 to 72 90 to 60 5.2 NOV 75 to 66 80 1.8 85 to 67 90 to 53 1.7 DEC 70 to 59 80 0.5 82 to 59 90 to 45 0.6

92 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE

O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference During your adventure you’ll be accompanied by one of our local, expert Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure. As locals of the regions you’ll explore with them, our Trip Experience Leaders provide the kind of firsthand knowledge and insight that make local history, culture, and wildlife come alive. Coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm, caring personalities, and ability to bring diverse groups of travelers together, our Trip Experience Leaders ensure that your experience with O.A.T. is one you’ll remember for a lifetime.

The Culture of Southeast Asia Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the four countries visited on your main Itinerary— Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam--Is Its cultural diversity. They vary greatly with regards to ethnicity, religion, culture, and traditions. The region is also home to hundreds of indigenous minorities, speaking unrelated languages employing many different alphabets. French Influences from the colonial period are still evident In Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos--collectively once known as French Indochina--especially in the architecture and cuisine. As the only nation in Southeast Asia not to have colonized by a European country, Thailand places a much greater emphasis on issues relating to patriotism and national pride.

If there is one cultural element that is shared by all countries in Southeast Asia, it may be the concept of “face.” One’s reputation and honor are keystones of Southeast Asian society and is far removed from many in Western society who value people who are “brutally honest.” Causing someone to “lose face” —even unintentionally—can lead to awkward interactions. Face-saving often perplexes foreign visitors—especially when people tell you yes when they mean no. Or if you ask someone for directions, you discover they have pointed you somewhere wrong because, for them, this is preferable to admitting they don’t know, which would be “losing face.” Or if you see the thoughtfully-chosen gift you brought appear to be brushed aside—what’s really happening is the recipient wishes to open it in private in case it is not useful, too expensive, or any number of reasons that may cause him or her to lose face.

But generally, the people of Southeast Asia are very tolerant and understanding of foreign visitors who aren’t aware of local cultural norms—unless it is something serious like disrespecting the monarchy in Thailand, for example. As a traveler in any country, however, one should always be aware of the potential impact one’s actions might have on how others feel. Just an awareness of such a simple notion can lead to deeper and more enjoyable insights into local culture.

Religion and Religious Observances Buddhism is the primary religion in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The more conservative tradition called Theravada Buddhism is followed in Cambodia and Laos; while Confucian- influenced Mahayana Buddhism is the dominant form followed in Vietnam. Theravada Buddhism is also the primary religion in Thailand, although most Thais consider it more as a “way of life”

93 than a religion. Buddhism in Thailand also borrows elements from Hinduism and especially Animism—a noticeable manifestation of this is the small spirit houses containing daily offerings of food and flowers you often see outside homes and businesses throughout the country.

Festivals and religious celebrations vary widely across Southeast Asia and could be anything from a celebration rooted in Buddhism or the worshipping of ancestors to the major Christian holidays.

Points to Know For the adventurous soul, the challenges of traveling in Southeast Asia—in addition to the region’s renowned hospitality—make it a uniquely rewarding destination. You should be prepared for dust, pollution, traffic and large crowds in cities. Poverty can be distressing for some travelers, as can the history we’ll revisit at the Cu Chi tunnels and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.

Meals Our meals will be based on the local cuisine. Western foods will be available at breakfast, but otherwise we will experience the foods of Southeast Asia—many of them containing ingredients that are new and different to us. Some dishes are vegetarian, but please note that no special accommodations can be guaranteed for dietary restrictions. Your Trip Experience Leader can suggest restaurants for meals that are not included on your adventure.

Our Vehicles We use a variety of transportation, making our travel between destinations part of the fun. We experience traditional land and water transportation as well, riding in a local wooden boat at a lake in Siem Reap, or trying an ox-cart ride with a Cambodian farmer. We take five fairly short flights within this trip, the longest taking two hours. Air scheduling in this region is not as reliable as in the U.S., and delays and routing changes are often part of the picture here. Our Trip Experience Leader will do everything possible to make the appropriate adjustments to our itinerary. We hope, that like most of our travelers, you take it in stride and develop an accepting and even lighthearted attitude. It’s part of the adventure.

Toilets All of our hotels feature Western-style seated toilets. However, public restrooms outside of our hotels may be limited to Asian-style squat toilets. It is also common for the public restrooms in this region to run low on toilet paper and/or soap, so we suggest that you carry a small packet of tissues and something to clean your hands (wipes, hand sanitizer) when you are out and about.

Your International Flight: A Reminder The “rule of thumb” is to check in for your international flights about three hours before departure.

94 If any of your flights leave just after midnight or in the early morning hours, you may need to check in before midnight, which is technically the day before. For example: If your flight leaves at 12:05 a.m. on May 2nd, you would want to arrive for check-in at 9 p.m. on May 1st. You can confirm the date and time of your international flight by referring to your preliminary air itinerary.

Images of the King of Thailand In Thailand the king is held in high regard, to the point where even images of him are treated respectfully. The King’s image is featured on the currency, so it is even important to avoid stepping on any coins that may have fallen.

Water Festival One of the biggest holidays in Burma is the week-long Burmese New Year, which is more commonly known as the Water Festival because of how it is celebrated—with locals of all ages splashing each other with water. This can be a joyful time of year, with lots of traditional music, dance, and street festivals. But it can also be crowded and noisy. Travelers who are in Burma during the festival should expect that their itinerary will have on-the-spot adjustments because of crowds, traffic, and business closures. They should also expect to get wet (you will be soaked) and join in the fun of what maybe the world’s biggest water party. The dates of the festival change from year to year, so we suggestion checking an online holiday calendar like www.timeanddate. com/holidays.

Burma or Myanmar? Both names have origins in the local language—one is from the familiar word “Burmar”, and one is from the more formal “Mranma”. (It’s like the difference between the shortened “USA” and the more formal “United States of America”.)

However, due to historical and recent events, both names carry political overtones. According to the government, “Burma” is a colonial name that evokes British rule. Citing this reason, they changed the name of the country to Myanmar in 1989. For those opposed to the current government, the use of “Burma” shows a rejection of the current government’s legitimacy.

As a result, the use by official bodies and the media varies quite a bit. The U.S. Department of State and the BBC use “Burma”, while the United Nations, CNN, and New York Times use “Myanmar”. Regardless, the nationality and language are still referred to by all as “Burmese”.

Ultimately, the best solution might be the one used by many local people themselves—it is currently common practice to use “Burma” in everyday settings and “Myanmar” on official documents or for dealings with the government. (In our materials, you will notice that our usage mirrors this practice—“Burma” in this handbook, but “Myanmar” for your visa application.)

95 Religion Buddhism is the predominant religion in Burma, so an understanding of the religion will assist your discoveries. Based on the teachings of the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha, the religion focuses on moving past the suffering and pain of the everyday world to reach a union with the universe known as nirvana, or enlightenment. The region is an ancient one, predating Christianity by at least 400-600 years. Over the many centuries different paths to enlightenment have been put forward, resulting in different schools of Buddhism. Most of the Buddhists in Burma belong to the Theravada school, which is the oldest surviving school. It is estimated that Theravadins number more than 100 million worldwide, with large populations concentrated in southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.

Theravada Buddhism holds critical or analytical thought in high esteem. The main idea is to advance towards enlightenment through experience, reasoning, and studying the teachings of the wise instead of blind faith alone. Like all Buddhists they believe that worldly attachments impede spiritual growth, and that through rightful thoughts, deeds, and words, one can achieve the wisdom to transcend suffering. Practicing Buddhists are expected to practice charity, moderation, and follow their school’s teachings.

In Burma, much of Buddhist religious life centers on the monasteries. Monks and nuns are highly respected, and many parents send their children to the monasteries for religious instruction. Most Burmese boys have a shinbyu ceremony, in which they briefly join a monastery as a novice at about age 7. During the ceremony, the young novice reenacts the Buddha’s journey from prince to prophet. It starts with a procession in princely attire to the monastery, where he dons monastic robes and his head is shaved. Usually the boy stays with the monks for a week or so, receiving religious instruction. When he 20 years or older, he can chose to return to the monastery for upasampada, or ordination.

Girls do not have a shinbyu ceremony, but they do receive religious instruction and can be ordained as nuns at or after the age of 20. The female rite of passage, the na htwin, is a ear- piercing ceremony (as in a physical piercing, not a loud or screeching noise). This ceremony is more of a social event then a religious one, since Burmese women traditionally wore earrings as a sign of social status.

Religious holidays include Thingyan (the New Year Water Festival), Vesakha (“Buddha’s Birthday”), and Wa-dwin (Buddhist Lent). Buddhist holidays follow a lunar calendar, so their exact date changes from year to year. But generally Thingyan falls in mid-April, Vesakha is always in May, and Wa-dwin is three months from roughly mid-July to mid-October. Local religious festivals are usually pagoda festivals, which double as old-fashioned market fairs, with stalls selling food and handicrafts.

Thai Cuisine The variety of Thai food is truly amazing. It is a cuisine based on combining five main flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. Look forward to sampling meat, seafood, poultry, vegetable, noodle dishes (a Thai specialty), and often soup. Although certain regions of Thailand are known for their extremely fiery cuisine, not all of it is spicy—in fact, much of it is very sweet or

96 quite subtly flavored. Meals in Thailand are often served family-style, with five or more main courses, so vegetarians are easily accommodated. However, please note that any and all special accommodations for dietary restrictions (like vegetarian) cannot be guaranteed. As in other Southeast Asian countries, rice is a key component of Thai cuisine and great care is taken in preparing it properly. Typical dishes include:

• Guay Teow: Translated to “noodle soup,” guay teow describes any type of noodle soup and can be made with chicken, pork, or beef using either rice or egg noodles. Wontons or meatballs may also be added to the broth along with condiments such as dried chili peppers, lime juice, and fish sauce.

• Som Tam: Spicy green papaya salad is a very popular Thai dish made from shredded green papaya, tomatoes, carrots, peanuts, dried shrimp, chilies, lime juice, and other ingredients mixed with a mortar and pestle to amplify the flavors.

• Pad Thai: One of Thailand’s national dishes, many Westerners are already familiar with this fried noodle favorite which can be made with shrimp, chicken, or tofu.

• Pad Krapow: Fire up your taste buds for this popular dish made with either minced port or chicken (or tofu) and stir fried with Thai basil and lots of chilies.

• Panang: This Thai curry dish is a bit on the mild side (Gaeng Keow Wan, or green curry, is on the other end of the heat scale) and is typically served with shrimp or vegetables.

Lao Cuisine The ultimate staple of Lao cuisine is sticky rice. The Laotians eat more sticky rice than any other people in the world, and often refer to themselves as luk khao niaow (“children or descendants of sticky rice”). Meals typically include a soup dish, a grilled dish, a sauce, fresh raw greens, and a stew or mixed dish. Traditionally, most food is eaten by hand; spoons are used only for soups and white rice, and chopsticks are used only for noodles. Diners traditionally sit on a reed mat on the floor around a raised rattan platform called a ka toke. Lao foods have also influenced the cuisine of Cambodia and northern Thailand. Common dishes include:

• Laap: This “meat salad” involves fresh meat that is minced, then either fried quickly or served raw, mixed with fresh herbs, lime juice, and toasted sticky rice powder

• Khao piak sen: This iconic dish is a simple, satisfying bowl of rice noodles, and can be found on nearly every street corner in Laos

• Or lam: Prepared using pork fat and buffalo skin, and often includes mai sakaan, a unique ingredient best described in English as “spicy chili wood”, a very fibrous herb meant to be chewed for flavor but not swallowed

• Tum mak hoong: Fresh and yummy are two best words to describe this green papaya salad, often served with sticky rice

• Paaeng pet: Raw duck blood, mixed with cooked minced duck and organs, and lots of herbs like mint, green onions and cilantro; bloody delicious

97 Cambodian Cuisine Cambodian or Khmer cuisine features a lot of pickled and tangy flavors. Rice is served with most meals, as with many other Asian countries. However, it is less spicy than the cuisines of nearby Asian countries like Thailand. The typical Cambodian meal often features several small dishes alongside the main dish, served with rice and soup. Hot chili is usually served on the side, so the added spiciness is at the discretion of the diner.

One of the top Cambodian dishes to experience is fish amok, which is fresh fish cooked in a rich, creamy curry-like sauce that mixes lemongrass, turmeric and coconut milk. It’s often served wrapped in a banana leaf. Another classic Cambodian dish is banana blossom salad, a light refreshing meal made with stir-fried banana blossom with garlic, fried shallots, nuts, and herbs. Adventurous palates might try red tree ants with beef, which is just as it sounds—actual ants mixed with beef and served on a bowl of white rice topped with chili.

Nom banh chok is a popular street food often eaten at breakfast consisting of thin rice noodles bathed in a green fish gravy, mixed with various fresh vegetables. Other street foods include bai sach chrouk, which is grilled pork marinated in coconut milk and garlic; and num kachay, a snack made with rice flour and chopped chives and served with a sweet and spicy fish sauce.

Vietnamese Cuisine Vietnam cuisine was shaped by myriad influences including France, China, India and Thailand, all of which combined to make a truly unique food scene. One of the key building blocks of Vietnamese cuisine—and of Vietnamese culture in general—is rice. Many kinds of meat, most commonly pork and fish, are also heavily featured. Dishes are flavored with basil, parsley, coriander, chilies, lemon grass, lime, and laksa leaf, meaning they can range from mild to very spicy. Peanuts are a common topping. Some typical dishes are:

• Pho: Pronounced “fuh,” this iconic soup is typically made with rice noodles and thinly sliced beef in a bone broth

• Banh mi: Vietnam’s version of the sub sandwich, with meat (usually pork) and veggies served on crusty French-style bread. They are popular all over the country, but many say the best ones are found in Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An.

• Bun bo hue: Similar to pho, but with flat vermicelli-like noodles instead of cylindrical noodles

• Vietnamese coffee: Vietnam is also the second-largest producer of coffee beans worldwide, with as many coffee shops as that suggests. Try the ca phe nau (also called ca phe sua) which is a strong dark brew cut with sweet condensed milk.

• Nuoc mam: Vietnam’s national condiment is a fermented fish sauce that is served with every meal.

98 • Snacks: Rice cakes and spring rolls are typical snacks, as is fruit. The Vietnamese grow and consume a variety of tropical fruits, including coconuts, bananas, melons, pineapples, lychees, mandarin oranges, and exotic items such as the green dragon fruit and the three- seeded cherry. Remember to stick to fruit with a peel or rind and avoid fruit washed in local tap water.

To get the most enjoyment from your trip, be open-minded about sampling different dishes and even using chopsticks. While we will make every effort to accommodate dietary restrictions, please note that choices may be limited and that special requests are not guaranteed.

Burmese Cuisine Cuisine in Burma Burmese food has its own special identity. Although it draws on element of its neighbors with rice-based dishes served with vegetables and meat, it is neither as hot as Thai, as spicy as Indian, nor does it resemble Chinese cooking much except in the stir-fry vegetables. Different regions within the country have different variations of “standard” dishes. Use of seafood is more prevalent along coastal cities such as Mawlamyine (formerly Moulmein), while land animals are more commonly used in landlocked cities. Beef and pork are avoided by many Buddhists and Muslims, so vegetarian dishes are quite common. Local dining tables are round and low-footed, with family members sitting around it and choosing what they want from the dishes spread out before them. Typical dishes include:

• Ohn no khao swe: Translated to “noodles with coconut milk,” this traditional Burmese dish made from egg noodles and curried chicken in a creamy coconut milk broth is a breakfast, lunch, and dinner favorite.

• Meeshay: Another traditional noodle dish, this time with rice noodles and meat-based sauce of chicken or pork and topped with onions, chili oil, and more.

• Dan bauk: A Burmese favorite inspired by Indian biryani, this dish uses long-grained rice flavored with a blend of aromatic spices and often topped with peas, beans, and/or carrots, along with raisins and nuts. Usually served with curried meats.

• Mohinga: The unofficial national dish of Burma is a zesty fish and rice noodle soup enriched by a variety of ingredients depending on which region of the country you’re in. Once served only for breakfast, it’s available almost everywhere all through the day.

Sri Lankan Cuisine Sri Lankan food features a lot of spices, with notable influences from South India, Indonesia, and the Netherlands, due to Sri Lanka’s position on the oceanic silk road. Rice is served with most meals, as with many other Asian countries, with red rice being common. Sri Lanka cuisine is known for use of spices, especially its use of cinnamon, from the cinnamomum verum tree, a more delicate version on the cinnamon utilized by other South Asian countries. Dishes to try include:

• Kiribath: Also known as milk rice, kiribath is rice cooked in coconut milk until it’s a porridge, eaten for breakfast or during special occasions. Commonly, kiribath is served with a relish of red onions and chiles, or lunu miris

99 • Lamprais: A Dutch-influence dish made by boiling rice in a stock with fikkadels (Dutch meatballs), mixed meat curry, aubergine curry, and seeni sambol (onion chili paste). This mixture is wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in an oven. This dish is for special occasions and large personal gatherings, as it is a rich and time-consuming dish.

• Hoppers: Also called appam, these are pancakes formed in a bowl shape, made with rice flour, coconut milk, and palm toddy. These can either be spicy or sweet, with eggs being a common addition.

• Ambulthiyal: A popular fish curry made with the local specialty, goraka, a sour fruit found in Indonesia.

• Pittu: A dessert of steamed or roasted rice flour mixed with grated coconut. This is formed into cylinders and cooked in bamboo.

Etiquette Don’t let the fine points of local customs worry you; locals know that visitors can’t be expected to know every detail. Much of what is considered polite in this region is similar to what’s polite in the U.S. But as a matter of interest, here are a few “finer points” that might surprise you:

• Body posture is important. Sprawling, resting your feet on furniture or chairs, or pointing your feet at someone are seen as impolite.

• In temples you may notice locals sitting on the floor with their feet tucked under them or in a cross-legged position. This it to avoid pointing their feet at the Buddha, which is rude.

• A woman may speak to a Buddhist monk, and a man may speak with a Buddhist nun, but generally the correct thing is to let them approach you.

• You may see people greeting one another with a bow of the head, and in some countries this will be accompanied with hands pressed together as in prayer. Traditionally, the deeper the bow, the more respect one is showing, with the greatest respect being towards elders and clergy. For you, a gentle western-style handshake is an acceptable greeting, but if you wish to try the more traditional head bow, that’s OK too.

• Avoid wearing clothing imprinted with a Buddha logo or image as this may offend some of the locals.

Language Barrier You can have some great ‘conversations’ with local people who do not speak English, even if you don’t speak a word of the local language. Indeed, this non-verbal communication can be a highly rewarding part of travel. To break the ice, bring along some family photographs, or a few postcards of your hometown. If you want to meet kids, bring a puppet or other interactive toy. Your Trip Experience Leader can help get the ball rolling.

100 Taking Photographs The etiquette of photographing most people is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. Be especially polite if you want to photograph an older person. If you want to shoot a great portrait, show interest in your subject, try to have a bit of social interaction first. Then use sign language to inquire if a picture is OK. Your Trip Experience Leader can help.

Please do not take photographs of military personnel, military compounds, or other official institutions/personnel (such as police). This may result in the confiscation of your camera.

Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people. Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle.

Do not leave valuable items unattended in your room or on the bus. Almost all of our hotels offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set a personal PIN number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More There may be scheduled visits to local shops during your adventure. There is no requirement to make a purchase during these stops, and any purchase made is a direct transaction with the shop in question, subject to the vendor’s terms of purchase. O.A.T. is not responsible for purchases you make on your trip or for the shipment of your purchases.

Returns If you discover an issue with an item, you should contact the vendor directly and expect that any resolution will take longer than it would in the U.S. We recommend that you keep a copy of all your receipts, invoices, or contracts, along with the shop’s contact information. Keep in mind, local practice may vary from U.S. standards, so don’t assume that you have a certain number of days after the purchase to speak up or that you are guaranteed a refund.

101 Crafts & Souvenirs

Thailand Thailand offers a variety of fine craft items at good prices. Traditional souvenirs include hill tribe handicrafts, including elaborate jewelry, colorful textiles, bronzeware cutlery, celadon pottery, and Thai lacquerware. Bangkok is famous the world over for its street markets—Pratunam, Chatuchak Park, Khlong Toey, Sampheng (Chinatown), Banglamphu, and many more. Local products include hand-woven cottons, decorative items made of silver, teakwood carvings, and gems. The best bargains in gems are jade, rubies, and sapphires, but buy from reputable dealers only. Thai silk, renowned for its lush colors and pleasantly rough texture, is considered some of the best in the world and can be purchased in the fabric shops of Chiang Mai.

Note that larger department stores in Bangkok have fixed prices. Almost everywhere else bargaining is expected, especially at outdoor stalls.

Laos When visiting Laos, souvenirs you will want to keep an eye out for include sinh (a traditional silk wraparound skirt), woven bamboo baskets, champasak coffee, wood carvings, tamarind candy, pottery, silver jewelry, bomb-made souvenirs, khun boron dolls, thip khao (or sticky rice basket), saa paper, and snake whiskey.

Cambodia In popular tourist locations (like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh), and particular towns with handicraft specialties, handmade crafts such as silk clothing, stone or wood carvings, and silver jewelry are considered to be high-quality, traditional souvenirs. Many shops in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are connected with organizations invested in reviving traditional Cambodian crafts and supporting disadvantaged or disabled locals. Other notable traditional souvenirs include hand-woven cotton, batik fabrics, woven mats, Mekong quilts, rice-paper prints, and betel nut boxes. For the food-lovers, Kampot pepper, pepper grown in Kampot and used by top chefs around the world, is a must have, available near everywhere in Cambodia. With the risk of fake Kampot pepper high due to its popularity, we recommend buying this souvenir straight from the source, at one of the many local farms.

Vietnam Vietnam offers many fine craft items at good prices. Traditional souvenirs include silk, precious stones, hilltribe handicrafts, including elaborate jewelry, colorful textiles, and opium pipes, bronzeware cutlery, nielloware silver inlaid items, and lacquerware. Local products include hand- woven cottons, decorative items made of silver, teakwood carvings, and gems. The best bargains in gems are jade, rubies, and sapphires, but buy from reputable dealers only.

Merchants enjoy negotiating prices almost everywhere but if you make an offer you should be prepared to buy at that price. It is not unusual for the clerks in some stores in Vietnam to follow, assist, and advise you throughout the store—much as a personal shopper would do in the U.S. This is meant to be polite rather than pestering.

102 Note about antiquities:Think carefully before purchasing an expensive “antiquity.” It is illegal to remove antique furniture or ceramics from Vietnam. To complicate matters further, any item that looks old can only be exported with the written permission of the Antique Art Business Division of the government Fine Arts Department. Some stores will offer to arrange this for you, but this may be unreliable.

Burma Burma is famous for its exquisite handicrafts, most of which were handed down from generation to generation. Perhaps the most famous of these is lacquerware, a craft that dates back to the 11th century. There are many lacquerware workshops in Bagan and Nyaung Oo area. In Rangoon, a good place to shop is Scott Market (Bogyoke Aung San Market), which sells luxury items, handicrafts, foodstuffs, clothing, jewelry and consumer goods.

Burma is also known for jewelry and gemstones, but beware—you are not allowed to bring back rubies or jades to the U.S. if they were mined in Burma.

Sri Lanka When shopping for souvenirs in Sri Lanka, keep an eye out for the country’s beautiful gems (to export them you will need a certificate typically provided by the shop), saris (for women) or sarongs (for men), moonstone carvings, ceylon tea, ceylon cinnamon, raksha masks, hand- woven dumbara mats, cinnamon tree bowls, elephant art, and coconut shell kitchen utensils. They are all great gifts for yourself or a family member back home!

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when the shop has offered to include shipping and duties in the price, this typically means shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges would be your responsibility. Unless an item is small enough to send by parcel service (like FedEx), chances are you will need to arrange shipping or pick-up once the item is in the U.S. and will need to pay customs duties.

• It is illegal to import products made from endangered animal species. U.S. Customs & Border Protection will seize these items, as well as most furs, coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, feathers, plants, and items made from animal skins.

103 TIP: According to the U.S. Customs & Border Protection website, the general U.S. sanctions against Burma were lifted as November 2012. However, at time of writing it was still illegal to bring back jade or rubies that were mined in Burma.

Sri Lanka: If you purchase any gems while in Sri Lanka, you will need a certificate to export them (typically provided by the shop).

104 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Thailand

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 198,115 square miles

• Capital: Bangkok

• Languages: Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), and ethnic and regional dialects are spoken.

• Ethnicities: Thai 95.9%, Burmese 2%, other 2.2%

• Location: Thailand is bordered by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia

• Geography: Thailand is roughly the size of France or the state of Texas. The country has been described as a huge rice paddy interrupted by the sprawling metropolis of Bangkok. However, that assessment isn’t entirely fair. In fact, the country’s geography is actually quite varied, with a rich central plain, heavily forested mountains in the north, and a tropical rain forest along the southern peninsula.

• Population: 69,522,740 (estimate)

• Religions: Buddhist 93.6%, Muslim 4.9%, Christian 1.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.1% (2014 estimate)

• Time zone: Thailand is twelve hours ahead of U.S. EST. So when it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6pm in Bangkok.

105 National Holidays: Thailand

In addition to the holidays listed below, 05/05 Coronation Day Thailand celebrates a number of national May Visakha Puja (moves each year) holidays that follow a lunar calendar. To find out if you will be traveling during these 7/30 King’s Birthday holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ holidays. 08/12 The Queen’s Birthday/ Mother’s Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 10/13 Passing of King Bhumibol

February Magapuja Day (moves each year; see 10/23 Chulalongkorn Day note above) 12/05 Father’s Day 04/06 Chakri Day 12/10 Constitution Day 04/13-4/17 Songkran 12/31 New Year’s Eve 05/01 Labor Day

Thailand: A Brief History Little is known about its earliest inhabitants, but a succession of tribal groups including the Mon and Khmer established powerful kingdoms in the region we now know as Thailand. In 1238 a Tai chieftain broke from the Khmer and established a kingdom at Sukhothai in the heart of modern- day Thailand. The Sukhothai was succeeded by the kingdom of Ayutthaya in the 14th century. Over the centuries, conflicts with Burma and other invaders eventually led to the reunification of Thailand under Chakri, who established his new capital in Bangkok in 1782.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, rather than its traditional enemies like the Khmers, Burma, and Vietnam, it was the European powers that threatened Thailand —especially the French and British, who were vying for colonies in Southeast Asia. But Thailand was rather fortunate, in that it ended up being the only country in the region to escape colonial rule entirely. This was due to an agreement between the French and British to keep it as a neutral territory between them. The Siamese Revolution in 1932 spelled the end of the absolute monarchy of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and established a constitutional monarchy largely overseen by the military—and a period of instability lasting some sixty years. At the time of World War II, military leaders chose to ally Thailand with Japan to avoid the fate of their Southeast Asian neighbors. And after the war, Thailand was able to maintain close ties with the United States by avoiding the communistic influences embraced by other neighbors.

With some 14 new constitutions written between 1932 and 1987, Thailand’s progress in establishing a stable, democratic government in recent times has been erratic at best—with power shifting back and forth between civilian politicians and military governments. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was elevated to the throne after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the 9th King of the Chakri Dynasty, to become Thailand’s newest monarch in 2016.

106 Laos

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 91,429 square miles

• Capital: Vientiane

• Languages: Lao is the official language; French, English, and various ethnic languages are also spoken.

• Ethnicity: Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26%

• Location: Laos is bordered by Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, and Burma.

• Geography: Unlike many of its neighbors, Laos is somewhat sparsely populated. The rugged and difficult terrain makes farming a struggle, and while fishing is important along the rivers, Laos has no coastline. The Mekong River, an important source of commerce and transportation, runs through Laos and links the country to the outside.

• Population: 7,367,991 (estimate)

• Religions: Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5%

• Time Zone: Laos is twelve hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6pm in Vientiane.

National Holidays: Laos

In addition to the holidays listed below, Laos 03/08 International Women’s Day celebrates a number of national holidays that 05/01 Labor Day/ May Day follow a lunar calendar. To find out if you will be traveling during these holidays, please 06/01 Children’s Day visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 11/14 That Luang Festival 01/01 New Year’s Day 12/02 National Day

Laos: A Brief History People have lived in areas of Laos, the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, for at least 10,000 years. Its original inhabitants are thought to have migrated from southern China settling in the fertile lands of the lower Mekong basin. In the middle of the 14th century a Lao prince named Fa Ngum, who had been exiled to Cambodia, returned to his ancestral home after converting to Buddhism and established Lan Xang, “the Kingdom of a Million Elephants.”

After a couple of centuries of turmoil, the country got back on its feet early in the 16th century, a time when the capital was moved from Luang Prabang to Vientiane—mostly to guard against Burmese incursions. By late in the 18th century, a large portion of the country had been overrun by Thai forces. Then, in the 19th century, the Laos was annexed as part of French Indochina and

107 would remain under French rule until 1945—except for a short when the Japanese occupied Laos during WWII. After the war, the Americans helped establish the Royal Lao Army as the ruling power in Laos, primary as a countermeasure to the rise of the communist Pathet Lao. But by the 1960s, the country became embroiled in a civil war. And then, with the Pathet Laos fighting alongside communist North Vietnam against French-backed South Vietnam, the Vietnam War soon spilled over into Laos. And heavy bombing by the U.S. during those years has left behind countless undiscovered explosives in many parts of the country.

In 1975, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was established, forcing the king to abdicate. The Pathet Lao government took control and then in 1991, the Lao Constitution was implemented to shift the country away from orthodox socialism and toward a more liberal form of government. In June of 2012, Hillary Clinton became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Laos in over fifty years. As part of that historic visit the U.S. strengthened its commitment to clear the Laotian countryside from the unexploded cluster bombs dropped by the U.S. in the late 60s and early 70s.

Cambodia

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 69,898 square miles

• Capital: Phnom Penh

• Languages: Khmer is the official language; English and French are also spoken.

• Location: Cambodia is bordered by Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• Geography: The ancient Khmer kingdom we now call Cambodia is a nation of 16.2 million people in a country about the size of Missouri. This is a country of geographical contrasts— the borders of Cambodia are mountainous and rugged, but a rich, alluvial plain dominates the center of the country. Here the Mekong River, the Tonle Sap River, and the Tonle Sap Lake create a prosperous farming and fishing region full of rice fields and fishing villages.

• Population: 16,915,269 (estimate)

• Religion: Buddhist 96.9%, Muslim 1.9%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.8%

• Time Zone: Cambodia is on Indochina Time, twelve hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6pm in Phnom Penh.

108 National Holidays: Cambodia

In addition to the holidays listed below, 04/14-04/16 Khmer New Year Cambodia celebrates a number of national 05/01 Labor Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar. To find out if you will be traveling during these 5/20 Day of Remembrance holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ holidays. 09/24 Constitutional Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 10/15 Commemoration Day of King’s Father

01/07 Victory over Genocide Day 10/29 King’s Coronation Day

February (moves each year; see note above) November Water Festival (moves each year) Meak Bochea 11/09 Independence Day 03/08 International Women Day 12/10 International Human Rights Day

Cambodia: A Brief History Cambodia’s historic roots were established between the 1st to the 6th centuries, when an India-influenced state called Funan ruled the landscapes. With the rise of King Jayavarman at the beginning of the 9th century, Funan gave way to the Angkor Empire, whose kings would dominate much of present-day Southeast Asia for the next 600 years.

Jayavarman and a succession of Khmer kings were responsible for building the Angkor temple complex, the most extensive concentration of religious temples in the world. Through the centuries, the almost constant state of war with Thailand and Vietnam would see the mighty Khmer empire slip into a steady decline. And by the mid-1800s, Cambodia, like most of Southeast Asia, came under the thumb of European colonial powers.

In 1863, Cambodia’s King Norodom signed a Protectorate Treaty with France, who would go on to rule Cambodia until 1941 when the Japanese army expelled the French and instilled their own brand of terror to the populace. With the defeat of Japan and the end of World War II, the French returned to Cambodia. But by 1953 a strong local leader, King Sihanouk, had risen to power with the Khmer and sought independence for his country. King Sihanouk, who also established the People’s Socialist Party, became the country’s first prime minister. Sihanouk kept Cambodia neutral in the Vietnam War until 1965, when he broke with the U.S. and allowed North Vietnam and the Vietcong to use Cambodian territory.

In 1970, Sihanouk was deposed by one of his generals, Lon Noiesta, who established a government in exile in China that supported the Cambodian revolutionary movement known as the Khmer Rouge—just as U.S. and South Vietnamese forces entered Cambodia to flush out Vietcong forces hiding there. For the next five years, as savage fighting spread throughout Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge gained land and power. In 1975 the capital at Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, and their leader, Pol Pot, became the leader of Cambodia.

109 Three years of horror ensued as Pol Pot and his followers began a campaign of systematic genocide against the Cambodian people, with the aim of returning the country to the agrarian society of centuries before. In 1979, the Khmer Rouge were overthrown, and the Vietnamese- backed People’s Republic of Kampuchea was established. The Vietnamese withdrew the last of their troops by 1989. Entering the 1990s U.N. peacekeeping efforts helped stabilize Cambodia, and in 1993 a constitution was adopted, general elections were held, and King Norodom Sihanouk returned to the throne. In 2004, ill health forced him to abdicate in favor of his son, Norodom Sihamoni, who currently reigns as a constitutional monarch not very different from the parliamentary system of Great Britain.

Vietnam

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 127,800 square miles

• Capital: Hanoi

• Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

• Ethnicities: Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, other 5.3%

• Location: Vietnam is bordered by the South China Sea (“the East Sea”), China, Laos, and Cambodia.

• Geography: It is about a thousand miles long and ranges in width from 30 miles in the central region to 400 miles in the north. There are five principle geographic areas. There are two mountainous areas, covered largely by forests or jungles: the Northern Highlands, located in the northwest, and the Annamite Range that extends from it down the western portion of the country towards Ho Chi Minh City. The two delta areas—the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south—hold most of the country’s population and also provide the majority of the country’s farmland. The Coastal Lowlands, which lie between the delta areas, are also heavily populated.

• Population: 97,205,000 (estimate)

• Religions: Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8%. (Although Communists have discouraged the practice of religion, those who do practice are generally Buddhists.)

• Time zone: Vietnam is twelve hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6pm in Hanoi.

110 National Holidays: Vietnam

In addition to the holidays listed below, April Hung Kings Commemoration Day Vietnam celebrates a number of national (moves each year; see note above) holidays that follow a lunar calendar. To 04/30 Reunification Day find out if you will be traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ 05/01 Labor Day holidays. 09/02 Independence Day 01/01 New Year’s Day 12/24 Christmas Eve February Tet Lunar New Year (moves each year; see note above) 12/25 Christmas Day

Vietnam: A Brief History Vietnam’s earliest known residents were hunters and farmers who migrated into the area from the north and south. In 111 B.C., armies of China’s Han dynasty conquered the region of present- day Vietnam and would go on to rule the region for more than a thousand years. It was not until A.D. 939 when the Vietnamese were finally able to oust the Chinese to begin self-rule while renaming the country Dai Co Viet. Powerful family dynasties went on to rule Vietnam for the next 900 years. Power struggles among feuding families in the north and south persisted until 1802, when Nguyen Anh unified the country and named it Vietnam, giving himself the title Emperor Gia Long.

After stiff resistance, Vietnam would finally fall to French colonial rule in 1884. Now part of French Indochina, Vietnam remained under French domination until 1940, when Germany occupied France during World War II and Germany’s ally Japan took control of Vietnam. After Japan’s defeat, in September 1945, the communist Vietminh led by Ho Chi Minh gained control of many regions of the country. Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent nation— the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. France re-asserted its claim on the region, and French forces regained control in the south. However, resistance from the Vietminh continued, and the Communists still controlled the north. By late 1946, the Indochina War was in full progress, continuing until 1954, when the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu. In 1954, delegates to an international conference in Geneva agreed to a temporary division of Vietnam into two separate countries—North and South Vietnam. In 1955, elections were held in South Vietnam, and Ngo Dinh Diem was chosen leader. By 1957, the Vietminh in the south, now called the Viet Cong, had begun an armed revolt against Diem’s government, supported by North Vietnam. More countries were drawn in as the fighting continued, including the U.S., which became deeply embroiled in the conflict by the late 1960s. The U.S.S.R. and China supported North Vietnam. In South Vietnam, a series of coups eventually brought army general Nguyen Van Thieu to power; he was then elected president in 1967. In North Vietnam, the Communist Party Politburo took over following Ho Chi Minh’s death in 1969. The war ended in 1975 with the withdrawal of American troops. In 1976, the country was unified under the Communists as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

111 More than three million Vietnamese had been killed in the decades of war, and the country’s economy had been devastated. Many Vietnamese emigrated to the U.S. and other countries. In 1978, Vietnam severed its ties with China and aligned itself more closely with the Soviet Union. That same year, Vietnam drew China’s wrath by invading Cambodia, an incursion that lasted into the 1980s. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of its economic support, Vietnam began to liberalize its trade policies, allow private enterprise, and encourage foreign trade. From 1990 to 1997, Vietnam’s economy grew rapidly. In 1994, the U.S. lifted its trade embargo, and in 1995, full diplomatic relations were restored.

Burma

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 261,227 square miles

• Capital: Nay Pyi Taw

• Languages: Burmese is the official language; ethnic and regional dialects are also spoken.

• Ethnicites: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%

• Location: Burma is bordered by India, China, Laos, Thailand, and the Andaman Sea.

• Geography: Burma’s terrain is dominated by steep, rugged highlands that ring the central lowlands. Through the lowlands flows Burma’s major river, the Irrawaddy, which empties into the Andaman Sea through a large delta covering over 63 million acres. Although the administrative capital is Nay Pyi Taw, the two largest cities in Burma are actually Rangoon (pop. 5.2 million) and Mandalay (pop. 1.4 million).

• Population: 55,622,506

• Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4%, Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%

• Time Zone: Burma is on Myanmar Standard Time, 11.5 hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 5:30pm in Nay Pyi Taw.

112 National Holidays: Burma

In addition to the holidays listed below, April Thingyan Lunar Water Festival (moves Burma celebrates a number of national each year) holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such 05/01 Labor Day/May Day as the Water Festival, Maha Thingyan. To find out if you will be traveling during these 07/19 Martyrs’ Day holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ holidays. October Thindingyut Buddhist Lent (moves each year) 01/04 Independence Day November Tazaungmone Full Moon Day 02/12 Union Day (moves each year)

03/02 Peasants’ Day November National Day (10 days after Tazaungmone) March Tabaung Full Moon Day (moves each year) 12/25 Christmas Day

03/27 Armed Forces Day 12/31 New Year

Burma: A Brief History Evidence of human habitation in the area around the Irrawaddy River valley goes back to at least 11,000 BC. The first recorded inhabitants of the region were the Pyu people, who began arriving from present-day China in about 200 BC. The Pyu established trade routes between China and India and founded several city-states in the Irrawaddy Valley. The Pyu eventually merged into the Burman kingdom of Pagan in the 11th century.

With the ascension to the throne of Anawrahta Minsaw in 1044, the Pagan Empire soon developed into a dominant power in Southeast Asia, alongside the Khmer Empire, the Song dynasty of China, and the Chola dynasty of India. The next century and half would come to known as the Golden Age of Burma, a period when Burmese culture as we know it today developed and countless Buddhist shrines and pagodas were built by succession of kings. But by the late 13th century, when Mongols began to invade the region, the Pagan Empire fell apart. A neighboring Burmese Kingdom, the Myinsaing, had better luck against the Mongols and took over the country. Their reign was short-lived, however, and Burma entered a Dark Age marked by two centuries of internal rebellions and outside invasions.

It wasn’t until late in the 15th century that Burma would be reunited by the Taungoo Dynasty, which expanded the empire and ruled for 250 years. Then the Konbaung Dynasty took over until finally falling to the British Empire in 1885. The British, which had already colonized India, had been taking steps to expand their empire by conquering Burma since 1824. The Burmese were not happy with the arrangement and a nationalist movement developed with demonstrations led by Buddhist monks. Then, at the onset of World War II, the Japanese joined forces with Burma to drive out the British and give Burma its independence. But once Burma got a taste of Japanese arrogance, they switched back to the Allied side to drive out the Japanese from their country.

113 Following the war, Bogyoke Aung San emerged as the perfect choice to steer his country to independence. And in 1947 elections, he and his party did indeed win an overwhelming majority. But before Aung San could take office he was assassinated by a rival, along with most members of his cabinet. Burma would go on to gain independence in 1948, however, under the helm of Aung San’s protégé U Nu. Then, in 1962, General Ne Win led a left-wing army takeover of the country, setting the country on a socialistic path. Everything was nationalized and Burma’s economy took a nosedive.

By 1987, the people of Burma had enough of their incompetent government. Deciding that Ne Win had to go, the streets were packed with pro-democracy demonstrators (once again, led by Burmese monks) clashing with the military, resulting in about 3,000 deaths in a six-week period. With a weakened Ne Win still influencing from behind the scenes, martial law was declared with the promise of free elections in to be held in May 1989. Claiming Burma was a vestige of colonial rule, the government changed the country’s name to Myanmar at that time. An opposition party led by Bogyoke Aung San’s charismatic daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, was organized and grew increasingly popular. After placing her under house arrest and postponing the election, Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party sailed to victory. But Burma’s SLORC government were sore losers and refused to allow them seats in parliament, arresting the party leadership instead. Aung San Suu Kyi (who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991) was released from house arrest in 1995, arrested again in 2000, arrested again in 2003, and finally released by military authorities in November 2010. Her open participation in the 2012 elections (she won a seat in Parliament) signaled a major change in Burmese politics. President Barack Obama visited with Aung San Suu Kyi back in 2012, making him the first President of the United States to ever visit Burma, and then he returned to Burma in 2014.

Sri Lanka

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 25,332 square miles

• Capital: Colombo

• Languages: Sinhala is the official language; Tamil is also spoken.

• Ethnicity: Sinhalese 74.9%, Sri Lankan Tamil 11.2%, Sri Lankan Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamil 4.2%, other 0.5%

• Location: Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal.

• Geography: The island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these is the highest point Pidurutalagala, reaching 8,281feet above sea level. Sri Lanka’s coastline is 1,585 kilometers long. The coastline and adjacent waters support highly productive marine ecosystems such as fringing coral reefs, shallow beds of coastal and estuarine seagrasses.

• Population: 22,053,488

114 • Religions: Buddhist (official) 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Roman Catholic 6.1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 0.05%

• Time Zone: Sri Lanka is on Indian Standard Time and does not observe Daylight Saving Time. As a result, the time in Sri Lanka will either be 9.5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time (in summer) or 10.5 hours ahead (in winter).

National Holidays: Sri Lanka

In addition to the holidays listed below, Feb or March Mahasivarathri Day (moves Sri Lanka celebrates a number of national each year; see note) holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such 04/13 Sinhala and Tamil New Year’s Day as Full Moon Days. To find out if you will be traveling during these holidays, please visit 05/01 Labor Day www.timeanddate.com/holidays. May or June Eid al-Fitr (moves each year) 01/15 Tamil Thai Pongal Day Aug or Sept Eid al-Adha (moves each year) 02/04 National Day Oct or Nov Deepavali (moves each year)

12/25 Christmas Day

Sri Lanka: A Brief History Early History

The origins of Sri Lanka are often attributed to religious myth, but archaeologists believe the island was occupied by hunter-gathers when the Sinhalese—a northern Indian tribal people— first arrived in the sixth century BC. The Sinhalese first absorbed the hunter-gather tribes and then founded a kingdom named for its capital city, Anuradhapuran. By the third century BC, the kingdom drew the attention of the king of India, Asoka, who sent emissaries to the court to promote Buddhism. According to some stories, the emissaries were a son and a daughter of Asoka himself. Whoever they were, the emissaries successfully converted the Sri Lankan king, and thus are credited with converting the entire kingdom to Buddhism.

By all accounts, the conversion of the King and the kingdom to Buddhism is one of the most significant events in Sri Lankan history. Buddhism pervades Sri Lankan culture, and as Sri Lanka was one of the first nations to convert—and one of the last nations to be influenced by outside forces—the Buddhism practiced here is considered the most pure form of Theravada (the first and simpler form of Buddhism).

For the next six centuries, the kingdom of Anuradhapuran continued to thrive, grow, and expand its Buddhist practices. Sometime in the first century BC the monks of the Aluvihara monastery began in-depth writings on the Theravada teachings, which are still referenced today by Theravada schools throughout the world. And in 371 AD, a tooth of the Buddha was brought to Anuradhapuran as a relic; today it is still housed in a temple in Kandy.

115 The main rivals to Anuradhapuran were the Tamil rulers in South India, and this rivalry was to deeply mark Sri Lankan history for centuries. The Tamils, who were Hindu, would often conduct raids or all-out assaults on the capital in an attempt to seize control. After centuries of repeated conflict in which the capital city was sacked and destroyed more than once, Anuradhapuran was abandoned some time in the 11th century in favor of a new capital, Polonnaruwa.

The Middle Ages

The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was a short-lived study of contrasts. Although it was the capital for only two hundred years or so, the kings of Polonnaruwa represent some of the strongest and weakest of Sri Lankan royal history. The kingdom began gloriously under King Vijayabahu I (ruled 1055-1110), who drove out the invaders from Chola (a Tamil dynasty from southern India). Later under King Parakramabahu I (ruled 1153-1186), the Sinhalese army did more than just defend against the Chola—they conquered Chola territory and even reached faraway Myanmar.

Not content to be a warring king only, King Parakramabahu was also known for his vast building projects, especially the many irrigation systems, canals, and reservoirs (known as tanks) needed to cultivate the country’s paddy fields. The folk saying “not even a little water that comes from the rain must flow into the ocean without being made useful to man” is frequently attributed him.

Unfortunately, the many conflicts and engineering projects left the kingdom financially depleted. The financial strain—combined with a series of weak kings ensnared in court intrigues—led to the decline of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. As Polonnaruwa lost control of the island, the northern end turned to Jaffna, a commercial center in northern Sri Lanka.

Jaffna had very strong commercial and cultural connections to southern India, so it was the Indian Tamil culture that dominated. Thus began a Sinhalese-Tamil split between Jaffna (northern, Tamil speaking, Hindu) and Polonnaruwa (southern, Sinhalese, Buddhist). When Polonnaruwa was finally abandoned at the end of the 13th century, it split into two smaller, but related, kingdoms centered on the cities of Kandy and Kotte.

The Age of Colonization

When the Portuguese first arrived in 1505, they hoped to make political use of the divisions between the three kingdoms (Jaffna, Kandy, and Kotte). They negotiated a treaty that favored the Sinhalese kingdoms (Kandy and Kotte) over the Tamil kingdom (Jaffna). Then they further enraged the Tamil rulers by trying to convert the populace from Hinduism to the Catholic faith.

In time, the Portuguese controlled large sections of the island and the lucrative spice trade with Europe. Only the kingdom of Kandy retained some independence, due to its secure location in the highlands.

When other European powers showed interest in the same trade, the local rulers tried to use the Europeans’ rivalries to eject the Portuguese. Unfortunately, this only succeeded in changing one colonial power for another, as first the Dutch (in 1656) and then the British (in 1796) took over the island. In 1815, the kingdom of Kandy surrendered to the British, who established a plantation system to grow coffee, tea, and rubber. British rule exacerbated class divides between

116 the Sinhalese and the Tamils, especially with the arrival of large numbers (some estimates state 850,000) indentured Tamil workers from India. It wasn’t until after Indian independence in 1947 that Ceylon (the colonial name for Sri Lanka) gained its own independence in 1948.

Independence and Division

After independence, the Sinhalese-Tamil divide came to the forefront of Sri Lankan politics. For example, with the British gone, there was a movement to quit using English as the official language and begin using Sinhala instead—a movement that would have left the Tamils, who speak Tamil and not Sinhala, out in the cold. Both sides felt threatened; the Tamils by fear of being relegated to second-class citizens and the Sinhalese by fear that India might intervene on the Tamils’ behalf. An early attempt by the Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike to create a federation between the two groups provoked his assassination in 1959.

The unrest continued and eventually led to a state of emergency being imposed on Tamil lands in the north in 1971. For many Tamils, this was viewed as an act of aggression akin to an occupation, hence the formation of opposition groups such as the “Tamil Tigers” (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE). The cycle of mistrust and revenge during the next couple of decades was not unlike the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and was largely confined to the northern, Tamil-controlled Jaffna peninsula. Efforts towards a successful cease-fire treaty were mixed, and eventually abandoned. Instead, the Sri Lankan government pledged to fight the LTTE forces that remained until they surrendered. With the final surrender of the LTTE in 2009, the peace process has begun.

117 RESOURCES

Suggested Reading

General Southeast Asia A Traveller’s History of Southeast Asia by J.M. Barwise and Nicholas J. White (2015, History) As compact history of a diverse region, this book packs a wealth of information into its well-written and well-organized pages. (And yes, the title has two “L”s; the series is British).

The River’s Tale, A Year on the Mekong by Edward Gargan (2003, Travel Narrative) Describes in beautiful detail a year spend on the Mekong River during a 3,000-mile journey from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Sri Rahula (1974, Religion) A succinct and accessible overview of Buddhism as it is practiced in Southeast Asia by an internationally recognized authority who just happens to also be a Buddhist monk.

Thailand Fieldwork by Micha Berlinski (2008, Fiction) Haunting and suspenseful, this is a tale about a modern American ex-pat attempting to unravel an old mystery about an anthropologist who had been working with a Thai Hill Tribe before being charged with murder.

The Beach by Alex Garland (1998, Fiction) The bestselling novel taps into a common legend of young backpackers who come to Southeast Asia for the first time—discovering that unspoiled hidden beach paradise. But they soon find out that even in Thailand, Utopia is hard to find.

The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej (2006, Biography). Banned in Thailand (and cannot be brought into the country), this extensively researched biography of the Thai king who ascended the throne in 1946 and was the world’s longest serving monarch until his death in 2016 reveals the king’s decisions during the entirely of his reign. While any critique of someone seen by his people as a living Buddha is bound to be controversial, the book is considered by many to be essential to an understanding of the political climate in present-day Thailand.

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon (1944 Biographical Novel) Some say the tale is more fanciful than true, but it certainly has endured. This is the classic account of a governess in mid-19th century Siam that inspired both the play and the film, The King and I.

Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (2003, Detective Novel) Reminiscent of a film noir—gritty, suspenseful, and sometimes darkly funny—this book explores the underside of Thailand’s capital through a series of mysterious deaths by snakebite. The detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, who is a member of the Royal Thai police, also stars in sequels like: Bangkok Tattoo and Bangkok Haunts.

Bangkok, A Cultural History by Maryvelma O’Neil (2008, History) Art historian O’Neil’s scholarly yet thoroughly engaging book details the city’s art, history, royal ceremony, and tradition in such depth that it is sometimes used as a college textbook, despite coming in at less than 300 pages.

118 Travelers’ Tales Thailand edited by Larry Habegger and James O’Reilly (2009, Culture) An award- winning collection of memorable true tales that show a spectrum of experiences to be had (or to be avoided) in Thailand. The authors come from many walks of life: some are teachers, writers, scientists—all of them have tales to tell that will help to deepen and enrich your experience in Thailand.

Patpong Sisters: An American Woman’s View of the Bangkok Sex World by Cleo Odzer (2014, Sociology) An American anthropologist spent three years observing and getting to know the pimps, prostitutes, bar girls and bar boys—and their customers—of the Thailand’s thriving $4 billion sex industry.

Laos Stalking the Elephant Kings, In Search of Laos by C. Kremmer, (1998, Mystery/Travelogue) When the Pathet Lao forced the last king of Laos to abdicate in 1975, it spelled the end of a 600-year- old monarchy. An Australian travel journalist searches for the truth behind the fate of the royal family while providing invaluable insights into Lao history and culture.

The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (2017, Mystery) The first in an award-winning mystery series set in Laos featuring 70-something state coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun as the detective set in Laos a year after the 1975 Communist takeover.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (1998, Culture/Medicine) A sympathetic look at the culture clash between the Hmong parents of Lia, a child with epilepsy, and her American doctors.

Cambodia First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung (2000, Memoir) A personal account of Ung’s experiences throughout the Khmer Rouge years as a survivor of the Pol Pot regime. At times an uncomfortable read, but very worthwhile and her story will stay with you for a long time. Ung’s award-winning memoir was followed up by two more: Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind and Lulu in the Sky: A Daughter of Cambodia Finds Love, Healing, and Double Happiness.

A History of Cambodia by David Chandler (2018 4th Ed.,History) A bit dry perhaps, but this acclaimed work is considered one of the best accounts of Cambodia’s modern history, beginning in 1953 to the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge, the death of the noxious Pol Pot in the late 1990s, and the return of peace to this lovely land.

Golden Bones, An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America by Sichan Siv (2009, Memoir) Deputy Ambassador to the UN during the Bush administration, Siv looks back on a remarkable life, from his privileged childhood in Pochentong to the murderous reign of Pol Pot, his escape from a work camp to freedom and, eventually, life in America.

Angkor, Cambodia’s Wondrous Khmer Temples by Dawn Rooney (first published 1994 by Odyssey Books & Guides) This beautifully illustrated volume is considered by many as the indispensable guide to Khmer culture and history.

119 Vietnam A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan (1989, History/ Memoir) Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this brilliant accounting of the follies and fatal contradictions that lost America the war in Vietnam is told through the eyes of Lt. Col. John Paul Vann, a field advisor to the army at the initial stages of the war.

Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam by Andrew X. Pham (Memoir/Travel Narrative) A Vietnamese-American decides to revisit the land of his birth and some painful memories. This touching and highly-acclaimed book balances the story of the author’s escape from Vietnam in 1977 and his subsequent return about 20 years later to tour by bicycle.

Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam by Kim Fay (2012, Food). Part cookbook and part travelogue, this book follows Seattle native Kim Fay, who had lived in Vietnam for four years in the ‘90s, as she returns to Vietnam for a 5-week culinary safari from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Beautiful, bold photographs and stories about the chefs accompany authentic recipes.

Dispatches by Michael Herr (1977, Journalism) First published in 1977, when Herr was a journalist for Esquire Magazine, this collection of firsthand reporting is an unflinching portrayal of the combat he witnessed in Vietnam and has been compared to a war documentary in print.

Dumb Luck, A Novel by Vu Trong Phung (1936, Literature) First published in 1936 but banned in Vietnam until 1986, the works of Vietnamese satirist Vu Trong Phung are now seen as masterpieces that were years ahead of their time. This sarcastic and comedic rags-to-riches story set in Hanoi is particularly popular.

Fire in the Lake by Frances FitzGerald (1972, History) FitzGerald, a staff writer at the New Yorker was on assignment in Vietnam when she became interested in the impact of America’s participation in the Vietnam War. The resulting book won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in 1973, and is still essential reading more than 30 years later.

The Lover by Marguerite Duras (1984, Literature) The bittersweet story of a doomed romance between a French teenager and an older Chinese man set in 1930s French Indochina (Vietnam). The novel contains some racy scenes and frank language, but was critically well-received and won France’s Prix Goncourt for literature.

Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram by Dang Thuy Tram (2008, Diary) As a young doctor working for the North Vietnamese Army, Dang Thuy Tram kept a diary of her experiences between the years 1968 and 1970 until she was killed by American forces near where she worked. Found by an American soldier, the diary was returned to her family and published for the first time almost 30 years later.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes (2010, Literature) This debut novel is a spellbinding accounting of a company of Marines who build, abandon, and retake an outpost on a remote hilltop in Vietnam. The author, a highly-decorated Vietnam veteran, reportedly spent 30 years writing this book about the folly of war. He succeeded in coming up with one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to be written about Vietnam—or any war.

120 The Quiet American by Graham Greene (1956, Literature) Quite possibly the most famous novel set in Vietnam, and a classic love triangle too. A knowing British war correspondent and a hopeful American are caught up in both revolutionary politics and whirlwind romance in 1950s Saigon. Unfortunately, they both fall for the same Vietnamese woman.

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (2016, Fiction) The taut story of a double agent who secretly sympathizes with the Communist forces during the fall of the South Vietnamese government in 1975. A brilliant page-turner of a novel that won numerous awards including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (1990, Literature) A fictionalized account of the author’s own wartime experiences told as a series of short stories. It was Pulitzer Prize finalist when it was first published in 1990.

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace by Le Ly Hayslip (1989, Memoir) The true-life story of a Vietnamese girl forced into the war (on both sides), where she faced constant danger, near starvation, and torture. A riveting, emotional, and brutally honest look at what it takes to survive a war. The sequel, Child of War, Woman of Peace describes the author’s life in America after the war’s end.

Burma Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Croke (2015, History) The moving story of “Elephant Bill”, the young soldier whose uncanny rapport with elephants allowed him to fight the Japanese in Burma in a surprising yet effective way.

Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin (2004, Travel Narrative) A journalist travels the country in search of another young writer—the brilliant George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and 1984—who lived in Burma during the 1920s. Orwell’s mother was also born in Burma at the height of the British Raj era.

Flame Tree, A Novel of Modern Burma by Keith Dahlberg (2002, Literature) George, a quiet and unassuming teacher in Burma, finds himself mediating between two warring factions—a dictator and rebel armies—in an attempt to save his wife, who is being held hostage.

Freedom from Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi (1991, Memoir/Political Commentary) A collection of speeches, letters, and essays from Aung San Suu Kyi, a human rights activist and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize who was repeatedly arrested by the Burmese government for her work.

The Lady: Aung San Suu Kyi Nobel Laureate and Burma’s Prisoner by Barbara Victor (1998, Biography) Well received accounting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s heroic struggle against the brutal military junta that ruled Burma through terror and torture.

Quartered Safe Out Here: A Harrowing Tale of World War II by George MacDonald Fraser (1943, Memoir) Action-packed memoir about the author’s experiences in Burma during the final year of World War II as a 19-year-old private.

121 Burmese Days by George Orwell (1934, Historical Fiction) Orwell’s first novel is loosely based on his experiences as a police officer in the Indian Imperial Police when Burma was an adjunct of British India.

Sri Lanka Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje (Fiction). A lyrical story about a forensic scientist returning to her native Sri Lanka in the 1980s as part of a U.N. fact-finding mission.

Cinnamon Gardens by Shyam Selvadurai (Fiction). The novel explores what happens when personal desires clash with societal norms—specifically, a young teacher who is not certain she wants to marry and settle down, and her uncle, who is secretly gay. The same author also wrote Funny Boy, which is a coming-of-age novel set within an extended upper-middle-class family in Sri Lanka.

Eight Years’ Wanderings in Ceylon by Samuel White Baker (Historical Narrative). Reissue of the vintage classic about colonial Sri Lanka, originally published in 1845.

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera (Fiction). Recounts the saga and tragedy of Sri Lanka’s civil war from the point of view of two women on opposing sides.

Sri Lanka in the Modern Age by Nira Wickramasignhe (History). A history of the people of Sri Lanka written by a professor at the University of Colombo.

Tea Time with Terrorists: A Motorcycle Journey into the Heart of Sri Lanka’s Civil War by Mark Stephen Meadows (Society/History/Travel Narrative). Meadows traveled to the war zone to interview participants and witnesses on both sides in an attempt to better understand the conflict.

Suggested Film & Video

Thailand The Beach (2000, Drama) Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this seductive thriller from director Danny Boyle. Based on the book of the same name, it’s the story of an American backpacker in Thailand searching for an idyllic secret beach community described by a fellow traveler. But if and when he finds it, will it be a paradise or a purgatory?

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, Classic) The dramatic story of the dangerous construction of a railway bridge by British POWs under the control of the Japanese army during WWII.

The Impossible (2012, Drama) A family expecting to find a tropical paradise while vacationing in Thailand instead are in the fight for their lives when a huge wall of black water sweeps across the grounds of their hotel. Based on a true story of a family caught up in the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004, the film stars Naomi Watts (who received a nomination for Best Actress) and Ewan McGregor.

122 The King and I (1956, Musical) A colorful and fun production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that is loosely based on the life of Anna Leonowens, the British governess to the King of Siam (modern-day Thailand). The same story also inspired two other (non-musical) movies: Anna and the King of Siam starring Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison (1946) and Anna and the King starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat (1999).

Laos Rescue Dawn (2006, Drama) Werner Herzog directed this brilliant film based on the true story of a German-born American fighter pilot (Dieter Dengler) who, on his first mission in Vietnam, is shot down over Laos and captured by the Pathet Lao. The POW drama is elevated by the mesmerizing performance by Christian Bale as Dieter.

Love is Forever (1982, Drama) Based on real events, Love is Forever follows an Australian journalist, John Everingham, as he documents the effects of the Vietnam War. While in Laos, Everingham falls in love with a local woman, Keo, who was sent to spy on him by the communist government. When Everingham ends up arrested and exiled to Thailand, he is willing do anything to be reunited with the woman he loves.

Lost in Laos (2012, Drama/Adventure). Daniela and Paolo, having passed out and drifted away from civilization after partying on the Vang Vieng river, find themselves lost in the wilderness of Laos. The Italian couple end up being taken in by a rural village and experience a local Lao lifestyle they had missed in the whirl-wind of their party scene vacation.

Cambodia The Killing Fields (1984, Drama) Based on the work of New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (played by Sam Waterston) and his translator Dith Pran (played by Haing Ngor), this war drama explores the tragic rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Ngor, who won Best Supporting Actor for his performance (the first and only Asian man thus far) and managed to survive three terms in Cambodian prison camps, was fatally shot in Los Angeles in 1996.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001, Action/Adventure) This fanciful romp was filmed at several locations around the temple complex of Siem Reap, including Angkor Wat. Angelina Jolie was good in the role, but the real star of the film was the jungle temple of Ta Prohm, which tuk-tuk drivers and guidebooks alike just call it “Tomb Raider temple.” Significant parts of Lord Jim, the 1995 film starring Peter O’Toole, were also shot at Angkor Wat.

Vietnam Hearts and Minds (1974, Documentary) This landmark documentary offers an unflinching portrait of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War using newsreel footage and interviews. Many consider it the most important film ever made about this period.

Anthony Bordain: No Reservations—Vietnam (2009, Travel/Food) Three episodes of the popular series were filmed in Vietnam and offer rich insights about life in modern-day Vietnam and regional cuisine from bustling Saigon to the countryside of Da Lat. Also worth viewing is

123 Bordain’s Parts Unknown: Hanoi (2016) the classic episode featuring former U.S. President Barack Obama and Bordain sitting down together at a small restaurant in Hanoi enjoying beers and bun cha, a local specialty.

Apocalypse Now (1979, Drama) Francis Ford Coppola’s surreal Vietnam War epic was inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and stars Martin Sheen as an Army captain on a secret mission to track down a renegade Special Services colonel played by Marlon Brando.

Good Morning Vietnam (1987, Comedy) While the irreverent humor of Armed Forces Radio Service host Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams) amuses the troops stuck in 1965-era Vietnam, he clashes with the Army brass who try to censor his show.

Indochine (1992, Foreign) When a well-to-do French plantation owner (played by Catherine Deneuve) and her adopted Vietnamese daughter both fall for the same naval officer, their lives get swept up in the burgeoning nationalist movement. Set in French Indochina of the 1930s; in French with subtitles. Winner of Best Foreign Language Film of 1992.

Red Dust (1932, Classic) Set on a rubber plantation in French Indochina, two Hollywood legends, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow, are in top form in this steamy pre-Hollywood code jungle romance. Surprisingly, the film includes some fairly accurate depictions of rubber production and the challenges of a remote jungle plantation (monsoons and malaria, just to name two).

The Quiet American (1958, Classic) A love triangle between a British journalist, a young Vietnamese woman, and a U.S. official, based on the Graham Greene novel—although Greene would disavow the film for flipping the book’s message. Instead of a cautionary tale about foreign intervention, the film’s focus is anticommunist advocacy of American power (Audie Murphy, the film’s star, reportedly said he wouldn’t have done the movie if it stuck to Greene’s anti- American message). The 2002 remake starring Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser sticks much closer to Greene’s novel and received widespread acclaim. It suffered bad timing though—Its “unpatriotic” message did not go over well with audiences after 9/11.

Burma The Lady (2011, Foreign/Biopic) Directed by Luc Besson, this French/British production is a romantic tribute to the Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, focusing on her relationship with her husband as much as on her political work. The cast and crew received high praise for authenticity, especially Michelle Yeoh, who reportedly learned Burmese to play the lead role. In English and Burmese.

Merrill’s Marauders (1962, Drama) Another take on the exploits of General Merrill (this time played by Jeff Chandler) and his team fighting their way through the jungles of Burma during WWII.

Never So Few (1959, Drama) Gritty war drama with Frank Sinatra playing the leader of a U.S. military intelligence group stationed in Burma to train Kachin revolutionary troops to fight against approaching Japanese troops during World War II.

124 Objective, Burma (1945, Drama). Loosely based on the successful six-month raid conducted by Merrill’s Marauders in the WWII Burma campaign, with Errol Flynn playing the group’s heroic leader.

Sri Lanka Ceylon (2013, War Drama). This 2013 Indian war film follows a group of teenage orphans during the Sri Lankan civil war, fought from 1983 to 2009.

Funny Boy (2020, Drama). Arjie Chelvaratnam struggles with his sexuality when he falls for a male school mate, in a country where his love is illegal, on the eve of the 1983 Sri Lankan civil war.

White Van Stories (2015, Documentary). Indian filmmaker Leena Manimekalai follows seven women, from the east, south, and north provinces of Sri Lanka, as they seek justice for their loved ones, who went missing during the 1983 to 2009 civil war.

Useful Websites

Overseas Adventure Travel World Weather www.oattravel.com www.intellicast.com www.weather.com Overseas Adventure Travel Store www.wunderground.com www.oatshop.com Basic Travel Phrases (80 languages) Overseas Adventure Travel Frequently www.travlang.com/languages Asked Questions www.oattravel.com/faq Packing Tips www.travelite.org International Health Information/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) U.S. Customs & Border Protection http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel www.cbp.gov/travel

Electricity & Plugs Transportation Security www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/ Administration (TSA) plugs-and-sockets www.tsa.gov

Foreign Exchange Rates National Passport Information Center www.xe.com/currencyconverter www.travel.state.gov www.oanda.com/converter/classic Holidays Worldwide ATM Locators www.timeanddate.com/holidays www.mastercard.com/atm www.visa.com/atmlocator

125 VACCINATIONS NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAVELERS, SHIP CREW, TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS, AND COACH DRIVERS Plus, updated Health & Safety Protocols for our Land Tours

The health and safety of our travelers is always our #1 priority, and we understand travelers are concerned about exploring the world in light of the unprecedented crisis we are currently facing. To ensure your safety and give you peace of mind, we have worked with our regional team and listened to government guidance and feedback from our travelers to create these health and safety protocols for our trips. As we continue to make changes, we will keep our website updated with the latest information.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS • All travelers, ship crew, and Trip Experience AND UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY Leaders will have their temperature checked PROTOCOLS FOR SMALL SHIP every time they return to the ship using a non- ADVENTURES contact infrared temperature scanner. • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against • All meals are served by the dining staff— COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure buffets are no longer available. and provide proof of vaccination upon VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND boarding the ship. If you are unable to UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at FOR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES ON LAND your destination, you will have to return • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against home at your own expense. COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure. If To meet this requirement, please bring your you are unable to provide proof of vaccination original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon arrival at your destination, you will with you on your trip. The white card must have to return home at your own expense. display your name, type of vaccine, and the To meet this requirement, please bring your date(s) the vaccine was administered. We also original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with suggest taking a picture of this card to keep for you on your trip. The white card must display your records as a backup. your name, type of vaccine, and the date(s) • All local Trip Experience Leaders, the vaccine was administered. We also suggest ship staff, and crew will be fully taking a picture of this card to keep for your vaccinated against COVID-19. records as a backup. • All coach drivers will be fully • All local Trip Experience Leaders will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinated against COVID-19. • All public areas will be sanitized nightly and • All coach drivers will be fully vaccinated all ships are equipped with High Efficiency against COVID-19. Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

Help us ensure travelers’ safety and health while on our trips. Please follow best health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness—wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Together, we can create a safer travel experience for everyone.

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/covid-update

126 Notes

127 Notes

128 Notes

129 Notes

130 Gulf of Tonkin LAOS From Saigon From From Saigon From CHINA Sea Bangkok South China Golden Triangle Hanoi Chiang Rai THAILAND Mahachai

Ninh Binh A

Lao Cai M

Elephant R

Eco Valley U Chiang Mai Kanchanaburi POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS Hellfire Pass VIETNAM LAOS B Sapa VIETNAM Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

S g n o O k e A M CAMBODIA Cu Chi Tunnels Chi Cu L Mekong Delta Wat Angkor Vientiane Phnom Penh Tonle Sap Tonle Pak Ou Cave Pak Siem Reap CHINA

g on

ek of Gulf

M Thailand THAILAND Luang Prabang Luang Bangkok Ayutthaya (BURMA)

MYANMAR

l

a g n

e

B

f o

y

D a AN B IL A H T Hambantora Mandalay To Bangkok To To Bangkok To Yala N.P. Yala (BURMA) Miles To/From U.S. Internal flight Land route Rail route MYANMAR Matara SRI LANKA 0 200 Mingun Colombo Rangoon Indian Ocean Indian Bagan Galle

r Sea Andaman anna PRE-TRIP EXTENSIONSf M POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS

Bengal o Bay of Bay Gulf

131 YOUR TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADER

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