
Indochina - KathyDecember 2, 2013
We are still in Seattle, but waiting for a ride home, so thought I’d sit
down and let you know what we did. The trip started out on the day the
earthquake happened Taiwan, which shut down all the computers in the
Philippines, but we managed to get to Hanoi anyway, long enough to sleep at
the hotel for 3 hours! Then we headed on the Hue, which is one of our
favorite places. The hotel we had there was, by the way, beautiful….Saigon
is the same as ever. Our time in Cambodia was a very memorable one. The
hotel upgrade was undoubtedly the best hotel I will ever stay in my whole
life, and the spa was fabulous. The tour guide was a local person, whose
uncle was on the early conservation team in Cambodia. He grew up playing in
Angkor Wat, so his stories had a “real” quality that made him probably one
of the best tour guides you could get. Laos was a surprise. Again, the tour
guide adapted to the fact that we have a lot of experience in Asia, and he
took us to some Hmong festivals and markets where white faces are a real
surprise. Needless to say, we began to have a high respect for the quality
of the Indochina Services guides. Myanmar was my real focus on this little
overview, and again the guides came through. In Rangoon, I spoke to the
guide about our interest in the Andaman Sea, and upon our return he met us
and took us to a tour guide that has some connections to try and open that
up.
All in all, the trip was as smooth as silk, and always above our
expectations. Corrina, I have been a travel agent, I know what it takes, and
you did a fabulous job. We also want to say that Indo China Services must
have heard we were coming. They provided excellent tour guides. We knew
going in that this was a rush trip, and we thought maybe we were pushing the
envelope. We never wasted a moment, and neither did they. Thanks so much.