Bangkok - City Tour (Chinatown, Grand Palace, Old Siam Canals).  After breakfast, you meet your guide and then travel by local transport - anything from river boat, Tuk Tuk, BTS Skytrain, taxi or underground train to the edge of Chinatown to wander on foot through the rich history and back alleys of that area. This is a photographer's delight, with the flower market and fresh markets of Bangkok's Chinatown commercial centre teeming, with a cornucopia of sensations.

Walking for several hours here is the best way to appreciate this historic area. On reaching the Tha Rachawong Express Boat pier, we board an express boat to the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple.

Details of Walk (rough guide only): Bangkok's 92-year-old Hua Lamphong Railway Station is at the end of the underground train line, and a good place to begin. Cross the bridge on Rama IV Rd, and veer left onto Traimit Rd, and continue until you reach Wat Traimit on your right. A 3-metre-tall Buddha made of plaster presided here for hundreds of years. Somehow in 1955, it was discovered that the huge Buddha was in fact made of 5 & ½ tons of solid gold!

Continue along Traimit Rd and turn right at the Chinatown Arch, to enter Chinatown. Follow Charoen Krung Rd, cross, and almost immediately, veer left onto Yaowarat Rd where the road splits. This is Chinatown's main street, packed with human and wheeled traffic and lined with dozens of Chinese restaurants, food stalls, and myriad merchants. Food stalls are numerous; seafood stalls in Soi Texas are the most famous. A block along from Soi Texas turn right on Plaeng Nam Rd, a typically bustling street filled with old Chinese shop houses, men pushing trolleys. It is slow going now, as you turn left onto Charoen Krung Rd and step into the human traffic. After about 100m or so, the foot traffic is jamming up and the going becomes slow. Here you may cross Charoen Krung Rd to enter the lively Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, an incense-filled temple of Chinese worship, before entering the most bustling wet market you're ever likely to visit; the Trok Itsaranuphap. Be patient as you file one-at-a-time into the lane, and be wary of elbows as you experience this sensory overload of food (cooked/uncooked), colours, smells and most of all, people. At its end, cross Yaowarat Rd and walk two blocks to Wanit Road (also called Sampeng Ln) and the dry goods market, which these days seems to specialise in textiles, Chinese household goods, and an impossible collection of junk. Watch for the classic Thai-European style Bangkok Bank building at the first corner.

Eventually you'll come to Chakrawat Rd. Turn left, and stop into the quiet Wat Chakrawat, before crossing the street and turning right into Soi Bophit Phimuk, just before the footbridge. This relatively quiet street of old shop houses ends when it crosses Khlong Ong Ang. Turn right and the path along the khlong (canal). There are some famous (and cheap) Indian & Thai restaurants, which are nice for a lunch. Turn left with most of the foot traffic and you'll again come to busy Wanit Rd; turn left and it's only another 50 yards (46 metres) to the end. Cross the street and turn left on Chakraphet Rd, following it towards the river and continuing as it bends around to the right. After about 150m, cross Tri Phet Rd to find yourself in the entertaining 24-hour flower market. Cross to the left and continue into Pak Khlong Talad, Bangkok's biggest fresh produce & flower market. At its north end exit, cross the small bridge and turn left immediately, following the khlong down to the Tha Rachawong Express Boat pier to board an express boat to the Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple, two of the Kingdom’s most important cultural icons for the Thai people themselves.

The Wat Phra Kaeo, or the Grand Palace is Thailand’s holiest Buddhist Temple and because of that you must make sure you wear ankle length trousers or a long skirt, a top fully covering the shoulders and proper sandals or shoes (no flip-flops/thongs). The Wat Phra Kaeo Royal Chapel houses the Emerald Buddha, actually made of jade. The Thais believe that as long as they remain keepers of the Emerald Buddha, their country will be safe.   

After Thai lunch at a local restaurant, we explore the canals/khlongs of Old Siam by Long-Tail River Boat. While hard to imagine, ‘Bang Kok’ once was the ‘village of olive groves’ it’s name suggests, and despite speedy modernisation along these waterways forging hybrids like ATM boats, a tranquil side of Bangkok life is evident here too - monks receive alms, children hurry to school, merchants deliver vegetables from afar to markets...all by boat.

After the tour we return to the hotel, and the evening is free. (B,L)

Hornbill and Gibbon Walk - Elephants for Trade and War - Surin Town.   We rise at dawn for an early breakfast, then join your nature guide for an exciting morning wildlife walking in the Khao Yai jungle. Climbing the park road by vehicle, we stop for a better look at the Macaque monkeys hanging out on or beside the road this time of day. We walk to a dramatic view point and spot some of the exotic birdlife visible only during this hour.

Then we trek for a couple of hours in the jungle to catch the crazy antics of gibbons at play. Our expert nature guides know the various habitats of these jungles well. While not guaranteed to see the exotic Hornbills, close-up observation of the Strangling Fig tree with your guide will likely reward you with a good look at one or more Hornbills, the tree’s partner in perfect symbiosis. Walk out of the jungle into grassland and rolling hills to a mineral salt lick frequently used by many of the park’s mammalian denizens.

Return to the resort for a shower before checkout, and then drive to Ban Tha Klang, north of Surin. Lunch will be at a local restaurant en route.

The Suay tribe (AKA Guay) of Tha Klang captured and trained both kinds of elephants - the relatively few War Elephants of the Siamese kings often glorified on film, and average working elephants, whose strength & size were traditionally used for heavy hauling, lifting and transport work. Enjoy the opportunity to ride one of the giant pachyderms, and experience first-hand some of the ritual and practice around their care. Your visit is in fact helping the Asian elephant face the challenge of survival in the modern world.

Continue to Surin town to check in at the hotel. There are a number of appropriate restaurants nearby for dinner on your own. (B,L)

Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat Complex.  The rise of the Khmer empire began in the 9th century and at its apex in the 12th century covered most of modern-day Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The empire began its decline 1300AD and was in disarray by about 1400AD. But the seeds of Angkor’s origins are Indian, and were sown nearly 2000 years ago, as Southeast Asia was becoming a trading hub between China and India. Commercial shipping followed the coasts from as far as Bahrain to India, and then on to peninsular SE Asia. Exact dynamics of why Indian culture took hold (perhaps through efforts of Hindu and Buddhist missionaries, Indian science, political theory and law) are unclear, but it gave rise to new Indianised princedoms.

The Linga-cult was probably the earliest defining mark of early Angkor, but successive emperors outdid their forbearers constructing temple monuments and grand water projects, making both central characteristics of the Khmer empire.

Today, we commence at the South Gate of Angkor Thom City. Here we explore the centrepiece of the ancient city, The Bayon. The Bayon contains 54 towers decorated with more than 200 enigmatic smiling faces. Also included in the mornings tour is the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Terrace of Elephants and Terrace of Leper Kings, as well as the Ta Prohm Temple. The 50-tower temple of the mysterious Royal City Angkor Thom is an awesome sight. At first glance it seems a shapeless mass of stone, but further scrutiny reveals a face, and then another and another until suddenly you are engulfed by the silent, heavy, enigmatic and silent gaze through half-closed eyes, staring out from a primitive and remote time.

The picturesque Ta Prohm that had nearly disappeared into the jungle and remains overgrown, is an oddly haunting and exotic scene. The magnificent roots of a tree, pushing between the huge stone blocks of the temple in a sort of embrace, evoke feelings that you may remember forever.

We have lunch before embarking on our discovery of Angkor Wat, easily the most famous and best-preserved of all temples within the Angkor complex. Known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the temples of Angkor were the imperial centre of Cambodia from the 9th to the 14th centuries at the high point of the ancient Khmer empire. The buildings are set in acres of jungle land and, after Phnom Penh became Cambodia’s capital, sank into oblivion for a number of centuries.  

We have most of the afternoon here before heading to either Phnom Bakheng or Pre Rup for the sunset. Phnom Bakheng was the first major temple to be constructed in the Angkor area. The 2nd tier offers a panoramic view of Angkor Wat and West Baray.  (B,L)

Siem Reap - Tonle Sap Lake - Fly Bangkok - Night Train South yo Surat Thani.  After breakfast, we head to the Tonle Sap Lake. This ecosystem has been classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. You are driven 15 km south of Siem Reap where you take a small boat and discover some floating villages as well as the wildlife of the lake.

Return to Siem Reap, check out of the hotel, and transfer to the airport for your afternoon flight to Bangkok. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Bangkok’s Hua Lampong train station. From here we take the overnight night train (2nd Class Sleepers) south to Surat Thani.

Dinner is on your own, but there is a dining car on the train where you may order Thai food.  (B,L)

Kuraburi/Khao Sok Area - Optional Activities or Leisure.  After breakfast spend the day at leisure or arrange an optional activity with the resort.  (B)

Note: Lunch and dinner on your own.

Koh Ra Andaman Island.   After breakfast spend the day at leisure on the beach, or arrange an optional activity (not included) with the lodge. Full board meals at the resort.  (B,L,D) 

Options include:

- Snorkelling: Full-day & ½-day trips by local long-tailed boats to nearby islands where few tourists ever go - includes mask/snorkel and fins, lunch and drinking water

- Sea Kayaking: Guided or non-guided paddling in fiberglass double-seat kayaks. Paddle 1 & ½ hrs down to Bird Lagoon and back, or a short paddle in the mangroves. Pick-up / drop-off possible and customise to your needs. Strong paddlers can get around the whole island with 6-7 hr paddling - not for the faint of heart!

- Hiking & Bird Watching: Koh Ra’s protected status bodes well for its island lowland tropical forest, some of the best-quality and last in the world. Hike nature trails selected by the local experts, and see many species of birds and butterflies, jungle plants, hornbills, and orchids

- Visit a Sea Gypsy Moken Village CBTP*: Learn how the Moken live on subsistence fishing, plant cultivation, handicrafts, and Nipa palm weaving. (**Community-Based Tourism Project)  

Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours. All clients MUST be insured to cover personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment, repatriation, etc. Also, be aware that many activities such as trekking, bungy jumping or white water rafting may not be covered on your insurance policy. If you plan on doing any of these activities please purchase additional insurance. We recommend that you have a photocopy of this document, which you keep separate from the original. If you have not already arranged your own travel insurance then Kumuka can do this for you. Please visit http://www.kumuka.com/Travel-Insurance.aspx  for more details or contact your nearest Kumuka office.

Please Note: You will not be permitted to join a Kumuka Tour without travel insurance.

It is important that you obtain the appropriate visas before you embark on your Asia trip. Country entry regulations change daily, www.kumuka.com provides visa information. Please consult your relevant embassy for all details such as opening hours or costs. Certain visas cannot be obtained once you have started your tour, and during the peak summer months it can take longer than normal to get visas, please allow extra time to do this.

EACH CLIENT IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING ALL NECESSARY VISAS BEFORE JOINING A TOUR.

Kumuka does not accept responsibility for changes in regulations or requirements for visas. The information provided is given in good faith.

Vaccinations:

No vaccinations are compulsory in Asia, but we do recommend you are covered for *diphtheria & TB, hepatitis A, *hepatitis B, *malaria, typhoid, polio and tetanus.

NB* A Yellow fever certificate is required if arriving from infected areas. Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure.

You may need additional inoculations so please contact your G.P or a travel medical centre for further information. Please consult your doctor for up-to-date information and prescriptions for vaccinations, anti-malarial requirements and any reasonably foreseeable illnesses whilst travelling in Asia.

We also recommend:

- A dental check-up prior to travelling.
- That you know your blood group in case of emergency.
- That if you have any pre-existing medical conditions which might affect you on tour, you make these known to your tour leader and your agent/Kumuka at the time of your booking.

You can also visit www.kumuka.com for further details.

Medical Supplies:

We advise that all passengers bring along their own personal first aid kit. Below is a list of some recommended items:

Band Aids/Bandages, Laxatives, Upset stomach remedy, Anti-diarrhoea remedy, Panadol/Aspirin, Rehydration remedy, Antiseptic cream/powder, Sterile dressing, Any relevant course of medication such as contraceptive pills.

A complete Travellers Medical Pack can be purchased for approximately US$25 at most Vaccination Centres, Chemists and outdoor travel shops.

We suggest passengers budget for between US$15-30 per day for personal expenses, souvenirs, evening out, alcoholic drinks etc. Be aware that some countries are more expensive than others and that if you are travelling through several your expenses will vary enormously. Similarly there will be some days when you spend nothing at all and others when you exceed your budget.

US dollars cash is more widely accepted than pounds sterling. In Thailand all major currencies are easily exchanged.

US dollars cash are needed to pay for visas on borders.

Traveller’s Cheques are more secure than cash - small denominations are preferable.

It is often a good idea to have a small amount of the currency of the country you are visiting prior to arrival. This will cover you for any initial expenses at or from the airport.

Banks are open Monday to Friday and some are open on Saturday morning.  In the main cities travellers’ cheques can be exchanged at banks and some exchange bureaux, but this can be very difficult in small towns.

Some Hotels will also change money.

Automated teller machines (ATMs) are widely available in Thailand and Vietnam, and generally available in the larger towns in Laos and Cambodia.

How much should I take?

• Please bring lightweight walking shoes or sandals, and a day sac. Pack essentially for hot conditions: days are hot and humid. Lightweight rain gear is essential at all times.
• Because of limited luggage space on transport, we must limit each passenger to ONE main suitcase or frameless backpack and one day bag. Your main bag must not weigh more than 20 kg’s.
• A frameless or internally framed backpack is the best way to carry your belongings since it is easy to lift on and off vehicles.
• A small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions. We also recommend that you keep your passport, credit cards travellers checks etc. on you at all times, preferably in a money belt worn under your clothes.

TRAVEL TIP: You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Please use your discretion and be sensitive to cultural differences in the countries that you visit, in particular visits to religious buildings and when taking photographs. Your Tour Leader will advise you of any specific customs to observe. Dress discretely, especially if you are visiting religious sites. For women this means skirts or long pants with T-shirt. For men, this means long shorts or trousers with a T-shirt. Always take your shoes off when entering temples or any religious site.

Care should be taken to respect the conventions of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other religious and ethnic groups, particularly in respect of clothing and footwear.

You might like to read up on the destinations that you are about to visit as these cities all have interesting sites and histories. We recommend a variety of guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, The Rough Guide and Insight Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the countries you visit.

Thai cuisine is pungent and spicy, seasoned with heaps of garlic and chillies and a characteristic mix of lime juice, lemon grass and fresh coriander. Galangal root, basil, ground peanuts, tamarind juice, ginger and coconut milk are other common additions. Fish sauce or shrimp paste are mainstays of Thai dishes, and of course rice is eaten with most meals. Main dishes include hot and sour fish ragout, green and red curries, various soups and noodle dishes. Thai food is served with a variety of condiments and dipping sauces. Snacks and appetisers include fried peanuts, chicken, chopped ginger, peppers and slices of lime. There is an incredible variety of fruit available, either fresh or juiced. Sugar cane juice and, for something stronger, rice whisky are favourite local tipples

.Food is one of the highlights of any trip.

As in many South East Asian countries, rice is the staple food diet. This usually served with dried, salted fish, chicken, beef or pork. Fish is often fresh from Tonle Sap Lake and is eaten with a spicy peanut sauce called Tuk trey. Popular dishes include a noodle dish called Khao Phonne; sam chruk, a roll of sticky rice stuffed with soya bean and copped pork; and amok, boneless fish cooked in coconut and spices. In more upmarket restaurants you can find dishes like barbecued shrimps and other seafood, roasted sunflower seeds, and duck eggs. If you are really adventurous may also like to try some more exotic delicacies like chong roet-crunchy cicadas!

Vegetarians or those with special dietary needs can also be catered for however in some countries the type of food may be limited. Please let the Reservations team know your special requirements as soon as possible so we can do all possible to assist your needs.

The variety of food will differ, as you will be visiting a number of different countries. We try to ensure that you get the most experience from your Kumuka trip and one of the ways to do this is by trying local cuisine.

We have put a lot of thought and effort into locating the most appropriate type of accommodation for each tour. It will always be clean, comfortable and of a very high standard. All accommodation is in comfortable tourist class accommodation. Depending on the tour, this ranges from overnight sleeper train or cruise boat through to delightful lodges and excellent hotels (generally 3 star or above).

If you wish to spend a few additional days in your start city before the departure of your tour, then we can arrange accommodation for you. If you would like to book accommodation to stay additional nights after the tour ends, we will be more than happy to arrange this for you as well. All our accommodation is carefully chosen, conveniently located, clean and comfortable.

In most of the hotels in Asia you may be required to deposit your passport at Reception. This is a perfectly normal practice and nothing to be concerned about. Just make sure that you retrieve it when you check out of the hotel.

Kumuka endeavors to advertise a compliment of optional activities available locally during tours with selected ground handlers to make your tour more enjoyable. These ground handlers and activity partners are selected for their standards in quality, professional ability and reputation. Whereas, Kumuka has developed a travel insurance policy to cover all activities offered during your journey, Kumuka can not be held responsible for injuries or claims arising from adventurous activities by third party.

Below is a list of optional excursions available at your expense on your Asia tour. Please note that these are intended as a guide only and prices and availability cannot be guaranteed.

Your tour leader will be able to organise any optional excursions on your behalf.  The list below is by no means comprehensive. There will be many other optional activities available.  All activities are undertaken at passenger’s own risk.

All costs are in US$ and per person:

Thailand:

1. Cabaret Show (Bangkok) - Ticket US$25 per person

2. Thai Classical Dancing Show (Bangkok) - US$20 per person

3. Thai Professional Boxing (Bangkok) - US$50-70 per person

Cambodia:

1. Balloon Ride - Angkor Wat - US$20 per person

Tour Questionnaire - We would like to hear about your experiences on tour. One week after your tour ends you will automatically receive a feedback questionnaire via email. If we do not have your email address you can still complete a questionnaire by visiting www.kumuka.com/feedback

Email - If you have any specific comments about your tour then please write to us by email to operations@kumuka.com

KUMUKA WORLDWIDE

UK OFFICE

Hillswood Business Park
3000 Hillswood Drive Chertsey KT16 0RS
Tel: 020 7937 8855 Fax: 020 7937 6664
Email: sales@kumuka.com
www.kumuka.com

AUSTRALIAN OFFICE