By: By Lucy Fernandez, Owner
Our lovely Co-Owner of AffordableTours.com, Lucy Fernandez, talks about her recent trip with Tauck World Discovery in her article found in our latest brochure Escape. She visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand regaling us with tales of adventure including elephant rides, exotic epicurean delights, and visits to see the most humbling, wondrous ancient structures.
Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand with Tauck World Discovery
Tauck World Discovery’s 16-day Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam travel adventure was an absolutely unforgettable vacation—one of the best tours I’ve ever taken. We saw so many fascinating sights of Southeast Asia: ancient pagodas, ornate palaces, bamboo stilt houses. We rode elephants through the jungle in Cambodia, and cruised on the klongs of Bangkok. The lush landscapes were utterly stunning, and we thoroughly enjoyed sampling all sorts of intriguing Asian food.
Traveling with Tauck, a first-class guided travel company, was such a delight. Our tour director took care of all of our complicated travel details, while we simply enjoyed meeting local residents, taking plenty of photos of the inspiring sites and overnighting at top-notch hotels. In particular, the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is spectacularly located overlooking Cambodian rice fields—the beautiful scenery was breathtaking. I’m so glad we had two free afternoons in Chiang Mai to relax and enjoy the hotel and its stellar spa.
The itinerary for our 16-day trip was ideal with enough time for sightseeing visits; the internal flights between countries were arranged in such a way that we never felt like we “lost” time. Each day’s schedule was perfectly planned with a nice balance of touring and free time on our own.
Our trip started in Vietnam with visits to its two major cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which are big and busy, full of motorbikes, street vendors and a combination of French inf luence and traditional Vietnamese culture. A visit to the Cu Chi tunnels with a knowledgeable local guide showed us the hardships that soldiers went through and the ingenuity to stay alive in the 120-mile network of underground passageways. We appreciated the brilliant oceanfront location of the Furama Resort Da Nang on a long strip of sandy beach.
Cambodia’s Angkor (see story right), was definitely the highlight of our trip—what a magnificent, magical and mystical place! We visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temples with its huge smiling faces. The Elephant Terrace was spectacular with its elephant carvings.
In Thailand’s Chiang Mai we visited hill tribes in colorful dress who work the terraced rice patties. The most impressive were the long-necked and long-eared women. We also visited an elephant camp were we saw the majestic animals being trained for forestry work. A one-hour elephant ride down the river was an experience I’ll never forget. Our last destination was Bangkok, where we visited Wat Pho temple with the huge reclining Buddha, as well as the beautifully decorated Grand Palace, home of the Emerald Buddha.
Tauck World Discovery did an incredible job putting this trip together—my vacation far surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend the itinerary for those who appreciate delving into foreign cultures while enjoying the wonderful guidance of a premier travel operator.
Tauck World Discovery operates Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand
September through December 2012.
Contact your AffordableTours.com travel consultant for more details.
Call 1-800-935-2620 for more information on this tour!
Click Here to see the full itinerary.
By Lucy Fernandez
AffordableTours.com Co-Owner