Mekong Travel - Newsletter January 2003

January 2003

Important Travel Information

Due to difficulties with the flight sector from Yangon to Kawthaung, we may have problems with part of our sea kayaking tour to the Mergui archipelago. If you have booked or are interested in booking this tour, please contact us for further information.

Airlines

Phuket Air launches Mandalay flights. Thai carrier Phuket Air launches a direct route from Bangkok to Mandalay and vice versa three times a week in accordance with increasing demands. This flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, using Boeing 737-200 (90 seats). Please find schedule as follows (Effective from 16 December 2002 to 29 March 2003):

9R314 BKK-MDL 1600/1715 and 9R315 MDL-BKK 1815/2030

Direct flights BKK-LPQ by PB Air. Recently, PB Air has started a direct service from Bangkok to Luang Prabang and back on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays by Fokker 28-4000 (75 seats). Schedule as follows:

9Q342 BKK-LPQ 0850/1000 and 9Q343 LPQ-BKK 1045/1155

VIETNAM

Help desk available at Noi Bai Airport. Hanoi Service of Tourism is now running an information counter at terminal 1 of Noi Bai International Airport to provide information and help tourists. Alternatively, you can also seek more relevant details through videos, tapes and leaflets which help you get more specific ideas about Hanoi. Opening hours are from 8am to 7pm every day.

CAMBODIA

· Siem Reap Airport renovation completed. As we said before, the renovation of Siem Reap Airport started in June last year. Now all construction is completed. The new terminal is open and ready for all international passengers.

Hotels & Restaurants

VIETNAM

· Ana Mandara closed sales dates. We are sorry to inform you that the Ana Mandara Resort in Nha Trang has closed sale of allotments during the following periods:
1) 1-6, 8-9, 16-17, 22-23 and 26-27 January 2003
2) 2-6 and 19 February 2003
If you have further questions about whether any of your reservations will be directly affected by this, please contact us directly.

CAMBODIA

· Performance House resumes. Good news! Performance House at Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap resumed its operation to normal schedule. The Cambodian cultural show with dinner will be featured three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Anyway, for special groups of up to 50 pax, the show and dinner can be arranged at the venue besides the mentioned dates with pre-booking via your reservation officer.

· Hotel Spotlight: Amansara Hotel. New deluxe hotel named 'Amansara' in Siem Reap, the cultural capital of Cambodia, has its soft opening on 20 December 2002. Amansara will be extremely private and the perfect place to explore the magnificent temples of Angkor from. Its name is derived from the twining of two Sanskrit words, aman (peace) and apsara (the heavenly nymphs or angels). It was once the guest villa of King Norodom Sihanouk and the original buildings have been kept to create a feeling of history within the property. It is now transformed into a 12-suite Aman and provides the ideal base for both exploring the temples of Angkor and the sophisticated culture of the historic Khmer civilization. All suites have television, air-conditioning, minibar and IDD phone. Massage service and swimming pool are offered for your favorite choice. This hotel is situated only 15-minute drive from the international airport, therefore, its location and quality provide a new deluxe alternative for tourists.

· New hotel in Rattanakiri : Tribal Hotel. A new hotel called "Tribal Hotel", located 200 meters from Banlung market, has been recently opened in Rattanakiri province. This hotel has 32 twin rooms in total (15 with balcony). All rooms feature air-conditioning and bathroom attached. For hotel atmosphere, please browse in our photograph database service.

LAOS

· New Hotel in Bagan finished. As we mentioned in November newsletter, the new Tharabar Gate Hotel in Bagan is now opening its doors for all valued guests. This hotel is located next to the legendary gate of the same name and within walking distance of the famous Ananda Temple. All rooms feature in-house movies, air-conditioning, tea / coffee bar and hair dryer. The hotel's facilities also include a business center, 100-seat restaurant, swimming pool and gifts shop. This 4-star hotel is a perfect addition to the existing hotels in Bagan.

Travel

LAOS

· Laos-Cambodia border fees. Even though the border between Laos and Cambodia (Veun Kham - Stung Treng) is not yet officially an international border point, all travelers are allowed to enter or leave the country at this checkpoint. The immigration charges can be up to USD5 for each country.

Social

Mekong Club

Address: P O BOX 820, HP9 2JG, England
Tel: +(44) (0)973 231 446,
http://www.mekongclub.net

The Mekong Club is an informal, non-political, non-commercial association, primarily concerned with promotion of the cultures of the "Mekong Region" (i.e. Viet Nam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and adjacent regions) in the UK. The Club will act as a forum for exchange of information and experience by:

The promotion of social and cultural events, tutorial groups and other meetings
Maintenance of a world wide web page and an address list for circulars on 'events and ideas'.

Membership is open to all, but it is envisaged that the club will be of particular interest to:

Expatriates from the Mekong Region living in the UK, with particular encouragement given to 2nd and 3rd generation family members.
British (and other European) citizens wishing to maintain in contact with people and issues in the Mekong Region.
Visitors from the Region needing temporary support whilst in the UK.
Citizens in the Mekong Region, wishing to develop contacts in the UK.

The Club will be organised by a chairperson, secretariat and webmaster, with a single, annual business meeting combined with a social event. The secretariat will be responsible for financial stewardship, with a "minimal" fund consisting of contributions for individual events and newsletters. An annual membership fee of £5 is envisaged per adult. For further details, please write or telephone the above number.

Mekong Club Application:

I/We ��.. would like to join the Mekong Club

My/Our address is: .......................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................................

Please find enclosed the payment for membership of £5 and my/our voluntary contribution of £� Total: £�. (Cash or cheque payable to Mekong Club)

Posting Address: P.O. BOX 820, HP9 2JG.