Mekong Travel - Newsletter

June 2003

Important Travel Information

Mekong Airlines suspends services. Mekong Airlines has suspended all flights between Cambodia, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur as of 13 May. Only recently launched in February of this year, the fledgling airline was particularly hard-hit by the sudden downturn in business due to SARS. Airline spokesmen say that they hope to resume services later in the summer. We will keep you posted of any new developments.

Laos Tourist visa valid for 30 days. Tourist visas issued at Lao embassies abroad are now valid for a full 30 days, rather than 15 days. The validity for visa upon arrival, however, remains unchanged at 15 days, with the possibility of a 15-day extension.

Environment

New Eco Tour:
Extreme Cardamoms Outwardbound
The Cardamom Mountains
Densely covered with lush virgin rainforest and rising to it's highest point at over 1,770m, the Cardamoms extend over an area of 4,420,000 hectares (10,922,060 acres) covering a large portion of SouthWestern Cambodia. The Cardamoms are considered to represent Southeast Asia's greatest natural resources in terms of virgin forest and wildlife habitats that have never been fully explored and\or catalogued.

Expeditions into the Interior
We offer a selection of keenly priced treks and adventures in Cambodia's pristine, forested Cardamom Mountains. We expect the activities on offer to develop to meet future demands of tourism. At present there are several expeditions organised to cater for varying levels of fitness, the varying Cambodian seasons, and the time schedules of tourists.

Hotels & Restaurants

SPECIAL DEALS

Summer Hotel Deals. A number of our partner hotels are offering excellent value deals during the low season. Examples include:; the Hotel Le Royal and the Sunway Hotel in Phnom Penh; the Caravelle, New World and Renaissance Hotels in Saigon; the Hilton Hanoi Opera, the Sofitel Metropole and the Hanoi Horizon in Hanoi; and Halong Plaza Hotel and Hoi An Riverside. For further details, please contact us.

VIETNAM

Special offer: Ana Mandara Resort. We are pleased to announce a special promotion from Ana Mandara Resort in Nha Trang. Visitors who stay 5 nights will receive 2 nights free, with ABF. This is especially ideal for honeymooners or couples celebrating their anniversary. For these couples, Ana Mandara will provide a bottle of champagne upon arrival as well as a complimentary herb bath, internet usage, and VCD rental. Other services, such as spa treatments and tour excursions, will be available to the couple at a 10-30 percent discount. This promotion is valid from 5 May to 15 July and 5 September to 31 October for 2003 and 2004. Please contact us for more details.

CAMBODIA

Hotel Spotlight: Sokha Hotel. Cambodia's premier beach resort is about to have a new hotel: the newly constructed deluxe Sokha Hotel is planned to open in June 2003 in Kompong Som (Sihanoukville). The 200 rooms at the Sokha Hotel boast pleasant views of the ocean, the swimming pool or the mountain. All rooms feature electronic key card access, air-conditioning, mini-bar, television, safety box, shower and bath tub. The hotel will also feature a health club and spa. Diving and trekking can be arranged nearby.

New hotel in Siem Reap. Located on the airport road, not far from the city center, the Khemara Angkor Hotel offers 130 rooms, all of which feature television with international satellite channels, IDD telephone, mini-bar and safety box. In addition, the hotel offers a swimming pool, fitness center, massage room and spa facilities.

BURMA

Special Offer: Traders Yangon. Yangon's foremost five-star business hotel is now offering special deals on their club and executive rooms. Please contact us for more details.

Travel

Discounted airfares from Lao Airlines. Lao Airlines has slashed its rates by an average of 20 percent for all domestic flights during the summer period, from 15 May to 15 September 2003. Please check with your reservations officer for more information on the summer deals available.

New airport bus service in Ho Chi Minh City. A new airport bus service is now running every 15 minutes between Tan Son Nhat Airport and Ben Thanh market, departing from the international and domestic terminals. More routes are planned to connect the airport with other residential areas in Ho Chi Minh City.

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.