Mekong Travel - Newsletter November 2003

November 2003

Important Travel Information

Vietnam
TET Festival 2004. During TET Festival, please be informed that many government offices will be closed. The Immigrations Department will be closed from 19 -27 January, so during that period we cannot provide visa approval numbers or invitation letters. If you are travelling in late January and early February and require visa services, please submit details to us by the first week of January. In addition, there may be delays getting confirmations during this period and some sights may be closed, however, we will make any adjustments as necessary to make sure all tours run smoothly

Cambodia
Change in visa policies for Arab nationals. Indochina Services has been informed that citizens of the following countries will require an invitation letter to obtain their visa upon arrival into Cambodia: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and all other Arab countries. If one of your clients is a national of these countries, please contact us beforehand so that we can arrange the proper procedures for their entry.

Laos
Change in registration policies. Due to a change in policy, we now require passport details for all clients travelling to Laos so that they can be registered with the local authorities.

Tours

Cambodia
New boat cruise in Phnom Penh. We are pleased to introduce a new cruise product, La Reine Du Mekong, which offers sunset, lunch and dinner cruises. For more information, please contact your sales manager.

Myanmar
Sunset cruise on the Irrawaddy. We are pleased to offer a new alternative for viewing sunset while visiting Bagan. Our new sunset cruises on the Irrawaddy include snacks and drinks and are a relaxing way for guests to unwind after a day of sightseeing. For more information, please contact your sales manager.

Adventure
November heralds the arrival of the northeasterly monsoon out here in Southeast Asia, bringing with it warm dry weather and some nice offshore winds, making for good sailing conditions. We are now at the start of the high-season, all of our different Adventures in Thailand and Myanmar have now kicked off their regular schedules and will be running right through to May next year.
Already we have seen Manta Rays out in the Similan Islands, so expectations are high for another bumper harvest of large pelagic sightings on our dive cruises. Love is also in the air, with a couple of our guest's making romantic new acquaintances onboard, we didn't spice the drinks, honest!
All it leaves us to say is that things are beautiful and we are really looking forward to having you join us for some fun and adventure this coming season.

February 2004 will see the inaugural 'Moken' festival in the Islands of the Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar. Designed to give official recognition of this long since shunned group of nomadic 'sea gypsy' people. The Myanmar authorities have recognized that their (the Moken) very unique way of life, beliefs and culture has it's own special place in Myanmar's history and society. To celebrate this, there will be a two-day festival to be held on Palau Bada Island on 14th and 15th February 04. It is hoped that if all goes well it to become an annual event.
It is expected that there will be close to three hundred Moken coming together for the festival. This will be the largest gathering in recent history. This shy and reclusive race normally tend to shun large gatherings, preferring to remain in small isolated familly groups. Highlights of the festival will see free-diving competitions, rowing competitions, traditional Moken folk-singing as well as blessings and a feast of tradition Moken cuisine.
We will be offering opportunities for people to visit the festival by either joining our Adventure cruise or Sea Kayaking Safari trips that fall over the corresponding festival dates.

Andaman Islands 'join-in' surf charter
Due to popular demand we have decided to offer a 'join-in' surfing charter to the Andaman Islands, India. This will be aboard our trimaran sailing yacht 'Wanderlust'. The dates of the trip will be from 19th April to 2nd May 04. This makes it twelve days / thirteen nights onboard; sailing, surfing and fishing the Andaman Islands.
We expect this to be the only such trip that we will be offering individuals during this coming season. We already have some people booked on, so available space is limited.

Hotels & Restaurants

Vietnam

New resort in Nha Trang. Due to have its soft opening in December 2004, VinPearl Resort and Spa will be the largest five star resort in Vietnam, with a total of 500 rooms. The resort will be managed by Furama Hotels and Resorts International. Located on Hon Tra Island, just offshore of Nha Trang, the VinPearl Resort and Spa commands a prime beachfront location on a lagoon facing the open sea.

New Pavilion Spa at Can Tho. Victoria Can Tho hotel has opened a riverside pavilion spa, offering the full range of spa and massage programs to indulge your client. For more information on available services, please contact your sales manager.

Majestic Hotel under construction. Effective from 01 September 2003, Majestic Hotel has started to renovation in 21 rooms, expected to finished by the end of November. However, the new wing, which will add a further 54 rooms to the hotel and which was expected to be ready before the Sea Games, has been delayed. We will keep you informed of further developments.

Bo Bien Nga renamed. Bo Bien Nga Resort in Phan Thiet has been renamed Nam Chau Resort.
Dien Bien Phu. We running a special tour during May to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu. Please contact us for details.

Cambodia

New hotels in Siem Reap. Two hotels have recently opened in Siem Reap: the Goldiana Hotel, the Angkor Star Hotel. The Goldiana Hotel officially opened in October. Located on the airport road, only 2 kilometers from Siem Reap, this four star hotel offers 157 deluxe and suite rooms, a business center, swimming pool, fitness center and conference and banquet venue, fully equipped rooms and a fitness center. The Angkor Star hotel is a standard hotel with 60 rooms and suites, located near the old market.
In addition, more hotels are planned to open in the near future: Preah Khan Hotel is a 134 room hotel planned to open in November, also on the airport road. In mid-December, Victoria Hotels will open their first Cambodian property, the Victoria Angkor, just opposite the Grand Hotel D'Angkor. For more information on any of these properties, please contact your sales manager.

Phnom Penh Hotel. Phnom Penh Hotel celebrated its soft opening on 18 October 2003. Built in a modern style, the 180-room hotel is well equipped with a pleasant lobby, a swimming pool, a business center, 3 food & beverage outlets and a fitness centre.

Laos

Villa Souvannaphoum hotel. From May 2004 onwards, Villa Souvannaphoum will be extensively renovated and re-launched under Banyan Tree's new "Colors of Angsana" brand.

Myanmar

New hotel in Kalaw. We would like to introduce the Amara Resort, a charming colonial-style hotel originally built in 1909. The entire building was recently refurbished and has four comfortable double rooms, each with an open fireplace. Located in the Shan mountains, this is an excellent base for trekking among the surrounding hill tribes. For more information, please contact your sales manager.

New rooms at Inle Princess. Inle Princess has added 14 new Seafront Chalets to their already existing 28 rooms at Inle Princess Hotel. The new chalets have a stronger roof, outdoor shower and a bigger terrace. The Inle Princess now offers a total of three room categories, including Deluxe Rooms, Chalets and Seafront Chalets (lake view). For more information, please contact your sales manager.

Silver Beach hotel under construction. Silver Beach hotel in Ngapali is under construction and is expected to finish by the end of the year. During this period, they are constructing 8 additional bungalows and improving the walkways.

Travel

Vietnam
Vinh Airport closed for renovation. We are sorry to inform you that from 1 October 2003 - 1 January 2004, Vinh Airport is temporarily closed for renovation.

Myanmar
Bagan Airport still under construction. The construction at Bagan Airport (Nyaung Oo) is due to be finished by 12 November 2003, at which point it will be fully operational. Until then, it will continue to close daily at 14.00.

In addition, there will be a meeting of selected ASEAN Ministers in Bagan on 11-10 November. During that time, there may be some disruption in flight schedules and we may have to reschedule sightseeing in the temples as certain temples may be fenced off. We will do our best to provide alternate itineraries and ensure that all tours run smoothly.

Myanmar Airways add flights. Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has added two additional flights per week on the Yangon - Singapore - Yangon route and one additional flight per week on the Bangkok - Yangon - Bangkok sector. With the increase in flight schedules, MAI will fly five times per week between Yangon and Singapore and ten times between Yangon and Bangkok. For more information, please contact your sales manager.

Cambodia
Siem Reap International Airport moved. Siem Reap International Airport has moved the International Arrival Terminal to the old building; the new building continues to service international departures. Please inform your clients travelling to Siem Reap that Indochina Services representatives must wait for arriving passengers approximately 50 meters away from the terminal. If they do not immediately see our guide waiting for them, they should continue to walk ahead until they catch sight of our welcome sign.

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.