August 18th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Hanoi, one of Asia’s most iconic and enigmatic cities will celebrate its 1000th birthday in October 2010. Visitors will be treated to an array of performance and festivities across the city during the month. Anyone planning a Vietnam holiday during this time may want to spend a little extra time in the city to absorb the celebrations and witness this unique event. Hotels in Hanoi will be very busy during this time so contact us for advice in finding the best places still available.
Here we list the official schedule of events, although rest assured there will we be plenty more to discover in the city’s myriad of densely populated and atmospheric streets. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: birthday, celebrations, festival, fireworks, hanoi
Posted in Vietnam |
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July 23rd, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Wilpattu National Park, which was recently re-opened and is Sri Lanka’s biggest National Park, is under threat due to the unnecessary construction of two huge main roads within the park.
The park which was famous for it’s leopards was closed due to the civil war in Sri Lanka and has recently been re-opened only to find that this ambitious construction could be worse than anything it has seen before.
Please sign this petition and help ensure the national park is a safe haven for animals.
Tags: conservation, Protections, Wilpattu, Wilpattu National Park
Posted in Sri Lanka |
1 Comment »
July 20th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
The sprawling metropolis of urban Bangkok, with its crowded down-town skyline and sprawling, dense suburbs is best truly appreciated from above. Fortunately, many of the city’s taller buildings are home to rooftop hangouts of varying styles, from easy going student bars to high class cocktail lounges. Most visitors on a holidays in Thailand choose to venture upwards at some point during their stay.
Here I describe a handful of my personal favourites. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bangkok, Bangkok nightlife, Banyan Tree Bangkok, Cocktails, Lebua, Longe Bars in Bangkok, Rooftop Bars, Siam @ Siam, Sirocco, Sky Bar, skytrain, Skytrain Jazz Bar, The Long Table
Posted in Thailand |
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July 19th, 2010 by Sam Clark
Listening to the Today Programme on the BBC this morning I heard an interesting snippet on Sri Lanka - namely that the Horton Plains Slender Loris, presumed extinct, has been found and caught on camera. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: eco, Sam Clark, Slender Loris, Sri Lanka, wildlife
Posted in Sri Lanka, Thailand |
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July 15th, 2010 by Sam Clark
The legend that is Muttiah ‘Murali’ Muralitharan plays his last test this weekend - at Galle against India. We at Experience Travel salute one of the greatest players that has ever played the game.
There is a great article here from Steve James in The Telegraph if you ever wondered what it felt like facing him..
Galle is a wonderful test match venue - indeed watching Murali tormenting the Indian batsmen as I drunk arrack and sang ‘aint no sunshine’ with the local cheerleaders in 2001 is one of my favourite Sri Lankan moments.
Get in touch with us if you want to incorporate a cricket match into your Sri Lanka Holiday!
Tags: cricket, galle, Murali, Sam Clark, Sri Lanka
Posted in Experience Travel, Sri Lanka |
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July 7th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
We reproduce here a letter which was published in the Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) concerning some of the challenges the government and tourism industry faces as it evolves in the new era of peace and, hopefully, prosperity. We found this to be a particularly interesting angle that many previous visitors to Sri Lanka will have considered as the prospect of peace became a reality. Big changes lie ahead for the island nation and this article raises some very legitimate questions about how those changes should be handled. Whilst we at Experience Travel in Sri Lanka would certainly not associate ourselves with the Tour Operators detailed in the article (who squeeze local providers into offering budget products at even more budget rates), it is something that we frequently have to explain when potential customers enquire why our prices are higher than those found in the back pages of the UK newspaper’s Sunday travel supplements, where you can often find a week holiday at a generic beach hotel including flights for less that you can find a standard return flight for elsewhere. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Alankuda beach, East Coast, Kalkudah, Kalpitiya, Pasikudah, Sri Lanka, sustainable development, tourism
Posted in Sri Lanka |
1 Comment »
July 7th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Walking above the traffic...
The Bangkok Post, on the city’s few English language dailies, recently launched a page on their website called
‘Bangkok Zog Zag’, detailing a number of excellent walks to do in Bangkok.
Walking is not something people usually associate with Bangkok, and I myself will usually head for nearest air-conditioned taxi or subway train on most occasions. However you miss so much by doing so, and those who do walk are often rewarded with serendipitous discoveries (and some of the tastiest food!).
It’s an excellent web-page, with lots of useful info and maps. My personal choice would be the ethnically diverse Yaowarat walk, for the simple reason that I love gadgets and can think of nowhere quite like the hectic streets of Chinatown and around to find incredible items at very reasonable prices. Unlike other cities in the region, Bangkok is not blessed with many green or open spaces, and some of the most picturesque and rewarding walks are to be found in the most crowded areas. Take refuge at some of the more relaxing hotels in the city and spend your days exploring this wonderful metropolis. Contact us at Experience Travel for more ideas in and around Bangkok.
Tags: Bangkok, Bangkok Post, Chinatown, City Walks, walking, Walks
Posted in Thailand |
1 Comment »
June 28th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Visitors to Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo between July 14th and 24th should pop along to the fourth ‘World Spice Food Festival’ and zap their taste buds with a dazzling variety of delicacies.
The event will feature gourmet guest chefs from around the world at numerous hotels and restaurants throughout the city. The event will operate from it’s base at Ananda Kumaraswami Road, where marquees and tents will offer a wide selection of delicious nibbles and more.
Tags: chillies, cinamon, spice road, spice trail, spices, world spice food festival
Posted in Sri Lanka |
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June 25th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Experience Travel’s Nick Clark, who specialises in Sri Lanka and Cambodia, has been out exploring Bali in recent weeks in advance of us adding this marvellous little island to our Experience South East Asia portfolio. Fortunate to be the first of the team to get out on the road and find the kind of hotels and activities that fit the Experience Travel model, he filed this blog on trekking, canoeing and cycling from somewhere we all wished we were. We look forward to hearing of more of his experiences on the road, but for the time being, over to Nick…. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bali, Beaches, Canoeing, Cycling, Islands, Lombo
Posted in Experience Travel |
1 Comment »
June 10th, 2010 by Tom Armstrong
Experience Travel clients Jo and Dean Bourke are writing a blog about their honeymoon voyage through Cambodia & Vietnam.
It’s a great opportunity for us to read first hand travel experiences and enjoy photos of a trip that is similar to some of our most popular Vietnam and Cambodia itineraries. Their trip is an adaptation of our Cambodia & Vietnam Classic itinerary, with upgrades on some of the hotels. You can find their blog, J & D’s Cambodia/Vietnam Adventure, here. We look forward to seeing how the rest of the trip goes and thanks for sharing your experiences.
Tags: blog, guest blog, vietnam & cambodia classic
Posted in Cambodia, Vietnam |
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