Asia Travel News Commentary, Reviews, and Insights

Please join me this September for my inaugural Red Lantern Journeys’ President’s Tour. This year, I’m going to Northern Pakistan to raise money for the Central Asia Institute. This tour is a unique opportunity to visit the cultures and landscapes made famous in the book Three Cups of Tea and to raise money for the local schools in the area we’ll be visiting.

My annual President’s Tour is your opportunity to travel with me to visit an off-the-beaten-path destination in a small group of travelers who are equally inspired to explore and understand some of the remote parts of our world.

Greg Mortenson founder of the Central Asia Institute and author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, has inspired me to visit the cultures and mountains of Northern Pakistan. We’re proud to be working directly with the CAI as one of their official fundraisers and will donate $300 per person on this tour. Personal donations by participants are also highly encouraged and will be collected and forwarded to the CAI by Red Lantern Journeys.

Also traveling with us will be photojournalist Beb C. Reynol. Beb has traveled extensively in Pakistan over the last ten years and his experience will be invaluable for exploring the sights and local cultures. He will also advise us on the best travel photography techniques and conduct daily reviews of our photos during the trip.

Despite what you’re hearing in the media, the regions in Northern Pakistan that we will be visiting are safe, and the people are very welcoming. The small size of our group, between 6 and 10, will help ensure we don’t disrupt or intrude on the cultures and villages we visit.

Tour Highlights:

• Driving over the Shandur Pass, site of the world’s highest polo tournament
• Visiting local families in small villages with ancient cultural histories
• Spectacular mountain scenery
• The famous Gilgit Suspension bridge – the longest in Asia
• Travel photography instruction and advice from a seasoned Pakistan traveler and photojournalist, Beb C. Reynol
• A chance to travel with Red Lantern Journeys CEO and adventurer, Ambrose Bittner

15 Days: September 25 to October 9, 2010

Rate: $6,850 per person (based on double occupancy)

For more information about the itinerary please visit our web site : www.redlanternjourneys.com
Or, call me toll-free directly at the Red Lantern Journeys Office: 1-877-362-2793

The Central Asia Institute name is used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, expressed or implied, of any product, service, company, or individual.

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I’m seeing a frustrating trend of political parties and other organizations to use demonstrations and organized civil unrest to unseat goverments and get their way. For the last several days the Maoists in Kathmandu have been striking and demonstrating. They’ve been forcing all shops and business owners to close and nearly all vehicles off the road.

Evidently, clearly marked tourist vehicles are allowed on the roads so that people can still be picked up at the airport and transferred to their hotels and taken on tours.  That’s one of the advantages of being on a pre-arranged tour or trek like Red Lantern Journeys offers.

Here’s a good article in the New York Times describing the situation there.

The director of the Mitrata Nepal Foundation for Children, Dr. Christine Schutz, is currently in Nepal and reported to the Mitrata board members (of which I’m one) on the situation. Here are excerpts from her report:

Dear Friends,

Greetings again from Kathmandu! This is the 4^th day of the bandh [strike] and there are demonstrations every day.   In the mornings, the demonstrators come through and you can hear them all around the city from far away. It is strangely otherwise so much quieter and less polluted than usual.  The air is clearer and it has rained several times. So the blessing of the bandh is better air and no noise pollution either! No cars and no traffic.  Lots of riot police with big shields and army around though. I think this is actually reassuring to everyone at this point. The police were gearing up for this days before as we saw a lot of them as we came back into KTM form Bathali. Otherwise, during the day, in Thamel people walk around aimlessly. No shopping for the tourists! But it is easy to walk around now.

Everyone walks everywhere now or they stay home. The Maoists have banned the use of any vehicles except emergency ones and water trucks. We see lots more bicycles out. No shops are open as everyone closes since the Maoists go around and extort money or threaten shop owners if they stay open. All schools have been closed for days and the children are bored too. The Maoists allow 2 times per day of opening  6-8 in morning and at night only.  At those times, everyone scrambles to buy food and other needed items. The restaurants are not even staying open. The only place to get food is in a hotel except during those short times of opening.  Our food is mediocre at best so we are sampling some others.

All my friends are frustrated as they cannot do business. Tourists and other business people are glad to leave  KTM since they can’t get out of the city to travel or do business normally. No transportation at all. There are some rickshaws around Thamel only. It is also hard to have meetings with the folks that we are supposed to be having. Anjoo lives in Baneshwor and this is a major area Maoists congregation and far away to walk. So she has not come in to work for days now.  My meditation practice is coming in handy as patience and flexibility are needed. I never know what we are going to be doing each day. No planning is possible.
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This morning at 4 am there was a loud crashing noise and the electricity went out completely. It sounds like  a transformer and not just the usual loss of power. So  as I sit in early morning darkness and the strange silence of a city, I admit that I have considered trying to get an early flight out.  The prime minister is not resigning and the Maoists are not quitting, so I am not sure what will give here. I have heard that the UN envoy is coming in later this week, so maybe that will help. The Maoists are also going to run out of food and supplies soon. They have usurped schools and other buildings to house their massive numbers of people that they brought in from outside the capital for the  demonstrations. But with the water shortage and power outages, they will run out of supplies soon. Some I hear are walking back to their villages. Many of them did not understand why they were here in the first place!.  Crazy!

So I will keep you informed on our situation. It is a political stalemate at present. For now, I think there is nothing to do as I don’t think we could get a flight out anyway (there are only a couple each week to Hongkong) and we are safe here. The biggest challenge may be getting to the airport on Saturday as there are no taxis running. I have heard the Maoists are letting through some tourist buses clearly marked for the airport and we may be able to get on one of those. I think it may be a bit of a walk with luggage to that point though. I may be leaving a couple of those extra suitcases behind!.

So I am going up on the roof to see the city and morning light as it is now 5 am. Peace and love to all of you,

Christine

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For tourists, Myanamar has mostly been accessible only by flying through Bangkok. However, Vietnam Airlines has started a new non-stop flight between Hanoi and Yangon. It will operate four days a week using Fokker 70 aircraft on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. An Airbus A320 is expected to replace the Fokker 70 in winter 2010-2011 with 5 flights a week.

The roughly 2-hour flight departs Hanoi at 4:10 PM and arrives in Yangon at 6:10 pm. The return flight departs Yangon at 7:10 pm and arrives in Hanoi at 9:30 pm.

This is good news as it now allows Red Lantern Journeys to design trips that combine Myanmar and Vietnam that are logistically simpler.

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In a very significant move to promote tourism, Myanmar (Burma) is now allowing visas-on-arrival at Yangon International Airport without requiring an advance application. Tourist visas granted on arrival will be valid for 28 days.

The fee for the visa on arrival will be US$30, payable in cash.  Your name will be checked against a government list of people with known political and religious affiliations that they don’t approve. Here are the specific policies:

(1) Visa On Arrival is available to anyone who holds a current passport from his own country.

(2) Validity of passport must be good for at least 6 months before expiration from the date of arrival.

(3) Cost is US$ 30 per person for a Tourist Visa for 28 days in Myanmar. Extensions are not allowed.

(4) You must hold a return air ticket.

(5) You must stay at licensed Hotels, Motels, Inns and Guest Houses. You will need to provide the detail addresses of your accommodation in Myanmar.

(6) You will need two passport size photos (4 x 6 cm in size)  taken within the last 6 months ago.

(7) You must obey all of the rules and regulations in Myanmar including the laws of immigration.

(8) Children (under 7 years old) who are accompanied by their parents or who have their own passport do not need to pay visa fees.

(9) You need to have at least US$ 300 cash per person. If it’s a family, they must have at least US$ 600 to show per family. Other currencies are also ok.

(10) You are not allowed to visit restricted areas without permission.

(11) Visa On Arrival forms are available on line or from your arrival airline.

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I was fortunate to be the featured guest last week by Barry Kantz and Lorene Romero of the Home Based Travel Agent Show for their weekly podcast. They interviewed me about the services that Red Lantern Journeys can provide to travel agents and our tours to Asia with a particular focus on Southeast Asia.

The Home Based Travel Agent Show is about the travel business. Barry and Lorene talk about topics of interest to people in the travel trade community or for people interested in the travel business. Shows feature  guests who are well known in the travel industry. The goal of the show is to increase agent’s knowledge of the travel business and to help them grow their business.

Lorene is the owner of Sharp Tongued Consulting, an agency that specializes in Hawaiian and Caribbean destinations and cruises. Barry is a home-based travel agent in his spare time and is the founder of these podcasts.

Check out the podcast here: Interview of Ambrose Bittner, founder of Red Lantern Journeys

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We’ve received word from the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO) that the government is going to increase rates starting next year. They were planning to do this in 2010, but the recession caused them to delay the implementation. The new base rate will be $250 per person for groups of 3 or more. That’s a $50 increase over the old base rate of $200. Surcharges for groups of 2 are still $30 per person, and $70 for individual travelers ($40 surcharge plus $30 single supplement for hotel room). Our experience has been that rates for longer treks are even more expensive than the standard rates. In addition, there will no longer be low season rates.

Of course, these rates are for staying in standard hotels, which are generally in the 2 to 3 star category. To upgrade hotels to the Ziwaling, Uma Paro, and Taj Tashi, it can be several hundred dollars more per night.

Rates are the same whether you’re trekking and camping or staying in the standard hotels, although longer treks like the Snowman can have higher rates due to the extra logistical support required.

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In typical fashion, the Indian government is backtracking on their visa restrictions for multiple entries that I reported on in an earlier post.  I’ll keep you posted on when the new guidelines actually come out. Here’s the article that appeared in the Hindustan Times of 17^th March 2010.

“GOVT TO EASE TOURIST VISA RESTRICTIONS

The mandatory two-month gap between visits to India, imposed on foreign tourists last December, will shortly be done away with.  New tourist visa guidelines to be announced soon, will have no such restriction, but instead will allow only three visits to chose with multi entry visas, no questions asked. Those wanting to make a fourth trip will have to give reasons why.

The external affairs ministry has asked the change, but it awaits the home ministry’s nod.

The government had clamped down on tourist visas following the disclosures made by arrested Lashkar-eTayebba operative David Headley about his frequent visits to India using a tourist visa, during which he surveyed a number of the locations in Mumbai which were targeted during the 26/11 attack.

“The change is aimed at helping genuine tourists. Measures are in place to ensure we don’t compromise on security” said a senior official”.

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Here’s a good article in the New York Times that describes the current political situation in Myanmar.

Change Comes to Myanmar, but Only on the Junta’s Terms
By THE NEW YORK TIMES, Published: March 17, 2010

Many people have the perception that travel to Myanmar is still very restricted, but that’s not the case at all. Tourist visas to Myanmar are as automatically-awarded as most countries in the world and there are no restrictions on independent travelers, although certain areas may be restricted. The tourism and transportation infrastructure is good, although perhaps not as advanced as the other countries in SE Asia. Guides speak excellent English, there are a choice of beautiful 4 and 5-star hotels, and flights between cities are reliable and safe. Check out the private tours for independent travelers that Red Lantern Journeys offers in Myanmar.

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Many river cruises on the Mekong River in SE Asia have suspended operations due to historically low water levels.  According to the Maekhong Cruise Services of Thailand, they have suspended the Luang Say 2-day boat cruise between Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai Province of Northern Thailand to Luang Prabang in Laos.

In addition, Mekong River Cruises, has canceled it’s plan to introduce a 7-day overnight cruise on the Mekong River through Northern Thailand with the RV Mekong Sun vessel.

Many other excursions may be affected in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, so be sure to contact your tour operator if you’re planning any travel on the Mekong River during the next month or so.

Here is an interesting blog that may give some insight as to why this is happening (e.g. upstream dams in China)

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For the third year in a row, China has quit issuing permits to enter Tibet as of March 8th and supposedly until April 10th, 2010. Once again, no reason was given. Once again, the decision was made without prior notice. Once again, nameless, faceless Chinese officials have shown no regard for the businesses and individuals traveling to Tibet or to the businesses and individuals in Tibet whose livelihood relies on international tourism. This closure also affects Nepalese businesses as many visitors to Tibet come via Nepal.

The only reason a closure like this occurs is to keep the eyes of the world away from any abuses the Chinese will inflict on the population if protests occur.

China could solve its Tibet problems by addressing the needs of the Tibetan people and showing respect for the Dalai Lama, rather than vilifying him. But  they’ve backed themselves into a face-losing corner and won’t be able to get out for decades. It will take a Chinese leader with the courage and vision of a Gorbachev to even begin to resolve their problems. How long does the world have to wait for that leader?

Closures like this have forced Red Lantern Journeys to quit spending marketing money on China and Tibet. Since just before the Olympics in Beijing, random closures and reduced demand have made China a less intriguing place to visit for Canadians and Americans.

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