Burma – Private Journey: November 2009

By Roy Y.:

Quest had arranged a very nice itinerary which gave us a very good impression of Myanmar culture, the beauty of the country and the friendliness of the people. To me, this package was to a degree I had not seen in other Asian countries. Apart from the incredible diversity of the number and type of temples and stupas and the interaction of the people with them, I really enjoyed the boat trip on the Irrawaddy River and the stay at the Inle Princess Resort on Inle Lake.

The arrangements all went perfectly without a hiccup. A lot of this was due to our guide, May Thit Lwin, who never put a foot wrong. We were lucky in that she travelled with us for the whole trip. She had an incredible knowledge of Myanmar history and religion. Also as an ex Brit it was very interesting to me to get her views on the British interaction with the Burmese during colonial times. As expected it was very mixed and May had wonderful examples of the good and the bad.

Travelling with Mike and Leslie gave me the opportunity to see one of the good examples with the visit arranged for Leslie to see the Saunders Weaving Institute. It turned out that her grandfather was the senior judge in North Burma in colonial times and he had set up this school on the side to teach weaving to help the Burmese. They still appreciate it a hundred years later and it is still well known in Mandalay. Leslie was greeted like a princess as you can imagine.

Vietnam and Cambodia – Private Journey: May 2009

By Nora O.:

We had an excellent trip. It was packed full of interesting things to see and do - it was a real adventure with lots and lots of variety. All of the meals were good and tasty. The hotels were great too. Patrick enjoyed himself very much and particularly liked speaking with the guides about their own lives and histories. Each of these young men spoke English very well and were very knowledgeable. We never had to worry about confirming flights or luggage – it was all taken care of by our guides. By the way, I wanted to mention that your colleague’s suggestion was excellent - that we start in the north and travel down through Vietnam to Saigon. Hanoi is unique and for history buffs like us, it was fascinating to start in the north and work our way down to the hustle and bustle of Saigon. There appear to be three separate regions, each with its own climate and pace.

Off the top of my head, I would say the highlights were:
• SIEM REAP – everything about Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat was awesome – and our guide there was patient, accommodating, good natured, thoughtful and very informed.
• Cyclo tour of Hanoi (traffic flows plus “unwesternized” atmosphere are incredible. Thanh was a very good guide).
• Hoi An – particularly the bicycle ride we took with our guide Phong to an organic Vegetable Farm where we did some gardening and had a personal cooking class
• Halong Bay
• Hue (the hotel La Residence, and the historical sites)
• Vinh Moc tunnel – escorted through by a mute guide who apparently worked in the tunnel when he was 7 years old
• Mekong Delta – we had an excellent lunch (at a place half way through our boatride) and a visit to a home factory for rice popcorn etc. Very congenial staff.
• Coffee and chat with Daniel Hoyer in Hanoi
...we were very satisfied and I am recommending this tour and your company to my friends and acquaintances. It was fun.

Vietnam's Treasures: May 2009

By Laurielle Penny:

The fascination of Vietnam comes from its extraordinary vitality and its warm, incredibly approachable people. I spent two weeks exploring the country from south to north and was dazzled by the energy. My first lesson in Saigon was how to cross the street in the face of the surge of motor bikes. “Just go slow and steady,” our guide Man told me. “Don’t hesitate and don’t make any sudden moves”. It worked like a charm. The motorized sea bikes parted effortlessly around me and I arrived safe and sound on the other side.

While in Saigon, I took a good look at the Pandaw boat we’re using for our new Mekong Cruise in October, 2010. What a wonderful feel – the boat is built entirely of teak and the compact cabins are fresh and inviting. I had a chance to taste the cuisine too – delicious.

Inveterate foodie that I am, I was blown away with the cuisine throughout the country. From the simplest pho to the most elaborate multi course dinners, the freshness of the ingredients and the inventiveness of each dish was a real joy. The stand out meal? At La Verticale in Saigon. Chef Didier Corlou mixes French ingredients with Vietnamese tastes.

Grilled duck foie gras with lemongrass, spring rolls with truffles, “banh cuon” with caviar and salmon roe, crab cannelloni with sea urchin nectar... these are just a few examples of the changing menus which draw heavily on local ingredients. I was so taken with the food, I bought the recipe book! But I think it might be more fun to join Chef Hai Train when he heads back to Vietnam for his second annual GastroNomad trip in March, 2010.

(Laurielle Penny was on a research trip in Indonesia exploring Vietnam and Cambodia.)

Persia's Ancient Splendours: April - May 2009

By Lewie Gonsalves:

Having grown up in India with tales of Persia, I had always wants to visit this mysterious country that exists on the crossroads of civilization. Iranians have an openness and charm that will surprise you and, contrary to popular belief and media reports, travellers are most welcome. Not once during my recent visit did I feel any cause for concern about my safety, and the hospitality extended to me was memorable.

As I travelled to Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan - the cities I had imagined in my youth - I marvelled at the exotic bazaars, Persian gardens, stunning mosques and ancient sites of these magical cities. History has left an indelible mark upon this land that is evident in the vibrant tapestry of modern life.

My journey took me from the capital of Tehran to Kerman at the edge of the desert. In Yazd I wandered through the winding lanes of the old mud-brick town, past a forest of badgirs (wind tunnels) and hiked up to the towers of silence on the edge of the city. Shiraz, the heartland of Persian culture, was once synonymous with education, poetry and wine and people today still aspire to the sophisticated and relaxed life. The silent ruins of Persepolis and the royal city of Isfahan exceeded my expectations and left me with a longing to return.

A journey to Iran is a chance to peel away the layers of a country that has a serious image problem and discover the priceless experiences that await you.

Best of Indochina: March - April 2009

By Lewie Gonsalves:

I’m just back from leading my tour to Indochina - Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. There’s hustle and bustle to be sure, but also many moments of quiet in some of our out of the way stops. The trip started in the still unscratched little gem of Luang Prabang (City of the Buddha of Peace). More than 600 saffron clad monks inhabit the over thirty pagodas in the city and monks receiving alms as dawn breaks is one of the Luang Prabang’s biggest draws. Yes, there are tourists here but something sacred survives the hype.

We spent a wonderful night on board the Emeraude cruising the incredible landscape of Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragon’s teeth. It’s a dramatic setting that everyone really enjoyed. We carried on to Hoi An, the Venice of Vietnam, a magically preserved ‘Sleepy Hollow’ of coexisting Asian cultures. I remember a wonderful moment watching school teachers in ao dais and children in white shirts standing in front of the red Vietnamese flag in the schoolyard. There is so much pride and energy in this country.

The trip finished up in Angkor Wat – and no matter how often I’m there, the site still thrills me. I’m hit with the same astonishment French botanist Henri Mahout must have felt when he stumbled on this site deep in the Cambodian jungle in 1860. The huge trees that have grown up around the temples and 578 foot moat surrounding the complex all add to the mystery and remoteness of the place. Believe me, there are still places in Indochina that will thrill you as they do me. Please give me a call and let me arrange a wonderful trip to Indochina for you, including all my favourite spots.

Pearls of Polynesia: February 2009

By Barry Griffiths:

When the M.V. Spirit of Oceanus anchors off one of the tiny, remote islands that dot the South Pacific, and we board the Zodiacs for the short trip to the beach, we are all eagerly anticipating what new experiences are awaiting us.

Then we sail through the surf to the tiny Cook Island of Atiu, a well-armed and fierce warrior is there to challenge us and then permit us to disembark on the island. Although there are less than 600 people living on Atiu Island, it is known for its gourmet coffee and its unique geology and flora and fauna. For those of us who are birders, Birdman George is waiting with his bush van to take us around the island to spot some of the rarest birds in the world – Kakerori Flycatcher, Rimatara Lorikeet and Atiu Swiftlet. Other voyagers take a tour of the island in bush vans or hike on the historical Captain Cook Trail. Then we all gather together at the local lodge where a marvellous Polynesian lunch has been prepared for us by the islanders, followed by traditional dances.

Perhaps one of the most dramatic arrivals for us takes place when we take our Zodiacs through a narrow reef channel and land on a beach, lined with coconut palm trees, that is right out of the movie “South Pacific”. Magnificent! This is Palmerston Island, an atoll that is less than two square kilometres in size with only 51 inhabitants – all descendants of William Marsters, an Englishman who arrived in 1863 with his three Polynesian wives. As we sit in the shade of the palm trees, with a fresh coconut drink in our hands, the island families greet us warmly with prayers, songs and dances. After a tour of the village, the end to a perfect day comes with some fine snorkelling on the reef that lines the beach.

When we anchor off the village of Kioa, on the Fijian island of Taveuni, the islanders paddle out to our ship in their outrigger canoes and serenade us with Polynesian songs of welcome. When we arrive at the beach for our visit, we are greeted with beautiful and aromatic garlands for our heads, and are quickly invited to the community hall, a very short walk away. This is where most of the 300 villagers have gathered to entertain us with some of the most harmonious and rhythmic choruses we have ever heard.

Finally, we visit the ancestral home of the Fijian firewalkers on the island of Beqa. We arrive on this lush, green island quite early in the morning where the Sawau people, in their colourful clothes, help us disembark. For generations the tribesmen of Beqa, whose mystic gift of walking barefoot on hot rocks is legendary, have been performing this fire walking ceremony. Those of us who were skeptics at the outset quickly become converts when we observe the actual fire walking take place. Yes, the rocks are super-hot and yes, the firewalkers are barefooted!

During our two week voyage in the South Pacific, the islands in Polynesia and Melanesia, with the amazing diversity of their ethnic populations and age-old traditions, provided us with a small window into a part of the world that is known by many but visited by so few. For our Quest group, it was a trip of a lifetime to be sure!

South India with the Deccan Odyssey: January 2009

By F. Price:

We had the most incredible trip. We started in Chennai, and things just got better and better as we went on, each place, and each hotel was more breathtaking than the last, culminating in the Taj Mahal Mumbai.

KOCHI: We all loved it - everything about the place, so interesting. Janeesh was our guide from here to Kumarakom, and he was our favorite guide of the whole trip, wonderful sense of humour and broad range of knowledge and lovely manner. He worked very hard. The Taj Malabar was an excellent hotel and they were very accomodating arranging special meals and seating for us.
PERIYAR: What a change in climate! We needed all our woolies at night. The change in flora was most interesting as we went up the W. Ghats. A very relaxing place, really beautiful scenery, and we all loved the tours of the spice and tea plantations. Yoga was a big hit.
KUMARAKOM: The drive was worth it when we arrived! What a beautiful place. We enjoyed the rice boat tour...A very restful time before a very, very early start for the trip to Goa.
GOA: ...the most beautiful beach, lots of activities available, we even had a golf tournament-result, a draw.

DECCAN ODYSSEY: We saw local dances at every location, amazingly different styles. We weren`t sure what to expect, and I think it was a highlight of the trip, the personnel were without exception, charming, the food excellent and most of us availed ourselves of the spa. Our route took us off the beaten track to places where the locals obviously don't see tourists much - as we were photographed very frequently! We went to Kolhapur, met the Maharaja at his castle, saw a martial arts display.
DAULATABAD: EXCELLENT guide, Sudhir, with us for the tour of the fort, Ellora and Ajanta caves, Aurangabad and Nasik, all of which were really worth while, especially the ghats, temple and market in Nasik, for people watching.
MUMBAI: Maybe the highlight, we loved the city, the vibrancy, excellent restaurants, good shopping. Amazing hotel, Taj Mahal.
It was a trip we shall all remember for years to come, a most harmonious group organised by an excellent team.

Wine Tasting in Chile: April 2008

By Laurielle Penny:

One of my personal wine tasting highlights happened on my recent trip to Chile. Sipping a Vina Montes Alpha Cabernet 2005 (rated a Wine Spectator 95) while enjoying a magnificent view of the Andes is an unbeatable combination!

Chile is a fantastically picturesque destination and the Colchagua Valley is right up there with the Atacama Desert and Patagonia for scenic value. When I was there the grapes had been harvested and the vineyards were glowing red and golden with the foothills of the Andes in the background. It’s an image and a taste that will stay with me for a long time...

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