22 DAYS AND 19 NIGHTS -- Singapore (2N) Malacca (2N) Kuala Lumpur (2N) Bangkok (and Ayutthaya) (3N) Chiang Mai (2N) Chiang Rai (1N) Bangkok (1N) Rangoon (1N) Pagan (1N) Mandalay (1N) Heho (1N) Rangoon (1N) Bangkok (1N)
Evening departure for Singapore, crossing the International Date Line and thus losing a day.
Early morning arrival in this clean, orderly, prosperous and peaceful multi-ethnic city-state whose civic and cultural life has been enhanced by a succession of strong, creative personalities of many backgrounds, from founder Sir Stamford Raffles, Cambridge University-educated Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew and writer Somerset Maugham to the Armenian Sarkies brothers, founders of historic Raffles Hotel, not to mention barman Ngiam Young Boon who concocted there the legendary libation the Singapore Sling. Tonight you can enjoy sipping one during a welcome banquet with an ASEAN dinner show.
The Republic of Singapore, former crown colony of Britain and remarkable "Asia in miniature" is filled with the babble of Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English as you move from jasmine-scented Little India and its shops of shimmering silken saris to Chinatown's noodle factories, herbal medicine specialists, tea, ceramics and antique vendors to the bustling bazaar of Arab Street, its stalls lined with prayer rugs and gorgeous batiks. See city harbor, its merlion statue, stately government buildings, Princess Place and Sri Mariamman temple.. Conclude with an Instant Asia Cultural Show, a proud affirmation of ethnic diversity and civic solidarity through song and dance.
Drive by air conditioned motorcoach to the old Malaysian city of Malacca via a scenic ride through the pineapple plantations and rubber estates of Johor state, the southernmost "Last Frontier" of mainland Asia and the state capital Johor Bahru.
Tour of this charming old port city's sights, many of them evidence of Malacca's colonization by Portuguese, Dutch, English and -- earliest of all -- China: the Porta de Santiago, Stadthuys and Malacca Museum plus Cheng Hoon Teng temple and Bukit China cemetery reflect the past when Indian, Chinese, Arab and European traders plied the Straits of Malacca in a booming trade of Persian textiles, East Indian spices and Chinese silk and porcelain.
Morning drive continuing north to the capital ("K.L.") where that evening you enjoy a Malaysian show with dinner sampling foods such as satay (chicken, beef or mutton kebabs, barbecued over charcoal and served with peanut sauce and ketupat, or rice cakes), udang sambal tomato (prawns in spices and tomato), ayam panggang (marinated barbecued chicken) and laksa johor (noodles in fish gravy with vegetables) -- all mouthwatering Malay dishes -- to say nothing of the excellent Chinese, Thai, Indian and other cuisines which make K.L., like Singapore, a mecca for food lovers worldwide.
First a tin mining shanty town in the 1860s, K.L. today is a big, dynamic capital where sleek highrises intermingle with traditional Moorish- and Colonial-style buildings while still maintaining a relaxing, bucolic feel in the city center through the enclaves of greenery sprouting in parks and woodlands meandering through the city. Morning tour of major civic buildings, old Chinatown, the handsome National Mosque with its serene pools and fountains, the beautiful Lake Gardens (the "Green Belt") and National Museum. Afternoon tour of the immense Batu Caves and their spectacular Hindu shrines and visit the tin mines..
Short 2-hour flight to Thailand's capital, a city congested with modern cars and ancient art -- dazzling golden statues, temples and palaces in what is at the end of the 20th century (and excepting the Sultanate of Brunei) the only remaining hereditary kingdom in Southeast Asia. A remarkable testament to the staying power of the Chakri Dynasty, founded (1782) just 6 years after America's Declaration of Independence. (Nineteen Ninety-Six: the "Golden Anniversary" of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, longest reigning of the dynasty.) In the evening you enjoy a Thai banquet and cultural show.
Full day's excursion back into the past to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital for over 400 years (1350-1767) and fabled archaeological site, which you combine with cruising on the Chao Phraya river. Along the way visit the Royal Summer Palace and gardens at Bang Pa-in, a fascinating melange of eastern and western styles; even more impressive are the ruins at Ayutthaya, the remnants of huge temples and chedis (the wondrous cone-shaped monuments built by kings) left behind after the city's sacking by the Burmese in the 18th century.
Morning tour of Grand Palace, former residence of King Mongkut (also known as Rama IV, l85l-1868) the historical model for Broadway's and Hollywood's versions of "The King and I." which made the late Yul Brynner a household name for Americans of the 1950s (it was revived on Broadway in 1996). A variety of architectural styles from Victorian to Thai enhance the visual sumptuousness of the palace, from the ornate double gates to the climax of the tremendous Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the king's personal place of worship and the country's single most sacred object. Afternoon tour features the renowned Marble, Reclining Buddha and Golden Buddha temples.
Morning flight of one hour due north to Chiang Mai, the charming old moated and walled city surrounded by green hills which functions as a carefully preserved northern outpost of traditional Siamese culture and, in particular, as a major center for exquisite old handicrafts skills (silverwork, lacquerware, silk and cotton weaving, even temple bell foundries). Two days there includes visiting a Meo hill tribe handicraft village and a mountaintop temple (Wat Doi Suthep) and special Kanthoke dinner of northern Thai cuisine with a cultural show. Days 3-4: a combined bus and 5-hour riverboat journey to Chiang Rai and region of Akha and Yao hill tribes, where you can cruise the Mekong and view the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Burma intersect.
Fly from Bangkok to the Burmese capital of Yangon (Rangoon) for a 6 day tour of this fascinating but -- from 1962 until recently -- hitherto inaccessible and isolated land whose monuments have evoked a sense of awe and ineffable mystery among even the most cosmopolitan and best-travelled writers: "there, bathed in sunshine, secret and still, was Buddhist Burma" (Kipling) where the remains of its royal capital evoking the Golden Age of the 11th century "loom, huge, remote and mysterious like the vague recollections of a fantastic dream" (W. Somerset Maugham).
Morning flight to Bagan, the 1500-year-old ancient capital Maugham was describing where literally thousands of pagodas dot the plain, fitting architectural expression of what one reporter describes even
today as "what may be the most devoutly Buddhist nation on earth" (P.Shenon, NY Times 7/31/95). Full day city tour visits Shwezigon pagoda, Kupyaukyi, Htilominlo, Ananda temples; a lacquerware factory in the afternoon plus perhaps Bupaya pagoda, where you can watch the sun set over the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River.
Morning flight to Mandalay, a home to the last 2 Burmese kings and a national cultural center. Visit Kuthodaw pagoda with its 729 miniature pagodas each containing a text of the Tripitaka; from the pagoda's elevation you can view the city and take in the panorama from Mandalay Hill of local temples and gold leaf and ivory workshops you visit today in a full day tour highlighted by the revered Mahamuni pagoda and the remains of what had once been an architectural wonder, the Mandalay Palace.
Morning flight to Heho, near beautiful Lake Inle with its trademark "leg-rowing" boatmen and "floating islands" of houses on stilts. Afternoon cruise on the lake takes in all the sights and the area's placid, peaceful atmosphere.
Morning visit to Heho's lively and colorful local market. Afternoon flight direct to Yangon, Myanmar's capital which as "Rangoon" capital of "Burma" has seen the succession of British colonialism (1885-1942), Japanese occupation in World War II, independence in 1948 and a series of military strong men, dictators and juntas in 1960s-90s (the various place name changes were effected to remove the British-originated terms in 1989, when Burma became officially the Union of Myanmar, a transliteration of the Burmans' term for their Ayeyarwady valley homeland.) Afternoon tour of Buddhist Art Museum, pagodas and views of riverside life.
Morning city tour features the largest and most venerated shrine in a country where 90% of the 44 million population is Buddhist: the golden Shwedagon pagoda, built several millenia ago with a great stupa (spire) 326 feet high and roofed with gold plates, diamonds and other precious stones in honor of the sacred relics of eight hairs of the Buddha it is said to contain. See also the almost equally resplendent Reclining Buddha temple plus National Museum. Newest grand pagoda: Sweltaw Myat (Tooth Relic) pagoda, built in 1995 for 1996 loan from China of a priceless relic, a tooth of the Buddha Afternoon flight to Bangkok.
Depart from Bangkok, arriving on same day due to crossing the International Date Line.
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