Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia & Thailand
Full Itinerary
In October, 2007, Carolyn from Chicago, Nancy from Springfield, Liza from Los Angeles and Julie from Sydney, Australia all met in Bangkok, ready to start their four-country journey.
The trip was Carolyn's idea. She has always wanted to see Mt Everest—not climb it, but see the mountain. She notes: "I have seen so many documentaries and read so many books about this area of the world and waited to travel there when the political climate allowed. We all had wanted to explore this part of the world, but had never done so. We would have liked to see Bhutan ten years ago before it started changing, but we were glad to do so before too much changed. Times were relatively peaceful over there at the time we were planning the trip, and decided it was now or never! Our love of antiquity, old temples, an old style of life thought only to exist in books drew us there. Having grown up in the 60's, Freak Street and the Nepal era of famous rock bands was an exciting thing to see (even though it's definitely different now)."
The group researched and read about the countries they visited, and felt that they saw the best of every place. Choosing highlights of their trip they said was impossible, and they felt that each day of the trip was full of amazing things at every turn—every day more incredible than the last!
Carolyn loved Nepal and Bhutan the most. She recalls: "The flight into the Paro valley was incredible and Bhutan is so peaceful compared to bustling Katmandu. The people were so kind and helpful. Family is obviously so important. We saw a Hindu ritual cremation in Nepal."
Bhutan and Nepal really made an impression on Nancy as well: "Seeing how people's daily life goes on in a very primitive way was fascinating: plowing with oxen, women sifting rice and pounding rice with bamboo sieves and wooden sticks. In Bhutan the traditional dress which everyone wore (the Gho for men and Kira for women) was beautiful, and in Nepal, the Saris that were worn. Here, the men still carry very heavy loads on their backs with a strap across their heads for support...all the flowers in the market and the things they make with them...the beautiful Himalayas as you fly up through grey skies and clouds, and then for the mountains to magically appear, was spectacular...and to see Mt. Everest was amazing...so many incredible experiences at every turn..."
Travel Tips from Carolyn & Nancy:
- Spend the money for the best hotels; it's worth it (the staff at all the hotels helped made this trip special).
- Bring an extra bag (or two)!—the textiles are incredible.
- Read as much as possible before you leave, for background on each country, and so you will know what to expect.
- Drink bottled water and wear walking shoes.
- Try the local food, but be careful some of it's very spicy—otherwise the food was great!
- Expect wonderful people you should talk to and get to know.
- Travel with an open mind, and enjoy every moment!
Carolyn and Nancy talk about their guides and more:
"All of our guides were wonderful, and made sure we saw everything we "needed" to see and more and still made sure we had time to shop! Our guide in Cambodia took a special interest in us...so helpful, knowledgeable, spoke good English and showed and taught us so much. The guides followed our itinerary but added other things we asked about. They were very prompt at picking us up and kept us out as long as we wanted.
Cox & Kings were spectacular—would definitely travel with them again.
Top countries to visit next: Tibet, Turkey, Jordan (Carolyn); Turkey, Egypt and China/Tibet (Nancy)...
Do you have a C&K travel story you would like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Submit your travel tales and reflections to tours@coxandkingsusa.com.
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