MyanmarThailand BaliVietnam LaosCambodia

Signature Collection 2012 - 2013

Operations offices: Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, Bangkok, Yangon.

Follow our trail. Create your journey.

Introduction 3

Dear Travel Partners,

After twenty years in the travel industry and more than ten years developing Trails of Indochina into one of the leading specialty tour operators in the region, I would like to share with you my personal travel philosophy.

I believe travelers are curious individuals, open to new experiences and to connect with people from other cultures. I know, because travel is my life. When our team designs your travel itinerary, we do so with excitement in our hearts, confident that we can deliver an innovative program which offers a highly personalized experience.

One of my personal passions is to search for new opportunities to better present my country and its heritage. Most recently, I was involved in the rescue and renovation of five eighteenth-century garden houses in my hometown of Hue. In developing the Ancient Hue Cultural Complex, I am able to share with visitors the original architecture of the traditional wooden-house and a taste of fine Royal cuisine.

As you read these travel narratives, I’d like you to remember we share this journey together. Some time back, fate took my sight but through knowing in my heart what your eyes will see and what your soul will experience, I see again.

John Tue Nguyen, Founder & CEO, Trails of Indochina

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The Chinthe is a leogryph, lion-like creature. Often seen at the entrances of pagodas and temples in Myanmar, the Chinthe is featured prominently on the kyat, the national currency. The Chinthe is almost always depicted in pairs, and serve to protect the pagoda. They typically appear as animals, but are sometimes found with human faces.

Signature Collection, Myanmar

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Signature Collection, Myanmar

“All apprehension disappeared after our master guide lead us off the beaten track.”

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“Mandalay” is a famous poem

by Rudyard Kipling that was

first published in 1892. The

Mandalay referred to in this

poem was the sometime capital

city of Burma, which was

a British colony from 1885

to 1948. The British troops

stationed in Burma were taken

up (or down) the Irrawaddy

River by paddle steamers.

Rangoon to Mandalay was a

700km trip each way.

Mystical Myanmar, with its stilt-houses, oxcarts and ardent Buddhism, is largely the same Burma Rudyard Kipling waxed lyrical about a century ago. Yes, this is partly due to its years of political and economic isolation. But in the past several years, the tourism industry has prepared itself for enhanced global exposure, and private citizens are more eager than ever to engage with international guests.

Just a few hundred thousand foreigners visit Myanmar every year, making a trip there, first, automatically off the beaten path and, second, a membership card to a small club of adventurers who have borne witness to this warm, unique and ancient society. Ancient, like the gleaming gold and diamond-crusted Shwedagon Pagoda, said to be 2,500-years old and holding relics of four Buddhas, that looms over Yangon’s crumbling colonial architecture and city of pagodas. Or like Bagan’s acres of Angkor Wat-like temples and extinct volcano, Mt. Popa—both best seen from the basket of hot-air balloon. “This is Burma,” as Kipling wrote, “and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.”

Myanmar

Ngapali

SittweBagan

Mandalay

Inle lake

Heho

MYANMAR

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

LAOS

Yangon

Vientiane

Phnom Penh

Hanoi

Gulf of

Tonkin

Gulf of

Thailand

Bangkok

INDIACHINA

THAILAND

Naypyidaw

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Myanmar– A Bespoke Journey

tin, lead, marble and iron-brick. Those hairs rarely make public appearances, but the 76-carat diamond atop the now fully gilded stupa is just as precious.

In Bagan, the capital of several ancient Burmese kingdoms, a different kind of majesty calls, with about half the area’s original 4,400 ancient temples still standing, and Mt. Popa climbing into the clouds. Our expert in Burmese history, who assisted in restoring many of the temples, will guide you through this transcendent landscape.

Yangon is a charming city founded on a gleaming shrine, therefore, a perfect metaphor for devout and developing Myanmar itself. Among the draws of this former capital are the 2,200-year-old Sule Paya, the enormous reclining Buddha and the chaotic Indian quarter. But it’s the golden mountain of the Shwedagon Paya that dominate the skyline— and the imagination. Two and a half centuries ago, it is said, King Okkalapa enshrined eight hairs of the Buddha in a temple of gold, enclosed, Matryoshka-like, in succeeding temples of silver,

For the largest concentration of those seeking inspiration, head next to Mandalay, home to more than 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centers. You’ll also see the stunning 200-year-old teak U Bein bridge, the stone tablets comprising the world’s largest book, and the gallery of a well-known painter who will discuss with you the life of an artist in contemporary Myanmar.

After a leisurely horse-carriage ride in Mandalay, take an even more serene boat trip on Inle Lake, where you can see up-close the agile skill of leg-rowers, a tradition native to this place. There are interesting ethnic minority groups to meet, and a peripatetic market to track down. The location changes every five days, so your guide will lead you there—yet one more of Myanmar’s mysteries Trails of Indochina helps you unlock.

Min-ga-la-ba, and welcome to Myanmar!

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The Strand, Yangon

Colonial charm doesn’t come any lovelier than The Strand in Yangon. This Victorian beauty in the heart of the city will whisk you back to 1901, when it opened, with its valuable private collection of local art and antiques, rattan furniture, stately chandeliers, marbled lobby and flawless staff. The exclusive all-suite hotel has just 30 rooms—ensuring each guest receives meticulous service from the team of butlers at your disposal 24 hours a day. The rooms epitomize timeless elegance, showcasing high ceilings with slow-whirring black lacquer fans,

teakwood floors and spacious living areas in which to relax. The grand Strand Suite boasts a private verandah overlooking the river. The Strand Grill is one of Yangon’s most elegant dining rooms. Another namesake, the legendary Strand Sour, makes for required tippling at—where else?—the lively Strand Bar. There’s also an art gallery, a spa, a business center and boutiques for beautiful Burmese jewelry, textiles, lacquerware and handicrafts.

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Signature Stay–Ngapali

Myanmar couldn’t properly claim its place in oceanic Southeast Asia without white-sand beaches. You’ll find them in Ngapali, just a quick flight from Yangon. Yes, this is the country’s seaside hotspot, but don’t expect rowdy beach bars and noisy hawkers. With oxcart tracks in the palm tree-studded sand, it’s the perfect place for bungalow-dwelling relaxation. Go snorkeling, have a boat-trip BBQ, and find inspiration at Lontha bay, where Kipling is said to have written the “The Jungle Book.”

The Bay of Bengal’s

turquoise waters deliver

some of Myanmar’s finest

seafood bounty.

Myanmar 4332 Trails of Indochina Signature Collection

Signature Stay– Mrauk U

Even among the intrepid visitors to Myanmar, its far-western reaches remain off the beaten path. The region’s gateway is Sittwe, accessible only by plane and proffering panoramic views across the Bay of Bengal.

The once-fearsome, seafaring Rakhaing dynasty empire had its capital at Mrauk U, to which you’ll sail up the Kaladan River. It’s a living museum of an archaeological site, whose landscape is wondrous because of not just the 700 ancient temples and palaces dotting it but also the goat-herders and farmers who live and work in their shadows. The Chin, a nearby minority group, also keep the past alive, in the tattooed faces of their women. The old tradition is credited to mothers who disfigured their daughters to prevent the king from taking them as concubines. Their elaborate visages—like the whole of your visit to this enigmatic place, will be unforgettable.

Originally a small fishing

village, Sittwe became an

important seat of maritime

commerce, especially as a port

for the export of rice after

the British occupation of

Arakan, now known as

Rakhine State, following the

First Anglo-Burmese War.

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Choosing Trails of Indochina

Trails of Indochina was established in 1999, the realized vision of Mr. John Tue Nguyen, current CEO, Founder and sole owner. Without a specialty operator based in Vietnam focused on bringing to life the standards expected of our global audience–particularly in the area of luxury travel that was not being catered to at the time, John sensed a unique opportunity for his native country.

We have grown considerably since our inception, stretching our legs outside of Vietnam and currently employ more than 160 staff across six destinations in South East Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Bali. Our positive growth has come through increased demand from a list of loyal industry partners and their clientele to further explore this still somewhat undiscovered region.

Our range of Signature Experiences, something that differentiates us from our competitors, keeps us absolutely at the forefront of the industry. This, coupled with our unrelenting focus on consistency and reliability in delivery, is a potent combination.

Our determined voyage has seen Trails of Indochina develop into a globally competitive, multi-award winning organization that has never shifted from its vision: to deliver absolutely unique and completely tailored signature experiences in Southeast Asia to the highest possible global service standards.

Follow our trail. Create your journey.

Headquarters

10/8 Phan Dinh Giot StreetTan Binh DistrictHo Chi Minh City, VietnamTel (84 8) 3844 1005 Fax (84 8) 3844 3350info@trailsofindochina.com North America Sales Office 4100 Birch StreetNewport Beach,CA 92660, USATel (1) 888 444 0212Fax (1) 949 486 5913 us@trailsofindochina.com Australia Sales Office

PO Box 4045 Maroubra South NSW 2035, AustraliaTel (61 2) 8003 4595Fax (61 2) 8347 0024oz@trailsofindochina.com

United Kingdom Sales Office

67 Old High StreetOxfordOX3 9HT, UKTel: (44) 7882 090311uk@trailsofindochina.com Mexico Sales Office

Av. Tintoreto 119-2Col. Ciudad de los DeportesMéxico DF 03710, MéxicoTel (52) 5598 7623mexico@trailsofindochina.com

www.trailsofindochina.com