A WRITER S JOURNEY BY TRAIN THROUGH SOUTHEAST ASIA AUTHENTICASIA.NET Thailand & Vietnam Optional Extension to Cambodia Led by Susan Piver November 1 November 13, 2011
"I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it." Paul Theroux There is a great tradition of Western writers working on trains--in Asia. From Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad to Graham Greene and Paul Theroux, artists have found inspiration from the ever-changing scenery, the sense of continual movement, and exposure to new cultures. Too, the culture of the East itself invites you to look inward. Our itinerary was designed in exactly this spirit of adventurousness and reflection, for those who enjoy the art of writing and journaling during their travels. Interspersed with (and informed by) visits to extraordinary places, you will learn meditation, establish a mindful writing practice, and explore how they can work together to create an amazing path. We will talk about fine points of process and also have time to discuss each other's work in the friendliest, least literary critic-like manner imaginable. There will be plenty of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to write amidst some of the most beautiful--and deeply spiritual--terrain in the world. Susan Piver, who leads this trip, is a New York Times best selling author of five books and also a Buddhist teacher. During our time together, she will offer a very basic introduction to Buddhist thought and how it might support your creativity. DETAILED ITINERARY PROPOSED; SOME DETAILS MAY CHANGE Day 1. November 1. Bangkok. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to the Royal River Hotel. Day 2. November 2. Bangkok. Our journey begins with a full day of sightseeing in Bangkok, one of the most exciting cities in Southeast Asia. As we make our way through the city we will travel by small tuk-tuk s, river taxi and skytrain. Our first stop will be Thonburi, the western district of Bangkok, situated on the west bank of the Chao Praya River. It served as the capital of Thailand after the fall of Ayutthaya until King Rama I moved his court to the opposite shore. The Temple of Dawn symbolically represents the Buddhist universe. This monumental 86-meter Khmer style temple is one of Thailand s largest religious monuments. It towers above the river to form Bangkok s most impressive and famous landmark From here the river taxi takes us to the Grand Palace and Wat Pra Keo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. After lunch, we will board the skytrain bound for Jim Thompson s House, one of the best examples of traditional Thai residential architecture, which features a wonderful collection of Southeast Asian art. Jim Thompson was born in Delaware in 1906 and fell in love with Thailand while posted as an intelligence agent in Bangkok during World War II. He later made Bangkok his permanent home and started a business supplying fine Thai silk to overseas fashion houses, single-handedly saving what had been a dying cottage industry. His silk company continues to flourish today. With the
proceeds of his success, Thompson collected an impressive range of art works, and sections of derelict teak houses, assembling them into a teak house/museum complex set in a lush garden alongside central Bangkok s Saen Saep Canal. The main house is full of tastefully displayed Asian art including Buddha images, paintings, ceramics and antique furniture. The living areas have been preserved as they were when Thompson lived there before his mysterious disappearance in Malaysia s Cameron Highlands while on holiday in 1967. His legacy however lives on. Dinner tonight will be a delicious seafood, served at the Supatra River House overlooking the banks of the Chao Praya River. Day 3. November 3. Overnight train. Accommodations: Royal River Hotel, Dinner On our second day in Bangkok we will take an early morning tour the vegetable and meat market. This is where most of the restaurants and hotels get their supply of food for the day. From here we will take a stroll through the flower market before ending the day in Chinatown. After lunch we will allow for some free time before we set out to the train station in time to board our First Class overnight train bound for Chiang Rai. The train is scheduled to depart at 6.00 p.m. and arrive in Chiang Mai at 7.15 a.m. the next morning. Dinner will be available for purchase on the train. Day 4. November 4. Chiang Mai. Accommodations: Overnight Train Meals: Breakfast Located more than 700 km northwest of Bangkok, Chiang Mai has in excess of 300 temples almost as many as are in Bangkok a circumstance that makes the old city center visually striking. Thais idealize their beloved northern capital as a quaint, moated and walled city surrounded by mountains with legendary, mystical attributes. In reality, Chiang Mai is a dynamic and modern city, which has successfully managed to combine its rich history and traditions with its increasingly modern side. Upon arrival this morning we will check-in at the Tamarind Village. Remainder of the morning at leisure. In the afternoon we will visit some of Chiang Mai s main sites such as Lampoon and Haripoonchai. Legend handed down for more than 1,400 years refers to the ancient town of Lampoon located just a few miles outside of Chiang Mai on the banks of the Kuang River. The town is home to Haripoonchai, considered one of the most sacred monuments in the north with its intricately lacquered doors, the bronze gongs and the two bronze Buddha images. En route back to Chiang Mai visit the village of Pasang, noted for its high quality silk and cotton weaving. The last stop for the day will be the temple of Wat Soi Suthep located 1056 meters above sea level. It is one of the most important temples in Chiang Mai, as well as one of the most revered among Thai Buddhists and a major pilgrimage destination
during Buddhist holidays. There is a funicular cable car which can take you to the top so you do not have to climb the 290 steps. On a clear day, the views of the surrounding area are wonderful. Day 5. November 5. Chiang Mai. Accommodations: The Empress Full day excursion to the hill-tribe area. There are six main hill-tribes found in Northern Thailand. Each tribe is divided into clans or subgroups, which have distinct customs, rituals and clothing. The Lahu, Akha and Lisu have languages with common linguistic roots (Yi/Lolo of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages) and migrated into Thailand from Yunnan via Burma. The Hmong and Mien (or Yao) speak languages from the Sino-Tibetan family and came from south central China via Laos. These five tribes are all found in larger numbers beyond the borders of Thailand. The origin of the Karen is believed to have been southeast Tibet, but the majority now live in Myanmar (Burma). With the exception of the Karen, the hill-tribes did not start moving into the hills of Northern Thailand in large numbers until the 20th century. Some of the largest migrations did not take place until after political upheavals triggered by the communist and socialist revolutions of China (1949), Burma (1962) and Laos (1974). Chiang Mai has a wonderful night market where you can find anything from water color paintings, wood carvings to t-shirts. We will spend time at the night market this evening where we will have a local dinner. Day 6. November 6. Hanoi. Accommodations: The Empress, Dinner We bid farewell to Thailand and board a short flight to Hanoi, a charming city with pleasant lakes, shaded boulevards and verdant public parks. The city center is an architectural museum piece, its blocks of ochre buildings retaining the air of a provincial French town of the 1930s. Upon arrival we transfer to the Metropole Hotel, the Grande Dame of Hanoi where pictures of visiting US Presidents adorn the walls. In the afternoon we depart for Hanoi s Old Quarter with over 1000 years of history packed into the maze of streets and alleys and shops where you can find everything from local food to antiques. During the 13 th century Hanoi s 36 guilds of craftsmen and artisans established themselves in the Old Quarter. Subsequently each street has been named after the specific product, which was produced and sold here. Even to this day, this area retains the essence of life from centuries. Day 7. November 7. Hanoi. Accommodations: Metropole Hotel, Dinner
This morning we will learn more about the history of Vietnam and Hanoi as we tour some of the most important city sites. Our first stop will be The Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, a large memorial to the Vietnamese leader. Ho Chi Minh's body is preserved here and the mausoleum is open for people to come and pay their respects. The mausoleum's design is similar to the Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow. Today rows of visitors can be seen visiting the place everyday. In his will, he stated his wish to be cremated and to have his ashes buried in the hills of the north, center, and south of Vietnam. By building this mausoleum, the successor Communist government unintentionally violated this wish. We continue on to the Temple of Literature. In 1070 King Ly Thanh Tong founded this temple to pay tribute to education and to academic achievement. Six years later, it became home to Hanoi's first university. Even now, more than 200 years after the last national exam, the site's five courtyards still enjoy an atmosphere of higher learning. Today, art students sit on the grass and try to reproduce the traditional Vietnamese architecture on paper. Our morning concludes with a visit to the unique One-Pillar Pagoda, a wooden structure built in 1049 that sits on stilts over a lake. A king of the Ly Dynasty, Ly Thai Thong had it built after having a dream in which Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the goddess of mercy, presented him with a lotus flower. The existing pagoda is a miniature reproduction of the original, which was said to represent a lotus emerging from the water. A prayer here is said to bring fertility and good health. Time permitting we will stop by the Art Vietnam Gallery, one of the best in the city. Suzanne Lecht, An American woman and the galleries Art Director has been working in Asia since 1982 with a lifelong commitment to supporting the arts worldwide. She is recognized as a leading authority on contemporary art in Vietnam and is dedicatd to discovering exception artists who are singular and passionate in their expression. Suzanne has been an advocate in educating the world about the arts of Vietnam. A pioneer in her field, Suzanne has been working here since she moved from Tokyo to Hanoi in 1994, a year and half before diplomatic relations where restored between Vietnam and the US. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Day 8. November 8. Overnight Train. Accommodations: Metropole Hotel Full day excursion to the Perfume Pagoda, located in the Huong Son Mountains 70 km southwest of Hanoi. The pagoda has a long history in Vietnamese literature, its name has been a theme of many songs, topic of poetry, used in literary works as well as backdrop for paintings. The Pagoda is situated in the middle of the great plains of northern Vietnam, amidst mountains and rivers and is the most important place of worship for Vietnamese Buddhists. Return to Hanoi in the afternoon and in time for an early dinner before we board the 7 p.m. overnight train bound for Hue.
Accommodations: Overnight Train. Day 9. November 9. Hue Our train is scheduled to arrive in Hue at 8.00 a.m. We will transfer to the La Residence Hotel for breakfast. Our river view rooms will be ready for check-in at noon. Hue has traditionally been one of Vietnam s cultural, religious and educational centers. This 19 th century capital of regal pavilions has preserved its air of gracious reserve and faded glamour and is home to Vietnam s famous Royal Tombs. We will spend the day exploring this ancient city beginning with a visit to the famous Citadel. Constructed in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long, it houses the Courtyard for royal ceremonies, the palace of supreme peace, halls of the mandarins, the memorial temple for Nguyen Kings, nine holy cannons, nine dynastic urns and the Forbidden City for the royal families. Our next stop, Thien Mu Pagoda is a Buddhist monastery that was erected in 1601 by Lord Nguyen Hoang, the ancestor of the Nguyen dynasty. It was renovated in 1844 under King Thieu Tri s sovereignty. It is said that one night people found an old lady sitting on this small hill, wearing a red long dress and green trousers and she claimed that this place belonged to the supernatural power, so a pagoda should be constructed here. Ever since then it became known as the pagoda of the old celestial goddess. In time for sunset we will board a small boat fora private cruise along the Perfume River which is lined with the famous Royal Tombs. Since the early 1900s and as late as 1945 the Nguyen Dynasty of Emperors, lived, ruled and died here. Day 10. November 10. Hoi An. Accommodations: La Residence This morning we return to the train station to board the set out on a 4 hour train journey to Hoi An. The town of Hoi An was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. Foreigners have been coming to Hoi An since the 15 th century Dutch, Portuguese, British, French, Japanese and Chinese to purchase silk, fabrics, tea, pepper and Chinese medicine. By the 19 th century Hoi An trade declined, partly as a result of internal conflicts, but mainly because the mouth of the Thu Bon River silted up, rendering the sea approach too narrow. The port of Danang gradually supplanted Hoi An. The legacy of maritime trade in Hoi An left an eclectic mix of merchant architecture with housing in French, Chinese or Japanese style. Hoi An is one of the rare places in Vietnam where you can find genuine Vietnamese architecture which miraculously escaped the war. The city is small and compact and the historic quarter is home to
20,000 people. We will spend the afternoon strolling in its narrow streets and visiting its pagodas. Day 11. November 11. Hoi An. Accommodations: Victoria Hoi An, Dinner This morning we will travel to My Son, one of the most stunning sites in Vietnam and home to the wonderful open air Cham Museum. The monuments are set in a verdant valley overlooked by the Cat s Tooth Mountain. It is a bit reminiscent of the great monuments at Angkor Wat. My Son was a center for spirituality and worship during the reign of the Champa Kingdom. The My Son sanctuary, which exemplifies the height of Cham architectural achievement, is a large complex of religious monuments originally comprised of more than 70 structures; the vestiges of 25 of these structures remain today. The builders of My Son were the nobility of the Champa Kingdom who derived their cultural and spiritual influences almost exclusively from India. My Son represents the longest continuous occupation for religious purposes, not only of the Cham Kingdom, but also within Southeast Asia as a whole. The site was inhabited from the 4th until the 15th century AD, far longer than any of the other Indian-influenced sites in the region including the more famous sites of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia, Pagan in Myanmar, or Ayutthaya in Thailand. My Son was once a veritable forest of towers, many of which were destroyed by the ravages of time and war. This unique site is now in a state of significant disrepair, urgently requiring conservation efforts. In the afternoon we will drive past abandoned Quonset huts and past the huge American airfield and on to the Marble Mountains, a steep hillside scattered with Buddhist shrines and huge caverns lit up by sticks of incense and haunted by the looming shadows of twenty-foot Buddhas. Inside are a number of caves in which Buddhist sanctuaries have been built over the centuries. Day 12. November 12. Saigon. Accommodations: Victoria Hoi An A short morning flight takes us to Saigon, the largest of Vietnam s cities where the hustle and bustle of Vietnamese life is everywhere. It is home to street markets, sidewalk cafes and hundreds of restaurants. Yet, amidst this teeming 300 year old city one can still find a quiet pagoda where monks come to pray and burn incense or a tucked away puppeteer stage where children are entertained in the park, while in the back alleys, where we will venture to, acupuncturists treat patients and students learn to play the violin. We will have our farewell dinner this evening. Accommodations: Hotel Caravelle Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13. November 13. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight to the U.S. OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO CAMBODIA Day 14. November 13. Chau Doc. For those travelers continuing on to Cambodia, we will depart this morning on a trip trough the Mekong Delta to the border town of Chau Doc. This will be a 6 to 7 hour drive and we will stop along the way for lunch. Upon arrival we will transfer to the Victoria Hotel for an overnight. Accommodations: Victoria Hotel Day 15. November 14. Phnom Penh. The Victoria boat departs this morning at 7.00 a.m. for a 5 hour trip up the Mekong to Cambodia s capital city of Phnom Penh. Upon arrival we will transfer to the hotel before setting out for an afternoon city tour that will include the Royal Palace, the Silber Pagdoa and the Russian Market. Dinner tonight will be at the FCC, the Foreign Correspondence Club where once journalists from all over the world would gather for drinks and dinner during the war. The restaurant overlooks the Mekong River. Accommodations: Amanjawa Hotel, Dinner Days 15 17. November 15 17. Siem Reap. Early morning departure for Siem Reap. The trip will take about 4 hours with a chance to see the Cambodian country side en route. Our destination, Siem Reap, is home to one of Indochina s most magnificent site, the temples of Angkor. Ornamented by the finest artisans of its time, once redolent with incense and prayer, Angkor was once lost beneath the sands of time only to be re-discovered at the opening of the last century. Whether one be king, queen, courtier or commoner, he or she would have had a mind-transforming experience of the order and harmony of the universe, the presence of powers far greater than mortal man. We know this because it is the same as we enter Angkor today.
We will spend the next two days exploring Angkor built between the 9 th and 13 th centuries when Khmer civilization was at the height of its extraordinary creativity. From Angkor, the kings of the mighty Khmer empire ruled over a vast territory that extended from the tip of what is now Southern Vietnam northward to Yunnan in China and from Vietnam westward to the Bay of Bengal. Angkor s hundred or so temples constitute the sacred skeleton of a spectacular administrative and religious center whose houses, public buildings and palaces were constructed of wood now long decayed because the right to dwell in structures of brick or stone was reserved for the gods. Day 18. November 18. Accommodations: Victoria Angkor Meals: Breakfast Depart from Siem Reap bound for the U.S. (note most flights will require an overnight in Bangkok. You may chose to depart on the evening of November 17, overnight at the Airport Hotel in Bangkok and then fly back to the US. Meals: Breakfast Registration Details The per person trip price of $ 4,390 includes the following: - accommodations as listed in double occupancy - all meals as listed and breakfast daily - all flights within Asia - all First Class transportation on the train - airport transfers - all sightseeing with entrance fees - bottled water during the sightseeing - service of English speaking guides throughout - service of private bus with driver - lectures and talks by Susan Piver Not included are: international airfare into Bangkok and out of Saigon visa and passport fees tips to guides and drivers airport departure taxes trip insurance items of purely personal nature A single room supplement is available at $ 770. The per person Cambodia extension cost of $ 1,450 includes the following:
accommodations as listed in double occupancy meals as listed with breakfast daily all sightseeing with entrance fees airport transfers bottled water during sightseeing service of English speaking guide lectures and talks by Susan Piver Not included are: Cambodia visa fees airport departure taxes tips to guides and drivers travel insurance items of purely personal nature As single room supplement is available at $ 475