Audley’s ‘share your shirt’ campaign

Hannah (middle) displays some of the T-shirts donated for charity

A project set up by Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap saw our Responsible Travel rep, Hannah, lead the way in collecting T-shirts for a ‘share your shirt’ campaign. The humidity of Cambodia’s rainy season makes short work of once good clothing, so the shirts and T-shirts we send to the hotel will be distributed to the neediest rural communities in Cambodia.

In the end we managed to fill two large boxes with shirts and T-shirts. The Hotel de la Paix in Cambodia called to say they will shortly be taking the boxes to a school that desperately needs them. They will also be uploading photos to their Facebook page after that so people might be able to spot T-shirts that they donated!

Well done Hannah!

UNESCO recognises Vietnam’s Xoan singing

Phu Tho is located about 50 miles north-west of Hanoi in Vietnam. It’s a small, unremarkable region except for one unique aspect – its singing.

It originated as a homage to the Hung kings, the ancestral kings of the Viet people who ruled the country from 2879 to 258 BC. Nowadays, during springtime village festivals each year, Xoan singing (pronounced “zwan”) is performed in front of communal houses throughout Phu Tho.

UNESCO already recognises Halong Bay, Hoi An, Hue and My Son as sites of being of such unique interest to the world that they have been afforded special preservation status, but they’ve now also voted to include Xoan singing as an “intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection”.

To book a tailor-made trip to Vietnam, call one of our country specialists on 01993 838 140 or contact us online.

Visit Kuala Lumpur and enjoy free Wi-Fi access

Visitors to Kuala Lumpur are set to enjoy free Wi-Fi access

Malaysia has for some time been one of Audley’s most popular destinations and it’s easy to see why. From its rich culture and recent colonial history, to quiet tea plantations blanketing the cool highland regions as well as stunning national parks, Malaysia packs a lot into a relatively small area.

Kuala Lumpur is often the first sight that greets most visitors to the country. With its amazing food, huge shopping malls and modern, high-rise skyline - dominated by the world-famous Petronas Towers - it’s a spectacular urban web showcasing the very best of modern Asia. Highlights include Chinatown’s busy markets, Little India and the elegant colonial buildings of Merdeka Square. There are also great views from the revolving restaurant at the top of the KL Sky Tower.

If you’re someone who likes to travel with your laptop or other mobile devices you should soon be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi in parts of the city. These places will include tourist attractions, restaurants and eateries, as well as countless other public areas. This isn’t a pipe dream either as the Malaysian government has passed a new law ordering its installation. It might be available to travellers as soon as April this year.

New species of monkey discovered in Burma

The alien-looking snub-nosed monkey is new to science

Burma has been in the news quite a lot lately, mostly with regard to the ongoing political situation, but news of a recent new wildlife discovery has certainly got the world’s primatologists very excited.

Looking like something from a science-fiction movie, photographs of the newly discovered snub-nosed monkey were taken remotely and at night using camera’s which were activated by infra-red sensors – hence them being black and white. These were placed high up in the remote mountains of Burma’s northern Kachin state, which borders China.

Although it’s very unlikely you will ever see the Burmese snub-nosed monkey in person there is still plenty to see and experience in this delightful country, much of which continues largely untouched by mainstream tourism.

Read Audley’s Policy on Burma

To book a tailor-made trip to Burma, call one of our country specialists on 01993 838 105 or contact us online.

Peninsula Hotels to stop selling shark fin soup

The instantly recognisable great white shark

Shark fin soup is a delicacy in many parts of Asia but it has also become highly controversial as it’s thought to be the major cause in the dramatic decline in global shark populations. Indeed, estimates for the number of sharks culled annually for the trade, range from a staggering 35-70 million, despite the fact that 30% of shark species are threatened with extinction.

Now, however, the Peninsula Hotels Group (we use their hotels in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bejing and Bangkok) will become the first major chain to stop serving it as of January 2012.

It’s a major breakthrough for campaigners who see the practice as cruel, unnecessary and unsustainable.

Our top 10 travel apps

The ubiquitous smartphone: fast becoming the ideal companion when abroad

Today, there are literally thousands of travel apps (or applications) on the market for smartphones. I’ve picked my top 10, some of which are free to download.

Have a look and see if you agree?

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Paya Ngoto School, Burma – Audley’s Final Term report

Audley Manager, Kate, with the children of Paya Ngoto

I’ve blogged several times about this small, provincial school in Burma (to see previous blogs just type “Paya Ngoto” into the search).

The first time was when the school was virtually destroyed by Cyclone Nargis back in 2008. Since then Audley have set up numerous fund raising events, not just to repair the school, but to continue to support it long term.

I thought I’d share with you what Kate, one of our Southeast Asia Regional Product Managers, found on a recent visit (includes photos). 

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Indonesia to create orang-utan ‘islands’

There are only two islands in the world where orang-utan can be found in the wild: Malaysian Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia. Yet, even in these two countries the species occupies the endangered list due to habitat loss, poaching or locals keeping them as pets (an illegal activity but one which is still commonplace unfortunately).

However, UK conservationist, Dr Ian Singleton, who is also director of the Orangutan Conservation Programme, has put forward plans to create designated orang-utan ’islands’ in Indonesia to help rehabilitate captive animals.

Continue reading »

Cambodia floods – how you can help

Flood relief efforts in Cambodia

As you might have seen in the news recently there has been serious flooding in Thailand and Cambodia. Tourist areas have not been affected, but it has had a devastating affect on local communities, with many rural families losing their homes and livelihoods. The death toll from the flooding in Cambodia alone has risen to 247, with hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice paddies also destroyed.

To help a project has been set up by a local NGO, Green Gecko Project, in collaboration with three hotels in Cambodia: Hotel dela Paix, Heritage Suites Hotel and Golden Banana Hotel. The aim is to raise money to provide rice (at least 10 tons), fish and fresh water to local families who have lost their crops, income and homes.

If you would like to donate then please visit the website: Green Gecko kids flood relief initiative | Hotel Collaboration

Thank you!

New BBC nature documentary filming in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

Sunset over Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp

An immediate hit with us when it first opened in January 2011, Thailand’s first floating camp, Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp is situated in the heart of the Khao Sok National Park.

The 10 comfortable tents are securely anchored and insect proof, whilst providing ensuite facilities with hot and cold water and solid beds. It’s the ideal setting to experience southern Thailand’s primary rainforest.

The camp has already been used by many satisfied Audley clients and being situated on Cheow Larn Lake, it was also the perfect location for a BBC film crew who recently stayed there to film a documentary about this vast area of water.

I’ve no more details about the programme than this at the moment but as soon as I know more, including the transmission date and time, I will of course let you know.

Book a tailor-made holiday in Thailand

Our Thailand specialists can put together an individual tailor-made trip for you which could include a stay at the unique Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp. Take a look at our Thailand itinerary ideas to get an indication of what is possible.

Phone us on 01993 838 115 or make an enquiry online.