Cambodia, Laos & Thailand Tour: A Bed & Breakfast Journey Through Southeast Asia

The delicate combination of flavors in Thai cuisine has caused chefs and diners to smile with anticipation and tear a little when the food is finished. Today you will venture out into the local flair with a culinary guide who will show you the way to the bright variety of Thai cuisine, teaching you the secrets to spectacular dishes along the way. Venture into the local market of Chiang Mai where the aroma of fresh produce, coriander and mango, carrots and bird’s eye chilies, line the aisles. After you have marketed you will follow your guide into the kitchen where you will be taught the keys to concocting your very own superior Thai flavors before dining on your creations. Enjoy the subtle creaminess of green curry and the slight tang of tom yum soup. Delight in the flaky crunch of spring rolls and the rich peanut sauce of chicken satay. Each flavor, like each moment in Thailand, is savored, remembered, and celebrated.

Above the canopy but hidden within the brush, high on the mountain of Doi Suthep, is the most important temple in Chiang Mai. The legend says that a white elephant chose the temple’s location when it died while carrying a very important statue of Buddha. You are greeted first by the Naga staircase, where dragons guard the first steps, their tails rising with the mountain until reaching the top after 300 steps. The tiles shine pink and white beneath the colorful dragon tails and gilded pillars. The golden spire decorates the center of the temple and the mountaintop. Its supporting walls crate an enclave decorated with astounding historical murals and shrines, including one that houses a white elephant statue; the elephant now guards the pagoda, welcoming visitors and pilgrims alike.

In the evening you will return to the city where you will partake in the fabulous Khantoke Show. The show is a grand representation of Thai culture, where the history and traditions of the country are displayed in the clothing and movement of the dancers. While you enjoy the sensational tastes of Thailand, from the red curry to the crispy fried chicken, you will watch the tantalizing ballet of the sword dance, where the rush of the blade is mixed with the precise movement of the body, turning the weapon into an instrument of beauty and elegance. The glowing costumes imitate temples and palaces, while the graceful movements imitate nature, creating balance and showing great restraint.

Today you will venture outside of the borders of Thailand, flying over its northern border to the beautiful country of Laos and the lovely city of Luang Prabang. The city is known for its serene parade of monks in the early morning, their shining orange robes imitating the coming sunlight. People line up along the sidewalk waiting for the parade of monks, ready to give alms, pay their respects, and be blessed by the quiet, holy marching men of the city. The city itself is quiet and looks more like a village set within the sprawling splendor of the country’s greenery. Arrive at your hotel, a luxurious spot that looks over the Mekong River, where the French colonial history can be seen in the architecture’s arches, the wave of umbrellas, and the charming balconies that watch over the rushing water and swaying trees.

The morning sun rises over the surrounding mountains where the gentle glow of the day brings more than just breakfast. After your delicious start you will venture out on a guided tour of the city where so much of the traditions and Laotian culture have persisted throughout the centuries. Step onto a longboat that will take you along the expanse of the Mekong River. The water is gentle and the air cool as you float down the river arriving at the intimidating Pak Ou Caves. One of the most revered holy sites in Laos, the caves date back millennia, where thousands of Buddha icons decorate the shrine. Many of the figures are made from wood, sitting beneath the sagging rock face, 50 feet above the river. The caves are scented with limestone and incense, giving a soft but welcomed fragrance to the damp air. Stalactites dip like spikes from the ceiling as the gilded shapes of Buddha glisten within the cavernous space.

The traditional lives of villagers have been unobstructed for centuries, hidden within the trees with no way of exploitation from outside influences within the landlocked country. Your guide will meet you at your hotel ready to take you through the sensational culture maintained within the jungle mountains of Laos. The morning air is a welcome cold beneath the canopy as you climb the hillsides in search of the first village. The landscape is quiet with little more than the patter of your feet on the ground. Suddenly the path clears, the trees open and you have arrived at a Hmong Village on the outskirts of Luang Prabang. The culture is widely different with Hmong who continue to practice an animist religion; however, their lives continue to be lived in traditional houses raised on stilts that allows for the home to rise with the slopes and keep the rains from flooding through the door. The roofs are made of bound sticks while the mats and awnings are woven grass. In certain areas you can see the agricultural terraces rising up the mountainside like a lush, textured pyramid. The beauty of the day isn’t just in the nature but within the kindness and charm of tradition and a particular way of life.

The quiet majesty of Luang Prabang and Laos will never be far from your thoughts as you make your way from the north into Siem Reap, a city surrounded by jungle and adjacent to the magnificence of a once-proud empire. You will be met at the airport by a private transfer who will take you to your sensational accommodation. The luxurious hotel is situated within a gorgeous remnant of Cambodia’s French colonization, where the immaculate white façade is a taste of what each room has in store. The vibrant trees stretch and cover the surrounding area giving a touch of seclusion to the hotel, the pool, and the luxuries within.

Today you will arrive within the marvelous history contained within the confines of the famous Angkor Wat. The temple stands over a pond and reflects its grandeur in the water where lilies sprout and bloom. The sandstone has grown dark over the years but the majesty of the temple continues to shine bright. The towers rise over 200 feet above the ground in concentric tiers; the entire complex was built between the 9th and 13th century. The interior and exterior walls of Angkor Wat are adorned with exceptional bas-relief carvings that tell the story of warriors and gods, a history of the people bursting from the walls in intricate design. The sensational fragrance of incense fills the structure, but the complex is so large that you feel surrounded by emptiness, just you and the temple, the rising towers and the jutting stones, where the faces that stare back at you hold the sly smiles of gods.

The morning begins with a remarkable breakfast within the beauty of the hotel. The early rise brings you awake before dawn, the vague lights of the city are the only glow of the streets. The morning air is cold, a comfortable change from the afternoon heat. You arrive at the base of Angkor Wat once again with the temple silhouetted by the darkness. You look to see its reflection in the pond below but can only see an unclear outline of lilies. Orange robes glow in the distance as monks make their way from the tree line like ethereal beings, slowly parading into the foreground. When the sun starts to rise you can see the sensational shimmer of the towers, the stretch of golden coloration ridding the world of darkness.

Later in the day you will come to the temple Banteay Srey, where the incredible sandstone offers an earthy color to the structure. The temple was first constructed in the 10th century focusing on the central image of Shaivite Linga, while now the name of the temple refers to the intricate carvings and the small dimensions of the architecture, giving the structure the name “Citadel of Beauty.” You can see a mixture of antiquity and innovation within the frame, where the pediments are large but the entryways are thin. Along the eastern pediment you can see Indra on a causeway over 130 feet that connects the monumental tower with another enclosure.  There is a never ending sense of delight within the designs of the walls that lash out like tiger claws wanting to be seen within the melee of intricacies, including the god of love shooting an arrow at Shiva.

Outside of Siem Reap is a collection of temples known as the Roluos Group. The three temples are Bakgon, Lolei, and Preah Ko; they are close together in distance and extend around an area of almost two miles. Their architecture, decoration, and construction method lend them to the Classic Period of Khmer Art, ranging around the earliest years of Angkor’s existence. Each temple has illustrious square-shaped brick towers raised by pedestals. A monster head adorns the entrance scaring away the demons that were thought to be present on earth while the Hindu god Visnu stands and mounts Garuda, his mythical bird. The columns are mostly octagonal, adorned with intricate, delicate leaves. With the dedication to the architecture while the jungle clamors around the temples, some historians believe that these temples are the most beautiful out of any Angkor structure; you’re sure that no matter how many temples you see they will never lose their prowess and mystique.

The morning rises softly over the horizon. It is hard to imagine a sunrise without the majesty of Angkor Wat beneath it. After you delight in breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. Your holiday within the charm of large cities and the grace of jungles, where rivers flowed and landscapes were celebrated, has shown you the magnificence of Southeast Asia, in the greenery, the serenity, the flavorful history, and the overall elegance of this world away.

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