Review: Asian Adventure With Contiki

Vanessa Stavrou tells us all about her time on the 14-day Asian Adventure with Contiki…

How does the Asian Adventure trip give you a taste of Southeast Asia in 14 days?
It’s awesome; you get to cover the big sites across three countries – Thailand, Laos and Cambodia – staying in nine cities, and still manage to fit in so many local experiences. I was blown away that only four days in it felt like I’d been travelling for two weeks – I’d seen and done so much!

What are the highlights that passengers can learn and discover about the main locations?
The local experiences were amazing! Just a few to name are, the Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai, the two days we travelled by boat on the Mekong River into Laos, cycling through Luang Prabang and stopping off to drink rice wine fermented into a jar with spiders, snakes and other animals (so intense!) the fabulous markets, the amazing temples and so much great food! There were also many moments on the trip that really made you stop and think; visiting the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh was definitely an emotional day for the whole group. We also visited the COPE support centre in Vientiane in Laos, an organisation that makes prosthetic limbs for those injured by cluster bombs that were dropped over Laos during the Vietnam war. As a group, we donated money to their cause after being truly moved by the stories we heard.

What were your favourite cities and why?
Luang Prabang for the night markets, time spent with the monks and elephants, and the amazing bike ride we did around the city; and Chiang Mai in Thailand because the cooking class was just so good!

What’s the most memorable place you visited?
There are so many to choose from, so I’m going to share a favourite experience and a favourite place:
My favourite place was definitely the famous Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. My favourite experience was in Vang Vieng in Laos; we had a free day to do whatever we wanted, but our trip manager, Az, organised for those who wanted a morning kayak down the river. FOMO set in and nearly all the group chose to
do the kayaking. When we got there, we were surprised with first going caving on tubes: 20 of us in a pitch black cave, lying on tubes pulling ourselves along a rope with flash lights on our heads singing “in the jungle, the mighty jungle” – so random and so fun! Then we jumped on the kayaks. It was just our group on the river, mountains on either side and we had a speaker on one of the kayaks playing awesome music. It was so great to be all together surrounded by such beauty.

What parts of the trip receive the biggest reaction from passengers or would you say were the main highlights?
Tough one – there were so many – but there was one day on the trip referred to as the BEST DAY EVER in Luang Prabang: we woke up at 5am to bless the monks, referred to as offering of the arms. Then we visited an elephant sanctuary where all the elephants are rescued from logging farms or tourist parks where they were mistreated. After that, we travelled to the beautiful Kuang Si Falls, the water was so aqua blue it was amazing, and then we headed to the markets for dinner and a few drinks – a great relaxed way to end THE BEST DAY EVER. But there is one highlight that everyone shared on the trip and that was getting to know each other and becoming a family. You really do make friends for life on a Contiki trip.

Does the food change much from Thailand to Laos to Cambodia? Is there a particular delicacy passengers have to try from each country?
Yeah, definitely slight variations. You felt the French influence in Laos; their bread was amazing and you could get these awesome salad and chicken rolls at the markets for a few dollars. I love my chilli and the Tom Yum soup in Thailand was awesome, as was the Penang Curry.

Are there opportunities throughout the trip for passengers to meet local people? What sort of experience can they expect?
Having a local guide in every city helped get us off the beaten track into lesser known areas to try food and meet people. My favourite story about meeting locals was in Bangkok: I along with three other girls on the trip left the buzzing tourist night spot one evening to head back to the hotel. We got a little lost and spotted a tiny bar playing Jazz music. We walked in and everyone looked at us – we were definitely the only tourists in the place! The band were all Thai playing the most awesome Jazz tunes. Everyone was seated listening to the music – but within 10 minutes we created a dance floor and had all the locals up on their feet dancing the night away. Such a random night, great story and legendary moment!

How can passengers ensure they get value for money at the many markets? Can you suggest items that are worth buying or any haggling tips?
I found haggling so hard at first. Especially when you convert it and realise you’re fighting over a dollar! One golden rule: never compare what you paid with someone else – if you’re happy with the price and the merchant’s happy with the price then you got a good deal. As a rough guide, always halve the price and then work up from there landing somewhere in the middle. Silk scarves are a must in Cambodia. The artwork at the night markets in Luang Prabang were amazing!

In three words why should people book an Asian Adventure?
Unforgettable, unimaginable, unbelievable.

The Asian Adventure with Contiki Holidays costs from $2,299pp and includes accommodation, internal
transport, a tour group, a trip manager, local tour guides and a total of 17 meals over 14 days.

The Asian Adventure is one of many Contiki Holidays Asian trips from 9-25 days. If you’ve only got a few weeks to travel or if you’re looking to experience Asia and make new friends along the way, definitely consider organised group travel as an option. It’s great to share your experiences with likeminded people, and even better if they’re with you for the ride. Give Contiki a call on 1300-188-635, head to Contiki.com or visit your local travel agent.