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| DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY: | |
| Day
1 LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO or NEW YORK to
HONG KONG Board your Cathay Pacific Airways jetliner for your transpacific flight. |
|
| Day
2 IN FLIGHT ACROSS THE PACIFIC 4/27/07> | |
| HONG KONG | |
| Day 3 ARRIVE HONG KONG | |
| Arrive in Hong Kong. Check in to the Miramar Hotel. | |
| Day 4 HONG KONG | |
| Hong Kong
dazzles with a dynamism and a go-getting spirit that pleasingly sets it
apart from the rest of exotic Asia. Our Hong Kong Circle Island tour shows
Stanley Market's bargain-filled stalls, the beaches of fashionable Repulse
Bay, and Aberdeen's sampan colony. End with a coach ride up to Victoria
Peak for a panoramic view of the city. MEALS: American Breakfast |
|
| Day 5 HONG KONG | |
| Free day
to explore. Perhaps visit Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. For information
on this tour and other optional tours in Hong Kong. MEALS: American Breakfast |
|
| THAILAND | |
| Day 6 HONG KONG to BANGKOK | |
| Today fly
to Bangkok where you are met and transferred to the Century Park Hotel
to relax. MEALS: American Breakfast |
|
| Day 7 BANGKOK | |
| Regal dignity
and Buddhist serenity unfold as you visit the Grand Palace complex, the
100-building former residence of the Thai royal family and the city's most
recognizable landmark. At sacred Wat Phra Kaeo behold the rare and priceless
Emerald Buddha. After lunch, visit the Jim Thompson House, furnished with
priceless antiques, porcelains and works of art. This evening, enjoy a classical
Thai dance performance with your dinner of sumptuous traditional specialties. MEALS: American Breakfast, lunch, Dinner Show |
|
| Day 8 BANGKOK | |
| After breakfast,
we drive through the countryside to Damnernsaduak and its Floating Market,
where vendors hawk their exotic goods along the canals (klongs) from produce-laden
skiffs. Visit Nakorn Pathom, the tallest pagoda in the world. Lunch at the
Rose Garden Country Resort ushers us into an afternoon of magical sights
and sounds: a Thai fingernail dance, a Buddhist ordination ritual, Northern
Hilltribe folk dances, exciting Thai boxing and sword fighting, a traditional
Thai wedding ceremony, and rousing demonstrations of working elephants.
Tonight you may wish to enjoy an optional seafood dinner at a local restaurant. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch |
|
| Day 9 BANGKOK to AYUTTHAYA/SARABURI/ LOPBURI/PITSANULOKE | |
| Our luxury
coach takes you on a short and scenic trip hundreds of years back into Thailand's
history. Visit the somber ruins of ancient Ayutthaya, glorious capital of
the Thais from 1350 to 1767. The inspiration for modern-day Bangkok, Ayutthaya
awes even the most well-traveled with Wat Mongkol Borphlit's imposing bronze
statuary, serene Phanan Cheong by the water, and three towering pagodas.
Nearby, Saraburi is home to the Phra Buddha Bhat, a holy temple that enshrines
the Footprint of the Lord Buddha. After lunch, continue to Lopburi where
you visit the Pagoda of Three Spires, Monkey Temple, and the Narai Raja
Nivas Palace Museum before arriving at Pitsanuloke for dinner and overnight
at the Hotel Amarin Lagoon. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
|
| Day 10 PITSANULOKE to SUKHOTHAI/ LAMPANG | |
| Discover
why Wat Phra Si Ratana Maha That's statue of the Buddha is Pitsanuloke's
most venerated. We drive on to the magnificent ruins of palaces and temples
in Thailand's first capital, the legendary Sukhothai. The artifacts of Ramkamhaeng
Museum, and historic Si Satchanalai, round out the day's treasure-filled
sightseeing. Dinner and overnight at Lampang River Lodge. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
|
| Day 11 LAMPANG to LAMPHUN/CHIANGMAI | |
| Today we
visit Lampang's important Buddhist sites including the temple at Ko Kah,
home to the only Emerald Buddha other than at Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok,
and the pagodas of Wat Chedi Sao. Continue to Lamphun and visit the Haripoonchai
temple. At noon, arrive in Chiangmai for lunch and a walking tour of the
Home Industries Village, boasting a plethora of intricate fabric, jewelry,
lacquerware and other gems of Thai handicraft. Dinner and overnight at the
Chiangmai Plaza Hotel. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
|
| Day 12 CHIANGMAI | |
| Feel the
presence of seven centuries of history as you visit ornate temples, the
ancient city wall and the hilltop shrine of Doi Suthep. The rest of the
day is free to relax or explore at your own pace. Tonight we treat you to
a dinner of northern Kantoke cuisine and a charming cultural show by graceful
hill tribe performers. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Show |
|
| Day 13 CHIANGMAI to HMONG HILL TRIBE VILLAGE | |
|
Today is highlighted
by a trip to a working elephant camp to see the gentle giants' feats of
brawn and brain. You may opt to try an age-old mode of jungle transport:
perched atop a tame elephant's back. Visit a fragrant orchid plantation
and enjoy lunch. A drive to a Meo hill tribe village follows, capped by
a barbecue dinner and Meo cultural performance. You'll stay at the Hmong
Lodge. |
|
| Day 14 HMONG HILL TRIBE VILLAGE to THATON/CHIANGRAI | |
| This morning,
drive to a colorful marketplace at Fang. Then on to Thaton near the Burmese
border for a hearty lunch. A boat ride along the Kok River is the day's
high point. We glide past villages hewn from the jungle, go on shore to
see native life, and navigate a stretch of rapids. At a Lahu hill tribe
village, you view holy relics enshrined in a cave. We settle at Chiangrai's
Wiang Inn Hotel for dinner and overnight. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
|
| Day 15 CHIANGRAI to GOLDEN TRIANGLE/BANGKOK | |
| This morning
visit the legendary Golden Triangle, the junction of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand
and Laos. Enjoy a boat trip with picnic lunch on the Mekong River. You then
fly to Bangkok and transfer to the Century Park Hotel. Enjoy a farewell
dinner at the hotel this evening. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
|
| Day 16 BANGKOK to LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO or NEW YORK | |
| Fly homeward today aboard a Cathay Pacific Airways jetliner or extend your tour with our 3 Day Angkor Wat or 4 Day Krabi Beach extensions. |
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| Last Revised 9/15/06 |