Here are some adventure travel ideas from Asia Transpacific Journeys:
India -- Become a camel trader for a day at the annual Pushkar Camel Fair, touching a tradition that is thousands of years old. Join the locals in their raucous melee by inspecting the animals, haggling over price, and buying a “ship of the desert,” assisted by a knowledgeable local guide. It’s probably not a good idea to bring the camel home with you. Better idea is to have the proceeds from its subsequent sale donated to a local orphanage. Cost: $300 per day.
Myanmar (Burma) -- Charter a private hot air balloon to freely float above thousands of pagodas on a Burmese plain called Bagan, on a par with Angkor Wat as the most wondrous sight in Asia. Watch as the rays of the setting sun glint and glimmer on the gilded domes, then gently descend to attend a private dinner within the grounds of a tranquil temple. Candlelight and traditional music complete an immersion in the mystical ambience of an ancient age. Cost: $440 per person.
Cambodia -- Discover remote Beng Mealea on a private, 3-day drive to this newly opened portion of the country that reveals incredible ancient Khmer Empire ruins. It’s as if undiscovered portions of the Parthenon or Circus Maximus suddenly came to light and no one was around to see them but you. With no buses, bustling or hustling, travelers are given full reign for magical, imaginative explorations. Our knowledgeable private guides will illuminate the Hindu hieroglyphics and Buddhist carvings. Cost: $$275 per person per day.
China – Catch up with a thriving art scene. Beijing’s Factory 798 is the epicenter. An eminent art critic is your guide through this decommissioned military factory, transformed into a space that rivals New York City’s Soho and the Left Bank of Paris for drawing artists, designers and new culturists. Move through the Bauhaus structure, still splattered with Mao slogans from the Cultural Revolution, past restaurants, bars and bookstores. Meet the artists in their studios, and get expert advice on who’s the Next Big Thing among the rising galaxy of tomorrow’s geniuses. Cost: $300 per person per day.
National Geographic Traveler (Oct 2006) selected Asia Transpacific Journeys’ Burma Trip as one of “50Tours of a Lifetime”
