ITINERARY FOR EMPIRES OF THE NEAR EAST
INDIA, THAILAND, BANGLADESH
INDIA
1) Memories of War and Love Arriving in Delhi, seeing some
of the temples, Humayun's Tomb, visiting the Red Fort, then north to Amritsar in the
land of the Punjabi, visiting the Golden Temple, shopping, watching Bhangra dances
and gatka martial arts, then from there east to Manali in the Himalayas, to sight-see
and ski.
2) Tigers and Traditions In Agra, visiting the Taj Mahal as well
as Agra's Red Fort and the ancient city of Fatehpur Sikri, then south to the tiger
preserves, first Bandhavgarh to explore from an elephant's back. A day excursion to Khajuraho and then to the large Kanha preserve to explore from a "gypsy."
3) Spice Airs and Sea Breezes Arriving in Kerala, in the city of
Kochi, sight-seeing, shopping, an excursion to Allepey for a day in a houseboat on
the backwaters, watching a kathakali dance performance, visiting a kalari to see
martial arts Kerala style, then to Munnar in the hills of tea and spice plantations, then
back up the coast to Goa and its beaches.
43) Dunes and Palaces In Mumbai, formerly Bombay,
to sight-see, then an all-day excursion to the stone carvings of the
Ellora Caves with a stop at the ancient fortress of Daulatabad before
continuing north to Jaisalmer to stay in a palace and take a camel
safari across the sand dunes. Then on to Jaipur to stay in another palace, ride elephants up to see the fortress, see the Jantar Mantar, the City
Palace, shop, and enjoy the elegance of the Samode Palace's Maharajah Night.
THAILAND
1) Beautiful Bangkok Sight-seeing in Bangkok, the Royal
Palace and the Emerald Buddha, several temples, the royal dragon boats, a dinner
show of classical Thai dance, an excursion to the floating market in Ratchaburi en
route to the notorious bridge over the River Kwai and then on to the world's second largest sapphire mine.
2)Elephants and Candlewax In a "long tail" motorboat,
up to Ayutthaya to tour by tuk-tuk some of the ancient sites and monuments, a visit to
the Royal Kraal Elephant Pavilion for the show, including war elephants, a stop to shop at
the river island of Koh, then a flight to Sakhon Nakhon for the "wax candle" parade of
floats as well as the Nakhom Phanom festival across the river, and on to Chiang Mai
and an elephant ride through teakwood forests.
3) Combat, Craft and Cultures In Chiang Mai, a day at Kuat Busaba, a premier Thai boxing training center, sight-seeing and shopping for
special crafts, including a visit to Ban Roi An Phan Yang, the teakwood store and museum, a traditional Likay show, visiting Hill Tribes en route to Nan, the silk center.
4) Endless Beaches To Hua Hin, long a royal beach favorite,
then sight-seeing en route to Pattaya, seeing some sights in Pattaya and an excursion to
Rayong, and a scuba dive out of Pattaya. Then south to Krabi and the islands of the Andaman Sea, --
the Phi Phi, the Phang Nga, and the Similan, considered by Cousteau
as one of the ten best dive sites in the world.
BANGLADESH
1) Moghul Memories
Arrival in "crazy Dhaka" at the Tropical Inn Hotel, riding
in a rickshaw to see the sights like the Hindu Dhakeshwari Temple and the
beautiful Star Mosque, then taking a van out to Shahid Minar,
memorial to martyrs of the Language War.  2) Tea and Tigers
A flight north to visit the tea plantations and fruit
orchards of Sylhet, then back to Dhaka to board "The Rocket"
heading for the wildlife and tigers of the Sundarbans
 3 "My Golden Bengal"
Driving up through
the jute and rice fields of western Bangladesh, visiting women's
artisan cooperatives,ancient Buddhist ruins, and the silk weavers of Rajishah
 4 Ploons and Prawns
South again to Chittagong, arriving at The Golden Inn and sight-seeing,
then a two-day excursion into a Mru village, one of the most unique
of the Hill Tribes, then to the long, unbroken, shark-free beach of
Cox Bazaar, an excurion out to the sacred island of
Maheskhali and its ancient art of ship-building, then back to Dhaka
for a farewell dinner.
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