Bangkok

I was pleased this week to be asked by a producer from PeterGreenberg.com to contribute to a feature on Peter's Website named "Off the Brochure". Peter is an Emmy award-winning journalist; he's the Travel Editor for NBC’s Today show, CNBC and MSNBC. He's also a best-selling author. I was asked to give some recommendations for travelers who want to experience Bangkok beyond the typical tourist sites.

One of my suggestions included enrolling in a cooking school. Ever think to do that on your vacation?!

You can check out the entire feature at: http://www.petergreenberg.com/2007/08/14/off-the-brochure-bangkok/

I am fortunate to have visited Bangkok at least 20 times! I thought to share with you my three favorite things to do in Bangkok:

- Take a private long-boat excursion through Bangkok's many residential canals. Here you see the entire spectrum of Thai life from the high-end wealthy estates to the more modest homes, along with floating markets and spirit houses. There are many great spots to stop for lunch!

- My wife, daughter and I always love returning to one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, The Oriental. One of our favorite things to do is to spend a relaxing afternoon at The Oriental's wonderful spa, situated across the river from the hotel in a Thai-style golden teak wood house. The Oriental truly defines understated luxury. Check it out here: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/

- Antique shopping is terrific in Bangkok. Some of the most interesting pieces of Asian art we have acquired have come from our visits to Bangkok. We had a beautiful 19th century Tibetan chest shipped back to Chicago from our last visit!

At Kipling & Clark, we've created a wonderful sample itinerary for an expedition to Cambodia and Thailand. Paste this link into your browser to see what your trip could look like:

http://www.kiplingandclark.com/pagesNew/KC_Thailand_Family_Tour_Itin2.pdf

I think you'll be amazed at all there is to experience - I know I'm looking forward to my next visit!

Quick Facts About China

- 16 out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are located in China.

- Shanghai had 15 skyscrapers in 1978 and by last year, it had about 3,000 - more than LA and Chicago combined.

- In 2006, Hong Kong’s stock exchanged raised $42.7 billion in IPOs – more than London, Tokyo, or New York.

India and Yunnan - Amazing Destinations

Kipling & Clark recently expanded our destinations to include the Yunnan Province of China, and India. Now for anyone who has ever had an interest in India, this is the time go. India is the most multi-cultural, colorful destination in all of Asia, and Kipling & Clark’s 11- day private luxury tour combines culture with pampered adventure. A custom itinerary may include a stay at the regal Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, a visit to the tiger reserves in Ranthambore National Park and a tour of the priceless art collection of the Imperial Hotel in New Delhi.

Along with India, we are very pleased to add beautiful and ethnically-diverse Yunnan to our destinations. Picture this: walking the cobblestone alleyways of Lijiang, being awed by the mountain vistas of the Pudacuo National Park in the Tibetan township of Shangri-La County and enjoying the highest level of personal attention and service at the two luxurious Banyan Tree Resorts and the much-anticipated Aman Resort in the Diqin area northwest of Zhongdian. These are among the finest resort properties in the world! Kipling & Clark is thrilled to continue providing our clients with this level of world-class style, sophistication and spectacular hospitality.

Quick Facts about Japan

- Unlike any other Asian country, you can drink the tap water in Japan.

- Travelers must use Japanese Yen – in Japan no one likes to accept United States currency.

- Tipping is practically unheard of Japan. All restaurants and hotels add a 10% service charge and a 5% consumption tax to the final bill.
After leaving a tip at a nice restaurant in Kyoto this past April, two of the restaurant staff literally ran after me and my family believing we had left the money accidentally!

- Reflecting Japan's egalitarianism, CEOs in Japan earn on average 60 times their average employee's pay in contrast to the U.S., where the average CEO makes 450 times the pay of their average employee.

Ni hao! Konichiwa!

I am thrilled to launch this blog because it gives me a platform to express my great passion, interest, savvy and love for the Far East. I founded Kipling & Clark on two concepts – a love for Asia, and a desire for independent, high-touch luxury travel. I’ve been in love with Asia and Asian culture since my college days, and upon graduation I launched what would be a 25 year career in luxury travel, specifically luxury travel to the Pacific Rim. Early in my career, while working at Korean Air, I spent weeks at a time in Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. Business trips lead to pleasure trips and I quickly became an expert in traversing the lands and air travel. My wife Beverly shared my interest in the Pacific Rim, but she also had a passion for exclusive travel –staying at beautiful luxury properties and touring the Far East’s most unique locations. Ultimately, Beverly’s penchant for independent travel inspired the creation of Kipling & Clark.

The Far East has granted us so many wonderful travel experiences, as well as many long-lasting Asia-based friendships. China, in particular, gave us our most precious gift, our daughter Zennia, whom we adopted from Guangdong Province six years ago. As a family, Beverly, Zen and I have traveled together to 12 Asian countries, logged over 300,000 United Airlines miles, and experienced some of the most exotic resorts and hotels in the world, including nearly every Four Seasons and Peninsula hotel property in Asia, the Amankila in Bali, the wonderful Raffles hotels in Cambodia, and the magnificent Oberoi resorts of India. Following in the steps of her parents, Zen has become a truly intrepid and pampered Kipling and Clark traveler!

I wish this blog to showcase all the beautiful, interesting and compelling places in Asia that hold a special place in my heart. I also want to introduce you to friends and colleagues who have experienced these once-in-a-lifetime trips to Asia – you will be so impressed with their excitement, insights and experiences. Thanks for coming along with me; we’re going to have a truly fabulous trip!