Kipling & Clark February 2013 E-Newsletter!

Drop Here  will fly +16 hours to Delhi, take a 6 hour train to Kathgodam station, followed by a 3.5 hour private drive from Kathgodam to the Almora region, and finally a 2.5 hour trek to the sleepy idyllic village of Deora in the Himalaya foothills of Eastern India. (Thank god for porters!) *(Please note our complete itinerary in the Newsletter)  Drop Here Kipling & Clark Luxury Travel  E-Newsletter: January 2013 Drop Here The Lynch tribe in Provence Greetings friends, clients, and global partners! In the grips of our Chicago winter, with Chinese/Lunar New Year approaching, Bev, Zen, and I look forward to Northern Hemisphere destinations (Japan/China/Europe/Mediteranian Rim) and the pleasant April-September spring/summer/fall weather conditions. We are presently at the peak of Southeast Asia/India/South Pacific/ South America travel season. With clients currently traveling in India, Argentinia, Chile, Vietnam. Cambodia, Burma, and New Zealand, we are respectfully monitoring their daily activities, while always planning some fun surprises! Bev, Zen, her 6th grade classmate ,Felicia, and I are preparing for our brief February break return trip to Cambodia and Thailand. In addition to a scenic helicopter flyover of our beloved Angkor Wat, we will visit Zen's water well village project, have an early morning sunrise Buddhist blessing ceremony at Damnak Temple, and bring some happy treats to the lovely kids at the Children Development orphanage. Children Development Organization. The Thailand portion of our travels includes a return to the lush, green, Four Seasons Chiang Mai, a fun visit to the Maesa Elephant Camp (Mahout elephant training) and, of course, Tiger Kingdom- petting the baby tigers. This is always on top of Zen's Chiang Mai activities list! Please note below our selected private tours (spring/summer/fall) that we have prepared for clients this past year--by the very nature of what we do, each private luxury tour is custom, exclusive, and unique onto itself. We are grateful for the interesting array of noteworthy clients we serve--heartfelt thanks to all of you! Safe Travels / Godspeed!  Randy Lynch CEO rlynch@kiplingandclark.com www.kiplingandclark.com www.travnet.net Drop Here Japan Sakura/Cherry Blossoms (late March/early April) Drop Here Drop Here Kyoto's Sakura/Cherry blossoms--emphmeral, imperfect, wabi-sabi-esque Having visted Japan four of the last five April Sakura/cherry blossom seasons, Bev, Zen, and I freely admit that Japan is our favorite, compelling destination in all of Asia.  Its unique wabi-sabi aesthetics, the mangificent Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, the high-touch luxury ryokans, and onsen hot baths-- and I did not even get to Japan's amazing food! For last minute family travel, Japan is certainly low-maintenance- NO PILLS, NO VISAS, and NO SHOTS and perhaps the most meticulously clean country on the planet.  Also, the YEN/USD exchange rate has finally reached the 90 level tipping point-- good news for all of us! 7 day Japan/Spring Break Private Tour  Drop Here India Travel for 2013 Drop Here Drop Here Breakfast with a view- from Alai Village The remote areas of Uttarakhand, India and Kumaon at the foothills of the Himalayas have been on our Lynch family "to do" list for quite some time. The various "village walks" offer an authentic snapshot of rural life in the doorstep of the Himalayan mountains. The treks traverse the terraced foot-hills with over night "home-stays" in various villages. Although basic (as compared to the luxury properties we normally use) the accommodations are clean and comfortable. Rest assured any trivial shortcomings are more than compensated for by the genuine warmth and kindness of your colorful hosts! Combining the Himalayan landscape with stopovers in Delhi and the other worldly Varanasi makes this a truly compelling cultural travel experience. We feel James Hilton's novel, Lost Horizon, may have been referring to this magical area! 11 Day India-Himalayan Private Tour / Cultural Trek Drop Here China Travel for 2013 Drop Here Drop Here Shanghai - an apt metaphor for China's growth and confidence.  Although impossible to cover in one trip, we feel our 17 day China private luxury tour is an ideal platform for discovering the wide contrasts between north, south, east and west. Clients and our Lynch family alike feel this is one of our most rewarding family excursions. Starting with hyper-drive Hong Kong, you continue to the remote areas of Yunnan, rich in Tibetian culture. 10,000 feet in elevation and situated on the southern edge of the Qinghai/Tibetian plateau, you subsequently visit Chengdu and the Panda Research Center and enjoy a private audience with a baby panda-- this is much fun! The balance of the trip covers the lush, green landscapes and karst rock formations of Guilin, historical Beijing (tobagon down the Wall at Mutianyue!) and ending in Shanghai, our favorite young, high-energy city in all of China! If you wish to explore China this summer, we feel this is the custom choice!  17 day China Private Tour Drop Here Drop Here The endearing panda's at The Panda Research Center/Chengdu-- among our favorite China stopovers Drop Here Turkey, France, Italy/Switzerland and Morocco Drop Here Istanbul Pont Julien- all hail Rome!  Drop Here Among our many global travels, Bev, Zen, and I consider Paris to be no less than the most beautiful and culturally enriching city in the world! Similar to Kyoto, Japan, we feel Paris is complete aesthetic perfection. Walking through the various boulevards and neighborhoods, you are teased with numerous wonderful artifacts: iconic landmarks, the amazing Louvre (private touring), the underground catecombs, lush green parks, and all those quaint bistros. We highly recommend a 5-day extension to Provence/Antibes in June- the approximate time to discover the blooming lavender fields!  Drop Here Drop Here Hotel du Cap- Located in Antibes, our clients consdier Hotel du Cap to be the best luxury hotel in all of Europe. (The Lynch's agree!) Drop Here 11 day Turkey / France Private Tour 17 day Italy / Switzerland Private Tour  11 day Central Europe Private Tour 7 day Morocco Private Tour Drop Here POILANE BAKERY- The "Louis Vitton of French Bakeries!"  We feel their signature sourdough "miche" loaf is too good to pass up when in Paris.  Drop Here Drop Here Drop Here llo fellow global- kid travelers!  Our Cambodia/Thailand February break trip!  - My sixth grade classmate, Felicia, and I are psyched about our short February break trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Our goal is to raise enough money at Francis Parker School bake sale tomorrow to pay for one water well at a village near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our Cambodian guide, Pahl, is counting on us to come through! (www.angkorwellproject.org). - I look forward to introducing Felicia to my friends at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, and my favorite activity there - the morning rides on the hotel's water buffalos!  -Maesa Elephant Camp- this place is AWESOME- we ride the elephants, learn the commands, bathe the elephants in the river, and finally end with a painting session with the elephants- Yes, these elephants can actually paint and draw with their trunks!  -Tiger Kingdom- Wow- petting baby tigers!  -Yes, our sixth-grade girls basketball team is 0-4, but we have PMA-- Positive Mental Attitude! Safe Travels, Everyone! Zen P.S. Happy birthdays to Laverne, Aunt Judy, Grandma Sonya, Suzanne from UA, Sweet Lily and lastly, Uncle Gamini!  Drop Here My first visit to Maesa Elephant Camp back in 2008! Drop Here And last but not least... travNET International First and Business Class air fare mavens, Gamini , Marta, and Laura say hello to all!