BOULDER, Colo. -- Asia Transpacific Journeys here set one of the
more intriguing itineraries tied to the millennium.
The company's Ancient Monuments of Southeast Asia program boasts
visits to four archaeological attractions -- Angkor Wat, Borobudur,
Pagan and Ayuthaya -- and culminates with a New Year's Eve
celebration at Cambodia's Angkor Wat and a stay at the new Raffles
Grand Royal D'Angkor property there.
ATJ co-owner and marketing director Marilyn Staff designed the
tour.
Sometimes it seems millennium itineraries come with a price tag
that was 999 years in the making, and this program is no exception.
The millennium version of the Ancient Monuments of Southeast Asia
tour costs $5,595 per person, land only. The air component, which
includes international air as well as a dizzying array of regional
flights using Singapore as a hub, costs an additional $2,495.
In comparison, October, November and February departures of the
itinerary start at $3,345, land only.
The only real difference between the programs, Staff said, are
accommodations in the Grand Hotel D'Angkor and the increasingly
popular departure date.
"It's already selling for us," Staff said, "and in the grand
scheme of things, it's not that expensive for a millennium
program." Staff said the big ticket price -- which shrinks when
compared with other millennium programs, which can cost in the
range of $100,000 -- will draw monied clients. "[It also will
attract] the sophisticated traveler and probably the older
traveler," Staff said, "because it's not an active trip with hiking
or biking."
The paramount concern of most travelers is the security of the
destinations.
Cambodia and Indonesia have made headlines recently because of
explosive internal political struggles that led to deadly rioting
in Indonesia and all-out war preceding the most recent elections in
Cambodia. During the last year, the State Department issued severe
travel warnings and evacuated personnel in Java, where Borobudur is
located. There are still warnings of general banditry and guerrilla
activity on the outskirts of Siem Reap, site of Angkor Wat.
"The difficulties have been internal and [are not pointed
against] foreigners," Staff said of Indonesia, "and I would say the
same thing for Cambodia." Officials and tourism professionals
strive to keep the main tourist sites secure, he said, and that
includes the sites on the Ancient Monuments of Southeast Asia
tour.
The temple complex of Angkor Wat is one such site. It covers an
area roughly the size of Manhattan and was built more than 1,000
years ago, during the Khmer empire.
The stop at the Borobudur temple compound, near the central
Javanese cultural center of Yojakarta, includes a visit to
Prambanam, which many visitors enjoy more than the better-known
Borobudur.
Thailand's old capital, Ayuthaya, was destroyed by the Burmese
in the 18th century, but monasteries and massive towers remain.
Pagan -- or Bagan, as it was known before Myanmar's ruling junta
changed its name -- is perhaps the most stunning of all because of
its sheer expanse. The ancient metropolis features more than 5,000
pagodas built more than 1,000 years ago.
ATJ's 16-day millennium programs have two departure dates, Dec.
18 and 26, both of which feature a New Year's Eve celebration at
Angkor Wat.
Asia Transpacific Journeys
Phone: (800) 642-2742 or (303) 443-6789
Fax: (303) 443-7078
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.SoutheastAsia.-com