Mandalay is the base for exploring the ‘ancient cities’

King Mindon Min built his walled palace, with each side extending 1.2 miles, in 1875. The surrounding moat is 230 feet wide and almost 10 feet deep. During WWII, the royal palace was destroyed by fire. The original walls, the moat and the base on which the wooden palace buildings and apartment stood remain today. Because Mandalay Palace was far more than just a royal living quarters (it was a walled city within Mandalay), the palace has been reconstructed. Most people like it in Burma tour / Myanmar tour.

Despite its Ayeyarwady river location 88 km north of Nyaung U, Myingyan sort a rhymes with engine sees very few travelers, as major bus routes bypass the bumpier roads that come here. Some long distance Myanmar boats stop at the Ayeyarwady clocks, just west of town, but not the Mandalay Bagan express boats.
Finally, Mandalay is the base for exploring the ‘ancient cities’ along the course of the Ayeyarwady River – please see the ‘Daytrips from Mandalay’ page of our website. Return to the Golden City in the evening for sunset from Mandalay Hill, a delicious meal, and an atmospheric walk along the Royal city moat.

Siem Reap to Battambang

Cambodia’s second largest city lies in the heart of the Northwest and until the war years was the leading rice-producing province of the country. Battambang did not give way to the Khmer Rouge movement until after the fall of Phnom Penh, but it’s been in the center of the ongoing government Khmer Rouge conflict ever since the Vietnamese invasion in 1979 pushed the genocidal regime out of Phnom Penh and to the Northwest. Most people like it in Indochina Cambodia tour or Vietnam Cambodia Thailand Tours.

Siem Reap to Battambang

Boat Daily ferry departs in each direction at 7:00am. $18-$25/person. It's a picturesque, 6-8 hour journey across the Tonle Sap and along the Sangker River in the wet season, but can be considerably longer or cancelled in the dry season due to low water levels. Ask about current conditions. The boats in no way meet international safety standards.

Road (National Routes #6 and #5, via Sisophon): The road from Battambang to Siem Reap around the west side of the lake is in excellent condition.

Bus At least four bus companies (including Capitol Tours, Phnom Penh Sorya and Rith Mony) run two or three daily a/c buses, most leaving in the morning. Buy tickets at the bus company office. $4-$5, 2½-3 hours.

Taxi A private taxi costs $40-$45 and takes about 3 hours.

Air There are currently no regularly scheduled flights to Battambang.

The Plain of Jars has all the ingredients to stir the imagination

The Plain of Jars has all the ingredients to stir the imagination. Shrouded in mystery and myth, and laced with intrigue and tragedy, this is a bizarre collection of ancient cylinders scattered in their hundreds across the war-scarred countryside of northern Laos's Xieng Khuang province.
Many agents are not willing to commit to a price or even an itinerary until he knows how many tourists will sign up, and he will only know so around 19:00 after the last bus arrives from Vientiane/Vang Vieng/Luang Prabang. A good bet is to ask around to get a feel of which agent you are comfortable with, and return at 19:00 to double-check if he's still doing a group tour the next day. A simple lunch of beef/chicken noodles is usually included in the tour price. Most people like it in Laos tour or Laos tour package.

Should you fail to get into a group tour, agents are willing to do a private tour for 1 tourist in a minibus, but the price vary greatly from 300,000 kip to 500,000 kip or more.