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A hearty hello from 'The Land of Smiles'!
With summer holidays in the northern hemisphere winding down now is the perfect time to start thinking about a tropical holiday in Asia. We have a great slate of adventures on offer with some new destinations in the works and December/January dates almost full.
In this addition of 'Albino Smiles' we'll give you the latest on our incredible Nepal adventure, bring you up to speed on the continually growing "award-winning" Smiling Albino (SA) Team, an update on some community programs, a delicious recipe and lots of other neat bits.
After two sold-out installments of the 'Nepal Grand Slam' we're gearing up for a fourth (the third is sold-out) starting on February 14, 2008. This multi-activity, multi-transport adventure is an incredible introduction to many sides of this fascinating kingdom. Check out the itinerary and consider joining us. Nepal is a must experience for lovers of the outdoors!
Walking Kathmandu's back alleys
Our first official forays into Cambodia have been a rousing success. After several 'Exquisite Thailand & Cambodia' trips we're looking for more fun travelers to join us on future dates. This trip explores some of the kingdom's hidden gems that are outside Smiling Albino's regular stomping grounds, exposes you to plush hotels, incredible food, motorbiking some of Thailand's most thrilling roads and of course stunning Angkor Wat.
We've been hard at work visiting hotels and beaches in various regions of Krabi province and thoughtfully compiled 'Beach Escapes'. There's something here for every traveler that is sure to leave you relaxed, reenergized and soothed from the sun's rays.
With Christmas/New Years not so far off (those trees will be up in your local department store before you know it) we have a few more spots left on our December/January 'Siamese Dream', 'Full Albino' and Summit Siam adventures. Celebrate the festive season on the other side of the world!
Smiling Albino was named 'Best New Company' at the 11th annual Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce 'Business Excellence Awards' held in Bangkok on May 25, 2007. The gala dinner with more than 200 persons in attendance was presided over by the Canadian ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Denis Comeau and was a very fun evening. The Awards are designed to promote Thai-Canadian trade and to acknowledge achievements of the Thai-Canadian business community. The award for 'Best New Company' recognizes a business which has made significant accomplishments and displayed innovative management and growth in its first five full years of business.
Dan/Scott receive their award
SA was recently long-listed along with 179 other organizations for a '2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award'. We're delighted to have been singled-out in the 'Best for Conservation of Cultural Heritage' category. We'll let you know in the next edition of Albino Smiles if we are victorious.
Our office keeps growing. Nui has joined us fulltime as our Office Manager and is training to soon boss Daniel and Scott around. Yao has also recently come on board as our head book keeper and is counting each and every Baht. Welcome to the Team!
We've recently been designing and hosting a lot of custom adventures in Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal. Remember, SA is always ready to create your dream experience: fine dining, architecture, local expert hosts, motorbiking, luxury yachts - everything is possible.
Our most recent board member was recently announced. We're proud to have Marijka Danielle Octavia Fraser Kuipers, the second child of SA co-founders Todd and Sue Kuipers, join our team!
SA adventurers Rebekah & Marcel Preteau, who enjoyed the inaugural Nepal Grand Slam in October 2006, graciously donated funds to build a new school in the Chepang hills of Nepal. We inspected the school during the February Slam and are happy to report it's open and being enjoyed by the students. Thanks Rebekah & Marcel!
Camping next to the new school
SA co-founder Daniel Fraser will be visiting the US and Canada this November and hopefully sharing a beer with lots of clients along the way. If you'd like him to speak to your group about Smiling Albino and his experiences living in SE Asia, drop us a line and he'll make it happen. Dan is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Calgary. Looking forward to seeing you!
Thais generally hand things with their right hand while grasping the elbow of that arm with their left hand. This is an ancient courtesy that keeps both hands visible when meeting a stranger, putting both persons (hopefully) at ease and eliminating suspicion.
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