Many years ago, we were in a car in India, dodging cows and camels and cars and bicycles on the road back to Delhi. We hadn’t yet made it to the Taj Mahal, but there was no way we were leaving India without seeing it. Time was tight, but we figured that we could spare 45 minutes. It was a ridiculously short amount of time to see one of the world’s most beautiful, enduring, enchanting structures, but we did it in a mad rush, and barely made our flight. Was it worth it? You bet it was.

Point is, travel must sometimes bend to the reality of scheduling. Sure, an entire day at the Taj would have been magical, but it was 45 minutes or nothing, and it was fantastic.

Doing what we do, one of the more common questions we hear is if Angkor Wat can be done in a single day. That’s a really hard question to answer, because ‘Angkor Wat’ is often used to describe the entirety of Cambodia’s majestic 12^th century temple complex, which is around 400sq.km. You certainly can’t do that in a day. However, ‘Angkor Wat’ is also used to refer to several of the most-visited temples, as well as the single main temple of the complex, which, is technically the only one called Angkor Wat. So, the answer is yes. Probably. If you plan accordingly you can certainly see Angkor Wat (the building) and many of the most important temples with only a single-day pass from the park.

[Tweet “If you plan accordingly you can only see the most important Angkor temples with a day pass.”]

There are a few tips and tricks you’ll want to employ to get the most out of your day. First, you’ll need to rent a tuk-tuk. In Cambodia, these are two-wheeled carts pulled by motorcycles. You’ll get the most bang for your buck if you hire a driver for the whole day, and if you avoid trying to bargain him down to nothing he’ll usually go out of his way to make sure you have a great time. A few bucks goes a long way in Cambodia.

We suggest starting off by watching the sunrise at the main Angkor Wat temple. Yes, it’s crowded and the cameras are clicking away by the dozens, but the place is huge, and there are plenty of vantage points (and more than a few secret spots that your Smiling Albino guide can lead you to). This will be the main part of your day, and can easily take you right up to late morning, when you should treat yourself to a nice meal and a cool drink, as by this time it’s probably quite hot.

Realistically, you’ll probably have time to see about three more locations during the afternoon, as long as they’re not too far afield. There are dozens to choose from – the stoic stone faces of Bayon, the steep staircases of Baphuon, the overgrown majesty of Ta Prohm, the remote but beautiful Roluos, the intricately carved Banteay Srei, and many more. Do some research, ask around, and choose the ones you want to see the most.

By the end of the afternoon, you’ll likely be “templed out”. Let’s be honest – as magnificent as they are, there are only so many temples one can see in a single day before fatigue – both physical and mental – sets in.  While it’s certainly possible to see the key temples in a day, it’s important to stress that the temples are not Cambodia, and though they are found on their flag, there is more to Cambodia then just the temples. For a full Khmer experience, multiple days in the Kingdom are required.

A few quick tips:

Drink lots of water and take plenty of mini-breaks. Some tuk-tuk drivers will even have a cooler that you can stash your own drinks into. Despite having limited time, pace yourself and enjoy it.

If you want to squeeze a little extra time out of your ticket, buy it after 5pm the day before your main trip. These tickets are good for the last few hours of the first day, plus the entirety of the second day.

[Tweet “Get extra time out of an Angkor ticket, buy it after 5pm and get the rest of the day and the next!”]

For more information about Smiling Albino and what makes what we do so special, contact one of our travel enthusiasts today to ask about your next holiday.

The post Angkor Wat in One Day first appeared on Smiling Albino.

Smiling Albino provides insider access experience.

Which would you prefer – front row seats at a Rolling Stones concert, or a fold up chair in the corner where you can only view the band from an oblique angle?

It’s a no-brainer, right? Of course the front row seats are obviously better. That is… unless the fold-up is backstage and you’re sitting next to Neil Young and Bono who are enjoying the show with you.

I hesitate to compare a Smiling Albino adventure with backstage access at a Rolling Stones concert, for we’re far less noisy, however I think you understand the point. Often times, it’s more than just getting off the beaten track that leads to a more memorable experience.

Over a decade ago, when we first started planning our Smiling Albino experiences, we asked ourselves what events in life are truly memorable, and why? What is it that gives an experience impact and value?

We’ve found that in our time of on-the-ground planning and delivering trips for our friends and guests that the best experiences are usually a blend of both visited –  and less-visited – sites woven together into tasty brew of “seeing the sites” and experiencing the culture through the eyes of a local, and with a little creative flair added in, just for the memories.

Some outstanding experiences we have delivered recently:

– a private art tour hosted by one of Vietnam’s former Communist Art Police agents

– family bamboo raft building, then cruising it downriver in Northern Thailand

– A street-food adventure via motor-scooter and tuk-tuk in lesser known corners of Old Bangkok

For some, a holiday is checking items off of someone else’s list of things that they would like to see or do. Smiling Albino adds the insider access that oils the machinery of a great trip and ensures that in addition to those highlights, you also have something quite unique and memorable to bring home with you. Contact us today to find out how we can tailor an experience for you that you’ll be talking about for years to come, backstage, or otherwise.

Daniel B. Fraser

Adventure Highlights

From our Blog: Naypyidaw: Capital City Built from the Ground Up

Naypyidaw: Capital City Built from the Ground Up

Myanmar is a land that’s been essentially cut off from the world for the better part of five decades. Over the past few years, much has been written about its first official steps into the 21st century as the military slowly (sloooowly) loosens control on media, politics, and travel. Read more…

Dan spent a week in Myanmar in July finalizing the finishing touches for our newest tour edition “Asia’s Golden Land”. First adventure will happen this November! See full itinerary here. Contact Smiling Albino for inquiries and questions!

What’s Going On

Expat Entrepreneur Awards 2014

Held for the first time by The Big Chilli magazine and networking community Bangkok Now (BNow), the awards recognise expat-established companies for their creativity, ingenuity, excellence and success. Smiling Albino’s very own Daniel Fraser has been selected as a candidate. Check out his “Nomination VDO” here…

Destination Thailand Coming to Toronto Sept. 14

Destination Thailand is the first Thai Festival to take place in Toronto’s world famous Yonge-Dundas Square this coming September 14. Smiling Albino’s Dan Fraser is honoured to emcee the event which will showcase the best Thailand has to offer to the Canadians and tourists from around the world. The event will feature famous Thai food from local restaurants, Muay Thai, traditional Thai Dance, exotic fresh Thai fruits, Thai handicrafts, authentic Thai massage, world class Thai beer, live entertainments, lucky draws, and much more. Please visit Destination Thailand on facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationThailandToronto

What’s Coming Up…

Smiling Albino is offering three new and innovative Southeast Asia travel experiences.

Since 1999, Smiling Albino has been crafting memorable travel experiences in Southeast Asia and Nepal by capitalizing on local knowledge and personal connections. This year, Smiling Albino is offering three new and innovative tours for the active, luxury travel market: Multi-transport adventure through Myanmar, Insider’s Access SE Asia, and Luxury Train & Bike Adventures. These new experiences have been made possible by recent travel ban relaxations in Myanmar, new luxury en-suite train cars in Thailand and Smiling Albino’s tireless search for new and interesting local characters throughout the region. The Insider’s Access experiences feature everything from art discovery in Hanoi with a former communist art policeman, to market tours with acclaimed chefs in Bangkok, to walking tours of Phnom Penh with foreign and local journalists, to aerial discovery of outer Angkor with expert cartographers, to name but a few.

Contact Smiling Albino for inquiries and questions!

Connect With Smiling Albino!

Facebook and Twitter: “Like” and “follow” us on Facebook and Twitter and you will get tuned-in to the latest breaking news and hot tips on travel and adventure in Asia. Planet Asia Travel Channel: Subscribe to the Planet Asia Travel Channel and receive expert advice and insider tips on travel in Asia from the team at Smiling Albino and our network of in-the-know locals, expatriates, and travel enthusiasts. NEW on Google+ and Pinterest: Now even easier to connect and stay up to date with us! Contact: Get a hold of us any time.

The post More Experiences with Insider Access! – Albino Smiles August 2014 first appeared on Smiling Albino.

Until a cool and overcast Thursday in Oxfordshire, England, it was considered impossible for an athlete to run a mile in under four minutes. Sportsmen had been trying for decades to break the time barrier and some medical professionals of the day declared it an unreachable milestone.

On May 6th, 1954, the impossible suddenly became possible when Roger Bannister ran a mile in three minutes, 59.4 seconds.

When asked how he had done it, Bannister is alleged to have said that he simply visualized his objective, and had done it repeatedly in his own mind so many times that it was a certainty that his mind and body would be up to the task on race day.

That’s how we operate at Smiling Albino. When we design an itinerary for you, we don’t consider just what is possible, we visualize what the perfect experience should be, and then find ways to make it happen. It’s this careful blend of risk-taking and hard work that allows us turn great trips into unforgettable memories.

Some of our greatest trip moments and experiences have come from exploring imaginative new options in the pursuit of an innovative idea that we just “had” to make happen.  Not accepting the ordinary and pushing for perfect execution sometimes results with our guests thinking we have achieved the impossible. On occasion, we have done just that.

Daniel Fraser,
Smiling Albino Adventurer-in-Chief

Adventure Highlights:

Springtime in Nepal

March – May are one of the best times of year to visit Nepal, as the wet season is a few months away, and the coldest days of winter are already gone. In early spring – March and April – you can also see the flowers in full bloom.  It’s a great time to go for a hike, or even a ride on a classic Enfield Motorcycle through the Himalaya’s.

Our hand designed trips range from premiere properties, to tea house stays, all with a stunning backdrops.  We can serve up high-intensity rafting, trekking and biking pursuits, introduce you to local characters, amazing venues and everything in between.  Whether you are looking for an epic day in the saddle or a comfy chair and a copy of The Ascent of Rum Doodle in hand, we’ve got you covered.  What are you doing this spring? We can personalize your travel.

What’s Going On:

The Hairy Bikers Asian Adventure Show begins!

Smiling Albino knows Thai street food – and now so do The Hairy Bikers! We were hired to help Si and David with their Bangkok street food episode, and we took them to all of our favourite spots. Watch their show of the BBC Two to get an inside look at the street food scene – or call us and we can arrange a night of scrumptious discovery and dining.

Watch on Youtube! Watch on www.BBC.co.uk

Bagan’s Archaeological Gems

If you thought Angkor Wat was stunning than you need to get to Bagan!  It’s no secret that Myanmar is getting a lot of attention, and the incredible archeological gems of Bagan is simply a must do on any visit there.

Want a quick comparison to something you’re already familiar with? Check out our latest Blog post “Rustic Chic Bagan vs Classic Siem Reap”, talking about the differences between Bagan and Angkor Wat.

Explore Myanmar on a 12 day trip with us. Check it out!

Phare – The Cambodian Circus

In Siem Reap a new up and coming must see attraction is the modern and unique Cambodian Circus. The beginnings of the circus started 20 years ago after the Khmer Rouge regime when a group of young men found healing through the art of dance and performing. View the official Phare Cambodian Circus site.

The show depicts stories from everyday life and beliefs in Cambodia through inspiring dance, contortion and balancing acrobatic acts. There is many other attractions nearby, we can arrange your tour travel. Inquire here. 

Phare Ponleu Selpak is now branching out into schools to educate the poor in the area and giving them skills to earn a wage and come out of poverty. Help their project.

Connect With Smiling Albino!

Facebook and Twitter: “Like” and “follow” us on Facebook and Twitter and you will get tuned-in to the latest breaking news and hot tips on travel and adventure in Asia.

Planet Asia Travel Channel: Subscribe to the Planet Asia Travel Channel and receive expert advice and insider tips on travel in Asia from the team at Smiling Albino and our network of in-the-know locals, expatriates, and travel enthusiasts.

NEW on Google+ and Pinterest: Now even easier to connect and stay up to date with us!

Contact: Get a hold of us any time.

The post Albino Smiles – March 2014 Edition first appeared on Smiling Albino.

As with many questions that arise in the middle of a vacation, there is no one answer that fits everyone, but there are a few simple truths that everyone will experience when they arrive at either place. But first, a quick primer:

The temples at Siem Reap, Cambodia – part of the giant Angkor complex – are easily the country’s most visited, most famous, and highest earning tourist attraction – so famous they appear on the national flag! The Angkor ruins have rightly been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are simply one of those things that has to be seen to be believed. The main temple, Angkor Wat, was built in the early 1100s and served as the heart of the Hindu-then-Buddhist Khmer kingdom until its decline in the 1400s. The main temple and hundreds of other temples large and small were subsequently abandoned and then ‘re-discovered’ in the late 1500s. The entire complex now stands as a magnificent monument to the might, ingenuity and sheer artistic badassery of the Khmers. Learn more about what there is to see in Cambodia.

On the other side of Thailand we have Bagan, Myanmar. At its peak, it was the center of the Buddhist Kingdom of Pagan, which was established in the mid 800s, and from the mid 1000s to 1287 (when the Mongols finally sacked it) it was the center of a thriving and powerful empire. Surprisingly, the site has not been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the large number of restorations that have taken place, but don’t let that fool you – there are plenty of ruins here – over 2,200 to be precise – stretching across 100+ sq.km and are a magnificent site any time of year. Much like the ruins of Siem Reap, they simply have to be seen to be believed. See more of what Myanmar has to offer. 

But now the big question – which one should you see?

In broad terms, Siem Reap is a much slicker experience. Given a huge economic boost by foreign investment and relentless (and successful) international promotion, the town of Siem Reap is thronged by tourists and offers all of the comforts of a western city, from French pastries to hip bars, to cool music, and shopping. Transport around the town and temples is well-planned and some amazing hotels offer first-rate accommodation.

On the other end of the spectrum is Bagan, which is a much more rustic, challenging place to get around, although what it offers – or rather, doesn’t offer – might be a greater attraction. There are no convenience stores here, no well-paved roads, no western chain restaurants or well-organized international tourism campaigns to bring people in. Decades of repressive rule have left the country much like a child stepping into the sun after a long nap, blinking, yawning, but ready for big adventures. If you enjoy a slower pace and don’t mind occasional unplanned power cuts, internet that’s spotty at the best of times, and infrastructure that’s generously described as “crumbling chic”, then you will probably have a ball in Bagan.

Both Siem Reap and Bagan can easily be seen as two sides of the same coin – majestic, historic, spiritual, stunning, memorable sites that provide a powerful connection to the past. One is a few decades ahead of the other, but both provide a unique travel experience that should not be missed. So why just choose just one? The only way for you to know which is better is to experience both firsthand! Tell us everything you want to see in Southeast Asia and we’ll make it happen.

We personalize every trip and make what seems impossible, possible! Inquire with us!

The post Rustic Chic Bagan vs. Classic Siem Reap first appeared on Smiling Albino.

The post Angkor Historical Park first appeared on Smiling Albino.