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Trying to select
a single photo to represent Beijing is a challenge -- with
magnificent wonders like the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Great
Wall. But for me, this stack of steaming dumplings in bamboo baskets says a
thousand words about the singular joy of a visit to China: its fabulous food!
Every charming alleyway seems blessed with culinary treats, from skewers of
candied crab apples and savory lamb, delicate floral teas and hand-made sweets,
to succulent Peking Duck and heaps of spicy stir-fried peppers. In the coming
weeks we’ll be busy gorging ourselves…I mean, hard at work putting the finishing
touches on our tours to Beijing, Hong Kong and Xian (home of the terracotta
soldiers). Plan to visit China with us this coming holiday and I promise to save
some dumplings for you! -- John
New on our Website
We have recently added Tamarind Village to our Chiang Mai packages. It is the only hotel located within
the ancient city walls of Chiang Mai. Prices have been reduced on our
Superior and Deluxe hotels on all of our Chiang Mai packages.
Club Sanook Members can take advantage
of two different Chiang Mai specials, including free nights at Tamarind Village
and the Chiang Mai Regent.
We are happy to welcome the Guoman Hotel, Hanoi's award-winning boutique hotel, to our
Hanoi Highlights package.
We have recently added seven new side trips from Hanoi that include the
spectacular countryside of Northern Vietnam, crafts villages, natural wonders,
country villages and some of the most magnificent architecture in Asia. Many of
the of the places visited are well off the tour bus circuit. All seven tours are
full day excursions from Hanoi and and include a private car, driver and guide.
They are available only to guests on our Hanoi
packages. Have a look at www.purpledrag.com/hansides.htm
and www.purpledrag.com/villages.htm
We have plenty of new and exciting
options on the drawing board. These new tours will debut on our website during
July and August:
China (at last! Enjoy Beijing, Xian, Hong Kong and Macau the Purple Dragon way with
"anytime" packages using Utopia's own staff of private guides.
Dalat. Founded by the French a century ago, Vietnam's "honeymoon
capital" is refreshingly cool mountain getaway. This university town has great
golf, waterfalls, lakes, flower gardens
Phan Thiet. Just a few hours drive from Saigon, Vietnam's "Banana
Belt" is a tropical paradise all year long. The beaches are magnificent,
the prices are low and there is even some intriguing nightlife. If you like
"surf and turf," Dalat and Phan Thiet make the perfect combination.
Balloons over Chiang Mai. Get a butterfly's-eye view of one of Thailand's oldest and most beautiful
cities. Angkor on two wheels. Our growing list of tour options in
Angkor Wat will soon include several bicycle trips with a local guide.
Doing It With Friends
Tidbits
SARS is history. The masks are off in Hong Kong and Beijing.
There never was a SARS outbreak in Southeast Asia. (Hundreds of our friends stayed home in
front of their television sets for nothing.) Have a last look at our
SARS Scoreboard before it is retired. We're a lot
more worried about the SLOPS epidemic, which
could easily surpass SARS.
The Sofitel Royal Angkor Hotel has opened their own luxurious private lounge
at Siem Reap airport. Guests on our Essential Angkor package who stay at the
Sofitel get to use the lounge free. You can look forward to Sofitel's renowned
five-star service with comfortable in a setting, international
buffet, complimentary drinks as well as private internet connection.
If you are a Purple Dragon fan and want to recommend us to your friends, we
have an easy new way to introduce them to our special way to enjoy visiting
Southeast Asia. Our new "Refer A Friend" page helps
you send a brief introduction to Purple Dragon and Club Sanook to as many friends
as you like. You get a copy by email. Your friends' email addresses are never
recorded or kept.
Do You Sanook?
Hey, are you still not a member of Club Sanook! You can join free!
Member privileges include access our virtual "VIP lounge", specially-priced packages not on our
"public" website, and access to our library of "before you go" information.
Club Sanook Members will earn points on Purple Dragon travel to redeem for future discounts and freebies!
Current specials include free nights and hotel upgrades in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Bali, Saigon,
Hanoi and Angkor Wat.
It takes 90 seconds to join. Just click here.
At Last! A Cure For Those Boooooring Meetings
Utopia has had a sister company called Cinnabar for almost two years. Cinnabar
produces high-level executive events, meetings and conferences
in Asia. If you who work in the corporate world or within large
multinational organization, Cinnabar may be an ideal source for meeting and
conference planning expertise.
Cinnabar’s forté is combining a successful meeting with profound cultural experiences, an inspiring
environment, and relaxation and enjoyment. We take all the Asian know-how Utopia has built up over the years
and create truly unique and memorable events by weaving the rich history of each destination into the program.
Key to our elite and specialized offering is access to historical and cultural landmarks that are not normally available to the public.
If you want to learn more, visit our website at
www.cinnabar-asia.com. You can also contact Cinnabar's CEO Toni
Scoble at tscoble@cinnabar-asia.com
July and August Holidays and Festivals in Paradise
Photo of the Month
Parting Thought
A friend wrote very recently to ask if the "anti-American
sentiment in Thailand had died down." Since we live and work in what is probably
the friendliest place on Earth, we admit we were flabbergasted by a question
like this. As it turns out, our friend had seen a television news story about a
small (and very peaceful) demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok in
the early days of the military action in Iraq. While this in no way compared to
huge and sometimes bloody demonstrations in the San Francisco and other U.S.
cities, our friend was left with the unfortunate impression that he might be
attacked by an angry mob outside his hotel here.
During the past several months those of us living in Asia
have learned some very painful lessons about the impact of the news media on
the lives of all of us. SARS is certainly the latest example of how an
irresponsible media community can whip a small story about something bad into a
colossal story about a plague sweeping the world. When you consider that nearly
18,000 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents in the U.S. last year and
malaria kills more than a million people each year in Africa,
the SARS story and its coverage were sadly out of proportion. While there never was an
outbreak of SARS anywhere in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of people are out of work here
because of something that happened thousands of miles away.
We are not suggesting you kill your television. However, we do wish more of our friends would stop
letting their television do their thinking for them.
About This Newsletter
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a former guest, because you have asked for information a
bout our company, or because you have registered as a Club Sanook Member. Our list is very
private. We do not share it with anyone. However, If you do not wish to receive future email from us,
we will remove you promptly at your request. However, points you may have accrued in our Club Sanook
program will be lost.
Read previous issues of this newsletter:
March 2001,
May 2001,
August 2001,
September 2001,
January 2002, May 2002,
April 2003
Copyright © 2001-2003, Spice Trade Travel Limited. All rights reserved.
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Succulent New China Holidays
,
French villas, colorful markets and other interesting things to see.
You probably already know that we offer
privately-guided "anytime" tours rather than scheduled group departures.
Nevertheless we have experience with many groups organized by our customers as
well as other tour operators. If you plan to travel with three or more friends
and use three or more hotel rooms, that's a "group" to us. In many cases we are
able to offer substantially lower prices than published on our website for our
existing packages. Custom itineraries are also possible. Larger groups have
"tour organizer" privileges to travel at a reduced rate or even free. If you
like to travel with friends, we would love to help you. Contact us at 