Roger Harmon, LLC Tel; (505) 254-4666 harmon_roger@yahoo.com

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF TRIP
Itinerary is available on request.

F.N. of Ohio wrote: “In all my travels I've never felt so close to the real people in areas that were so unknown to me. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.” (2007)

Trip 1. 15 days in VIETNAM (Nov. 15-Nov. 29)

Trip begins in Hanoi.

In our Vietnam trip this year we focus on northern Vietnam, an area of extraordinary cultural and natural richness. We will explore many aspects of life (see themes, above) in the region’s main city, Hanoi; the World Heritage site of Halong Bay, and in numerous lowland and upland villages, markets and National Parks.

Picture yourself:

Staying in Hanoi’s bustling French Quarter where you enjoy the city’s beautiful lakes and walking parks, the active art scene, the water puppet theatre, the Vietnamese and French cuisine, and the dynamism of Vietnamese family businesses.

Understanding more fully Vietnam’s 2000 year-plus history and culture through visits to Hanoi’s ancient Temple of Literature, the capital of Hoa Lu (10th Century A.D.) and numerous sites related to 20th Century history.

Grasping the anti-colonial struggle of the Vietnamese, through visiting Dien Bien Phu, where the French were defeated in 1953; through entering Hai Phong harbor, bombed on orders from President Johnson; and through learning about the historical (and contemporary) roles of Ho Chi Minh during our visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum and talks with Vietnamese people.

Experiencing the great ethnic diversity of Vietnam, comprised of both the lowland Viets and dozens of tribal minorities. The emphasis of the second half of the trip will be on visiting minority peoples, villages, and markets in the area near the Chinese and Laotian borders. We will go by train and van through mountains and valleys and to National Parks in less-traveled areas of northwestern Vietnam.

Trip 2. December 2008. 15 days in Thailand and Laos (Dec. 2-Dec. 17, 2008)

Trip begins in Bangkok.

This year we return to beautiful Nan Province in Northern Thailand, to the former royal capital of Luang Prabang in Laos, and to the current Lao capital of Vientiane. In addition to these “favorites,” new destinations this year will be the less-visited northeastern Laotian province of Xiang Khouang, with its Plain of Jars. Better roads and improved, though basic, lodging now allows us to see the wonderful scenery and rich cultural diversity of up-country Laos.

Picture yourself:

Joining the group in Bangkok. Meeting Roger’s Thai and American friends to get grounded, ask questions, and share views on some of the trip themes before heading upcountry.

In Nan Province, N. Thailand, walking in the village, fields and community forest with local people and hearing their stories of bringing back their environment through 40 years of hard work, of saving their traditional cloth dyeing and weaving, and of creating fish preserves in their rivers so as to have the best fish (and cleanest rivers) in Thailand! Then, in the evening, eating, dancing and joining a “soul calling” (welcoming) ceremony with those who have been our hosts through the day. Note: The district you will have been in has been selected as a model site for promoting the “Sufficiency Economy.”

Going into the mountains to a “Mien” tribal village to see the extraordinary village spring that rushes out of the mountain and the fish preserve next to it--one of 500(!) fish preserves in Nan Province. Join in making a group donation of fish food to students maintaining the preserve, then visit the school, homes, and tour the successful coffee raising project and village coffee cooperative.

Feeling the magic of former royal capital of Laos, Luang Prabang, set between the Mekong and Khan Rivers, and home to marvelous temples hundreds of years old. View the city and nearby countryside from Phousi Hill at sunset, resonate with the chanting of evening vespers in one of the monasteries, travel the Mekong to Ting Cave in the a.m. mists. Visit the homes of our Lao Buddhist friends and with our Hmong friends, the latter resettled from the highlands to the outskirts of the city.

Enjoying the mountains, river valleys and people of up-country Laos, including in Xieng Khouang, and the stops to explore ancient funerary vessels on thePlain of Jars, and temple bells, garden planters and other unique objects made from unexploded bombs left from the Southeast Asian (“Vietnamese”) War in the 1960s-70s.

We welcome your call at (505) 254-4666 or e-mail: harmon_roger@yahoo.com For more specific information see: www.worldviews2000.com Or, write Roger Harmon, 412 Lafayette Place NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico USA 87106.