Imagine a sleepy French village on a drowsy afternoon at the end of summer. That is how Laos feels. Only less vibrant.
The land of crawling broadband and dawdling monks shatters - or at least quietly snuffs - the myth that southeast Asia is all tiger economy hustle and bustle. Every time a ripple of thunder breaks the stillness of the former French colony sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, the electricity goes down. Forget that fruit shake you ordered, which requires a blender's input. Better make it a Beer Lao.
Careful how you handle the currency, as Kip are next to worthless, meaning that it's necessary to keep track of lots of zeros.
All these surplus circles mean it's easy to get confused and tender an insultingly small amount or a fortune, then only realise the gaffe because of the look on the cashier's face. It's easy to feel rich with all those zeroes in your pocket, but beware, you may not notice that you accidentally blew a billion, until you don't have the million or so necessary to buy a packet of chewing gum.
Relax. Spend a while in Laos and you may find that you start to adopt the dreamy expression worn by many of the inhabitants. Aside from the non-too-insistent pestering of hawkers and tuk-tuk drivers, pressure scarcely exists. Time elapses at the speed of a lolloping ox.
Thank or blame Communism. No reason for rush exists in a state where enterprise is vaguely frowned upon. Just like sex outside marriage. It is illegal for a man to sleep with a woman who is not his wife in this, the highly regulated People's Democratic Republic, which even has a midnight curfew. Not that you would necessarily notice, because the curfew is enforced ever so softly and by the subtlest of soldieries.
Many travellers return repeatedly, hooked on a country that regularly wins prizes for being so laid back and enchanting, the epitome of oriental charm. Few observers have a bad word to say about Laos.
The so-called Jewel of the Mekong may, however, seem a bit constricted, given that it has a smaller population than urban Paris and few places to visit. Tourists flock to three main towns: Vientiane, the temple-infested cultural capital with the strange rhyming name, Luang Prabang, and Vang Vieng.
While Vientiane and Luang Prabang ooze style and atmosphere, Vang Vieng is rather ramshackle. If you miss the TV show 'Friends' and like it broadcast louder than the thunder that regularly deafens the village, this is the place for you. Younger and/or boozier travellers will enjoy its wildly popular signature activity, 'tubing', which entails drifting drunkenly downriver, slotted inside a tractor tube. Tubing is worth trying once, even if you are t-total, just for the peacefully panoramic views of the mountain-lined Mekong tributary, the Nam Som. Also for the amusement of watching the antics of the young and foolish, who swing from ropes across the river and do all sorts of inadvisable and dangerously daft things with ropes and ladders.
Alternatively, board the plane to Luang Prabang and be spellbound by the radiant temples and their saffron-clad incumbents. Watch the Mekong go by between drowsy spells half-reading a book in a river-bank restaurant, or just wander the streets absorbing the unspoiled antiquity.
Laos ranks as one of the world's poorest countries. What a pity it is not easier to throw money around, there being a limit to the number of silk scarves, stone Buddhas and bottles of snake wine you want to stuff in your luggage. Unlike most of southeast Asia, this place makes you want to spend your money.
The biggest draws are the charm of the people, the French colonial influence on the architecture and the mystique that enshrouds the old Indochinese outpost.
Laos' landmarks, for example Buddha Park, Vientiane's twisted sculpture theatre, are hard to fathom. Then there is the Plain of Jars. Laos' answer to Stonehenge, this Highlands plain is peppered with giant stone urns that defy conclusive explanation but serve as vehicles for informed speculation and fanciful guesswork. Be warned that this area contains a large amount of unexploded ordinance.
Laos has been conquered and occupied by pretty much every country on the planet except Monaco, in a history almost as blood-soaked as neighbouring Vietnam's. After the communist Pathet Lao finally took complete control of the country in 1975 and sent the last King and Queen of Laos on a terminal visit to a re-education camp in a cave in the northeast of the country, they enforced a rigid closed-door policy that was to last more than a decade. The country has only recently opened up to tourism, so the inhabitants have yet to start to think of the visitor as no more than a mobile ATM. Laos is one of Asia's last tourism frontiers, a country with a fascinating and largely intact cultural heritage, peopled by mostly friendly, funny and gentle folk. It can not be more highly recommended as a rewarding and relaxing destination for all travellers, regardless of the depth of their pockets.
Laos has great adventure sports possibilities, with fantastic rafting, mountain-biking, kayaking, trekking, rock-climbing and motor-biking available on greendiscoverylaos.com. Laos' newest and greenest eco-adventure is at the Gibbon Experience, where guests stay in tree-top bungalows and use zip line cables to glide through the canopy of Bokeo Nature Reserve, in search of the elusive and playful Black Gibbon - gibbonx.org. Most visitors to Laos, however, do nothing much more energetic than knocking back a few cold Beer Lao while watching the sun set on the Mekong. Such people will simply explain the attraction of this lovely country lost in time by revealing the true meaning of 'Laos PDR':
'Laos - Please Don't Rush'.
Simon Ramsden is resident in Ao Nang [http://www.andamanadventures.com/ao_nang.shtml], Thailand and runsThailand climbing trips to Koh Lao Liang, Koh Yao Noi, Koh Phi Phi and Railay/Tonsai.
trekking laos_2="trekking laos" does anyone have FUNDRAiSinG IDEAS?
i am going on an expedition with world challenge to Thailand and Laos next November but need to raise over $5000 to get there. while there we will be trekking and working in orphanages. does anybody have any ideas on what i could do by my self or as a groups to raise some money? i all Ready have ideas such as car washes, trivia/auction nights etc. thank you
How about something new & unique? - the Fundraiser that will make a difference! Please go to www.ottosafety.com. ...then contact us for the fundraiser information. Good Luck!
"Trekking part II: Laos" Bgoode98's photos around Vieng Phouka, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
A local guide will meet you at the station and get in a bus. The bus ride uphill to Sapa takes a little over an hour, giving you a glimpse of the stunning vistas and impressive rice terraces. You'll have breakfast in a local restaurant, then drive (30 minutes) to the Golden Stream Valley, stop at Ta Van village. Walk down to the village from the main road and start trekking through Ta Van village to Giang Ta Chai village. The trekking route offers some challenge as you balance on the rice terraces and a small trail on the steep mountainside. The vegetation is dense as the trail leads up to a peaceful village of the Red Dzao hill tribe perched on the Hoang Lien mountainside. Head down hill and relax by a local stream for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon trek about 1.5 hours uphill before descending down to the quaint Tay Hill Tribe village of Ban Ho. After checking into the home stay, your guide will lead you to La Vie waterfall for a fresh shower. Dinner and overnight in local home.
Day 2: Sapa - Hanoi (B, L, D)
After breakfast you will start the day with an easy trek on dirt paths, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the valley with its traditional stilt houses and rice terraces. Make your way along a stream to cross a hanging bridge before getting to Thanh Phu Village. In this picturesque valley you'll pass some remote villages of the Tay and Xa Pho hill tribes set amongst the rice and corn fields. After a picnic lunch, you will walk the other way back to the meeting point where our driver is waiting for you to take you back to Sapa (3:00 pm). Shower at a hotel then you will be transferred back to Lao Cai for the night train back to Hanoi.
Includes:
- Home stay with clean blanket, mosquito-net, pillow.
- Meals as mentioned the program
- Land transfer by private vehicle for whole trip
- Tourist trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai and vice-versa
- English or French speaking guides. Other languages are available upon request.
- Admission fees for all sightseeing places.
Excludes:
- Personal expenses (laundry, phone calls etc.).
- Drinks.
- Tips and gratuities.
Packing list: Passport, towels, toiletries, flash light, change of clothes, sun block, sun glasses, sun hat, insect repellent, proper hiking shoes and rain coat.
Local market days' information
The weekly markets of the North are a kaleidoscope of color and excitement, bustling with weird and wonderful activities. We can take you to them so you can witness the trade and camaraderie of the local minority people. A perfect add-on to the last day of your Sapa trip!
Saturday: Can Cau market. Resident: Flower H'Mong, Phula, Black H'mong...
sustainable tourism in Laos="sustainable tourism in Laos"
History of Asiana Travel Mate Vietnam Responsible Travel Agency
Vietnam's tourism industry had been growing at an unprecedented rate, from just half a million visitors in 1993 to 4.5 million visitors by the year 2008, reflecting Vietnam's growing popularity as a destination of choice in the Asia Pacific. However, much of its growth was relatively uncontrolled with many small players acting as agents rather than operators which often left a negative gap in customer expectations of the delivery of services promised. In this scenario, the founders were determined to build a credible company committed to the principles of responsible travel and a culture of sharing.
Andy says, "Responsible travel is about traveling and operating in a way that addresses our concerns for the environmental, cultural and social impacts of tourism: to retain the integrity of sensitive ecosystems, to maintain the traditions and natural character of communities our travelers interact with and generally to preserve the natural and cultural heritage for which visitors come to Vietnam, besides our responsibility to leave a positive legacy for future generations."
Chi adds, "We endeavor to benefit both travelers and local communities in a sustainable manner which has been our commitment since the company's inception. Today, in the face of global environmental degradation, social and economic upheaval and transitions, our commitment is stronger than ever. We have developed a clear set of criteria and practices from the grassroots up to demonstrate our corporate and personal ethic of responsible travel and of sharing the benefits of tourism with local communities. We expect that our travelers will share this ethic with us."
Quyet adds another dimension to the ethic of responsible travel and sharing; "Internally, our responsibility extends to our relationships with our staff, strategic partners, suppliers and vendors... to empower them to grow with us with an equitable share of the rewards, towards a common vision and ultimately to mutually deliver our promises to our customers consistently. "
In 2006, Asiana Travel Mate's first office was set up in the bustling tourist centre of Ho Chi Minh City. In that year, Vietnam recorded 3.8 million tourist arrivals and the company quickly began securing a significant market share based on the quality of its customized services and commitment to its travelers. In late 2007 the company extended its reach with an office in the capital city of Hanoi that spurred its growth further.
In 2009, despite the global recession, the travel and tourism industry contributed an estimated 13% of the GDP to the Vietnamese economy. However its impact on the tourism industry weeded out many travel and tour operators while Asiana Travel Mate maintained its revenue levels in-spite of a drop in the number of travelers. Quyet says of the global crisis "A time of crisis brightens people and companies of true integrity, capabilities and values while it exposes & terminates those to the contrary."
The company recognized opportunities to consolidate and even expand its operations and quickly adapted its strategies in the face of the cumulative effects of the global recession. Inflation hovered at 30% and increased fuel prices resulted in higher operational costs but hotels were promoting reduced rates that would benefit independent travelers; the core of Asiana's Travel Mate's customer base.
The company also acquired control of two premier cruise ships in Halong Bay, the Valentine and the Calypso and formed strategic partnerships to improve the quality of its services, logistical and cost efficiencies. An office was opened in the Hue, Central Vietnam as well as in Laos and Cambodia, extending the company's presence beyond Vietnam.
Firmly built on the foundation of a commitment to responsible travel and a culture of sharing, besides the leverage of its substantial customer base and solid financial standing, the company has built its capacity to operate throughout Indochina with a diverse range of customized itineraries, routes and destinations. Asiana Travel Mate enjoys the endorsements of its travelers and has handled over 40,000 travelers since its inception. With Vietnam's travel and tourism sector projected to have the world's sixth-highest growth rate in the next decade, Asiana Travel Mate is poised to offer its travelers even better value for money, quality of services and facilities in customized, personalized tours throughout Indochina ... in the spirit of responsible travel and the culture of sharing.
About the Author
15 years in Travel Business in Vietnam , Laos & Cambodia working for Asiana Travel Mate in last 3 years as online Advisor
Online contact: www.asianatravelmate.com
Local Offices: 113C Bui Vien Str. District 1. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Phone: +84-8 38 38 6678
Saigon Tourist Information Center 92-94-96 Nguyen Hue str. District 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Phone: +84-838250615
Hanoi Tourist Information Center 7 Dinh Tien Hoang Str. Hoan Kiem Dist. Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: +84-4 39263370
Truly Halong Center 21 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem District Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: +84 4 39263449
Hue Tourist Information Center 45 - 47 Le Loi Str. Hue City, Vietnam Phone: +84-54 3942 233
Laos: Voluntourism & Sustainable Travel *HD*
sustainable tourism in Laos sustainable tourism in Laos sustainable tourism in Laos
o A PERSIAN SAYING –"It is good to know about the Truth and to talk about it, but it is better to know about the Truth and to talk about palm trees." o A R RAHMAN –"Any great love song, when attributed to a divine source, gets an extra dimension Peoplesay any love that is immortal is divine love... The inspiration, therefore, is a divine one.." o A R RAHMAN –"I am like a boat without an oar. I let life take its own course. I know only my work and God. I pray a lot. You get dejected if you plan something and it does not happen. But if you just let life take its course....?" o A R RAHMAN –"No one can be completely original, because the notes are already there. I do a lot of fusion from different traditions including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, reggae, rock and Carnatic music — my favourites. As far as possible, i try to be original. The rest is up to Allah." o A R RAHMAN –"We have to push ourselves in any field, whether we like it or not. It is just the question of your mindset. We need to adjust and look into our own selves. The moment you have this attitude that whatever you do is the best, you will cease to grow or for that matter experiment, which is very necessary jfor creation. I mainly work by instinct." o A.R. RAHMAN –"All my life I have had the choice of hate and love. And I chose love and I'm here." o ABOUT.COM –"Eid-ul-Adha is the feast of sacrifice celebrated from the tenth through the thirteenth days of Zul-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Muslim calendar, marking the anniversary of Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son Ishmael on God's orders... At this time special prayers are offered." o ACARANGA SUTRA –"To whatever extent the five senses, the four taints of emotions, and the four instinctive appetites are suppressed by a person who is well-established in the path of righteousness, to such extent the doorway for the entrance of evil is closed for that person." o ACARANGA SUTRA –"When you discover for yourself, however dimly that you are rooted in something that is infinitely vast and potential, you have found the soil wherein you grow unconsciously into a most wonderful tree, the tree of life blended with knowledge.. He who becomes the master of himself can become master over all that is related to himself. Self-mastery implies self-knowledge and that self-sufficiency which is only in love." o ACHARANG SUTRA –"To deny the coexistence of mutually conflicting viewpoints about a thing would mean to deny the true nature of reality." o ACHARYA SIDDHASEN DIVAKAR –"Everyone has a unique definition of truth and that is conditional." o ACHARYA SIDDHASENA –"Vikramaditya: What is 'truth'? That which is said repeatedly, that which is said loudly, that which is said with authority or that which is agreed by the majority? Divakara: None of the above. Every one has his own definition of'truth'and that it is conditional." o ADI GRANTH –"As in the sky flies the white-clothed crane, Keeping its mind behind,/ In its heart continually remembering its young ones;/ So thfe true Guru keeps the disciple absorbed in the love of God,/ And also keeps him in his heart." o ADI GRANTH –"Devotion to God's name is my lamp; In this lamp is put the oil of suffering; The light of God's name burns away that oil, annulling yama's encounter. Listen, people of the world! Lest any carp at his faith: Vast heads of firewood are reduced to ashes by a tiny spark of fire. Devotion to God is my ritual charity; God's holy name my ceremonial; In this life and the next, this alone is my sustenance. Lord! Thy laudation to me is the holy Ganga and Banaras, Wherein my soul takes the holy dip. True holy bathing is when devotion to God abides in the heart day and night. Saith Nanak: The charity of God's grace is an exhaustible store." o ADI GRANTH –"Says Nanak, The Master is a tree of contentment and forbearance;/ Righteousness its flower, enlightenment the fruit. This tree by joy in God keeps ever fresh and green;/ By practice of meditation is it ripened. With joy in the Lord is it dispense the spreme charity of selfless action." o ADI GRANTH –"Should anyone be victim of great anxiety, his body racked with maladies, Beset with problems of home and family, With pleasure and pain alternating. Wandering in all four directions without peace or rest — He should then contemplate the Supreme Being, Peaceful shall his mind and b'ody become." o ADI GRANTH –"The restless mind is not fixed at one spot; Like a deer it nibbles at tender shoots. Should man lodge in mind the divine lotus feet, his life span is lengthened, his mind awakened, immortal he becomes. All beings are in the grip of anxiety; But by contemplation of God comes joy." o ADI GRANTH –"Those who see Truth and speak Truth, Their bodies and minds become truthful. Truth is their evidence, Truth is their instruction, True is the praise of the truthful. Those who have forgotten Truth cry in agony and weep while departing." o ADI GRANTH –"Where there is forgiveness, there is God Himself." o ADI GRANTH –"Whoever quenches the fire of desire through the holy Word, spontaneously is his illusion of duality banished. Such is he in whose heart the Name dwells, by the Master's guidance." o ADI GRANTH, -"The Formless is Attributed and Unattributed, And gone into absorption in the cosmic Void. Himself has He made creation; Himself on it meditates. In the cosmic Void is He absorbed, Where plays the unstruck mystic music Beyond expression is this miraculous wonder." o ADI SHANKARA –"I am neither salvation,/ Nor anything reached by the senses;/1 behold all thought and form./ I am everywhere, and nowhere at all,/ I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!" o ADIAL E. STEVENSON –"The hardest thing about any political campaigns is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning." o ADMIRAL SUREESH MEHTA –"Port security is serious business... there is need for detailed and continuous examination of security mechanisms..." o AESOP'S FABLES –"An oak and a reed were arguing about their strength. When a strong wind came up, the reed avoided being uprooted by bending and learning with the gusts of wind. But the oak stood firm and was torn up by the roots." o AITAREYA UPANISHAD –"May my speech be fixed in my mind, may my mind be fixed in my speech! 0 self-luminous Brahmn, be manifested to me. 0 mind and speech, may you bring me the meaning of the Vedas! May what i study from the Vedas not leave me! I shall unite day and night through this study. I shall think right; I shall speak right. May Brahmn protect me, may Brahmn protect the teacher! Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti! Invocation." o AKHENATON –"Labour not after richesfirst, and think thouafterwards wilt ehjoythem. He who neglecteththe present moment,throweth away all thathe hath. As the arrowpasseth through theheart, while the warriorknew not that it was." o AL SUHRAWARDI –"Music does not give rise, in the heart, to anything which is not already there: so he whose inner self is attached to anything else than God is stirred by music to sensual desire, but the one who is inwardly attached to the love of God is moved, by hearing music, to do His will. The common folk listen to music according to nature, and the novices listen with desire and awe, while the listening of the saints brings them a vision of the Divine gifts and graces, and these are the gnostics to whom listening means contemplation. But finally, there is the listening of the spiritually perfect, to whom, through music, God reveals Himself unveiled." o ALAN PATON –"What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another?" o ALBERT CAMUS –"A free press can be good or bad, but... without"- freedom a press will never be anything but bad." o ALBERT EINSTEIN –"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." o ALBERT EINSTEIN –"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." o ALBERT EINSTEIN –"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." o ALBERT SCHWEITZER –"It is not always granted to the sower to live to see the harvest. All work that is worth anything is done in faith." o ALDOUS HUXLEY –"After silence, thatwhich comes nearestto expressing theinexpressible is music." o ALEIDA ASSMANN –"Memory has only recently acquired a wider cultural significance. It was rediscovered as a basic human function, guaranteeing a self and an identity by building bridges across time. But it was only by enlarging the scope of memory, by shifting the emphasis from the recollection of personal experience to a broader notion of collective remembrance, that new questions concerning the structure and function of culture could be asked and theorised." o ALEXANDER HAMILTON –"In all legislative assemblies, the greater the number composing them may be, the fewer will be the men who will in fact direct their proceedings." o ALFRED HITCHCOCK –"The length of a film should be directly related to tne endurance of the Human bladder." o ALFRED TENNYSON –"Tho'/ We are not now that strength that in old days/ Moved earth and heaven: that which we are, we are:/ One equal temper of heroic hearts./ Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will/ To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." o AMBROSE BIERCE –"Liberty: One of Imagination's most precious possessions." o AMEN –"Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, Blessed are Thou, Amongst Women, And Blessed in the Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus; Holy ary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now, and at the hour of our death," o AMMACHI AMRITANANDAMAYI –"Today people live to work rather than work for a living. They have forgotten their true goal in life. There is little or no communication between hearts, there is no sharing. Having lost contact with each other's hearts, we become isolated. We need to reinforce the links." o AMY LOWED –"All booh are either dreams or swords, you can cut, or you can drug, with words." o ANALECTS –"The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others." o ANCIENT EGYPTIAN INSCRIPTION –"Listen to your conviction, even if they seem absurd to your reason." o ANNIE MOLE –"'Mind The Gap' is an announcement you'll hear in the London Underground subway system when a train arrives at a station. More than just a warning about the 'gap' between a carriage and the platform, the phrase originated on the Northern Line, where the gaps between the curved train platforms at Embankment Station and the train itself were particularly large." o ANONYMOUS –"Every time I find the meaning of life, they change it." o ANONYMOUS –"Forever: Time it takes to brew the first pot of coffee in the morning." o ANONYMOUS –"Home is where you can say anything you like because nobody listens to you anyway." o ANONYMOUS –"I wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligerwe. There's a knob calkd brightness,' but that doesnt work." o ANONYMOUS –"I've never been in love. I'vealwysbeen a lawyer." o ANONYMOUS –"Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun." o ANONYMOUS –"Nothing cures insomnia like the realisation that its time to get up." o ANONYMOUS –"The best way to stop smoking is to carry wet matches." o ANONYMOUS –"There is no snooze button Wi a cat who wants breakfast." o ANONYMOUS –"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end." o ANONYMOUS –"We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it." o ANTHONY JD'ANGELO –"You don't have to hold a position in order to be a leader." o ANTIGONUS OF SOKHO –"Do not be like servants who serve their masters expecting to receive a record; be rather like servants who serve their masters unconditionally with no thought of reward." o ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY –"I have no right, by anything! do or say, to demean a human being in his own eyes. Wha matters is not what i think of him; it is what he thinks of himself. To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin." o ARCHBISHOP WILBER –"I plead for the beasts and birds that you will help to shield them, first; from the thoughtlessness of ignorance; secondly; from the senseless cruelties of fashion; thirdly; from the thoughtful barbarities of science." o ARCHIMEDES –"Give me a lever long enough and a prop strong enough, i can single-handed move the world." o ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER –"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." o ARNOLD TOYNBEE –"The human race's prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today, when we have become defenceless against ourselves." o ARTHUR BRISBANE –"Every minute that you save by making it useful, more profitable, is so much added to your life and its possibilities, Every minute lost is a neglected by-product: once gone, you will never get it back." o ARTHUR RIMBAUD –"Idle youth, enslaved to everything; by being too sensitive I have wasted my life." o ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER –"Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognised. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident.." o ASHTAVAKRA GITA –"I am boundless space. The world is a clay pot. This is the truth. There is nothing to accept, Nothingto reject, Nothing to dissolve." o ASHTAVAKRA SAMHITA –"The conduct of the wise one, which is unrestricted by motive, shines, being jfree from pretence, but not the affected calmness of the deluded person whose mind is attached." o ASHUTOSHJI MAHARAJ –"It is one thing to subdue, forget or overcome pain and entirely another thing to attain happiness... Happiness and sadness are the internal states of a person. They do not depend on outer or worldly circumstances. Great saints have explained that happiness is related to the inner state of an individual. Rama's mother, Kaushalya, was very happy Her son was heir to the throne of Ayodhya. On seeing this, Rama said to her: "Then how much happier will you be to know I have been made king already?" When Kaushalya expressed surprise, Rama explained to her that his father had given him the kingdom of jungles: "As King of Ayodhya, I would have been a thing on display So my requirement is in the jungles, not in Ayodhya." I It is not the behaviour or attitude of others towards us that is important, but how we perceive and receive them." o ATHARVA VEDA –"Earth, my mother, set me securely with bliss in full accord with heaven. 0 wise one. Uphold me in grace and splendour! Pleasant be thy hills, 0 Earth, thy snow-clad mountains and thy woods! 0 Earth brown, black, red and multi-coloured, the firm Earth protected by mdra. On this Earth may I stand unvanquished, unhurt, unstained." o ATHARVA VEDA –"Earth, which has many heights and slopes and , The unconfined plain that binds men together, Earth that bears plants of various healing powers, May she spread her benefits and thrive for us. The earth, in which lie the sea, river and other waters, In which food and cornfields have come to be, In which live all that breathes and all that moves, May she confer on us the finest of her yield." o ATHARVA VEDA –"He who knows the first vital thread, binding all the things formed in the shape, colour and words, knows only the physical form of the universe, and knows very little. But he who goes deeper and perceives the string inside the string, the thin web binding separate life forces with cords of unity, knows the real entity Only he knows truly the mighty omnipotent and omnipresent God, Who is within and beyond all formulated entities of the vast universe. Penetrate deeper to know the ultimate truth." o ATHARVA VEDA –"Pleasant be thy hills, 0 Earth, thy snow-clad mountaing and thy woods! On Earth — brown, black, ruddy and multicoloured — the firm Earth protected bymdra, on this Earth I stand, unvanquished, unslain, unhurt. Set me, 0 Earth, amidst what is thy center and thy navel, and vitalising forces tha emanated from thy body Purify us from all sides. Earth is my mother, hersonami; and Parjanya, my father may he fill us with plenty." o ATHARVA VEDA –"The sun showers light on one and all without any discrimination. Similarly, humans should also engage himself in doing works for the benefit of the society." o ATHARVA VEDA –"This spotted Bull hath come and sat before his mother in the east. Advancing to his father Heaven. As expiration from his breath his radiance penetrates within. The Bull shines out through all the sky. He rules supreme through thirty realms One winged with song hath made him mount Throughout the days at break of morn." o AUGUSTUS & JULIUS HARE –"A person should go out on the water on a fine day to a small distance from a beautiful coast, if he would see Nature really smile. Never does she look so delightful, as when the sun is brightly reflected by the water, while the waves are gently rippling, and the prospect receives life and animation from the glancing transit of an occasional row-boat, and the quieter motion of a few small vessels." o AVADANA JATAKA –"If living beings knew the fruit and final reward of generosity and the distribution of gifts, then they would not eat their food without giving to and sharing with others, even if it were their last morsel and mouthful." o AVESTA, YASNA –"Righteousness, 0 Wise One, was set up for our choice, to be our blessing, Evil for the godless, for his undoing! Therefore I seek union with the Good Mind, And I forbid all traffic with the wicked." o AYYAPPA PANIKER –"I can't help blossoming, Oh, i can't; isn't This/ The season of the Vishu festival/ And i,/ Am not the golden cassia? Oh,/ I just can't help blossoming." o B R AMBEDKAR –"For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights." o BAHA 'U 'LLAH –"No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth." o BAHA 'U 'LLAH He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will nei- ther turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity..." o BAHA 'U 'LLAH Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are yours, tomorrow others will possess them.... Say: Can ye claim that what ye own is lasting or secure? Nay! By Myself, the All-Merciful, ye cannot, if ye be of them who judge fairly." o BAHA 'U 'LLAH The world and its vanities, and its glory, and whatever delights it can offer, are all, in the sight of God, as worthless as, nay, even more contemptible than, dust and ashes. Would that the hearts of men could comprehend it!" o BAHA 'U 'LLAH What advantage is there in the earthly things which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised." o BALZAC –"Conviction brings a silent, indefinable beauty into faces made of the commonest human clay." o BAN KI-MOON –"This is Jess than the full humanitarian pause of several days I had pressed for but is nevertheless a useful first step." o BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA –"I stand here today as hopeful as ever... that the dream of our founders will live on in our time." o BARACK OBAMA –"I am personally committed to a new chapter in American engagement." o BARACK OBAMA –"If you're headed for a cliff, you've got to change direction." o BARACK OBAMA –"I'm asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I'm asking you to believe in yours." o BARACK OBAMA –"There is no conflict... between the positions of the G-20 countries and how we're going to be moving forward." o BARBARA D WHITEHEAD –"Like those who came of age during the Depres-sion, today's young may be deeply imprinted by the experience of the economic collapse. This formative memory is likely to foster more careful spending and saving in years to come — as it did for the Depression generation." o BARBARA WINKLER –"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream. " o BASAVARAJU –"The light in the eye cannot be imagined The sound in the ear cannot be described The taste in the tongue cannot find its counterparts The central nerve vital to awareness cannot be proved; In atom, particle, in grass, in wood Subtle, without end and without bottom, Dwells lord of caves." o BC FORBES –"Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other fellow will in the end prove unprofitable for you. The bargain that yields mutual satisfaction is the only one that is apt to be repeated." o BENJAMIN DISRAELI –" We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance." o BENJAMIN FRANKLIN –"He that goes a-borrowng goes a-sorrowing." o BERDAYEV –"I see two initial motives in man's inner life: the search for meaning and the search for the eternal. " o BERTRAND RUSSELL –"Do not fear lobe eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." o BERTRAND RUSSELL –"Three passions have governed my life: The longings for love, the search for knowledge, And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind. Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness... With equal passion i have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of [people] I have wished to know why the stars shine. Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens, But always pity brought me back to earth..." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"A man's own self is his friend./ A man's own self is his foe." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Abandon all supports and look to me for protection. I shall purify you from the sins of the past; do not grieve." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"As the heat of a fire reduces wood to ashes, the fire of knowledge burns to ashes all karma Nothing in this world purifies like spiritual wisdom. It is the perfection achieved in time through the path of yoga, the path which leads to the Self within." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Even those men, who, with a steady and devout mind, always follow My doctrine, are freed from the binding effect of all actions." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Him the sages call wise whose undertakings are devoid of desire for results and of plans, whose actions are burned by the fire of wisdom." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"It is through action without attachment alone that Janaka and other wise men reached perfection." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Know that knowledge to be Sattvica, by which is seen in all beings the One Immutable, inseparate in the separate. But the knowledge which sees in all beings the distinct entities of diverse kind as different from one another, know that knowledge to be Rajasica. While that knowledge which is confined to one single effect, as if it were the whole, without reason, not founded on truth, and trivial, that is declared to be Tamasica." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Not by abstention from actions does a person attain freedom from action, and not by renunciation alone does one approach perfection. No one even for an instant can ever stay actionless. Everyone must perform action unwillingly by the qualities born of nature... You do controlled action. Action is better than inaction. Even your body maintenance could not be accomplished without action. Aside from action for the purpose of sacrifice this world is bound by action. Perform action for this purpose, Kaunteya, free from attachment." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Remembering me, you shall overcome all difficulties through my grace." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"That man is disciplined and happy who can prevail over the turmoil that springs from desire and anger." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"The Atman is the light: The light is covered by darkness: This darkness is delusion: That is why we dream. When the light of Atman Drives out the darkness That light shines forth from us, A sun in splendour, The revealed Brahmn." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"The atman is the light: The light is covered by darkness: This darkness is delusion: That is why we dream. Drives out our darkness That light shinesforth from us, A sun in splendour, The revealed Brahmn." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"The Atman, Self, is the light; The light is covered by darkness, This darkness is delusion; That is why we dream. When the light of Atman drives out our darkness, That light shines forth from us, A sun in splendour, the revealed Brahmn." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"The threefold austerity — of thought, word, and deed — practised by yogis with supreme faith, without a desire for the fruit, is said to be in the mode of goodness." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Whatever you do not, wish to do because of your delusions, You will do even against your will, bound by your |natural duty karma. The Lord, Arjuna, is present inside all beings, Moving them like puppets by his magic power." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Work done with selfish motives is inferior by far to selfless service or karma yoga. Therefore, be a karma yogi, 0 Arjuna. Those who seek to enjoy the fruits of their work are verily unhappy because one has no control over the results." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"Work done with selfish motives is inferior by far to selfless service or karma yoga. Therefore be a karma yogi, 0 Arjuna. Those who seek to enjoy the fruits of their work are verily unhappy because one has no control over the results." o BHAGAVAD GITA –"You have a right to perform your prescribed duty but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. Perform your duty equipoised.. .abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga." o BHAGAVADGITA –"Work done with selfish motives is inferior by far to selfless service or karma yoga. Therefore be a karma yogi, 0 Arjuna. Those who seek to enjoy the fruits of their work .are verily unhappy because one has no control over the results." o BIBLE PROVERB –"To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, And a word in season, how good it is!" o BILL CLINTON –"The Taj is a monument built in love. All important monuments are built for love... The most important monument we can leave for our children is the earth. We should give it in the spirit of love." o BILL COSBY –"Sea; education may be a good idea in the schools, but I don't believe the kids should be given homework." o BILL COSBY –"Sex education may be a good idea in the schools, but Idont believe the kick should be given homework." o BILL VAUGHAN –"Suburbia is "where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them. o BILL WATERSON –"Leave it to a girl to take all the fun out of sex discrimination." o BILL WATTERSON –"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently" o BILL WATTERSON –"Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless." o BLACK ELK –"Hear me, four quarters of the world — a relative i am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is! Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that i may be like you. With your power only can i face the winds." o BLACK ELK –"We should know that all things are the works of the Great Spirit. We should know that He is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and all the four-legged animals, and the winged peoples; and even more important, we should understand that He is also above these things and peoples." o BLAISE PASCAL –"All mans troubks come from not knowing how to sit still in one room." o BOB HOPE –"I grew up with six brothers. That's how I learned to dance — waiting for the bathroom." o BOB THAVES –"Inside me there's a thin person struggling to get out, but I can usually sedate him with four or five cupcakes." o BODHISATTVA SILA SUTRA –"Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure, and if we knew our mind and realised what our nature is, all of us would attain Buddhahood." o BOEHME –"Son, when thou art quiet and silent, then art thou as God was before nature and creature; thou art that which God then was; thou art that whereof he made thy nature and creature; Then thou hearest and seest even with that wherewith God himself saw and heard in thee, before ever thine own willing or thine own seeing began." o BOTH MCHUGH –"If you don't know what to give a person for Christmas it means one of two things: 1. You don't know the person well enough to be giving him a gift in the first place and are just going through the motions because you feel you "have to". 2. You have not taken the trouble to stay close enough to the person to know what he needs or would like for a gift. The remedy is simple for both cases. Stop giving gifts to those who fall in the first category and make a resolution to give your precious time to the friend or family member with whom you've lost touch with to the point that you are completely unaware of what they desire. Perhaps you could just give them the gift of your time, which is, after all the reatest gift of all." o BRAHMAKUMARIS –"Everything that comes to us, comes to pass or, more accurately, for us to pass on. Not just the money in our pocket, but wisdom, objects, ideas, even opportunities, all come to us, so that, at the right mo- ment, we can pass them on. This is called flow. Being in the flow means being aware that the river of life is flowing to us at every moment. Being in the flow means accepting whatever comes and putting it to good use, before passing it on. Going with the flow means allowing whatever comes to move on freely, without holding on to it in any way." o BRAHMAKUMARIS –"Shakespeare was absolutely right – all the world's a stage and you are on it! It means we all have many roles to play. That means never identify with your role, or you will et stuck and feel stressed. You are not what you do. Your job, position, vocation are just roles. Play the role, never think you are the role. All great actors dislike being typecast." o BRAHMAKUMARIS –"The greater the demands on me, the more i need to sustain my inner calm and stability by taking time out for a little daily inner reflection and meditation." o BRIHADARANYAKA –"Where there is a duality, as it were, there one sees another, smells, tastes, speaks to another... But where everything has become just one's own self, then whereby and whom would one see, smell, speak, hear, think touch or understand?" o BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD –"It is not coarse, not fine, not short, not long… without shadow, without darkness, without air and] without space, intangible, odourless, tasteless, without eye, without ear, without voice, without mind, without energy, without breath, without mouth... unageing, undying, without fear, immortal, without stain, without measure, without inside and without outside." o BUDDHA –"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." o C S LEWIS –"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own goodwill torment us without end, for theyido so with the approval of their own conscience." o CARL SAGAN –"The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." o CARLOS CASTANEDA –"The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it." o CERVANTES –"To protract a great design is often to ruin it. o CHANAKYA –"It's just as difficult to detect an official's dishonesty as it is to discover how much water is drunk by the swimming fish." o CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD –"As far, verily, as this world-space extends, so far extends the space within the heart. Within it are contained both heaven and earth, both fire and wind, both sun and moon, lightning and the stars, both what one possesses here and what one does not possess; everything here is contained within it... That is the Soul, free from evil, free from age, free from death, free from sorrow, free from hunger, free from thirst, whose desire is the Real, whose conception is the Real." o CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD –"As one not knowing that a golden treasure lies buried beneath his feet may walk over it again and again, yet never find it, so all beings live every moment in the city of Brahmn, yet never find him because of the veil of illusion by which he is concealed." o CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD –"What is the cause of Being? No cause. There cannot be a cause forBeing. So it must be a causeless Being. If it has a cause, we must explain what that cause could be, and the cause should be either Being or NonBeing. There cannot be a third thing. Being cannot be the cause of Being; Non-Being also cannot be the cause of Being, so there is no cause for Being. It is causeless existence. " o CHARLES DARWIN –"I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.' o CHARLES DICKENS –"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time i know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." o CHIEF SEATTLE –"Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people." o CHINESE PROVERB –" The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth." o CHINESE PROVERB –"Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think." o CHINESE SAYING –"When Heaven sends down calamities. There is hope of weathering them; When man brings them upon himself. There is no hope of escape." o CHORUS –"Jind Mahi, the bajara (grain) buds signal the arrival of spring. The jattiyan (women) have come to see the mela, Look at her, in one hand she holds a mirror and with the other, she fixes her hair." o CHUANG TZU –"Do hot struggle. Go with the flow of things, and you will find yourself at one with the mysterious unity of the Universe." o CHUANG TZU –"We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away." o CICERO –"Can earthly things seem important to him who is acquainted with the whole of eternity and the magnitude of the universe?" o CONFUCIUS –"He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." o CONFUCIUS –"Silence is the true friend that never betrays." o CONFUCIUS –"True Leadership He makes no show of his moral worth, Yet all the princes follow in his steps. Hence the moral man, by living a life of simple truth and earnestness, alone can help to bring peace and order in the world." o CONFUCIUS –"When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves." o D SUBBARAO –"Once the world economy regains growth, India's recovery mil be much faster and steeper than the rest of the world." o DADAJI AMIYA ROY CHOWDHURY –"Mahanam is the Eternal Truth which will enable the devotee to reach the transcendental Reality This is possible only by the annihilation of the ego and by complete surrender to the Absolute by having faith in Mahanam." o DAISAKU IKEDA –"We need to awaken to a common consciousness of all being inhabitants of Earth. This consciousness is not to e found on a computer screen. It lies in our hearts, in our ability to share the pain of our fellow human beings." o DALE CARNEGIE –"Any fool can criticise, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." o DALE CARNEGIE –"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practised, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave." o DALE TURNER –"We are born with our eyes closed and our mouths open, and we spend our whole lives trying to reverse that mistake of nature." o DAN BENNETT –"Middle age is having a choice between two temptations and choosing the one that'll get you home earlier." o DAVE BARRY –"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or 'Look out for the wall!'" o DEEPAK CHOPRA –"Close your eyes, put youri awareness in your hearts^ and ask yourselves honestly and seriously if you are willing to take a vow. A vow is a sacred commitment from which there is no going back. It is like a child that is born, who cannot return to the womb." o DEEPAK CHOPRA –"Have at least two people in your lives take the vow The two in turn, would have two others join them in taking the vow. Our immediate goal now is to get 100 million people across the world to take this vow. In the meantime, we will be setting up ways to measure and support the dramatic effects this tidal wave of shift in consciousness is going to create." o DEEPAK CHOPRA –"I, Deepak Chopra, vow non-violence in my thoughts, in my speech and in my actions. Please join me in this commitment." o DEEPAK CHOPRA –"Taking the vow of non-violence does not mean that you won't evei have a reactive angry thought or word. It simply means that you are making a conscious intention or commitmen to respond to situation; with creativity peace and compassion." o DEEPAK CHOPRA –"The all-pervading energy, source of existence, or Shakti manifests itself as creation. Shakti is the divine mother who gives birth to and nurtures the newborn — whether it is a newborn baby, a brand new relationship, a fresh idea, or a magical manifestation. Although Shakti is beyond the boundaries of gender, form or colour. We call it Mother because of its mothering and creative qualities." o DESMOND MORRIS –"We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know enough to get by Every question we answer leads on to another question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our species." o DEVAKANTA BARUA –"In your eyes lies the wonder of a dream/ In your face the shadow of a moon/ In your breath the breeze of tender grass Soft and perfumed tender grass/ Who has sprayed the darkness of the night/ In your lustrous black hair?" o DHAMMAPADA –"Good is restraint in deed; good is restraint in speech; good is restraint in mind; good is restraint in everything. The bhikkhu, restrained at all points, is freed from sorrow." o DHAMMAPADA –"The heedful do not die; the heedless are like unto the dead. The 'constantly meditative, the ever steadfast ones, realise the bond-free, supreme nibbana.-.the wise man guards earnestness as the greatest treasure." o DIANE FROLOV AND ANDREW SCHNEIDER –"Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that's been our unifying cry, "More light". Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon, incandescent lights that banish the darkness from our caves to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier's Field. Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we're supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles. Light is metaphor. Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light." o DIANE WOLKSTEIN –"Mighty, majestic, and radiant, You shine brilliantly in the evening, You brighten the day at dawn, You stand in the heavens like the sun and the moon, Your wonders are known both above and below, To the greatness of the Holy Priestess of Heaven, To you, Inanna, ising!" o DIONYSIUS –"We worship with reveren silence the unutterable truths and, with the unfathomable and holy veneration of our mind, approach that mystery of Godhead which exceeds all mind and being." o DON GARDNER –"Every body stops And stares at me These two teeth are Gone as you can see I don't know just who To blame for this catastrophe! But my one wish on Christmas Eve Is as plain as it can be! All i want for Christmas Is my two front teeth, My two front teeth, See my two front teeth! Gee, if i could only Have my two front teeth, Then i could wish you "Merry Christmas..." o DONALD CURTIS –"Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order of life flow through one's being." o DOUGLAS ADAMS –"Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much —the wheel, New York, war and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done is muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons." o DURGA CHALISA –"Your face is like a moon and mouth, broad. Your eyes are red and your frown frightening. Oh mother, you are so pretty, The sight of you rings pleasure to all. In you is merged the strength of this world. You provide it with food and wealth. As Annapurani you nurture the world, And you are the primeval beauty called Bala." o E E CUMMINGS –"Maggie and millie andmolly and maywent down to the beach(to play one day)and maggie discovereda shell that sangso sweetly she couldn'tremember hertroubles, andmillie befriendeda stranded starwho's rays five languidfingers were;and molly was chased bya horrible thingwhich raced sideways while blowing bubbles: andmay came home with asmooth round stoneas small as a world andas large as alone.For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)it's always ourselveswe find in the sea." o EARL OF CHESTERFIELD –"Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so." o EARON DAVIS –"It takes community to maintain a human." o ECKHART TOLLE –"All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness." o ECOTOURS.IN –"The custom of preparing the Vishu Kani has been followed for generations. The women take a large dish made of bell-metal (uruli), arrange in it a grantha (palm-leaf manu script), a gold ornament, a new cloth, some flowers from the Konna Tree (Cassia fistula), some coins in a silver cup, a split coconut, a cucumber, some mangoes and a jack-fruit. On either side of the dish are placed two burning lamps with a chair facing it. Family members are taken blindfolded and then their blindfolds are removed and they view the Vishu Kani. This is followed by a huge feast to celebrate the new year." o EDWARD R MURROW –"Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone." o EDWARD YOUNG –"By night, an atheist half believes in God." o EGYPTIAN TRADITION –"I live as i please, 1 wander where i like; I go in and out each day according to my pleasure; I move where my inclination leads me; I assume all the forms which it pleases me to assume; I hold in my right hand the Lapis stone; I wear in my right ear the Flower of Ankham for ornament; I am flourishing, i am prosperous; I am a perennial youth in the garden of immortality." o EKNATH EASWARAN –"The palate is the ideal starting point for getting some mastery over your senses. You have three, four, maybe more opportunities a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and any number of between-meal snacks. No need talk of fasting, or strange diets. Just move away from foods that don't benefit your health and begin choosing foods that do. Witn this simple resolution, you'll strengthen your will, and deepen your meditation." o ELAYNE BOOSLER –"I've never been married, but I tell people I'm divorced so they won't think something's wrong with me." o ELVIS PRESLEY –"Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away." o ENGLISH SAYING –"Sticks and stones can break my bones But words can never harm me." o EPHESIANS –"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not Your doing, it is the gift of God —not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his -workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." o EPICTETUS –"First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak." o EPICTETUS –"It takes more than just a good looking body You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it." o EPICTETUS –"There is only one thing for which God has sent me into the world, and that is to develop every kind of virtue or strength, and there is nothing in all the world that i cannot use for this purpose." o EPICTETUS –"There is only one thing for which God has sent me into the world, and that is to develop every kind of virtue or strength, and there is nothing in all the world that i cannot use for this purpose." o ERIC HOFFER –"There would'be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other." o ERIC HOFFER –"We feel free when we escape — even if it be but from the frying pan into the fire." o ERIC HOFFER –"When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other." o ERNEST HEMINGWAY –"Never mistake motion for action." o EUGEN LONESCU –"Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together." o EVE MERRIAM –"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?" o F.SCOTT FITZGERALD –"At eighteen our convictions are hills from which we look; at forty-five they are caves in which we hide." o FD ROOSEVELT –"Leadership is a superb opportunity for re-applying, applying in new conditions, the simple rules of human conduct to which we' always go back. Without leadership alert and sensitive to change, we are all bogged up or lose our way." o FINLEY PETER DUNNE –"Alcohol is necessary for a man so that he can have a good opinion of himself, undisturbed be the facts." o FORTY HADITH OF AN-NAWAWI 4 –"It may be that one of' you will be performing the works of the people of Paradise, so that between him and Paradise there is the distance of only an arm's length, but then what is written for him overtakes him, and he begins to perform the works of the people of hell, into which he will go. Or maybe one of you will be performing the works of the people of hell, so that between him and hell there is the distance of only an arm's length, but then what is written for him will overtake him, and he will begin to perform| the works of the people of Paradise, into which he will go." o FR ANDREW –"A right exterior conduct really has its secret in a true interior life." o FRANCOIS FENELON –"Scorn the "intellectual" as much as the world esteems it. What men consider intellectual is a certain facility to produce brilliant thoughts. Nothing is more vain. We make an idol of our intellect. We take pride in our own thoughts. We must reject not only human cleverness, but also human prudence, which seems so important and so profitable." o FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT –"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." o FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE –"The consequences of our actions take hold of us quite indifferent to our claim that meanwhile we have 'improved'." o FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE –"The consequences of our actions take hold of us quite indifferent to our claim that meanwhile we have 'improved'." o FROM AN E-MAIL FORWARD –"A tourist once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptoy without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentle-man examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked; "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. Asked the visitor: "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a 20 feet high pillar. "Then who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman and said: "I will know it." o G. K. CHESTERTON –"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." o G. K. CHESTERTON –"The object of a new year is not that we- should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul." o GARY ZUKAV –"You cannot find your soul with your mind, you must use your heart. You must know what you are feeling. If you don't know what you are feeling, you will create unconsciously. If you are unconscious of an aspect of yourself; if it operates outside your field of awareness, that aspect has power over you." o GARY ZUKAV –"You cannot find your soul with your mind, you must use your heart. You must know what you are feeling. If you don't know what you are feeling, you will create unconsciously. If you are unconscious of an aspect of yourself; if it operates outside your field of awareness, that aspect has power over you." o GAUTAMA BUDDHA –"All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?" o GAUTAMA BUDDHA –"Inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished." o GAUTAMA BUDDHA –"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves you with ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom." o GEETA RADHAKRISHNA –"Ahimsa is pure love, Not just passion or sentimentality But a strong promise, A bet with oneself, To live a life of non-violence, With strict adherence to the promise Taken by one's own mind! To abstain from any kind of wilful injury, To any living being. " o GEORGE BERNARD SHAW –"Although I cannot lay an egg, l am a very good judge of omelettes." o GEORGE HARRISON –"Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me-life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help-me cope, with this heavy load, trying to, touch and reach you with, heart and soul." o GEORGE HOLYOAKE –"Secularism is a code of duty pertaining to this life, founded on considerations purely human, and intended mainly for those who find theology indefinite or inadequate, unreliable or unbelievable. Its essential principles are three: (1) The improvement of this life by material means. (2) That science is the available Providence of man. (3) That it is good to do good. Whether there be other good or not, the good of the present life is good, and it is good to seek that good." o GEORGE JEAN NATHAN –"Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organisation of hatreds." o GEORGE M ADAMS –"The Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost 2,000 years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart." o GURU ARJAN –"I am wretched, stone-hearted, evil-minded, given to lust, Master, save me howsoever You may! You are all-powerful, You save them who seek Your protection, You look after them. Meditation, asceticism, discipline, cleanliness, and correct behaviour; None of these can obtain salvation. Says Nanak, with His grace He pulls one out of the dark well." o HELEN KELLER –"Keep your face to the sunshine and you will not see the shadows." o HENRY D THOREAU –"In a world of peace and love, music would be the universal language." o HU SHIH –"Even the absolute universality of the law of causality does not necessarily limit a person's freedom, because the law of causality not only enables him to explain the past and predict the future, but also encourages him to use his intelligence to create new causes and attain new results." o ITIVUTTAKA –"Lust, hatred, and delusion ruin the man of wicked heart, They are begotten in himself like the lush growth of pith in the stem." o J MOLIERE –"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it." o JULIUS LIPNER –"Diwali is Deepavali, literally 'a row of oil lamps'. It is a festival of illumination. The Divine Power Vishnu overcomes the darkness of the underworld." o KENOPANISHAC –"It is the ear of the ear,/ It is the mind of the mind./ It is the speech of the speech./ It is the breath of the breathing./ It is the eye of the eye..." o KENOPANISHAD –"By whom willed and directed does the mind alight on its objects? By whom commanded does the prana (vital breath), that precedes all, start? By whom willed do men utter speech? What intelligent power directs the eye to see, the ear to hear?" o KESHAVAN NAIR –"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity." o LAO TZU –"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." o MARGUERITE THEOPHIL –"And in our garden we must have enough thyme: 1, Thyme for each other 2. Thyme for family 3. Thyme for friends Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow." o MARGUERITE THEOPHIL –"For the garden of your daily living Plant three rows of peas 1. Peace of mind 2. Peace of heart 3. Peace of soul." o MARGUERITE THEOPHIL –"No garden is without turnips: 1. Turnip for meetings 2. Turnip for protesting injustice 3. Turnip to help one another." o MARGUERITE THEOPHIL –"Plant four rows of lettuce: 1. Lettuce be faithful 2. Lettuce be kind 3. Lettuce be patient 4. Lettuce really love one another." o MARGUERITE THEOPHIL –"Plant four rows of squash: 1. Squash gossip 2. Squash indifference 3. Squash grumbling 4. Squash selfishness." o MENCIUS –"Only when a man invites insult will others insult him. Only when a family invites destruction will others destroy it. Only when a state invites invasion will others invade it." o MOTHER TERESA –"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." o MUHAMMAD ALL –"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." o OG MANDINO –"Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail." o PRAJNA PARAMITA –"I am not to be perceived by means of any visible form. Nor sought after by means of any audible sound; Whosoever walks in the way of iniquity, cannot perceive the blessedness of the Lord Buddha." o QURAN –"Glorified be He and High Exalted above all that they ascribe unto Him. Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth all vision." o RALPH NADER –"A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done." o RAMANA MAHARSHI –"There is no Truth. There is only the truth within each moment." o REV R INMAN –"A great teacher never strives to explain her vision; she simply invites, you to stand beside her and see for yourself." o RICHARD BACH –"Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete... if you're alive, it is'nt." o RIG VEDA –"Only the person having firm conviction and iron volition can attain strength and energy. At no stage of Karma does he ever hesitate." o RONALD REAGAN –"Some may try and tell us that this is the end of an era. But what they overlook is that in America, every day is a new beginning, and every sunset is merely the latest milestone on a voyage that never ends. For this is the land that has never become, but is always in the act of becoming. Emerson was right: America is the land of tomorrow." o RUKMINI DEVI ARUNDALE –"Animals cannot speak, but can you and i not speat for them and represent them? Let us all feel their silent cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the world." o SADHU TL VASWANI –"The Angels asked God if there was anything in the world stronger than rocks. "Yes/ answered God; 'stronger than rocks is iron: for iron can break rock/' Anything stronger than iron?" asked the Angels.. And the Lord answered: "Fire: for iron may be melted ill fire/" "Anything stronger than fire?" asked the Angels. And the Lord said: 'Yes, water: for fire is quenched by water" 'Anything stronger than water?" the Angels asked again. And the Lord answered: "Yes, wind: for wind may scatter water/' 'Anything stronger than wind?"' asked the Angels. "Yes;/' said the Lord; "sympathy is stronger. And nothing there be that is stronger than the compassionate heart." o SADHU TL VASWANI –"The doctrine of ahimsa or non-violence is a comprehensive one and emphasises the values of truth, self-restraint, and non-covetousness... No nation is truly free until animals are free and happy." o SENECA –"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." o SOREN KIERKEGAARD –"Music exists only in the moments of its performance, for however skilful one may be at reading notes and however lively one's imagination, it cannot be denied that it is only in an unreal sense that the music exists when read. It exists really only when it is performed. This might seem to be an imperfection in this art as compared with the others, whose works constantly endure because they have their existence in the sensual. Yet that is not so. Rather it is a proof that music is a higher, more spiritual art." o SRI RAMAKRISHNA –"In the theatre the audience remains engaged in all kinds of conversation, about home, office and school, till the curtain goes up: but no sooner does it go up than all conversation comes to a stop, and the people watch the play with fixed attention." o SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –"Before you speak, think — Is it necessary? Is it true? Is it kind? Will it hurt anyone? Will it improve on the silence?" o SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –"Open the gates of wisdom, tear the veil of ignorance, enter the abode of Divine Bliss. Rest in peace forever. Ego lives by getting and forgetting; Love lives by giving and forgiving; Love is expansion; Self is contraction; Self is lovelessness; Love is selflessness." o SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –"Service is the highest spiritual discipline. Prayer and meditation, or knowledge of scripture and Vedanta holy scriptures of India), cannot help you reach the goal as quickly as service can. Service has a double effect, it extinguishes the ego and gives bliss." o SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –"Start the Day with Love; Spend the Day with Love; Fill the Day with Love; End the Day with Love; This is the way to God." o SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –"The body has to be Utilised for service to others. More bliss can be got from serving others than from merely serving oneself." o SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –"You must be a Lotus, unfolding its petals when the Sun rises in the sky unaffected by the slush where it is born or even the water which sustains it!" o SWAMI PARTHASARATHY –"The teacher proceeds from the known to the unknown...We all know that we hear with our ears. But a set of ears on their own are as deaf as a post. Follow the sound vibrations through the eardrums along the nerves. It is the brain which is actually hearing those vibrations. But that is not the end of it. If the Consciousness leaves the brain you won't hear. Even if that Consciousness simply shifts the focus of your brain for a moment, the ears are still transmitting sounds to it as it ticks away but you are deafened... Consciousness is the see-er in the eye, the mind in the mind, the speaker in speech. That, says the teacher, is the source of existence, is God (Brahman). So God is the subject of all you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, feel or understand. Therefore, God can never be an object of perception or comprehension." o SWAMI VIUEKANANDA –"The will is not free — it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect — but there is something behind the will which is free." o THE BUDDHA –"When wisdom came to me, I resolved to defend the weak, and to all living things I gave compassion of my heart." o THICH NHAT HANH –"Gardening is a wonderful, restorative activity. Being in touch with Mother Earth is a wonderful way to preserve your mental health." o TS ELIOT –"What we call the beginning is often the end. And I to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is I where we start from." o VACLAU HAVEL –"Hope is an orientation of the heart/Of the spirit./ It is not the belief that/ things will turn out well, But that things will make sense,/ However they turn out." o VALLABHACHARYA –"Which religion gives the greatest joy to God? That which inspires human beings to practice ahimsa and compassion to all creatures." o VERNON HOWARD –"change is never a loss: it is Change only." o W S GILBERT –"Oh, don't the days seem lank and long, When all goes right and nothing goes wrong? And isn't your life extremely flat With nothing whatever to grumble at?" o WAYNE W DYER –"What you see is evidence of what you believe. Believe it and you'll see it." o WINSTON CHURCHILL –"Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if .Nothing happened." About the Author
Ecotourism simply means visiting pristine environs that are completely protected from human intervention. Ecotourism can boost awareness on environment and local cultures and enlighten people on ecological systems, besides funding conservation programmes.
It can also make the visitors gain a better idea on the importance of protecting Earth's natural beauty and biosphere for future generations. Ecotourism is the best way to minimize and even eradicate the threat or damage caused by tourism towards nature. Ecotourists have a greater responsibility than regular tourists while touring ecotourism-based destinations.
Today ecotourism plays a key role in tourism, drawing nature enthusiasts, researchers and students from all parts of the world. Ecotourism is just as popular in India where Kerala, a southern state, is ideal to explore nature at its best. This state boasts two national parks and 12 wildlife sanctuaries inviting you for countless encounters and adventures. With green carpeted mountains, rolling hills and evergreen forests that sprawls over 9000 square kilometres, Kerala is indeed rich in biodiversity.
The state of Kerala in India boasts of several ecotourism centres. These centres include Agasthyavanam Biological Park, Arippa, Konni, Thenmala, Kumarakom, Pamba and Mangalavanam to name but a few. Agasthyavanam Park and Arippa are ideal places for trekking and bird watching. Konni will take your breath away when you encounter the untameable giants on earth, the wild elephants, being tamed and trained. Mangalavanam is a birders' haven as it is a nesting area for migratory birds.
Conversely Thenmala is the trailblazer of Indian ecotourism. It is a small village that sits about 72 kilometres off Thiruvanandapuram, Kerala's capital, tucked away in the foothills of the Western Ghat Mountains. Awaiting you at Thenmala are leisurely adventures at the tea and rubber plantations. You can also observe timber of all types, exported from all corners of India.
Kerala State also boasts of ecotourism villages; the best example is Kumbalangi Ecotourism Village. This village is said to be India's first model tourism village that lets the visitors experience the bliss of nature at its best. You can observe and learn more about backwater and mangrove ecosystems at Kumbalangi. The comfy heritage houses complemented with delicious local delicacies will take you right into the heart of Kerala culture. While you are there, don't forget to check out coir production and fishing methods, among others. Brace yourself for a pleasant surprise when you encounter the Chinese fishing nets here.
If you are looking forward to a holiday of ecotourism and a natural retreat that wraps you in mystifying wonders and magical moments, why not try Kerala? You can spend your nights at one of the cosy hotels in Kovalam and start exploring ecologically enriched sites. A few minutes drive from the Trivandrum International Airport, you can reach The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach, Kerala, known as one of the biggest beach resorts in Kerala. Wrapped in striking vistas mingling green and blue shades, this is one of the best Kovalam hotels to relish your Kerala holiday.
About the Author
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
Pick you up at 21: 00 from your Hotel, transfer to railway station to take the night train at 22:00 to go to Sapa.
Day1: * In the morning: Arrive Lao Cai Railway Station at 6:30 am, transfer by minibus to Sapa around 9:00: check in Hotel and you will have free time for the rest of the morning. * In the Afternoon: Trekking to Cat Cat visit Black H’mong village and Waterfall (7kms) and then go back the hotel.
Day 2: After breakfast, leave Sapa for Bac Ha market by van (110 kms) this is a big market filled with many different hill-tribe groups of people.Here, you have chance to enjoy the food and special wines made from rice, cassavas, corn, and different sorts of fruits such as plumps apples, peaches… After visiting market we will go to visit the H’mong King’s house (King Hoang A Tuong) built by the French colonists and Chinese in 1920. Have lunch in Bac Ha town. Before taking a bus to Lao Cai railway station for night train to go back to Ha Noi we are going to visit Ban Pho village and take pictures with ethnic people. Tour ends at 6:00 Am on the next day at Hanoi railway station.
Included: Train tickets, bus tickets, 1 night accommodation, meals, tickets and tour guide. Notes: It’s advised to take good walking shoes, raincoat, jackets, torch and insect repellent.
Hailong trading and tourism joint stock company Add: 48 Bat Su str, Hoan Kiem dist, Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: +844 3923 3686/ 687 *Fax: +844 3923 3689 Email: info@hailongtravel.com.vn/ hailongtravel@gmail.com Website: http://www.hailongtravel.com.vn
About the Author
The most attractive destination in the north of Vietnam
"Norther Laos Trek" Briancrooke's photos around Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep (travel pics)
Huu Nghi in Lang Son province, Northeast Vietnam - connect Guangzhi province, China.
Mong Cai in Quang Ninh province - Northeast Vietnam - connect Guangzhi province, China
Lao Cai in Lao Cai province - Northwest Vietnam - connect Yunnan province, China
From Laos:
* Tay Trang Border Gate in Dien Bien Province - Northeast Vietnam - connect to Phongsaly province, Laos.:
* Na Meo Border Gate in Thanh Hoa Province - north Centre of Vietnam - connect to Samnua province, Laos.
* Nam Can Border Gate in Nghe An Province - north Centre of Vietnam - connect to Xieng Khoang province Lao
* Keo Nua ( Cau Treo ) Border Gate in Ha Tinh Province - north Centre of Vietnam
* Lao Bao Border Gate in Quang Tri Province - north Centre of Vietnam - connect to Savannakhet province Laos.
* Cha Lo Border Gate in Quang Binh Province - north Centre of Vietnam
* Po Y Border Gate in Kon Tum Province - Central highland of Vietnam - connect to Attapeu province, Laos.
From Cambodia:
* Le Thanh Border Gate in Gia Lai Province - Central highland of Vietnam - connect (Ratanakiri, Cambodia):
* Moc Bai Border Gate in Tay Ninh Province - South Vietnam
* Sa Mat Border Gate in Tay Ninh Province - South Vietnam
* Dinh Ba Border Gate in Dong Thap Province - South Vietnam - Mekong delta - connect Prey Veng, Cambodia.
* Tinh Bien Border Gate in An Giang Province - South Vietnam - Mekong delta
* Xa Xia Border Gate in Kien Giang Province - South Vietnam - Mekong delta - connects Kampot province Cambodia
Entry formalities
Vietnam Entry visas are obtainable at Vietnamese diplomatic missions and required for all visitors with valid passports irrespective of nationality. Please allow 3-7 days for processing. Travel permits are only required for trips to off-limit areas such as border provinces, military bases and remote islands.
Bilateral visa exemption agreement
* Citizens of Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Laos holding valid ordinary passports are exempt from visa requirements and are allowed to stay for not more than 30 days.
* French citizens holding valid diplomatic passports are exempt from visa requirements when visiting Vietnam and are allowed to stay for up 3 months at one time or on several visits within six months since their first immigration dates. Vietnamese citizens holding valid diplomatic passports also enjoy similar privileges.
* Citizens of Chile and Vietnam holding valid diplomatic or official passports from one of the two countries are exempt from needing entry, exit and transit visas in the other's territory and are allowed to stay for up 60 days on each visit.
Unilateral visa exemption agreement
* Visa with 30-day validity is exempted for officials from ASEAN secretariat holding different kinds of passports.
* Citizens of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Japan and South Korea holding different kinds of passports are exempt from visa requirements and are allowed to stay for not more than 15 days.
In case visa approval is arranged by Threeland Travel, we would like to offer you two ways to obtain visa: through Embassies & General Consulates of Vietnam or on arrival
IMPORTANT: Please take a note that visa on arrival in Vietnam means visa stamped on arrival. Guests must get visa approval by Vietnam Immigration office in advance. Being misunderstood, many tourists must spend at least 1-2 day at entry gates to arrange the visa.
About the Author
15 years in Travel Business in Vietnam , Laos & Cambodia working for Asiana Travel Mate in last 3 years as online Advisor
Online contact: www.asianatravelmate.com
Local Offices: 113C Bui Vien Str. District 1. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Phone: +84-8 38 38 6678
Saigon Tourist Information Center 92-94-96 Nguyen Hue str. District 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Phone: +84-838250615
Hanoi Tourist Information Center 7 Dinh Tien Hoang Str. Hoan Kiem Dist. Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: +84-4 39263370
Truly Halong Center 21 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem District Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: +84 4 39263449
Hue Tourist Information Center 45 - 47 Le Loi Str. Hue City, Vietnam Phone: +84-54 3942 233
