Presented by Graham Elsom
Experienced travellers are always on the lookout for something different. Keep an eye on these columns! Graham has been travelling all his life and is always seeking something special and unusual.
We all know about renting a self-drive car but have you ever thought about joining a convoy or putting your own convoy together with your friends or relatives? Travel “off the track”, in safe hands and the good company of like minded travelers. There are some wonderful opportunities to do just this, right here on the doorstep of China.
Whilst the focus can be on the remote parts of China including south-west China – Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu, there are also opportunities to self-drive convoy in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Whether you are looking for high adventure – a journey to Everest base Camp, for example, or a more luxurious approach to travel, say a trip from Shangri-La to Chiang Mai featuring some of the most beautiful hotels in Asia, the opportunities are there.
Let Graham graham.elsom@jebsenholidays.com know what you have in mind and he will assist you to put something very special in place.
Visiting Urumqi, Kashgar, Turpan, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Xining, Qinghai Tibet Railway and Lhasa. Lhasa is home to an amazing UNESCO collection of spectacular palaces and temples. Yet Tibet has been virtually inaccessible by land. That changed with the building of the Golmud to Lhasa railway. More than 600 miles (965kms) is at an altitude of over 13,000ft (4,000m) and much of this magnificent line runs over permafrost. With the summit, the Tangula Pass, at 16,640ft (5,072m) it is also the world’s highest railway.
It's not often that the big, well-priced cruise ships, offer an itinerary incorporating off-the-beaten-track destinations. This 14 night itinerary for next year, which departs from Hong Kong, is pretty good. The cruise calls at Xiamen, Shanghai, Naha (Okinawa), Ishigaki Island (Japan), Keelung (Taipei), Kaohsiung and Manila.
Heritage Line and partners are pleased to offer a unique charity cruise package including a 2-night stay at the Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon, an entrance ticket for the charity gala “Music for Myanmar” (14 Sept 2018), a stay at the Hilton Mandalay and the highlight, Heritage Line’s 11-night expedition cruise along the exotic Chindwin River.
Link for Aid non-profit international charity organization provides aid to disadvantaged children in Myanmar. The fund will be used to support The Mary Chapman School for the Deaf, Parami Orphanage, NLD Aid Center, Natwarat Monastic School, Heritage Line’s Free Mobile Clinic in Chindwin River and the Sit Taung Village School.
Contact Graham graham.elsom@jebsenholidays.com for further information about these or any other travel ideas you might have.
Written by GRAHAM
Having lived and worked in Asia for 40 years, I have travelled extensively to off- the- beaten-track locations in Asia. I like to think of myself as your man on the ground in Asia.
My passion is for the less travelled, more remote and interesting locations, which many simply bypass. It is the local culture, architecture and heritage in which I am most interested.
I always wanted to be a Travel Consultant. My favorite geography teacher sparked my interest at a very early age.
My very first job was with the world’s oldest travel company, Thos. Cook & Son. I joined them in 1962 in Melbourne, Australia.
Later, I founded my own travel agency, Concorde Travel in Hong Kong, from 1978 until 2016. We have now merged with one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most prestigious companies, the Jebsen Group, founded in 1895. This allows me to devote more time to my favorite pastime, Travel Consulting.
I have a special interest in smaller and more adventurous cruise ships. These enable you to escape the crowds and visit often unexplored and truly pristine destinations. I have been intrigued that the Virtuoso map will not let me include some of the more exotic places I have visited. These are spectacular destinations, but one or two of them might require a bullet proof vest these days:
Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Djibouti (Republic of Djibouti), Koror (Palau), Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory), Phu Quoc (Vietnam), Aden (Yemen), Turpan and Macau (Peoples Republic of China) and Port Lockroy (United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust).
In these days of mass tourism, careful planning is required to ensure that one’s exploration is an enjoyable and memorable experience.
I hope you will let me help you to find these roads less travelled. All you have to do is let me know about your own special interests.
Please feel free to email me at graham.elsom@jebsenholidays.com
Having lived and worked in Asia for 40 years, I have travelled extensively to off- the- beaten-track locations in Asia. I like to think of myself as your man on the ground in Asia.
My passion is for the less travelled, more remote and interesting locations, which many simply bypass. It is the local culture, architecture and heritage in which I am most interested.
I always wanted to be a Travel Consultant. My favorite geography teacher sparked my interest at a very early age.
My very first job was with the world’s oldest travel company, Thos. Cook & Son. I joined them in 1962 in Melbourne, Australia.
Later, I founded my own travel agency, Concorde Travel in Hong Kong, from 1978 until 2016. We have now merged with one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most prestigious companies, the Jebsen Group, founded in 1895. This allows me to devote more time to my favorite pastime, Travel Consulting.
I have a special interest in smaller and more adventurous cruise ships. These enable you to escape the crowds and visit often unexplored and truly pristine destinations. I have been intrigued that the Virtuoso map will not let me include some of the more exotic places I have visited. These are spectacular destinations, but one or two of them might require a bullet proof vest these days:
Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Djibouti (Republic of Djibouti), Koror (Palau), Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory), Phu Quoc (Vietnam), Aden (Yemen), Turpan and Macau (Peoples Republic of China) and Port Lockroy (United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust).
In these days of mass tourism, careful planning is required to ensure that one’s exploration is an enjoyable and memorable experience.
I hope you will let me help you to find these roads less travelled. All you have to do is let me know about your own special interests.
Please feel free to email me at graham.elsom@jebsenholidays.com
Tailor-made travel with Graham Elsom
Experienced travellers are always on the lookout for something different.
Keep an eye on these columns!
Graham has been travelling all his life and is always seeking something special and unusual.
Fancy a trip to Europe? Do you want to see everything the continent has to offer but worry that you don’t have enough time? Come to Mallorca! It is Europe in miniature.
Tailor-made travel with Graham Elsom
Experienced travellers are always on the lookout for something different.
Keep an eye on these columns!
Graham has been travelling all his life and is always seeking something special and unusual.
In Sydney, you can look to the east and watch the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean. 4000 km away, in Perth, you can look to the west and watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean. The “Indian Pacific” railway can take you to both Sydney and Perth. This incredible trans-continental journey takes 4 days and 3 nights and it includes the longest stretch of straight railway line in the world, 487 km.
