Independent, Luxury, Philanthropic Travel
Private, Custom Designed, Intimate and Meaningful
Philanthropic Travel the Ultimate Luxury
Our philanthropic luxury experiences are custom designed for travelers who prefer the privacy, freedom and flexibility of traveling alone, with a spouse, or a small group of family and friends, our thoughtfully-planned programs make "independent" the most convenient way to travel. Each itinerary includes "must-see" sights and the finest hotels as well as expert local guides, private transfers and selected meals. Our experiences are private, which means you will always have your own vehicle and english speaking guide. Explore the planet confident that you will have the epicurean experience you desire while being introduced to an effective way to create a legacy of compassion that will last long after you have returned home.
Africa, Asia, South America and beyond
Our luxury experiences throughout Asia, Africa, South America are opportunities to step beyond the narrow confines of the well-traveled tourist circuit to feel the pulse of a country. Immerse yourself in new experiences and cultures, and come away inspired by what you have seen and satisfied that your journey was more fulfilling than you would have imagined.
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Philanthropic Travel: Wisdom of Stone Soup
Kids near Kisumu, Kenya by Teddy Van Beuren
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel has raised over 1 million dollars since 2008. 100% has been donated to high impact NGO's (non-government organizations) in destinations in the USA and around the world.
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The Wisdom Of Sharing Stone Soup
There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there's no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn't need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water.
With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets-indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast.This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves, when in truth we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves.
The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone.
Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.
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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that if responsible practices are in place, Philanthropic Travel is the natural interlocutor between the wealth and desires of the global traveler and the socio-economic needs of some of the world's most remote, but heritage-rich communities, natural and cultural sites.
It's vital to manage, through collaboration, the impact of tourism and the low-volume, high yield operators particularly in the luxury tier are in a unique position to deliver service and stability to world heritage. UNESCO sees responsible travel as a delicate balancing act. Tourism involves a series of trade-offs but, within an agreed framework of goals and limits and a climate of educational, respectful relationships, we have one of our most powerful tools for poverty reduction.
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Learn More:
Personal Philanthropy = The Globalization of Empathy
Living Legacy and Philanthropic Voyages
Your Philanthropic Travel Team
Around the World with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel
Philanthropic Journeys begin with Exquisite Safaris
The Advent of Philanthropic Travel by Mark Lovett Global Patriot
Financial Times/FT.com: Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travelers
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Your First Philanthropic Travel Experience
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John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler
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Understanding the Joys of Philanthropic Travel
"Philanthropic Travel is the ultimate luxury and a WIN-WIN-WIN formula on many, many levels." -David Chamberlain CEO Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide
WINNER #1 Destination Communities
Destination communities win when philanthropic travelers arrive with open hearts and philanthropic intent. The economic generosity of those travelers allows communities to move past the daily march for survival by gifting education, medical facilities, clean water and entrepreneurial training. Philanthropic Travelers create a chain reaction of 'pay it forward,' goodwill that unlocks powerful community development and gratitude.
"What David is doing is wonderful because it combines the best of everything," says Chellie Kew, founder of Qfund, a non-profit organization whose grassroots endeavors in Africa are sometimes observed by Exquisite Safaris travelers. "You get the world-class accommodations, the top-notch activities, and then end up at a project that is life-changing." -Chellie Kew Q Fund Humanitarian NGO
"There's something in all of us that hungers after the good and true, and when we glimpse it in people, we applaud them for it. Through them we let the world's pain into our hearts, and we find compassion. When things go wrong or have been terribly wrong for some time, their inspiration reminds us of the tenderness for life that we can all feel." -Bishop Desmund Tutu
WINNER #2 Philanthropic Travelers
Acting as committed and awakened 'resource catalysts,' rather than 'day laborers,' Philanthropic Travelers who donate to our NGO humanitarian partners are participating in the inspiration, education and empowerment of communities -better able to sustain themselves creating new local opportunities for upward mobility.
"Visiting the Matare slum outside Nairobi was a powerful experience for our family. What we encountered grabbed our hearts. Living there does not make for an easy life, and it is so much different from what we know. And yet we found our hearts warmed from this unforgettable experience. Franklin opened the community up to us in ways we would have never been able to see ourselves. We enjoyed a chance to hear people's stories, to learn about their hopes and dreams, and to enjoy playing sports with local youth. Franklin's outreach is powerful, and since our visit we now feel like we can help him make a difference through our growing friendship. Our lives will never be the same and we look forward to visiting again." -Amber Dowd, Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Traveler
WINNER #3 Environment, Indigenous Culture and Wildlife
Once communities are empowered, they have the 'personal bandwidth,' to participate in the preservation of their environment, their cultural uniqueness and the wildlife that makes their neighborhoods so attractive to philanthropic travelers.
"Ultimately conservation is about people. If you don't have sustainable development around these (wildlife) parks, then people will have no interest in them, and the parks will not survive." -Nelson Mandela
Philanthropic Travel as a catalyst for a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Friendly World. Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide has been working hard to show meaningful benefits to conservation and communities, but to do this our first responsibility is to provide a desirable product to our market and a viable, successful business model.
"The 'Enlightened Luxury' experience of Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide revolves around a sophisticated high-end traveler who demands and requires a world class level of service and wants to play a leading role by traveling with philanthropic intent.
Our clients report that being the guest of a grassroots humanitarian outreach project for a morning or afternoon somewhere along their itinerary has profoundly expanded their understanding of the world. It has awakened powerful emotions, enlightened ideas, and concrete plans about how they intend to re-invent their their future while leveraging their "quality time remaining." -David Chamberlain
UNESCO on Philanthropic Travel:
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that if responsible practices are in place, Philanthropic Travel is the natural interlocutor between the wealth and desires of the global traveler and the socio-economic needs of some of the world's most remote, but heritage-rich communities, natural and cultural sites. It's vital to manage, through collaboration, the impact of tourism and the low-volume, high yield operators particularly in the luxury tier are in a unique position to deliver service and stability to world heritage. UNESCO sees responsible travel as a delicate balancing act. Tourism involves a series of trade-offs but, within an agreed framework of goals and limits and a climate of educational, respectful relationships, we have one of our most powerful tools for poverty reduction.
``
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Around the World with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel
Philanthropic Journeys begin with Exquisite Safaris
Member of the United Nations Foundation World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
The Advent of Philanthropic Travel by Mark Lovett Global Patriot
Financial Times/FT.com: Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travelers
Vacationing in Generosity: Philanthropic Travel
TheGlassHammer.com Philanthropic Travelers
Your First Philanthropic Travel Experience
Philanthropic Travelers:
The One's Who Do: Philanthropic Travelers
John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler
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Philanthropic Travelers provide clean water in Burma
Drinking fresh water in Burma by David Chamberlain
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel does not organize travel to Myanmar, and has never sent anyone to Myanmar. Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel has traveled to Myanmar on a fact finding mission and have supported a vetted non profit organization that brings much needed fresh water to a community there. However, Exquisite Safaris does not organize travel to Myanmar at this time.
The world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of our time. If all the earth's water fit in a gallon jug, available fresh water would equal just over a tablespoon.
Exquisite Safaris Water Projects Burma:
BACKGROUND: The Bagan area in the middle of Myanmar is in an arid zone. Despite the Irrawaddy flowing through the area, sources for clear water were terribly scarce. Villagers had to spend a large amount of time and effort to collect clean water from sources 4-5 miles away.
CULTURE OF APPRECIATION: The Burmese traditional and common belief is that those who donate water to the needy will invariably reap exceptional benefits, such as personal health, prosperity, faithfulness from associates and well wishers, etc. We can still hear the grateful village folks, especially elderly women muttering words of blessing and good wishes to all involved in water well projects.
PROJECTS:
Submersible Pump Tube-Well Project at Thu-Htay-Kan Village
Exquisite Safaris and partners have successfully set up a tube-well equipped with 3HP submersible pump which is run by 23HP engine and 10kW generator. The construction also includes a storage tank of 3500 gallons capacity.
Although the works were carried out as a completed project, we have experienced some challenges and it took several months to finish. However, the villagers appreciate the value of the well as they do not need to go 1 to 2 miles for water under the blazing sun and do not need to depend totally on the pond where water is available only during the rainy season. Now, the well stands as a source of clean water which greatly contributes not only toward health and sanitation for the village community but also toward the enhancement of their socio-economic level.
After completion of the well the villagers requested to build an extension storage tank measuring 10' x 6' x 4' at the entrance of the village, some 650 feet from the well. In addition, we provided a small tank for the school adjacent to the well measuring 6' x 3' x 3', some 80 feet from the well. Now the villagers challenge lays with the operating cost. The diesel to operate the well costs US$ 80 per month. Therefore they are not able to operate the pumps on their own due to the cost of diesel. Therefore, we have also supplied one barrel diesel (50 gals) per month which covers about 25 days of operation in a month for the past months. Now, starting from December 2003, we will supply only one barrel for two months.
In July 2004 we learned that in a nearby village their submersible pump was out of order and the people who rely on that tube well now come to the Thu-Htay-Kan well for water. We have currently provided one barrel of diesel (50 gallons) for a two months supply. The village charges 10 Kyat for 16 gallons (carried on by hand with two 4 gallon drums x 2 times), and for one barrel of water (48 gallons) on a bullock cart, the charge is 30 Kyat to cover the diesel expense. With this money, and the half barrel of diesel we provide each month they are able to run the well.
April 12, 2005 - After two years of discussion we have been successful getting electricity from a transformer across the street from Dhamayazika Pagoda to power the pump. The final cost for all the above was approximately US$8,300.
Hand Pump Well at Thit-Htauk-Kyun Village
The Thuhtaykan well is expensive, and using a generator will create operating expense problems long term, we have set up a simple version of a hand pump well at Thit-Htaunk-Kyun Village, located on a highway about 10 miles from Bagan. The well and the pump now are functioning well. The total for the well is about US$ 700 and the balance of US$ 100 that was provided will be used for the maintenance of the well.
A Third Well installed in the village of Aunk-Nyint
We recently received US$ 800 from another donor for a hand pump well near Bagan. This was installed in the village of Aunk-Nyint. In July 2004 our representative reported: Donation for a new tube well in the vicinity of Bagan was approved in early 2003 and the funds (US$ 800) were delivered in Nov 2003. The school and the villagers asked us to provide a tube well with compressor instead of a tube well with hand pump. The village leader and the elders assured us that from the village fund they will supply the necessary diesel and look after maintenance when it is finished. The capacity of the new storage tank is about 700 gallons and the compressor pumps water at the rate of 420 gallons per hour. The fuel consumption is above 6 hrs. per gallon. The depth of the well is 105 feet. The villagers, and especially the students, are very happy to have the tube well as it provides water for their daily needs. The total expense was US$ 700. $100 remains available for future projects and/or maintenance of this well.
Contact us to coordinate your Tax Deductible Donations for Burma Water Relief
Learn more: View video from Burma
View Exquisite Safaris pictures of Burma
WATER CRISIS WORLDWIDE:Worldwide, nearly 1.1 billion people (roughly 20% of the world's population) lack access to safe drinking water [1]. The lack of clean, safe drinking water is estimated to kill almost 4,500 children per day [2]. In fact, out of the 2.2 million unsafe drinking water deaths in 2004, 90% were children under the age of five [3]. Water is essential to the treatment of diseases, something especially critical for children.
This problem isn't just confined to a particular region of the planet, it is a world wide issue. A third of the Earth's population lives in 'water stressed' countries and that number is expected to rise dramatically over the next two decades [4]. The crisis is worst in developing nations, especially in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The world water crisis is created by a confluence of factors including climate and geography, lack of water systems and infrastructure, and inadequate sanitation, something that 2.6 billion people (40% of the world's population) lack access to [5]. Some of these countries have additional problems, including high levels of arsenic and fluoride in drinking water [6].
Even with these unsanitary conditions, many women and young girls in rural areas in Sub-Saharan African and other parts of the world must trek as much as six miles everyday to retrieve water for their families [7]. Due to this manual labor, such women and children are prevented from pursuing an education, maintaining their households or earning additional income [8].
Thus, the lack of clean water, coupled with the lack of basic sanitation and a dearth of hygiene education, is one of the largest obstacles to progress and development in these regions and across the world. The UN has prioritized water access among its Millennium Development Goals because it contributes to such widespread suffering, including increased poverty, high child mortality rates, depressed education levels, and political instability. Without question, the world water crisis condemns billions of people to a perpetual struggle to survive at the subsistence level,[9] thus inspiring millions to engage and alleviate this problem. Every time you travel with Exquisite Safaris, you can make a difference.
Sources: [1] WaterAid, 2005 [2] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005 [3] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005 [4] BBC News October 19, 2004 [5] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005 [6] Department of International Development, Water Action Plan, March 2004 [7] UNESCO/ International Year of Fresh Water 2003 [8] UNESCO/ International Year of Fresh Water 2003 [9] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005
Learn More:
Contra Costa Times: Public Relations Consultant to Myanmar Dictatorship
Tell Your Rep: UN Must Reject Burma's False Constitution
Campaigning for Human Rights and Democracy in Burma
United States Campaign for Burma
Bush announces more Burma sanctions: USA Today
Clean Water Burma
Take Action for Burma Democracy: Philanthropic Travel
Freedom for Burma: Myanmar no more
Burma: Hopes Burn Brightly
Burma: Mystic Ball and the Sport of Chinlone
Philanthropic Travelers provide clean water in Burma
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Room to Read & John Wood
Few individuals choose to walk away at the height of their corporate career to dedicate their life to a social cause.
At age 35, John Wood did just that - quitting his position as Microsoft's Director of Business Development for the Greater China Region in order to found Room to Read. He has never looked back.
John's career at Microsoft spanned 1991 to 1999, where he ran significant parts of Microsoft's international business, as the Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division, Director of the Internet Customer Unit for Microsoft Australia, and Director of Marketing for Microsoft Australia.
In 1998, John took a vacation that changed his life. Trekking through a remote Himalayan village, he struck up conversation with a schoolteacher, who invited John to visit his school. There, John discovered that the few books available were so precious that they were kept under lock and key - to protect them from the children! Fewer than 20 books, all backpacker cast-aways, were available for more than 450 students.
What started with a simple email requesting friends donate used books has grown into Room to Read, an award winning non-profit that over the past six years has established 3,000 libraries, donated nearly 2 million books, built 200 schools, and funded nearly 2,000 long-term girls scholarships - impacting the lives of nearly a million students world-wide.
John has strived to bring the lessons of the corporate world to the non-profit sector. Room to Read combines his passion with the discipline of a well-run global company. He has been described by Fast Company Magazine as "all heart, all business."
John has received countless honors for his work, including recognition as a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum and as one of Time Magazine's "Asian Heroes." Room to Read is a three time winner of Fast Company Magazine's Social Capitalist Award, a recipient of the Skoll Foundation Award for Social Innovation, and a recipient of Draper Richards Fellowship for social entrepreneurs.
John holds a Bachelors of Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Colorado, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He lives and works in San Francisco, CA.
Room to Read
Room to Read's mission is to provide under-privileged children with an opportunity to gain the lifelong gift of education. It was founded on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty and taking control of one's life. They currently focus their efforts on Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and South Africa; countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children.
Our successful strategy for addressing the lack of educational opportunities for children in the developing world includes:
* Partnering with villages to build schools
* Establishing libraries and filling them with donated English books and local language books published by Room to Read
* Providing computer and language labs to improve employment skills
* Providing scholarships for under-privileged young girls who cannot afford fees that are required of all students, even those attending public schools.
To increase the likelihood for success and long-term sustainability, Room to Read enlists community involvement and co-investment. Our challenge grants require villages to raise a significant portion of the overall expenditure for building a new school, thereby allowing our cash donations to go further.
Our long-term goal is to build 20,000 schools and libraries, thereby educating 10 million children in the developing world. Since our inception in 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of over 990,000 children by:
* Building 197 schools
* Establishing over 2,936 libraries
* Publishing 77 local language children's titles representing over 691,000 books
* Donating over 1.2 million English language children's books
* Establishing 92 computer and language labs
* Funding over 2,079 long-term girls' scholarships
Room to Read operates efficiently and with very low overhead. Since inception, we have maintained overhead in the single digits and are committed to ensuring that the lion's share of each donation is put to use where it is most needed: our programs!
Related Links:
Understanding Philanthropic Travel
Teaching your Children Philanthropy
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Angel Investors and Travelers: Vietnam
Because of its thinly traded market and lack of investment options, Vietnam is often overlooked by global investors. Not Merrill Lynch...or Exquisite Safaris private, luxury, philanthropic travelers.
The giant financial services company has acquired a coveted "trading code" needed to buy and sell shares directly on Vietnam's small but growing stock market. Merrill obtained the right to directly hold Vietnamese shares last week, six months after Spencer White, the bank's chief regional strategist, called Vietnamese stocks a "ten-year buy."
Vietnam is slightly larger than New Mexico in size, but it has a population of 85 million people, half of whom are younger than 25. Vietnam's economic growth rate of 8% is close to that of China, and its manufacturing capability has a long way to go; manufacturing currently represents just 11% of Vietnam's gross domestic product. Wage rates are lower than in neighboring countries, and the service side of the economy is thriving.
I am no fan of the Communist Party of Vietnam, but market liberalization and reform is sporadically moving ahead. The country is also gradually becoming integrated into the global economy. On May 31, 2006 Vietnam signed a bilateral agreement with the U.S. to gain entry into the World Trade Organization by the end of the year. This was followed by the U.S. Senate's decision to award Permanent Normal Trading Relations status to Vietnam on July 31, 2006 11 years after diplomatic ties between the two nations were re-established.
Vietnam's recent growth has been driven primarily by exports, which were up 26% during the first half of this year. Leading the charge are textile and garment manufacturing, oil and mining, agriculture and food processing.
Vietnam has a tiny but growing stock market. With only 47 listed companies and one domestic fund, the Vietnam Stock Exchange has a current market capitalization of roughly $3 billion. In early 2005, it had a market cap of only $200 million. There were 12 initial public offerings in the first half of this year, but incredibly, two companies still account for half of the market's capitalization.
This thin market is volatile, and after rising almost 70% in the first part of the year, it has lost about 30% of its value during the past 12 weeks. Such volatility is not for the faint of heart. Foreign ownership of listed securities is permitted, but it is capped at 49% for most companies and only 30% for banks.
Still, for long-term, far-sighted investors, the attractions are clear: a young and literate workforce that is consumer-oriented, a very underdeveloped banking system that is on the cusp of major change, rising foreign direct investment, cost advantages in growing its manufacturing sector, and strong export growth. There is also huge upside potential in Vietnam as a tourist destination.
Valuations are also attractive. According to Merrill Lynch, price-earnings multiples are between eight and 10 times earnings, and earnings per share are growing at a breakneck 20% to 40% annual clip. Dividend yields range from 3% to 10%.
There is always the risk that reform efforts will falter and that corruption and bureaucratic red tape will continue to challenge even the most persistent and committed company entering the Vietnam market. The country's bureaucracy is as labyrinthine as ever, and it has an opaque legal system with separate laws for foreign and domestic investors.
There are only a few direct plays for investors. One is the Vietnam Opportunity Fund (VOF) listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its U.S. pink sheet listing, VTOPF, trades at $2.42, down from a high of $2.62 earlier this year. Another option is the Dublin-listed Vietnam Growth Fund.
Another option for investors is a neighboring country with a somewhat lower risk profile, similar growth potential and a more developed market: Indonesia. It is the world's third-largest democracy, which is a big advantage over Vietnam's Communist government.
The Indonesia Fund is a closed-end fund that is currently in Chartwell's Asian Opportunity portfolio. It is up 28% over the past year, and its annualized total return over the past three years through July is an eye-catching 40.4%. You can build a small position at the current price of $8.48, since the premium to the fund's net asset value is only 3.8%, substantially below the norm.
Treat any portfolio allocation to Vietnam or Indonesia as if you were investing in an emerging-market venture capital fund. It is a speculative position and will take time to develop. In my book, the potential payoff makes it worth the risk.
Carl Delfeld is head of the global advisory firm Chartwell Partners and editor of Chartwell Advisor. He served as a director on the executive board of the Asian Development Bank during the administration of President George H. W. Bush, and he is the author of The New Global Investor.
Published in Forbes written by Carl Delfeld, Chartwell Advisor
Vietnam Links:
Philanthropic Travel Vietnam
Halong Bay World Heritage Site
Old Quarter Hanoi
Investing in Vietnam
Related Links:
My First Philanthropic Travel Experience
Teaching your Children Philanthropy
Understanding Philanthropic Travel
Why Exquisite Safaris?
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Everyone is Going to Cambodia
JUST after Christmas in 1859, the French explorer Henri Mouhot left Bangkok to explore the uncharted regions of Indochina. It took him a year of hacking through brush and fending off leopards, leeches and wild elephants before he arrived at Angkor Wat, the jungle-smothered complex of temples deep inside the kingdom of Cambodia. Less than two years later, he died of malaria.
This story was published written by Matt Gross and published in the New York Times on January 22, 2006.
The Bayon at Angkor Wat
What took Mouhot a year can now be accomplished in little more than an hour, via Bangkok Airways' seven daily flights from the Thai capital to Siem Reap, home base for Angkor expeditions. Mouhot may have had to trudge three hours down a sandy path through dense forest to reach the ruins, but 21st-century visitors have the luxury of everything from tuk-tuks to Land Cruisers to an AS-350 Squirrel helicopter.
And while Mouhot lamented the temples' abandonment, today they are such popular tourist attractions that the measure of an expert Angkor guide is not his knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, nor his mastery of English, French and Japanese, but his ability to show visitors the most popular sites - the Bayon, Phnom Bakheng, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat itself - and have them wondering, at day's end, "Where was everybody else?"
Ta Prohm
But not all guides are expert at deftly avoiding the tourist crush, and there are frequently days when it seems everybody is in Cambodia. In 2004, international arrivals topped one million for the first time, a figure reached in 2005 by the end of September, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
In almost every part of the country, you can find a conceptually and architecturally ambitious hotel: In mountainous Ratanakiri, there's the Terres Rouges Lodge, a former provincial governor's lakeside residence that has, Time Asia said last July, "the best bar in the middle of nowhere." On the Sanker River in Battambang, Cambodia's second-largest city, there's La Villa, a 1930 house that in October opened as a six-room hotel filled with Art Deco antiques. And sometime this summer, you should be able to head south to Kep and stay at La Villa de Monsieur Thomas, a 1908 oceanfront mansion that's being transformed into a French restaurant ringed with bungalows.
And then there is Angkor Wat. Foreign visitors are flooding in - 690,987 paid entrance fees last year, up from 451,046 in 2004. And while there are no official figures as to how much each spends in Siem Reap, the town's dizzying array of luxury hotels - at least 10 by my count, ranging from the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor to quirky boutiques like Hôtel de la Paix - testifies to the emergence of a new generation of high-end travelers, who not only demand round-the-clock Khmer massage but are also willing to pay $400 a day to hire a BMW L7 or $1,375 an hour for a helicopter tour.
Cambodia is not alone in its luxury revolution. Since the mid-1990's, the former French colonies of Southeast Asia have made enormous leaps in catering to tourists who prefer plunge pools to bucket showers. From the forests of Laos to the beaches of Vietnam to the ruins of Cambodia, you can find well-conceived, well-outfitted, well-run hotels that will sleep you in style for hundreds of dollars a night.
Change has come at an amazing pace. Take Luang Prabang, in Laos. This tidy hill town feels like a Hollywood set, with painted lamps glowing in French restaurants and brick walkways brightened by a yellow glow emanating from knee-high terra-cotta pots. Even the bare fluorescent tubes draped over lonely late-night streets do their part to make visitors feel as if they've arrived at the end of the world.
But it's not mere atmospherics they've found: Luang Prabang has high-end hotels to house a legion of W-worshipers, with enough bistros and boutiques to keep their credit cards on the verge of meltdown. There are spa treatments to succumb to, and Veuve Clicquot to toast with. This town of just 60,000 people is, almost all of a sudden, a luxury getaway.
Less than a decade ago, there were no hotels with infinity pools, no restaurants serving fricassee of wild boar, no silk merchants who took Visa. (Also, no paved roads.) The foreigners who climbed the 328 steps of Mount Phousi were usually backpackers who sought guidance from Lonely Planet's "Southeast Asia on a Shoestring." Today, the traveler with a Lonely Planet in one hand is likely to have a Mandarina Duck carry-on in the other.
Meanwhile, in Vietnam, well-heeled travelers are making pilgrimages to the Evason Hideaway outside Nha Trang, a coastal town 280 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. The Evason, part of Six Senses, a small Bangkok-based chain of resorts, is without question Vietnam's top resort. The villas are enormous, with private plunge pools and wine cellars (and free Wi-Fi), and rock-star-style privacy is paramount: the mountain-backed resort is accessible only by boat.
The Evason is not Vietnam's sole outpost of escapism. Along its 2,140 miles of coastline, there's La Résidence in Hue, the Life Resort in Hoi An and the Furama in Da Nang. You can tour Ha Long Bay in the Emeraude, a replica of a 1920's steamer, or in the Hai Huong, a reproduction of a classic junk. The Victoria chain has been setting up four-star hotels in unusual inland spots, such as Can Tho, Chau Doc and Sapa. And the Evason is already at work on a second resort, in the southern hill town of Da Lat.
But in a country like Vietnam, still poor despite a vibrant economy, the luxury business is a tricky balancing act: How over the top can you go without seeming to take advantage?
The Evason walks that line with the deftness of a tightrope walker. The 17 villas feel inserted into, not imposed upon, the landscape. Motor vehicles are nowhere to be seen: everyone walks or bikes. Is this eco-tourism? Maybe, but when you're at a wine-tasting in a rock cave, or scraping grilled curried lobster tail from its shell, or spotting parrotfish and sea urchins in the coral-lined bay, it feels like something else entirely.
DESPITE all the changes in Cambodia, the immigration desk at Siem Reap International Airport remains a bastion of indifference. When I passed through in October, 10 officials sat behind the visa counter, wordlessly gazing at a mob of tourists, who were hurriedly filling in application forms, fumbling for passport photos and $20 bills, and in the absence of any signs or personnel to direct them, wondering where to go next.
Outside, however, it was a different story: A guest assistant from Hôtel de la Paix carried my bag through the parking lot - past a new terminal designed to handle 1.5 million passengers a year when it opens this summer - to a Lexus S.U.V. As we drove into town, listening to Morcheeba on the car's iPod Mini, the driver and I discussed development on the airport road: I could remember when it had few hotels and restaurants; he could remember when it had none.
At la Paix, an artfully serene white palace designed by the landscape architect Bill Bensley, another assistant led me into the expansive arts lounge, where I sipped fresh orange juice and split my attention between the movie "Indochine," which was being projected on the wall, and the youthful staff members, who moved about with a surprising sureness of purpose.
Soon, an assistant took me to my room - dark woods, creamy fabrics, functioning Wi-Fi and another iPod - and cheerfully helped me plan my stay: a trip to Angkor Wat (with an "excellence guide," he wrote on his notepad) and, almost as important, a local SIM card for my cellphone ("first thing in the morning"). I wandered to the second-floor pool, which flowed like a river from the spa and down to the courtyard, at whose center grew a knotty ficus. Everywhere: calm. The hotel was aptly named.
This was a Cambodia so far removed from the one I'd encountered when I first visited, in March 1997, that I began to wonder if I was even in the same country. Back then, Cambodia was the Wild West, with Phnom Penh its Deadwood. My hotel was the Morakat, which had two room-service menus, one for food, the other for girls. My spa treatment was an unceremonious ear-cleaning at a Vietnamese-run barber shop. (I still have nightmares.) I dined on street side fried noodles and went to a pitch-black nightclub, where a friend and I were shown to our table by a tuxedoed midget with an enormous flashlight.
Oh, and the day after I arrived, unidentified assailants threw grenades into a crowd of 200 people demonstrating outside the National Assembly, killing at least 16 and injuring more than 100.
To say that Cambodia has come a long way is to state the obvious. Gone are the Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese occupation, the United Nations democracy-restoration period and the era of warring prime ministers (the current prime minister, Hun Sen, came out on top in 1997). Angkor Wat has been swept clean of land mines, and it is generally safe to travel city streets at night.
When I visited Siem Reap in December 1999, it was far from bustling, and visitors to the temples could climb atop the rubble of Ta Prohm unbothered by security guards. The Grand, which dates back to 1932, had been renovated and reopened by the Raffles Group only two years before, and Angkor Village was the resort for in-the-know tourists and expatriates who wanted something nicer than a guesthouse.
Now more than 100 hotels serve tourists of all budgets. The Grand has been joined by a Sofitel, Le Meridien and the Sokha Angkor. On the boutique side, Angkor Village must now contend with la Paix, La Résidence d'Angkor, the FCC Angkor, the Shinta Mani and an Aman resort, the Amansara. By the end of this month, the One Hotel plans to open its doors - or, rather, its door: There's just one room, a duplex with flat-screen TV, iBook, Wi-Fi and a whirlpool.
These changes are perhaps hardly surprising, given Angkor Wat's popularity and the increasing adventurousness of luxury travelers.
"People want to take their lifestyle and life standard with them," said Grant Thatcher, the publisher of Luxe City Guides, a series of directories to chic treats in Asia. "People don't want to just sit in a flea-bitten rat hole and get eaten by mosquitoes."
His guides - to silversmiths in Bali, Dutch colonial antiques in Sri Lanka, orchids in Bangkok - are fast becoming indispensable for their up-to-date intelligence (each is reissued every six months) and cheeky, Daily Candy-in-Hong Kong voice. (On the Metropole, in Hanoi: "This grand old Gertie has finally got off her colonial bum and begun an upgrade.")
Luxe does not yet offer a Cambodia guide, but the entrepreneurs of Siem Reap are doing their best to prepare for it. Want to see Angkor Wat by hot-air balloon? No problem. Is $1 too little to pay for a krama, the traditional Cambodian checked scarf? A crinkly silk boutique version can run more than $50. Want your entire stay videotaped, then edited into a feature-length film? Just ask the One's front desk.
It's in the realm of culture that Siem Reap really excels, and to a degree that would be surprising in any tourist locale, let alone one dominated by one of the greatest and most perplexing artistic achievements of all, Angkor Wat. On weekends there are cello concerts, and in December "Les Nuits d'Angkor," a blend of ballet and traditional Khmer dance, takes place in front of the temple itself. My October stay coincided with the Angkor Photography Festival, a week of exhibitions, workshops and exclusive soirees.
Just add a soothing glass of pastis, and it's easy to imagine you're in a hub of sophistication, shuttling between cocktail parties, fancy restaurants and gallery openings with a crowd of like-minded travelers. Except that everywhere in Siem Reap - and throughout Cambodia - are reminders of the country's wretched history, crushing poverty and political mismanagement. Take two steps outside your hotel, and you'll find people sleeping in the streets, some of them missing limbs. (Still, there are fewer today than in the past.)
Corruption is rampant. Villagers are routinely evicted at gunpoint from their land by the wealthy and well-connected, critics of Hun Sen's policies are liable to find themselves imprisoned, and the leader of the small political opposition, Sam Rainsy, who organized the tragic 1997 demonstration, lost his parliamentary immunity a year ago and fled the country to escape defamation charges; last month, a court convicted him in absentia. The belief among many foreigners living in Cambodia is that this constitutional monarchy is really a totalitarian kleptocracy, its officials enriching themselves at the expense of aid organizations (which heavily subsidize the government's budget), not to mention the long-suffering Cambodian people.
Which makes it all the more stunning and delightful and sad that those Cambodians are, for the most part, some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. Show kindness to a driver, to a bellhop, to the newly middle-class guy drinking a Heineken next to you at the FCC bar, and you'll have an instant friend. After all the dehumanizing treatment they've put up with over the last 30 years, Cambodians, it seems to me, just want to be considered human beings, equals despite the financial disparity between them and the average foreign tourist.
It's enough to make you feel guilty as you soak in your freestanding terrazzo tub at la Paix, listening to Miles Davis on the iPod. But the high-end hotels are all too aware that their room rates - $200 to as much as $1,900 -can surpass what the average Cambodian earns in a year. La Paix and its sister, the Shinta Mani, a hotel and hospitality training institute, offer a menu of "community-based activities" that lets tourists finance anything from school supplies ($12) to a breeding pair of piglets ($60) to the building of a new house ($980). The One Hotel plans a similar "Good Karma" package.
For some people, it may be hard to imagine Cambodia as a luxury traveler's paradise. Are there really tourists willing to shell out hundreds, even thousands, of dollars a night to see Angkor Wat - knowing that their fancy hotels will not be like Jamaican all-inclusives, conveniently keeping the gritty outside world at bay?
I posed the question to Toby Anderson, manager of the Amansara, possibly the nicest - and, at $650 a night and up, definitely the most expensive - resort in town. A former royal residence, the Amansara, with its single-story modernist architecture, still feels like a swinging-60's pad. You can easily imagine Norodom Sihanouk, the former king, standing by the pool with a flute of Champagne in one manicured hand.
I followed Mr. Anderson, a tall, fair-featured Australian, to the library, as he rebuffed my suggestion that his guests might have different expectations of Cambodia.
"They're well read, they know the history and situation," he said. "They're looking for a Cambodian experience.
"I was a backpacker once," he added. "I still like to backpack. I don't know whether the mindset is that different. Does being able to stay in the Amansara change what you experience?"
Indeed, he was probably right. Once you ride the vintage Mercedes limo outside the gates of the Amansara compound, you are unmistakably, unavoidably in Cambodia: crumbling roads, frequent floods, implacable heat and tour guides who coolly unload personal tales of Khmer Rouge horror. It's not as if you can, by dint of a fat wallet, hide from this reality.
And why would you want to? The draw for millions of people is not just plush beds and nimble-fingered masseuses; it's these three countries' uniquely messy histories and the ways all are struggling to move forward.
In the end, what that fat wallet does get you is simply the opportunity to travel - which is, as Henri Mouhot understood, the greatest luxury of all. "Even if destined here to meet my death," he wrote in his journals, "I would not change my lot for all the joys and pleasures of the civilized world."
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World Gourmet Festival: Haute Gastronomy: Thailand
Bangkok is known for a lot of things: fake luxury goods, great massages, gorgeous street food, glorious temples, and the occasional coup. It's also known for its uber-fabulous hotels vast architectural wonders with perfect service, chic restaurants, and requisite flocks of beautiful people having high tea in their lobby lounges. Thanks to one of these hotels, its excellent restaurants, and a festival featuring international culinary superstars held there, Bangkok has in recent years also become a center of world gastronomy.
Southeast Asia's best chefs, fanatic foodies from around the region, and Bangkok's high society (they call themselves "hi-sos.") are all making a beeline to the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. For the seventh year in a row, the hotel is hosting its World Gourmet Festival (WGF), bringing together some of the world's most famous chefs to cook in its restaurants and conduct cooking classes.
Spread over just eight days September 10 to 17, 2006 the WGF has grown leaps and bounds from when it was first started. Back then, the chefs were mostly American and Asian. These visiting stars were also paired up yes, two star chefs jointly prepared each meal and relegated to hosting their dinners in the hotel's banquet rooms.
Exquisite Safaris is pleased to recommend World Gourmet Festival accomodations and private, luxury, extension experiences to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos
Now, the WGF draws big names from all over the world. Some of this year's illustrious participants include Yoshii Ryuichi from Yoshii in Sydney, Australia; Peter Gordon, one of fusion cuisine's earliest heroes, from New Zealand by way of London; Michael Mina, whose restaurants, including his eponymous restaurant in San Francisco and an outpost in Las Vegas, are always full; Fatema Hal, from Morocco by way of Paris; William Ledeuil from Ze Kitchen Galerie, also in Paris; Ruth Van Waerebeek-Gonzalez, head chef at Concha y Toro, one of Chile's most renowned vineyards; and Emily Luchetti, the master dessert maker, from San Francisco. Seventeen chefs in total (plus one Master of Wine) will be performing kitchen magic during this jam-packed week. Unlike in the past, each chef is now performing solo (with a little help from their own traveling team of assistants, of course) and will be taking over one of the Four Season's already hugely popular restaurants.
Most chefs will be cooking two dinners and conducting at least one cooking class. Bookings, as you can imagine, have already started filling up. One of Michael Mina's dinners was fully booked ages ago. Many of Bangkok's hi-sos and expats, we're told, are even having special gowns made just for the WGF's black-tie Gala Dinner on September 14. In addition to the city's residents, Lubosh Barta, food and beverages director for the Four Seasons, reports that the event now draws an increasing number of regulars from the Middle East, Australia, and neighboring Southeast Asian nations. These guests, he says, are a great mix of well-heeled foodies and other chefs, who love the idea of chilling out for a week in one of Bangkok's best hotels, hanging out with (and obviously networking with) peers, and, of course, tasting great food.
The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is to host the 6th Annual World Gourmet Festival from between 11-18 September 2005.
Since its inception, the World Gourmet Festival has grown in prominence to feature an extraordinary line up of some of the world's best chefs. The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok brings award winning Master Chefs from around the world to Bangkok for a week long celebration of outstanding food, superb wines and to share tips and information on how to create award-winning cuisine.
Participating chefs this year are:
Roy Yamaguchi, Roy's Restaurants, Hawaii, USA
Based on his childhood memories of the feelings and flavors of Hawaii, Roy invented what he refers to as "Hawaiian Fusion" cuisine - a tempting combination of exotic flavors and spices mixed with the freshest of local ingredients, always with an emphasis on seafood. Roy's is all about food - unique, beautiful to gaze upon, pleasing textures, and bold flavors, with a taste that is as good as it looks. Flavorful sauces and Asian spices tastefully blended complement Roy's commitment to the use of the finest fresh ingredients from around the world, with a special emphasis on those locally produced. Roy Yamaguchi holds the distinction of earning Hawaii's first prestigious James Beard Award. His first restaurant in East Honolulu was dubbed the "crown jewel of Hawaii's east-west eateries" by Food & Wine, and has been the subject matter of cover stories for both Bon Appetit and Forbes (a rare appearance for a chef) magazines. Yamaguchi is now regarded as a pioneer who mastered a distinctive style, which brought his cooking to the forefront of contemporary gastronomy. Roy's famous "aloha" style of service, straight from the heart with a sense of caring and individuality, is predicated on the mission of its staff to "totally please and indulge" every guest.
Laurent Tourondel, BLT (Bistro Laurent Tourondel) New York, USA
Laurent Tourondel gained vast and varied hands on culinary experience in some of the best kitchens around the world; Paris, London, Moscow, New York including those manned by the great Troisgros family and Joel Robuchon. A stop at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas earned him the coveted Food & Wine Magazine's Ten Best New Chefs 1998 and in 1999 The New York Times awarded him a well-deserved three-star review for Cello, the former Upper East Side restaurant devoted to inventive fish and seafood. After a whirlwind year traveling the world where he indulged in the food and drink of varied cultures, Tourondel returned to the US with a new found mission. With BLT Steak, Chef Tourondel realized a lifelong dream of opening a restaurant where steak, meat and fowl take center stage. "There is no such thing as a steakhouse in France," says Tourondel. "To me, it is like the American dream to have an intimate restaurant where the focus is on simple food, skillfully prepared."
Laurent Tourondel was named by New York Magazine as "one of 99 people to watch in 1999" BLT Steak marks the coming of age of the American Steakhouse. As the name Bistro Laurent Tourondel suggests, Chef Tourondel presents his adaptation of the American Steakhouse, elevating it with his signature style and all-around finesse. The result, the Modern American Steakhouse.
Walter Manzke, Executive Chef, Bouchee and L'Auberge Carmel, California
Margarita Manzke, Pastry Chef, L'Auberge Carmel, California
To leave the fast paced kitchens of an internationally famous, big city restaurant to open a small, intimate restaurant in a coastal village may be the dream of many chefs. Walter Manzke has realized this dream at Bouchee restaurant and the super intimate dining room at L'Auberge Carmel. Manzke's kitchen and cooking training is thorough, having worked in some of the most renowned kitchens in America and Europe including Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo with Alain Ducasse; at Patina in Los Angeles with Joachim Splichal; at Pinot Bistro in Los Angeles with Octavio Becerra; with Claude Poissonniez at Rancho Valencia Resort and at La Valencia Hotel; with Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Spain; and with Jean Claude Fabre at Restaurant Leonce in France among others. The menu Manzke created at Bouchee takes full advantage of the Central Coast's amazing bounty, organizing dishes according to their origins; Garden, Ocean, Farm, and Forest seasonally. "We just couldn't categorize these beautiful foods into the customary slots of appetizer, first course, second course and so on" says Manzke. In the three main categories, Garden, Ocean and Farm, he offers small plates and large plates, so the diner may create a meal that is appropriate both to their taste and their appetite. L'Auberge Carmel has been selected as one of the world's best new dining destinations by the editors of Robb Report in the June 2005 issue and Bon Appetit Magazine featured L'Auberge in their 'Best of the Year' January 2005 issue, calling Manzke 'at the top of his game'. Joining him at the World Gourmet Festival is his wife, Margarita Manzke, herself an accomplished Pastry Chef at L'Auberge Carmel.
Sam Mason, Pastry Chef, WD-50, New York, USA
He may come across as part rock-star, part-comedian, but Sam Mason applies serious technique and innovation to pastry arts at wd-50. Having worked with the late Jean-Louis Palladin both at Napa in Las Vegas and Palladin in New York, Mason cites the legendary chef as his most influential mentor. He has been at wd-50 since it opened in April of 2003. Everything in the walk-in is fair game for Mason, whose experimental dessert menu is the ideal complement to Wylie Dufresne's cuisine. He edges diners out of their comfort zone by pairing unusual ingredients with very familiar and nostalgic elements. Mason frowns upon cloyingly sweet desserts and counts salt vinegar chips among his personal favorites.
Michael Ginor, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, New York
Michael established what is one of the major Foie Gras producers in the world today. By 1998, Hudson Valley Foie Gras distributed its moulard duck products through a network of 75 domestic distributors extending throughout the United States, and beyond to Argentina, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Venezuela. Hudson Valley Foie Gras has received the 1993 Gold Merit Award from Chefs in America and the 1996 Award for Excellence from The James Beard Foundation. In 1996, Hudson Valley received the Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and the 1998 Award of Excellence from the American Tasting Institute. In May 1996, Michael received the first Olive Branch Award from the Jewish National Fund for humanitarian and professional achievements. He was honored with the 1997 Angel Award from The James Beard Foundation for dedication, contribution and foresight and in 1998 Michael received the American Master Taster Award from the American Tasting Institute. Both Michael and Izzy Yanay were inducted into the James Beard Foundation 2001 Who's Who of Food and Beverage.
Jerome Tremoulet, Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant, Adelaide, Australia
Born and educated in the southern Gers region of France and inspired by his Italian grandmother and mother, Jerome developed his talents in restaurants in Corsica, south west France and the Alpes. His culinary career took him to Paris and London where he created menus for royalty and presidents at the Ritz Hotel. Moving to Australia in 1989 he joined Paul Bocuse restaurant in Melbourne which was the first to be awarded a five hat rating by the Melbourne Food guide. At Magill Estate Jerome created a modern Australian menu with French and Italian influences, Magill Estate highlights the importance of pairing five-star cuisine with unparalleled wines. Its wine list has an unparalleled range of Penfolds wines including mature vintage reds from the winery's museum. Many of these, including Penfolds Grange, are available by the glass.
Alan Koh, Koko Restaurant, Melbourne, Australia
As chef de cuisine at Koko Allan Koh has played an integral role in the development of modern Japanese cuisine in Australia. Alan has been directly involved in the opening of a number of Melbourne's leading restaurants including the Chinois, B Coz, and the Waterfront Seafood restaurant. Alan derived his passion for cooking from his involvement in the family business in Malaysia; Koh Wholesale Seafood where his key role was to ensure the quality of the product was to the highest standard. This philosophy is reflected in Alan's cuisine where he brings simplicity and exquisite detail to every dish.
Cyrus Todiwalla, Cafe Spice Namaste, London UK
Cyrus is proprietor and Executive Chef of the Cafe Spice Namaste restaurant group, renowned for its innovative and fresh approach to Indian cuisine. In 2000, Cyrus was awarded an MBE in recognition of his extensive knowledge, skill, commitment and expertise to the restaurant and catering industry. Cyrus was born and brought up in Bombay, India. He graduated from Bombay's Catering College and trained as a chef with the renowned Taj Group in India. He left India for Europe in 1991, where he developed his hallmark style of blending traditional Indian culinary techniques and flavors with more unexpected ingredients. Being a keen environmentalist, Cyrus cooks with organic products wherever possible. Cafe Spice Namaste is the only Indian restaurant in the UK to be awarded the Investors in People Standard and a National Training Award as well as being runners up for the Millennium Excellence Awards. He has received countless awards for the consistently high standards in his cuisine. He has been voted Best Indian Chef in the UK, awarded a Culinary Honor of Merit Award from the World Chef Society and Cafe Spice Namaste is one of the only Indian Restaurants to win the BIB Gourmand Award from the Michelin Guide. "If there is a God, the canteen in heaven will be run by Cyrus Todiwalla' Time Out (London).
Enrique Luis Blondet Montero, Gastronomic Director, La Rosa Nautica Restaurant, Lima, Peru
Peru, the Land of the Incas, is considered the cultural, historical and archeological capital of South America. One for the finest expressions of Peruvian culture is its cuisine due to the ecological and climatic diversity and the rich mix of western and eastern cultural traditions. Chef Blondet, a graduate of the Ritz Escoffier High Cuisine and Pastry School in Paris is a firm devotee of this vibrant cuisine. Influenced by Spanish colonization that fused with the food of the native Andeans and the ingredients and cooking methods of the African Salves, Peruvian cuisine today is a sophisticated blend of Spanish, Asian, and ancient Incan methods and flavors based on readily available seafood. La Rosa Nautica takes its name from the nautical compass that was the source of wealth and entertainment for seafarers.
Lorenzo Vivalda, 'Antica Corona Reale' da Renzo di Cervere, Cervere Italy
Founded by the Vivalda family in 1835 the restaurant achieved a Michelin star in 2003, the national award Espresso 2003 for the best and original utilized raw material and first place in the list of Provincial restaurants for 2003 and 2004. Lorenzo was named Chevalier of the Italian Republic by the Italian President.
Pitak Srichan, Chief Instructor, Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Cooking School
Chef Pitak began his culinary career as a kitchen helper at Baan Suan Restaurant in Nakornpanom Province (NE Thailand). It was here that he discovered his passion for food and the desire to make a living in the culinary arts. He has worked as a Thai chef in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Germany, Malaysia and the US before returning home to Thailand and joining the Cooking School team at Four Seasons Chiang Mai as an exceptionally gifted instructor.
The event is complemented by Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok chefs Nicolas Schneller, Executive Chef, Giovanni Speciale, Biscotti Chef, Satoshi Sawada, Shintaro Chef, Frank Braun, Pastry Chef who will jointly create a 'Menu of all Seasons'.
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Understanding Philanthropic Travel
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Sustainable Concepts: Play Pumps
Exquisite Safaris and the Philanthropic Travel Foundation present; Sustainable Concepts, ideas that are making a positive and lasting difference in the communities Exquisite Safaris clients traverse.
Laughter. That's the loudest sound you'll hear at rural African schools with a PlayPump water system. This innovative water pump that doubles as a children's merry go round is bringing clean water and a better life to hundreds of thousands of families in Africa.
It's a simple idea. As children spin on a merry go round, water pumps from below the ground. It is stored in a tank just a few feet away, making a safe, plentiful supply of water available in the community.
American author Rachael Paulson and New Jersey teenagers raise funds to install Play Pumps in rural Africa.
Watch the Video
Learn how philanthropic travelers have been raising funds to donate PlayPumps in rural South Africa.
~ Each day in developing countries, women and girls spend more than 200 million hours collecting water from distant, often polluted sources.
~ Women and girls can get hurt carrying heavy water containers.
~ Girls in developing countries often can't go to school because collecting water takes them so much time.
~ Tanzanian households use 80 liters of water per person per day; Australians, 240; and residents of Phoenix, Arizona, 293.7
~ Unsafe water and lack of sanitation is now the single largest cause of illness worldwide.
~ Unless we act now, by 2025 the number of people who lack access to clean water could increase to 2.3 billion.
~ Half the people in developing countries are suffering from water-related diseases.
~ More than 4.5 million children will die of diarrhea and water-related diseases this year.
"All community of Winterveldt came in here because this Run About (Roundabout) does not get dry. There is always water, when government's pipe water finish, the whole community fetched water from Run About (roundabout)." -Patricia Mahlori Vuma, Winterveldt, South Africa
About Play Pump
In the rural areas of developing countries, the only access to water is from bore holes. The chore of fetching water is usually the responsibility of women and children who cover large distances in order to collect sufficient water for their family's daily requirements. It is estimated that the minimum amount of water a human needs each day is five litres which is a huge physical burden for the women and children drawing the water.
Traditional sources of water collection are from dams, springs, rivers, streams and farm reservoirs, with the introduction of bore holes where these traditional sources of water are unavailable. In the past, bore holes have been operated by hand pumps because the use of modern alternatives such as diesel, petrol or electric pumps are costly to install and carry a constant financial burden of fuel and maintenance costs.
Child's play
A South African company has come up with a new device called the play pump that reduces the toil of collecting water and uses the energy of children at play as the power supply. Cavorting on a roundabout has always been fun for children and now pure, clean bore hole water can be pumped into storage tanks while the playground roundabout equipment is in use.
The play pump is a specifically designed playground roundabout that pumps ground water from bore holes into sealed holding tanks. It is powered by the energy of the children turning the roundabout, keeping costs and maintenance to an absolute minimum, while entertaining the children. The low maintenance merry-go-round turns as easily as a standard playground fixture.
Operation of the play pump
The play pump operates on basic windmill equipment which is accessible in co-operative stores throughout Africa and can be found in most other parts of the world as well.
Below the ground is a positive displacement cylinder on rising rods and pipes. The equipment inside the unit converts the rotational movement into a vertical movement by a driving mechanism consisting of only two working parts. This makes the pump highly effective, easy to operate and very economical. Depending on the cylinder, it pumps up to about 4 litres per revolution which is much more efficient than the traditional hand pump.
Capacity and cost
The play pump is capable of producing 1400 litres of water per hour into an overhead storage tank, from a depth of 40 metres and is effective up to a depth of 100 metres. A typical hand pump installation only produces 150 litres of water each hour to ground level, where it cannot be stored hygienically and cannot compete with the delivery rate of the play pump.
The installation cost of the play pump is 30,000 Rand (US$7000) compared to the cost of 10,000 Rand (US$2,000) for installing a standard hand pump.
Sustainability through advertising
The play pump's 5,000 litre storage tank is erected on a 6 metre high stand and is a prominent land mark in low rise villages and townships. It is fitted with four 2m x 3m outdoor advertising signs, resulting in a unique advertising opportunity for the private sector. Three year advertising contracts are sold to companies selling things like soap products and toothpaste, flour and maize etc. The water pump is a natural gathering point for the women in a community and so it is an excellent place to advertise. Revenue from the advertising pays for the capital cost of the installation and guarantees funds for ongoing maintenance and sustainability of each play pump.
Site maintenance
As a contractual obligation with the advertisers, the sites are serviced at regular intervals for general maintenance on the signage and skilled pump maintenance crews are also included in these visits to the play pumps. Local people are being trained using funds provided by Roundabout Outdoors, so that eventually the ongoing preventative maintenance and repair work can be carried out in the rural community.
Transferable technology
Due to its practical, economic, ecological and social viability, the play pump is a progressive and creative way to provide free fresh water to rural communities. Children are being entertained and the women do not have to do a physical work out to collect their daily water requirements because the children have already pumped the water for the community.
Related Links:
How the New Philanthropy Works
Understanding Philanthropic Travel
Teaching your Children Philanthropy
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Jay Z: Global Water Crisis
The United Nations, MTV and Def Jam Records CEO Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter are partnering to increase awareness of the world water crisis.
The partnership, announced Wednesday at U.N. headquarters in New York, aims to draw mainstream attention to the deteriorating global water crisis through Carter's upcoming international tour.
The rap musician plans to travel to several regions around the world where unclean water and poor sanitation directly results in the death of 4,500 children daily.
According to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who attended the event, more than a billion people lack access to safe drinking water and some 2.6 billion people have no access to proper sanitation.
Carter's tour, which kicks off Sept. 9, will encourage youth in the United States and abroad to help alleviate the water crisis, highlighting youth-led solutions such as solar-generated water pumps and the PlayPump, a children's merry go round that pumps water from below ground. Carter told reporters he hopes to distribute 1,000 PlayPumps in devastated areas.
"After hearing and reading some of the startling statistics about the lack of clean water, I realized I needed to bring attention to this issue. I know through joining with experts through the United Nations and partnering with MTV to bring the word to our communities, we can make a difference," Carter said.
MTV will air a documentary special on Carter's journey entitled "Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life," on Nov. 24 on MTV's worldwide network, which is broadcast in 179 countries. Those tuning in will be invited to take any of twelve steps associated with "Break the Addiction," MTV's year-long campaign to engage youth to reduce their impact on global warming.
"I'm very excited not only to be a rock star in these countries, but also to help," said Carter.
Exquisite Safaris: Dear Jay-Z, please consider a Play Pump donation for the Mukuni School in Victoria Falls, Zambia. Keep up the great work, peace!
Learn More:
Understanding Philanthropic Travel
Fast Company Magazine on Philanthropic Travel
Philanthropic Traveler funded High School opens near Victoria Falls, Zambia
The Fable of Stone Soup
My First Philanthropic Travel Experience
Exquisite Safaris Donates 10% profit + 10% employee time + your loose change..
Affluent Parents Dedicated to Instilling Philanthropic Values in their Children
Giving while Living: The Deeper News About the New Philanthropy
Dr. Jeffrey Sachs on the Strategic Steps Out of Poverty
Are We Talking about Philanthropy Yet? No, We Are Not
Philanthropic Travelers:
Milton & Fred Ochieng: Philanthropic Travelers
Jane Kaye- Bailey: Philanthropic Traveler
Richard Branson: Philanthropic Traveler
Angelina Jolie: Philanthropic Traveler
Karen Jacobsen: Philanthropic Traveler
Oprah Winfrey: Philanthropic Traveler
Palm Beach Life Magazine: Philanthropic Travelers
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