Atlas Helps a Vietnam Veteran Plan His
Southeast Asia Vacation Journey
It's been almost 36 years since Don Forgie was in Vietnam with the U.S. Air Force, a pararescue jumper who rescued downed pilots and did medi-evacs for seriously wounded in combat situations. Now a technology professional at University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical Center, married to an Emergency Department nurse at Milford Regional Medical Center, Forgie has always wanted to return to Southeast Asia to appreciate the beauty of the region through a different lens.
Don and Patty Forgie did just that on a 2009 vacation to Hong Kong, Thailand and Cambodia, planned by Karen McCrink, Atlas Travel International vacation manager.
“It was the trip of a lifetime,” expressed Don. “We were there for two weeks and it was very healing for me. We're actually considering retiring there now.”
While they began with time in Hong Kong, since Patty had never been to that part of the world, this was their least favorite part of the trip.
“You feel like you should go to Hong Kong if you're traveling that far,” said Don, “and Patty had never been there, so I wanted her to experience it, but it's really just a huge city. When we go back, we'll skip that part.”
The Forgies departed Hong Kong for Thailand, where they traveled an hour and 20 minutes by air from Bangkok to reach Chiang Mai Province, located in some of the highest mountains in northern Thailand. There they had a private guide, a Thai named Sam, whom Don said he would definitely recommend to anyone traveling in that region.
An hour north of Chiang Mai city they visited the Chiang Dao Elephant Camp, a natural preserve opened in 1996 by Sangduen "Lek" Chailert to provide a sanctuary for orphaned, sick, and blind elephants of all ages. Lek, a woman who rose above poverty and her upbringing in a very remote part of Thailand, was able to get a wonderful education and a university degree. She and her husband opened the Elephant Preserve and now travel throughout Northern Thailand to tend to both poor villagers and elephants in need. Lek's work has received awards from many organizations, including the Smithsonian Institute, and she was awarded “Asian Hero of the Year” in 2005 by Time magazine.
While in the Elephant Camp, the Forgies enjoyed both an elephant ride and a breathtaking private one-hour bamboo raft ride down the Ping River. While their guide slowly propelled the raft with a bamboo poke, they watched piranha swim in the river and took in the magnificence of nature all around them.
“The Thai people are just wonderful,” Don explained. “The whole region is a lot slower paced than anything we're used to. They are connected to nature and live more simply. It was wonderful, just a wonderful experience.”
Hotel accommodations in Chiang Mai were at The Chedi Chiang Mai, which is set on the banks of the Mae Ping River. This elegant retreat has 84 rooms and suites in contemporary Asian design. The restaurant and bars are truly elegant, and most rooms have open-air balconies and private courtyards.
From Chiang Mai, they drove three hours further north to Chiang Rai, which was the seat of power and prestige before Chiang Mai (which means “new city”) was built in 1296. Located in the region known as “The Golden Triangle,” where the opium trade flourished before 1960, Chiang Mai province sits where Burma, Laos and Thailand converge and views of the mighty Mae Kong River are magnificent. While tourists may hear tales of a Wild West type of existence in the Golden Triangle, nothing could be further from the truth today. The Forgies thoroughly enjoyed steeping themselves in the culture of this region, with ancient structures and rich history.
They took a day trip to visit the hillside Hmong villages in the region. One of six tribes in Thailand, the Hmong people are among the most colorful. On a constant quest for land, these people have traveled through China, Laos, Vietnam and now Thailand. During the Vietnam War, these nomadic people fought alongside Americans against the North Vietnamese and had to flee from persecution after the war.They became opium farmers in the Golden Triangle and have paid a tremendous price with addiction, which is now under control. The majority of hilltribe farmers now grow coffee, rice and vegetables with government help.
“It was an extraordinary experience,” said Don, who mused over the photograph of Hillary Clinton that was hanging in one Hmong cottage. “These are wonderful, resilient people and the day was really so interesting.”
However, the highlight of the trip came in Cambodia, where the Forgies visited Siem Reap, the capital city of the Siem Reap province. Here they visited Angkor Wat, an ancient temple complex that was built in the 1100s and still stands as an important spiritual site for Buddhists today. This awe-inspiring cultural jewel has outlived French colonialism, the brutality of the Khmer Rouge after the Vietnam War, and the encroachment of the jungle around it.
“Even if you aren't into touring temples,” said Don, “this is a must if you are traveling in Southeast Asia. It was so unbelievable to see the beauty of the structure, it's antiquity and nature intertwined in this temple. Imagine scenes from Indiana Jones with trees and vines growing on ancient ruins and you can begin to imagine what we saw.”
Hotel accommodations for two nights in the heart of Siem Reap were at the Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa, where a visitor enjoys the comfort, elegance and superb refinement of the French Art de Vivre.
The building's graceful colonial architecture of the 1930's really transports you to another time and place. It provides a sense of peaceful tranquility and it is enchantingly situated in the heart of Siem Reap, opposite the Royal Park. The 120 rooms and 10 suites are designed with beautiful wood floors, exclusive fabrics and original decorative artifacts.
At the close of their Southeast Asia journey, the Forgies treated themselves to four days back in Thailand at Phuket, a beach resort on Thailand 's largest island. In an oceanfront junior suite at the magnificent Katathani Phuket Beach Resort, they were able to relax and start to digest all that they had seen and experienced in this incredible region of the world.
For more information on traveling to Asia, contact:
Karen McCrink
karen.mccrink@comcast.net
508-422-1110
