TotalAdventure Presents “Long Lost Laos” A Video Narrative Of Last Summer’s Voyage.

Vietnam Voyage Is A 23 minute excursion from Saigon to DaNang  by air, from DaNang to Hue by train and then from Hue to Hanoi by air. TotalAdventure explores the main sites of the 4 historic cities with culinary adventures ,such as cobra snake in Hanoi.

Angkor is truly a Wonder of the World, even if it was not listed as one of the originals.TotalAdventure spent three days exploring, though several weeks would be needed to visit all the areas that are still being explored.

Europe was in the Dark Ages when this huge city was being built.

These rivers were navigable.

Time takes over.

Lost In Time.

Angkor Wat – Main City.

Intricate Details On All Structures.

June is a great time to visit, as the winter tourist hordes have vanished, but real monsoon has not yet begun.

Eternal Path.

Eternal Guardians.

A five hour journey from Rio de Janiero, via Brasilia, landed TotalAdventure in Belém – capital of the vast Pará State – about 80 km from the Mouth of The Amazon. The 450 year old Cidade Velho is closest to the River and there is a surprisingly  large modern city with skyscrapers not far inland.

TotalAdventure boarded a ferry for the one hour ride to the river town of Barcarena, which would be a 10 hour car ride by circuitous muddy roads through the jungle. These elevated cabins are not connected to the power grid, but many have generators to run their satellite TV’s.

In the Old City.

Galinhas Comem.

Ver O Peso Market.  Belém has a refreshingly remote feel, with few tourists – yet is only about 6 hours via connecting flights from Miami. For all TotalAdventure’s Brazil Adventures – CLICK HERE.

BEL-MAO-MIA   In the morning TotalAdventure packed ( still carrying  ski jacket from Chile ) and boarded TAM for the 2 hour flight to Manaus – Amazonian Capital – and  hopping off point for many jungle and river adventure trips.

Coming into Manaus.

Time To Return Stateside –

The 4 1/2 hour journey offers beautiful aerials of the Northern Amazon, Venezuela’s Gran Sabana, the Guajira Peninsula, Cuba and finally into Miami.

2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.

In order to save 50% on airfare from Tokyo to Vancouver, ArcticTropic flew on Philippine Airways via Manila. Other than the incessantly crying baby in the background,the first flight was quite pleasant. In the future we will explore those dense jungles in the mountains above Manila. The dense jungles are home to primitive tribes and until the 1980s hid Japanese soldiers who had no idea World War II had ended.

The Mergui Archipelago is one of the last untouched tropical paradises on Earth. Only a few hundred miles from the packed tourist hotspots of Phuket and Ko Samui, Thailand – there has been almost no development here. The Archipelago was paced off limits to outsiders – even citizens of Burma – by the government for over 50 years. The 800 islands receive only 2000 visitors a year – mostly divers . One must obtain a permit ( in addition to the visa ) from the Ministry of Tourism .

ArcticTropic stayed at the Myanmar Andaman Resort ( Some Good Pictures ). Comfortable bungalows with air conditioning. I was one of 3 guests there.

Macleod Island ( many of the islands still retain their old British names ) is not easy to get to . One must fly from Yangon via Air KBZ. The fight stops in Yawe and Miyek along the way to Kawthaung. Foreigners are not allowed to drive north of Kawthaung, the southernmost point in Myanmar. After numerous formalities the resort will transport you by speedboat – a 2 to 3 hour journey ,depending on waves. It is also possible to take a ferry from Ranong,Thailand to Kawthaung.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

Guanxi Province, South China . We travelled via small bamboo boat from Guilin to Yangshuo on the Li RIver. Being on the river afforded some relief from the 102 degree heat ( 39 C ) .

Karst formations begin in South China and are prevalent in nearby Vietnam, as well as Thailand.

Incredible video will be posted in future updates.

An ancient village untouched by time – except for smartphones.

A terraced tea plantation. Excellent green and black teas were enjoyed.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, CLICK HERE

Green World Adventures, in Costa Rica is one of ArcticTropic’s featured providers. As it is now the summer low season, prices are lower than in the peak winter months.

Some of the more high end trips feature luxury accommodations – great to relax after a day in the jungles and on the beaches.

Costa Rica is so close to the US – 5 hours from New York or California – only 2 hours from Miami. It is also one of the safest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

You can book directly right now by CLICKING HERE.