Dear Ki,

Just back from three weeks touring Cambodia , Vietnam and Laos. When we booked this trip several months ago we thought the prospect of our own personal guide and driver too good to be true. Surely we'd find ourselves part of a bigger group for some things.

We arrived in Cambodia and the adventure began. Our guide met us and we were soon in our airconditioned vehicle heading off to Phnom Penh and the Cambodiana hotel overlooking the Mekong River. The area approaching the hotel was heaving with masses of people milling around and stalls selling foods of all kinds including spiders, beetles, fruits, toys and paper lanterns. We'd arrived in time for the dragon boat races which we could watch from our bedroom! The hotel is in process of refurbishment but our room was very large, well appointed and clean. This boded well for the rest of our visit! We had a chance to clean up and change and were then picked up and taken on a tour of Phnom Penh. We had arrived late so couldn't visit the Royal Palace but enjoyed the Chinese Temple and China Town. Dinner on the river was excellent with a varied buffet and wonderfully attentive crew. All in all a great start. Breakfast the next morning was amazing with a buffet laid out in an area the size of a tennis court. It's difficult to think of anything that wasn't there!

And so our journey got under way. The next day we were off to Siem Reap and Angkor but our guide still managed to fit in the visit to the Royal Palace before we caught our flight. Again everything was arranged beautifully. We were escorted all the way through to departure and met on arrival. We felt like film stars. Even Brad and Angelina can't get much better treatment! The Pan Sea in Siem Reap is a lovely hotel with beautifully appointed rooms and a friendly staff. We wished we could have stayed longer!

What can one say about Angkor? It is simply stunning and no guide book can adequately describe its sense of awe and wonder. One jaw dropping vista after another. Our guide was very informative but knew when to just leave us to wander. It was all beyond expectations. Our only complaint was that we should have done more research and given ourselves at least three days in Siem Reap so we could do more exploration.

From Cambodia to Vietnam with everything proceeding like clockwork. Everywhere our guides and drivers met us and looked after us. The hotels were all comfortable and clean with one exception. In Sapa the [hotel now removed from our list] is locally regarded as a two star and not recommended.

As we were only there for one night it wasn't too bad but we'd travelled there overnight on the train and had another train journey the next night. We finished that part of our journey completely exhausted! Sapa itself was great as was the mountain market which we really enjoyed. Next time we'll stay at the Victoria!

So many wonderful memories. The Mekong from the water and from the river bank is fascinating. The cities of Hanoi and Saigon exciting and incredibly bustling but tiring!!So many temples, palaces, markets and such beautiful scenery all over Indo China. Laos possibly the highlight apart from Angkor. Such a lovely place with delightful people. The Villa Santi Resort in Luang Prabang is a peaceful haven in which to wind down after such an action packed trip.

We shall be talking about this holiday for a long time to come. Some aspects were disturbing such as the Killing Fields Museum in Phnom Penh and the Vietnam War Museum but essential if one is to have a real idea of what these countries have been through and the great leaps forward that are happening. Mostly it was a daily adventure with a new wonder around every corner.

We were both comletely exhausted when we got home and wished we'd booked a week on the beach to recover! It was a wonderful "holiday" with all the worry taken out by the amazingly efficient organisation which was without exception, faultless. We shall certainly be looking at going away with Dragon Travel again.