The post “…notre voyage comme nous l’aimons…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

I have rarely participated in a trip so well-organized and balanced, in terms of activities, accommodations, and meals. For the first time, I can truly say that I visited a country…

It was also the most enriching trip I’ve ever taken, and it truly warmed my heart. All these encounters and the kindness of the people will remain etched in my memory and in my heart. I hope we will have the opportunity to travel together again.

The post “…I can truly say that I have visited a country…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

I greatly appreciated the varied pace, alternating between hotel nights and stays with local families, the different modes of transportation, the authentic food, the journey from city to countryside via the plateau grasslands and the forest, the opportunity to interact with and share the daily lives of the locals without feeling too much like a “tourist,” the leisurely strolls alongside the serene elephants, and the walks through temples filled with imaginative scenes of daily life, and through pagodas conducive to introspection.

The kindness, courage, humility, and genuine smiles of all these people, whether I met them closely or from afar, touched me deeply. Thank you for choosing such wonderful people, Proen and Bun Choan, to accompany us. I hope to have the opportunity to travel with you again.

The post “… the daily life of the local populations…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

Our first trip was in Laos in November 2012. We stayed there for 15 days and we regret it as it was really too short. So, without hesitation, we left for three weeks  to deepen our experience of solidarity tourism in Cambodia.

What we find exceptional in these travels is the authenticity and the richness of the exchanges with all the people met. They have little thus give a lot! Then, there is this immersion in the inhabitant life, which gives us to think of our Western way of life. What beautiful encounters!!!  

Our guide, Mr. Proeun, proposed us to share a recipe of our region with the weaver’s family of Prek Jong Kran village. We, coming from Brittany in France, made pancakes of course. There were no chicken eggs, but no problem, we used duck eggs. And what a night!!!!! Finishing in music and with musical games, these are simple moments, but what an happiness!  

These are trips really like no others.

The post Solidarity Tourism in Cambodia: Travel with Heart appeared first on Solidarasia.

Thank you for conceiving this travel program and for your investment daily, so that all this continues to benefit everyone, tourists and locals, intelligently and in a truly responsible way.

We won’t miss to recommend this trip around us.

The post “…All this benefits to everyone…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

Each stop lets us discover a bit more the Vietnamese people, their daily lives, their customs, their sensitivity.

Each meal surprises us a bit more and sharpens our taste buds. Each meal is so similar in taste and diversity to this resilient and welcoming people.

Their smiles shown from the first hello.

The guides are even more than that, becoming, after more and more kilometers, encounters and places, friends that make us love this fascinating country.

Not to mention of course our honorable Robert, who since our trip to Laos in 2007, is this friend of Asia who lets us live such beautiful adventures.

The post “… smiles shown from the first hello…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

We met Cambodian in their daily life, they hosted us warmly, welcomed us even in a precarious situation. We could see in what social, political, economic environment they have to struggle, still bruised by the drama they experienced nationally.

All these moments of sharing can’t be forgotten.

The post “… All these moments of sharing …” appeared first on Solidarasia.

Thanks again for this way of conceiving the trip. We will keep a wonderful memory of Laos and the Lao people and a very nice memory of you who accompanied us in the realization of this trip.

Until next time for a new journey …

Emmanuel Catherine Timothée and Romane

The post “… magical moments of sharing…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

We probably did not see everything, but we were totally immersed where we were. We had many previous contacts with Solidarasia, before leaving, many proposals from them. It’s essential to be in tune with the way you travel.

On spot no false note, always precisely what we like: the neighborhoods where live “the real people”, sometimes at the hotel, sometimes by the people homes. Popular restaurants, with different dishes every time, with no fear of eating raw vegetables or other and enjoying, refreshing ourselves with delicious fruit juice (Oh the passion fruit juice).

And the scooter rides well seated behind experienced drivers, the boat trips on Ba Be lake, on the Perfume River, and many others, pagodas, temples, markets perfumed by coriander, the kindness and the patience of the Vietnamese people we met.

We were also lucky, we always had a wonderful weather and we finished the trip on Halong Bay: the sunrise over Halong Bay, the last gift of this beautiful country.

The post “…many previous contacts with Solidarasia, before leaving…” appeared first on Solidarasia.

We enjoyed encounters with smiling and caring Lao people, their customs, their daily way of life. We can not forget the shamanic ceremony for the tiller in the village of Pavie, purchase financed half by the tourism for solidarity, half by the villagers.

Not to forget, riding up the Mekong river with traders and villagers, sharing meals, their way to travel, the use of local transportation and walks in the rice fields …

A good balance between tourism and immersion by the inhabitants.

In addition, we realized the importance of these associations on spot, visiting achievements of the organization (school, clinic, water supply, project on cotton in the Nam Being valley).

A journey off the beaten track and where the role of human being has all its sense.

The post “…the role of human being …” appeared first on Solidarasia.