Singapore to Bangkok Train Tour 14 days - $999 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to Penang to Bangkok We include – first class train travel and hotels

Daily departures form 01 May 2013 to 31 March 2014. Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to Penang to Bangkok Please join us this amazing rail tour of south east Asia. You will experience daily air-conditioned rail departures at amazingly affordable prices, comfortable first class seat & sleeping berths, and great scenery. Taking the train is the safe, comfortable & adventurous way to travel overland between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang & Bangkok. Unlike flying it's a real experience, and relaxing on a train on the traditional colonial single-track railway past palm plantations and little country stations is most certainly the civilised way to travel in this part of the world. The whole train journey from Singapore to Bangkok is 1,920 kilometres. We include First class rail travel from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to Penang to Bangkok, 2 nights hotel in Singapore, 3 nights hotel in Kuala Lumpur, 4 nights hotel in Penang and 4 nights hotel in Bangkok. The tour is valid for daily departure from 01 May 2013 to 31 March 2014. The land only cost of this tour is $999 per person (rail and accommodation with no airfares $999 pp) Book and pay in full by 30 June 2013 and pay only $899 per person Call our office today for the cheapest airfare in conjunction with this special offer.

Train schedules for the main line between Singapore, Malaysia & Thailand... Singapore to Bangkok by train: The whole train journey from Singapore to Bangkok is 1,920 km or 1,233 miles and involves two or three trains, depending on where you want to stop off. Look at the timetable below and create a journey that suits you. For a fast journey with just an afternoon at leisure in KL and a morning to explore Penang, you'd take train 2 from Singapore to KL in the morning, train 22 overnight from KL to Butterworth (Penang) then train 36 from Butterworth overnight to Bangkok. However, I'd recommend stopping at Kuala Lumpur and Penang for a bit longer as they are both fascinating cities. So take any train you like from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, either one of the daytime trains (train 2 or 12) or the overnight sleeper train (train 24). Stop over for a day or two, then take any train you like from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (the station for the ferry shuttle to Penang), there's a choice of two daytime trains (trains 10 or 2) or an overnight sleeper (train 22). Finally, take a comfy sleeper on train 36, the 'International Express' leaving Butterworth at lunchtime and arriving in Bangkok next morning. It's entirely up to you whether you travel from Singapore to Bangkok all in one go in 48 hours or stop off and see places on the way, as each train is booked & ticketed separately.

Train travelling times. Woodlands Singapore CIQ to- Central Kuala Lumpur Daily ER2 Ekspres Rakyat Departure 0845hrs - Arrival 1456hrs Central Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (Penang) Daily SU10 Sinaran Utara Departure 0845hrs - Arrival 1615hrs Butterworth (Penang) to Bangkok (IE36 International Express) Daily Departure 1420hrs - Arrival 1224hrs next day

The hotels we use on this trip are 3 to 4 star and listed below Singapore:

V Lavender Hotel www.vhotel.sg

Kuala Lumpur

Anggun Boutique Hotel www.anggunkl.com

Penang

Copthorne Orchid Hotel www.copthornepenang.com

Bangkok

Holiday Inn Express Siam Hotel www.hiexpress.com

Train information

First class lounge... Passengers with 1st class tickets (seat or sleeper) can use the VIP First Class Lounge at Kuala Lumpur Sentral station. The lounge isn't well signed. Walk in through the main entrance from the taxi rank at level 2, do a 180 degree turn to your right up the escalator to level 3, turn left at the top and immediately left again through the lift lobby to the lounge entrance. The lounge has seats, a TV and washrooms with free WiFi & complimentary soft drinks. It's open an hour before the departure of each train, you should leave it and join your train 15 minutes before departure.

Traveller's reports... Traveller Sheena Clowes reports from regular journeys between Singapore, KL, Penang and Bangkok: I am an older lady who loves to travel alone and overland, so here are some recent pointers for added comfort for these journeys which I have made many times over the past few years, most recently today from Butterworth-Bangkok. First of all, the Internasional Ekspress (Butterworth-Penang) is late both leaving and arriving around 20% of the time. Be prepared for it, not stressed by it. For instance, it left yesterday at 15.45 instead of 14.20, and arrived in Bangkok at just before 2pm today. But even with my delaying for a cup of good coffee at the station in Bangkok, I was checking into my hotel at 2.45pm - I wouldn't be checking into a citycentre hotel 45 minutes after landing at Bangkok international airport, would I!? Take some water and a light snack - biscuits, maybe - for the first few hours of the Internasional Ekspress when there is no restaurant car. If you forget, you can get food at the bus station just a short distance from the train station, or if you are coming from Georgetown, at the stalls at the

jetty there. The Internasional Ekspress carries local passengers without reservations between the first station after Butterworth to the last station before Thailand, so don't spread your belongings out too much, you will end up with them all on your lap soon enough! There is also usually hot drinking water available at the end of the 2nd class sleeper for making tea, instant noodles, reheating baby food etc. In the centre of these coaches there is an electricity point where you can recharge your phone. Make friends with the people sitting there, to keep an eye on it, and only take as long as you need (it doesn't need to be fully charged for a quick phone call) as other people need to charge their phones, too. The lower berth on the Internasional Ekspress's 2nd class sleepers offers an unprecedented (in my experience) amount of space as it is a full metre wide. The size of the berth, and the way the curtains hang around them, and their length, means that even an arthritic old woman like me can change clothes in privacy and rearrange her overnight case. If you like to read in bed, take a book-light or head torch, and that if you need pitch darkness for sleeping, take some sort of eyeshade. You only get one pillow per berth, so fold up some soft clothing if you like your head higher. The cotton blanket that you are issued with is freshly-laundered and I find gives just the right degree of cosiness when wearing a T-shirt and cotton trousers. Some people are too cold the air-conditioning is fairly fierce - and need to put on more clothes to keep warm! If you don't want an Asian breakfast or a rather strange Western breakfast, you can just buy a cup of coffee for 30 baht. It's instant but good and hot and strong, just the ticket with a couple of Malaysian "breakfast biscuits" and a carton of yoghurt you bought the previous day in Butterworth or Georgetown. The food offered by the "Bogie Restaurant" (orders taken after crossing the border; dinner is served after Hat Yai and breakfast at whatever reasonable hour people are getting up) is generally very good if you like Thai food.

Phone 1300 813391 What are Malaysian trains like? Daytime express trains... Daytime express trains between Singapore & Kuala Lumpur are modern and airconditioned. They have 1st & 2nd class seats, marketed as Premier & Superior. The trains have a refreshment trolley and buffet car with a very limited selection of drinks and snacks, but it's a good idea to bring your own food and drink along.

First class (Premier, AFC) seats are quite luxurious,

A refreshment trolley serves complimentary cake

although well worn. They recline & can be rotated to

and water in first class. Instant coffee costs a few

face each other or the direction of travel.

ringgits.

Second class (Superior, ASC) seats are also very

The Rakyat Express from Butterworth (Penang) to Kuala

comfortable, although they cannot be rotated...

Lumpur & Singapore calls at a wayside station.

Overnight trains: 2nd class sleepers (Standard Night, ADNS)... All Malaysian overnight trains have modern 2nd class sleepers, marketed as Standard Night. They are a great way to travel, and are safe, comfortable, cheap and fun too. In some ways, they are more fun than the closed compartments of the first class sleepers! They are openplan, with upper and lower berths arranged along each side of a central aisle running down the middle of the coach. Each bunk has curtains for privacy, and a nice touch in these Malaysian sleeping-cars is that the upper berth has its own window. Upper berths are cheaper than lower berths, but they are narrower, so ask for a lower berth if possible, especially if you are over 6' 2". All necessary bedding is provided, with blankets and fresh clean sheets. These sleepers are available on all overnight trains in Malaysia, including Singapore-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-Butterworth (for Penang)-Hat Yai (in Thailand),

Singapore-Tumpat (Khota Bharu) and Kuala Lumpur-Tumpat (Khota Bharu). The Butterworth (Penang)-Bangkok sleepers are similar, but provided by the Thai Railways, see below.

Overnight trains: 1st class sleepers (Premier Night Standard, ADNFB)... If you would prefer an enclosed private room, go for a first class sleeper. These older first class sleeping-cars are very comfortable, and they operate on the Kuala LumpurButterworth (Penang) and Kuala Lumpur-Tumpat (Khota Bharu) overnight trains, but not on the Singapore-KL sleeper train. These 1st class sleeping-cars, marketed as 'Premier Night', have private lockable air-conditioned 2-berth compartments with washbasin, opening off a side corridor. All necessary bedding, towels and toiletries are provided. Passengers travelling alone can either pay for both berths OR book one berth in a 2-bed compartment

and share with another civilised sleeper passenger of the same sex. There are toilets at the end of the corridor.

Overnight trains: Premier Night Deluxe sleepers (ADNFD)... The Singapore-Kuala Lumpur overnight train has a deluxe sleeping-car, with 1 or 2-bed private rooms with en suite toilet & shower. Two armchairs face each other over a table. At night, the seat converts to a lower berth and an upper bed folds out from the wall. A simple packed meal, served in your compartment, is included in the fare. All necessary bedding, towels and toiletries are provided. There's even a TV in the room, which may or may not work! The private toilet/shower room comes complete with electric hairdryer. It's fully carpeted, but this being Southeast Asia, expect the carpet to be grubby, just don't expect western standards!

The International Express (train 35/36) from Butterworth to Bangkok... The 2nd class air-conditioned sleepers on train 35/36 are provided by the State Railways of Thailand. There are no 1st class sleeping-cars on this train, apart from the one that is attached between Hat Yai & Bangkok, which cannot be reserved from Malaysia. However, there's no need to travel 1st class, as the 2nd class sleepers shown here are perfectly good, clean and comfortable. The curtains at night on each berth, and the bays of two seats with partitions, give you all the privacy you really need. Today's 'International Express' is the descendant of the 'Southern Express' which started in 1922, see history of the International Express.

This is the International Express from Bangkok at

By night, upper & lower berths, each with

Butterworth (Penang).

curtains for privacy...

Cars are open-plan, with bays of seats either side of

By day, a pair of spacious armchairs for two people,

the aisle.

very civilised... A restaurant car is attached between Hat Yai and Bangkok, for dinner & breakfast. The food is remarkably cheap and good, a set meal costs around 150-200 baht (£3-£4 or $5-$6). You choose from a leaflet with both pictures and English captions. Beer is also readily available and not expensive.

Air-conditioned restaurant car on train 35 from Bangkok to Hat Yai.

The seafood dinner.

For reservations, please call Destinations International on 1300 813391. www.ditravel.com.au

Vietnam Escorted Tour

11 days / 10 nights tour from

$1999 per person twin share ex Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane & Adelaide

Departing from Australia Weekly departures from 16 July to 30 November 2013 PRICES PER PERSON TWIN SHARE AUD

Tour Cost

(Best of Vietnam Tour)

$1,999.00 per person.

Phone 1300 813391 Arrive Depart Price Includes:  Return airfares from Australia flying to Saigon & Hanoi.  Flying economy class with either Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways & Singapore Airlines.  Including all prepayable airport departure taxes.  Intra domestic flights in Vietnam  10 nights First Class accommodations  2 nights Hotel Palace Saigon or Oscar Saigon Hotel, Ho Chi Minh  2 nights Hoi An Pacific Hotel or Hoi An Trails Resort, Hoi An  2 nights Huong Giang Hotel, Hue  1 night Royal Lotus Hotel, Halong Bay  3 nights Sunway Hotel or May De Ville City Centre, Hanoi  All transfers  12 meals: 10 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner  Sightseeing per itinerary in modern air-conditioned motor coach  Services of English-speaking tour manager throughout  Entrance fees per itinerary   Special Features  Imperial City, Hue  Halong Bay Excursion  Farewell Dinner  DAY 1 Friday or Wednesday - Arrive in Ho Chi Minh Arrive in Ho Chi Minh and transfer to your hotel Overnight: Ho Chi Minh DAY 2, Saturday or Thursday - Ho Chi Minh City Tour This morning, a tour of Ho Chi Minh includes the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame

Cathedral, the French-style Central Post Office, City Hall, and the Opera House. From here, visit Ben Thanh Market. Continue to Dong Khoi Street, a main shopping street in the center of Ho Chi Minh and known as Rue Catinet during the French years. Afternoon at leisure Optional: Half Day Cu Chi Tunnels (PM) Overnight: Ho Chi Minh Meals: Breakfast DAY 3, Sunday or Friday - Hoi An City Tour This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Da Nang. Travel south from Da Nang to Hoi An. Arrive in Hoi An and enjoy an afternoon walking tour of the riverside town, which was formerly one of Southeast Asia's leading trading ports in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Visit the 17th-century Quan Cong Temple, the Phuoc Kien Pagoda, the Japanese Covered Bridge (constructed in 1593), the Sa Huynh Museum and the Phung Hung House. Afterward, visit a famous Vietnamese silk embroidery workshop Overnight: Hoi An Meals: Breakfast DAY 4, Monday or Saturday - Full Day in Hoi An Spend a full day at leisure exploring Hoi An independently. Enjoy the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visit one of the city's many museums, or visit a handicraft workshop to see artisans using age-old techniques to fashion a variety of interesting goods. Of special note are the colorful and elaborate paper lanterns Optional: Full Day Boat Trip on the Thu Bon River & Organic Village with Lunch Overnight: Hoi An Meals: Breakfast DAY 5, Tuesday or Sunday - Hue Imperial City Tour This morning, as you travel from Hoi An to Hue, journey over the Hai Van Pass, a mountainous stretch of highway with spectacular views of the bowl-shaped Da Nang Bay. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. This afternoon, enjoy a tour of the Old Imperial City, located in the Citadel. Erected in the early 19th century, the Old Imperial City was modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, and is home to a wealth of palaces and temples, as well as a library and a museum. Your tour includes visits to the Ngo Mon Gate, the principal entrance to the Imperial Enclosure and the central passageway reserved for use by the Emperor. Continue to the Thai Hoa Palace with its spacious hall and ornamental roof, the Halls of the Mandarins, the Nine Dynastic Urns, cast in 1835, and the ruins of the Forbidden Purple City Optional: Cyclo Ride with Dinner at the Citadel Overnight: Hue Meals: Breakfast DAY 6, Wednesday or Monday - Full Day in Hue Enjoy a full day at leisure to explore Hue independently. A city of extraordinary beauty situated on the Perfume River, two of Hue's most prominent attractions are the Tombs of the Emperors and the Thien Mu Pagoda. Also not to be missed is the opportunity to taste some of Hue's famed Imperial cuisine, refined culinary specialties once served to the emperor and his court Optional: Full Day Boat Trip on the Perfume River with Minh Mang, Tu Duc & Khai Dinh with Lunch Overnight: Hue Meals: Breakfast DAY 7, Thursday or Tuesday - Flight to Hanoi, Sightseeing en route to Halong Bay This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, travel east to Hai Phong, the industrial center of Northern Vietnam, and one of the country's most important seaports. Enjoy a visit to Dinh Hang Kenh, known for its 500 wood relief sculptures before continuing on to Halong Bay. After arriving in Halong Bay, transfer to

your hotel Overnight: Halong Bay Meals: Breakfast DAY 8, Friday or Wednesday - Halong Bay City Tour, Travel to Hanoi Enjoy a full day boat excursion by traditional wooden Bai Tho Junk through Halong Bay. "Dragon descending to the sea," as the Bay is known in Vietnamese, features more than 1,000 limestone islets (small islands), many of which contain beautiful grottoes. Visit one of the caves at Hang Dau Go (Wooden Stakes Cave), Bo Nau or Thien Cung. The caves, which are said to have direct ties to the ancient war history of Vietnam, are known for the many colorful stalagmite and stalactite deposits adorning their inner and outer chambers. Later, travel to Hanoi and check in to your hotel Overnight: Hanoi Meals: Breakfast, Lunch DAY 9, Saturday or Thursday - Hanoi City Tour Today, enjoy visits to Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, and the Museum of Ethnology, which is the center for the preservation and exhibition of cultural heritage for the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. In the evening, enjoy a Water Puppet Show, accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese orchestra and Cheo (a form of opera), on Hoan Kiem Lake. The show depicts a series of ancient Vietnamese folktales which are acted out by puppets over a pool of water Overnight: Hanoi Meals: Breakfast DAY 10, Sunday or Friday - Full Day in Hanoi Spend a full day at leisure to explore Hanoi independently. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant Optional: Full Day Thay & Tay Phuong Pagoda with Lunch Overnight: Hanoi Meals: Breakfast, Dinner DAY 11, Monday or Saturday - Depart for Australia Transfer to the airport for your departure flight Meals: Breakfast

Cost of Optional tours: AUD $220 extra per person Optional: Full Day Thay & Tay Phuong Pagoda with Lunch. Optional: Full Day Boat Trip on the Perfume River with Minh Mang, Tu Duc & Khai Dinh with Lunch. Optional: Cyclo Ride with Dinner at the Citadel. Optional: Full Day Boat Trip on the Thu Bon River & Organic Village with Lunch. Optional: Half Day Cu Chi Tunnels (AM) Please add this payment onto you final payment if you want to partake in these optional tours. Your Holiday Itinerary: Our exclusive focus is on supported travel arrangements which provide our customers with a breadth and depth of service complimented by local expertise that is simply unparalleled Registered Travel Agents Licence Number 33035 How to book: Our office is located in Abottsford in Melbourne.

You can call our office on 1300 813391. You can email us on [email protected] You can call our office and make an appointment to come and meet with one of travel consultants. Payment can be made by: Credit card – there is 2% bank fee charged for all major credit cards that will be added to your tour cost at time of payment. You can also pay by cash or cheque by depositing these funds directly into our bank account at any Bendigo bank in Australia. There are no bank fees charged when you direct deposit the funds directly into our bank account. Booking conditions apply. FREE BROCHURES. These airfares are non-refundable but changeable by paying airline fees All tours are subject to confirmation from the airlines. hotels and tour operators.



Registered Travel Agents Licence Number 33035

Reservations Phone 1300 813391

Please join us on this fantastic Ancient Egypt tour in 2013 14 amazing days from $1799 For two people – special 2 for 1 offer.. 



There has never been better time to rediscover Ancient Egypt! Explore Cairo, Luxor and Aswan & Cruise the Nile. Visit the Great Pyramids, Sphinx, Philae Temple, The Luxor Temple, Edfu, Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. For a short time only Destination International has a 11 day Magical Egypt Tour, including a 7 nights Nile Cruise. Departing Cairo every Saturday from 25 May to 21 Sept 2013. Special Offer – Book by 30 June and 2 people travel for the price of 1 - $1799 for 2 people for an 14 day tour. We include 13 nights accommodation, Nile Cruise, private transportation, transfers, English speaking guides & Egyptologists. Reservations – Destination International Travel – Phone 1300 813 391 or www.ditravel.com.au Licence Number 33035

Magical Egypt 13 Nights/14 Days 4 nights Cairo, 2 night sleeping train, 7 nights Nile Cruise

Package AUD$1799 for 2 people Day 1 – Cairo upon arrival to Cairo, you will be met by Chrismar Travel representative in Egypt and transferred to your hotel for overnight. Day 2 – Cairo (Pyramids, Museum) After breakfast your private Egyptologist tour guide and driver will pick you up and start your tour. Drive to Giza and visit the Pyramids. See the Great Pyramid, a royal burial chamber and the Sphinx.

Continue to Memphis, capital of the pharaohs during the Old Kingdom. Visit the recumbent statue of Ramses II and the 80-ton alabaster sphinx. Lunch en route. Visit the Egyptian Museum; this houses a magnificent collection of Pharaonic antiquities, especially the golden treasures of Tut Ankh Amun. Transfer to the train station. Dinner and overnight. (B, L, D) Day 3– Luxor Arrival Luxor. After breakfast, our representative will pick up you for embarkation on your Nile Cruise. Lunch on board. Free day at leisure. Dinner and overnight on board (B, L, D) Day 4 - Luxor (Karnak & Luxor Temple) Breakfast on board, free day at leisure. In the afternoon you will visit the great Luxor Temple and the magnificent Karnak Temple of Amun with its famous Hypostyle Hall and the 134 huge columns, the Statue of Ramses II, the Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut and the Sacred Lake. Overnight in Luxor (B, L, D) Day 5 – Luxor (West Bank) In the morning your sightseeing in Luxor includes the West Bank (Thebes) where some of the richest treasures in the world exists, including the Tomb of Tut Ankh Amun (optional) and other royal tombs including Ramses VI in the Valley of the Kings, you will be able to visit some of these tombs,Visit Hatshepsut funerary temple at Dier El Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. Then transfer back to your Cruise for lunch. In the afternoon you will sail through the locks of Esna to Edfu and dinner on board and Overnight. (B, L, D) Day 6 – Cruise (Edfu & Kom-Ombo) In the morning, visit the Horus Temple of Edfu, one of the three beautiful temples of the Ptolemaic Period. Sail to Kom Ombo, where you will visit the Sobek Temple, dedicated to the two gods, which offers beautiful murals and reliefs. Sail to Aswan and Overnight (B, L, D) Day 7 – Aswan (High Dam, Philae, Felucca) after breakfast you will visit the High Dam, and the Granite Quarries and the Philae Temple. In the afternoon you will sail on an Egyptian felucca around Elephantine Island and the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. Overnight in Aswan (B, L, D)

Day 8 – Aswan / Kom Ombo/ Edfu After breakfast, free day at leisure, sail to Kom Ombo, sail to Edu. Overnight in Edfu (B, L, D) Day 9 – Edfu/Esna/ Luxor Breakfast, sail to Esna. P.m sail to Luxor, dinner and overnight on board (B, L, D) Day 10– Luxor / Cairo After breakfast, disembarkation from the ship, transfer to the station to take the train back to Cairo. (B, L, D) Day 11 – Cairo Breakfast, our representative will pick up you and transfer to your hotel. Free day at leisure. (B) Day 12 & 13 – Cairo Free day at leisure. (B)

Day 14 – Cairo You will be met at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your departure flight. (B)