David Waldes

David Waldes

Southeast Asia has a special place in my heart. I started traveling around the region even before becoming a travel agent and keep coming back, always finding new wonders. Over the years, I have developed an insider’s knowledge and can match you with the best places to visit for your interests.  

Would you like to interact with elephants in rituals that Thai culture has performed for centuries? How about learning about traditional agricultural methods as you watch locals work in the paddies in Northern Thailand. You can even join in if you like.  

Meanwhile, in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, you can enjoy a moveable feast dining on the wide variety of delicious street food as you take in the sights and sounds. If you love what you taste, I can arrange a cooking class that starts with shopping for the ingredients. 

Cambodia has some amazing sites. Visiting the Killing Fields, where more than a million people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s during the Cambodian genocide, is a jarring experience. It is difficult to realize that you are standing on the grounds where so much horror happened only a few decades ago. In the beautiful city of Siem Reap, you can watch a miraculous sunset over the water, before visiting centuries-old temples of Angkor Wat.  

Vietnam also has some incredible experiences. In Saigon, the French influence adds flavor to both the food and architecture. And for tall people like me, visiting the Cu Chi tunnels, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels used in by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.  

Southeast Asia is a land where many people still live as they did centuries ago, but time has not stood still. Glittering cities have grown up along with five-star urban hotels and luxurious bucolic hideaways that provide entrée into unique experiences.