Women Travel Tours: Getaways For Girls, Womens Travel Specialists

Christine Bateman currently lives in Perth and joined us in Singapore enroute to India in October 2007. She has kindly let us share her experience with you. The photos are courtesy of Jean, Caroline, and Rhonda

Click Here - Christines India Tour Dairy
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Curry for breakfast? Too right !

I really think that getting to the heart of a country is by sampling its food. I was very excited about visiting India as it is the home of spices.
We visited many spice shops and were given wonderful talks and tastings. Store owners are so proud of their spices, the way they sell their product is a performance in itself and worth the sit down and cup of spiced chai tea. I brought back a traditional stainless steel spice tin and the curries made from it are sensational. You can bring spices home through customs as long as they are clearly labeled and packaged.

Gem shopping In Jaipur

From the moment we crossed into the state of Rajasthan, we noticed the vibrant colours of women's saris.

Hot colours of pink, yellow, red and orange blended beautifully with their glistening silver and gold jewellery in the form of earings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, rings and ornamental nose pieces, set against a dry and arid landscape in muted browns and reds. On entering the pink city of Jaipur, we had the afternoon free from touring, so with visions still fresh in our minds of the jewellery we had seen, decided to go shopping. Jaipur, the world’s largest gem cutting center, is one of the best places in India to buy gems and jewellery with a history dating centuries. We ended up at a bazaar called Siredeori, simply a very busy street lined with many jewellery stores on one side and textile stores on the other

Miyako Odori (Cherry Blossom Dance) Kyoto

Few people know about Miyako Odori, but those who are staying in Kyoto in April, can see this wonderful geisha concert.

In 1869 the capital of Japan was relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo. The people of Kyoto were very concerned that Kyoto would go downhill after the relocation, so the Governor planned an exposition in order to promote Kyoto industry. A famous ochaya (tea house), a place where geiko (geisha) and maiko (apprentice geisha) entertain, received a request from the government to perform a dance by geiko and maiko to the public as part of the exposition. In March 1872, the dance “Miyako Odori” was

Bike riding in Yangshuo countryside

In the southern provence of Guangxi, China is a small town called Yangshuo. This town has been on the must see list of travellers visiting China for many years, who come to see the most unusual, beautiful scenery one will ever encounter. My first glimpse of this scenery was as we were descending into Guilin airport, located about one hour north of the town. Hundreds of tall rocky limestone peaks (or karsts) jutting out of a green landscape, looking like a mishmash of sharp teeth, was a sight I will never forget.

Mystical Angkor

As we approach Siem Reap International Airport, I gain my first close up view of Cambodia - a huge flat green tropical expanse dotted with thousands of palm trees, intertwined with many thatched farm houses on stilts. It's a short drive to Siem Reap, a small town growing up fast, with new hotels and shopping developments being constructed to keep pace with the increasing influx of tourists each year. There are many hotel choices, from 5 star deluxe to modest guesthouse along with a good selection of restaurants, some hip and trendy, serving a great variety of food from local to western with reasonable prices. For night owls, there are also plenty of bars around town

Ryokan stay - a travel highlight

A Ryokan with the traditional food and hospitality of Japan is a memorable and entertaining experience we will always enjoy. Please read on.

Having just spent 3 exhausting days walking around the busyness of Tokyo, I was looking forward to escaping to the hills and sampling a Japanese inn experience. I had researched on the internet the rules and etiquette of staying at a Ryokan, and came armed with plenty of printed matter to refer to and pass to my nervous friend. Compared to staying in a normal hotel, this was considerably more expensive but did include dinner.

Good Morning Saigon

My wakeup call awoke me from a deep sleep. I had a 6am start today in Saigon (few in the south call it Ho Chi Minh City) as I was about to see what goes on in this metropolis early morning. I pulled back the hotel curtains and opened the french doors leading to a terrace with wonderful views of the river. Even at this time of the morning there was a lot of traffic on the road below.