Sanctions lifted against Burma

April 23, 2013

European Union foreign ministers have permanently entered sanctions against Burma (Myanmar) formally recognizing the country's transition from military dictatorship to civilian rule. 

Our May 2013 Newsletter!

The boutique, luxury Le Domaine de la Baume, located in the lovely commune of Tourtour (Provence)- the first stopover point on our Lynch Family summer travels

Photo Credit: Le Domaine de la Baume / Tristan Shu & DR

Our Kipling & Clark/Lynch Family recommended 2013 Summer Travels 

May 21, 2013

Greetings friends, clients, and global partners! 

Similar to last year, many of our clients are opting for Northern Hemisphere destinations during the peak summer travel period. On the European side, France, Italy, and Turkey are most culturally compelling, while our Pacifi-Rim bound clients are traversing many areas of Japan and China.

Japan has become particularly attractive this summer. Despite being one of the most expensive private tour destinations in the world, the precipitous drop in the value of yen vs. the dollar has been truly remarkable- with the current 103 yen rate, Japan is now over 20% less expensive than just four years ago! Being Zen's #1 favorite land in the planet, she has more to add about Japan in her "Zen's Journal".

Please view the rest of our e-Newsletter here! 

The Joys of Altruism- March 2013 Newsletter

March 2013

Our new young friends at a village near Banteay Srei 

Kipling & Clark Global Private Luxury Travel Update: March 2013

Greetings friends, clients, and global partners!

Hope all of you (at least in North America) are relishing the very early signs of spring- although still cold, we are heading in the right direction! Bev, Zen, her classmate Felicia and I just returned from a quick 8-day whirlwind private tour of Cambodia (our beloved Angkor Wat!), Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Although we have visited these areas several times before, we always try to experience new things. For Siem Reap we enjoyed a fun helicopter fly over of the various Angkor temples- a great new perspective! 

We feel the temples of Angkor represent the most amazing and enduring architectural achievement of any religious site in Asia. By comparison, the various "Great Wall" locations in China seem not so majestic, at least not aesthetically. Perhaps our biggest thrill of this Cambodia trip was our water well donations and the many beautiful, heartfelt smiling faces that greeted us in the villages. For many here, fresh water is literally life saving and helping one village at a time truly does make a difference. 

Please enjoy reading part 1 of our Cambodia/Thailand adventure as well as other global luxury travel updates and the always popular Zen's Journal! 

Many thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you!

Randy Lynch

CEO 

Kipling & Clark and travNet

rlynch@kiplingandclark.com

www.kiplingandclark.com

www.travnet.net

Lynch Family 2013 Cambodia Private Tour and the joys of altruism

Accompanied by Dutch photographer (and now based in Siem Reap),  Eric de Vries, we enjoyed our first helicopter fly over of Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas- an exciting 20 minute experience. Our Helistar Cambodia pilot, a former South African 'bush' pilot name Annie, made the short trip an interesting historical travelogue.  Zen and Felicia with the donated water-well on behalf of the 6th grade class at Francis Parker School According to Zen and Felicia, the highlight of our Cambodia travels was the village stopover experiences and the various water well donations we had prepared. In addition to the water wells, our trusted guide and driver (Tra and Polo) purchased several bags of 50kg high-quality rice to give to the families.   The most touching moment of the day was an 85 year old woman's reaction to the surprise rice and school supplies we brought to her village- tears of pure joy. This special experience for all of us reminded me of a quote from the Roman poet Horace reflecting on his perfect day:   “All power and joy to that man who can say today, on this day I have lived; tomorrow may bring rain or sun, but nothing can undo or render worthless what this fleeting, unrepeatable hour has brought”  -Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus 65-8 BC)  As part of our custom, private tour itineraries, we arrange visits to local schools, orphanages, and charities where our clients have the opportunity to connect and give back to those less advantaged and truly make a difference. Many of our clients, particularly our younger ones, find these activities eye-opening and heartwarming, a real-world contrast to their privileged life back in the U.S. Past clients have frequently mentioned the impact these experiences have had on their entire family. 14-day Cambodia Private Tour Travel Update- Tuscany/Provence: We are happy to hear that our friends at the lovely boutique hotel property of La Bastide de Marie are opening a sister property in Provence, the Domaine de La Baume, located in the small village of TourTour, France. We are hoping to visit in late August.  Also, our local Pienza, Italy guide has given high marks to the newly opened La Bandita Townhouse- the Renaissance palazzo and former convent has been converted to a 12-room boutique hotel. The owner/proprietor is New York music industry executive John Voigtmann.  14-day Italy Private Tour

Kipling & Clark February 2013 E-Newsletter!

Drop Here  will fly +16 hours to Delhi, take a 6 hour train to Kathgodam station, followed by a 3.5 hour private drive from Kathgodam to the Almora region, and finally a 2.5 hour trek to the sleepy idyllic village of Deora in the Himalaya foothills of Eastern India. (Thank god for porters!) *(Please note our complete itinerary in the Newsletter)  Drop Here Kipling & Clark Luxury Travel  E-Newsletter: January 2013 Drop Here The Lynch tribe in Provence Greetings friends, clients, and global partners! In the grips of our Chicago winter, with Chinese/Lunar New Year approaching, Bev, Zen, and I look forward to Northern Hemisphere destinations (Japan/China/Europe/Mediteranian Rim) and the pleasant April-September spring/summer/fall weather conditions. We are presently at the peak of Southeast Asia/India/South Pacific/ South America travel season. With clients currently traveling in India, Argentinia, Chile, Vietnam. Cambodia, Burma, and New Zealand, we are respectfully monitoring their daily activities, while always planning some fun surprises! Bev, Zen, her 6th grade classmate ,Felicia, and I are preparing for our brief February break return trip to Cambodia and Thailand. In addition to a scenic helicopter flyover of our beloved Angkor Wat, we will visit Zen's water well village project, have an early morning sunrise Buddhist blessing ceremony at Damnak Temple, and bring some happy treats to the lovely kids at the Children Development orphanage. Children Development Organization. The Thailand portion of our travels includes a return to the lush, green, Four Seasons Chiang Mai, a fun visit to the Maesa Elephant Camp (Mahout elephant training) and, of course, Tiger Kingdom- petting the baby tigers. This is always on top of Zen's Chiang Mai activities list! Please note below our selected private tours (spring/summer/fall) that we have prepared for clients this past year--by the very nature of what we do, each private luxury tour is custom, exclusive, and unique onto itself. We are grateful for the interesting array of noteworthy clients we serve--heartfelt thanks to all of you! Safe Travels / Godspeed!  Randy Lynch CEO rlynch@kiplingandclark.com www.kiplingandclark.com www.travnet.net Drop Here Japan Sakura/Cherry Blossoms (late March/early April) Drop Here Drop Here Kyoto's Sakura/Cherry blossoms--emphmeral, imperfect, wabi-sabi-esque Having visted Japan four of the last five April Sakura/cherry blossom seasons, Bev, Zen, and I freely admit that Japan is our favorite, compelling destination in all of Asia.  Its unique wabi-sabi aesthetics, the mangificent Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, the high-touch luxury ryokans, and onsen hot baths-- and I did not even get to Japan's amazing food! For last minute family travel, Japan is certainly low-maintenance- NO PILLS, NO VISAS, and NO SHOTS and perhaps the most meticulously clean country on the planet.  Also, the YEN/USD exchange rate has finally reached the 90 level tipping point-- good news for all of us! 7 day Japan/Spring Break Private Tour  Drop Here India Travel for 2013 Drop Here Drop Here Breakfast with a view- from Alai Village The remote areas of Uttarakhand, India and Kumaon at the foothills of the Himalayas have been on our Lynch family "to do" list for quite some time. The various "village walks" offer an authentic snapshot of rural life in the doorstep of the Himalayan mountains. The treks traverse the terraced foot-hills with over night "home-stays" in various villages. Although basic (as compared to the luxury properties we normally use) the accommodations are clean and comfortable. Rest assured any trivial shortcomings are more than compensated for by the genuine warmth and kindness of your colorful hosts! Combining the Himalayan landscape with stopovers in Delhi and the other worldly Varanasi makes this a truly compelling cultural travel experience. We feel James Hilton's novel, Lost Horizon, may have been referring to this magical area! 11 Day India-Himalayan Private Tour / Cultural Trek Drop Here China Travel for 2013 Drop Here Drop Here Shanghai - an apt metaphor for China's growth and confidence.  Although impossible to cover in one trip, we feel our 17 day China private luxury tour is an ideal platform for discovering the wide contrasts between north, south, east and west. Clients and our Lynch family alike feel this is one of our most rewarding family excursions. Starting with hyper-drive Hong Kong, you continue to the remote areas of Yunnan, rich in Tibetian culture. 10,000 feet in elevation and situated on the southern edge of the Qinghai/Tibetian plateau, you subsequently visit Chengdu and the Panda Research Center and enjoy a private audience with a baby panda-- this is much fun! The balance of the trip covers the lush, green landscapes and karst rock formations of Guilin, historical Beijing (tobagon down the Wall at Mutianyue!) and ending in Shanghai, our favorite young, high-energy city in all of China! If you wish to explore China this summer, we feel this is the custom choice!  17 day China Private Tour Drop Here Drop Here The endearing panda's at The Panda Research Center/Chengdu-- among our favorite China stopovers Drop Here Turkey, France, Italy/Switzerland and Morocco Drop Here Istanbul Pont Julien- all hail Rome!  Drop Here Among our many global travels, Bev, Zen, and I consider Paris to be no less than the most beautiful and culturally enriching city in the world! Similar to Kyoto, Japan, we feel Paris is complete aesthetic perfection. Walking through the various boulevards and neighborhoods, you are teased with numerous wonderful artifacts: iconic landmarks, the amazing Louvre (private touring), the underground catecombs, lush green parks, and all those quaint bistros. We highly recommend a 5-day extension to Provence/Antibes in June- the approximate time to discover the blooming lavender fields!  Drop Here Drop Here Hotel du Cap- Located in Antibes, our clients consdier Hotel du Cap to be the best luxury hotel in all of Europe. (The Lynch's agree!) Drop Here 11 day Turkey / France Private Tour 17 day Italy / Switzerland Private Tour  11 day Central Europe Private Tour 7 day Morocco Private Tour Drop Here POILANE BAKERY- The "Louis Vitton of French Bakeries!"  We feel their signature sourdough "miche" loaf is too good to pass up when in Paris.  Drop Here Drop Here Drop Here llo fellow global- kid travelers!  Our Cambodia/Thailand February break trip!  - My sixth grade classmate, Felicia, and I are psyched about our short February break trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Our goal is to raise enough money at Francis Parker School bake sale tomorrow to pay for one water well at a village near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our Cambodian guide, Pahl, is counting on us to come through! (www.angkorwellproject.org). - I look forward to introducing Felicia to my friends at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, and my favorite activity there - the morning rides on the hotel's water buffalos!  -Maesa Elephant Camp- this place is AWESOME- we ride the elephants, learn the commands, bathe the elephants in the river, and finally end with a painting session with the elephants- Yes, these elephants can actually paint and draw with their trunks!  -Tiger Kingdom- Wow- petting baby tigers!  -Yes, our sixth-grade girls basketball team is 0-4, but we have PMA-- Positive Mental Attitude! Safe Travels, Everyone! Zen P.S. Happy birthdays to Laverne, Aunt Judy, Grandma Sonya, Suzanne from UA, Sweet Lily and lastly, Uncle Gamini!  Drop Here My first visit to Maesa Elephant Camp back in 2008! Drop Here And last but not least... travNET International First and Business Class air fare mavens, Gamini , Marta, and Laura say hello to all!