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Adventure
Travel
Someone
asked me the other day, why is it that adventure travel
seems to be becoming so popular? Why
aren't we herding en-masse into resorts any more for some
good ole r ‘n r?
Well
I wouldn't say that we aren't visiting the resorts anymore,
rest and relaxation is still a very big part of having a
holiday. But as people become more aware and clued
up about what is happening in the world they want to see
it first hand, they don't want to be shoved away
into air-conditioning to watch cable television when you
can do that at home.
When
travelling abroad we find travellers want to really feel
the destination, they want to be a part of the experience,
not an onlooker.
It’s
like meeting someone in their own home, you get
so much more of a feeling of who they are by seeing the
pictures on the wall, tasting their home cooked meals, listening
to their favorite music and sitting in their favorite lounge
chair. If you only ever visit them in a sanitised environment
like a restaurant or a bar you will only get half of the
picture, the rest is left to guess work.
When
on an adventure tour the itineraries are compiled to comprise
of:
Culture,
by travelling on the back streets, the true culture of a
country is appreciated, not a 'show and tell' dress up put
on whilst dining in 5* luxury, ok there is nothing really
wrong with that, it does offer a great glimpse of the finery
of traditional dances and costume, but the real culture
is on the street, the real culture you can get amongst and
be a part of.
Scenery, this
goes without saying, when travelling to some of the wildest,
most beautiful places on earth the scenery needs to be enjoyed
and the best way to truly get a grasp is by taking it slowly,
point to point travel is good for the time precious but
if you really want to take it in, then go overland, the
journey is half the fun.
Experiences,
there is no point travelling to a destination and simply
looking. The best way to remember a place is to take part
in activities, enjoy a bit of adrenalin or take participate
in traditional ceremonies and banquets. These create memories
worth bottling.
Meeting
like-minded people, one of the best things
about group adventure travel is travelling with like-minded
people from all over the world. Sharing life changing experiences
and meeting kindred spirits knits people together like a
family in the space of hours.
These
are the things that people remember and talk about, these
are the pictures you will see on peoples’ lounge room
walls, the flavours you will taste in their home cooking
and the conversation you will have around the dinner table.
These are the things that shape people, that change them
for the better, that make them appreciate life back at home.
These
are once in a life time experiences and this is why adventure
travel is becoming so popular. No one wants to be locked
away from reality any more.
So what are you waiting for? Venture a
little further. Go to www.kumuka.com and discover the 'real' world.
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Meet
Emma Alexander – Reservations Consultant Australia
Emma was
tripping around the world to places such as Europe, the US, Pac
Islands when her last trip in South East Asia made her fall...
in love and was engaged in Thailand rendering Thailand her favorite
destination in the world. Now more 'settled' in Australia with
her soon to be husband, Emma still manages to talk travel with
"people I truly enjoy working with"
In
her own words:
What
made you join Kumuka? Adventure travelling is the way
I enjoy to travel and I love to talk about it.
What
do you like most about your job? The people I work with,
I also love learning and talking about lots of different destinations.
If
you could choose a Kumuka tour to travel on tomorrow which would
it be and why?
East
African Highlights – because I have never been to Africa.
I love animals. I want to be able to visit the Gorillas and see
other animals in Africa. Want to see the large plains of the Serengeti.
Best
day on the road was? Driving through the mountains of
the French Alps, when I went snowboarding there for the first
time. The view was absolutely breath-taking.
Best
restaurant in the world? Shambala Lodge on Koh Samui
in Thailand. Best seafood!
Best
sunset can be seen... ? Koh-Pha-Ngan Island in Thailand
If
you could take 2 famous people travel with you who would they
be and where would you take them? I would go trekking
through the Amazon Jungle with David Attenborough, he could tell
me all about the different plants and animals we saw. I would
also take Jack Black, so that when the trip got hard he would
be able to make us laugh.
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Everest
Base camp and Gokyo Lakes
Craig
Sheather trekked to Everest Base Camp and the Gokyo Lakes with
Kumuka and wrote in on his experience. Here is an excerpt from
his account.
Sometimes
when trekking, an unexpected stumbling block forces you to literally
grab the bull by the horns. And that’s just what
I had to do when a big hairy yak came charging at me on a steep
Himalayan mountain pass. It appeared from nowhere and as it approached,
its wavering horns threatened to knock me over the edge. I instinctively
seized the yak by the horns and directed it back onto the track
before it nearly tossed me off the rocky ridge. The out of control
shaggy beast could have put an embarrassing end to my 3 week trek
but instead I was thanking Buddha for my good luck…
Raj
is our well educated English speaking guide from Kathmandu. His offsider Mila is the super fit marathon man. He recently completed
the 42km Himalayan Marathon from Gorak Shep to Namche Bazaar over
rugged terrain finishing 13th out of 80 in a time of four and
half hours. Considering a runner normally completes a traditional
road marathon in two hours this is a super human achievement.
It would take us four days to cover the same distance. The baby
faced porters aged in their late teens are also amazingly fit
and strong. They carry our heavy packs from village to village
and with their powerful necks and shoulders, they would slot in
nicely into any rugby scrum…
We
reach our highest village at Gorak Shep (5,160m) and
just after lunch we set off to one of the highlights of the trek
- the 6 hour return trip to Everest Base Camp. The route follows
the Khumbu Glacier and is captivating for its views of the 15m
high seracs of ice. The trip to Base Camp while fascinating, is
not as impressive as the views from Kala Pattar (above Gorak Shep)
because there is no sight of Everest itself from Base Camp. However
there is a great sense of achievement by getting to the Camp where
many explorers have begun their attempts at scaling the world’s
highest mountain…
Later
when we arrived back to Lukla I could have easily been mistaken
for the mysterious Yeti. For weeks I had barely showered,
had grown an untamed beard, walked with a lumbering gait and generally
looked like a feral ape-like creature. As I passed a clean fresh
faced trekker just starting his adventure I greeted him with a
wry smile and said “Lovely day for stroll”. He gave
me a nervous laugh and looked a little puzzled when I added “Just
be careful of those wayward Yaks”…
For
the full story – click here to read it on the Kumuka Fan
Page.
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Temples
of Angkor
Dear
Philippa,
I just
thought I would send you a quick email to thank you for the warm,
friendly service you provided whilst organising my tour to Cambodia!
You made everything seem too easy and dealt with the tour in an
organised and proficient manner! Taking the stress out of going
overseas!
Everything
on the tour was fantastic, right from when we left Sydney
airport, to when we were home again!
I would
just like to take this opportunity to thank you immensely for
all your hard work, in taking the stress out of my first overseas
holiday!
I
would also like to write a brief word on the excellence of our
guide, whilst on the tour. Dam Vuttha was the name of
our tour guide and he was absolutely fantastic! He went above
and beyond to ensure that we had the best holiday ever! Vuttha
knew everything there was to know in relation to the temples and
ensured that everyone in the group had a great time! I
would personally recommend him to anyone who goes to Cambodia.
I
have had a positive experience with Kumuka and would definitely
recommend you and your company to my friends!
Have a
great day Philippa - I look forward to dealing with you in the
future!
Cheers,
Travis
Travis
travelled on the Temples of Angkor tour with Kumuka Worldwide.
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| Adventure
Travel Survey - Win an iTunes Voucher |
We
Need You!
We are
currently conducting a survey in order to determine the effect
of the economic crisis on adventure travel, in conjunction with
Henrike Herr, a tourism management student at the University of
Technology in Sydney, Australia.
Your participation
is greatly appreciated.
Participants
will be entered into a prize draw for a €150 iTunes voucher.
The survey
is completely anonymous and your email address will only be used
to contact you for the prize draw, should you be our lucky winner!
The survey is 10 questions and should take less than 5 minutes.
To
participate please click here:
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Kumuka's
Easy Payment Plan
 Tomorrow’s tours at yesterday's pre-credit crunch
prices
Kumuka
Worldwide are offering clients the opportunity to secure their
tour price at current 2009 prices without paying for their tour
in full now.
By signing
up to the Kumuka Payment Plan and paying regular monthly installments,
clients will receive a guarantee that there will be no future
surcharges on their tour price.
» The price you see is the price you pay
» No interest or account fees
For
more information click here
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| Life
Design Books Competition |
Book
your Kumuka tour before 15 October 2009 and enter the draw to
WIN 1 of 5 FREE Photobooks valued at AU$140 from Life Design Books*
Kumuka
and Life Design Books invite you to showcase and safeguard your
precious travel memories in a beautifully bound Photobook that
you can share and enjoy with friends. Plus with Christmas just
around the corner now is the perfect time to start thinking about
designing your Photobooks as family gifts… it’s quick,
affordable and easy.
As
a valued customer of Kumuka you are entitled to exclusive pricing
on selected PHOTOBOOKS in the Life Design Books range.
Hard cover
Photobook
20-40 pages $79 **
41-80 pages $115 **
**Including GST. Postage not included.
SHARE
WITH FRIENDS
Life Design Books software also includes an Online Sharing tool
which allows you to create your own online album to share with
friends and family around the world for FREE.
For more
details on the exclusive offer and the FREE online sharing tool go to www.photobookpromotions.com/kumuka and enter in the promotional password kumuka
Winners will be announced in our November K-News.
*Terms
& Conditions
Book any Kumuka Worldwide tour before 15 October 09 and you will
go into a draw to win one of five free Photobooks valued at AU$140.
2. One entry per person. 3. If two or more people have booked
under the same booking reference number, each person will be entered
into the prize draw however the prize will only be issued to the
one person who was selected in the prize draw. 4. Postage not
included.
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Learn
some Spanish
Though
travelling with Kumuka Worldwide in South America you do not need
Spanish to get by,
as your Tour Leader will act as translator for you. It is always
helpful to know a few words to help interact with the locals and
make your trip more enjoyable.
Here
are some fun and memorable sayings to listen out for and use when
on your travels.
1.
Buena suerte - good luck
2. Cheveré -
awesome, great (Ecuador - Peru)
3. Ché, Boludo! - You idiot! (in a nice way, to a friend) (Argentina)
4. La boca es la vida - The boca football team is my life. (Argentina)
5. Uruguay no es una provincia de
Argentina - Uruguay is not a province of Argentina
6. Los Chilenos son guapos - Chileans (people) are good looking
7. Una cerveza / pisco sour / vino
tinto por favor - 1 beer / pisco sour / red wine
please
Try
your Spanish out on a tour with Kumuka Worldwide
Feliz Viajes
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 Experience is the
teacher of all things.
Julius
Ceasar.
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