It may be worth noting that the author of these comments travels mainly to see other cultures up close, secondly to meet new people and lastly to see 'things and places'.

After experiencing and seeing that the main tourist tracks in China used by big tour operators are almost totally westernized we decided to make our 'last ever' cruise down the Mekong in hopes that some of the old Asian culture still remains. We weren't disappointed.

Since I'm a tall gangly guy we always buy three coach seats together for a little extra comfort. The Asian carriers are sometimes stumped by this and want to see the passport of Mr. Extra Seat. I was very surprised to see the big cost difference for different carriers for three round trip seats as opposed to going Eastbound. Check it out. Read more