Join us for an epic journey of discovery in Asia!

 We have 20 spots available for this trip – 
only 8 spots remaining!

Liz has always had a sense of adventure and loves to explore new foods, geographic areas that inspire a sense of awe, and places that allow for stillness in nature. Asia has it all!

We will be joined in Hong Kong by Candace Castro; an amazing yoga teacher and resident of Hong Kong.  She will guide us for shopping, eating and inspiration.

This 2-week adventure will be fun and relaxing, exhilarating and inspiring.  You will explore new sights and sounds, new flora and fauna, new foods and people.  A bit of gentle hatha yoga is thrown in to help relax and feel great while travelling.  This isn’t a yoga retreat but rather an incredible vacation adventure that happens to include yoga and meditation. Everything is optional and complete beginners to yoga are welcome.

You are welcome to join this trip on your own or bring a friend or two.

On this journey through Asia we will experience:

• The excitement of Hong Kong:  shopping and food! 
• The temples of Cambodia:  awesome jungle and inspiration!
• The beaches and spas of Thailand:  pampering and relaxation!

Each day will include optional yoga and/or meditation classes to keep us grounded and attuned to the body’s wisdom.  No experience at all is needed with either yoga or meditation, but you can deepen your practice if you know a little something.  Each day will also include new sights and sounds, places to explore with local guides and new foods to taste.  The fruit of Asia is varied and spectacular with a range of flavours.  The people and customs of Asia are also varied and spectacular.

Everything offered is optional and no experience with yoga is required.  Group activities are also optional so if you bow out of something just let us know when and where to expect to see you join back in.  Flights are not optional – so you need to be on time for those!

Itinerary

Friday, Nov 2 – HONG KONG
Board flight to Hong Kong – the adventure begins!

Saturday, Nov 3
Arrive in Hong Kong, meet our guide and check into our hotel on Kowloon Island, the BP International.
With the time change and a long flight from Toronto, it will be late afternoon local time when we arrive. We’ll get settled in then meet for a very easy, restorative yoga class which will feel great after a long flight.  Enjoy a light dinner at a local restaurant and then head to bed.  If you have the energy to explore, there are many things to see and do.  Candace will provide a list of options with directions.  We’re staying within walking distance of many places to visit, lots of restaurants or simply walk around and take in the energy and expanse of Hong Kong.

Sunday, Nov 4 – with the time change you’ll be awake early!
6 am – meet for gentle yoga and meditation
7:30am – breakfast
9:00am – This morning, we join our guide for a full day city tour of Hong Kong. Start with a ride up to Victoria Peak by tram car. Rising 554 metres above sea level, Victoria Peak provides an excellent panoramic view of Hong Kong Harbour and the islands of the South China Sea. Next, we pass by picturesque Repulse Bay and proceed to the famous fishing village of Aberdeen to see the “floating community”.  Visit Stanley Market where you might be able to pick up bargains at just a fraction of prices in town.

Next, we set out on a guided food tour by using the public transportation system. Our first stop is a local tea house, where we will enjoy a dim sum lunch. As we eat, absorb the restaurant’s lively and crowded atmosphere and learn about the history of food in Hong Kong.

After lunch, we ride the Ding Ding (the Hong Kong tramway) and make stops at other culinary venues like the dried seafood shop, Chinese medicine shops, and the city’s oldest wet market.
5:00pm – arrive back at hotel
5:30pm – Dinner – head out to Kung Tak Lok for a Chinese vegetarian dinner in Causeway Bay
Evening – Yours to explore the nightlife – of course, Candace will recommend where to go!

Monday, Nov 5
6 am – meet for gentle yoga and meditation
7:30am – breakfast
9:00am – Explore Hong Kong a little more: Lantau Island – site seeing, eating and shopping.
We depart our hotel with our guide and driver and travel by road to Cheung Sha Beach—the longest beach in the area, where we take the cable car up to Ngong Ping Plateau. The 25-minute trip offers some of the most spectacular natural views so bring your camera. On arrival, we tour the Giant Buddha which sits majestically close to the Po Lin Monastery. After touring the Giant Buddha Exhibition Hall and the Po Lin Monastery, we enjoy a vegetarian meal in the monastery followed by a visit to the culturally themed Ngong Ping Village with a boat ride. We will have an opportunity during our tour to stop and have a gentle yoga and/or meditation while on the island.

~ As the largest island of Hong Kong, Lantau is known for its stunning coastline, where authentic fishing villages, charming beaches, unique waterfalls and picturesque views await your discovery. It’s also home to the biggest Buddha statue in the world. We’ll take the cable car up to Ngong Ping Village to visit the statue and take in the stunning view from that elevation.

* If you’re feeling energetic one evening, book a sunset harbour tour on a Chinese junk. Aqua Luna runs regular harbour tours. Take in the skyline of both Hong Kong and Kowloon. Hong Kong comes alive at night and is truly beautiful. https://aqualuna.com.hk/experience It’s recommended to pre-book.

Pack tonight for departure tomorrow.

Tuesday, Nov 6
6 am – meet for gentle yoga
7:30 – breakfast
Check out of the hotel before 12 pm.  Store your luggage here and use the morning for free time exploration or relax at the hotel.  Meet back at the hotel at 12 pm sharp for transfer to the airport.

And we’re off to Cambodia – Siem Reap!  We will be staying at the eOcambo Village.  Airport transfer to hotel and get settled in.  Walk the area, or relax by the pool.

Dinner together at the hotel restaurant.

  <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/ABHEn_llfaA” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>

Wednesday, Nov 7 – Cambodia

7 am – morning yoga by the pool
9:00 – optional day-long excursions with a variety of choices will be provided to you prior to the trip so you can think about what you want to do with this free day.

Dinner on your own tonight.

evening – explore the markets that come alive after sunset – but get to bed early!

Thursday, Nov 8

5:30 am – Pre-dawn departure from the hotel for sunrise outside Angkor Wat. Enter the great temple in darkness from the quieter western side.
Dawn – Meditation in the atmosphere of Angkor, from the edge of one of the ancient library pools. After sunrise, we will enjoy a picnic breakfast and then explore the interior of the great temple; discovering the corridors, central chambers and upper terraces. We will have an expert local guide who will decipher the myriad of stories behind the bas-relief carvings, and give you an insight into life during the height of the Khmer empire.

We will then visit the fortified city of Angkor Thom. Covers an area of 10 square km, and enclosed by a wall and wide moat, the city includes many of Angkor’s most popular sights. We stop at the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings, former spaces for public ceremonies. From here, we visit the ruined Baphuon, Royal Enclosure and Phimeanakas before continuing to the mysterious Bayon Temple, and see giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at us from every angle.

1 pm – return to the hotel for lunch and rest, swim, book a massage or other spa treatment
5pm – We will depart the hotel for a sunset tour of Phnom Bakheng Temple.
7:30pm – Return to hotel
8:00pm – Dinner

Friday, Nov 9
6 am – yoga and meditation at the hotel
7:30 am – breakfast
8:30 – Following breakfast, we depart the hotel with our guide and driver for our second full day tour of Siem Reap. Our first stop is Banteay Srei, (pronounced bantas ray) which is considered to be the jewel of classical Khmer art. Built in pink sandstone, the walls are covered in exquisitely preserved carvings of unusual delicacy. Next, we proceed to Banteay Samre – a UNESCO World Heritage site well-known for the outstanding quality of its sculpted décor, carved from red sandstone. Our final stop Ta Prohm – one of the most popular attractions of Angkor as much of the jungle has not been cleared and it looks very much as most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them.
3:00 pm – Return to hotel to relax by the pool or book a spa treatment

Saturday, Nov 10 
6 am – yoga and meditation at the hotel
7:30 – breakfast
Transfer to the airport and catch our flight to Bangkok, Thailand and then on to the island of Koh Samui where we’ll spend the next week.

Saturday, Nov 10 – Friday, Nov 16 – THAILAND

Chilling on the island of Koh Samui!  We will be staying at the Fair House Beach Resort.  We have planned an island tour for the first day allowing you to add additional tours or simply lay on the beach or by the pool, book spa treatments and explore the island.  Whatever suits you!

Sunday, Nov 11

After a leisurely breakfast, we will be picked up for a 5 hour round island Samui tour.

We will see the ‘Big Buddha’, a monumental landmark on the islands north coast, Lodd Koh View Point for a panorama view of the sea and the beach, Grandpa and Grandma Rocks, a natural rock formations that raise indulgent chuckles from those who go to see them. We will also stop at Namuang waterfalls and the market at Nathon town. We will be transferred back to the hotel around 2pm.

Get pampered at the hotel spa we’re staying at. Every day provides morning yoga and meditation, spa treatments and day trip adventures exploring the island.

Koh Samui is one of the most spectacular getaways in all of Thailand. Its pristine beaches and beautiful, clear green seas are just two of the reasons you’ll have a hard time leaving.  Add in the spa treatments and gorgeous food and we just might have to stay!

Each day starts with optional yoga on the beach at 7 am, followed by breakfast and then days of ease and pampering and exploring the island.  Each day ends with meditation on the beach after dinner.

Koh Samui has everything from waterfalls and caves, diving and snorkelling, to cultural sites with huge Buddha statues and lots of temples.  The scenery is stunning with spectacular views in every direction.  Plenty of restaurants to spend a lazy afternoon watching the world go by, or hang out by the pool or beach at the hotel.

You have some free days for optional tours to do as you wish.  Rent a scooter if you want to explore on your own.  Travel to the highest points for an incredible look out over the sea. Wat Teepankorn is a spectacular temple located on a mountain-top near Lamai with beautiful panoramic views. Explore the jungle or take a sea kayak tour of a national park.

The majority of local people living and working in Koh Samui are Buddhist and the island has many stunning temples for interested explorers to discover.

Your adventure with us at Koh Samui includes 2 spa treatments (but you can book more), breakfast and dinner every day,  and group day trip excursions including an around the island boat tour, meditation in the caves, and one Happy Hour experience at Hotel W (to take in the glam).  We’ll also explore Laem Sor Temple, with its golden beachfront pagoda, boat-shaped Buddhist temple, and hilltop Chedi featuring stunning views of the surrounding jungle and islands.

There is much to see and do and lots of opportunities to relax and chill (although it’s hot!).

Friday, Nov 16
Return to Bangkok and the retreat ends here.  Create your own agenda if you want to keep exploring Asia on your own or spend a night here and return to Toronto on Saturday, Nov 17th.

FLIGHT BOOKING DETAILS: 
International flights booked separately. As of June 2018, the best flight we’ve seen is with Air Canada direct from Toronto to Hong Kong and return from Bangkok, Thailand for approximately $1200.  Choose a local agent of your preference to book your flight or connect with our preferred agent, Kathryn Fisher at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Kathryn is familiar with our retreat itinerary and can be reached toll-free at 1-877-997-9924 ext. 2 or by email at [email protected]