A wildly-coloured gecko, a fish that looks like a gherkin, and a monkey with an Elvis-like hairstyle are among the more than 200 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year.

The area’s diversity is so astonishing that a new species is found every two days, but regional cooperation and decision-making must take centre stage to preserve its richness, the group added.

Read the full story from Reuters.

Great “green season” deal on this deluxe river cruise on the Mekong River amongst the 4,000 islands of Si Pan Don, Southern Laos. Check out the Vat Phou for more details.

Contact Symbiosis to book this and to plan a full holiday itinerary in Laos.

Special discount is on offer for stay at the Luang Say Residence to celebrate Laos New Year ( Pi Mai Lao). Special rate of USD $150/per night/Pioneer Suites, including breakfast in the ‘La Belle Epoque’ restaurant (included taxes and service charge).

Discount conditions: Non-refundable, booking needs to be made 21 days prior check-in date. Valid from now until 30 Apr 2011.

Book now with Symbiosis

Nice appraisal from this French family from Japan who undertook a Mekong River Explorer trip, finishing this week:

From: Marie-Cécile Conilh de Beysac
Subject: thank you
Date: 6 March 2011 20:02:48 GMT+07:00
To: Christopher Gow
We have only have one word : wonderful ! One of our best trip.
Thank you for having allowed us to make this trip. You really deserve your ad : off the beaten tracks !!!
It was exactly corresponding to our expectations!
Our kid did every thing without any problem. He learned so much !!!
Your organization is excellent and very reliable, we will recommend it to our friends…
We are back in Tokyo with more than 1500 photos and the head full of images, emotions, flavors…
Thank you

Bernard, Cecile and Jean

And…. no!… I did not write this myself! However I am not surprised as that part of the Mekong River from Southern Laos into northern Cambodia is exceptional for anyone looking for a real, off the beaten track adventure. Time has left this part of Indochina behind. The bird life is fantastic, and village life is much as it has been since before the Khmer Rouge destroyed so much of the rest of the country. However development is threatening, with new roads being built between Stung Treng and T’beng Meanchey to the west, and the road from the Laos border to Phnom Penh is already complete. News today talks about rubber plantations encroaching into the biodiversely important Virachey National Park on the Cambodia/Lao border.

The Philippines is proposing the adoption of a single visa policy for 10 South-East Asian nations, saying it would benefit trade and tourism.

Visitors currently need to secure separate visas for each of the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Philippine Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said he was pushing for a single visa for citizens of countries not belonging to ASEAN that would enable them to Travel freely within the region. He said the proposal would be discussed at a three-day meeting of regional immigration heads that starts on Monday in the Philippine capital, Manila.

Libanan said a common visa, modelled on the European Union system, would bring huge benefits in trade, investment and tourism.

The ASEAN member countries are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

At the moment, most visitors travel to Vietnam need a visa to enter the country. Visas for Vietnam are exempted for the citizens of the countries, which have signed a bilateral or unilateral visa exemption agreement with Vietnam, tourist visa may be valid for 15 to 30 days.

Facts

Vietnam remains the most difficult and expensive of the ASEAN countries for most people from outside the region to visit with visas required prior to arrival, or at least authorisation to get one on arrival. Visa exemptions are in place for a few, as follows:

Citizens of ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand go to Vietnam from 14-30 days without visa. Citizens of Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Holland can travel to Vietnam for 14 days without visa.

Good luck, Mr Libanan!

Cambodia is amazing for exploring on a mountain bike, whether you are an experienced biker or not.  This is mainly because it is still very underdeveloped with few black-top roads… extremely rural in a way that makes Thailand look like a shopping mall. And… flat!  But it is changing quickly as the country races to catch up with with its more affluent neighbours.

The Mekong River trail from the Laos border to Phnom Penh and then on down into Vietnam’s Mekong Delta area is perhaps one of my favourite routes – numerous simple villages, wonderful river views. sandy tracks and trails… Amazing!

Once you get into the Delta, navigation becomes a challenge as you search for bridges and ferry crossings to leap the latticework of waterways.  Again, narrow trails winding through rural villages (many still without electricity), rice paddies and fruit orchards, using monkey bridges and mini ferry boats to hop over canals. Brilliant!

Just published a 148-page guide book showing where and how to enjoy responsible tourism activities in the three countries.  Over 25 activities in each country have been profiled in “The Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam”. Each activity creates income for local people, minimises potential negative tourism impacts, involves members of the local communities in running the business, conserves natural and cultural heritage, provides meaningful experiences for tourists, helps people with physical disabilities, and builds respect between visitors and hosts.

For example, the book makes it easier for tourists to trek responsibly with hilltribes, buy handicrafts that keep traditions alive, eat in restaurants that employ former street kids or people with disabilities, stay in accommodation that respects its local community, and discover nature in some of the most awe inspiring areas of Southeast Asia.

The colour guide book describes 82 tourism experiences from the tourist’s perspective, and how the activities help local people while respecting local culture and the environment.

Nice to see something proactive happening here (I write from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital). I cycle to work each day, muscling between the tide of Lexus Landcruisers that wash through this city, illustrating the dramatic gulf developing between the few who have and the masses who don’t. Few people at the top appear to care about anything except personal enrichment!

Anyway, watch for an array of community-based tourism initiatives developing in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, especially.  I will shortly be adding a section to our website showing how you can spend a few days living in a community and how your visit will help them maintain their way of life.

If you are planning a visit to Laos and to see the extraordinary megalith jars of the Xieng Khouang plain… known as the Plain of Jars… consider staying an extra day or two. Now the largest of all known jar sites, the Ban Pa Keo Site with over 400 jars and an ancient quarry, is open to visitors. This remote area been visited by only a few people so far, mainly because it can only be reached after a five hour guided forest trek high in the mountains east of Phonsavanh Town. The two day journey requires an overnight stay in a Hmong village and includes a visit to the Thad Kha Waterfall – nice little adventure!