Amongst of the newest frontiers for adventurous divers in Indonesia are the many islands of the Laut Maluku - the Maluku Sea - that lies between Sulawesi's northern peninsular and the now famous dive sites of Raja Ampat on West Papua's Birdshead Peninsular.

For those who do not have time for an extended sailing cruise, or whose taste for being on a boat extends only to a few days, a short sailing cruise to the Komodo National Park is a must do component of any Indonesia visit.

Thailand's cultural and social roots are firmly set in the countryside, in fact, when Mahatma Gandhi said of his home country "... the real India is in the villages". He could just as easily have been referring to Thailand, a country whose political and cultural birth was in the "million rice fields" of the ancient Lanna Thai Kingdom.

Mai Chau is located 135 km south-west of Hanoi in the Northern province of Hoa Binh which is bordered by Son La in the West, Phu Tho and Ha Tay in the North, Ha Nam and Ninh Binh in the East, and Thanh Hoa in the South.