Far East Tours & Pilgrimages
A number of tours and travel itineraries have been sent our way for 2020, so we thought we would create a page that captures all of this in one place.
The COFEPOW National Enterprise Competition for Primary Schools
In Their Footsteps
Tours to Sandakan, Malaysia Borneo, with Lynette Silver in 2020
Next year, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the end of WW2 in the Pacific, and the death of most of the Australian and British POWs sent to Sandakan, Malaysia Borneo. The traditional Australian ANZAC Day Tour organised by Lynette each April, now into its 20th year, is fully booked but due to demand, there will be an additional tour, to coincide with Remembrance Day in November.
These tours, which involve no middle man other than the booking agent, are personalised to the people participating. There is plenty of opportunity for special remembrance at Sandakan, Ranau and along the death march track, where the vehicle will stop at the closest possible place where any individual POW died.
A minimum of ten is required. Names have already been registered for November. The cost, land only, for the 9 night/10 day trip, is $3,095 AUD, twin share. This includes almost all meals, all tours, entry fees and accommodation in the best hotels available, ranging from 5-3 star. There is also a booking fee of $100 per person. If there is sufficient interest, a 3 day/3 night extension to Singapore featuring bespoke tours to the battlefields and POW areas, will also be offered. The cost should be around $750 AUD, twin share.
For an itinerary, to register your interest or to ask any questions, please contact Lynette on lynettesilver@gmail.com
For the more energetic, the 75th Anniversary trek will be conducted in August and can incorporate the Sandakan Day Service on 15 August for interested travellers. The standard 12 day trip involves six days of walking, following in the footsteps of the POWs for approximately 95 kms. No camping, and nothing to carry other than a daypack. Hotels away from the trek are 3-5 star. Good basic accommodation when trekking. The tour cost is $3,300 per person twin share. There is also a booking fee of $100 AUD. Details of the trekking itinerary are on the trekking website: www.sandakandeathmarch.com
To register or for more details please contact Lynette at lynettesilver@gmail.com
The COFEPOW National Enterprise Competition for Primary Schools
The Bridge Over The River Kwai Group Tour
Come and touch history with us - Join Jack Bridger Chalker’s son, Adrian Chalker in Thailand as he lays his father’s ashes to rest in a dedication ceremony at The Bridge Over the River Kwai; the final ‘last post’ for an WWII allied soldier in Kanchanaburi, and perhaps the last WWII soldier to be publicly buried anywhere. Join us on a two-week journey from Singapore to Thailand to scatter the ashes of POW artist Jack Bridger Chalker and dedicate a Memorial Plaque for all POWs at the Jack Chalker Gallery / 'Weary' Dunlop Memorial in Kanchanaburi. Hosted by first class guides and accompanied by the son of Jack Bridger Chalker, Adrian Bridger Chalker (professional tour operator and organizer of this expedition), the itinerary is a mix of WWII activities and tourist visits designed to accommodate the interests of the entire family, not just the history fanatics! We explore Singapore,Bangkok, visit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for the jungle experience, then end in Kanchanaburi,a place of startling beauty, for the dedication ceremony.
If you are interested in joining us, please visit the website of Adventures Abroad,of Vancouver BC. Canada. You will find the full itinerary, prices and dates,and all the details you will need to book your place on the group.
www.adventures-abroad.com/tour/singapore-and-thailand-the-final-last-post/ww75
To call for details, please use the following numbers:
USA& CANADA: 1(425) 641-9284
AUSTRALIA& NZ: 001 (425) 641 9284
UK& IRELAND: 001(425) 641 9284
PLEASE NOTE: Office is located in Seattle, USA, Seattle Pacific time (GMT minus 8 hours)
PLEASE NOTE: Travelers from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Canada and America are anticipated. VIP and celebrity attendance at the ceremony will involve media. We anticipate film crews in Singapore and in Kanchanaburi at the ceremony, filming our group on certain activities, and perhaps requesting interviews from some participants. There may also be some VIP / Celebrity attendance at the dedication ceremony in Kanchanaburi with attendant press and media.We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and ask you to consider media involvement as part of the tour experience. In effect, the group will become the core of a minor historic event, and so significant media interest is anticipated.