Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel: Mekong River Journey

September 2005

$4,500 – With that price tag, you're probably wondering if you picked up the right magazine. But this once-in-a-lifetime trip is so special – and such a good value – we'd be remiss if we didn't tell you about it. We first introduced Brandon and Andrea Ross in 40 Best last September, a year after they'd sold their home in California and moved to Cambodia. The Rosses run a charming B&B in Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat (the inn has become so popular they've added new suites and a swimming pool), and they offer private guided tours of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

This fall, Brandon will be leading a monthlong small-group tour down the Mekong River, from China's Yunnan Province to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, hitting six countries along the way. The itinerary includes visits to several small towns in southern China before heading downriver to Thailand. Get a real Thai massage in Chiang Rai, bathe in nearby hot springs, and take a day trip into Myanmar by walking across Friendship Bridge. Once in Laos, stop by a Hmong village, see a performance by the Royal Ballet of Luang Prabang, ride a long-tail boat to an ecolodge near Vientiane, and brave and elephant trek near Pakxé. After crossing the border into Cambodia, stay at the Journeys Within B&B and explore magnificent Angkor Wat before heading to Phnom Penh. The last stop is Vietnam, where you can tour the Cu Chi tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City.

The virtually all-inclusive price covers all transportation within southeast Asia (flights, boats, vans and buses), 27 nights in hotels, most meals (breakfast and lunch daily, 10 dinners), all entrance fees, tips for your local guides and drivers, and the services of two Journeys Within tour leaders. When: Departs October 29. from Bangkok. Details: International airfare is not included. Single supplement $500. Maximum group size is 12.

The Park Record: International Effort Bears Fruit for Killing Fields Pagoda School

October 20, 2005

Spurred on by a little publicity, a displaced Parkite in Cambodia is changing lives there with the help of some here in town.

Park City High School graduate Brandon Ross, 26, and his wife, Andrea, have lived in Cambodia for several years, running a bed and breakfast called Journeys Within. The Park Record wrote a story about the Rosses in July of 2004, which struck a chord with Jeremy Ranch's Donna McAleer, who had visited Cambodia several years previously.

The article reminded McAleer of an impoverished school/orphanage she had visited there, the Killing Fields Pagoda School, so she collected and sent school supplies to them. She never heard back from the school, so she contacted Brandon to see if he would check on it.

“Arriving at the school it was obvious the school needed a lot of help so I said I would do one thing then another and it snowballed to where we are today,” Brandon told the Record in an email.

McAleer inspired her friends Alison Modrovsky and Kailey Slusher, two Treasure Mountain International School seventh-graders, to collect money for the Killing Fields school last year. The drive fulfilled the community service component of their International Baccalaureate curriculum.

The girls raised money by creating and selling crafts and cards.

“It's great to know that kids in Park City are thinking about those kids less fortunate than them and then to have the drive and tenacity to do something about it is truly commendable,” Brandon said.

Because of that money, the school has a new coat of paint, new fans and better electricity because the girls raised $200. One of the reasons the girls wanted to help the Cambodian school is because money goes so much farther there than it does in the United States, Modrovsky said.

“It affects them more than it would us,” she added.

The girls' efforts prompted Brandon to form a non-profit organization Journeys Within Our Community to help.

‘If everyone was just willing to help when they see the need then I think Cambodia could continue to improve and the children here would be able to see a much brighter future,” Brandon continued.

Journeys Within Our Community's projects include the school, a clean water project, and an effort to help advanced students get higher levels of education. The Rosses also facilitate volunteer work in Cambodia by tourists.

“Our guests that have participated have loved it and the projects, especially the school, have benefited so much from the Western input,” Brandon said.

Humanitarian efforts are important to the Rosses.

“I was lucky,” Brandon wrote. “I was born in a rich country with so many opportunities. I got to choose where I wanted to live and start a business. I chose to live in a very poor country. I think when you see how much you have and how little others have you have to justify it somehow and for me it is that I can use my good fortune to help others.”

The topic of orphans in Asia is particularly to McAleer because her sister was adopted from Korea and her brother from the Phillipines.

Modrovsky's advice to other students who want to get involved in community service is, “Find something you're good at, or something you like to do, then find an organization that does that and contact them.”

They plan to continue their fundraising efforts this year. Modrovsky hopes to travel to Cambodia to visit.

“I definitely want to do that,” she said.

Brandon's favorite quality of the Cambodian people is their smiles.

‘They love to laugh and smile, and even without knowing anything about them it's easy to believe they have the greatest smiles, but then when you think of their history and how hard their life is even today, it is amazing how much they smile,” he said.

When Brandon feels stressed, he says he goes in front of his building to watch everybody laughing and smiling. “I figure there's no way my life is harder than theirs and you can't help but smile back,” he said.

Family Travel Forum: Cambodia's Siem Reap Alive With Travelers

June 2005

Journeys Within, a bed and breakfast and tour company located close to Cambodia's Angkor Wat, offers a first-time Asia experience suitable for families.
Within sight of ruins nearly 1,000-years-old, the little Journeys Within B&B and Bungalows ( 877/454-3672) and tour company has been in business for over two years now in Cambodia. Founded by American ex-pat husband and wife partners Brandon and Andrea Ross, the Siem Reap-based business hosts travelers visiting the famous Buddhist shrine of Angkor Wat and guides them on personalized tours of Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, and along the mighty Mekong River from China to Vietnam. Read more at myfamilytravels.com

International Travel News: Report Cards

November 4, 2005

Journeys Within Bed & Breakfast…owned and operated by an American family. They offer great tips and transportation; they even pick you up at the airport.

Delightfully furnished individual suites each with a bathroom, how water, air-conditioning and balcony. Definitely a 5-star rating. $50 single.