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(20 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Hong Kong, Hanoi, Hoi An, Saigon, Siem Reap, Chiang Mai, Bangkok
This luxury tour is designed for travelers wanting the most comprehensive and luxurious tour of Southeast Asia.
Begin in Hong Kong, one of Asia's most attractive and exciting cities, with a spectacular skyline, beautiful harbors and beaches, superb restaurants, bustling markets and much more. Stay in a select room at The Peninsula and enjoy unbeatable views across Victoria Harbor. With your expert private guide and driver, learn about the historic buildings and modern skyscrapers in Central. Tour interesting residential neighborhoods in the hills. Take a scenic drive along the beautiful coastline. Dine on dim sum at teahouses, and enjoy reservations at one of Hong Kong's most exclusive restaurants—a showcase of fine Cantonese food, art and design. Learn about traditional Chinese medicine at local spice and herb markets. Perhaps watch a horse race at Happy Valley Racetrack, enjoy private appointments at leading antique shops or with noted designers, or get fitted for custom clothing at our favorite tailors.
Continue to Hanoi, Vietnam's fascinating capital and intellectual center. During private touring, visit the city's most important historical attractions, such as the Temple of Literature, One Pillar Pagoda, the House on Stilts and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Take an in-depth tour of Hanoi's incredible Old Quarter, where each street was historically dedicated to a specific trade or material, such as bamboo, silk and lacquer. While touring the narrow streets, learn about the history of the Old Quarter and its traditional architecture, and see how it has transformed into a fashionable district with cafes, art galleries and boutiques featuring the finest Vietnamese design and style. Explore Hoan Kiem Lake and leafy backstreets lined with beautiful French colonial-era buildings, many of which are now upscale restaurants. If desired, also visit Hanoi's top museums, such as the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. One day, meet a culinary expert to tour one of Hanoi's excellent markets and sample local street food specialties like bun cha (barbecued pork with noodles) and pho cuon (fresh herb and beef rolls). Also attend a performance of Hanoi's renowned water puppet show, or attend a performance at the landmark Hanoi Opera House.
Next, travel to Hoi An, an atmospheric port town and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stay at a luxury beachfront resort, and experience the best of this centuries-old town during private touring. Visit the vibrant morning market, where stalls are piled high with fresh fish and produce. Explore the colorful backstreets, and tour well-preserved historic homes, temples, the Japanese Covered Bridge and other interesting attractions. Perhaps visit a local tailor for custom-made silk clothing, a Hoi An specialty, and enjoy a boat ride on the river. Also visit the nearby Museum of Cham Sculpture, as well as the Marble Mountains, which contain Buddhist cave temples. Upon request, we can arrange additional activities in and near Hoi An, such as visits to local villages, cooking lessons and farm visits, an excursion to the Cham ruins in My Son, biking through the countryside, or a silk lantern-making lesson at a Confucian temple. There will also be time to relax and enjoy your resort's beautiful architecture, spa and beach.
Spend the next two nights in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam's most dynamic city. With an expert private guide and driver, learn about the city's history while touring French colonial-era landmarks, as well as the mid-century Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. Visit interesting neighborhoods like Cholon (Saigon's Chinatown) and explore busy markets and temples. Perhaps stop for a refreshing Vietnamese iced coffee, or snack on a typical Vietnamese banh mi (baguette sandwich). If desired, browse the boutiques of Vietnamese designers and renowned art galleries and museums. One day, take an excursion into the countryside to tour the Cu Chi Tunnels and observe a colorful religious ceremony at the Cao Dai Temple. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange additional activities such as river boat rides, meeting with historians, visits to private homes, private musical performances, philanthropic activities, art and design touring, an excursion to the Mekong Delta, private cooking classes and tasting tours, and more.
Next, fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to explore incredible Angkor, the wondrous ruins of the ancient Khmer empire. With your private guide, tour the most interesting parts of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Angkor Wat, an enormous temple city built as a model of the Hindu universe in stone; Angkor Thom, an ancient capital filled with iconic sites such as the Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King; Ta Prohm, a temple being devoured by the jungle; and serene Preah Khan, a former monastery and school. Also visit Banteay Srei, a petite temple with elaborate carvings in pink sandstone, and other lesser-known temples. Additional special-interest activities can also be arranged, such as a cruise on Lake Tonle Sap, bike riding, Khmer cooking lessons, private yoga sessions, visits to orphanages and children's centers, Khmer dance performances, photography excursions, shopping, village tours or chartering a helicopter to remote jungle temples.
Continue to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Stay at one of Asia's most luxurious and atmospheric resorts, surrounded by mountains and lush fields of terraced rice paddies. During private touring, visit a revered mountaintop temple and see monks collecting their morning alms. One day, take an excursion to an elephant sanctuary and learn about these fascinating animals. Also explore Chiang Mai's historic temples and wonderful markets. Other optional activities can be arranged, upon request, such as golfing, hiking, biking, shopping excursions, family activities, in-depth Buddhist experiences, cooking classes, rice planting and more.
This spectacular tour concludes in Bangkok, with several nights at the legendary Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Travel by private longtail boat through Bangkok's residential canals, learn about Buddhist art and beliefs at the glittering temple Wat Phra Keow and Wat Po, indulge your senses at Bangkok's markets, and view traditional Thai art and architecture at the Jim Thompson Museum and the Prasart Museum. Also enjoy Bangkok's wonderful cuisine and spas.
|Itinerary Overview


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This years "MAKE IT COUNT" contest series has been incredible, so I was really looking forward to seeing what the Europeans had in store. While our main focus was the Europe Make It Count finals, we couldn't just sit there and allow our down time in Berlin to slip away. We were out for a good time, and having a solid crew is essential. In this case, nobody missed a beat; everyone was down to skate, lurk the streets at night or make up ridiculous songs on the guitar and sing them at the tops of our lungs. Don't get me wrong, I love me some good 'ol America, but I miss Berlin already. Here are some Prints and Polaroids from our adventures in Berlin:
Kershnar displaying an American cannonball
Boo, Nick, Evan and Todd at the Berlin Wall
Evan hopping over the wall
Evan and Nick
Cole, myself, and Todd
From Top Left to Bottom Right: Evan Back Smith, Nick & Madars, Van Life, The Homies
Can't wait till next year.

subset: commoncrawl


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Skratch Labs mission is to use real world science and practice to create the very best nutrition products. Products that taste great, that are made from real all-natural ingredients, and that are designed to optimize performance and health for both sport and life.
But being our best is more than the products we buy. It's also about learning, and we are committed to educate and inspire others while continuing to grow ourselves.
It's a commitment that began when pro cyclists secretly replaced their sponsors' sports drinks with the mix that we made from scratch in our kitchen or while on the road in little French hotel rooms during the Tour de France. This earned us the nickname "Secret Drink Mix." But now that the word has spread and the demand has grown, the secret is out.
Photo Stream


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Red Bull Racing Formula One star Sebastian Vettel on Sunday made it three world championships in three years after just outscoring Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the end of a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. At the conclusion of a remarkable race affected by rain, Alonso finished second, but Vettel's sixth place was enough to give the 25-year-old German the title by a three-point margin, 281 to 278.
Neither man was ever in contention for victory in a race won by McLaren's Jenson Button after his teammate Lewis Hamilton tangled with Nico Hulkenberg while fighting for the lead.
Rain had threatened F1's season finale all week, and on Sunday drizzle finally began to fall just minutes before the start. From the front row Hamilton and Button got away in front on the greasy track, while Vettel made a bad start and found himself squeezed at the first corner.
He lost several places and later around the lap was hit from behind by Bruno Senna when he cut across the Brazilian. Senna was out on the spot, along with Sergio Perez. Having been spun round, Vettel resumed in last place, his title hopes seemingly up in smoke.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa had slotted into third ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Alonso, and then at the end of the first lap Alonso jumped ahead of both to claim third—which meant he was already in a position to win the world championship, with Vettel out of the points.
Rain continued to fall, and Alonso nearly blew it when he ran wide at turn one, losing a spot to Force India's Hulkenberg, who had passed Massa and Webber. Meanwhile, despite damaged bodywork Vettel had already passed the backmarkers and was making progress through the midfield.
On lap seven there was a lead change as Button eased ahead of Hamilton, having seemingly got his tires working better in the tricky conditions. Around the lap nine-10 mark, most of the frontrunners came in for intermediate rain tires, but after only a few laps the two drivers who stayed on out slicks—Button and Hulkenberg—began lapping faster again.
As the rain eased, those who had changed to wet rubber had to come back in for slicks. While this was happening, on lap 18 Hulkenberg moved ahead of Button, and incredibly the Force India driver began to pull away from the former world champion.
With all their rivals having stopped twice and their original tires still working well, Hulkenberg and Button were left with a clear advantage of some 44 seconds over third placed Hamilton, the best placed driver to have changed tires. He was followed by Alonso and Vettel, who had worked his way into fifth place with some inspired driving and put himself back into the game for the championship.
However, the leaders lost all their advantage when a safety car was called for on lap 23, a result of debris strewn around the track after various collisions and incidents. Hulkenberg and Button were able to pit for fresh slicks and emerge safely in front, but with Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel right behind in the queue.
It took seven laps of safety-car running to clean up the debris and let the lapped cars past. Hamilton wasted little time in depriving Button of second, but Hulkenberg was driving confidently out front and stayed a couple of seconds clear. Meanwhile Vettel slipped back to seventh after being passed by Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi and Massa.
The order remained unchanged until lap 48 when Hulkenberg had a half spin after touching a white line, and Hamilton snuck into the lead. With the track having been dry for a while, teams began to think about another tire change, and on lap 51 Red Bull brought Vettel in. With a fresh set of mediums he now had a 20-lap run to the flag and a chance to reel in some of those ahead, who would inevitably also need new rubber.
The battle for the lead took another twist when Hulkenberg re-caught Hamilton and began to look for a way by and into the lead again just as more rain came down. When they came up to lap Heikki Kovalainen at turn one on at the start of lap 55, Hulkenberg lost control under braking and slid into Hamilton, putting Hamilton him out of his last race with McLaren before he moves to Mercedes for next year.
Hulkenberg was able to resume in second place after Button gratefully inherited the lead. Meanwhile the rain had caused Vettel to head back to the pits for intermediate tires, his earlier stop for new slicks having been timed badly—but due to a faulty radio the team did not hear his message, and was not ready for him. Vettel lost 12 seconds while his crew found and unwrapped a set of tires, and he fell back to 10th.
With the rain coming down, everyone else was soon in for tires, while Hulkenberg also received a questionable drive-through penalty for the collision with Hamilton—it looked like nothing more than a racing incident—which cost him his second place.
Despite losing time with his extra stop for slicks and the delay at his stop for intermediates, Vettel managed to stay in contention, and as the stops played out he emerged in seventh behind Button, Massa, Alonso, Webber, Hulkenberg and Michael Schumacher—and that meant he was again placed well enough to secure the title.
It was far from over. The rain became more intense, and Vettel still had to get to the flag. On lap 61 Massa let Alonso into second, but that still wasn't enough, even before Schumacher ceded his sixth place to Vettel.
In the closing laps Vettel was the fastest driver on the track, despite warnings from his team to take it easy, given that he didn't need to move up the order. The race had one more twist in it as with two laps to go Paul Di Resta crashed his Force India heavily when he aquaplaned on the pit straight. That brought out the safety car again, so the race finished under yellow flags.
After another near-perfect wet weather drive, Button ended the season as he started it, with a win. Alonso took second and was gracious in defeat, saying that he was proud of his team. Massa backed him up in third place, and the consolation for Ferrari was that the team beat McLaren to second in the final constructors' championship standings.
After a busy race that saw him spin twice, Webber took fourth ahead of Hulkenberg and Vettel. Behind the newly crowned triple champion, Schumacher finished his final F1 race in seventh place, the position in which he qualified for his first race in 1991. The top 10 was completed by Jean-Eric Vergne, Kobayashi and Kimi Raikkonen.
Brazilian Grand Prix Results
1. Jenson Button, England, McLaren, 71 laps, 1:45:22.656, 108.229 mph.
2. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Ferrari, 71, 1:45:25.410.
3. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 71, 1:45:26.271.
4. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 71, 1:45:27.592.
5. Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Force India, 71, 1:45:28.364.
6. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull, 71, 1:45:32.109.
7. Michael Schumacher, Germany, Mercedes, 71, 1:45:34.563.
8. Jean-Eric Vergne, France, Toro Rosso, 71, 1:45:51.309.
9. Kamui Kobayashi, Japan, Sauber, 71, 1:45:53.906.
10. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Lotus, 70, +1 lap.
11. Vitaly Petrov, Russia, Caterham, 70, +1 lap.
12. Charles Pic, France, Marussia, 70, +1 lap.
13. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Toro Rosso, 70, +1 lap.
14. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Caterham, 70, +1 lap.
15. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Mercedes, 70, +1 lap.
16. Timo Glock, Germany, Marussia, 70, +1 lap.
17. Pedro de la Rosa, Spain, HRT, 69, +2 laps.
18. Narain Karthikeyan, India, HRT, 69, +2 laps.
19. Paul di Resta, Scotland, Force India, 68, +3 laps, retired.
Not Classfied
20. Lewis Hamilton, England, McLaren, 54, accident.
21. Romain Grosjean, France, Lotus, 5, accident.
22. Pastor Maldonado, Venezuela, Williams, 1, spin.
23. Bruno Senna, Brazil, Williams, 0, accident.
24. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Sauber, 0, accident.
Drivers Standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull, 281 points.
2. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Ferrari, 278.
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Lotus, 207.
4. Lewis Hamilton, England, McLaren, 190.
5. Jenson Button, England, McLaren, 188.
6. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 179.
7. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 122.
8. Romain Grosjean, France, Lotus, 96.
9. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Mercedes, 93.
10. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Sauber, 66.
11. Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Force India, 63.
12. Kamui Kobayashi, Japan, Sauber, 60.
13. Michael Schumacher, Germany, Mercedes, 49.
14. Paul di Resta, Scotland, Force India, 46.
15. Pastor Maldonado, Venezuela, Williams, 45.
16. Bruno Senna, Brazil, Williams, 31.
17. Jean-Eric Vergne, France, Toro Rosso, 16.
18. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Toro Rosso, 10.
Constructors Standings
1. Red Bull, 460 points.
2. Ferrari, 400.
3. McLaren, 378.
4. Lotus, 303.
5. Mercedes, 142.
6. Sauber, 126.
7. Force India, 109.
8. Williams, 76.
9. Toro Rosso, 26.
Formula One Champions
1950 - Guiseppe Farina, Italy, Alfa Romeo
1951 - Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina, Alfa Romeo
1952 - Alberto Ascari, Italy, Ferrari
1953 - Alberto Ascari, Italy, Ferrari
1954 - Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina, Maserati
1955 - Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina, Lancia-Ferrari
1956 - Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina, Mercedes-Benz
1957 - Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina, Maserati-Mercedes
1958 - Mike Hawthorn, Britain, Ferrari
1959 - Jack Brabham, Australia, Cooper-Climax
1960 - Jack Brabham, Australia, Cooper-Climax
1961 - Phil Hill, United States, Ferrari
1962 - Graham Hill, Britain, BRM
1963 - Jim Clark, Britain, Lotus-Climax
1964 - John Surtees, Britain, Ferrari
1965 - Jim Clark, Britain, Lotus-Climax
1966 - Jack Brabham, Australia, Brabham-Repco
1967 - Denny Hulme, New Zealand, Brabham-Repco
1968 - Graham Hill, Britain, Lotus-Ford
1969 - Jackie Stewart, Scotland, Matra-Ford
1970 - Jochen Rindt, Austria, Lotus-Ford
1971 - Jackie Stewart, Scotland, Tyrrell-Ford
1972 - Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazil, Lotus-Ford
1973 - Jackie Stewart, Scotland, Tyrrell-Ford
1974 - Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazil, McLaren-Ford
1975 - Niki Lauda, Austria, Ferrari
1976 - James Hunt, Britain, McLaren-Ford
1977 - Niki Lauda, Austria, Ferrari
1978 - Mario Andretti, United States, Lotus-Ford
1979 - Jody Scheckter, South Africa, Ferrari
1980 - Alan Jones, Australia, Williams-Ford
1981 - Nelson Piquet, Brazil, Brabham-Ford
1982 - Keke Rosberg, Finland, Williams-Ford
1983 - Nelson Piquet, Brazil, Brabham-BMW
1984 - Niki Lauda, Austria, McLaren-TAG
1985 - Alain Prost, France, McLaren-TAG
1986 - Alain Prost, France, McLaren-TAG
1987 - Nelson Piquet, Brazil, Williams-Honda
1988 - Ayrton Senna, Brazil, McLaren-Honda
1989 - Alain Prost, France, McLaren-Honda
1990 - Ayrton Senna, Brazil, McLaren-Honda
1991 - Ayrton Senna, Brazil, McLaren-Honda
1992 - Nigel Mansell, Britain, Williams-Renault
1993 - Alain Prost, France, Williams-Renault
1994 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Benetton-Ford
1995 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Benetton-Renault
1996 - Damon Hill, Britain, Williams-Renault
1997 - Jacques Villeneuve, Canada, Williams-Renault
1998 - Mika Hakkinen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes
1999 - Mika Hakkinen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes
2000 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari
2001 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari
2002 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari
2003 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari
2004 - Michael Schumacher, Germany, Ferrari
2005 - Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault
2006 - Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari
2008 - Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes
2009 - Jenson Button, Britain, Brawn GP
2010 - Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull
2011 - Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull
2012 - Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull
1958 - Vanwall
1959 - Cooper-Climax
1960 - Cooper-Climax
1961 - Ferrari
1963 - Lotus-Climax
1964 - Ferrari
1965 - Lotus-Climax
1966 - Brabham-Repco
1967 - Brabham-Repco
1968 - Lotus-Ford
1969 - Matra-Ford
1970 - Lotus-Ford
1971 - Tyrell-Ford
1972 - Lotus-Ford
1973 - Lotus-Ford
1974 - McLaren-Ford
1975 - Ferrari
1976 - Ferrari
1977 - Ferrari
1978 - Lotus-Ford
1979 - Ferrari
1980 - Williams-Ford
1981 - Williams-Ford
1982 - Ferrari
1983 - Ferrari
1984 - McLaren-Porsche
1985 - McLaren-TAG
1986 - Williams-Honda
1987 - Williams-Honda
1988 - McLaren-Honda
1989 - McLaren-Honda
1990 - McLaren-Honda
1991 - McLaren-Honda
1992 - Williams-Renault
1993 - Williams-Renault
1994 - Williams-Renault
1995 - Benetton-Renault
1996 - Williams-Renault
1997 - Williams-Renault
1998 - McLaren-Mercedes
1999 - Ferrari
2000 - Ferrari
2001 - Ferrari
2002 - Ferrari
2003 - Ferrari
2004 - Ferrari
2005 - Renault
2006 - Renault
2007 - Ferrari
2008 - Ferrari
2009 - Brawn GP
2010 - Red Bull
2011 - Red Bull
2012 - Red Bull