Most Inspirational Moment
As expected the walk in the tea plantations and the tranquility of the houseboat were highlights. But equally it was the variety and unexpected - traditional crafts like preparing the incredibly long dyed warp threads for the loom on the pavement around a busy square (presumably the only place with sufficient length), seeing and tasting local foods made on the street, the flower market, the kingfishers, the rare and short-lasting but torrential downpours including one in the rubber plantations where we were welcomed into a traditional home for shelter, the many tuk tuk rides etc etc
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sam was a very good leader - the holiday just wouldn't have been the same without him. He was knowledgeable on a very wide range of topics and good at sharing information with us on local customs etc . He was very patient with our slightly unwieldy group of 16 - helping us all to choose meals from the menu and waiting until we had all been served before eating himself. He organised and came to every evening meal (and most of the lunches too) which was much appreciated in our busy schedule. He looked after us all well, and took a mini dental emergency in the group in his stride.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Personally, I was glad of my walking boots on the 2 walks and I wore my waterproof gaiters instead of the anti-leech socks provided which had to be fitted inside ones shoes. However, we only encountered a handful of leeches on this trip and less mosquitoes that I expected, although as always some people got more bitten than others. There was no mosquito screening on the hotel windows or mosquito net provided on the houseboat as I had been told would be the case by Exodus before leaving the UK. A torch was useful in the few short power cuts we had.