Asia Transpacific Journeys Tour Leaders

Our tour leaders are the best in Asia and the Pacific, experts in art, culture, anthropology, linguistics, and that elusive (but extremely important) field: human interaction. Their intimate knowledge and enthusiasm will make your trip come alive.

Karin Betts grew up in Indonesia, where she picked up Indonesian, Malay and English concurrently. At a longhouse in Borneo, a village chief once offered several pigs in exchange for the wee blondie—her parents apparently decided to keep her. She earned a degree from Vassar in international studies and has been exploring the world ever since. She now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she consults for ecology and international relief projects when she’s not leading tours.

Ari Bond was born and raised in Southeast Asia and educated in Europe, studying languages and geography. Throughout a lifetime of study and travel he acquired native fluency in eight languages, and a working knowledge of many others, including several Asian languages. Ari’s experience in the industry is unsurpassed, having planned, managed and directed tours and expeditions for over 30 years on all seven continents, including pioneering trips to Indochina, Tibet and the Silk Road when these areas were just barely opened to foreigners. A veteran explorer of the most far-flung places on Earth, Ari is the embodiment of the sophisticated, cosmopolitan tour leader, bringing a polished, intellectual eye to the field and exuding warmth in his personal style.

Chris Gold has spent most of his life zig-zagging across the face of the planet. Born in South Africa, educated at Oxford University, he rode an ancient British motorcycle across Africa before hitchhiking from London to Bangkok in the late 1970s. He now lives in northern Thailand with eight orphaned kids adopted from the hill villages along the Burmese border. A veteran tour leader with a wide-reaching knowledge of Asian culture, Chris revels in sharing his knowledge and deep personal connections with fellow travelers.

Dr. Patricia Graham is a distinguished scholar and enthusiastic lecturer on Japanese art and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in Japanese art history from the University of Kansas, and has taught Japanese studies at Cornell University, and lectures internationally. She serves as curator, appraiser and consultant on Asian art to various museums, and writes prolifically in museum catalogues, encyclopedias, and journals, as well as authoring two books. She has lived in and traveled around Japan extensively over the last 25 years. Her near-native fluency in the language and deeply insightful interpretation of Japanese culture dazzles our travelers.

Dr. Stephen Halkovic has a PhD in Inner Asian Studies, specializing in Mongolia/Tibet/China from Indiana University, and taught there for 14 years. While teaching at IU, he started to lead tours to Soviet Central Asia and Mongolia during the summers. In 1980 Stephen started lecturing and leading tours into China. By 1984, he was much more interested in the travel business than academia and started to lead tours full time throughout Asia and remote regions throughout the world. Since the '80s he has led 100 trips to China, over 50 to Mongolia, and more than 15 to Tibet. He is the author of two scholarly works on Mongolia. His unsurpassed knowledge, infectious laughter and engaging style make him a superb travel companion.

Steve Merchant began worldwide travels at 16, when he drove from London to Kathmandu. He received a degree in engineering before becoming a tour leader at 26. Having suffered the searing heat of the Sahara and three winters of camping in -12C in Argentina, he settled in Thailand with his Thai wife. An expert on Southeast Asian culture, his wide-ranging, expansive intellect roams with ease through topics as diverse as history, geography, religion, art, flora and fauna. An unsurpassed rapport with the locals makes him a superb liaison and cultural interpreter.

Australian Suzanne Noakes (pictured above leading a tour in Papua New Guinea) has been traveling in Melanesia for the last two decades, leading trips in Papua New Guinea for private groups, university alumni and conservation associations, and has developed a deep understanding of PNG’s people, culture, language, flora and fauna. She owns a tourism policy company that lobbies overseas governments to alleviate poverty through tourism initiatives, and is pursuing her master’s degree in this field. She sponsors such initiatives as the Karawari coconut soap press, teacher scholarships and improved water collection projects within the Milne Bay region. Her expertise, energy, rapport with the local people and warm personal style receives the highest praise from our travelers, making Suzanne an unsurpassed tour leader in the Land of the Last Unknown.

Maren Rae was on a ship to Japan with her mother when she was 6 months old: thus began a lifelong love of things Asian. She has traveled throughout the world, and worked or studied in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. A practicing Buddhist, she has taken teaching from the Dalai Lama in India and lived in a monastery in Burma. She runs an import business in Montana when not leading tours to Asia.

David Rand enjoyed an unconventional childhood in Hawaii’s Buddhist community that nurtured cultural sensitivities from an early age. He graduated from the University of Hawaii, then took up worldwide travels, honing a gift for languages that has made him conversant in seven. A long-time resident of India and Nepal, his experience and knowledge spans Asia, and includes the founding of grassroots charitable projects. A veteran tour leader with three decades of experience, he brings a seasoned, connoisseur’s eye to the field, when not sauntering through the abandoned palaces of his home in Orchha, India.

Davies Stamm is a native New Yorker and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He fell in love with Southeast Asia in the late 1970s, when he traveled extensively throughout the region. He moved to Bangkok, where he worked as a freelance writer and editor, and happily succumbed to Asia’s relaxed pace. He spends time with his extended Thai family, who have given him great insight into Asian ways. Davies continues to explore Asia in search of remote areas far from the modern world. With his great charm, extensive knowledge of the region’s history and art, and his wicked sense of humor, Davies is a top-notch tour leader.

Kyaw (Joe) Swa Min is a recognized expert on the Pagan Archeological Zone in Myanmar (Burma). He was raised in Pagan where his family owned a puppet theater, entertaining visitors from around the world. He learned English and earned a degree in philosophy, then started his own guiding business. Kyaw is renowned for treating his clients as friends, taking them to his favorite sites in Pagan, areas not found in guidebooks. He possesses a vast knowledge of Burmese archaeology, history, religion and art, and is one of the country’s most successful guides.

May May Thet hails from Myanmar’s capital city, is a graduate of Yangon University and holds degrees in management from the U.K. She’s fluent in English and French, and is a resourceful and wonderfully kind tour leader with a decade of experience. She possesses a vast knowledge of Burmese culture and considers sharing cultural insights with visitors her passion and calling. She’s the type of guide who goes the extra mile, and unexpected touches are a hallmark of a trip with May May. She’s an accomplished chef who often shares her traditional culinary creations with travelers.

Claudine Triolo received her master’s degree in art history from London’s Courtauld Institute. She was a guide at the renowned Singapore Museum before moving to Thailand. A Buddhist and fluent in Thai, she’s passionate about Asian art, language and culture. Her original research into northern Thailand’s Lanna mural paintings has produced articles for various scholarly journals and Lonely Planet’s Northern Thailand guidebook. When not leading tours throughout the region, Claudine resides in Chiang Mai with her husband of Karen tribal heritage.

Chencho Tshering is a native Bhutanese whose guiding experience spans two decades. He received formal training as a guide for two years in Singapore, and when Bhutan’s travel industry was privatized his enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit took hold. He decided to pursue his passion and put his vast experience to work and became one of the country’s most sought-after guides. He has since been escorting groups of different nationalities all over the country. Chencho’s engaging personality and deep knowledge of Bhutanese history, religion and art make him an incomparable guide in his beloved homeland.