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About Mark
Mark is a passionate traveller, author, podcaster, entrepreneur and father of 4. Having travelled all across Asia over many years, Mark has made lifelong memories and connections from many Asian countries. Identifying a gap in the way people travelled to Asia, Mark decided to use his own experience to turn a passion into a business. The rest is history...
EziAsiaTravel was born!
A word from Mark
Over 45 years ago I read a book at school called "Surprising Asians" and knew after reading that I was drawn to this region. At that time we were bombarded with negative stories regarding Southeast Asia. War and death and horror dominated the media. So apart from Hong Kong for cheap shopping or Bali for surfing, this area was largely out of mind and perceived as dangerous. Surprising Asians told the story of two twenty-something adventurous hippie-like girls who travelled on a shoestring budget crisscrossing South-East Asia. What struck me was the generosity of everyone they meet and the joy they felt whilst travelling in this region.
My first trip to Asia was a business trip to Japan in 1991. Suits and ties and long meetings. But I knew I wanted more. In 1999 I headed to Taiwan with a short stopover in Singapore. It was more of a taste but not enough.
In 2012 I made up my mind to jump in, Malaysia (KL and Penang), Thailand (Bangkok and Bang Saphan), Cambodia ( Siem Reap and Phnom Penh) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City ). Four weeks, and I was hooked.
I broke my back on a 10 hr $5 bus trips (Well not broken but it was sore for a few days). Never again.
Shovelled elephants poo at a reserve. I never will forget that.
Was afraid to cross the road in HCMC, had the best meals in every place for not much money
Drank amazing beers from chilled glasses
Been up predawn to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat
Climbed too many steps to count, up to Batu Caves in 38 degrees temperatures. Most of all I loved the people I met along the way. Those "surprising asians" never failed to impress, to offer kindness and many many laughs.
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On my return to Australia, I started planning my next adventure and have returned every year since (except for during restrictions), renewing my friendships and making new friends. I have revisited many times and discovered new treasures and new places to visit. There is so much yet to see. I tend to avoid flashy commercial places, but I do understand that everyone has differing tastes from mine. I've visited Bali, Langkawi, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Danang, Hoi An, Hong Kong, Singapore, Johor Bahru, Chiang Mai, Chumpion, Surat Thani, and Koh Tao plus more than I can remember.
Lately, I've passed on many of my tips learnt from making many mistakes to friends. When covid stopped my travels, I wrote Asia Unpacked and hope to help others avoid my mistakes. Enjoy my website and feel free to contact me. I'm hoping to help others and even share adventures with new travellers. Check out our tours or let me help you organise your travels. I have added a link to purchase my book and will soon be adding a link to listen to my podcasts where I'll chat about each chapter, adding stories that could not fit between the covers.
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- Mark Caldwell