Angkor Temple

What to pack

We encourage you to pack lightly.  We may have to haul our own bags through airports.  We will have help with bags at hotels, but if you’re tired, you may want to take your own bags to your rooms rather than wait for bellmen.  You can get laundry done in all the hotels.  SE Asia is very hot and humid all the time, but most of our meeting rooms will be airconditioned (though not necessarily very cool).  Here is a suggested list of what to take:

1. Jacket for business meetings
2. Tie for the men
3. 2 pairs pants/slacks or skirt or dress for business meetings
4. business-appropriate shoes for business meetings and evenings
5. 1 pair casual and very comfortable shoes for sightseeing
6. 1 pair hiking pants, shorts or similar for sightseeing (Angkor Wat will be very hot)
7. 2 T-shirts or casual short-sleeved shirts for sightseeing
8. 2 (slightly) dressier shirts/blouses for evenings
9. 1 sweater for evenings
10. light weight raincoat or rain jacket
11. umbrella
12. underwear and socks
13. travel alarm clock
14. all your standard medications
15. Imodium or similar in case you get a stomach bug
16. standard toiletries (hotels will have hair dryers)
17. hand wipes and hand sanitizer
18. sunscreen
19. mosquito repellant
20. several zip lock plastic bags
21. washcloth if you use one
22. sun hat for sightseeing
23. camera with extra disk and batteries or battery charger
24. adaptor kit (see this website for the types of outlets we will encounter in each country:  http://electricaloutlet.org/
25. whatever you like to read
26. business cards

Health:

As always, when traveling in the developing world, please be extremely careful with what you eat and drink.  Singapore is the exception.  Otherwise, we strongly recommend that you eat only cooked or peeled foods and use only bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth.  We suggest you take Imodium or Lomotil in case you get a stomach bug.  Sunscreen and mosquito repellant are essential in Cambodia.

Please also read the Centers for Disease Control websites for each country we’ll be visiting.  See below:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/philippines
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/thailand
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/cambodia
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/indonesia
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/singapore

Books:

Singapore:

Lee Kuan Yew, From Third World to First:  The Singapore Story:  1965-2000, 2000
The visionary and strongman behind Singapore’s enormous success--Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs and description of how he built Singapore.

Lee Kuan Yew, The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Volume 1, 1998
Lee Kuan Yew’s personal account of Singapore’s politics, history, and more.

Lesley Layton, Singapore, Cultures of the World, 2001
Introduces the geography, history, religious beliefs, government, and people of Singapore.

Henri Ghesquiere, Singapore's Success : Engineering Economic Growth,  2006
Explains Singapore's remarkably rapid development - the world's fastest-growing economy between 1960 and 2000 - and asks whether the city-state's success can be translated to other countries.

Indonesia:

Adrian Vickers, A History of Modern Indonesia, 2013
Traces the history of an island country, comprising some 240 million people, from the colonial period through revolution and independence to the present.  The book journeys through the social and cultural mores of Indonesian society, focusing on the experiences of ordinary people.

Jean Gelman Taylor, Indonesia:  Peoples and History, 2004
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, is now in the midst of dramatic upheaval. This history of Indonesia provides an overview from the prehistoric period to the present and explores the connections between the nation’s many communities and the differences that propel contemporary breakaway movements.

McKinsey Global Institute, Raoul Oberman, Richard Dobbs and Arief Budiman, The Archipelago Economy: Unleashing Indonesia's potential, 2012
In this report, the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) discusses the recent record of the Indonesian economy, looks at its future prospects, lays out the policy priorities for government and business that might best maintain the economy’s momentum, and, finally, discusses the potential size of the private business opportunity in Indonesia to 2030.

Donald L. Horowitz, Constitutional Change and Democracy in Indonesia (Problems of International Politics, 2013
After the fall of its authoritarian regime in 1998, Indonesia pursued an unusual course of democratization. It was insider-dominated and gradualist, and it involved free elections before a lengthy process of constitutional reform. At the end of the process, Indonesia's amended constitution was essentially a new and thoroughly democratic document. By proceeding as they did, the Indonesians averted the conflict that would have arisen between adherents of the old.

Philippines:

Luis Francia, History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos, 2010
The Philippines is a country in its adolescence, struggling by fits and starts to emerge from a rich, troubled and multilayered past. From its first settlement through the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century to the subsequent American occupation and beyond, History of the Philippines recasts various Philippine narratives- familiar and unfamiliar-with an eye for the layers of colonial and post-colonial history that have created this diverse and fascinating population.

Dante B. Canlas, Muhammad Ehsan Khan, Juzhong Zhuang (Anthem-Asian Developent Bank Series), Diagnosing the Philippine Economy: Toward Inclusive Growth, 2011
Describes the conditions that depress economic growth in the Philippine economy and their causes and potential solutions. The studies’ findings provide insight for politicians, academicians, and economists into the issues and their potential solutions.

William C. Rempel, Diary of a Dictator -- Ferdinand & Imelda: The Last Days of Camelot, 2013
A colorful and dramatic account of the Marcos period, featuring romantic and political rivalries, vengeance, murder, and mayhem – history that reads like a soap opera. It stars a messianic Ferdinand who hears the voice of God calling him to dictatorship … a diva Imelda who finances her lavish tastes out of the national treasury … and a secret presidential diary with inadvertent revelations of treachery.

Thailand:

Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit, A History of Thailand, 2009
The authors cover the contests between urban nationalists, ambitious generals, communist rebels, business politicians, and social movements to control the nation-state and redefine its purpose. They describe the dramatic changes wrought by a booming economy, globalization, and the evolution of mass society. Finally, they show how Thailand's path is still being contested by those who believe in change from above and those who fight for democracy and liberal values.

B. J. Terwiel, Thailand's Political History: From the 13th Century to Recent Times,  2011
A full history of Thai politics from the 13th century to the present day.

Andrew Walker, Thailand's Political Peasants: Power in the Modern Rural Economy, 2012
Andrew Walker argues that the emergence of an entirely new socioeconomic dynamic has dramatically changed the relations of Thai peasants with the state, making them a political force to be reckoned with. Whereas their ancestors focused on subsistence, this generation of middle-income peasants seeks productive relationships with sources of state power, produces cash crops, and derives additional income through non-agricultural work. In the increasingly decentralized, disaggregated country, rural villagers and farmers have themselves become entrepreneurs and agents of the state at the local level, while the state has changed from an extractor of taxes to a supplier of subsidies and a patron of development projects.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia:

Helen Ibbitson Jessup, Temples of Cambodia:  The Heart of Angkok, 2011
The temples of Cambodia are among the most complex and imposing architectural creations in the world. This book invites the reader to experience those extraordinary sites through remarkable photographs and a text by a leading Khmer cultural historian. From modest brick structures in the seventh and eighth centuries, the temples became increasingly ambitious, setting the stage for the apogee of the Khmer empire and with it, the supreme architectural creation of Cambodia, Angkor Wat. Barry Brukoff’s splendid photographs not only record temples that have been destroyed but also offer a uniquely intimate insight into the Cambodian idiom, and with Helen Ibbitson Jessup’s expert text, allow readers to penetrate to the heart of the temples’ mystery.

Dawn Rooney and Norodom Sihamoni, Angkor:  Cambodia’s Wondrous Khmer Temples, (sixth edition), 2011
Best known guidebook to Angkor temples.

Culture Tips

The countries we will be visiting are all very culturally conservative.  Please read the websites below before we leave so you will be prepared for proper etiquette.

Philippines:
http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Doing-Business-in-Philippines.html
http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Filipino-Business-Negotiation.html
Thailand:
See these websites:
http://www.frangipani.com/wordpress/thai-ways/#.Ursk6KKA3mQ
http://www.smilingalbino.com/travel-tips/thailand/culture-religion.php

Cambodia:
http://www.smilingalbino.com/travel-tips/cambodia/culture-religion.php
http://pepytours.com/cambodia-cultural-dos-and-dont/
http://goseasia.about.com/od/cambodiaculturepeople/a/etiquette_cambodia.htm

Indonesia: (the largest Muslim country in the world)
http://www.aiccusa.org/culturaltips.html#top
http://www.expat.or.id/info/culturalhabits-idiosyncrasies.html
http://www.circlesofexcellence.com/blog/tag/understanding-the-culture-in-indonesia/

Singapore:
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/singapore-cultural-tips/
http://www.traveltaboo.com/singapore-travel-tips-dos-and-donts/

Weather

Check out these websites:

Manila, Philippines:
http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Manila+Philippines+RPXX0017
http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/PH/Manila.html

Bangkok, Thailand:
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/THXX0002
http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/PH/Manila.html

Siem Reap, Cambodia:
http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Seam-Reab/forecasts/latest
http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/KH/Siemreap.html

Jakarta, Indonesia:
http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Jakarta+Indonesia+IDXX0022
http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/ID/Jakarta_Observatory.html

Singapore:
http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Singapore+Singapore+SNXX0006
http://www.accuweather.com/en/sg/singapore/300597/weather-forecast/300597

Visas and Passports

No visa needed for Thailand, Singapore and Philippines for short stay
Passport must be valid at least 6 months after departure
Indonesia—must have visa
This visa, good for 30 days, can be obtained when you land at the airport in Jakarta.
Requirements are:
1. Expiration date of the applicant's passport must be at least 6 (six) months at the date of entry.
2. Round-trip airplane ticket
3. $25 US fee

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