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Tours and Guides

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Japan Arts Tour
WHAT IT IS Esprit Travel mounts extensive programs on everything from art and architecture to Kyoto Gardens. A new tour, Bamboo and Basket Arts, roams the entire country, providing detailed insight on this craft.
HIGHLIGHT Nancy Moore Bess, author of Bamboo in Japan, leads the way.
DETAILS 800/377-7481; September 21-October 3; from $5,250 per person, double, including airfare from Los Angeles

Retro Beijing
WHAT IT IS American Lawrence Brahm, the undisputed king of Cultural Revolution kitsch, has acquired a Red Flag limousine once used by Chairman Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, and made it a tour bus for his Red Capital Club restaurant and hotel.
HIGHLIGHT Caviar and champagne are served—half ironically—as the bulletproof limo tours the city.
DETAILS 86-10/8401-8886; www.redcapitalclub.com.cn; 50-minute tour from $225 for up to four people

Biking Inland China
WHAT IT IS Berkeley-based Backroads' latest 10-day bike tour passes through Beijing, the ancient city of Zhaoqing, and the side streets of Deqing and Wuzhou, then rolls through the surreal scenery of Yangshuo and Guilin.
HIGHLIGHT You pedal by day, then relax in top hotels, including the Palace Hotel in Beijing, at night.
DETAILS 800/462-2848; www.backroads.com; from $4,550 per person, double

China's Silk Road
WHAT IT IS The ancient route that once linked the world's Western and Eastern capitals—Rome and Beijing—can now be traversed by luxury train. The September 25 departure includes a Three Gorges cruise.
HIGHLIGHT Days are filled with onboard lectures on the history of the Silk Road.
DETAILS 800/387-1488; www.conferencetours.com; two-week tours from $5,050 per person, double, excluding airfare

Hong Kong Shopping
WHAT IT IS In early December, Paris-based shopping guru Suzy Gershman, author of Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing, will lead a four-night store-and-spa tour of Hong Kong.
HIGHLIGHT Guests check into the InterContinental hotel and get a jet-lag spa treatment before pounding the pavement.
DETAILS 852/2313-2289; www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com; tours from $944 per person, double

Antiquing in China
WHAT IT IS Hong Kong was once the only place to buy Chinese antiques, but the deals have expanded to the mainland. Hong Kong gallery owner Karin Weber runs a two-day antiquing trip to Dinghu. She also advises on authenticity and shipping.
HIGHLIGHT Guests visit a 40,000-square-foot warehouse in the Chinese countryside, packed with antique statues and furniture.
DETAILS 852/2544-5004; www.karinwebergallery.com/chinatrip; from $290 per person

Textiles of Laos and Thailand
WHAT IT IS On Geographic Expeditions' three-week trek, roam remote mountain villages of these neighboring countries, where weaving techniques among the Thai Lu, Thai Dam, Akha, and Hmong peoples haven't changed for centuries.
HIGHLIGHT The tour is led by Linda McIntosh, joined by textile experts Patricia Cheesman (Thailand) and Carol Cassidy (Laos).
DETAILS 800/777-8183; www.geoex.com; from $5,225 per person, double

Boating in Vietnam and Cambodia
WHAT IT IS There isn't a more intriguing way to see these two countries than from the Mekong River. VW Tours sails from Saigon all the way to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.
HIGHLIGHT Groups sail on the Mekong Pandaw, a traditional Burmese boat.
DETAILS 800/795-1633; www.vwtours.com; two-week land/cruise trip from $2,298 per person, double, including airfare from L. A.

Golfing in North Korea
WHAT IT IS The Koryo Group has golfers playing on the world's most guarded greens. Guests on three-day tours with Nick Bonner, who has been running trips to North Korea since 1993, play on the country's sole course, along Lake Taesong.
HIGHLIGHT The tour also visits the putting green at the Yanggakdo Hotel, famous for its singing waitresses.
DETAILS 86-10/6416-7544; info@koryogroup.com; from $1,300 per person, double, including transportation from Beijing

Paddling in the Gulf of Thailand
WHAT IT IS John Gray's Sea Canoe company has just expanded to Ko Samui and Krabi, in Thailand, and to Vietnam. Offerings range from day trips to weeklong excursions through some of Thailand's most remote waterways.
HIGHLIGHT The newest tour is the Hong by Starlight trip, which floats through tidal passageways (hongs).
DETAILS www.johngray-seacanoe.com; day trips from $75 per person, weeklong jaunts from $1,043

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