Yesterday morning saw the beginnings of Mount Merapi on Java, Indonesia, erupting for the first time in four years. The main tourist areas of Yogjakarta, Borobodur and Prambanan are well away from the danger zone with everything there operating as normal. Exotissimos’s General Manager, Erik Meriot, has just returned from Jogjakarta today and reported that there is absolutely no danger to Jogjakarta, with no impact of any sort being felt. These areas lie at a minimum of 27km from Mount Merapi, with current warnings in place for the immediate 10km radius around the volcano.

Mount Merapi is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and Indonesian scientists had warned of a pressure build up in the dome of the volcano. As a result of these warnings authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of local people to temporary shelters outside of this radius. The official status from the Institute for Research and Volcanic Technology Department has changed their classification of the situation from ‘Standby’ to ‘Beware’ and has called for all people living within a 10km radius from the summit of Merapi to evacuate. All climbing activities, feeding of livestock and mining within this area have also been stopped. At this current stage it is hoped that the energy that has built up will release slowly, with immediate signs indicating towards this.

No Exotissimo clients have been impacted by this event, with lines of communication being kept open for them and our operations office on Java in regular contact. We will of course be closely monitoring the situation and will keep you updated with any developments.

The last few days has seen the water levels begin to subside in some of the affected provinces. The most heavily affected area is the Nakhon Ratchasima province, a gateway to the northeastern region. The floods have spread to another 33 provinces in the northeast and the low-lying rice fields in the centre of the country, cutting off some roads and railways.

A minimal amount of flood water has now reached the outskirts of Bangkok, though all possible measures are being taken to prevent the flooding reaching the central Chao Phraya areas, with water flows from the Chao Phraya, Pasak and Rama VI Dams being controlled to manage the water volumes. 2.5 meter high dykes have been set up along parts of the river and the gates to the canals have all been closed to prevent excess river water getting into the inner parts of the city. The next 48 hours will be monitored carefully with the high tide is due on Wednesday and Thursday.
Inner Bangkok areas, including the Grand Palace near the river, business districts and big shopping malls are currently unaffected and safe. As of this morning our Klong Tours were still operating in the city. Out of the city, specifically in the Ayutthaya region, we are currently recommending to any clients to avoid cruise trips, as the waters are running high, though some suppliers are still operating these trips. In Ayutthaya the main roads and tourist sites are unaffected, with Wat Phanang Cheng and Wat Chai Wattanaram still open for tourists as usual. In Khao Yai, the main road can be used as usual, allowing visits to the Khao Yai Historic Park and Moo Baan Dan Kwen. However the Pimai Historical Park and Baan Prasat are currently affected by the flooding, with reports anticipating they should return to normal in a week.

All clients affected by the flooding have been contacted with arrangements amended as necessary. We will continue to keep you updated with any developments in the coming days.

Heavy rains have hit parts of Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, causing flooding across several areas in the region. Currently Central Vietnam, rural parts of Cambodia and the Northeast of Thailand have been affected.

There have been warnings that the flooding in Thailand may spread further South, though all possible is being done by the authorities to prevent this, and we will monitor this situation closely. All Exotissimo tours are continuing to operate as normal, and the weather conditions yet to affect any in country clients, with all of our operations working as usual.

To brace for possible flooding, triggered by northern run-off, rainfalls and high tide, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has closed all 157 sluices to prevent the water from the Chao Phraya River flowing into canals, and all 157 water pumping stations are prepared to pump water from areas along the Chao Phraya River. Flood prevention dikes, which are 2.5 metres high and 77 kilometres, and sand embankments were built in preparation to brace for high water levels.

Tropical storm Mirinae is reaching Vietnam’s south-central coast today (2 Nov 2009) at around 6pm near the town of Thuy Hoa. Other affected areas will be the beach destination of Quy Nhon further north and Nha Trang further south.

Exotissimo currently has very few customers in this area but all those in the vicinity and clients scheduled to arrive tomorrow have been informed of the situation.

All clients have been advised to stay indoors during the worst of the storm and to follow instructions given by the hotels.

If you have clients affected by the storm, you would have heard from our Travel Consultants about what has been done by now.

Please contact your usual Exotissimo contact for any question or more details about the situation on the ground.

The center of the tropical storm Parma is reaching Vietnam’s northern coast today around 7pm after ravaging the Philippines for one whole week. The storm is much weaker than the Category 2 typhoon Ketsana which affected central Vietnam two weeks ago.

At the moment the main affected area is Halong Bay as all boats are forbidden to leave port and all cruises were cancelled for yesterday (Tuesday), 13 October and today (Wednesday), 14 October and most probably also tomorrow.

Since yesterday, we have been talking to all our clients booked on cruises and we have informed them about the situation. We then proposed alternative programs and re-arranged all bookings. Options varied from day trips to Hoa Lu, additional sightseeing in Hanoi, cooking classes to overnight excursions to Mai Chau to the west of Hanoi.

If you have clients affected by these changes, you would have heard from our Travel Consultants about what has been done. The changes are done with minimal inconvenience for your clients and without them having to spend any extra money. In cases in which the changes result in a lower total pricing, we will inform you first to seek your opinion on how you want to handle things.

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?

- The storm will be moving inland from Halong to Hanoi and will weaken considerably once it touches land this evening. As of 2pm (Vietnam time) today, it did not even rain in Hanoi.

- Visits in and around Hanoi for today and tomorrow will be affected by the wind and rain. We will plan all visits as well as possible.

- We do not see any reason to postpone or bypass a trip to Hanoi and do not expect any hotel closures unlike during the Ketsana storm.

VIETNAM

We are pleased to inform that everything is almost back to normal in Hoi An town and Danang.

HOTEL UPDATES

- Life Resort Hoi An remains closed until 14 Oct.

- Golden Sand Resort closed till end of this month.

- Victoria Hotel is open but swimming pool will be closed for another 3 days.

Boat trips in Hue and Hoi An are now possible again.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia has seen great improvements in the affected cities over the last weekend. In Siem Reap, it has not rained for the past two days. Water is receding and traffic is almost back to normal.

LAOS

In Laos, the typhoon threat has passed with only the southern provinces bordering Cambodia affected by floods. The situation remains fine in major tourist destinations.

VIETNAM

In Vietnam, we are glad to announce that the ground situation in Hoi An and Danang has improved significantly since yesterday and we even experienced some sunny weather in Hoi An!

Hoi An

- Hoi An: Bach Dang and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets are still flooded. However all other sightseeing sites are open, including Japanese bridge, Fujien Pagoda, Phung Hung and Quan Thang old houses, Ceramic and Sa Huynh Museums.

- Restaurants Cargo Club, Mango Room, Morning Glory and Brother’s Café will not open until tomorrow (Friday).

- Hotels Pacific, Ancient House and Lotus are now accessible again.

- The pool at Riverside Resort will take a week to be cleaned.

- Boat trips are still not possible on Thu Bon.

- My Son is NOT accessible yet.

Hue

- Hue City: water has receded and all sightseeing sites are open.

- Boat trips on the Perfume River are NOT possible yet.

Roads

- Road to Hoi An from Cua Beach: OK

- National Road No. 1 between Hue and Danang is open again

Train

- From Danang/Hue to the north: OK by today (Thursday); To the south by Friday, 2 Oct 09.

Hotels Partly Opened

- Victoria Hotel: the SUP and DLX rooms remain operational although the garden, pool and the beach need a complete clean-up. All cancellation fees will be waived until 5 October and normal operations will resume on 6 October 09.

Hotels Still Closed
- Golden Sand Resort: closed until 7 Oct 09 inclusive

- Life Resort Hoi An: closed until 14 Oct 09 inclusive.

LAOS

The Lao Government has urged the population to remain vigilant against Ketsana’s potential threat in Bolikamxay, Khamouane and Vientiane, the 3 provinces bordering Vietnam. The Mekong River is not threatening to flood yet and no heavy rains have fallen in Laos. There are no disruption to flights or tours in major tourist destinations such as Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Pakse and Champassak.

CAMBODIA

Currently the situation in Siem Reap and northern Cambodia is stable, but there has been severe flooding in a number of areas including the Siem Reap city center. The Siem Reap river has overflowed its banks and the water level is still rising. The airport remains open, but we had to cancel all boat trips to the lake as all access roads are closed. Transportation around various parts of the town has been affected by the flooding. All our clients are completely safe and no hotels have been affected. We are staying in constant contact with all our clients and will keep everyone updated as the situation progresses. The road between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is partly flooded around Kampong Thom but remains accessible. The situation in Phnom Penh is good despite seeing heavy rains every day.

THAILAND

The situation in Thailand is fine with only the northeastern part of the country on high alert. Heavy rains and some flooding have been experienced in provinces such as Ubon Ratchathani but Ketsana is expected to weaken as it moves further inland. There is no flight disruption and all roads and airports remain open and accessible.

Typhoon Ketsana attained Category 2 level yesterday (Tuesday) before reaching the Vietnamese coast near Quang Nai. After landfall, the storm weakened rapidly and although it claimed 38 lives unfortunately, its passage was less destructive than what we have seen in the Philippines. Rains have stopped and this morning, the sun even broke through in Hoi An!

The streets close to the river in Hoi An town are flooded but water levels are receding. Visits are currently impossible. The affected streets are Bach Dang, Tran Phu, Le Loi, Nguyen Thai Hoc. The access road to Hoi An from Cua Beach is also underwater. The other access road to Hoi An via Tra Que village and the main coastal road from Danang remain open.

Hue and Danang airports have re-opened since this morning.

The damage assesment and clean-up is in full swing now and below is a list of facts as per Wednesday afternoon (Vietnam time).

The situation evolves by the hour and we will post updates on our website from tomorrow onwards. Please check http://traveltrade.exotissimo.com/ for the latest updates.

1. Open hotels

Danang & Hoi An:

- Furama Resort

- The Nam Hai

- Sandy Beach Resort

- Palm Garden Resort

- Hoi An Hotel

- Hoi An Beach Resort

Hue:

- La Residence

- Pilgrimage Village

- Huong Giang

- Century

- Saigon Morin

Some smaller hotels in the low-lying center such as Asia Hotel, Camelia and Queen have flooded access but remain open.

2. Inaccessible/damaged/closed hotels

Danang & Hoi An:

- Golden Sand: road access is blocked and clients have to walk 1 km to the main road for pick up. Hotel will be closed until 7 Oct 09.

- Victoria Hotel: road access is blocked, closed for 1 week to repair damage. Opens on 7 October 09.
- Life Resort: hotel’s ground floor is underwater with substantial damage. Closed until 14 Oct 09.

- Hoi An Riverside: hotel’s ground floor is underwater with road access blocked as well.

- Pacific, Ancient House and Lotus: inaccessible due to flooded roads.

3. Roads

- The main coastal road between Hoi An and Danang is partially covered with sand but remains passable.

- Access to Victoria and Golden Sand: full of sand, needs to be cleaned up. Guests must walk to main road.

- The National Road No. 1 between Hue and Danang is cut off and not passable at the moment.

4. Trains

No departures/arrivals from/to Danang and Hue. Just from Quang Ngai in the south and Quang Binh in the north.

5 . Restaurants

Hoi An:

- Brother’s Cafe, Nam Long, Fullmoon, Cargo Club, Morning Glory, Pho Hoi Garden: flooded and closed.

- Secret Garden, Ngoc Tuyet, Pho Hoi 1: OK, remains open.

Hue:

- Ancient Hue, Tropical garden, Royal Park: not accessible

- La Thong, Biet Phu Thao Nhi: OK

6. Sightseeing

- Hoi An & My  Son: No sightseeing possible until water recedes. We expect things to be OK by Thursday afternoon although clean-up in town will still be going on.

- Hue: Thien Mu Pagoda, Minh Mang Tomb, Citadel: not accessible right now due to flooded access. OK by tomorrow.

- Tu Duc, Khai Dinh tombs: OK

- Cham Museum Danang, Marble Mountains: OK

- Boat trips in Hue and Hoi An: impossible

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?

- We do not see any reason to postpone or bypass a trip to Hoi An and central Vietnam after today.

- Sightseeing: all itineraries and meals will be re-arranged as best as possible by us in agreement with our clients.

- Existing and coming bookings: all current clients and clients arriving in the next week booked in hotels touched by the storm will be moved to the best possible alternative hotel of the same standard (in case the original hotel does not operate properly).

We will do all our best to fix any issue and to minimize any inconveniences for your and our clients.

Please contact your usual Exotissimo contact for any question and more details about a service/supplier not mentioned above.

The heart of tropical storm Ketsana reached the central vietnamese coast on Tuesday 29 Sep evening 200 kms south of Danang near Quang Ngai. The affected areas are mainly Danang and Hoi An.

Rains have been very heavy in the last 2 days and some streets in downtown Hoi An are flooded and it is now impossible to move around as car transfers are interrupted due to downed power lines. Some clients in hotels close to the beach have been moved to hotels further inland in Hoi An or to Danang. The rest of clients remain in their hotels in protected areas in the main building. The Victoria Hotel Hoi An has already announced a closure of 1 week since Tuesday.

We have been in touch with all clients in the last 36 hours to keep them informed about the situation and have moved some clients out in the last 48 hours by plane when possible and else by train. The airport in Danang closed on Monday mid-morning and Hue Monday afternoon and today Tuesday both airports are closed. We do not expect them to reopen before Wednesday 30 Sep 09 afternoon, but could be Thursday morning 1st October.

All passengers are safe and are now advised to stay in their hotels until the storm has passed. We expect the worst of the storm to be over soon.

Once the storm has passed we will continue to work on program changes individually with each client in order to re-arrange itineraries and minimise inconveniences.

For any questions please contact your usual Exotissimo operator at any time.

In case you cannot contact us by mail or office phone please see below our usual 24hrs contact details:

Main Emergency contact (24 hrs)
Mr. Long (English and French): +84 (0) 9 1380 1350
When in Vietnam dial: 09 1380 1350

Additional Emergency contacts (24 hrs)
German: Mr. Dominik Schaufler : +84 (0) 9 0999 2797
When in Vietnam dial: 09 0999 2797
Spanish: Ms. Saskia Butin : +84 (0) 9 3857 9734
When in Vietnam dial: 09 3857 9734
North Vietnam (French/English): Mrs. Thuy : +84 (0) 9 1323 7135
When in Vietnam dial: 09 1323 7135
Central Vietnam (English) : Mr Quang : +84 (0) 9 0544 3009
When in Vietnam dial : 09 0544 3009

OFFICES
- Ho Chi Minh City Office
9 Dinh Tien Hoang, District 1
TEL: +84 (0) 8 3825 1723 | FAX: +84 (0) 8 3829 5800

- Hanoi Office
26 Tran Nhat Duat
TEL: +84 (0) 4 3828 2150 | FAX: +84 (0) 4 3828 2146

- Danang Office (Central Vietnam incl. Hue and Hoi An)
206 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, Danang
TEL: +84 (0) 511 3647 755 | FAX +84 (0) 511 3647 744

At 13.00 today (5 August) the Koh Samui airport reopened and flights have resumed as normal.