If you were coming to Northern California and called me, I might be able to suggest the exact mix of golf courses, sights, restaurants, and places to stay.  And of course, with your GPS or maps you wouldn’t have any trouble navigating around on your own.  In essence, you could call me as your friend or someone like me if you want to really nail a great time and get the most for your time and money. Now picture going to exotic Southeast Asia, to a place like Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia.  You want to play golf, you don’t want any hassles, and you want to take advantage of the other special sights and opportunities that await you off the course, who do you call?  Well, you now have a new friend in the business, Golfasian and Mark Siegel. Golfasian and its Managing Director Mark Siegel have been setting up and taking care of both individuals and groups wishing to play golf and more since 1997.  Maybe you already have a friend over there, but do they know the pros and can they get you on the courses?  Moreover, will they be available on your schedule to get you through the maze of traffic to your destination easily, let alone get you into the special tours, attractions, eateries, hotels, and nightlife that will make your trip an unforgettable one.  Mark Siegel and his group can. I recently enjoyed a ten-day excursion to Thailand.  My focus was on playing golf, seeing and taking in as much of the unique and exciting culture as possible, and just plain having a darn good time.  Golfasian made this all possible in spades. Do you wonder which courses to play and which ones to skip?  Would you like to play a private course that costs its members more than $300,000 to join or has hosted a Tiger Woods, Lorena Ochoa, or Vijay Singh victory?  Well Mark knows the pros, the courses, their schedules and the Thai language, and can make it all happen for you. If you are pretty resourceful like me, you figure that you can land anywhere and make a golf trip happen.  Well, in Thailand you will face a different language, driving on the other side of the road, and some of the heaviest traffic in the world.  You will also encounter a mind-boggling array of opportunities.  Again, what do you pick and what do you avoid?  Well, I could not imagine trying to capitalize on my time without Mark Siegel and Golfasian.  They have serviced nearly 28,000 golfers and are known and respected by the golf courses and hotels.  Tell them what you want to accomplish and they will do it for you or tell you honestly your options. Mark is a New Yorker who early on moved to Santa Clara, California and worked in the Southeast Asian sector within the high tech industry.  He was fortunate to be able to retire early and when he did so, he chose Bangkok, Thailand to live and elected for time in the golf and travel arena.  Living there full-time for many years, he has discovered the nuances of life in Southeast Asia and his company, Golfasian, is an invaluable resource for all things golf and travel, and beyond. As I mentioned, I just returned from my first trip to Thailand and I hope there will be many more.  What I didn’t share is that I traveled with 13 other journalists.  Managing the logistics of a group like that with scheduling eight golf courses and a host of hotels and activities is like herding cats.  With Golfasian, it went off as easily as pie.  I don’t usually offer an unsolicited endorsement for golf travel operators, but Golfasian hit their marks so seamlessly that here I am doing so right this very moment.  If you are even considering Thailand, Vietnam, or Cambodia for golf or anything else, you owe it to check out my friend in the business, Mark Siegel, and to make him yours!  And tell him Bob Fagan sent you.   (Refer to:  www.golfasian.com)