Meet our team

Who is Authentic Asia?

Tina Patterson is the founder of Authentic Asia and has traveled throughout Asia for the past 20 years. She still leads many of our group tours and is always looking for the most magical places and the most extraordinary guides. Tina organizes the trips for all of our individual travelers and makes sure the best guides are always available for you. Please meet our wonderful team of guides below.

A few of our wonderful guides—the best of the best:

Bhutan
Bhutan Mr. Kinga has been leading our Bhutan tours for the past 15 years and has become a wonderful and loyal friends over the years. He himself has lived in Austria, and has traveled in Europe as well as in other Himalayan countries. He also visited Israel and was given the “10 Best Guides in the World” award by Wanderlust magazine a few years back. Mr. Kinga, his wife and 3 daughters live in Thimphu. View a video.
Burma
Burma There has never been a traveler to Burma who did not miss our special guide Ms. Aye Aye after leaving her country. She has been working for us since 1995 and is without doubt the best!
Cambodia
Cambodia Mr. Dara, who lives with his family in Siem Reap, has been guiding visitors through the famous ruins of Angkor for over 10 years. His knowledge of the history and architecture of Angkor is impressive and he never grows tired of sharing it with our clients.
Iran
Iran Amin has been working as a guide for almost 10 years. He lives with his wife and daughter in Tehran. Amin previously used to live and study in the U.S. He speaks English fluently and possesses a wealth of knowledge ranging from the history the country, the various religions to the detailed layout of the perfect Persian garden!
Morocco
Morocco Joel Davis is our wonderful guide in Morocco.
Nepal
Tibet Mr. Surendra will show you the wonders of Nepal and its capital city Kathamndu. Mr. Surendra speaks the “Queens English” perfectly, having lived in England for a while a few years back.
Thailand
Thailand Miss Kie will take you off the beaten tourist path, to local markets, hidden monasteries and small tucked away restaurants for the perfect pad thai. Ms. Kie is a dear friend who loves her work and enjoyes every minute with our clients.
Tibet
Tibet Mr. Nima has led our groups to as far away places as Mt. Kailash in the West and Surmang Monastery in the far Eastern corner of Tibet. In addition he was the lead guide for an expedition to the hidden Tsangpo Gorge, which was chornicled in the book “Journey to the Heart of the World” by Ian Baker.
Vietnam
Vietnam Mr. Cong is one of Vietnam’s most popular guides, working with well-known institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute among many others. Mr. Cong lives with his wife and daughter in Danang. His second daughter studies in the U.S. and Mr. Cong himself has traveled extensively throughout North America.

Our office staff and tour leaders:

Brian Spielmann serves as Vice President of Marketing for Authentic Asia and serves as one of our tour leaders and our official trip photographer! He accompanies trips to the Himalayan countries such as Nepal and Bhutan. His real reason for being part of the Authentic Asia team is to take his beautiful teenage daughter Bella around the world.
Jeff Robers splits his time between managing American Pursuits, representing Authentic Asia, and visiting Asian destinations, agents in Europe, affinity travel planners in the US and friends around the world. He currently resides in Boulder, Colorado with his young daughter… and Portuguese water dog.
Bhutan Natalie Trombly (seen here on the ferry to Khong Island in Southern Laos) has worked for Authentic Asia since we planned our first tour to Asia in 1999. Natalie organizes and leads our trips to Southeast Asia and Bhutan.
Nicholas Egan is one of our most popular tour leaders. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Tibetan iconography. He has lived and studied in Nepal and has taken our groups to Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Mustang. He has developed a loyal following of travelers over the years.
Pemba Sherpa is a native of the Khumbu region who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years. He is the owner of Sherpa’s restaurant in Boulder, Colorado which is frequented by trekkers, climbers and mountaineers. Pemba has been leading trips to his home country for the past 10 years, always highlighted by a visit to his home village of Sengma where a small celebration including traditional dance and food is being held in his honor during every visit.

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