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I just returned from 35 days in Australia, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Kenya. I thought I would pass along a few of my experiences and tips for travel in Thailand. I'll also post some suggestions for Australia and Kenya as well.
This was our first trip to Thailand. We had a wonderful time and hope to return again someday. The history, architecture, and people were so interesting and a joy to interact with.
I have to say that the culture shock arriving in Bangkok was a little overwhelming at first. Bangkok is a huge city. The traffic is unbelievably crowded. I would not recommend trying to drive here unless you are already experienced driving on the left side of the road in very chaotic traffic. Taxis are reasonably priced and make it easy to get around. And the boats on the Chao Phraya River are very convenient and fun. But Bangkok is also one of the most interesting cities we have ever visited.
Our visit became much more enjoyable once we hired a guide. Having someone with us who spoke the language and who knew the city allowed us to experience so much more of the culture than we would have been able to see on our own. I highly recommend two guides in Bangkok. Both are very knowledgable about the area and charged us a very reasonable price.
Mai -- e-mail: suaidasairat[a]yahoo.com
Mai gave us a wonderful tour of Ayutthaya and also the Grand Palace in Bangkok. She rents rooms in her home -- <a href="http://www.thailandechezmai.com" target="_blank">http://www.thailandechezmai.com</A> . I also highly recommend the Benjarong boat cruise we took from Ayutthaya to Bangkok -- <a href="http://www.thaicruises.com" target="_blank">http://www.thaicruises.com</A> . Mai speeks several languages, including French, English, and Thai. She gave us a wonderful introduction to Thai culture.
Tong -- e-mail: pornpitcha[a]yahoo.com or tourwithtong[a]yahoo.com
Tong gave us a wonderful tour of the Damnoen Floating Market and Kanchanaburi province. She is very knowledgable about the history of this area and took excellent care of us.
For a wonderful dining experience in Bangkok, the Baiyoke Sky Hotel (the tallest building in Bangkok) has an incredible international buffet dinner, located on the 89th floor of the hotel. The food is excellent and the view of Bangkok can't be beat.
The other place we visited that I can not recommend enough is the Elephant Nature Park, located near Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Visits can be booked through their web page at <a href="http://www.thaifocus.com/elephant" target="_blank">http://www.thaifocus.com/elephant</A> . If you are thinking about going on an elephant trek, please consider visiting this place. You can visit for a day, stay overnight, or volunteer to help for several days or weeks at a time. Lek is the owner of the park and she is truly an inspiration to meet. She rescues elephants and other animals who are being maltreated, or who are sick or injured in the wild, then brings them to this beautiful mountain valley to care for them. At the park, we were able to personally interact with 32 elephants, 42 dogs, 25+ cats, 7 water buffalo, and a beautiful butterfly garden. We stayed overnight and were able to feed the elephants, wash them in the river, and go for walks with them. The camp is a bit primitive, but it's because they want the animals to live as close to the wild as possible while still getting the care they need to survive. They served us excellent food during our visit. We got to know these animals in a way that we never would have experienced by going on an elephant ride or visiting a zoo. And it was done in a way which provided the animals with loving care and in a safe environment for the animals. It truly was a life changing experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves animals. I sincerely hope that I'm able to return for another visit one day soon.
In Chiang Mai, we stayed at the D2 hotel. This place was spotlessly clean, and a very comfortable hotel. It is located next door to the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai, so it is very conveniently located. The Night Bazaar was a great place to shop.
If you would like to see some photos of our trip, I've posted some on-line. You can access the photo album at:
<a href="http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2088...sc-email-AlbumInvite" target="_blank">http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures...ail-AlbumInvite</A>
I hope you enjoy. Happy non-revving.
Mark http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
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Mark,
Thanks so much for taking the time. I did all 184 photos that you linked to. The detailed captions under each one make for an awesome round-the-world trip report. How my son would love to interact with the elephants and tigers like you got too. I'd love it too! Maybe some day.
You should let me know if you're ever coming back through Atlanta.
I've edited the email addresses in your post to keep your Thailand guides from getting spammed to death. Spammers have "bots" that crawl the web just looking for email addresses.
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Hi Chris,
I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Thanks for your help in looking after the e-mail addresses.
Best Regards,
Mark http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
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I have been emailing tourwithtong for weeks with no reply.
I was bit skeptical about the "pornpitcha@yahoo" address--you can guess the concern with spam... if it's legit--fine--thanks. we're off on halloween--atl/nrt idxx on thai or jal or whatever gets us to bkk
we have pkg at AKA Resort Hua Hin for 5 nights thru luxurylink.com--so we have days on each end in BKK for tours, etc. prefer to have guide--our first time in asia--50somethings w/world travel exp (20 yrs airline)
have 4 free room nights Radisson (goldpoints/tgif card)
and want to do dinner cruise one night--river kwae one day, all that stuff. I want to read more here later, but this is a start.
anything anyone can add wil be greatly appreciated.
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Hi,
I understand your concern with Tong's e-mail address (I had the same concern at first), but Pornpitcha is Tong's first name in Thai. The address is legit and I would suggest e-mailing both of her addresses. Most Thai people have a nickname in addition to their longer name in Thai. Tong sometimes does extended tours. The first time I contacted her, she was over in Laos doing a tour for three weeks. She is normally very good about replying. I highly recommend both Tong and Mai (see my posting above) as guides. Both will customize a tour to your needs and visit the places that you want to see.
Bangkok is a very interesting city, but it is also very large and I found it a bit overwhelming at first. It was also my first time to Asia and did not speak the language. It was great once we hired a guide and we learned so much more about the culture from our guides than we ever would have on our own. I think Benjarong also does dinner cruises (see posting above), in addition to their cruises to/from Ayutthaya. Our cruise wasn't cheap, but it was First Class all the way and well worth it. I know the Marriott Resort & Spa also has similar boats that do dinner cruises each evening. The Marriott also gave us a great interline rate for hotel stay.
Have a great trip. If I can answer any other questions, please let me know.
Mark
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Thank you for your prompt reply, Mark.
Would you care to expand on your trip to Kanchanaburi? We are very interested in seeing the Kwai River/bridge/railway/cemetery, etc. please advise thumbs up/down etc--we have Sat to orient in BKK and Sun to tour K prov (if everything is open?) We will be well rested since we overnight in NRT. We just need to cram in as much as possibel without killing ourselves!Thanks again for your help.
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No problem. I would definitely give a visit to Kanchanaburi Province a thumbs up. We visited there on a Sunday and everything was open. The roads in Thailand are very good, so travel was comfortable in an air conditioned van. It was a full day trip for us leaving the hotel in Bangkok at 6:00am and getting back around 8:30pm. Tong was our guide to Kanchanaburi and she put together a great tour. We first visited a Budhist temple and then the Damnoen Floating Market. Shopping on the boats was a lot of fun. Then we visited the Tiger Temple. Tong was great, telling us just where to stand so that we could walk and be photographed with the tigers. We also got to feed several other animals, including a Sun Bear. After lunch, we took a short ride on the Death Railway, getting to view the River Kwai up close as we crossed the famous Wang Po viaduct. We then visited the Bridge over the River Kwai and one of the cemetaries where mostly British and Dutch prisoners of war are buried. It was a very moving experience and definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
Please take a look at my photos (see posting above), as there are several from Kanchanaburi included. Most of the places that we visited also have web sites that you can Google to learn more information.
If you have an evening free in Bangkok, another place you might enjoy is the Joe Louis Puppet Theater. It was great fun and was definitely a unique experience of Thai culture. We booked our visit through www.orientalescape.com (includes pick up from hotel), but you can also get info at www.thaipuppet.com .
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have further questions.
Mark
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marvelous pics, Mark! thanks again!
would you mind telling me approx how much the tour to Kanchanaburi cost? I got an auto reply from the first email address so I hope to hear from Tong soon. Again, many thanks--you are both truly fortunate to have had such a great trip--BRAVO
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Hi,
Below is an excerpt from an e-mail that Tong sent to me regarding her rates. I think (if I remember correctly) for the day in Kanchanaburi, we ended up paying about US$160 plus the admission fees and lunch. This was for private tour for 2 people. This was very reasonable for the amount of driving that was involved for Kanchanaburi.
For 1/2 day tour of Grand Palace in Bangkok, we paid our other guide about US$30, also for private tour.
Both were very competitive with prices of similar group tours from big tour companies that I looked at on the internet.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have further questions.
Mark
Below are the rates of guides in my team and myself;
>>> - 3,000 baht for a full day with Me (Tong) by brandnew air conditioned
>>>Minivan (10 hours). Half day tour is 2,300 baht. Over than 10 hours = 300
>>>baht/an additional hour.
>>>- 3,500 baht for a new large van with a driver and a licensed guide(Me or
>>>guide in my team)(8 hours). Over than 8 hours = 350 baht/an additional hour.
>>>- 4,000 baht for a VIP van with a driver and a licensed guide(Me or guide in
>>>my team)(8 hours). Over than 8 hours = 400 baht/an additional hour.
>>>- Gasoline is included for Bangkok Tour.
>>> - If out of Bangkok, charges more for gasoline on real cost or 3 baht/km.
>>>(the price for gasoline is fluctuant, if it's not too much different, I will
>>>stand on this price)
>>> - This price doesn't include any meal, entrance fee, parking fee,
>>>express way, boat fee if needed.
>>> - This price doesn't charge per person.
>>> - I do a drive for Minivan but sometimes I have a driver with me,
>>>depending on the tour program...there's a driver or not...the price is still
>>>the same...
>>> - I will serve you with my brand-new Minivan. It seats for 7 people
>>>(Asian Size).
>>> - Guide fees at the Grand Palace and other places are included.
>>> - I do the tours in Bangkok, Floating Market and other sightseeings in
>>>the area, Samutsongkram, Nakorn Pathom, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Pattaya and
>>>Fishing Village. Other places are upon requests.
>>>- Package tour is upon request. Tourists need to do on a program settled in
>>>agreement. (whereas private tour, the program can be adjusted according
>>>to your time, requirement and preference, so entrance or other fees will be
>>>paid by tourists)
As for admission fees in Kanchanaburi..tiger temple is 300 baht/pax. Museum is around 30 -
>>80 baht /pax. There are many museums though.
>> Boat for floating market is 400 baht/1boat. it doesn't charge per person.
>> Riding on the train is 100 baht/pax. Short train is 20 - 50 baht/pax.
>> Expected gasoline cost is around 1,200 - 1,500 baht.
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Thank you for sharing your information, as well as your experience.
Once we return, I will reciprocate (as best I can!) I'm a regular contributor @ tripadvisore.com as well as a VIP contributor at luxurylink.com. I hope I can assist you in the future. Thanks again!
