travel_mom

Hello,
I just came back from a wonderful trip to Thailand and Laos. I took lot of notes from the discussions in this forum and hence would like to return the favor by adding my own voice. The first part is the mass email that I sent out to my own friends. The second part is a list that I compiled regarding places to stay, eat, shop, etc. I have included all addresses, phone numbers, and websites where possible.
All opinions expressed in this message are my own - with inputs from my traveling companions. I am not getting any kickbacks or commissions from any establishments mentioned in this message (though I wish the Peninsula Hotel would pay me to say nice things about them - just kidding!)
Hope this message can be of use to some of you; I am sorry about its length.
Happy Travel!

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Dear All,

The clock on my computer says 9:57PM on Wednesday June
22, but my body is telling me that it's 11:57AM on
Thursday. After nearly 24 hours on the road, I arrived
home this afternoon. Although tired, I am also feeling
wonderful. The trip turned out even better than I had
hoped for - which means that it was really fabulous.

F., my dear friend since my days at grad school, and J., a new friend, were my traveling companions. Since we
only had 10 full days, we decided to focus on three
places - Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang in Laos, and
Bangkok.

For some of you who had been before and are wondering
about the commercialization of the town, I am happy to
report that for the most parts, Chiang Mai is faring
well. Sure there are now Starbucks, Sizzlers, and
dozens of US fast food places making their presence
known. There are also luxury condominium popping up
here and there. Overall the city retains its charm and
grace. The people are still kind and hospitable - even
the folks hawking their wares in the local tourist
night market. Our 4 days in Chiang Mai were
over-the-top luxury. We stayed at a Villa in the
Four Seasons Compound outside of Chiang Mai. The place
was something out of a fairy tale - beautiful castles
amidst verdant rice fields with mountain range as the
backdrop. I am happy to report that the Four Seasons'
swimming pool qualifies as the most beautiful 20-meter
pool I have ever swam in. At the end of the pool the
water seems to drop directly down to the rice fields
where the buffalos lounge about. For J., she has
found true heaven in the form of the Spa. In fact, in
her Spa Heaven she was taken care of by a special
angel whose name is - and I didn't make it up - Treerat. After three sessions with Treerat, J. is now
sleeping like a baby, though she occasional mutter
words such as: "Stop it. It hurts." in her sleep. I
wonder why. When we can manage to wean ourselves from
the compound, Mr. Y. was our
official guide and driver. He took us up to the
mountain to see the most famous wat in Northern
Thailand. He introduced us to special dishes of the
North - most notably the dry curry dish called Chu Chi
- that we are now addicted to. He suffered through our
shopping expedition as long as there are pretty sales
girls with whom he can flirt.

When we left the Four Seasons, F. and I had to hold
on tight to J. as we were afraid that she will find
some devious ways to stay behind. Fortunately, we were
able to convince her that things will be even more
luxurious in Luang Prabang, so off she went.

Luang Prabang was a totally unexpected experience. It
feel as if I had stepped back in a small town in
Southeast Asia in the 50s or early 60s, back when the
war was still a distant away. Luang Prabang has a
population of 16,000, more than 500 of those are monks
or monks-in-training. From what I can see, the
monks-in-training outrank the old monks by some
healthy margin. So prominent the youth culture in the
wats that young monks-in-training are allowed to take
special English courses (with emphasis on Buddihsm) at
various local internet cafes. I was tempted to check
and see if those young lads were not surfing on any
porn sites. The dozens of wats around towns have been
beautiful preserved - thank god this town was spared
of the brutal bombing during the 1970s. Each morning
around 5:45AM, all the monks march out of the wat and
walk around town collecting alms. It was quite an
amazing sight to watch hundreds of men with bald head,
bare feet, and saffron robes walking in a line that
seems to go on forever. Some of the monks-in-training
were so young - 8 years and up - that I just want to
rush out to give them a big hug and take them to the
nearest cafe to feed them (McDonald's and other fast
fodd joints have not made their appearance in the town
yet). Alas, to do so would mean breaking many of the
280 rules that a monk must live by. So I just stood
there and looked, at times engaged these little boys
in conversation. An added bonus to our short stay in
Luang Prabang was a trip to the countryside. The two
villages was just an hour away on a narrow dirt road,
but they might as well be a thousand miles away. Life
in rural Laos is more or less the same as it has been
for hundreds of years. People are still taking showers
and doing the washing by the river and water buffalos
are still the main farming equipment. So few tourists
have ventured up those parts that the children still
find us extremely entertaining. They loved having
their pictures taken - especially since they got to
look at themselves on the display screen. J. was
completely enchanted by the little girls; so much that
I thought she would kidnap one to take home!

On Sunday morning, J. and I woke up to watch the
monks' procession for the last time. By 4PM, we landed
at Bangkok International Airport and headed for the
lunacy that is the City of Angels. Our first
appointment was a visit to the tailor shop for a
fitting (we had ordered some clothes before heading
off to Chiang Mai). F. sat patiently reading his
book while J. and I were pinched and pushed into our
new duds. As this is J's first experience with
tailored-made clothes in SE Asia, she was completely
bowled over. Please don't ask her how many things she
ordered! After the fitting session, we boarded a boat
and checked into the Peninsula Hotel. Our room turned
out to be a corner suite on the 23rd floor with
sweeping view of the city below. The room and the view
were so beautiful that I nearly didn't want to leave!
The rest of our stay in Bangkok was a whirlwind of
sightseeing, shopping, eating, and shopping again. One
of our most memorable eating experiences was at the
Bed Supper Club. It's a very trendy place with modern
art and white (you guess it) beds. We even got a foot
massage while eating our supper! The food, I am happy
to report, was excellent. After dinner, we wandered
around the notorious Naga district. F. and I had
just finished the book Bangkok 8, so we had a great
time spotting out places that were discussed in the
book. With J. and me in tow, F. didn't get as much
"attention" as he should. I am not sure if he was glad
or not
The next day, F. headed to Vietnam, so J. and I
were left to fend for ourselves. It's safe to say that
if there were a Shopping Olympics in Bangkok last
week, she and I would receive at least a silver medal.
You should ask J. about our march through the
Central Rama Mall!

And so my whirlwind tour of Thailand and Laos ended at
5:30AM on Wednesday June 22 when I got in the taxi for
the airport. It was wonderful to be home and cuddle my
girls again, though I must confess that I am missing
the trip terribly. I miss the cool breezes as we cross
the river in Bangkok. I miss the wonderful mangosteens
that I ate by the truckload. I miss the shy smiles on
people's faces as we bid them "Sabadee". I even miss
the intense mixture of heat and humidity that hit me
like thunderbolts every time I step outside. Most of
all, I miss sharing all the traveling experiences with
my two compadres - J. and F.

I hope that your summer is going well and that your
travel is wonderful and enriching!

--------------------------------------------
1. Bangkok:
• Lodging:
Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa – charming place with great rates.
A bit far from everything.
http://marriott.com/property/propert...rshaCode=BKKTH
Booked through the agency listed below for much better rates:
http://www.r24.org/huahin.20m.com/hotels/

Peninsula Hotel – it’s the best and you will know why when you get there.
http://bangkok.peninsula.com/

• Driver:
Ratt – the best! It’s like going shopping with your favorite aunt – except this aunt
takes care of your bags and helps you bargain!
http://www.ratservice.com/

• Dinner:
Bed Supper Club – hip and fun. The food is surprisingly wonderful.
http://www.bedsupperclub.com/home.php
Noodles Restaurant – amazing food and great local colors. Ask Ratt to take you there.

• Best thing to do:
Catch a long boat and cruise the river. It’s wonderful anytime, but absolutely magical
at sunset.

Read Bangkok 8 (by John Burdett) while you are there. Then go out to find all the places
described in the book.

• Shopping:
Jim Thompson Surawong Road Outlet – better than the main store in term of selection. The prices are, of course, very good.
http://www.jimthompson.com/
149/4-6 Surawong Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel: (662) 2358930-2

Cocoon – sadly it’s going out of business so we got the last of the hippest Thai decors.

Cotton House – we had lots of stuff made from here and loved everything. It doesn’t
have a large selection of cotton, so buy materials from Jim Thompson (main store).
They like to make tight-fitting clothes which look great but not very comfortable, so ask
to have your clothes loosen up a bit.
Oriental Place
opposite Oriental Hotel
30/1 Charoen Krung Road
38 Bangkok
Tel: 02 630 9874

Nam Sai Art – go here to frame all your recently purchased art works. They can
make frames in less than 24 hours, but give them more time and you can choose
some very beautiful ones. The prices will absolutely astound you (in a good way).
Central Rama 3 Shopping Center
6th floor near V.D.O Shop
Tel: 02 673 6491

2. Chiang Mai:

• Lodging:
4 Seasons – what a magical place! Have at least one meal in the Thai restaurant;
the food is wonderful! The swimming pool, though only 20 meter long, qualifies as
the most beautiful pool that I’ve ever swam in.
http://www.fourseasons.com/

• Best thing to do:
Get a massage at the Four Seasons, especially under the hands of Treerat. According
to one member in our party, the massage(s) could very well change your life.

• Shopping:
Premparcha’s Collection – an amazing place to shop for all the vases and plates that
you could ever want. Great selection and very good prices too!
224 Moo 3 Tumbol Tonpao Aumpur Sankumpang
Tel: 053 338 540

Gong Dee Gallery – lots of special items for the home. Please note that they are
moving from the address listed below.
10,12 Nimmanhemin Road, Soi 1
Tel: 053 225 032

Paradise Stoneware – should you have the urge to buy some beautiful (and large) sculptures for your garden. In addition to the showroom, it’s also worth checking out their store on Nimmanhemin Road.
84 Moo 7 T. Banwean A.Hangdong
Tel: 053 434 350
Apartment H, Nimmanhemin Soi 1
Tel: 053 894 292

Sop Moei Arts- lots of beautiful wall hangings and baskets. You won’t find these types of weaving anywhere else. A member of our party bought a piece there and the rest of us wish we did!
http://www.sopmoeiarts.com/
9 Chareonrajd Road, Watgate, Muang
Tel: 053 262419

3. Luang Prabang:

• Lodging:
3 Nagas – great location. Get a room on the ground level of the new house. It comes with a lovely sitting area in the garden.
http://www.3nagas.com/
Sakkaline Road
Tel: 071 253 888

• Best thing to do:
Get up at 5:45AM to watch the monks. Avoid the street hawkers who sell food (as offerings to the monks); these ladies are nasty!

• Tour:
Tiger Trail – their standard tours are so-so, but if you insist on an out-of-the-way experience, it may be the highlight of your trip. It was so for us!
http://www.tigertrail-laos.com/index.html

• Shopping:
Ockpoptok Textiles Shop – beautiful arts made by a weaving co-op. Worth every penny (or kip)!
http://www.ockpoptok.com/
Ban Vatnong 73/5
Tel: 071 253 219

Phousi Gallery – wonderful prints and paintings created by a sweet young artist. Sorry I lost his business card so the address is a bit sketchy.
On Rathsavong Road, near Phousi Mountain, on the river side.

• Dining:
3 Nagas – probably the best in town.

laurieco

travel mom, thank you for that lovely trip report. It made me miss Bangkok terribly as I haven't beeen there in 2 years. But I'm going next spring and can't wait to get back to the Pen, it is a wonderful hotel. I'll be sure to get a copy of Bangkok 8 before I go. I am not a big fan of Chiang Mai but maybe I'll go back (and see if I can persuade my husband to stay at the Four Seasons!) And you hit the nail on the head with Luang Prabang, it IS like going back 50-60 years in time (actually, that's a guess on my part as I have no idea what things were like 50-60 years ago!)

glorialf

Great report, travel mom. You and I agree on a lot of things. I also continue to like Chiang Mai (although I didn't like being as far out of town as I was when I stayed at the 4 Seasons so would not return to that hotel). And there I think that Sop Moie, Gong Dee and Prempracha are fabulous. Where is Gong Dee moving to?

Glad you had a good experience at Cotton House -- I've been recommending them for years and so far no one has disappointed. However, they have NEVER tried to make things tight on me -- guess when you're overweight they stick to loose. ;-)

And glad you liked Ratt. isn't she fun? I'm so grateful to this forum for steering me to her. Is she still creating a B & B? If so, any idea when it will open?

Craig

Thanks for your wonderful report.

Seeing that this is your only post on Fodors, I hope will check back and answer posters questions. My question is:

In Luang Prabang, what exactly are the details of the tour you actually took with Tigertrail. How was it out of the way? Tell me more. What did you ask for?

Mealea

Thank you for the great report! I'll be going to Laos in only a couple of weeks. I'm also very interested in the out-of-the-way trips you took with Tiger Trails. I'm planning to do that sort of thing.

Could you tell us more details about your trips outside of Luang Prabang? Where did you go that was 1 hour away? Would you recommend Tiger Trails? How is the weather right now? Thanks!

rhkkmk

wonderful report...we must have passed each other on the street...we came home on june 20

bob

ekscrunchy

Marvelous! Have not been in Thailand in ten years and your report makes me want to return right now!! Like tonight! Thanks so much!

cram

Thank you for this very useful report. Am also very glad that you liked Ratt, she is a wonderful person and puts her heart in what she does.
I second the question of Craig regard this not-so-obvious side trip from Luang Prabang. I am going there later this year and would be very interested to know what you exactly visited there around. Am really looking forward to this time capsule bringing me back 50-60 years. Thks again for the report