jeremiah7

Well over two weeks ago I posted a message regarding our trip to T and received some great comments from Bob. Glorialf and others,but immediately after making plane reservations, a family emergency came up and we haven't done anything else. Our dates are Oct20th - Nov10th. To refresh- we are 2 70year olds in excellent health who like to walk, hikeetc. We are both vegetarians, however we do eat fish, dairy and cheese if nothing else. We met a couple since my last post who visited T last year and they warned us about salads. fresh fruits and vegetables. Is that true? We will not drink or brush our teeth only with bottled water. Our last three concerns are: we haven't booked any hotels yet and our plane arrives in T at 12;30am if it is on time so if you figure the time needed to get out of the airport to a hotel it might be 2;00 am or even later will that pose a problem with T hotels? and should we have baht with us or utilize ATM at airport? I greatly appreciate your past suggestions about hotels but the last thing we want to do is be in a hotel with all rich Americans and other foreign travelers which will be like my corporate life. We have been to Mexico, Ecquador,Prague, and spent time visiting and interacting with the locals and it was most rewarding to personally witness their culture but, we don"t want to stay in a hostel either. Should we spend 6-8days in Bkk 3 or 4 on each end? Shold we hire a guidewith car? Can we spend the rest of the tme up North i Chaing mai and ChaingRai? and lastly can we book all this when we get there after we book our Bkk hotel from here? We would like a hotel near the skyway and walking distance from some of the sites. Thank you all for all of your great knowledge in advance. Also do we need any specific shots for these areas we mentioned?

rhkkmk

i remember your post but do not remember what i answered at the time...i am a proponent of advance booking...if for no other reason that you won't be disappointed...i appreciate your wish for openness in your trip but it seems with only 2 months left until departure that you have total openness...i.e. nothing at all nailed down...this would make me very nervous...

at 1AM is no time to be riding around bkk looking for a hotel...it is huge and i am not sure you would even be able to tell a taxi driver what it is that you want to do...and if he took you someplace most likely it would not be what you wanted....

i do not know what you are used to but most of the places where the thai people stay would not be adequate for any westerner....forget about any luxuary...how about no hot water...i am not being mean but this is the fact generally...

you have to let us know more of what you need for a bkk hotel other than being near to the transportation...i.e. size of hotel, cost, amenities and just what you intend to do in bkk....then we can better advise you...

i assume you do not want lux...so some hotels come to mind in the center city:

swiss lodge on convent rd off of silom; holiday inn on silom, holiday inn on plenochit (brand new conversion hotel); chateau de bangkok (accor hotel); sofitel on silom; asia hotel (skytrain practically in their lobby); then there are places like ibrik which is recently posted here....there are many guest houses which vary in quality also...
try looking at this site and then at each individual property:
www.huahin.20m.com
the window at the top drops down and you can select many different places in thailand...prices are inclusive of tax/service and usually breakfast....this is a very reliable site....

eating: first of all you can only use bottled water---ever--- except for showers...no exceptions...ice: only in 5 star hotel---no other places.....fruit, salads and veggies....: stay clear or you are running the risk of problems especially at your ages....only things you can peel or that have been cooked...lettuce only in top rated places...its the washing that counts...

we eat only in top rated places to avoid any potential problems...we never eat salads at all....

i might add that a bkk location for excellent medical care is the bumragard hospital on soi 9-11, sukhumvit road....american certified hospital and doctors...

lastly i will add a push for my favorite hotel in bkk...the marriott resort and spa...great hotel and gardens and the best pool area in bkk...slighly removed from the fray of things but easily accessible to the skytrain with the free shuttle boat that goes there every 15 minutes....very few americans there, lots of europeans, asians and others---a great mix of people...great prices using the hua hin site above...we rate it #1....

give us some more specifics and help will flow...ask as many questions as you wish....

ratt might be a good person for you to hire or julie's taxi for your touring around bangkok...ratt's sister, poon, could help you in chiang mai as well...do a search here for rat (ratt)...

rhkkmk

i just reread your original posting....you can do this by clicking on your author name: jeremiah7 at the top of your posing and it will bring up anything you have been envolved with off the the left...very handy way to do things....reread all the answers to your posting...there are many good suggestions...

glorialf

I would definitely book ahead. In Chiang Mai you might try baan orapin which is a b and b which has gotten excellent write ups. Only has 5 rooms. I am staying there for 10 days in January.

In northern thailand you might try Fern Resort which is near Mae Hon Song.

For bangkok -- what is your budget? You should check out some of the smaller hotels.

Avoid any salad or raw fruit and vegetables unless it has been pealed. You won't have a problem as a vegetarian at all.

Go to the CDC site for shots. Basically you need the usual stuff like tetanus, hepatitus etc.

You can get baht when you get there.

glorialf

another option if you really want a "people" experience in Chiang Mai would be Joy's House -- www.joyshouse.net

jeremiah7

Bob you have been most kind and helpful in your posts to us. I did not make myself clear. I am going to book a hotel in the next couple of days. My concern with any hotel was will we experience difficulty by arriving as late as 2am? Also I am ok with your favorite hotel,just didn't want to be dressed up to cross the lobby. Maybe I misunderstood your enthusiasm for your hotel. I did hear some good things about the swiss lodge,and you mentioned it. Also I am having a difficult time with the huahin.20.com site. My resistance to computers is comong up. What number do I need to be on to see the hotels? Also we want to see as much as we can so we can spend 6 or 8 days in Bkk if that is what is necessary.

jeremiah7

Glorialf Thank you for your responses to me. I am flexible with a budget Actually had a friend call me today suggesting a travel column he read from Fromer who ststed thatwwwhotelthailand.com had 50 hotels in the $20 range as well as some in the $190 range. Anyway I will look up that joyhouse suggestion. I appreciate your efforts with my initial Thailand ignorance

glorialf

There is no problem arriving at 2AM at a bangkok hotel. There might be a problem at a guest house but not a hotel. Any of the hotels we've been talking about will be fine with a late arrival.

jeremiah7

glorialf I looked up joyshouse.net and it looks very inviting. My wife and I both liked it and we will probably stay there i it is available. You were right Gloria-definitely a people place. Do you have any particular areas you have or are going to visit near her place? Sounds like she could arrange something for us.if we had a destination. Thanks again gloria. I will probably be asking you for some more help.

jeremiah7

Bob in your vast experience in T are there any sites we should definetly see in Chaing Mai and Chaing Rai and also any we can skip, and how many days do we need to see both areas?

glorialf

Jeremiah-- I just reposted a report on a trip I did to northern thailand. It will give you some off the beaten path places in and around chiang rai.

For Chiang Mai, don't miss the elephant conservation center near lampang. Joy can probably help you with other places depending on your interests.
.,

rhkkmk

J----we all have computer problems...so you are not an elite person...hahaha...ask any 13 year old for help or even 8 year old...

i do not understand your comment about huahin site and the numbers to "see" the hotels...to see the hotels just click on the hotel name...then usually there is another click for pictures or tour of the hotel...

site: www.huahin.20m.com

my favorite hotel does not require you to dress up for the lobby...that is gloria's hotel (she will get me for saying that)....i would not go in my bathing suit without a cover up...

as for touring up north...you do know that we do not like CM, so i will not have much to say...the elephant place must be good, as so much has been written about it...i have only been to the one near to the 4 seasons hotel....doi sutep (sp) wat (the one on the hill outside of town is fabulous and not to be missed....some time spent on the shopping street is time well spent, if only to see the demonstrations, i.e. silk making, wood carving, umbrella painting, silver hammering, etc...the best celedon pottery shops are also along that street...many like the night market but we did not...i did do the rafting down the river and thought it to be a waste of money and time....

north of chiang rai we really liked the newish opium museum, across the street from the anantara hotel entrance...in fact it is the best asian museum i have been to...doi tung, the princess grandmother's former estate is well worth 1/2 day...she was the king's mother...she moved to that area in the 1980's and singlehandedly surpressed the drug trade....there is an overview spot by a wat looking down on the actual "golden triangle" which is quite spectacular...it is in chiang saen...the market each morning in chiang saen is quite interesting--it is right in the center of town in a covered area...the thai town at the bridge to myanmar is fun to walk around in...i did not cross over to either laos or myanmar so cannot comment on these areas...i think however that they are there primarily for smuggling and tourists...i also have not ridden in a boat along the rivers which some seem to like...i also did not go into chiang rai proper, just the outskirts so cannot comment on it other than to say i don't think there is very much there to do...

jeremiah7

hi bob I guess you felt I was never going to let you know about our outer banks trip. Everything went great. Wonderful house all our childre and grandchildre had a superb vacation, weather was fantastic. My 3 daughters and their husbands went deep sea fishing. They had spectacular good luck. They caught 60 fish including a 40 pound tuna! Tile fish were delicious.Two of the girls were flying to Atlanta and then on to New Orleans. We were able to persuade them not to go on the Sat. before Katrina,thank God. They chaned to Nashville and had a wonderful time. I had a difficult time getting the Swiss Lodge on the hua hin site they never responded to 4 emails. We then went onto other sites and the prices were very high on one and no availability on the other. A friend told us about the Siam Heritagehotel and we went on thai1x1.net and were able to get the room that we wantes for 5 nights and they also got us the swiss lodge for nov. 7&8 for the same price(this is for 2 nights when we return from whereever we will go from Oct. 27 to Nov7. We are going to be in Bkk. for 7days total. 5 when we arrive and 2 on return. Do you think we need to hire raat or some other guide? or can we do this ourselves? Also met last sat. at our big veggie market here a young guy and hia Thai wife who had a stand and were selling Thai food and suggested Chaing Mai is much more touristy than Chaing Rai. This seems to conflioct with the suggestion from glorialf about joys house which we both liked. We both want to take an elephant ride and that seems to be only in Chaing Mai. I will appreciate any thoughts you have Thanks in advance and sorry it took me so long to respond to your kind advise

Gpanda

You can ride elephants from either CM or CR. CM is more touristy, but there's much more to do. Tourist infrastructure is both a curse and a blessing.

glorialf

I hate to be blunt but thailand is touristy. That does not mean it isn't interesting or that you can't experience the thai culture and people. Just avoid the places set up specifically for tourists . Are there more tourists in CM than CR, probably. But there is also more to see and do. And Bangkok is even more touristy and yet many of us return there as often as possible and interface with thais rather than tourists when there. You say you had a good time in Mexico and Prague -- both are a lot less touristy than northern thailand. If you want to avoid tourists go to the Issan area or to some of the places I mentioned in my northern thailand post (like Mae Sot and that area or Phayo etc). But you say you want to ride elephants which in itself is "touristy".

glorialf

Oops -- I meant to say that most of Mexico and Prague are MORE touristy (not less),

rhkkmk

well glad to hear that you had a good time with the family...i find they wear me out and i need a vacation afterwards...

first thing....i have looked up the new hotel--siam heritage...i do not know it but i know the area...suriwong road generally is a very nice road but all businesses...the main store for jim thompson (a cheap place for you to eat) is on the corner of rama IV and suriwong....the nite market is not far from that store either...there is a ramada hotel on that road...the jim thompson cloth outlet is on the road....ne-old, one of bkk's best antique shops is on that road as is the wonderful old bkk style library ---i forget the name of it but you can't miss it...neillson libray...BUT
also intersecting that road is patpong I & II and your hotel is right there....this is one of the major adult entertainment centers in bkk....the major gay bar area is also in this area....the hotel might be fine or it might not be fine????? it could be noisy at nite??? swiss lodge would be much better for you....imo

lots to think about...

ratt---i think she would provide a very good service to you...you could relax and let her do the work...she currently charges at least 8 hours/day--no 1/2 days we are told...worth every cent....she will take you directly to the places you want to go---right to the door...she will have a/c in the car and cold drinks...you will welcome this...i think you would enjoy a trip to the floating market one day with her as well...do not go to river kwai bridge as it is very far, unless you feel the need to---i know it is special to OZ....

elephant rides are available in almost every area of thailand....CM has them as does CR...outside of bkk you can do it too.....its not all its cracked up to be....1/2 hour is plenty imo...

i think you would get far more out of chiang mai....let ratt have her sister poon take you around there...

contact rat now as she fills up very quickly...you may already be too late:

[email protected]

bob

jeremiah7

hi bob we contacted ratt as you suggested. will let you know what happens

jeremiah7

glorialf gloria would you let me know what you are planning to do at joyshouse in january? We are both very interested. I know you have been to T many times and have a different itinerary but maybe you can suggest some sites for us to see if we went there rather than making other plans for cm and how many days 2,3.4 Thanks for your continued support.

glorialf

Jeremiah -- I'm not sure I understand what you are asking? I am probably only going to check out Joy's House this trip and perhaps stay one night. The person I'm going with is concerned that it will be too rustic for her. If I like it as much as I think I will I may return on my own later in the year.