Amazing Thailand
 

Sawadee Kha,

Greetings to everyone. Just came back from my 2 week amazing trip to Thailand and wanted to share some of it to help my cofodorites who are thinking about going.

My boyfriend and I stayed at Shangrila bangkok for 3 nights, not my first choice but my bfs sister worked for corporate and got great rates and upgrades. Although I have to say that this hotel's got a great location if you wanted to see the sights near the river due to the taxi boat station located right behind the hotel. The atmosphere is very corporate and superoverpriced for all the restaurants that are not worth it. Please eat somewhere else. Bangkok was so hot and steamy that we spend most of our days on the pool and 1 day of sight seeing and our nights eating or walking around.
Spent 3 nights in Chiang Mai at The Chedi a complete opposite of Shangrila in a good way. This hotel is like being in a photo shoot. Everything is perfect with attention to details. The website does not do any justice. WE went to the elephant nature park 1 hr outside chiang mai and had the most rewarding experience of our lives that we will take w us forever and hopefully pass it on to others. The elephant nature park is a rescue park for abused elephants from logging, street begging, trekking and other elephant service events that goes on within thailand. I say it is rewarding due to the actual close experience you get as oppose to riding these gentle creatures. It boggles my mind to think the amount of tourist that do not bother to research the harm that these gentle giants endure when they get on thier backs and contribute to the financial and political aspect of animal torture in thailand. It amazes me how they worship elephants but they abuse them like slaves. Anyway, the website is elephantnaturefoundation.org for those interested in expanding thier minds and thinking outside the box for a more rewarding experience in Thailand and not just a cheap thrill riding on thier backs.
On a lighter not...Shopping!
Who goes to Thailand and not shop, even a little? Luckily, The Chedi is within walking distance to the night bazzare and a couple of beer gardens. I was surprised at the amount of beer gardens in this city... how very brooklyn and hip. As much as chiang mai has a reputation of just another big city, I disagree. It kinda reminds me of Berlin in Asia. There are a lot of artist, cyclist and the people are just so warm and accomodating, we had a blast. We also took a ride to Doi Inthanon which is the highest peak or mountain in all of Thailand. The two pagodas on top of the mountain were spectarular and most of the people there were local thais, strange to me, there were hardly any farangs. The ride was a little long 3 hrs for a day trip, if your pressed for time, I do not recommend this. I was looking for a bit of a hike but did not know if there was such a thing. I want to thank everyone who helped me with recommendations on shipping companies at Chiang mai, I got some great deals on furniture and wanted to ship it instead of dragging it with me for another 10 days in the southern part of Thailand. It was a success and everything is in one peice when it got home.

Thats all I will be reporting for now... more on Phuket, Krabi and Samui coming soon.

Kup Koon Kha

thanks for the report//./ please continue the rest on this same site

Thanks for the report. Great to hear your impressions of Thailand. Sounds like you're a CM person rather than a BKK person. It's funny how people tend to like one or the other, but rarely both. While we've never stayed at the S-la, we've been there lots and also felt that there was a corporate feel to it.

Thanks for the report.

I am also a big fan of Chiang Mai. It just has a very nice feel to it!

Cheers!

Thank you for your report. I'm anxious to read more.

I, too, like CM, but I also like BKK! Each of these cities has their special charms in my book.

Re: your furniture... you might discover cracks in the wood in the future, just because the temp in Thailand is hot and humid. My son bought bedroom and diningroom furniture in CM (it is beautiful, by the way) and there are cracks in the diningroom table... but they are in places where you might see "seams" anyway, so not all that horrible. Just thought I'd warn you...

I've not stayed at S'La either, but have dined there and have taken their river boat dinner cruise. Enjoyed both.

Carol

i think the largness of the sh-la makes it feel very corportate....but you have to admit that the public areas are very beautiful....perhaps the most beautiful in bkk after the oriental lobby....

we have stayed there twice, and would not classify it as a convention style hotel, like the sheraton orchid, which feels to us very much like an international convention style hotel.. or a hotel where bus tours stay...