..just a quick note to thank all of you whose replys and old reports helped me plan a great trip! I am not doing a trip report but would rather comment about things that really impressed me . re Thailand- things that really were better than anticipated..1. Ratt- a wonderfull person who provided excellent taxi service and really spoiled us with her care and reliability. She really contributed hugely to the success of the trip. I had terribly underestimated the heat- she was always with us and had seemingly endless supplies of ice water 2. Sukkothai- very impressive and relatively devoid of tourists. We actually stayed overnight there (a place called the Thai Village resort- reminded me of a 1960s roadside motel but in the old town, quiet, clean, great aircond, and a watt less than 100 ft away). 3. Dong Toi- beautiful area. the hill tribes near this area seemed more culturally intact than near Chaing Mai..?? secondary to the Queen mothers initiatives.
4. The Anantara- golden triangle. 5 Poon- Ratt's sister. a reliable charming women who again was instrumental in making the trip perfect. Laos- 1.the slow boat down the Mekong and visits to the minority villages 2. Diethelm travel Laos- great organizers and very reliable 3. almost all of Laos. friendly people. tourism is new and although not all ammenities everywhere, the lack of these was part of the charm. I was treated as a guest rather than just the next tourist. I wouls be more than happy to comment on any of the above and would be happy to comment on things that were less than I expected.

It sounds like you had a great time! By the way, I really agree with you about hill tribes in the Golden Triangle area vs. those in the Chaing Mai area.

Where is Dong Toi? What places did you visit in Laos? Did you use Poon to drive you to Anantara? We are considering adding Anantara & Luang Prabang to our next trip to BKK & CM, and trying to figure out transportation logistics. Any suggestions?

I assume she means Doi Tung, the Queen Mother's estate in the Golden Triangle area.

You can fly into Chaing Rai and the Anantara will pick you up at the airport for the hour's drive. It would be a very long drive from Chaing Mai.

To get to Luang Prabang there are flights from Bangkok and from Chaing Mai.

i'll put my 2 cents in again suggesting that cars be rented at chiang rai airport to explore that area...no traffic...great roads, easy driving and most of all total flexibility and much cheaper...

travelbunny---i assume you went to luang prabang....can you tell me a little about your experiences there...where you stayed, what you did, andy great restaurants, where is the best shopping, etc...thanks

bob

great min report...we would love an expanded one??????

The Queen Mother's gardens at Dong Toi along with the nearby projects are absolutely faboulous. A must see for anyone and a highlight of any trip to northern Thailand.

Glad you liked Ratt and Poon. I'm about to email Ratt about next year. Did she say how her B and B is coming?

The hill tribes around Dong Toi are definitely more "intact" than in Chiang Mai but not as "intact" as around Doi Mae Salong and the Mae Sot area where the Burmese refugees are.

..Kathie..absolutely right- Doi Tung!..terrrrribly jet lagged still. A few specific comments..agree with the idea of flying into Chiang Rai rather than to Chiang Mai..I actually mentioned this to the woman I was traveling with (after the fact of course!). In Luang Prabang we stayed at the Parasol Blanc. It is just "outside town" which means a 15 minute walk to the market area or a 5 min tuk-tuk ride ($1.00). The traffic is not an issue with many more motorcycles and bikes than cars. The hotel is clean and quiet with N.A. standard of plumbing..a beautiful view from the balcony . We were on the second floor (I think only 2 stories) and there is no elevator. Poon did drive us from Chiang Mai to the Anantara BUT not directly. We spent 4 days with Poon and drove"eventually" to the Anantara. The hotel does have a very reliable (and not cheap) limo service from Chaing Rai to the hotel. Local taxis are not much cheaper as they will charge a round trip fare. I hadn't realized how isolated the Anantara is with the only easy walk being the opium museum which is literally across the road....by the way there is a restaurant and hotel right next to the museum but we did not discover this until our last day during the visit to the museum. I did not look at the rooms nor did we try the restaurant...a few more words about Luang Prabang. We actually did not fly to L_P....you can but to be quite honest the time I spent on the slow boat was very relaxing. Lao is quite new at tourism and that certainly imo is part of its charm as I stated previously. My intro to L-P was to get off the boat, climb up a long flight of stairs and "arrive" at one of L-P most beautiful watts just as the sun was setting..this was stunning and the trip even got better if that was possible! L-P has many backpackers and certainly no big tour buses so the hotels tend to be guest houses, a very few like the one I stayed in and then a few others that are very unique or high end. I spent most of the time visiting wats, wandering about the town and of course visiting the old royal palace which is now a museum...I also bought a few silk scarves (make that almost 20!!) which are easily packable and will be Xmas presents for friends. I bought a few at the market but most in a small village on the way to the airport. There is a weaving coop there and the quality was much better. I cant comment on restaurants as my travelling buddy had picked up something in Hanoi and her diet was limited to broth, rice and pepto bismol...I do know that there is an excellent restaurant which is attached to the hotel which is owned/run by a member of the old royal family. I ate mostly "street food" which was cooked in front of me. I am one of the minority who had absolutely no GI problems..another random thought...I again had no idea how undevelloped the infra structure is in Lao. Only last year was the road paved between Vientiene and L-P. If one was to drive from Hui Xe to L_P it would take as long as the slow boat. I met a woman from Maine who had just been driven from V-LP by relatives and to sum it up it was definitely a never again...so please excuse my random musings as I still am tired (I went to work the next morning after getting home..will I ever learn?)so please just ask more questions!..Oh I know Ratt's guest house is in process but I do not know when it is going to be finished.

hi travelbunny,,,,
we also had the pleasure of travelling for 4 days in northern thailand with Poon and we spent 2 days with Ratt in bkk. we saw her b&b...in its rough
state...she is restoring it.
its an old teak house...on a side street across from her residence. it is more a backpackers idea of bkk...
bob...dont think you would like it too much, and its not convenient to public transportation. still...we might stay there sometime, just for the real thai
experience.

i am interested in hearing more on your river trip down the mekong. we are going to chiang rai, renting a car for
3 days and exploring on our own in october, then heading to lao. we werent sure if we want to do the river trip or just fly. please tell me more.
we are also trying to figure out how to get from l p to hanoi or vise versa.
cant wait to hear more of your trip.

gloria--ratt told me last week that the B&B is more of a dream than a reality???

bob

Travelbunny - am really enjoying your thread. I too would like to hear more about the slow boat down the Mekong. Also, the scarves - they sound fabulous. What's the price range?
Karen

i had not read the comments above before i typed the above, so i don't know why ratt told me in the way she did about the B&B?????

travelbunny---about how much were the scarfs??? are they as good at bargaining as are the thais??

kathie---is the small town you have told me about for weaving the same one as travelbunny refers to above in LP???

bob

Bob, travelbunny and I are probably talking about the same place. It's a small village outside of LP with a weaving cooperative. Do buy there as the money goes directly to the weavers. There is a range of quality (though generally the best quality are at the co-op), the weavings are simply gorgeous. I can't remember what I paid, but I purchased all two-sided weavings. I'll look in my travel journal and see if I can find a price. By the way, many of the weavers here requested US dollars. I always try to honor the request of the craftsperson on type of currency.

Bob-
That's weird about Ratt. When I was there she already owned the house and was talking to an architect. She wasn't the one who originally told me about it -- Poon did. Poon was looking for fabrics, furniture and interior designers in Chiang mai to do the inside. When I asked Ratt about it when I got back she gave me more details but maybe she doesnt' want people to know about it until it's done and was too polite to say so. Or maybe something fell through.

..re the scarves. The ones I bought at the coop are not squares but rather long and narrow..some are a standard width and one or two wide enough that I can also use as a shawl. The ones at the coop were mostly 8-10 us dollars. There wasnt much bargaining for 2 reasons..1. I really felt the workmanship was so much better than the market (I bought a a few there..not nearly as nice and about 5 us each) that I felt awkward paying anything less (..and I wonder that if I did whether it would encourage people to make the market type scarves given the time necessary for the ones I bought)and 2. there seems to be a lot less bargaining in Laos...again the coop was in us money. In Vientiene, I did buy 3 Carol Cassidy scrves..These are expensive but are special gifts....now as for the slow boat question..to get from Chaing Saen to Hui Xe you take a ferry for 20 batt. the border opens at 8am..we took the first ferries and really lucked out as there was literally less than 10 minutes to process the visa on the otherside as there were around 6 tourists. I was waiting for the ferry not realizing that it looked like an elongated row boat with a fishing type motor and had been there all along. The slow boats are on the otherside..There seemed to be about 3 types..one seemed to be "deluxe tourist" with really comfortable seats and a great paint job..obviously booked before hand. I was one that had been booked before hand by Diethelm..as we were on a "private tour" the 2 of us, a guide and thboat owner's extended family were the only people on a boat which had over 20 benches each of which could hold 2 people (or 3 in a squeeze)..quite ridiculous for us to have had the whole boat to ourselves!!We were served a great lunch each day which was cooked by the captain's wife. We stopped at several villages at the guides suggestion..very interesting and at this point quite untouched..no souvenir stands!! We did visit the local school in 1 village. My travelbud is a teacher and that was at her request (she is on sabbatical this year and wants to do a unit on Khmer empire). The trip has to be done in 2 days and we and most everyone stays in Pak Beng. I would certainly book a place before- lots of guest houses one or 2 2 star and a new "luxury" hotel. I think it was great for us as we really had been watted out by the time we left thailand and needed a break. The 3rd type is the regularly scheduled ferry. The boat really the same as ours. I think it leaves around 10 am..cheap but crowded..primarily backpackers though some Laotians..would be great at 22 but at roughly double(ok, have to add a couple of years) that I dont think I would have been too happy but probably would have some great stories. DO NOT take a fast boat. The trip is 8 hours but these are incredibly noisy and bumpy..You have to wear ear plugs and a crash helmet...I also wonder whether your backside needs a few days to recover.

Thanks for the great info on your trip. My wife and I are talking about LP and your description made it sound charming.