Ratt not available- what to do?
 

We are going to be in Bangkok from 12/26 through the 31st (group of 3). I have emailed Ratt and she is not available during that time. She has suggested someone she knows but I am hesitant since I have read others do not provide the kind of service she does (an AC car and ice water and knowledgable of sites) and they tend to get lost. Can anyone make any suggestions.

Julie of www.julietaxi.com is very good.

ratt has a driver named mr. nop. he picked us up yesterday and did multiple runs to the bangkok airport to the marriott spa resort and back.
he, like ratt...is a driver...not a guide but his english is good, he likes to speak english and is quite a nice chap. ratt is his boss lady/partner and i would easily recommend him for transfers and in bangkok running around.
and yes...he had the ice cold bottles of water for us.

divadiva: Are you saying Ratt is not a pretty knowlegeable guide both in Bankkok areas and on the way to River Kawui, Floating Market,etc.? I am surprised and concerned considering she and her sister Poon (Chiang Mai) have been doing it for years.
We want to go to a few out-of-the-way places on our way to River Kawui trip and get into some understanding of culture in those areas.
We want cultural experience and beauty on the 2 full day trips outside the city. On the third day she will take us to small "real antique" shops we know of in alleys in Bangkok and markets and there she would be 75% a driver and 25% a guide but on day trips we need her to be quite knowlegeable.
Am I making a mistake using her?
I am also using Poon in Chiang Mai for 3 full days with 2 day trips well out of town. Can she serve as a "knowelegeable" guide and driver?
Thanks.

divediva
Can you tell me what mr nop charges for airport to marriot spa and back?
thanks

Neither Poon nor Ratt are guides. They are drivers. Ratt will give you a fair amount of information but Poon's English is fairly limited.

as gloria says they are not licensed guides....they do not know all the history and the details of each site...they can give you some simple history and facts but not all the details...

ratt, herself, is more than adequate for touring and i fell stan as you have described it she will provide just the services you are looking for....if on the other hand you need to have 1000 facts about each site, then she is not probably the person for you ....she is a generalist and an excellent driver and a wonderful person and quite a character in many ways...you will enjoy being with her...

I guess the question for divadiva is whether Mr. Nop does what ratt does. I am not looking for someone to give me a detailed history of sites but not looking for simply a driver either. It is our first time in Bangkok and although we generally have an idea as to where we would like to go, we need a guide/driver. Can anyone provide more detail on Mr. Nop or another driver that does essentially what ratt does.

Thanks

another source is julie's taxi: www.julietaxi.com---i got this address from luxe guide so am not sure if it is correct...

no one is as good as ratt...she is unique...

Ratt is to driver/guide services as the Peninsula is to 5 star hotels- it doesn't get any better for the money!

For my money, Ratt is MUCH better value than the Pen. Ratt is unique. The Pen could be anywhere.

ratt and mr. nop are both really good drivers with a good command of the english language. so is poon (in chiang mai).
they are not guides but poon researched for us and took us to excellent places that were not in the guide books...we spent 4 days travelling with her last year and we spend all day with her tomorrow.

mr. nop has learned his english and slang thru american movies...we are from hawaii so he referenced 50 first dates..pretty funny....he knows alot about the sites most people want to see but they cannot call themselves guides because they do not have the correct license.

the cost from the airport to the marriott or any hotel in bkk is 500 baht. they await your arrival with a sign with your name on it...guide you to the taxi and give you an ice cold bottle of water. in addition...they dont scare the hell out of you on the drive to the hotel. that alone is worth the few extra baht.
we use a van from the marriott also supplied by ratt...1000 baht for 4 of us and luggage. i thought that was high but again...you pay for convenience and safety.

we enjoy spending time with ratt, mr. nop and poon. they all go the extra mile to take care of us fodorites.
mr. nop is very talkative and funny and will give you a thai perspective on things. as far as history, bring a good
guide book and he will help explain what he can.

ratt is also very superstitious and predicts one more major disaster before the chinese calender ends...
my daughter is pregnant and she was concerned about the babys due date...but luckily, are dates are good. ratt is very unique...