rhkkmk

in fairness, i have used ratt in the past and was very well pleased with her services....look at my old posts and you will see that....i will remind you also of two things....she partially trained tong and they worked together for some time, and also ratt had her own communications problems.....

shelleyk

I used ratt 3 years ago for one very long 12 hour day in and around Bangkok. She was a great driver, very nice to be with and was very flexible about how long the day turned out to be. Originally, it was supposed to be 8 hours, but we kept adding more things to do at the end of the day, including doing a klong ride which began in daylight and ended in the dark. She was happy to extend the day as she made more money, and I was happy because we saw a lot, from the Prasart Museum to the floating marketand lots in between the two. Is she still doing private driving? I thought she was into real estate or a B and B.

Gpanda

The long and short of the collective experience of reporting Fodorites is that both Tong and Ratt provide great service. Tong has been much reported on lately, but a few years ago it was all Ratt all the time. Things change.

Kathie

Dogster, like you it drives me crazy that any time someone is going to Bangkok there is a chorus of "you must use Tong." Not only is she not the only guide in Bangkok, I believe there is no need for a guide in Bangkok. It's gotten to the point where people don't even read what the poster wants before they say "you must use Tong."

Now I've met Tong just once, had a very brief interaction with her. In no way am I disparaging her. Obviously she is much loved by many people here. But no one approach to travel, no one guide, no one hotel, etc, etc, is right for everyone.

filmwill

Panda, agreed. When I first joined Fodor's in 2006 and we were planning our first trip to Thailand, everyone chimed in with the nonstop Ratt recommendations. So everything comes in waves.

Kathie, I get what you're saying. We've never used a guide inside the city itself and never would. But I'm not quite sure how someone who would want to see something outside the city, say, the Floating Market would get there without a guide...or at least a driver. And in that specific instance, for us, I would say that going there without a guide would've far lessened the experience for us. If Tong hadn't gotten us away from the hordes of tourists there (with their own respective guides in tow) or if we hadn't been able to eat only the best food there (IMHO) since she was able to communicate with the vendors about the kind of food we wanted to try--then I think the experience wouldn't far less satisfactory and unique. To each their own...

hawaiiantraveler

Hmmmmmmm the true story someone please

lcuy

HT- I am pretty positive you and Linda would love Tong. And thats the truth..... \/

Tong does very different tours for each group. The fact that many of us who are experienced, independent travelers with very different styles have all loved Tong speaks more for her than any thing else.

You definitely do not NEED a guide in Bangkok, and I think its crazy to hire her to see places like Wat Po and the Grand palace. For people who do want to go off the beaten path though, she is a whole lot of fun.

Tong is not for everyone, any more than the Peninsula is better than the Oriental or the Four Seasons. I check out every trip report here for independent activities and know you can have a fabulous visit without her or any guide/ driver at all.

What I want to know is why posters who have never used her seem intent on questioning her raison d'etre, and our judgement? This whole discussion reminds me of one my mother's favorite sayings, " Don't knock it if you haven't tried it."

puttakka

I am really sorry I posted this. Tong's communication was great. I didn't want to pester her with 5 million emails so I asked my questions here rather than to her directly (I understand she is a small shop!)

I am sure she and her crew will be fine! When you can only make one (or two) trips per year you just want everything to be so special! However, it's the surprises and things you don't plan or expect that can be the most rewarding. Looking forward to my Thailand & Bangkok.

rhkkmk

i agree about not NEEDING a guide in the city, but i often suggest it to people who can only spend one to three days in bangkok. the reason i do this is that bkk is a bit hard to catch on to, to understand... having the guide/driver speeds things up, avoids mistakes and keeps you from wasting time...it allows you to be able to see much more in a short time...some would argue that traffic precludes this and that the skytrain is faster and that you can take taxis to places... may i remind you that the skytrain does not go near to most of the "sights" in bkk and that taxis around the "sights" refuse to use their meters, and often want to take you to "government stores" rather than to where you want to go next, which is a pain quite honestly and also wastes more valuable sightseeing time...

for these reasons i will continue to suggest drivers/guides in bkk for people with not much time or who are on a first or even a 2nd trip to bkk....

BillT

I have said this before and bears repeating its not so much a guide as it is a driver! Having a driver in Asia is not unusual- you save time, and a lot of energy and can cover a lot more things to do without getting bushed by the heat and humidity. If you are familiar with BKK and intend to go slow then a driver is not really needed- but if you are not familiar and only have a few days - having a driver is a great way to get around and do more things.

Mango7

I agree with crellston. Tong's hoarding her income. She's making a quite excellent income, relatively speaking, don't fool yourself: Little overhead and lots of western currency flowing in.

Gpanda

Mango-Tong is paid in Baht, not a western currency. Her income is actually irrelevant to the equation. The relevant question for a prospectice client to ask is:

Does she provide a service that I will enjoy for a fair price?

If the answer is yes, use her services. If the answer is no, don't. Everything else is beside the point. We are tourists. We are not Thai. We will not have an authentic Thai experience. We will have a tourist experience of Thailand. To seek a faux authenticity is madness.

dgunbug

Mango - when we spent time with Tong last year, she spoke about trying to grow her business and train other guides to go out in her place. I believe part of the problem is that everyone asks for Tong in particular and it is hard for her to turn away business when they demand her own services. That being said and not having used many guides before, I can't think of a more delightful way to spend time than to go out for the day with Tong. She is energetic and fun to be with and she is guaranteed to be the highlight of anyone's trip who is fortunate enough to use her services. We used her to visit the floating market, the fishing village and railroad market.

Bill - I have to disagree with you. I have used drivers that could not speak English well and it was very frustrating to sit in the car with them and not be able to ask questions. Tong is informative and gives you insight into the life and perspective from a Thai point of view.

Bob - I agree that with limited time it is sometimes helpful to have a guide in the city, however, if one takes the time and effort ahead of time, Bangkok is easily done on one's own. I recommend purchasing the Nancy Chandler Map of Bangkok and planning in advance how to visit the major sights, using a combination of the sky train, taxis and tuk tuks. The joy in traveling is to wander the streets alone and see how the people live, stumbling onto things you won't necessarily see with a guide.

dgunbug

My biggest regret is that I can't clone Tong and take her to other countries with me. Wish Fodorites would recommend guides in other countries as highly as Tong is recommended.

BillT

dgunbud- of course if you use drivers that can't speak English its a problem- we use Ratt because we like the service she provides, and while her English is not the king's English its fine and she also knows quite a bit about the places we visit. As was mentioned earlier - Ratt trained Tong.

filmwill

This whole discussion definitely takes this years cake for 'Most-Overdiscussed Topic on Fodors'...right next to the whole Pen vs the Oriental debate--which, thankfully, has taken a much-needed displacement in the Top 3. (BTW, maybe Fodor's should have a yearly award for these types of things?)

As Lucy kind of alluded to, I think what's more disturbing than anything is why anyone cares? If you'd like to recommend and sing praises of another guide--start a thread about it; or recommend a better one to posters who ask about guides in Bangkok.

If you have that much time to actually worry about the inner-workings and business acumen of a guide in Bangkok then I can assure you that you definitely have far too much time on your hands.

BillT

I miss the Penn vs. Oriental debate- where is Gloria when we need her?

lcuy

We canb't support those hotels..<i>.They're hoarding there income... making a quite excellent income, relatively speaking, don't fool yourself: Little overhead and lots of western currency flowing in.<i>

shanek

I am yet to hear from anyone who has used Tong that has regrets. The only people that seem to question her or her business practices are people that havn't used her services.

I agree with Bob that it is worthwhile using a guide on a first trip to Bangkok. I am generally an independant traveller and have never used a guide in Bangkok but on my first few trips there, I hated it and couldn't wait to get out and head North to the hills or South to the Islands. I found myself going around in circles and it took me too long to accomplish what I wanted and I fell into the standard Tuk-Tuk drivers scams and ended up at places that I didn't want to waste my precious time in.

Things have changed alot and the Skytrain does make independant travel easier but if you only have a few days to get the lay of the land and see the main sites, a good guide will get you orientated and cut out any wasted time. One day with someone like Tong will be of great benefit and after that you will find the whole experience alot easier.

Kathie

As you know, I'm not questioning Tong, I'm questioning the need for a guide IN Bangkok. Filmwill is quite right, if you are going somewhere out of town, you'll want a driver or a guide.

I know BillT likes having a driver even in Bangkok.

Personally, I'd rather use mostly public transport (faster) and the occasional taxi. This last time I was in Bangkok the traffic was as bad as it used to be before the Skytrain, Subway and expressways.

A little info, a Nancy Chandler map perhaps, and most people should be able to navigate most of the major sights on their own.

I kept wondering what Bob meant about "may i remind you that the skytrain does not go near to most of the "sights" in bkk" and then I realized he must be talking about the major wats on the river. Take the skytrain to the river, walk down the stairs to the Sathorn pier and take a water taxi to the Grand Palace, Wat Po, and Wat Arun. Riding the water taxis is one of those quintessential Bangkok experiences, IMO.