Pawleys

Have recently returned from my first trip to South East Asia. Many, many thanks for all of the help I received from fellow Fodorites. And special thanks to Rhkkmk for contacting Tong for us. It was worth the wait.
I truly think this is the first place I've been that I could not adequately describe the experience. So very different from any travel experience I've had in the past.
We, two women in our 60's, traveled for two weeks then met up with my travel partner's husband who was doing surgery in Vietnam with Interplast.
We covered alot of ground, probably too much for many travelers; but, could not force ourselves to eliminate any of our destinations. ( Who knows when we'll get back?)

We flew from the SC>Chicago>Narita>Bangkok. Loved Al Nippon and Thai Air. What service!!! Puts United to shame.
Arrived in the midst of civil unrest in Bangkok; but, like several Fodorites had assured me it didn't spoil our visit. Stayed at the Mandarin Oriental. Beautiful riverside location, wonderful service and great breakfast. Did the set dinner at their Thai restaurant; but, was not impressed with it. Had Tong's substitue, Lily the first day and toured Wat Arun, Wat Po and the Klongs. What a contrast between the sky scrapers and the temples and Klongs. Wandered through the market and took a tuk tuk to the National Assembly to see its treasures. Cut our day a little short because of the heat and allowing for jet lag so we spent the late afternoon at the Mandarin's Spa.
Day two, Easter Sunday, attended mass in Thai near the Mandarin and then met Tong for a trip to the Floating Market. Stopped by the train market along the way, truly amazing. She made what could have been a real tourist trap a great experience. Went way back down the waterways and were able to get away from the crush and see how the people lived there. Ate food prepared on passing boats and tried all kinds of specialties. Back in Bangkok, I had a fitting of a silk jacket I had made at Cotton House.

Flew to Chaing Rai and was met at the airport by the Anantara staff for the hour drive to Chiang Saen. Loved, loved, loved the Anantara. Tried everything from the "Royal Welcome" which consisted of a long tailed boat ride down the Mekong to the property then an elephant ride to the front door. The architecture, the pool and the entire property was wonderful. Had their tour guide, Toy, take us on their "Three Country in a Day" Tour. Drove to the border then walked into Burma for a few hours tour. Saw the market and a temple. Afterwards took another boat ride to an island off the coast of Laos. Could have skipped that. Just a hot, tired looking market with lots of bottles of Lao wiskey with snakes inside the bottles. But, our favorite at the Anantara was the day long Mahout training. Within 30 minutes we were guiding the elephants through a slalom course. In the afternoon we took them for their swim in the Mekong. We also did the set dinner there. We thought it would be a predetermined menu in the restaurant; but, instead it was a beautifully presented feast set out on a rice paddy rimmed with torches with a kitchen and dining area set up just for us. Water Buffalo lowing in the background. We nearly died laughing. We hated to waste this romantic spot on the two of us.
After the three days at the Anantara we hired a driver to take us to Chiang Mai. We stopped enroute to see some of the ethnic tribes;but, it seemed more of like a reservation situiation to me. We also stopped at the Queen Mother's garden which we enjoyed.
We spent one night in Chiang Mai at the Tamarind Village. Good location and amazingly quiet considering it's in the old city. We had decided not to stay longer in Chiang Mai to avoid the Songran Festival and it's attendant crowds and water. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it would be celebrated throughout the areas we were visiting. All in all we loved the areas we saw in Thailand. April was not the best time to be there because of the heat and the smoke from the slash and burn farm techniques; but, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it.
I'll get back to this report later and tell you about, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam....

simpsonc510

Great start, pawleys. I was also in Bangkok during the unrest (just returned one week ago) and I did not let it ruin my visit! April is the hottest month in Thailand so you can always expect heat and humidity to be high (maybe that's why they like to spray each other w/cold water for songkran!)
Carol

Craig

Another convert...

Glad you had a great trip. Looking forward to hearing about Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

What did you think of Lily? - we had her for a day back in February (she took us to the "secret" fishing village) and thought she did a nice job.

Kathie

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time! The Anantara is really special, isn't it?

And I like hearing even negative reactions. I always try to forewarn people about the hilltribes located on the tourist track, and you've confirmed again that people should avoid it.

I'm looking forward to your reactions to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

barefootbeach

Hi Pawleys! This is your Hidden Hanoi cooking school partner! Glad you made it home safely! Enjoyed reading about your experiences in Thailand...didn't realize you were across the river from us at the Oriental while we were at the Peninsula and that you also had LIly show you the Temples and the National Assembly! Wish we had had more time to chat about our travel experiences after the cooking class ( or had realized we were both going to be at the Caravelle at the same time!)

rhkkmk

so glad it all worked out....sounds like you did a great job enjoying it all...

so tickets are available for upcoming flights....better grab them while you can and make thailand an annual affair, like many of us do...

bob

ArtsyJudi

Hi Pawleys - I'm enjoying your report!
I'm particularly interested in the Anantara. I'll be spending a few nights there in July with my 13 y.o. daughter, and have been trying to figure out which activites to choose. Am I right thinking that everything needs to be booked before arrival? They have several opportunities with the elephants. I'm pretty overwhelmed about which one to choose. Did you think the full day mahout class was about right? Also interested in their cooking class. We'll be there at the beginning of the rainy season, so we might have different experiences, but I'm hoping it won't interfere too much. Do you know if they have any flexibility based on weather?

Pawleys

Thanks for all of your encouragement. I'm having computer problems so hope to have time to finish up my report soon. ArtsyJudi, the Anantara was a favorite. April like July is not high season. We were booked ahead;but, nothing seemed crowded. I think your thirteen year old will love it. I saw a mother/son there and the son did a three day mahout training and loved it. Not sure what else he did but, whatever it was the mother said he really enjoyed it.
We also did the Opium Museum, right across the road and excellent. We did spa treatments which were excellent, too. Didn't do the cooking class so I can't advise you on that. Have a great time.
Barefootbeach, have you tried out the recipes yet? I just found a good asian market here so I'm ready to go.

rhkkmk

the opium is one of the best museums we have been in....very modern approach with multi media displays and a lovely campus... directly across the road....hotel will take you there and pick you up in a golf cart if you want...

we did the cooking class and it was fantastic....lovely a/c room to do it in with all individual stations....chef is a hoot...


the pool is fantastic and kids love it...

Gpanda

Thanks for starting your report. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, singling out RhkKmk for his help gave a bad start to the report. Nonetheless, timely report. No penalty.

ArtsyJudi

Thanks for the Anantara info!
I'm looking forward to the rest of your report when your computer cooperates. They (computers) are necessary, but can be a headache ~

barefootbeach

Hi Pawleys, no I haven't tried anything yet...I'm still unpacking! For sure, I won't be making the sweet & sour fish soup....no way we're dealing with a whole fish, eyeballs and all, in any soup we'll be making...the oily foam coming to the top even grossed out G.

Pawleys

Laos
Had an easy flight to Luang Prabang. I'm really impressed with these Asian airlines. Every flight we had was right on time.
We arrived in the afternoon and checked into the Three Nagas. It's a small hotel part of the Alila group. There was a little confusion when we arrived;because we had signed up for the Alila Experience and no one seemed to know exactly what that was. The website had described it as room, breakfast, one set dinner and a cooking class. Finally, on day two someone at the hotel seemed to understand. Also, I couldn't find the pool. The Frommmer's guide had said there was one.(Guess you can't believe everything you read.) Unfortunately as the staff explained they can't add a pool because they are restricting by being in a World Heritage Site. It would have been really nice to have one although the town is sandwiched between two rivers.
The hotel is right on the route that the monks walk down early each morning. Imagine my frustation that I overslept the first morning. Every previous day of this vacation I was up EARLY. I awoke with a start, tangled myself in the mosquito netting then after extracting myself I could not open the door to our room. It had locks top and bottom and were a constant problem to lock or unlock. I did get to observe the monks the next two mornings though.
Laos too was incredibly hot and the smoke was very obvious . Songran was being celebrated early and we got soaked several times. I didn't mind it so much on the bike ride but, when we headed out to do some site seeing I wasn't as thrilled. The heat and enthusiastic revelers impacted what we did. We rode bikes the first day and explored the town. We visited the temples and were surprised to see the young monks showering in a outdoor shower, saffron robes hung all around the shower.
One of our favorite things was the cooking class with the chef of the Three Nagas. He's a Frenchman who has been singled out as one of the best Chefs in Laos. He took us through the market and then we worked with him in his immaculate kitchen. We had a wonderful lunch; in fact, all our meals there were excellent. We met some really interesting guests while sitting out in the garden in front of the hotel. We were all commiserating about the intense heat. It's amazing how you bond with people who are as crazy about traveling as you are.
We took a tuk tuk to the airport on our final morning and our driver got a call that I had left something in my room; a sunglass case. I had been unable to fit it in my now bulging bags. When I said that I didn't need it, a major conversation between driver and hotel staff ensued. The driver pointed out he really needed it for his mother. I was impressed by the honesty of the staff at the hotel when it seems this small item was so desirable to them. I found this honesty in all our encounters in S E Asia.
All in all, I loved Luang Prabang. It has a charming look and it's small enough to explore by yourself; but, I think it would be more enjoyable earlier in the year.

Gpanda

Luang Prabandg is a gem. I agree that Asian airlines are a treat after domestic US carrires. The food in LP was scruptious. It would have been great to go to a market with a top chef. The produce would have been deciphered.

rhkkmk

can't imagine LP without a pool...several places have them: maison S and la residence and several others...

Kathie

You were there (as you know) at the hottest time of the year. I enjoyed having a pool even though we were in LP in November and it was cool at night. The afternoons were still hot and a dip in the pool in the later afternoon was just perfect. But it's true that not very many places have pools in LP. I'm glad you enjoyed this little gem of a town.

Pawleys

rhkkmk, we visited Maison S. and salivated over the pool. I think Three Nagas or Alila is going to build another hotel outside of the World Heritage site they will have a pool and excellent cuisine. Ah, well next time I'll go in Dec or Jan.

Pawleys

Cambodia
Had an easy flight from Laos to Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines. Was very impressed with the attractive airport. Was less impressed with the appearance of Siem Reap. Sort of a Las Vegas meets Myrtle Beach look. We loved our hotel Hotel de La Paix, not the quaint or historic places I usually choose; but, certainly our attractive refuge in Siem Reap. They used motifs from the temples throughout. There were multiple water features, a gorgeous pool and a wonderful courtyard that had water features and was beautifully lit at night. The restaurant was excellent as well. We did a Cambodian meal one night and European the next.
The staff was exceptional, friendly and helpful, waiting in the entry with cold towels. Wifi and internet was free and there was a computer on every floor. They gave us another room on the day of our afternoon flight so we could freshen up after touring.
Our tour guide ,Kao Virak, was one of my favorites. He was well prepared with a plan to fit our schedule and interest.He was very solicitous of our comfort, His obvious pride in the progress he feels his country is making was touching. He is grateful that he has a job that allows him to help out his extended family and was especially proud that he had been instrumental in getting a well put in his wife's village.
We saw many of the main temples that have been discussed here. I especially loved driving out to Beng Melea. We arrived early before any other tourist and I loved that it was unrestored. Equally enjoyable was the actual drive. We were one of few cars on a new toll road but, it follows an old route and you can see how the people live. People drawing water from rudimentary wells,transporting all kinds of huge loads on motor bikes, cooking in segments of bamboo and socializing with their neighbors. What a contrast these simple stilt houses to the grandeur of the temples.
OUr last day, at my request, we saw Lake Tonle Sap. I wish we had not, such poverty and filth. There was a school boat; but, many of the children were out in boats with their mothers trying to get tourist to buy things. One toddler came floating by in a dish tub and when I looked again he held up a snake. His mother, in the boat behind, was asking for $2.00 to take a photo of him.
Heat was a constant factor in Siem Reap. We toured early, retreated to the hotel during the middle of the day, then headed back out in the late afternoon.Hotel de La Paix was well suited to our needs. (Next Vietnam)