June 24-July 9, 2002 We just returned from a fabulous trip to Thailand. The trip was so much better than we had hoped. The people were friendly, hospitable and welcoming. The food was wonderful, from the street vendors to the upscale restaurants by the river. The shopping was a bargain for everything from silk, teakwood, fake designer clothes, copper silverware to various other items. The Temples were beautiful and we learned a lot about Buddhism. The trip was a glorious overload on all our senses.<BR><BR>Bangkok is an overwhelming city of 13 million people, all seeming to make their way calmly through the busy streets in their cars, tuk-tuks or motorcycles. No matter how many times we went out, the city was hard to get to know. However, the Thai people were always willing to give us a hand. We enjoyed the fabulous view of the Chao Phraya River from our 28th story room at the Sheraton Royal Orchid. The hotel service was impeccable. The spa at the hotel was amazing and we enjoyed many massages during our stay. We also enjoyed taking long-tailed boats through the canals and to the floating market. The Temples were beautiful. The weather was hot and humid, but it rained only during the evenings.<BR><BR>Next we went to Chiang Mai, which is a one-hour plane ride from Bangkok, and stayed at the Royal Princess Hotel. The hotel was located right in the middle of the Night Bazaar, which made for exciting and interesting evening entertainment. The Night Bazaar is a fun way to bargain for many of your inexpensive souvenirs. During one day, we did an all day cooking class at the Chiang Mai Cookery School. We learned how to cook seven different Thai dishes and ate our food as we cooked. It was a great way to experience many local dishes and we look forward to trying to replicate some of them at home. We also visited many of the industries of northern Thailand and saw how many things are made by hand, such as Thai silk items, copper serving utensils, teakwood furniture, etc. The weather was hot, but not too humid. The daily Thai massages were so relaxing at the end of the day.<BR><BR>Next, we drove three hours through the beautiful countryside to visit Chaing Rai. Chiang Rai is a much smaller community, but the people were as friendly and helpful as everywhere else in Thailand. We did an elephant trek to visit some hill tribes. The elephant ride was memorable. It did not seem commercial, as we were the only ones venturing into the jungle with our mahout. The ride was steep and we had to hold on tightly for fear of falling off, but it was worthwhile doing. The primitive hill tribe villages were interesting to see and we bought many handmade trinkets from the villagers. We had hot weather with some rain during the evening only. We also enjoyed our stay at the fabulous Dusit Island Resort and enjoyed our two-hour Thai massages at the resort spa.<BR> <BR>Our last stop involved taking a one-hour air flight to Bangkok and then a one-hour flight to the southern island of Koh Samui. Koh Samui is a fairly small island with lush tropical vegetation and beautiful white-sanded beaches. We stayed at the Central Samui Resort on Chaweng Beach, which was one of the most beautiful resorts we have ever stayed at, with lush vegetation, white-sanded beach, a free-formed pool and all rooms overlooking the sea. We visited the Ang Thong National Marine Park, visited the many shopping stores, ate dinner on the beach and had Thai massages along the beach. We had very little rain. It was a fabulous way to end our Thailand vacation. <BR><BR>We are ready to return to Thailand, despite the 24 hours of traveling to get there. Once you are in Thailand you are taken over by the genuine hospitality of the people and all the delights of this modern and beautiful country.<BR>

Hello Arlene....Thanks for taking the time to post this most informative, enjoyable trip report.

Arlene--your report is great! Did you tour on your own or with a group?<BR><BR>Do you speak the Thai language, or did you find English was sufficient? We went to Bangkok 3 years ago, and Phuket 2 years before that, but never ventured further than the well known tourist areas.

Hello Arlene! Very nice trip report, thanks.<BR><BR>Have been travelling Thailand a couple of times in the past 10 years.<BR><BR>Next time, a stay in Ko Samui is very likely. From what I hear, Chaweng Beach is supposed to be "the" place to go.<BR>Glad you liked it and had such a wonderful time.

Hi Barb--we did all our booking before we left, with the help of a travel agent who specialized in Asia. Everything we did was private, but arranged beforehand. I did a lot of reading and research before booking anything. We did not know the Thai language, and still don't. We tried to learn some words when we were there, but it is a very difficult language to speak. The Thais laughed at our attempts, but they were pleased when we tried. We did a lot of pointing at restaurants. It was loads of fun. Arlene

Deserved to be read by more people.