Tours with Tong
 

We just confirmed a day tour with Tong in Sept. We will be going to the Railway Market, Floating Market and Fishing Village. I was so excited to be able to book the tour with her as our guide based on the all the wonderful things people here have to say about her.
When you toured with her did you give an additional tip? And if so how much?

Yes, we gave a tip at the end of the day (not additional, it was the tip). The amount is up to you. Yet, when you see how hard she works, her positive attitude, the amount of information she imparts, plus her obvious desire that you have a good time, determining the amount shouldn't be hard. Tong is great. You will have a terrific time.

The amount of the tip is up to you. Guiding is a toatlly service-oriented job. Tip in accordance with how much you appreciate the effort that Tong puts in. If you're like us, you will be generous. She really is an unbelievable guide. When you realize that she lives about 1 1/2 hours outside Bangkok and her day is three hours longer than the time you spend with her, you too will be amazed.

i agree with the others....i always double gpanda's tip as he is very cheap...

tong's abilities and willingness to please will warrant a tip of substance i am sure...

i can't wait to use her in november again....

Bob, what are you guys going to do with her in November?

we don't know....we have asked her for suggestions....do you have any suggestions for us?

maybe some charity stuff??

maybe some food stuff....i hope we can go to coconut palm again to make sure it is as good as i remember....

maybe just fool around bkk for the day....K has suggested maybe something around chinatown....

not CC that is for sure!!!

Have you guys been to that orphange out in the forest? Delivering supplies to them is time well spent. I think they usually have a list of needed medicines that Tong can get her hands on before you head out.

Have you bought coffins for unclaimed bodies? That takes all of about 45 minutes, but culturally interesting.

andy has been out in the forrest to the orphanage...we have not...

coffins came up in our discussion....

what else??

Buying coffins at Wat Hua Lamphong was one of the most rewarding experiences we have had in BKK. Tong will ask them to give you a CD of their work during the tsumnami -- it's in Thai, but VERY moving.

BTW -- Coconut Palm quit making their delicious coconut ice cream. Maybe they have started again -- we hope so!

We will be there in October -- sorta pave the way for you all in November. Enjoy!

Sandra (McBeanie)

sandra, i think they make the ice cream for the princess who likes to eat there, so just tell them you are an american princess and see if it works....they know tong is a princess

Thanks for the tip about Tong. I will be in Bangkok next month, sent her an email, she responded immediately but she is unavailable on the day I requested. She offered a guide from her team (she didn't name the person). Is there someone on her team that that I should request in particular? Or are they all good?

Bob, you could go help at the Deaf school like we did! April is going back there in 2 weeks and will be working at the school again. Also, she is taking Tong up to CM to meet with our 9 year old boy that we sponsor thru Compassion International! Tong is going to be her interpreter for a day, and they just hang out the second day.

When we first met Tong, I had an idea of how much I was going to tip her, but at the end of the day I think I just about tripled my original amount!

Jeffrey ( soon to be alone at home for a few weeks while April goes back to Thailand!)

everyone on tong's team seem to get good reviews...go for it..

Thank you! Will definitely do so.

We spent 4 days with Tong about 2 weeks ago and I don't think the reviews do her enough justice. She is a ton of fun and a great person to boot. You can have fun with her doing ANYTHING. My kids adore her and their favorite experience was riding a tuk tuk with Tong (ahead of the Tiger Temple, feeding the monkeys, etc.). We gave her a very nice tip and I still feel like I ended up with the deal.

One quick story about Tong. When we settled down for our first night in Phuket after Bangkok, my 9-yr old daughter realized at bedtime that she had left her precious "pink baby" at the BKK Marriott. It's just a small stuffed doll that cost about $5, but it is very special to my daughter b/c we gave it to her at her birth. I called the BKK Marriott and several calls later their housekeeping group said they could not find it. My wife then reached out to Tong who called the Marriott herself - the next morning we got an email from her indicating they had found the doll in the laundry. As if that was not enough, she went over to the Marriott (again, she lives an 1.5 hrs away), picked the doll up and then shipped it to us at our hotel in Chian Mai. I've yet to get an answer as to how much I owe her for her time and the shipping charges. She's a great guide and an even better person.

Statefan
Lovely typical Tong story and yet another example of why those who meet her love her.

she is unbelievable...i can't believe she did this!!!

nena, we used nui from tongs team and thought she was terriffic

Bizzyb, be forewarned that, good as she is, even the best-laid plans with Tong can go astray. We had a day, such as the itinerary you describe, booked with her in February. Two days before our scheduled booking her plans changed because a company had offered to provide the children at the orphanage with pizza. Our choice was to join the pizza party, and provide ice cream for the kids, or to spend the day with another guide. We chose to accept Nang for two days--who was to have been our guide for the second day anyway--and she was excellent.
There are more twists and turns to the story than this, and we ended up satisfied even not having had the genuine Tong experience.

Thank you. Sounds like everyone seems to be pleased with Tong and anyone from her team.