Diane

I'll post this in small segments. Please excuse the typos and misspellings, and keep in mind that this is one person's impressions. Hope this help someone planning a trip to Thailand.<BR><BR>November 24 - December 8, 2002<BR>Bangkok and Chiang Mai<BR><BR>Sunday, December 8<BR>After years of thinking about going to Thailand, I finally booked in early February, ten months in advance. Was confirmed in business class and wait-listed for first class on United Airlines using my points. Confirmation for first class came the night before the first flight.<BR><BR>First class check-in at LAX is in a room where we were seated to go over flight arrangements. My friend Marian was flying coach but was able to take advantage of the first class amenities as we were traveling together. After checking in we were escorted by airline personnel to the international first class lounge. It didn't appear different from the business class lounge except there were fewer people. When it was time to board we were escorted to the gate. This was a great start to our trip.<BR><BR>We flew to Toyko on a 747. United's first class has the &quot;One-Suite,&quot; a six-foot cubicle where the seat converts to a fully horizontal bed. Had my own video player to watch either the scheduled movies or select my own movie from a basket. With the basket video I had the options of start, stop, forward, and reverse -- convenient as I could pause the movie every time the flight attendant asked me a question, which was frequent. There were 16 seats in first class with only five passengers for this flight. The seat has many buttons -- even the lumbar support has four. Two pillows, one large and one small, covered in linen, and a large, heavy blanket. I had an overhead lamp and a gooseneck. The flight was eleven and a quarter hours. For lunch I had coconut shrimp with warm mango chutney, a salad with Asian sesame ginger dressing, Mongolian lamb chops with noodles and asparagus. I especially liked the extensive cheese tray. I had bleu cheese and an apple for dessert and skipped the ice cream sundae. They served a small meal before landing. The flight was bumpy for a majority of the time.

Diane

In Tokyo we had a remote landing and had to walk down a flight of stairs, in the rain, to be bused to the terminal. Neither of us checked bags and this made for delicate maneuvering down the wet steps with our luggage. At the terminal we again had a personal escort to the first class lounge. This was the end to the personal escorts, something I missed on our return flights. The lounge at Narita was very nice. They offer an interesting selection of food including, naturally, sushi. They have two computers with free internet service. The bathroom, however, was the most interesting aspect. Next to the toilets are panels where you can press buttons for an added touch -- you can select &quot;high,&quot; &quot;medium,&quot; or &quot;low&quot; sprays to wash you personal body parts -- standard spray or massage. The toilets seats are warmed. I encountered this once before at a hotel in Hawaii that caters to a Japanese cliental.<BR><BR>Had the One-Suite again for the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok on a 777. This flight was six and a half hours. More food. This time I skipped the first course and had a noodle dish with shrimp, chicken, and vegetables. It was raining in Bangkok when we landed at 11:20 pm on Monday (lost a day crossing the dateline), and again had a remote landing. More slippery steps with luggage.<BR><BR>Once we cleared customs (just a few moments) we stopped at a limo service desk and hired a car and driver, prepaid 650 baht ($15). (The baht was going for about 43 to the dollar during our trip.) We were escorted to a Volvo for the 30-minute drive into the city. The driver did not know how to get to the hotel, and we stopped twice so he could ask directions. We also stopped at a gas station for a fill-up. First impression of Bangkok was observing four dogs curled up in balls and wrapped in the gas lines. There were stray dogs all over Bangkok. They just plunk themselves down wherever they choose and stay there. Did not see any aggressive dogs -- I think it was just too darned hot for them to make the effort.

Diane

We stayed six nights in a Tower room at the Sheraton Royal Orchid, room #2722. The room was basic with two double beds. Average bathroom, but plenty of counter space. They provided robes, slippers, hairdryer, upgraded bathroom amenities, a safe, free bottled water, and cable TV (not much in English). The view from the 27th floor was great, especially the morning after it rained. That was the clearest we saw it all week. Along with a Tower room we had access to the lounge on the 26th floor, free laundry service (six pieces each daily), and a huge buffet breakfast that included American, Thai, and Japanese food. I especially liked the fresh orange juice that tasted like tangerine. There is a special breakfast dining room for people staying in the Tower, but we didn't notice that until the last day. Same menu, but quieter and less crowded. The laundry service was great and essential as you sweat up a storm in this hot, steamy climate. We left our laundry in bags in the morning and found it returned in a satin basket all wrapped up in tissue paper each afternoon. The hotel connected to the River City Shopping Mall. The mall has about a dozen shops where you can have clothing custom-made, but I found them to be expensive. The dock outside the hotel made it convenient for getting around on the river. www.sheraton.com/royalorchid

Diane

Tuesday, December 10<BR>We got up at 7 am, had breakfast, and found an ATM. Marian had brought a small amount of baht with her, so now we both needed cash. We walked around the River City Mall. The options are overwhelming, and although we both planned to buy custom-made clothing, we never got around to it. There were also some gift shops, but we did not buy anything here.<BR><BR>Next to the Sheraton is a pier where we hired a longtail boat to cruise the canals. Due to the heavy rains Thailand had recently experienced, the small canals were off limits, so we went down the main canal and one secondary canal. We could see flooded homes with people living in them. Life can be hard here. We had a private boat for 500 baht for one hour ($11.50). Our driver slowed down at the major sites so we could take the obligatory photos. Twice vendors rode up to us in their boats to sell us knick-knacks. We did not buy from the first vendor, but bought something from the second and took a photo of the exchange. Being tired, we forgot all about bargaining and paid a high price of 600 baht ($14) for two small elephants; the actual cost should have been no more than 200 baht, and we laughed about our elephant souvenirs throughout the trip and is now my favorite gift to myself from the vacation.<BR><BR>Then we went to the Oriental Hotel's travel office to book our tour to Ayutthaya, 1,600 baht ($37) each. This is a beautiful, gracious hotel -- filled with history -- opulent, but not glitzy. There were lots of hotel personnel around waiting for an opportunity to serve the guests. The hotel staff here as well as at our hotel were beautifully dressed in silk outfits representative of the country.

Diane

From there we started walking towards Chinatown, hopping on a #1 bus part of the way (5 baht). Chinatown is extremely crowded and dirty and probably not the best place to begin your sight-seeing. Thailand, in general, is an assault on the senses, and in Chinatown it's even more intense. All over Bangkok we saw street vendors selling food. In this area they seemed to be on top of one another. It was explained to us that locals rarely cook in their homes as it is cheaper and more convenient to buy their food from the vendors. Personally, I found the unsanitary conditions questionable, and did not eat from any of them. That's not to say the food looked unappetizing; some of it looked down right tasty. The shops in Chinatown appeared &quot;themed&quot; with one street selling plates and plastic bowls, another street selling primarily shoes. A policeman saw us looking at a map and told us about something he thought we should see and negotiated a price with a tuk-tuk driver before we knew what was happening. We just wanted to walk around and didn't take the ride. The weather this day was hot, but tolerable. As the afternoon got warm, we stopped into a shop with &quot;Dr. Reflexology&quot; on the door and had our first massage -- 1-1/2 hour foot, hand, and back massage for 500 baht ($11.50) each, including tiger balm. We were seated in recliners in full view of anyone walking by. At one point a man seated himself outside the window, facing in, and ate his lunch...right next to Marian's chair.

Diane

We were to meet a friend of Marian's at 6:30 pm at our hotel. We got back to the room at 5:50 pm to find a message from Visalaya telling us to instead meet her at the Four Seasons Regent Hotel at 6 pm. Just then the phone rang and fortunately it was her. We quickly changed and got a taxi. Another two people Marian knows were also in town and the five of us went to Le Cafe Siam for dinner. www.lecafesiam.com. It was a nice restaurant and the food was very good. We ended with dessert in the upstairs portion of the restaurant where the rooms have love-seats. It was a very pleasant evening. Suggestion: When taking taxis, have your hotel write down the name of where you are staying in Thai. Be sure to take metered taxis or negotiate the fare before getting inside.

Diane

Wednesday, November 27<BR>After breakfast we went to the Grand Palace by boat. We were headed to what looked on the map to be the entrance. A man approached us and said we were walking in the wrong direction and that we needed to turn right. Fortunately, we ignored him and went straight. It was a scam to get us to go shopping. Someone else along the same street told us the palace was closed which, of course, it wasn't. Once inside the gate we hired a personal guide for 400 baht ($9) for the two of us. She patiently waited for us to take our numerous photographs. Be sure to bring plenty of film here. We then went to the massage school. Along the way a really smooth guy tried to scam us into going shopping. His technique was definitely more refined than the others we encountered. We had a one-hour Thai massage for 250 baht ($6) each. This is not luxurious by any means. We were in an unair-conditioned room (fans blowing) with many other people. This was my first full-body Thai massage, and I found the experience interesting and, at times, a bit painful. We skipped lunch yesterday and today lunch was on the run with a bag a almonds. Just too much to do. Getting a taxi back to the hotel turned into a chore. The taxi drivers make commission by delivering them to stores, and our driver wouldn't budge until we agreed to go to one. We were too hot and tired, so we got out and finally got a driver to agree to take us to our hotel, but for double the original negotiated price.

Diane

The heat this day was oppressive. I was dripping and uncomfortable. If this is the &quot;cool&quot; season, I can't imagine how hot it gets in the &quot;hot&quot; season. I've discovered that sweat is salty.<BR><BR>Dinner was at the Oriental Hotel's Sala Rim Naam for their cultural show at 3,825 baht ($89) for the two of us. We were seated on cushions with open areas beneath the tables for our feet (comfort for the westerners) and cushions for our backs. The set menu was extensive: lobster with tamarind sauce, spiced grilled pork salad with cucumber, chicken coconut soup, beef curry, chicken in pandanus leaves, stir fried vegetables with oyster sauce, jasmine rice, and fresh fruits with Thai sweets. The show was okay and the costumes were amazing. All in all, I found it expensive, touristy, and I could have skipped it.<BR><BR>I was expecting it to be difficult getting around, but it was not. Most of the people we encountered spoke at least a little English, and, surprisingly, written English was commonplace -- at the airport, on street signs, billboards, shop windows, menus, etc. Even instructions inside elevators for firefighters were dual language.

Diane

Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving)<BR>Up at 5:30 am to catch our tour bus to Ayutthaya (pronounced ah-u -tee-ah). Sat in the hotel lobby with our small, green stickers on so they could find us. I'm not good at organized outings, but it just made sense to have someone else provide the transportation here. First stop, the Bang Pa-In Palace, commonly known as the Summer Palace. Manicured lawns and beautiful buildings gave us a Disneyland-like feeling. It was hot and not much shade. Somewhere along the way this day I bought a hat. We made three stops in Ayutthaya, took our photos, and took the 3-1/2 hour boat cruise with buffet lunch back to town. Nice buffet; didn't recognize any of the desserts. Wonderful fruits. I was glad I had read about Ayutthaya before going to Thailand or it would not have had much of an impact.<BR><BR>The cruise was long and pleasant. We stayed indoors for much of it to avoid the heat. Along the way we saw mansions next to shanties. What a city of contrasts. Some obvious wealth, much poverty, not much in the middle that we could see.<BR><BR>Internet cafes abound. We used the one at our hotel to reserve a cooking school the following week, and then took a boat to the Oriental Hotel again (you can tell we liked this hotel) and stumbled upon High Tea in the Authors Lounge that was being served until 6 pm. The room is lovely...white wicker furniture with white and yellow fabrics, and umbrellas even though the room is indoors. There was only one other person in the room, and it was a quiet respite from the city. Marian treated to this unusual Thanksgiving dinner, and we enjoyed it a great deal. The cost was about 600 baht ($15) per person.

Diane

We also tried to book a dinner cruise on the Loy Nava Rice Barge over the internet for Saturday night, but they were already booked. They left two messages in our room and a return email to be sure we knew they were booked and were apologetic.<BR><BR>Next we took the boat across the river to the Peninsular Hotel. Even though they are rivals for the wealthy crowd, they are different. The Oriental has charm and history. The Peninsular, on the other hand, is modern, understated, and definitely high-end. We give the Peninsular's ladies room a 10 on a 1-10 scale.<BR><BR>We stopped a block from our hotel for a one-hour foot massage for 400 baht each.

Diane

Friday, November 29<BR>Up at 4:30 am for our tour to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. I can't believe I'm doing this on vacation. Normally I have trouble getting up at 7 am to go to work. So, again we are in the hotel lobby with little stickers on our shirts, waiting for the tour bus. While on the bus near our hotel we saw a family of four on one motorcycle...the riders wearing face masks. We were transported by van to a central location at the Crowne Plaza where we were transferred to a large motorcoach. It was a long ride to the Floating Market, and our tour director talked non-stop. We heard interesting facts about Thailand along with many of his personal views. We stopped for half an hour at a coconut farm where they had many hand-crafted items for sale. I made a few purchases here; in fact, I was the last one back onto the bus.

Diane

We stopped close to the Floating Market and transferred to canoe-like boats for a 15-minute ride to the main canal. This was thoroughly enjoyable and one of the highlights of my vacation. The ride was peaceful and we saw homes mingled with lush foliage. This was the Thailand I envisioned. Upon exiting the boat my foot got caught on the boat and with people helping me up and forward, I smashed my other leg onto the corner of the landing. It hurt so much I thought I'd broken it (the leg, not the landing). People came to my aid immediately and helped me to a bench where a local woman started massaging my leg with tiger balm. That hurt too. Fortunately, Marian had a towelette with antiseptic as the wound began to bleed. Once I realized that my leg was not broken I started thinking about the valuable time we were losing at the market. The tour director recommended I relax for a while. No way. So Marian and I rented a boat for 400 baht (usually 100 baht each for four people) and drifted down the canal. We made the obligatory stops at the vendors selling trinkets. The market was very crowded -- lots of tourists doing just what we were doing, and occasionally hit canal gridlock. We took lots of photos of people selling food from their boats. Saw whole fish covered with flies, raw meat cut up waiting to be cooked, lots of fruit. Lining the canal are many shops selling many items, including tiger balm. We finished our 20-minute boat ride and had a few minutes to wander. There are some good photo opps from the dock too, but we were out of time. Given the opportunity again I would hire a car/driver and arrive at the market early to avoid the onslaught.

Diane

From there we went to the Rose Garden for a buffet lunch. We ate in a pavilion by a lake. It was pleasant and the food was good. After lunch we wandered. Of course there was a group of shops selling local crafts. Some people were disappointed to learn that there were no elephant rides this day. Didn't bother us as we had plans for that in Chiang Mai. The cultural show took place in an arena with stadium seats. The show lasted about 45 minutes and it was better than I expected it to be. Very colorful costumes. Time spent at the Rose Garden was too long and I would have preferred more time at the market.<BR><BR>Got back to the hotel at 5:45 pm, had a quick dinner on the hors d'oeuvres in the Tower Lounge, and Marian went to the hotel's Mandara Spa for a two-hour treatment. I spent time at an internet cafe and came back for a one-hour facial. This spa is high-end and much more expensive than the plethora of available massage options. Once off the elevator you feel as though you have entered a sanctuary. Pots filled with blossoms -- the music ethereal. Such a contrast to the noisy and hectic city. The spa is small without many of the facilities offered by spas here in the States -- no exercise room, no steam bath (and who would need one in Bangkok?) -- just the treatment rooms and a garden. Our treatment room had a private dressing room and bathroom which I thought was a nice touch.

Diane

Saturday, November 30<BR>Woke at 6:30 am and after breakfast went to the Regent Hotel where we met Marian's friend again. She showed us how to use the Skytrain as we headed to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. It's Bangkok's version of our Orange County Marketplace -- only this one has 8,600 stalls with very narrow aisles. The roof is covered so the sun doesn't beat down but it was still very hot and humid. It was not crowded early on, but eventually became unbearably packed. We made our selections and Visalaya did the negotiating. After a few hours we decided to have lunch there -- this was the closest I came to vendor food, but still being somewhat squeamish, I ordered only soup with noodles for 20 baht.<BR><BR>Next stop was the Jim Thompson House. They have lockers where you are requested to leave your personal items. After an escorted tour of the garden we removed our shoes and were then escorted through the house. Looking out the windows you could imagine what life in Bangkok must have been like 50 years ago. Unfortunately, there was loud construction right next door disrupting the tranquility. Mr. Thompson would be surprised to see the Bangkok of today. By now we were hot and tired. A taxi back to the hotel was 600 baht. Dinner was at a Thai restaurant, Thara Thong, at the Sheraton. Although it was air-conditioned, we chose to dine outside overlooking the river and watched the boats go by. We each ordered the pre-set, 8-course menu for 950 baht each ($22), drinks extra. A ten percent service charge was added to the bill, something done at all the hotels. The menu: chicken wrapped in pandanus leaf, fried catfish salad, hot and sour prawn soup, red curry with roasted duck, steamed red snapper with shredded pork and mushrooms, stir-fried beef with oyster sauce, stir fried vegetables, steamed jasmine rice, seasonal fresh fruits. It was a good dinner, and we could easily have shared one. We lingered there for two hours and then went upstairs to begin packing.

Diane

Sunday, December 1<BR><BR>Got up at 7 am, had breakfast, and finished packing. We stopped at a custom-clothing shop in the hotel we'd missed. The saleswoman was very good. She asked how long we would be staying in Bangkok and we said we were leaving that day. Her response was, &quot;what time?&quot;<BR><BR>The doorman arranged for a flat fee of 350 baht for our taxi ride back to the airport. The hotel limo would have been 1,600 baht. As it was a Sunday the ride was quick. Check-in took only moments and we went to check out the domestic terminal. As we passed the Luggage Storage counter I remembered that I had planned to leave a bag there while in Chiang Mai, but had forgotten and my checked luggage had many of the things I'd planned to leave. It's 70 baht per bag, per day. We had lunch at the Thai restaurant; everything else we saw was fast food.<BR><BR>The flight to Chiang Mai was uneventful. Upon landing we had to again walk down a flight of steps and be shuttled to the terminal. At least this time we each checked a bag and had manageable luggage to carry.

Diane

Joe, who is affiliated with our bed and breakfast, was there to meet us. I booked the Jaiya Mongkol B&amp;B through a search on the internet. It was a risk, but it turned out to be even more beautiful than it appeared on-screen. As we drove along the highway we saw more signs of poverty. Then we turned right, drove down a lane and through a beautiful teak gate to see a stunning home. Jaiya Mongkol is a two-level teak house with four bedrooms for guests and numerous wings so that every room has a view of the gardens. Everything, including the furniture, is teak with lovely decorative items and seating areas all around. A formal living room and dining room are upstairs and dinner is available on request. A Thai breakfast is served at an outside dining table downstairs. Two bedrooms in one wing have private bathrooms. We stayed in another wing in separate rooms (almost identical) with a shared bathroom for 3,800 baht ($88) for both, Thai breakfast included. The bedrooms are air-conditioned, but it is expected that guests will not run them during the day while out; there are also fans. We had queen-size beds, armoires, dressing tables and chairs, windows with beautiful curtains, and plenty of lighting. The mattresses, however, were rock-hard. The bathroom was adequate with a large marble shower. They provided soap, Q-tips, cottonballs, fluffy bathsheets and face towels. We spent six nights here. As lovely as it was, it was perhaps a bit too isolated for us and we were dependent on someone to drive us to town -- we took a taxi home each evening for 200 baht. For someone looking for something relaxing and out of the way this would be great for a true Thai experience. I'll note here that they have four cats, two adorable small dogs, some large dogs I never saw, and roosters. You won't heard traffic, but you will hear animals. The owner, Norachai, who was educated in England, was very accommodating and tried hard to provide whatever he could. www.infothai.com/jaiya

Diane

After settling in we made our plans for the week. Joe runs his own guest house in town and helps Norachai with the B&amp;B's website and email. He also is available as a private tour guide with car. We arranged for him to be our private guide for two days. He speaks excellent English, and turned out to be a great guide. It was affordable, too, at about $40 a day for the two of us.<BR><BR>We spent the evening in town where on Sunday nights a main street is closed to traffic and set-up for a street fair. We wandered that street and through a bit of the Night Market, stopping at Swenson's for ice cream. From there we took a tuk-tuk (a sort of motorized rickshaw) to The Whole Earth where we had a Thai-Indian dinner. We had two appetizers, two entrees, garlic bread, and two soft drinks for about 800 baht. From there we took a taxi back to the B&amp;B. The taxis caught me by surprise -- they are converted vans with bench seats (no seatbelts) and no door at the back. Destinations and prices are to be determined before getting into the taxi. They are plentiful and inexpensive, as are tuk-tuks.<BR><BR>The mosquitoes have found us. Little bites for me -- huge welts for Marian. Time to get out the insect repellent.

Diane

Monday, December 2<BR>We had breakfast with a couple from Ireland who gave us advice for Chiang Mai and we gave them advice for Bangkok. They planned to do a lot in just a few days. We had five full days in Bangkok and could easily have entertained ourselves for several more.<BR><BR>Our first stop that morning with Joe was to see a waterfall, and then headed up to the &quot;temple on the hill,&quot; Doi Suthep. At the B&amp;B I read an article that said to walk the 300 steps as the tram had been involved in a few accidents with fatalities. When we got there Joe said we should take the tram up and walk down, which we did. (Was I tempting fate?) The temple is large and we spent a lot of time there and took a lot of photos. Beautiful place -- not to be missed if you're in Chiang Mai. We saw people ringing the bells and we rang them too even though the sign said, &quot;Do not push the bell.&quot; I took the sign literally and thought they meant don't &quot;push,&quot; but okay to &quot;ring.&quot; Someone came over and told us it upsets the monks when people ring the bells, which people did frequently while we were there. The fog kept us from seeing the view of the city.<BR><BR>On to lunch at Le Grand Lanna, a beautiful property where they are planning to build a luxury resort. We lingered here a long time and took more photos. Lunch was good and cost about 500 baht for the two of us. An excellent value for the surroundings. www.legrandlanna.com

Diane

Next to the craft factory area. We started with silver. No demonstrations as the craftsmen were out to lunch, but the showroom was huge. We spent some time here and bought a few things. Then to the silk factory where we got to see the silkworms and a short demonstration on how silk is made and woven. We also bought a few more things. Last stop was the celadon shop where we each bought something. That was pretty much all the time we had with Joe. We went back to the B&amp;B for a while and then went into town.<BR><BR>It was time for something other than Thai food, and we decided to try Piccola Roma, an Italian restaurant that was recommended. I had the pasta sampler plate and a side of spinach with butter and parmesan cheese. Marian had the tuna steak with pasta. Dinner was 1,550 baht ($36). We ate well this day.<BR><BR>As we were both getting bitten by mosquitoes we decided to wear socks. Throughout the day I kept loosening the velcro straps on my sandals until I couldn't open them any further. When I took off my socks that evening my feet were swollen as I've never seen them before. My right foot was bright red and blotchy. I thought that I might have blood poisoning from the gash in my leg. I really wasn't doing well here. I gave serious thought of changing my ticket and heading home. I've traveled with other people who became sick or injured, but this was the first time it was happening to me. I saw the inside of two hospitals in Greece; I wasn't sure I wanted to see one in Thailand.

Diane

Tuesday, December 3<BR>We had a slow day. Leisurely breakfast and then went to Robinson's Department Store. It is in a mall that looks much like the malls at home but on a smaller scale. I priced a bottle of Lancome foundation -- same price as at home. I can't see how people here can afford to buy cosmetics. We walked around the mall a bit and I was amazed at the number of shops selling mobile phones. From here we took a tuk-tuk into town, walked around, and stopped for a long lunch at The Mango Cafe. It was great and we had a feast for about 600 baht. A dozen New Zealand mussels, spring rolls, chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves, and sticky rice with fresh mango that was creamy and wonderful, a watermelon slushy, and bottled water. I highly recommend this restaurant. Not fancy, just good food.<BR><BR>Next stop was nearby at the Loi Kroh Massage Salon and School, 63/3 Loi Kroh Rd., where I had a one-hour back massage and Marian had a half-hour foot massage and a half-hour back massage. Cost: 250 baht each. They did a nice job here.<BR><BR>We walked a little more as I wanted to see the River View Lodge that I'd heard so much about on the travel bulletin board. It looked very nice and is convenient to the town yet down a street away from the hustle and bustle.<BR><BR>We got back to the B&amp;B around 5 pm. Our taxi home was miniature in size and I think held together by scotch tape. We had stopped in town at a 7-11 and picked up some junk food for dinner and relaxed in our rooms that evening.