Trip report-Thailand and Cambodia
 

We returned from our 17 day trip to Thailand and Cambodia about a week ago. Since our jet lag has partially subsided, I have decided to begin our trip report as I do not want to incur a late penalty. I hope I get some credit for starting the report in a timely way, even though it may take a few days to complete it.
We flew Korean Air from JFK at 12:40 pm. We flew economy, but were very pleased with the leg rooom, size of the seats and personal video devices at each seat with a choice of many first run movies. The flight went smoothly and we arrived at the Majestic Grande Hotel in Bangkok at 2am. We followed Kathy's advice, took a small dose of Melatonin and quickly fell asleep. We awoke early feeling refreshed and ready to start our sightseeing. (We took the Melatonin for the next 2 nights with great results and did not need it after that).
The room at the Majestic Grande was fine with a modern bathroom and a nice view of the city. Ask for a high floor. The breakfast buffet was very good with a selection of western and Thai foods. We chose to eat outside overlooking the pool, but you could eat inside if you prefer air conditioning. The service at breakfast was very good and the waitstaff is very friendly and was very amused and appreciative of our attempts to say please and thank you in Thai. We always try to learn a few key words in the language of the country we are visiting and find that this goes a long way in getting a positive response from people. By the end of the trip, we think we actully were pronouncing some of the words correctly.
We left the hotel to begin our sightseeing at 10am. We went to Wat Pho, Wat Trimitrat and Wat Benchapat, all recommended (stars) in our guidebook. In addition, we walked through the flower market and a food market in Chinatown. At about 1pm we took a cab to Vinimek Palace where we took an English tour of the teak palace. The admission was 100 baht and well worth it. We only understood about 70% of what the tour guide was saying, but it was enough to give us a good idea of what we were seeing. The inside of the teak palace is now air conditioned which made the tour that much more comfortable. After the tour we went to the throne room were there is a stunning display of handicrafts made by Thai students of the arts (jewelry, sculpture, woven material,etc). If you visit Vinimek Palace after buying a ticket to the Grande Palace, admission is free as it is include in the price of admission for the Grande Palace, but this was not an option for us as we were not going to the Grande Palace until our 3rd day in Bangkok. After we left Vinimek Palace we had a little trouble getting a cab to take us back to the Majestic Grande as it was 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. Finally got a cab to take us, but he would not use the meter. We were tired and had had such a nice day that we agreed to a flat rate of what amounted to about $7. I know that this is high by Thai standards, but it took us almost an hour to get back to the hotel and we felt it was worth it. As this was our first day of touring, we decided to eat dinner at a small Thai restaurant near our hotel. The restaurant was on the 2nd floor of the Ploenchit shopping center which is about a block from the hotel. The food was very good. The service was ok and the ambience was non existant, but it was a perfect way for us to end our first day in Bangkok. Our 2nd day in Bangkok with Ratt will be continued tomorrow.

Thanks for the start of your report. The three Wat beginning is a good way to get into Thailand. The flower market and Chinatown are two of our favorites. We found in November that there was never a problem getting a taxi to use the meter. Your difficulty may have occurred because of high tourist season. Oh BTW, penalty avoided. One week is definitely within the acceptable limits.

great start shelly....was wondering how you did...

understand about the taxi...they are very difficult near any tourist attraction...you only paid about a 100% premium, so that is not too bad and who want to argue over $3.50..

i can't believe that you did that much on your first day and without assistance of a guide...congrats!!

anxiously awaiting more

bob

I'm enjoying your report. So glad the melatonin was helpful for you.

For our second day in Bangkok I wanted to have a driver because I wanted to fit in as much as possible I am a Type A personality when it comes to sightseeing, a trait my husband doesn't always appreciate on our vacations, but which he did not seem to mind on this trip, perhaps because everything was so new to us and very interesting. I wanted a driver rather than a guide as I had done extensive research before the trip and knew exactly what I wanted to see. Because of recommendations on this site, we chose Ratt as our driver and I booked her about 3 months before our trip. It turned out to be a good choice. She is a good driver, is pleasant to be with, and has boundless energy, a trait that helped both of us on this day. I had booked her for a whole day which she said was 8-10 hours, but we wound up being out for 12 hours. It wasn't planned that way, but at the end of our planned itinerary for the day she kept asking, "Do you want to do more?" and I kept saying , "Yes". We both were happy with this extended day as I got to see more and she got to make more.
Ratt picked us up at 8am and we drove to the floating market, about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Bangkok. We hired a boat and were paddled through the canals of the floating market, both very busy canals and quiet residential canals. The boat ride was fun, and informative as I always like to see how people make a living in the countries we are visiting. If you go to the floating market not to shop, but to take some photos, have a fun boat ride, and to see something interesting although touristy , I think you won't be disappointed. We were happy we went.
After the floating market, Ratt wanted us to stop at the Benjaring pottery factory to see the work in progress, but when we got there we found that the workers had the day off. However, someone walked us through the different stations and explained the process of creating the handpainted multicolored pieces of potttery. By this time it was 11:45 and we had a 2:00 appointment at the Prasart Museum.
Ratt decided to take a new "short cut" that she had heard about so we took a different route back to Bangkok through a rural area which was very interesting to see. The trip was a little unnerving though as Ratt kept saying that she had never taken this route before and hoped it was right. She had to stop to ask for directions several times but finally we made it back to Bangkok. It took us one hour longer than going to the floating market, but it was a more interesting drive, and we made it to the Prasart museum with 10 minutes to spare.
The tour of the Prasart Museum was one of the highlights of our trip. The guide was lovely and very informative, not only about the art and architecture we were seeing, but also about the Buddist religion and customs. The tour lasted almost 2 hours and we were the only tourists we saw during this time. It is really a very special place and I am so glad we got to see it. Thanks to all you Fodorites who recommended the Prasart.
For those that have not been there, you need to make a reservation in advance for a specific day and time. Ratt did this for us. It was $25 for the two of us and you pay when you get there. It is about 45 minutes from downtown Bangkok and you will need a driver to get you there. It is not easy to find as it is down a small non descript street which is easy to miss.
We left the Prasart at 4 and arrived at the Jim Thompson House for the last English tour of the day. We enjoyed seeing the house and browsed through the store after the tour. This was to be the end of what I had sceduled for the day, but Ratt asked me if I wanted to do more. I asked her if we had enough time for a klong tour and she said yes. We drove to the river, she arranged for a boat, (we had to pay a liitle more than the going rate because they said we would be coming back in the dark). This was agreeable to us, so we left with enough daylight to see the neighborhoods going out and to see everything lit up on our return-2 views for little more than the price of one.
On the way back to the hotel, Ratt drove us around the Grand Palace area which was lit up, and drove us past the Erawan Shrine. She asked if we wanted to stop there, but it was 8:00pm and I was tired and hungry. Time to end this very full and interesting day.
Day 3-to be continued.

Keep it coming.

Thanks for the report......enjoying the read. You really did a lot on day 2, lucky you had a driver.

Aloha!

glad you liked prasart...it is really special...most first timers do not find time for it so you lucked out...

also glad that you liked the floating market....it you go there with the idea of seeing something interesting and fun, rather than any shopping, it is worth the effort, imo...

you packed a lot into your day...ratt is a gem...

she has been almost absent from our pages for months so it is nice to see that you used her successfully..

bob

Yes, the Prasart is lovely, isn't it? They make reservations for just one party at a time to visit, so you will never see other visitors there.

Day 3-We were up early and took the skytrain and river boat to the Grand Palace. We arrived at 8:45, well before the crowds and tour buses. We spent about 3 hours there, mesmerized by the glitz and beauty surrounding us. The craftsmanship is just amazing, truly befitting the king who lived and worshipped here. The mirrored tiles sparkling in the sun are just beautiful.
We spent about 2.5 hours here and left as it was getting very crowded. Before going, we spent some time observing the religious rituals going on at the wat. Because of the guided tour at the Prasart Museum the day before, we understood much of what the people were doing, and this added to our experience of being there.
After leaving, we wandered the streets near the Grand Palace for a while and then walked to the cross the river boat stop opposite Wat Pho. We took the boat to Wat Arun, on the other side of the river. We went inside the wat, and thought we would walk up the steps to the top to have an overview of the river. However, as it was now past noon and getting rather hot, we decided to pass up the 200 step climb in favor of just wandering around for while. We then took the river boat back to the skytrain and headed for Suan Paccard Palace where we arrived at 2:45.
My guidebook said it closed at 4:00, but the person at the admission desk said that we could stay a little later if necessary. Since we and another party were the only ones there, we had a private guided tour by one of the docents who worked there.
The owner of the Palace was a collector of various things from across Thailand from pre historic to contemporary. The artifacts are arranged in various houses moved to their present location from other places in Thailand. The guided tour was excellent in helping us understand some things, but most things are well marked and grouped well enough so that you could probably get alot out of being there on your own. The gardens of the Suan Paccard Palace are like an oasis in the middle of busy Bangkok. We enjoyed our time here and found it very informative.
After we left, we took the skytrain to Cental Paragon and Central Chitlom not to shop but to see the food courts that I had read so much about. They are really quite amazing. I have never seen anything so extensive in the US. We chose not to eat here, not because the food did not look good, but because it was very busy and we wanted a more quiet setting for dinner. (I think the food courts would be great for lunch.)

loving the report...keep it coming

Thanks for the positive strokes for my report. I wanted to make the Bangkok part of the report as detailed as possible as I thought the info might be helpful to other first timers to Bangkok. I really feel indebted to all the fodorites who gave me such detailed information on Bangkok that when I actually got there I had a good feel of what it was possible to do in 3 days, and how to best do it. The recommendation to use a driver for one of the days enabled me to do so much that day. The information regarding the skytrain and river boat enabled me to get around Bangkok faster and in a more interesting way than by simply using taxis. And the recommendation on what clothes to bring and how to try to eliminate jet lag added to the enjoyment we had on our trip. Thanks to everyone who offered such great information. We had a great time in Bangkok. We really loved the city-such nice people, and so much to do. The next part of my report will be on our experiences after leaving Bangkok. Again, thanks to everyone who helped make our trip such a success.

Thanks shelley, the description of the Prasart definitely made me want to take the time to go -- I'd say you packed alot in !! And your description of the Grand Palace goes a long way in a few words to showing why it's a must see for any trip to BKK. Looking forward to your time in Cambodia.

We left Bangkok to spend some time in Northern Thailand-2 days in Chiang Rai and 3 days in Chiang Mai. The scenery in this part of the country is very beautiful, with high mountains and deep valleys. Part of the drive through this area reminded me of what I envision the Hawaiian islands looking like before being overdeveloped (especially some of the landscape on the road to Hana).
Chiang Rai is a small city. It has a small night market. The Kok River runs through it, and you can take a boat ride down the Kok River to visit a hill tribe village at the base of a mountain. We passed on this in favor of taking a road trip to see a hill tribe village, as we were told that the village seen on the road trip was more authentic (not authentic, just more authentic)than that seen on the boat trip.
We went by truck (? samilor) about one hour from our hotel to the top of a mountain, and then had to walk down into a valley for a while. There were many other tourists there, so this was not a hidden gem, untouched by civilization, but then it was not advertised as such. It did give us a good idea of how the hilltribes used to dress and what they do now to earn money. There were many stalls selling things, some of the things ostensibly made in the vilage. I viewed the experience more as a trip to Epcot than as an authentic experience, but it was interesting.
We had to pay extra to enter the village where the long neck Karen tribe lives, but the money is paid directly to the head of the village, ostensibly for the betterment of the people. If it is not used for this purpose, it is definately used for the ease of tourist access to the village. Someone who had been to this village 4.5 years ago said that the access to the village was much more difficult then. . They had to walk down a muddy, narrow path. Instead, we had a wider, semi paved path. Who knows, in 10 years, maybe there will be a gondola.
While in Chiang Rai we stayed at the Rimkok Resort. It was about 10 minutes outside of town. The hotel room was large, but the bathroom needed updating. The hotel has beautiful, landscaped grounds and a large swimming pool. Areas of the hotel overlook the river. The breakfast buffet was adequate, nothing special, but plentiful and varied. We ate dinner at the hotel both nights and it was good.
We enjoyed our time in Chiang Rai, except for the pollution, which only got worse as our trip progressed to Chiang Mai and then Cambodia. I developed a respiratory inflammation that I did not get rid of until one week after I arrived home. The pollution up north is much worse than in Bangkok and I would advise people with respiratory problems to take meds with them to possibly counter the effects of the pollution.

Shelley, your trip sounds much like our planned tour in 2 weeks. I'm finding your experiences very helpful! Please continue--are you per chance on an Amazing Thailand tour?

walker26- Yes we were and it truly was an amazing trip. We used the tour to get us from one place to another, but customized the experience by hiring private drivers and going off on our own along the way. Interestingly, we were not the only ones on the tour to do this. Some of the people on the tour had actually been on this tour several years before and were repeating it to see sights they could not get to the first time around. If you have any questions or concerns I can help you with, please let me know. Hope you have a great trip.

I am so glad to "meet" someone that has been on this trip recently. I do have a lot of questions and the tour company in New York is not very helpful. We have also hired Tong for 2 days and are still planning our tours. We are just using the tour to travel from place to place and plan on doing much on our own. We thought we would do the few included tours and then go from there. What are the included tours like, especially the one in Bangkok, so we don't cover any of the same with Tong. Also, what did you do/hire in Chiang Mai?

i would bag any tours and spend the time with tong....she will be much more informative and will take you only where you want to go....NO SHOPPING DETORUS where you spend more time than at the sites!!!

her husband has an optical shop so if you need glasses it would be a good time to do it cheaply....bring your prescription...

We did not do any included tours in Bangkok with our tour guide and neither did about one half the group. That is because some of us had signed up for a cooking course, some were visiting friends and some were sightseeing on their own. However, I heard from the people who did go on the tour that it was outstanding, so I would recommend going if it fits in with your schedule.
I should say that part of the reason that this tour was so outstanding is because we had the most outstanding tour guide for the entire trip. Her name is Nee. Consider yourself lucky if you get her. Our group agreed that she was one of the best guides we have ever had, and we have all travelled a lot.
In Bangkok, I hired a car and driver for one very full day and did sightseeing on my own via skytrain, river boat and taxi the other two days. One caveat when making your decision about hiring a guide-you will be in Bangkok during the hottest time of the year, and it would probably be more comfortable to see a sight and then immediately get into an air conditioned vehicle. BTW, this is what made the bus tour so comfortable: we went from one sight to the next in an air conditioned bus, and after seeing each sight someone was waiting at the bus to give us refreshing cold wipes and cold water.
Anyway, to answer your question about Chang Mai, we hired a car and driver on arrival for one day, and took tuk tuks and taxis the rest of the time.
We did not do any of the optional tours on the trip except for the one to the hill tribe village which is described above. We did all of the included tours once we left Bangkok, and they were well done and interesting. I will go into more detail about our time in Chang Mai. When are you leaving on your trip? I wish I could go with you. Please post your impressions on your return.
Bob, I do not know if it was our guide or the tour company, but there was very liitle time spent on shopping on this tour. When we did go into a store, it was to see a demonstration of something, ie Celadon and the guide set a very limited time-like 15 minutes for shopping. I am not a shopper and was disuaded from going to China on a tour because of all the wasted time on obligatory shopping stops. This tour did not waste much time shopping and in fact if anyone went on this tour thinking it would be a shopping trip through Thailand, they would be very dissapointed.

shelly---i think you were very lucky...it the most oft complaint that i hear...but some love the stops because they think they are going to "authorized" or "official" shopping areas where they will be treated fairly....now that is a joke!!

Thanks for your insights. We have hired a guide for 2 days in Bangkok, but have nothing planned at the other stops. We leave March 11, so our trip is fast approaching and I feel like I have more questions than ever! Can't wait to read more of your report!

One quick question. Did you take anything for malaria in the Golden Triangle area? Did anyone? I am a mosquito magnet, but the travel clinic here didn't think it was necessary because of the short amount of time there. Thanks>

We took Malarone (with no side effects). Most people on the tour also took Malarone, but a few took nothing. There were not a lot of mosquitos a month ago, but there were some. Personally, Iwould not chance going into a malarial area, even for just three days, without taking anti malarial meds. It's hard for me to disagree with your travel clinic as I am not a physician, but I do. Kathie, what do you think? Regardless of whether you take meds, make sure to use a good mosquito repellent.

walker 26- Sorry, I thought your question concerned meds in Cambodia. For the short time in the Golden Triangle, we did not take meds. We just used mosquito reppellent. We wore long pants and had a long sleeved shirt with us to cover up in case it was needed.

We arrived in Chang Mai on a Friday afternoon. Traffic was really crazy, because this was the weekend of the Flower Festival (not the Flower Show which unfortunately closed a few days before we arrived.) The Flower Festival attracts Thais from the surrounding areas so the city was packed. On Saturday morning they had a parade of floats covered in flowers (sort of like the Rose Bowl Parade). We did not see the parade, but on Saturday night they have the floats out for viewing so we went to see them. There were about 20 floats, sponsored by different organizations, all beautifully covered in flowers, with hundreds of Thais taking pictures of their friends and families in front of the floats. It was crowded, but worth seeing. In addition, there were many food stalls set up around the float display area, as well as entertainment in a nearby park. Everyone looked like they were having a great time.
Getting back to our arrival, we had wanted to walk around Chang Mai, but the roads were so filled with traffic that it was very difficult to cross the streets, so we decided to leave our sightseeing for the next 2 days.
On Saturday, we went to the Mae Sae Elephant camp outside of the city. We got there early enough to see the mahouts taking the elephants to the river for a bath. After that we took a one hour elephant ride through a forest which I enjoyed. Finally we spent some time watching trained elephants play soccer, paint pictures, ect.. Again, very entertaining. BTW, although I am no expert, the elephants looked well taken care off and the camp looked clean. After returning to Chang Mai, we walked through the old part of the city.
The next day, I hired a driver for the day. We went to Doi Sutthep. The archetecture was beautiful and it was interesting to see the religious worship there. There was no view from the top as it was very smoggy. After leaving Doi Sutthep, we stopped at the zoo which was on the road back to the city, mainly to see the pandas. The zoo is very spread out and I am glad we had the driver within the zoo, although it looked like there is a tram which could get you around the zoo if you go without a driver. The pandas were cute, and the zoo was entertaining for a couple of hours, but it is pricey for foreigners. Including the seperate admission to see the pandas, I think it was about $14 per person. After we left the zoo, we had the driver take us to several wats that I wanted to see. Chang Mai has a nice night market and within the night market is an extensive restaurant area with both indoor and outdoor seating. We picked restaurants at random that looked busy and ate out doors during our stay in Chang Mai. The food was good at all of the places we ate at. What we liked about eating in this area was that there was free entertainment on a large stage in this area. While eating we saw some Thai dancing, musicians playing traditional Thai instruments, and a folk singer singing John Denver songs in almost flawless English.
We enjoyed our time in Chang Mai, but did not like the city as much as we liked Bangkok.

It so great to read your report on the trip we are taking so soon! I'm glad you mentioned the pollution in the North as my daughter has asthma and will be sure to have her inhalers. Some general questions. How was the bus travel from Bangkok? Was the bus comfortable? Crowded? Cold? Bathroom?
How were the hotels on the road? And the meals?
How did people dress on the tour-casual?
Were the seats on Korean Air similar to the economy seats on US carriers size-wise?
Is the weather cooler in the North than Bangkok or about the same? (Similar to Boston in July and August!?)
I really appreciate all your help-just sorry I have to interrupt your trip report to ask them.

we have never noticed pollution in CM or CR....we spent one day in CM in november '06---no smob or pollution...

Walker26-I willtry to answer your questions as soon as possible as I know you are leaving soon.
1-The bus was ok. It was not the most modern touring bus I have ever been on, but it was adequate. The A/C was fine and if the temperature is too hot or too cold, tell the tour guide and the driver will adjust it the best he can. There is a bathroom on board for "emergencies".
We had 34 on our tour, so there were a few empty seats. If every seat were filled, I would consider it crowded.
2-Seats on Korean Air were great. Check in early to get a good seat-not near the bathrooms or galley. See my first day post for details.
3-Hotels on the road were adequate-not great, not horrible. I'd rate them 3 stars. My biggest objection was that the bathrooms needed renovation. Housekeeping was good. Dinners are on your own, but the breakfast buffets were good and ample. Wonderful fruit throughout the trip as well as the usual breakfast items. On one of the nights, when you stay at the Topland Hotel, you are very limited for dinner choices as you are in the middle of no where. We had pizza that night and it was the only bad meal we had on the whole trip.
4-Dress is casual and most importantly cool. Most people wore light weight slacks in Bangkok, not shorts. You cannot enter the Grand Palace and some other places with capris or sleeveless or tank tops, so dress accordingly.
If you have any more questions let me know. I hope this information helps you. I am sure you will have a wonderful time.
I hope it is not too hot when you are there as I think that this is the only possible drawback to this trip. We were lucky when we were there as it was very comfortable, but I have been in touch with our tour guide and she said it got very hot in Bangkok after we left. Since you have no control over the weather, relax and hope for the best. Make sure you keep yourself well hydrated-there is bottled water and drinks on the bus.
BTW,I am wondering where you live? Are you leaving from JFK? I noticed you mentioned Boston in the summer. We live in Massachusetts about 40 miles outside of Boston.
Also, are you going to go on to Angkor Wat? If you are I will try to post that part of the trip as quickly as possible.

Bob, I think the worst pollution in Chang Mai is during February and March as this is when the farmers burn off the land to prepare it for the next planting season. While in the north, we saw many fires burning. The view from Doi Sutthep was of smog covering the city. The visibility was so bad you could barely see the trees at the bottom of the mountain. Believe me when I say that the air was polluted. I could feel it as I breathed. I am not an allergic person, but I wound up with a cough that still has not completely resolved.

Dear shelleyk
I am enjoying your report very much. I am also going on this tour the middle of April. I typically travel in Europe with family or friends and organize it myself down to the smallest detail. I received the brochure for Amazing Thailand and decided I had to go. Unfortunately, none of my normal travel companions wanted to accompany me so I'm going solo. Were there any solo travelers on your trip? I have decided to go with the flow and go on all the tours they provide. I have my list of things to see on our free days and hope that I can join up with some other travelers for those days. I would like to take a cooking class in Chiang Mai but had difficulty finding out what time we had to be back at the hotel to leave on the only available day. I don't really want to sign up and have to leave half way through. Do you have any suggestions on this. Also, is there any availability to have laundry done during the trip. I try to pack light but dislike hand washing my clothes. I usually bring enough clothing to last a week then get laundry done once. Best Regards, Barb

Barb, There were several solo travellers on our tour. Most of them seemed to do all of the tours-included and optional and that seemed to work out well for them. There is an opportunity to have laundry done in Bangkok and Chang Mai. I do not know whether or not it is possible any place else. I would not book the cooking class before starting the tour and asking the guide if you would have enough time. The group leaving for Phuket left Chang Mai at 9am and we left at 1 to go to Angkor Wat, so I do not think that you have time on the day you leave, but I would check with the tour guide. I think you could get into a cooking course as a solo, even at the last minute.

Shelleyk, thanks again for all your help. We are not going to Cambodia. I am traveling with my 2 daughters and they can not take any more time off from their jobs. It's my daughter that lives in Boston. I live in Cincinnati and we also have those terrible hot and humid summers! My other daughter lives in LA so we are actually starting from there. Were the sights on the drive north worthwhile?

Babs,

I'll be in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai area April 7-14. When are you going to the area?

Mark-

Shelleyk--thank so much for your report, it is perfect! I'm leaving on Thursday 3/8 to meet up with a friend and we are going to Angkor Wat on 3/12 and Bangkok on 3/15, so your reports are timely and helpful. How did you book Ratt for the tour? We have booked a guide already for Angkor Wat (but I look forward to your summary).

walker26-The sites on the trip up north were worthwhile IMO. The timing at each stop and the time on the bus between stops seemed well planned. I particularly liked 2 stops on the way-Sukothai National Park and the Khmer ruins in Lopburi. At the latter, be very careful of the monkeys that overrun the ruins. They are brazen bordering on aggressive. Heed the guides advise to guard your glasses and cameras. Also, our guide added some interesting stops not on the formal itinerary- like stopping at a local school. We saw the flag raising ceremony, had a song sung for us, and observed some class rooms. It was interesting to see the students-even 4year olds, sitting in a circle meditating for 5 minutes at the start of the day (after running around in the school yard and before they entered the classrooms).

jeancho-I booked Ratt about 3 months prior to our trip via the internet. I would highly recommend her, as long as you know she is a driver not a guide. Her email address [email protected].
Hope you and walker 26 have as good a time in Thailand as we did.

Hi Mark, I will be Thailiand from April 15th to April 28th so it looks like we will miss each other. Barb

Shelley, Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed trip report. Will be going to Thailand in November with my 23 year old son.

I like to hire local guides as well and am glad to hear of your success in this area. Thanks Susan

You are welcome, Susan. I am happy to hear that the report has been of some help to you. I got so much good advice on this forum while planning my trip, that i am very glad to be able to give back a lttle.

Hi Shelley - How kind and gracious of you to share the details and tips of your trip. I'm sure I'm not the only one who read it all with great interest - taking notes. I know how exciting it is to share travel experiences while they're fresh. This forum provides a place where they are so very much appreciated. Thanks also to the others who were kind enough to post to this report. I'm taking it ALL in.

On March 19, four friends and I are leaving on the Friendly Planet tour of Thailand. While traveling in Turkey last year, so many in the group raved about Thailand. It put it on the top of the travel list. The guided tour will take care of most of our needs. Your ideas will surely help with the free time. Thanks so much.

If you have time, I would appreciate your comments on a few questions. 1)Once in Bangkok and Chaing Mai, what is the best way to hire a driver or guide for a day or partial day? About how much should we expect to pay? I'm still pretty new at creative travel and know that local help will make life easier. 2) What was your experience with appropriate tipping? Yes - no - how much? 3) In China, we found small US money to be very useful for purchases. Is it the same in Thailand? 4) My favorite - How prepared should we be for Asian toilets when we're out touring?

Any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated. I'm reading and learning as much as I can. Thanks. Margaret