walker26

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!

walker26

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>

shelleyk

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.

shelleyk

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.

shelleyk

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.

walker26

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.

rhkkmk

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

shelleyk

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.

shelleyk

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.

BabsB

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

shelleyk

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.

walker26

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?

zengeos

Babs,

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

Mark-

jeancho

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).

shelleyk

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).

shelleyk

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.

BabsB

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

momssk

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

shelleyk

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.

camarg

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