We purchased our train tickets ahead of time, and had them sent to our hotel. When you visit the train website(it's been listed here and on Loney Planet-just research back)you will find 2 companies that help you take care of getting the tickets. I went with travel2000 I think it was called. They were great and took care of everything.I contacted them 60 days ahead of time and still couldn't get first class tickets for the trip to Chaing Mai. We were able to get first class for the return to BKK. I suggest everyone try both ways like we did to decide which you prefer. In second class, we met a couple and visted a little. We also saved a little money. However, first class was really nice. The privacy was nice and having space that's yours alone is also very nice. The train was an hour late both ways, but it was a pleasant trip. I would definately travel this way again.

We stayed at the Libra Guesthouse, and they picked us up from the train station. They are a family of 4 young women, two are married and two are not. Their parents live there also. There are 3 of the cutest little girls who we wanted to put in our suit cases and take home. We got to know this family really well and while I was sick they really looked after me. They sent up hot tea, bananas, and soup.

The first day: We sat around and visited with other people staying at the guest house. There actually were some Americans which we hadn't run into thus far on our trip. Many of the guests were making plans for treks with the help of Mawaii, and Dow(the two older sisters. They were a wealth of knowledge and helped people find cooking classes, weaving classes, movies or whatever. My husband and I went out for dinner at the Riverside restaurant which has a really nice view, and then onto the night market where we soon became regulars. I did all my Christmas shopping in Thailand, and mailed off several packages so I wouldn't have so much to take home.

Second Day: The sisters from the guest house arranged for a spa to pick me up and take me away for the day. While I splurged at the spa (which wasn't as expensive as some I had researched), my husband went golfing. We soon had our own regular tuk tuk driver from the guesthouse(the sisters highly recommended him. He took us everywhere. We went out for dinner at Huen Phen. The food was good, but the service was awful. It took us forever to even get waited on the first time. Then it felt like we never saw the wait persons again. Having very little experience with Issan food, we didn't know what we ordered and didn't get enough food. Anyway we weren't about to try and order more. We paid and then left. Another night at the night market. Afterwards we'd head home. The guest house across the way had a giant screen tv and posted movies out front for people to see what they were showing. They were the only place open anywhere around, so we watched movies and got a tasty dessert(fried bananas) Chiang Mai closes down earlier than BKK. There might be a few bars open, but we just made it a habit of watching movies each night and meeting new people. The next day we had a driver come pick us up and take us off to Mae Sariang where we began The Mae Hong Son loop. More to come....

it makes it much easier for all of us if you continue your post on the same thread just as a "post my reply"...then we can read it all in one place and not have to search for it or miss a part..thanks
\

bob

I was just so tired that I wasn't really thinking when I started posting. I will try to keep it all together. Thanks

It sounds like you mailed home packages from Chiang Mai (maybe you mailed from BKK also). Please post it that all arrived okay. Also, was it mailed by the stores or did you mail it?
Thanks.

We had planned the loop so that we'd start going south through Mae Sariang and end up at Pai where we planned to take a bus back to Chaing Mai. Our driver was from a company known as Paew Travel Service. Paew is the wife and her husband, Gem was our driver. Since we had our own trip planned, they suggested we hire him as driver(not a guide) and save a little money. Gem grew up in this area so he knew alot about it. This part of the trip was the only place that we had set up a driver/guide ahead.

I first started feeling ill on my way to Mae Sariang. We made it to our guest house(The Riverside)but I just wanted to go to bed. My husband took some great pictures of the beautiful surroundings. I slept.

There are two kinds of travelers. The ones that like isolation, and ones that like community(well there are the ones that like both which is me)We met a french woman who warned us that Mae Hong Son was too crowded. She just hated all the tourists. When we got there, we fell in love with it. My husband actually wanted more community-he was missing Chiang Mai, but I just loved Mae Hong Son. On the way there we stopped at a village which Gloria had mentioned in one of her reports. It's a little out of the way(about 15 miles) but it was a high light of this trip) We met some silver workers that made beautiful jewelry. I bought a pair of ear rings for about $6 and they were delicate, well made silver. The villagers see few tourists so we got to see how they really live. The children thought my husband was something at 6' 5" They followed him all over. One older man took us up to the top of a hill to show us this temple and this huge budha. I watched a woman weaving, and she enjoyed showing me how(even if we couldn't speak much to each other).

Our plan was to continue on to Mae Hong Son stopping off at Mae Surin Falls which is Thailands highest waterfall. After stopping at Khun Yuam to see the W.W.II museum, we didn't do any more stopping. I became very nauseous, and ill. We had to pull over several times so I could throw up. If you have taken this drive, you know how curvy it is, and after every curve I felt sick. We got to Mae Hong Son where our driver deposited us at the Piya Guest house. I think we ended up paying him about $40 a day which I thought was really a good deal. After he left, I slept. My husband visited guests staying at the guesthouse. The next day I felt better so we explored the area. We did alot of walking. The guest house was nice, but a little more expensive than Libra house(I think it cost us $15 or $16 a night). I bought the most beautiful silk wall hangings. They were so inticate in their design that it would be hard to explain. They are definately unique, so we began the game of bartering. The young woman wanted 1500 baht to start. We got her down to 1000 baht, but I wasn't sure I wanted to pay that. My husband went back later and got them for 950 baht. They are beautiful indeed. There were lots of nice things around. I got all my Christmas shopping done. I bought the most beautiful dress for my granddaughter, and some really cool mounted bugs(giant beatles really) for my grandsons. I even bought one of them a scorpion, and he just thought that was the neatest thing he ever saw. After a couple days there, we took the bus to Soppong. They let us off, and here we were. We had lots of luggage and no idea how to get where we were going. Soppong is a very little area with no real transportation, so if you haven't made transportation plans ahead you could be in trouble. Finally a nice gentlemen led us over to the local taxi service(mopeds). I thought how in the world are they going to get me, 2 suitcases and a purse and giant fan up the hill 9 miles. My husband had 2 bigger bags. I hopped on the back of this fellow's bike and up the hill we went. It was fun, and now I could say that I'd been on just about every form of transportation imaginable this trip. We stayed at a place very remote called the Cave Lodge. There was no real markets to visit, just a very isolated village. The food was so good, and at night they had a big fire that all the guests gathered around. We all shared stories of who we were and what we were doing in Thailand. I found that most of the people I ran into were German, Dutch or Swedish. I also found it to be true that the stories of middle age western men with young Thai women was very true in this area of Thailand. We met several couples traveling together that were planning on staying or had been in Thailand for a long while. This area was very remote and beautiful.

The next morning I went caving with my guide,Pat who also happens to be the cook, Massage giver, and general all around handy woman. My husband was tired and didn't want to go caving. it was a good thing because there were areas that were really, really, low and we had to get on our stomaches to crawl into. It was so incredible however, the stalagtites, and stalagmites were just gorgeous. I had never been caving before so we had to get a picture of me with the light on my head and the caving hat. What a site especially since I was so dirty. The walk to the cave was exercise, but not too strenuous. There were other caves, but Pat went gentle on me since I had never done this and I'm not as young as she. Pat took me looking for wild roots and berries that the villagers use to cook with. We also picked some fruit from trees. I had never seen any of this before so I couldn't tell you what anything was. However the food they cooked at the lodge was delicious! It got really cold at nigh, but the bed we had was so warm and comfy. It was the best bed so far on our trip. Getting out of it was the hard part because it was so cold in the morning. The water took awhile to warm so I decided to eat breakfast first and then come back and shower. All in all this was truley the most unique part of our trip. My husband was missing Chiang Mai(remember those people that like community)and wanted to get back there. The Owner of the lodge has written a book that many people who stay at the lodge purchase. My husband and several other men there bought the book. I haven't read it, but the owner has done a lot of exploring cave systems in Thailand.

The next morning the onwers wife who is Thai, and helped me practice my Thai, took us down the hill to catch the bus onto Pai. That was an experience riding that bus. It's just like in the movies where people get on board with chickens and all kinds of things. It wasn't the most comfortable ride, but it got us to our destination. We decided to skip Pai and head back to Chaing Mai. That was another 4 hrs from Pai. I couldn't wait to get off that bus. from the bus station, we took a tuk tuk back to Libra house which now was starting to feel like home. I wish I could get the pictures of this area together to show, but that may tak awhile.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

wintersp-we mailed several packages ourselves. We didn't want to carry around all the stuff that we'd purchased. It was fairly simple. There are post offices all over BKK and Chiang Mai. Having a map to locate them is a good idea. Try to make them as light as possible because it turns out to be a little expensive. The post office supplies everything. They will package it as well. Then you just fill out a form explaining what's inside and pay the shipping fee. My first package was very expensive because I didn't realize that I had chosen a faster ship method. On subsequent visits, I managed to choose cheaper shipping. It is usually cheaper to mail things yourself. We had the people at the celadon factory quote us a price, and then we did it on our own and saved. All arrived ok

Back in Chiang Mai we had both the best and the worst time on our trip. Tim got very ill the first day back in Chiang Mai. There were several other travelers we ran into that had gotten the same type of thing. It was a 24 hr diarrhea, and then he was feeling fine. The second night I got sick, but it wasn't what others were getting. It was that same thing I had on the way to Mae Sariang. I ended up being sick for 3 more days. The last 2 nights I had a fever, and vomited so bad that I couldn't breathe well. Just as I was feeling well enough to go a doctor one of the family members from the guest house turned out to be a pharmacist. They suggested I buy electrolye stuff, some pills that controlled the vomiting.I got better quickly, and tried to enjoy the rest of my trip. While I had been sick, one of the days my husband went golfing again and the sisters looked in on me and brought me lunch. Once well we made it to the Weekend walking market which was something to see. The shopping was great with lots of really great stuff, and there was food everywhere. I hadn't eaten for days so I made up for it. There was lots of entertainment with people singing and playing music for money. There were bands on stage and then there was some kind of event that had people dressing up in different countries clothing. I think everyone should try to get to the walking market while in Thailand. The next day we headed out for the celadon factory, the thai silk factory and an umbrella factory all in the same general area. Our tuk tuk driver took us to each spot, and waited while we shopped. Then he returned us to our guesthouse. It was a very reasonable amount of baht to pay. That night we went out to eat at The Whole Earth. I had heard mixed reviews about this place, but we found it to be very good. The service was exceptional and we enjoyed the food.

We spent one day going to the central airport plaza mall. We ate lunch there, and then watched a movie. This mall is a very nice mall. After hanging out at the mall for awhile, we got a tuk tuk over to a place on Moon Muang for a massage. It was a pretty decent looking place so I stayed. My husband(Tim)changed his mind and walked back to Libra house. We started getting familiar with the area and took little walks around. We started finding good places that were smaller restaurants and shops to visit. Most of the places within the city walls are close enough to walk to. We got alot of exercise walking while in Thailand. That night we checked out the Brasserie. It was ok but I like the Riverside better which is just a little ways from the Brasserie. The last day was our walking around day. We ate at little hole in the wall places and found a few interesting things for sale along the street. The whole time in Chiang Mai we walked all over without the slightest concern over our safety. We never stayed out very late, but still walked up and down many differnt streets.

We caught the night train back to BKK and this time we rode first class.

If I had to list 1 or 2 things I liked the least about Thailand it would be trying to get the taxi drivers to use their meters. All the stories they tell you about why they can't use their meters get old. I really can't think of a second thing-well except for the long plane trip to get here.

I think I'll finish our trip report with the last three days spent in BKK. We really enjoyed BKK especially the fact there is so much to do. We made reservations with ticketmaster(which I suggest people check out since they often advertise the shows coming to BKK) for the Show called
Siam Niramit. This show was held at the 2000 seat Ratchada Grand Theatre on Ratchadapisek Rd. It was celebrating Thai history and culture. It highlighted traditional festivals and mythical beliefs. The show was very good.

This second day in BKK we got a long tail boat and explored the canals. This is really a good way to see the life along the river, and it is much cooler on the water. Just be careful that the boat driver doesn't con you for more money once he has you out in the canals. We ended up paying 600 baht more than agreed at the begining, and I can't even remember what he told us was the reason. When we got back to the pier we were charged us a landing fee(it seemed like farangs were the only ones being told to pay this). Has anyone else heard of this landing fee at any of the piers for the long tailed boats? Later that evening we went to meet some of the fodorites at Tongue Thai but no one showed. Maybe I got the night wrong, but the food was good. Afterwards we headed to Suam Lum Night market.

The last day we spent looking for the BKK doll factory and museum. It took us awhile. Our cab driver got hopelessly lost so we got out and walked. Once we found it, we purchased a doll for my granddaugher. The woman who started making the dolls has been making them for 50 years. She has all of Thailand's history shown in the dolls. When we arrived we woke everybody up. They were all napping(there were 4 women who make the dolls too) They gave us a small demonstration of how they make the dolls. After leaving the factory, we hiked over to the Baiyoke Sky tower and had the lunch buffet. It was an interesting lunch, and we were tired from all the walking(not to mention hot). We decided to eat at one of the sidewalk restaurants in Chinatown for dinner that night. It was cheap and the food was great. It's usually found on the corner close to The White Orchid(which is 4 or 5 blocks away from the Grand China Princess. They sometimes move to another location, but they always have a crowd eating there. I can see why-the food is fantastic. I found myself eating river prawns, squid and various other seafood along with really tasty noodles. We got a little adventurous in our eating on the last night. I started thinking about how I was going to miss all this wonderful food when I return home(sigh). We had planned to go to the Saxaphone Pub while we were in the area(close to the Victory monument)but never made it there. If anyone has been there, I'd like to hear about what we missed.

I am glad that I had things planned out with locations and all ahead. We didn't do everything that I planned, but it was nice to have the information so we had ideas on things we could do. That made the difference this time in BKK. We had taken advice from other travelers about where to eat, and places to visit. My Thai is getting much better as well. I am dreaming of my next dream to Thailand.

Enjoyed your trip report. You certainly did some things I have not read about before.

And thanks for the package information.

thanks for the report....the fodors GTG at tongue thai was on dec 1 at 7PM and we were there for a couple of hours...maybe we did not get there until 7:15 however...sorry we missed you...

did you get sick from something that you ate??

great trip report...glad you liked whole earth in chiang mai...

There were a few of us that were going to try to make a later Tongue Thai get together. I wasn't going to be able to make the Dec 1st one. We'd decided on a date and time(I wrote down Dec 10th)but I must have been wrong or the others couldn't make it. I enjoyed my dinner with my husband there. The service and atmosphere were great.

When I got sick, I thought it might have been something I ate, but someone said with a fever(I had one for 2 days) it probably wasn't something I ate , but maybe a virus. Anyway, I am scheduled to have a routine thyroid check and I am going to check a little further. I don't want any strange bugs swimming around in my bloodstream.