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THAILAND
Traffic and tranquillity, beaches and bargains, rural roads, ancient palaces and stunning temples: Thailand has much to offer anyone from the casual visitor in search of affordable luxury to the rugged backpacker hoping to get off the track. What brings visitors back time and again is the allure of the ephemeral: seemingly spontaneous festivals, chance meetings and whimsical moments in an unpredictable land of ancient culture and elusive wisdom.
The kingdoms most notable sites are opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins, and peak roofed temples housing serene images of the Buddha, places where the past comes alive in architecture and artwork as well as beliefs and practices. In bustling Bangkok, you'll find simple canal and riverside communities, a sprawling Chinatown, an ultra-modern cityscape and giant outdoor markets that are a heady mix of sights, sounds, and smells.
Beyond urban Thailand are flat plains carpeted with rice paddies and dotted with tiny villages, mountains of luxuriant teak forests where elephants once roamed wild, long stretches of white sand beach and acres of coconut palms and rubber plantations. Rural life is languid and hospitable and behind every warm Thai smile there is true kindness and a certain wisdom of the ancients.
When visiting Thailand , we strongly suggest transiting Bangkok when you arrive and making your way north, then perhaps take in a beach, and put Bangkok at the end of your trip.
Northern Thailand
Chiang Mai
Although it is Thailand's second largest city, it is much smaller than Bangkok and the airport is close to most hotels. Here, you will be met by our gracious local host and transferred to your accommodations. After checking in and getting settled, join your host for a brief exploration of the city and area around your hotel, ending in the area around the famed Night Market. During your time in Chiang Mai, we will arrange one day to take in the "must see" spots, like Doi Suthep and Wat Chedi Luang, around town. And, if time permits, a day in the countryside around the Mae Sa Valley, including an elephant ride, hiking, and a raft trip. Our local host can also arrange a unique early morning experience to offer alms to Buddhist monks as the make their rounds. Chiang Mai is also a great place for art and artisan workshops with an abundance of textiles, pottery, fine art, bronze sculpture, and incredible teak and bamboo furniture. Plus, many little special places that our local hosts keep in reserve for your personal exploration.
Chiang Rai
You can either fly here from Bangkok, or drive over from Chiang Mai. This area borders on Burma, Laos, and is the point at which the Mekong River, which flows down from China, first enters Thailand. It is also the location of the first Thai settlements in what today is modern-day Thailand. On arrival you will be met by our local host and once settled into your accommodations we have a number of exciting things in store. In this region our suggestion for your exact program will vary based on where your selected accommodations are located but will include a full day spent in the famed Golden Triangle. And, by special arrangement, spend a morning or afternoon in and around Chiang Rai town with a local American resident for a real inside look at life in northern Thailand. Optionally, this is the area where we recommend riding elephants because you will actually spend a few hours in the saddle as the great beast makes its way through some lovely hill country (this activity takes up a morning). We can also arrange for you to spend a night at one of our private accommodations located in a tribal village high in the northern hills or in a hill country lodge with some local trekking far off the normal tourist path. Chiang Rai is also home to a large community of well-known, and very bohemian, artists and craftsman so special studio visits can be arranged.
Sukhothai & Nan
This is a more off-the-tourist-route and you can fly to Sukhothai, Thailand 's first capital of a unified Thai kingdom, from Bangkok and visit the area along with Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. On arrival, our local host for this region will meet you and the next few day will be spent traveling by private vehicle through parts of Thailand that most visitors rarely see. After visiting Sukhothai, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1991, we move north through Phrae to Nan, a most delightful little town known for great scenery and superb local crafts. From here, we move along into Chiang Rai with several options, the most popular being via Chiang Khong, the last year-around port on the Mekong River where we board local long-tailed boats for a run up river to Chiang Saen. This part of the trip really provides an insight few visitors every get. This segment of the trip ends in Chiang Rai.
Thailand's Beaches
As far as a "beach destination" there are two popular stops, and one more classic that I recommend to those interested in incorporating some beach time into their visit to Thailand These are the Phuket & Krabi and Samui, both reachable from Bangkok by an airplane ride of just over an hour, and the royal Thai resort area of Hua Hin & Cha Am, a 2+ hour drive from the capital.
Phuket & Krabi Area
In this area we do not use local hosts unless you are doing an extensive adventure trip into the wilds. So you will be on your own to explore and there are many options open to you, including renting a jeep and exploring on your own which is a great adventure. We can also suggest our friend Dave Williams at Paddle Asia for some incredible sea-based adventures, including an excellent day-trip (see www.paddleasia.com for details).
Samui
Located in the Gulf of Siam, Koh Samui (the full name with koh meaning island in Thai) is part of a chain of 80 islands, only four of which are inhabited. This is a rare bohemian island with no high-rise buildings and no massive hotels, just small places and there are some great ones. The Samui Airport, which was built by Bangkok Airways the only carrier to serve the island, is on the north end and here you will be met by a representative from your accommodation and transferred there. While on Samui, you will be on your own to explore and there are many options open to you.
Hua Hin & Cha Am
While the beaches of Phuket and Samui were discovered only recently and have since undergone rapid and sometimes destructive development, Hua Hin and the adjacent area know as Cha Am have been beach resorts for years. Discovered in the early 1920s by King Rama VII as an ideal getaway from the sultry metropolis of Bangkok, the tranquil fishing village of Hua Hin became Thailand's first beach resort, popular among Siam's nobility and upper-class. The construction of a railway line down from Bangkok ensured its accessibility and when the King built a palace there, it's fate was sealed. Today the freeway shoots you south to the area in a couple of hours. The beach here is almost 5 miles long, very wide at points, and the functioning fishing village brings ashore an abundant daily catch. For more information about this area, see www.hua-hin.com
Bangkok
Bangkok is a notorious mix of everything that is good, and some not so good things, that give Thailand the irrespirable attraction that it has to visitors.
I first arrived here as a young teenager, finished high school here, and eventually started both a family and a business in the city who's name in Thai translates; City of Angeles. And, because we know it so well, we have ways of getting you around and through this magical city that avoid the crowds and traps many visitors encounter.
You adventure starts when you are met at the airport by our local host, most of whom have worked with us for over twenty years. They will be waiting with a private vehicle to transfer you to your hotel in the city. After getting checked in to you accommodations, join your host again for the balance of the day out and about in Bangkok using local transport, including the Skytrain , local taxis, and the new underground system , to give you a feel for the city and the area around your hotel. As in every city you visit along the way, we try and get you orientated and give you as many pointers as we can as soon as you arrive. Also during your stay we include a n exciting full day of exploration with your local host designed to give you a real insider's look at this fabulous city. This is a day program that has been evolving and changing since we first abandoned the traditional day trips others offered to make something truly different that our more sophisticated clients would appreciate.
Our only recommendation is to start out early in the morning to always be one step ahead of the crowd! Depending on the length of your stay in Bangkok, there are many experiences we can add to a stay, including a visit to the former Thai capital of Ayuthaya, 50 miles north of Bangkok. Also, if you come over a weekend, the famous Weekend Market can be taken in and everyone loves the Prasart Museum. Arrangements can also be made for local cooking classes, private museum tours, and other special interest activities personally designed for you. |
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