organising treks and visas
by call_me_rhia
When I started enquiring about jungle treks I ended up in some supposed travel agencies that were more scams than travel agents. No question about group size and so on was ever answered - and people suddendly seemed to have forgotten their english. FInally, but it was merely luck, I stumbled upon Topper Tours, and things started to look bright again. Laura was very helpful and friendly - and answered all questions - eventually not only I booked a tour with her, but also had her organize my Laos visa and plane ticket back to Bangkok. All I can say is that, although marginally more expensive than other dodgy tours, you really get what you pay for with Topper.
Address: 7/1 Phrapokklao Road, Soi 5.
Shopping in small villages
by oceania26
I'd highly recommend that you buy any crafts, arts, clothing, cushion coverings, etc in the village tribes for 2 reasons. One, the villagers actually make that stuff and sell it to the street vendors in teh big cities and get paid very little but sell the stuff to tourist 5 times the price. Two, the villagers are really poor they could use the money much more and they are the one that put the hard work into it. I bought a wall hanging that was selling in Chiang Mai for about $50 for $10 in the village and I knew it was authentic.
PLEASE DO NOT BARGAIN with the villagers. They're already selling it at a very low price and are not willing to bargain...they need the money.
$2.50 an hour - What a Deal!
by TravelChick67
For day long jaunts and visits to the factories, be sure to hire a car and driver - don't do a tour. You want to e able to go at your own pace AND change your mind mid-stream if you feel like it. Hiring a car and driver is the best way to go.
We hired Ben (and his Volvo) for $2.50 per hour. Very comfy and nice cold a/c.
Don't worry about finding them, they will find you. In the city center there are always many cars and drivers hanging around various hotels looking for a fare. Just hunt until you find one with a car you like and who seems to speak enough English (or whatever language you need) to get you around.
In the picture left, you can see the white Volvo and it's driver Ben, the man to the right in the shadows with white hair. He was very nice and spoke decent English. Also, we asked him where there were some second hand shops (like a pawn shop) and he drove us right over where we found a beautiful ruby ring for myself and an old watch for my hubby.
And yes, they were real! LOL We know our stuff. If you DON'T know about these things then I would caution you not to buy gems and such in Asia as there are many scams.
Dessert Pancakes
by DarkRay
I was crazy over this stuff in Krabi and was dissapointed that I could not find it in Bangkok. But I was certainly ecstatic to find it being sold in Chiang Mai from a pushcart street vendor, who had situtated himself opposite the Chiang Mai Plaza Hotel where I was staying one day.
Some street vendors call it "Roti" and some others call it "Rotee". But regardless what they call it, it is basically a freshly cooked thin pancake made from a mixture of wheat and rice flour which is used to wrap ingredients such as chopped bananas, and/or topped with other ingredients like chocolate sauce. A simple, but sinfully delicious delight. My personal favourite is the Banana with Chocolate Sauce Roti.
Maesa Elephant Camp
by iammon
Near Nam Tok Mae Sa is the Measa Elephant Camp. It is a nice day trip out of Chang Mai if you want to get away from the city noise as it is located in a nice valley in the forests. They have three shows a day: 08:00 am, 09:40 am and 1.30 pm. You can buy sugar cane and bananas and feed them to the elephants. Or if you are not careful they come and steal it from you. They have a nursery and an elephant school. If you are there in the morining you will be able to watch how they take their baths in the river. During the show the elephants play soccer and paint picutres. Im normally sceptical about such things but it seems that the elephants have fun doing it. And I guess it is a way to preserve the asian elephant from distinction.
You best take a taxi from Chiang Mai and combine this trip with some other stops like nice orchid gardens.
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Very close!
Chedi - Wat Suan Dok
3rd Yao generation from China in Thailand
The waterflower glasshouse
