yosithezet

This trip report describes our recent vacation in Thailand. We spent 8 days in the north (Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai), 7 days in Khao Lak and 3 days in Bangkok.

yosithezet

LY81 TLV-BKK

We left for Thailand from Israel on LY81 at 10PM using LY bonus tickets. March 25 was the last day it was possible to fly out on bonus tickets and get the 20% points discount on points required. Unfortunately you had to use at least 200 'partner points' for each ticket to get the bonus so we could only get two tickets with the discount. Even worse, they issued my own ticket using the bonus which meant that when business needs determined that I should continue directly to a business trip from vacation there was no way to cancel my bonus ticket without losing all of the points. In the end I've pushed the bonus return portion until later in the year.


The internal flights in Thailand were purchased directly from TG using the Discover Thailand fares. They came to about $250 including taxes for 3 legs for adults and about half that for the kids. Later in the trip someone told us that 4 legs is the same price. Can anyone confirm this?

During check-in I asked about the possibility of checking our bags all the way to CNX. The LY agent entered a bit of information in the computer and was able to check the baggage all the way. Wonderful!

Being LY Gold I was offered a business seat with economy service. Since I sleep very well on flights I accepted this 'upgrade'. The wife and 2 sons(7/10) were sitting in the next cabin in 3 seats on the side. Offers to swap seats with the wife during the flight were rejected as she was sleeping pretty well.

yosithezet

TG116 BKK-CNX

We landed in BKK around 2PM and our flight to CNX was at 17:15. We headed to the TG transit desk and confirmed tha the bags would be transferred to CNX and that we didn't need to collect them in BKK.

On a previous trip through BKK they were passing out 10% off coupons for BKK Burger King. The kids love cheeseburgers and the quality of BK is much higher in Thailand than in Israel. So with time to kill we headed upstairs to the BK at the intersection of concourses E/F. After lunch we proceeded to the other end of the airport to pass through immigration and into the domestic part of the terminal.

Since I sleep so well on flights I tend to miss the opportunity to get and fill out immigration forms from time to time. For this reason I try to collect a few forms each time so that I can fill them out before the flight. This enabled me to fill the immigration forms out at home before we got on the plane. Passing through immigration was smooth. There were two families and no other passengers.

Once within the domestic terminal we headed to the TG lounge. I presented our tickets and my TG*G and the four of us were waived inside. The lounge was quiet. The kids headed over to the computers and we relaxed until it was time to board our flight.

At the domestic gate we boarded a bus which took us to the plane. We climbed stairs up to the sleeve and boarded a 747 for the hour long flight to CNX.



I hadn't realised it was a 747 when I was doing the online checking and selecting seats. I did think it was odd that the configuration was 3-4. Had I been paying more attention I guess I would have realised it was 3-4-3. This put us sitting 4 across in the middle with no window seat. The flight was fine but it would have been nice to have a window the kids could look out. Luckily we'd brought some magazines with puzzles and games. It is a good thing we had lunch beforehand since the TG light meal was not filling.



At the end of the flight I made sure the kids ran upstairs to see the second floor of the 747 since they kept asking questions about what it is like upstairs.

At CNX we proceeded to the int'l baggage claim to pick up our luggage and pass through customs. The guide that we hired was waiting for us in the arrivals area.

While I'd been planning this vacation for quite a while, I had left the day to day details until the last 6 weeks or so. During this period I bought two copies of Lonley Planet Thailand. One in English for me and one in Hebrew for my wife. I don't have the energy to leaf through books in Hebrew and would rather not deal with Hebrew transliterations of foreign languages. I find English transliterations easier to decipher.

A few weeks before our trip a colleague told me that he'd used a fabulous guide in Thailand who was wonderful with their kids and even spoke a bit of Hebrew. I emailed the guide to find out that he was available for the first 3 full days of our visit but was booked for the next period of our trip. He lives in Chiang Mai so he was able to meet us at the airport and at the end of the three days he dropped us at the hotel in Chiang Rai.

The guides name is Nuntaratt Kongsamai but he goes by the nickname Young. He works exclusively with Israelis. By focusing on one nationality he feels he's able to leverage word of mouth and reputation much more than if he were to work with random tourists from various countries. This has apparently kept him pretty steadily employed for the past 2 years while he has friends who have long periods without any customers. That said, I highly recommend him and would happily pass on his details to anyone.

Young with cookies he bought for the kids in one of the non-tourist hilltribe villages




His fee was USD 545 for 3+ days. This included:

• Pickup at airport and drop at hotel in CNX
• Transportation in Toyota Jeep (4Runner?) including gas
• Services of the guide
• Day trip from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon
• 2 day trip leaving Chaing Mai, ending in Chiang Rai with overnight in Tha Ton
• 1 night in hotel in Tha Ton (2 connecting rooms)
• 3 lunches
• Elephant Camp package
• All entrance fees
• Long Neck/Long Ears Hill tribe village
• Cold, bottled drinking water

Excluded were:

• Soft drinks and Alcoholic drinks (Reality was that he did keep soft drinks and cans of iced espresso in the cooler and regularly offered them to us.)
• Room in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai (I had made clear beforehand that I already had booked hotels in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and only needed the one night we were in Tha Ton)

One of the spots that he suggested was on our list of places to visit while in Chiang Rai so he swapped it out for something else.

Overnight at Le Meridien Chiang Mai

I already wrote a report about this property so I won't go into it again here. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...l#post11492525 As we pulled up the guide was very surprised as most of the families who hire him stay at more downmarket properties. He was a bit worried that the hotel in Tha Ton would disappoint us.

Some things that didn't make it into the initial report. Initially I booked SPG C&P rates at this property. Subsequently I joined Starwood Privilege Thailand and received certificates for up to 4 nights at ever property in Thailand at special rates. For Le Meridien Chiang Mai the voucher is for a rate of THB 3500 including all taxes. This rate is eligible for stay and night credit. So in the end we took this rate for one room and another room on points. Because of the NAN promo and the hotel bonus we got earned 1000 points per night on top of the points for the paid rate and the 500 point Plat amenity and the Plat bonus points.

So after we include the THB 275 per child per day for breakfast in the lounge and the room rate we ended up spending USD 238 and got a suite and a connecting room and earning 3214 points. I guess that comes to 7.5 cents per point. Is that correct?

We went out to walk around and ended up in an open air food court for dinner. Local food, local beer, local music. After this we all got thai massages next to the food court. Not the best massage I've had but the kids were hooked.

Pics from the Le Meridien Chiang Mai

Elephants in front drive


Coffee maker with complimentary pods in suite


Walk-in closet


Connecting room with two single beds


Bathroom of connecting room

yosithezet

Young picked us up after breakfast and we headed southwest towards Doi Inthanon. On the way we stopped at a gas station so he could grab something for breakfast and we could use the bathroom. I ordered some non-spicy Som Tam with my tiny bit Thai which impressed the guide. It was delicious. Often the best food in Thailand is the food along the side of the road, at the gas station and similar places. My rule is that if I see Thais eating there then I'm willing to eat there. So far I've never had any problems with my stomach when eating at these types of places.

Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand. The area around it is a national park. On the way to the summit we stopped at the Sirithan Waterfall.



Doi Inthanon is named for one of the kings of Chiang Mai. There is a shrine to him at the summit.



There are nature trails in the area and some beautiful birds. A number of years ago a Thai military officer crashed in his helicopter and the engine has been turned into a shrine to him.






The scenery when driving around on the mountain is quite beautiful. One of the mountains looks like a bobcat's head. There are also some beautiful pagodas dedicated to the King and Queen.

yosithezet

On the way down we stopped at another waterfall. I headed up and took a picture of the family from a higher part of the waterfall.



Next I asked this group of girls up there if they wanted to me to take a group picture for them since they were taking pictures with one always missing from the group. The agreed and then asked if they could take my picture. I gave one of them my camera and went to pose with the waterfall in the background. Then the rest of the girls surrounded me so they could be in the picture. Perhaps it is good luck to take a picture with a big, fat white guy?



We had a great lunch of grilled, salt coated fish, and chicken and sticky rice. Afterwards we had some delicious local coffee.

Continuing down the mountain we stopped at a stream where there were hundreds of tents set up. Apparently the tents were for some people coming to a multi-day meditation session at one of the temples in the area. There were lots of people playing in the water. The intertubes seemed a bit dangerous due to all the rocks but we all had fun soaking our feet and whatnot.

The locals were enjoying the water along with some drinks and our younger son ended up getting into a splashing battle with two women who were sitting in the water. Everyone was having a great time.




Back in Chiang Mai our guide dropped us at the hotel to rest and freshen up a bit. He then returned and we headed to the Chiang Mai Night Safari. It was ok, not great. Lots of animals but driving past them at night was not all that interesting. As the tram pulls up it floods the area with light and sometimes you see the animals and sometimes you don't. Generally you can't take pictures because you can't use the flash and they don't really stop very long during each viewing. They have a laser show over the lake which is not bad but if you have been to Disney and see the show there then this one is not all that interesting. Overall I'd give a pass to the Night Safari.

We ate dinner at the food court in the Night Safari but since our eldest was still hungry when we got to the hotel I ran him over to McDonalds for a quick burger.



At this point it was a bit overwhelming to realise that this has only been the first day of our vacation!

Overnighted at the Le Meridien Chiang Mai

yosithezet

While we ate breakfast the lounge attendants checked us out of the hotel. Young picked us up and we started north. The big activity for the day was the Maetaeng Elephant Park. Our guide told us that while other elephant parks are run by private individuals for profit, this camp is a conservation center. Regardless it was a great time.



We started by riding the elephants.







Along the way were women sitting in tall structures selling bananas to feed the elephants...



... and some beautiful hotel cottages which are still in the process of being built.



After the elephant ride we were dropped in an area with some folks in Hill Tribe dress selling various knicknacks. From there we boarded oxcarts.

yosithezet

Self-drive oxcart anyone?





When we arrived back at the camp there was an elephant show. The elephants performed tricks, danced, played soccer and painted.



Next up was riding a bamboo raft down the river for about an hour.



More hotel rooms in the progress of being built?

yosithezet

Self-drive raft anyone?



When it gets tiring and hot from steering the raft it is time for a swim.



After the elephant camp we headed out to Mae Taen Monkey School & Orchard where we had a good local lunch. There were all sorts of different types of monkeys and you could cut up some pumpkin and feed them.





This evening we were going to sleep in Tha Ton. It is on the river and we wanted to give the kids a chance to swim a bit. On the way we stopped at a local afternoon market and sampled various fried and grilled foods. The kids saw some phosphoric-colored flavored milk and asked for some. The moment they tasted how sweet it was they decided they didn't want it.

yosithezet

Before getting to Tha Ton we stopped at a rice factory to see the thresher. It was after 5PM so we just stopped at a few warehouses to see which one still had the machines running. This machine looked pretty old. It produces a few hundred sacks a day.





Eventually we arrived at our hotel, the Tha Ton Chalet. Now a chalet in Thailand must be a rare site. The place was not bad but the kids were horrified at the lack of batchtub. They got over their horror when they realised we were going to the 'beach' across the river so they could go swimming. Young and I sat next to the river and ordered some beers and some food from the vendors along the river while the kids grabbed intertubes and had lots of fun. I think the rental for the intertubes was THB 20 each.





That evening we went to a different hotel to eat outside in their restautant. Good local food. Wonderful low-key atmosphere.

yosithezet

Breakfast at the Tha Ton Chalet was a slow and piecemeal. They don't seem to have down the part where you order a breakfast that has 4 items and they bring all four items. Eventually we finished breakfast and headed out. The first stop was to a shop to buy a huge tin of cookies. Apparently in a previous trip Young had stopped in a small village and given out some cookies. But he didn't have enough for everyone so they broke them into little pieces to share. He'd promised that next time he'd bring enough for everyone.

Afterwards we headed to a local wat in Tha Ton which has a great view down over the river. The river that runs through Tha Ton is the Maekok river that leads to Chiang Rai and runs past the Le Meridien Chiang Rai. It is about 4 hours down river to Chiang Rai.

Young has two daughters a bit younger than our sons and he and the boys really hit it off.





Leaving Tha Ton we headed east and spent the morning visiting the areas of the hill tribe villages. First we drove around some of the villages that have turned into small towns. Young explained the little sitting areas the villagers build outside their towns and villagers for the spirits of the deceased to rest. He also showed us some of the properties the gov't had seized during crackdowns on the local opium trade. We then visited a fake tourist village where you can take some pictures and buy some knicknacks.

yosithezet

Lastly we visited a more authentic village. One that doesn't have touristy stuff, just people living their lives. This is the village we brought cookies. It was Sunday morning so very few people were in the village. They told us that everyone was at church. The hills around here have lots of churches and apparently there is quite a large contingent of missionaries working the area. We gave some cookies to the kids that were in the village and then drove to the church to drop off the rest.

yosithezet

As we continued toward Chiang Rai it was time for lunch. We stopped at this restaurant on the side of the road with really delicious roasted chicken. They cook it in a closed container surrounded by burning dry grass. It was juicy and fell off the bone. Unfortunately because it was Sunday the restaurant was closed and they were only selling roasted chickens for people to take out. They didn't mind that we sat at the table and ate what we bought.



Luckily the owner came back from church and was happy to offer additional dishes. We had some delicious oxtail soup and ended with a warm Thai desert called Tap Tin Kaew.

yosithezet

After lunch we headed up into the mountains to Doi Mae Fa Luang. As Young explained it to us, the mother of the current King visited the area in the 70's and wanted to do something to cut down the reliance of the locals on growing opium poppies. She decided to build a house on one of the mountains and began to distrubute seeds for cash crops to the locals. She also started a huge flower garden. She would buy the crops from the locals and this helped convert much of the local land from poppy growing to cash crop growing (tea, coffee, etc). The gardens are really beautiful. Her house can also be toured and is nice and has some beautiful views.

yosithezet

After a good deal of time visiting the gardens we headed to Wat Tham Pla, literally Cave Fish Temple. Of course we went there to see monkeys. Above the temple there are caves with hundreds of monkeys. During the day they come down from the caves as people come and feed them. A bucket of bananas runs THB 20 and the seller will follow you around to make sure that you aren't surrounded by monkeys. Unfortunately it was the end of the day so shortly after we arrived the monkeys headed back up into the caves.

Next to the bananas they also sell bread and small fish. The bread is to feed the large fish in the stream coming out of the caves. People buy the small fish and let them go in the water. The idea is that when you release the fish they take the bad with them and leave you with the good. So if someone is sick they might release some fish in the hopes that the fish will take the sickness with them and leave them only with health.





High above is the wat itself. We did not climb up there.



As the sun was setting we drove another hour or so to the Le Meridien Chiang Rai.

Sadly this is where we had to part ways with Young, our guide. We only spent 3 days with him but it felt like we'd known him forever.

The Le Meridien Chiang Rai is spectacular and has been covered in the thread about the property. I used another voucher from Starwood Privilege for one room while the other room was on points. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...-thread-2.html I'll add more pics to that thread. The first night we ate at the Italian restaurant at the hotel. Expensive, too many mosquitos, but very good.

yosithezet

My wife had been concerned what we'd be doing each day without the guide. I assured her that we'd find what to do. Hertz dropped of our rental, a Toyota Fortuner. We went with something this large because we would be driving from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai to the airport and would need something large enough for four people and luggage.

I reserved the car for 11AM which was definitely the right time since nobody else woke up before 9:30. Eventually Hertz showed up at 11:30. Meanwhile I was looking for information on the Elephant Polo. The main reason I wanted to come to Chiang Rai on these days specifically was to catch the annual Royal Elephant Polo Tournemant. Today was to be the last day of the tournemant and I figured that we could catch 2-3 hours in the afternoon and that would be just fine for us. Much to my dismay the championship matches are held on the day before the last day. The last day is a day for the attendees to rest, relax and get out to see the local area. With the tournament over we had to find alternate plans.


Around noon we headed towards the Golden Triangle. One the way up we stopped in Chiang Saen to look out over to Laos and get massages.



After finishing the massage we asked where we might find some Khao Man Gai. They said there was a place across the street with delicious Khao Man Gai so we headed over and it was really good. about THB 35 for each plate.



We then headed along the river to the Golden Triangle. Young had given us advice as to what to do while we were based in Chiang Rai and informed us of the prices we should pay for the boats across the river. He told us to just call him if anyone tries to overcharge us or isn't flexibile enough with how much time we want to spend on the other side. Luckily we had no such need. We did the normal touristy thing. Look at the huge buddha on the Thai side, take the boat to see where the river leads up to China and where the Burmese are building a casino, then head over to some huts on the Laos side where they sell knicknacks and Nike, Adidas, Polo and other brand name shirts for less than USD 3 each. The crossing on the boat was THB 400. The guy waited for us about 40 minutes. On the Laos side you pay THB 20 each to get in. At this spot there was no possibility for a stamp in the passport.





When we headed back to Chiang Rai we went directly to the Night Market. On the way there we met karenkay and her husband who had arrived at the Le Meridien that day. We took their suggestion and enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant.

The night market is a nice, smallish market. There are plenty of stalls selling the same things you see in the markets in other cities around Thailand. Before heading back to the hotel we got the kids some fresh Roti. The opted for chocolate roti and I tried the coconut. Delicious!