Thanks Randy,


I understand the Central store is near the airport, but how about our luggage. Do they have a place where we can keep our luggages?.
For both the Saturday and Sunday markets which 1 do you consider worth going?

As for the CHiang Rai trip, unfortunately I am not planning to spend a night there. Any other suggestion for places to cover on the way there and return. Please include hot sprint and night safari.

Thank you.
P.S Could I have your email address?I need to check out phone accessories also.

Eelin



QUOTE=allthai]Hi and greetings from Chiang Mai,

Lets first talk about the weekend markets.

If you get there at 4 PM most of the stalls are not open yet as they are just setting up. 7 to 10 PM is best. Second is most of the vendors do not have a large quantity so if you are looking for one kind of wedding favor you might not be able to purchase enough. Most of the vendors work at their regular jobs during the day or go to university, make handicrafts in the evenings and sell their handicrafts at the markets to make a little extra money.

For large purchases I would suggest the wholesale handicraft factories that have loads of small items.

If you still want to make purchases of wedding favors at the weekend markets Ning and I can help you here if you like an item and there is not enough. We will help get them shipped to you when the artist has made enough to fill your order. We do this for our friends all the time, no worries.

A full day tour of Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai is a lot of waisted time as it is 6 to 7 hours round trip by vehicle if you don't stop along the way.

Khun Khantoke has the best show. The video I took with my wife and friends is at Khum Khantoke.

For IT stuff I would check the 4th floor at Central Airport Plaza Shopping Mall. Lots of good stuff here. You could do that straight from the airport on day 1 before the Khantoke dinner as it is only 2 minutes from the airport while everyone else is checking into your hotel. Metered taxi is available from the mall with the cost being around 80 Thai Baht to the Duangtawan hotel. You can't do it on your last day as the Mall doesn't open until 10:30 AM.

If you want to see and experience real north Thailand what I would do on day 3 and 4 is; Start the morning of day 3 visiting visiting Wat Prathat Doi Suthep temple then the hill tribe museum, do a 1hour elephant ride at Chiang Dao then lunch, visit Chiang Dao Cave Shrine, then the rice mills in the Fang Valley. End the day visiting Wat Thaton Temple high on top of the mountain with a spectacular view of the Mae Kok river valley surrounded by mountains and Burma. Spend the evening in very nice (not expensive), large, clean and comfortable bungalows in Thaton located on the banks of the Mae Kok River.

Day 4
This morning visit a Karen hill tribe village, a Shan Chinese village famous for it's cotton weaving then to a Lahu hill tribe village. Here you board a private long tail boat and travel through the mountain canyons to CHiang Rai stopping at a hot springs and Akha hill tribe village along the way. The vehicle will meet you in Chiang Rai and return to Chiang Mai.

I think the problem is you already booked you hotel in Chiang Mai for the evening of Day 3.

I always suggest to friends and others to have an itinerary first before booking hotels so you don't miss out on experiencing the real culture and nature of Thailand. Seeing the best Thailand has to offer is just not possible if visitors spend every night in one city hotel.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions you can always contact me here at my FT email address. If you like you can send me an email I will let you know how to contact us once you arrive in Thailand.

Have fun,
Randy and Ning[/QUOTE]