Thailand trip of a lifetime....worth every cent!
Thailand
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Dec 2 - Dec 17, 2023
Kien provided an initial schedule for our family trip to Thailand which we adapted to include some other points of interest. After we set the schedule I was prepared to underwhelmed due to the logistics nightmare that I thought we had created.
From our arrival in Bangkok, where we were met at the jetway by a golf cart that whisked us through customs, to the remote aerie house overlooking the ocean with its infinity pool where we spent our final few days, everything was spectacularly coordinated.
Great accommodations, wonderful guides (Annie in Bangkok, and Noe in Chang Mai), safe and courteous drivers with their spacious and luxurious vans.
We took four internal flights over our 2.5 weeks, multiple ferry or long boat trips....there is no way we could have done this with no stress, but with Kiens expert connections it was a trip of a lifetime for our family. One could purchase our vacation cheaper by doing it ourselves, but that comes with all the stress, language barriers, logistics, it just isn't worth it......just call Kien at Kim Kim
Hotel Review
Tucked away in a side street in Old Town, Chang Mai this hotel epitomizes comfort. The staff is very attentive and welcoming. The rooms are spacious and the beds are extremely comfortable. The breakfast offers a wide selection of western and Asian options. There was a nice touch of free neck and shoulder massages being offered each afternoon for a few hours.
Activity Reviews
Having a guide makes a tremendous difference to the experience. All the official guides have to do extensive courses before they are allowed to "guide" and so one gets to hear the history of the various buildings and their significance of their time
Until one goes to Bangkok you cannot describe the night scene. We toured by the flower market which operates only at night, passing by multiple street vendors selling their wares or food offerings.The food is diverse and interesting predominantly chicken.
Organized chaos! Take a long boat through the narrow waterways bordered by vendors in boats along the banks, and more vendors on the sides of the waterways.
Lynn met us at the local market, which is an experience in itself, where she/we purchased the products for the meals that we would be making. Then we went off to her house which had a kitchen area set up with multiple cooking stations. Lynn talked us through the cooking process which entailed making predominately local delicacies. Unfortunately for us westerners this included offal , water buffalo blood, and other "delicacies" us westerners are not used to.....but we gave it all a try.
Perched atop nearby mountain accessible by cable car one has panoramic views to the valley below. The buildings lends one to wonder how they built these amazing structures in such a remote area. Some very intricate carvings on site
This is a refuge for elephants. They are treated with kindness and respect by the staff. A wonderful experience to interact up close with these amazing animals
Our guide, Man, used to live in the jungle and has an amazing ability to know where various species would be. We were fortunate enough to see monkeys, snakes, tarantulas, a plethora of spiders and other creepy crawlers. once we got to the half way point Man cut down some large bamboo proceeded to fashion some plates and cups, and went to work making a delicious curry dinner all cooked inside some bamboo, over a fire. While Man was cooking we took advantage of jumping in the nearby river to cool down. On the return trip to the hotel night had fallen; however, with the powerful LED lights provided, it was easy to pick up the reflection in the eyes of various creatures in the jungle canopy.
A remote paradise. After jumping on the "hotel provided" long boat one waves through spectacular waterways, ending up at this lovely private get away in the middle of nowhere. Greeted by friendly staff one is invited to relax and decompress. Cool off by diving from your rooms deck, or take your assigned kayak for an explore around the quiet waters. One can take a sunset cruise in their long boat and see some of the nearby waterways.
An opportunity to visit some of the islands within the national park. Jump off the long tailed boat and relax on the white sand beaches. Climb the 450 steps up to a lookout where one gets a wonderful view of the islands from above. On to another very small island where our guide cooked up a lovely lunch on the beach. Then off to monkey island where we were able to tempt some of these monkeys to swim (yes.... swim) out to our boat to feed on fresh fruit we fed them.
