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Just saw a newspaper ad for Thai Airways that said “Two free flights with your Royal Silk Business Class ticket.”
The details: Travel round-trip on Royal Silk Business Class from New York to Bangkok on Thai Airways — and enjoy FREE FLIGHTS TO TWO OTHER CITIES WITHIN THAILAND — also on Biz Class.
To take advantage of their legendary Royal Orchid in-flight service, book and fly by 12/31/05. Call your local travel agent or 1-877-THAI-AIR.
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A good friend of a good friend of mine is leading three personalized tours of Southeast Asia starting in November. Roger Harmon has lived in Asia for many years. His rich knowledge of Asian culture, his sensitivity, and his sense of humor all combine to make a wonderful adventure. Check out his Web site.
Worldviews 2000 will host three 10-person tours between November 2005 and January 2006, when this region has its cool, dry season. Each tour will be between 13 to 15 days in length, plus travel time to and from Bangkok, the starting point for each tour. All tours are led by Roger Harmon.
Tour 2 is Nov. 19-Dec. 13 and is called the Folkways in Rural Thailand and Laos Tour. Tour 1 is from Dec. 19 – 31 and will include Laos and Thailand. And Tour 3 is scheduled tentatively from Jan. 9-25, 2006 as an overview of Mainland Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia).
Info: Worldviews2000.
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Dim sum in Hong Kong and satay in Thailand? TravelWizard is offering a culinary and cultural tour of China, Thailand, and Singapore this October, where you can eat the finest cuisine Asia has to offer –– and learn how to make it, too. The 15-day tour spans Hong Kong, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Singapore, with cooking lessons in each location.
You’ll learn how to make classic Asian dishes in top restaurants like Hong Kong‚ Spring Moon, and Thailand’s Oriental Thai Cooking School in Bangkok. But the tour isn’t limited to food… You’ll get a full immersion in the local people and culture with some afternoons left open to explore the cities and towns you’ll visit, as well as scheduled tours.
In Hong Kong, this includes a trip to historic sites like as Chuk Lam Shim Yuen (the Bamboo Forest Monastery) and the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees. While in Chiang Mai, you’ll drive north to Chiang Dao to see elephants being trained at the Elephant Conservation Center. Then, you can go elephant trekking to Lisu Village, where the tribesmen there drape themselves in silver to symbolize their wealth.
The 15-day “Culinary Arts of Asia” tour departs on October 16, 2005, and costs $10,995, not including airfare. Info: 415-446-5252, www.TravelWizard.com.
Kindly contributed by Alex Russell.
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How many times have you talked yourself into buying something less than perfect? You justified the purchase because it was the latest trend or you loved the fabric or color, but then it hangs forlornly in your closet waiting to be worn. Let’s face it; you are never going to wear it because it just doesn’t fit well. Oh, it might fit well in the butt, but be too big in the waist or it’s a great color, but it’s too tight.
Free yourself from the frustration by going to a tailor!
Want to combine your two favorite pastimes, shopping and traveling? Plan a trip to the Far East. Asia has long been known for a wide selection of tailors as well as stunning spas and resorts, so plan to combine both. Traditionally the bastions of fine tailoring have been located in Hong Kong and Thailand, but mainland China is starting to increase its share of the custom market. This makes sense as many of the people who do the actual sewing in Thai tailor shops are of Chinese origin. Due to the fact that many flights to Asian destinations pass through Bangkok, this is an easy way to delve into the world of custom tailoring.
You cannot walk down the street in Thailand without passing a tailor shop. The abundance of tailor shops makes finding a tailor seem like an easy task, but the sheer volume of choices can create difficulty.
So how do you find a good tailor?
It’s not a good idea to just walk into the first promising shop as once inside the storeowners are well versed in how to seduce a potential customer. Do your homework before landing. Research the Internet for customer reviews and search for articles in the finest travel magazines recommending certain shops. Avoid the shops that have signs plastered on them advertising 2 suits and 5 blouses all for some ridiculously low sum. The choice of fabrics will be poorer, the styles outdated and the quality will be low.
Also, never let a tuk tuk or taxi driver take you to a tailor, they are getting a good commission for doing so and don’t have your best interest at heart. Finding a tailor who can do women’s clothing well is the hardest part. You can visit some of the best known tailors in the city who can make a fabulous men’s suit for your husband or boyfriend yet be disappointed in the one they made for you. Most tailors in Bangkok are geared towards men’s clothes. A few of the most reputable ones will steer you away, but most will accept your business with less than satisfying results. Let’s face it; women’s bodies are vastly different than men’s. Our beautiful curves mean the tailor needs to be really practiced to get a great fit all the way through.
The first tailor I visited in Bangkok was proof of this. I had even brought two blouses I owned so all they had to do was make copies as opposed to taking my measurements and creating the shirts from scratch. Even with a blouse to work from, when I tried one of the shirts on it didn’t fit well even considering it was simply a copy of the original shirt. Fast-forward to three more visits each time sending the shirt back for more work. It just never fit right. To the tailors’ credit they only charged me for the two other blouses that were ok and even gave me the one that didn’t fit without charging me.
Therefore, I set out to investigate another shop where a website customer post mentioned they were great at women’s clothes. The shop is called Nickermann’s and it is located in the basement level of the Landmark hotel right at the Nana Sky Train station stop and convenient to all parts of the city. Despite the fact that there were male customers there it was clear that Dee, the owner, understands women. After being offered the ubiquitous beverage I sat on the sofa and browsed some of the latest catalogs from Joan and David, Escada etc. Dee is very honest about what styles would flatter and also knows a lot about fabrics. She will show you the difference in quality or explain why a dress style won’t work well with a certain type of fabric. The interaction creates a sense of luxury as much as the finished clothes do. Having someone completely focused on you for a period of time is similar to when women get married and it’s all about the bride during the wedding.
Frustrated by my previous inability to get a great fit from clothes off the rack I hadn’t invested in any nice clothes in years and I quickly became a Nickermann’s addict. Getting a piece of clothing custom made was as much of a therapeutic experience for me as getting a massage or my hair done. My closet is proof of that. So is my confidence that I look great in my clothes – I should as they were made just for me!
A few final tips: In order to get the perfect fit, you will need to make sure you have enough time in your vacation schedule for a first fitting and then some additional alterations as needed. A smart strategy would be to fly into Bangkok, visit the tailor and see the Grand Palace and other city sites, and have your first fitting. Then head off to a great resort town like Phuket or Samui visiting beautiful beaches and having spa treatments. Or you can even fly to one of Thailand’s neighbors such as Laos or Cambodia for a week. On your way back out of Bangkok you can pick up your new clothes or arrange someone to bring them to the airport if you are only transferring through. Another method is to bring a favorite item of clothing you own that already fits great and ask them to copy it, which will speed up the process a little.
The best thing of all is that they will keep your measurements on file. Once you get back home and everyone compliments you on your flattering clothes you can order more and have them shipped to you. Isn’t that a lot more luxurious than fighting for a parking space and standing under a harsh fluorescent light bulb while you tug at a piece of clothing that doesn’t fit?
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What a meaningful thing! This artist makes use of coconut shells and turns it into a piece of art. Every piece has a meaning behind it, from politics to old Thai phrases. Some of them serve practical functions such as desk lamp, toilet paper holder & coffee cup etc….
Sustainable, Artistic, Functional, Meaningful, Practical- what more can I expect from a single object?
The shop is hidden in a fruit orchard in Samut Songkhran, about a 1-hr drive from BKK. It’s not easy to find (in the middle of nowhere) and the language barrier is also a problem. Every work must come with a brief description so people would appreciate more. I hope to distribute these wonderful works very soon…
See more photos.
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You might ask, “Why come all the way to Thailand to eat steak?�? — especially when there are so many tempting Thai delicacies being offered. The reason is that these steaks are home bred at Chokchai Farm, and they have all gone through the ‘dry aging process’.
This process makes your steak extremely succulent and tender with a richer juicy beef flavour. The quality is extremely impressive and although steak is renowned as a staple form of Western food, local Thai people are successfully using the technique. Plus, because they’re delivered at such a high standard, they truly deserve an honor of “True Fusion Flavour of Thailand.�?
A: Sukumvit 23, Bangkok, Thailand
T: 0225995967
H: 10am-10pm every day
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]]>The post How to Have A Secluded Luxury Honeymoon: Boutique Hotels & Resorts International appeared first on Vagablond.
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For our honeymoon, my wife and I chose the upscale, luxurious Westin Maui Resort with stunning views of seasonal humpback whales breeching in the Maui Channel, catamaran sailing from Kaanapali Beach, terrific restaurants with sunset views, and the kind of tropical weather you can only enjoy in March in Hawaii.
But for a more romantic and more intimate honeymoon, you can now choose a secluded lux resort: Boutique’s Astarte Suites. It features a new collection of destinations, including:
• Santorini, Greece — with nine sumptious villas with their own plunge pools, patio daybeds, and jaw-dropping views of the Aegean Sea.
• Planned honeymoon boutiques:
– Mangosteen Resort in Phuket, Thailand,
– The Banhoek Vineyard Lodge in South Africa,
– The AtlanticView Capetown,
– The Elounda Village on Crete, and
– The Tsitouras Collection, also on Santorini.
Martin Buehler, founder and chairman of Boutique Hotels & Resorts International, said: “The Boutique Honeymoon Collection is a logical expansion of our customer oriented presentation. It is our desire and mission to make it as easy and exciting as possible for the potential guest as well as our travel industry partners to find just the right boutique lodging experience.�?
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I found this amazing restaurant by accident. It was recommended that I try out ChoteChitr, which is said to be one of the best Thai restaurants in the country. Fortunately, it was closed on that day, so I found Poj Sap Kar.
Situated near the famous mango sticky rice store, and a few steps away from ChoteChitr, you may easily miss this restaurant as the frontage looks ‘old’ & ‘low- profile’. Its small shop front is covered by brown stained glass. But I think that’s what grabbed my attention.
A small restaurant with about 20 seatings, I didn’t expect anything special until I flipped the menu and discovered that it specialized in Thai Royal Food. We have ordered few ‘royal’ dishes such as fried fish with seaweed, three-color rice with pork sauce, crispy rice with sour dried pork, lemon grass egg, garlic pork with liver & and shrimp paste with vegetable.
I was amazed by the great tastes and the friendly service, and I know this will be the restaurant where I will dine very often. We had a quick chat with the chef after the meal. She told us the restaurant was opened by her grandfather after his retirement from the royal family kitchen of the King Rama V 82 years ago. The recipes has been passed to the thrid generation, and I believe it will continue as all the staff are family members.
The chef is very nice and warm, and treated us like her children (she called us son & daugther!). She said she will give us a discount for our next visit, I won’t let her do that as the price is already very reasonable. All I want is this great mama’s Thai food!
more photos
A: Tanao Road 443 (near the democratic monument)
T: 02-2222-686
Hours: 10.00-21.00 daily
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Trekking through the jungle in Thailand was always going to be an amazing experience. Taking that trek on the back of an Asian elephant would be magical.
I was worried, though. I wanted to be sure the animals in question would be well cared for, not subject to any of the cruelty or exploitation of which I’d heard rumour – I would hate to be a burden on the poor beast. Thus it was wonderful to discover that I could indulge my dream of elephant-back jungle exploration while not only being nice to Nellie but actually helping her recover from past traumas and move towards a brighter future. About 4km from Kata Beach in Phuket, southern Thailand, is a small, unnamed elephant trekking center. What makes it unique amongst the many others in Thailand is that, rather than just being another tourist trap, this center is Elephant Rehab.
Until a few years ago, indigenous elephants were used in the Thai logging industry, helping to carry trees and logs. Recognising that this practice was increasingly hard on the elephants, and that in many cases the poor creatures were cruelly treated to compel them to work harder, the Thai government banned the use of elephants in commercial logging. Great news, ele-fans would think — until you realise there are now hundreds if not thousands of elephants who have been tame all their lives and therefore can not return to the wild, but can no longer earn their keep with their owners. A solution was to give these unemployed ellies a fresh start in the tourist industry, where they could wander along jungle tracks with random westerners on their backs — a lot less stressful than hauling lumber. Sadly though, many of the lumberjack-pachyderms had been so scarred by the treatment they received at the hands of their erstwhile employers that they were terrified of humans. Carrying a well-meaning tourist on their backs would bring back memories of years of abuse.
While an elephant may never forget, however, the rehabilitation center is there to help them move on. Staffed by kind, gentle mahouts (elephant handlers), at the Kata trekking center the traumatised ellie is coaxed back into contact with humans, through long days spent in the jungle, learning the ele-human language of the mahout (Doctor Dolittle has nothing on these guys), and regular short visits down to the tourists, who feed them bananas and take quick jaunts through the lush enclave. The younger elephants, once fully recovered, will move on to work in other tourist trekking centers around Thailand, their futures safe and assured. Some of the older ones might just stay here and enjoy a gentler pace of life until retirement.
The 20 minutes I spent with my personal Nellie was a wonderful experience: the strange, solid lurching as she climbed suredly along the path, crunching vegetation under her giant feet, I amazed to be so close to her rough leathery skin and her warm, natural smell. The views from the jungle look-out were incredible and a million miles away from the commercialism of Phuket just down the road. But really, this experience was all about the elephants. When I arrived at about 11am, I was told the elephants wouldn’t be coming down to see the tourists until after lunch at least, because it was rainy and they don’t like the wet slopes. Later that afternoon, when the sun came out, Nellie the former logging worker allowed me to clamber clumsily onto her back, and she happily posed for photos with the other delighted tourists. The quiet trust this poor abused elephant showed me when I reached up to her mouth and placed a banana directly onto her tongue proved the rehab must be working.
You can find the elephant rehabilitation center by heading south on the Kata Viewpoint road from Kata beach, Phuket. Alternatively, you can contact Richard, who is another ele-fan living and working in Phuket. On his days off, he brings tours up to the rehab center free of charge — he just asks that you take a trek, the (very reasonable) cost of which funds the center. Write to Richard at [email protected] for further details, or to arrange a visit of a lifetime.
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