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Travel Tips
1) Check packages and bags. When purchasing items, especially at bazaars and markets, make sure to check the contents of the package before you leave the vender. This is especially true when you have bartered to obtain the item. Most merchants are honest and trustworthy. However, in areas where tourists are a big part of the business, scammers have been known to slip the "wrong" item into the package or bag before handing it to you. You don't get sales receipts so what you take away is what you get. 2) Be careful of ice when away from major hotels. Most of us are very good about watching the water we drink and use for brushing our teeth. One thing we sometimes forget is that the ice in a nice cool drink may not be very good for us. This is especially true of iced drinks from street vendors. They look very refreshing and thirst quenching, but beware. Most ice that is small, round, and has a hole in the middle is manufactured by plants that observe very high standards and it is usually very safe. 3) Enjoy the fresh fruit of Thailand.
Thailand has a very large variety of fruits that are very good. Some may look very strange at first but exploring the richness of these is part of the joy of Thailand. Any fruit you can peel yourself is safe to eat. Fruit that is on buffet lines is usually also very safe. If you try and buy fruit at a market, please do not ask to buy just one. Fruit is sold by the kilogram and trying to purchase just one of an item may be very difficult.
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Comments, questions, additional information , and suggestions on articles in this newsletter may be posted on the Facebook page for Hand Held Trips to Thailand.
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Tours The prices for all tours are pretty much all inclusive. This means that from the time you are picked up at the airport until the time you are returned to the airport for transfer home, everything is included in the price you have paid for the tour. Things included are: 1) Accommodations in air conditioned rooms unless specifically mentioned in the daily itinerary such as the Flotel. 2) Meals included are stipulated in the daily itinerary, but as a minimum include all breakfasts. Some tours include all meals. 3) All in country transportation is included. This means all flights, boats, buses, trains, elephant, horse carriage, samlows, ox carts, etc. that are mentioned in the itinerary are included. 4) Entrance fees to all sites and venues are included. 5) Tips to Thai guides and drivers are paid. What are you responsible for? 1) International flight to and from Bangkok. 2) Drinks other than coffee or tea at meals. 3) Tips to bell hops. 4) Your own travel/medical insurance. 5) Laundry and personal expenses. 6) Meals other than those stipulated in the daily itinerary. |
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Prices
2012 Tour 2 (Jan.29-Feb. 12)
$4088.00 per person
2012 Tour 3 (Late June-early July) Itinerary and price not yet set.
2012 Tour 4 ( November)
Christmas shopping tour Itinerary and price not yet set.
2012 Tour 5 (December)
Relaxing tour itinerary and price not yet set.
Prices are in United States dollars per person in half twin rooms. Single supplements vary and are printed on the web site. Please contact Lee@H2t3tours.com for additional information.
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If you receive this newsletter then I hope you know that this is a personal invitation to you to join in any tour. I had planned for many months to schedule an "End of the World Tour" for Dec 2012, but alas, the Mayan calendar predictions have been discredited. So instead I will just schedule a shopping and leisure tour for that time next year.
You can always check the web site for the projected dates. Also for complete information and the itinerary for any tour, go to the Tours page of the web site. If you click on the highlighted words of each tour it will take you to a brief itinerary. At the end of each brief itinerary is a second link that leads to the daily itinerary of each tour. This will give you a breakdown of what will be happening each day of the tour.
Beginning in 2012, I will only accompany tours with 6 or more persons. The prices will remain the same whether I accompany a tour or not. However, when only two or three people sign up for a tour, I will make arrangements to have a very good English speaking Thai guide who will act in my behalf. |
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Opium Museums
 | | History of opium photo by Matt Welch on tour 2010 |
Most of us are very familiar with the very negative effects of opium. Few of us however are very familiar with the history of opium and the effects it had in the cultures of Asia. The "Golden Triangle" area of Thailand was at the center of much of this history and is the perfect place for at least two very successful Opium Museums. Both are relatively new and both are worth a visit. The smaller of the two museums takes only a half hour or so to visit, while the larger, newer "Hall of Opium" visit can easily take a number of hours.
 | | Water pipes photo by Matt Welch on tour 2010 |
Both museums are very well laid out and English speaking visitors will be happy to know that most of the signage is translated into English as well as being in Thai. The small village of Sob Ruak is home to both of these museums and they are really not that far apart in distance, even though they are miles apart in the size and scope of the displays.
The treatment of the entire history of opium is by far the best in the "Hall of Opium" which was built and funded by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation. The museum was opened in 2004 to the public. It was in 1988 that the Princess Mother (Her Royal Highness Sri Nakarindhara) had made known her wish that people should be made aware of the history of opium in the "Golden Triangle" and the world. Here in a very modern museum setting, with the best of all display and exhibit functions, is the history of opium from about 5000 years ago to the late 19th century. There is much emphasis on the "Golden Triangle" area and the history of the Opium Wars from the Asian (Thai) perspective.
 | | Bong photo by Matt Welch on tour 2010 |
The translation of Mae Fah Luang is literally "mother sky Royal". It is the name given by the hill tribes to the Princess Mother. It was her habit to visit the hill tribes by helicopter. She had always been active in helping the many hill tribes in the northern part of Thailand. The foundation primarily works in rural areas providing healthcare to under privileged people and educating them in how to protect the environment and in implementing organic agricultural programs.
The museum has over 60,000 square feet of display space and took over 15 years to design and build. Experts from many countries worked to create this museum which not only gives the negative side of opium but shows how opium can be beneficial in many ways. This museum was built to educate people in the dangers of drug addiction through a very complete history of one drug.
 | | Opium pipes photo by Matt Welch on tour 2010 |
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Driving in Thailand
 | | Bangkok traffic photo by Matt Welch on tour 2010 |
Driving in Thailand is an experience for those who desire challenges. It is not for the faint of heart. Please do not misunderstand me, Thai's are very good drivers. However the Thai rules for driving are not always understood by western tourists. Driving on the opposite side of the road from us is not the only difference. In the cities, traffic jams are the norm and not the exception. On country roads speed is almost totally unchecked and only experienced drivers should be trusted. All modes of transportation use the roads at the same time, including cars, trucks, buses, horse carriages, ox carts, bicycles, motorcycles, tuk tuks, samlors, elephants and all kinds of homemade carts and vehicles.
 | | Sukumvit Road at night photo by Elan Halperin on tour 2011 |
The unwrit-ten rule of the road is; he who has the biggest vehicle has the right of way at all times. The idea of stopping at stop signs can be very hazardous to one's health and will probably result in a being hit in the rear. The signs are there, but knowing when and which ones to obey take time and experience.
Driving a motorcycle can be a true extreme sport adventure. Many westerners have become accustomed to riding motorcycles on our highways but fail to observe the many unwritten rules of driving in Thailand. While the motorcycle may have an advantage of speed, it is not the biggest vehicle most of the time. Many a motorcycle, going 60 km or better, has met a very nasty end when a large bus or truck pulls out in front of it. Helmets are required for motorcycle drivers. However, it is not unusual to see a family of four or five on one motorcycle and no one has a helmet on.
Many years ago, I drove both a jeep and a motorcycle while I was in Thailand and still have the driver licenses to prove it. Would I drive in Thailand today? Not under any circumstances.
 | | View from a horse carriage in Lampang Photo by Matt Welch on tour 2010 |
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Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden
 | | Inside glasshouse photo by Chou Wen Ching on tour 2009 |
The Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden is one of the vastly underrated and lesser known of Thailand's vast number of recreational areas. To call it a recreational area may seem strange to the few foreign tourists that have been to this garden but it is perfectly natural to the Thai citizenry. Most foreign tourists arrive by bus or minibus and are given a quick ride though the gardens. They dismount the vehicles for a quick walk through of one or two of the buildings of the eight glasshouses in this section. While this is a worthwhile visit, it can only skim the surface of the vast display of fauna available to those who chose to spend the day.
There are several walking trails throughout the garden that are a real delight. One can use these trails to visit a number of different sections of the garden including the Thai Orchids Nursery, a waterfall, a rock garden and other interesting sites. There are heavily forested areas that are ideal for hiking and enjoying nature. There is a large stream in the garden that offers year round water to all the plants.
Of the numerous buildings in the garden which are often overlooked, the Natural Science Museum, the visitor center and the souvenir shop are great places to visit. If you take time to visit these, you will be very impressed by the fact that most visitors are in reality Thai nationals.
 | | Orchid in Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden photo by Chou Wen Cheng on tour in 2005 |
This garden was established by the Botanical Garden Organization of Thailand in 1993. In 1994, the organization was granted permission to name this garden for Her Majesty the Queen. This same organization had been created by Royal decree in 1992. The reason for the establishment was to be responsible for the collection of plants and vegetation, especially the rare and endangered species of native flora, and to further the planting and propagation of these plants. The mission has been very successful and has grown beyond the original premise. Plants from many countries and climates are now in the garden. The Garden today has four main functions: 1) conservation center, 2) resource for education, 3) plant information center and reference collection for scientists and 4) recreation place for the public.
 | | Flower at Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden photo by Chou Wen Cheng on tour 2005 |
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The response to the October newsletter was by far the best response I have ever gotten. Thank you all for the many comments and suggestions. I think the articles that have been contributed by Bill and Wanee Shaw have really added to the information that I want to present about this beautiful kingdom. The wonderful article on Songkla's City Pillar Shrine was written by Bill and Wannee Shaw. Bill was a Peace Corps volunteer in my group and he and his wife still live in Songkla. It is refreshing to have articles from the south of Thailand included in the newsletter. But, alas, I know so little about that region that I must rely on others for input. As always, I hope you enjoyed receiving this newsletter and you will continue to forward it to your friends and families. I would like the newsletter to be informative and not just a publicity flyer. So, your input, questions and suggestions are most welcome. The offer to let other RPCV's (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), Thai's or travelers to Thailand to share some of your stories and photos of this remarkable Kingdom is still extended.
My appreciation goes to all of you who forward this letter to others. It is one of the ways new readers are added. Each month a few more people sign up with your help. When you forward the newsletter, the recipient is not automatically added, but they must sign up for future issues.
If you are traveling to Bangkok next year for either the Rotary International or for the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps in Thailand, please keep me in mind. I would love to help you enjoy your trip just a little more by assisting you in adding a one or two day trip from Bangkok or to extend your trip with a custom tour designed just for you. |
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Sincerely,
Lee Porter
H2T3 Tours, LLC
P.O. Box 2114
Springfield, VA 22152
571-244-4363
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