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Travel Tips
1) Tipping
The question of when to tip and how much to tip is fairly complex. Most Thais do not tip. However, those Thais that work with foreigners have come to come to rely on tips as part of their income. If you eat in nice hotels and establishments that cater to foreigners you should expect to tip. In fact in most hotels it is automatically added to your bill. There is a 7% VAT (value added tax) that is added to the cost of food and drinks and then a 10% tip tax that you will find on most hotel food bills. The real questions is; Does your waiter ever see any of this? My personal feelings are that if the service was good (and it is usually very good) it is appropriate to leave a small tip in addition to the bill or at least leave the coins you receive in change. It is customary to pay your bell hop about 20 Baht ($.65) for taking your bags to your room. There is no need to tip in small local restaurants or in establishments that are customarily frequented by Thais and not foreigners. Guides and drivers should always be tipped. However, this tip is paid by H2T3 Tours, LLC if you travel with us. 2) Renting motor bikes or motor cycles The best and most honest advice, I believe, is don't do it. If you are traveling outside the major cities it can be very tempting but in the major cities it is not wise to even hire a motorcycle taxi. The rules of the road are much different in Thailand than they are here in the U.S. There is also considerations of insurance and liability that need to be considered. Unless you have lived for some time in Thailand and have a basic understanding of the language and road customs, my sincere advice is to leave the driving to the locals. 3) Sanuk and Mai Pen Rai Pronounced sanook and my ben rye are very common words with all Thais. You will hear the words often and while sanuk means fun and mai pen rai its okay or never mind. If you do something
it should be fun or why do it? The Thais are very good at looking at the bright side of everything. Of course sometimes when something unexpected happens sanuk is not possible so it is may pen rai. Mai pen rai is very similar to the French ce n'est rien or the German macht nichts.
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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
2013 Tour 3 (July 11-26)
Special slower paced summer tour great for teachers and college students. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Ubonratchathani are major cities visited.
Price is $3200.00 per person in double room.
2013 Tour 4 (November 10-23) Central and northern Thailand with the highlight being the celebration of Loy Krathong in Sukhothai.
Price is $2925 per person in double room.
An additional 3 day, 4 nights in Krabi for $786.00 per person in double room includes flights from Bangkok to Krabi and return to Bangkok plus hotel accommodations.
2013 Tour 5 (December 1-14) Once again from Bangkok, to Chiang Mai and then on to the beaches of Krabi. Lots of leisure and still get home for the Holidays. Price is $3460 per person in double room.
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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It was only after the last newsletter was sent out that I realized I had left out some very important facts about Ban Chiang. Please be aware that the bronze found at this site predates all other bronze cultures including those in China and the Near East. Also of interest is that the archeological excavations in the Isaan region of Thailand have given evidence to the earliest evidence of cultivating rice.
If you have glanced at the entire list of places mentioned in these newsletters, please be aware that they can not all be seen in a two week trip. If you have a group of five to eight persons who want to travel together and share some must see sights, let me know. I will work with you to organize a trip to include your ideas plus add a few more that just might not be on any other tour. Thailand has many wonderful places and areas for a great vacation/tour. Please do not be mislead by some very discounted tours to areas that no longer represent the best of Thailand. I enjoy planning tours for honeymoons and small groups which are not part of the regular tours. If you know of someone who wants to go on their own but needs help in working out an itinerary please have them get in touch with me.
You can always check the web site for the projected dates of any of the tours. 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.
Remember, I will only accompany tours with six or more persons. However, when less than six persons sign up for a tour, I will make arrangements to have very good English speaking Thai guide(s) who will act on my behalf. |
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Ayuthaya (Ancient city)
 | | Buddha statue among the ruins. Photo by Donna Porter, 2011. (Notice the worker on the ruins behind the statue of Buddha.) |
A Khmer trading outpost on a river island became the capital of the Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya around 1350. It remained the capital until its fall to the Burmese Mon kingdom in 1767. Among the many splendors that the westerners found in the city was a hydraulic system for water management that was technologically advanced and unique. In 1350 Prince U Thong fled to the island to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lopburi. He changed his name to King Ramathibodi I and named the city Ayuthaya after the mythical city in the Ramakien. Expanding on the existing trade with India and China and taking land from the fall of the Khmer empire, and absorbing the Kingdom of Sukhothai the city of Ayuthaya flourished for over 400 years. The city is at the conjunction of the Chao Praya, Pa Sak and Lop Buri rivers. An intricate system of over 140 km of canals served as the streets and many palaces and temples were built along the banks. It was known as the "Venice of the East" by the Europeans who came to establish diplomatic relations with the kingdom.
 | | Stupas and ruins of wat. Photo by Donna Porter, 2011. |
Ayuthaya had 33 successive kings and repelled over twenty invasions by the Burmese before it finally fell to the Burmese in 1767 when the city was sacked, and burned to the ground. The population was either killed or carried away as slaves and the capitol was moved to Bangkok.
The population of this magnificent trading center made it one of the largest cities in the world. By 1685 it had more than double the population of London and was probably very close to the size of Paris. The story goes that foreigners were not allowed to spend the night on the island. Settlements from over 40 nationalities including Japanese, Chinese, Persians, French, Dutch, English and Portuguese built neighborhoods around the city.
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Tree roots surrounding the face of a Buddha image at Wat Mahathat. Photo by Donna Porter, 2011. |
In the 1950's the Thai Fine Arts Department began restoring the ancient city and in 1991 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The designated area of the heritage site is not equal to the size of the original city but covers only the Royal Palace and its immediate surrounding area. An extension to this designated area is under preparation to make the entire area of the 18th century city as part of this site.
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Songkhla Lake is one of the major geological features found on the Malay Peninsula of south Thailand. This lake extends from Songkhla to Phattalung Province for a length of about 80 kilometers and a width of approximately 25 kilometers although there are several narrower points. It's easily located when looking at a map of south Thailand.
The northern portion of the lake is named Thalae Noi and is the home for numerous birds, especially those that come from cold climate locales such as China to winter over. Thalae Noi is covered with lilies and the most beautiful displays can be seen from January to April. An early morning boat tour treats one to a magnificent display of flowers and birds.
 | | Lilies of Thaelae Noi (upper Songkhla Lake). |
At the mid-point of Songkhla Lake is a town named Pak Payoon. In the past this was the stopover on the all night boat trip from Songkhla to Ranode. Prior to the excellent road system we have in Thailand today, boat was the only way to travel between the two towns. However nowadays Pak Payoon is a bustling district town with economic activity centered on the lake and its abundance. Fish and prawns are numerous and most famous are the large lake prawns.
 | | Large prawn from the lake. |
Bird nest soup and drink are important in China and to those of Chinese heritage living in Southeast Asia. The karst limestone formations in and around Songkhla Lake have many caves and these caves are home to the swallows that make their nests on the cave walls using saliva. Bird nests are a big business with bidding to acquire a government concession for the rights to harvest nests. These caves are closely guarded day and night since the nests are very valuable.
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Bird nests drying near Pak Payoon. |
Tourism along Songkhla is still in its early stages, however there is one rustic facility named "Khao Chan Resort" that is located on Ko Mak. It has been constructed on the site where King Chulalongkorn stopped on one of his visits to Songkhla over 100 years ago. This resort has integrated their activities with the villagers in the area and one of the unforgettable experiences is a sunset boat ride on the lake in a boat rowed in the old fashioned manner accompanied by southern Thai music played by people from the nearby village.
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Oarsman and boat arranged by Khao Chan Resort. |
The lower part of the lake opens to the Gulf of Thailand. The water in this portion is brackish and this area is the home of numerous pens where the local people raise sea bass.
All in all there is much going on in and around Songkhla Lake. It has been the lifeblood for many for hundreds of years.
 | | Sunset at Thalae Noi (upper Songkhla Lake) |
This article was written and pictures supplied by Bill and Wannee Shaw. Many, many thanks for this article.
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Maruekhathayawan Palace
 | | Partial view of Maruekhathayawan Palace. Photo by Lee Porter, 2010 |
Between the cities of Cha Am and Hua Hin is the incredible summer palace of King Rama VI. In 1923, the King ordered the destruction of his palace at Hat Chao Samran beach and directed a new summer palace to be built using the golden teak wood from the previous palace. The serene setting and beautiful landscaped grounds make this fully restored palace a wonderful place to visit. It is considered the longest golden teak palace in the world. Other names for the palace are the Palace of Love and Hope and the Wooden Palace.
 | | Eating Room. Photo by Lee Porter, 2010. |
Basically there are three sections to the palace, all facing the sea, that are connected by long covered walkways. The entire structure is build on pillars and raised from the ground. An Italian architect, Ercole Manfredi, was hired to finish the design that was originally sketched by the King. The soft breeze from the sea makes a walk through this beautiful palace a very enjoyable experience. Proper dress code is required and you must remove your shoes while walking through the palace. You place your shoes in a bag and carry them until you exit the upper floor.
 | | Music room. Photo by Lee Porter, 2010. |
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Thanks to all of you once again for helping me to receive the All Star Award for the third year in a row. It has been fun writing my opinions and short stories in these newsletters and I hope it has been informative as well. If you have any ideas or suggestions please do not hesitate to send them to me. A special thank you to Bill and Wannee Shaw for the excellent article above. Can you believe the size of those prawns?
Once again I ask for your assistance in helping me find customers for what others have described as a "tour of your lifetime". I hope some of you will be joining me to see visit the land of smiles this year. Thailand is a wonderful country for the western traveler. Why not join one of my preplanned tours or get a small group of your friends, relatives or co-workers, together for a tour organized and planned just for you?
As always I thank you who share this newsletter. You have my sincere appreciation. 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 to the mailing list, but they must sign up for future issues themselves.
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Sincerely,
Lee Porter
H2T3 Tours, LLC
P.O. Box 2114
Springfield, VA 22152
571-244-4363
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