I can say without a doubt that the very best time we had in Thailand was when we booked through Tong Tours…….We took the trip listed as FN3 to the Floating Market…..our guide for the day was Jerry……he was picking us up at 6:30am and so we decided to have an early breakfast at 5:30AM and guess who was already in the lobby….Jerry! He was making sure that because of the traffic he would be on time…..no problem….still had time for breakfast and an early start to a really amazing example of Thai craftsmanship in the temple we visited along the way to the floating market…..inside it has truly extraordinary wood inlay and carvings….something very special that we would not have gotten to see on any other tour…..after that on to the Floating market…..local school children were there and they interviewed us to practice their English….great fun and the canals and sites while shopping made this a really fun, colorful experience. Afterwards we headed to a Thai wood craft shops……a nice stop, truly awesome detailed work and there is absolutely no pressure to buy, in case anyone is worried about that…..then the large Phra Pathom Chedi where we made an offering and got to write our wish on a cloth that will be wrapped around the temple……then a wonderful local lunch in a place I know that I would not have ventured to try, but because of our guide, Jerry, we were able to experience and appreciate.
I know that some of you may be hesitant to book a Tong Tour unless you get Tong herself (and let’s face it she has become the standard the world is starting to measure other Thai tours by), but I can assure you that she has kept a very high standard with her staff. Please consider yourself honored to have the very high energy, always laughing, Jerry or the very bright, smiling, attentive and knowledgeable Nui as your guide for your Thai adventure. Happy Travels…… Carol ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Another day out was a customized tour for my WWII buff (my husband) to Hellfire Pass, the Krasae Cave, JEATH War Museum, War Cemetery, and Death Railway Museum and, of course, the Bridge Over The River Kwai. In between we managed an Elephant Ride and a visit to the Tiger Temple. Our guide for this adventure was Nui…..what a gem she is! Always, she was attentive to our needs and seemed to want to insure that we got the most out of each stop. Often, without encouragement, she would offer to take our picture together. There was always a cool bottle of water available, some snacks, and refreshing towels after our dustiest encounters. At the tiger temple, she made sure we had our time walking with tigers and got the handlers to take our cameras for some extra amazing close-up photos of the tigers. We also got to visit the famous Asian Black Bear…Bambam….and Nui had snacks and milk ready for us to feed to her….it was an awesome day and make our trip to Thailand so much more memorable.