A simple blog about our round-the-world trip. We will update when we can. Since our readership is international, we will write mostly in English. However, from time to time, we will write in Molière's language and Mickiewicz'. Feel free to comment and ask us questions about our destinations and "coups de coeur". Don't worry, we will also tell you if we ever find ourselves in... a putrid dwelling (for our colleagues at work); a s*** hole (for our close friends). :)
Bonne aventure!
The Great : Chiang Rai. The city is choke-full of beautiful temples in different styles and has a relaxing atmosphere. We met an expat who claimed that Chiang Rai is Northern Thailand’s best kept secret. He may be right.
The Hidden : Jenny’s restaurant in Bangkok. This restaurant near Khao San Road is simply the best restaurant in Thailand. It is extremely low profile and the owner, “Jenny” (Jenny is a guy), is an incredible chef. Best of all, Jenny is one of the few Thais with whom we could have small talk with. If you visit Bangkok, you’ll find that Jenny cooks the best curry in the country.
The Overrated : National Park Doi Thanon near Chiang Mai. It sounded so great: trekking on the highest peak in Thailand. The disappointment couldn’t have been greater. Not only did Doi Thanon disappoint as a mountain (the is no viewpoint at the top), but the only tour that takes tourists to the top was a sham: there was no trekking and we got back to Chiang Mai 2 hours before we were supposed to. We walked in the travel store that had sold us on this trip and fought for a partial refund. Doi Thanon sucks and so does the tour operator that brought us there.
The Ugly : Much of the “tour” industry is rotten in Northern Thailand. Tourists who visit the north want to do two things: see hill tribe people such as the long-neck Karen and ride the elephants. Well we’ve learned that long-neck Karen people are refugees who are actual prisoners of the tourism industry: they live in made-up villages for tourists and are not allowed to leave these villages. This ongoing tragedy is shameful on all Thais who allow this modern-day slavery.
As for the elephants, riding any of these animals, or going to any elephant show that features paintings, acrobatics and other performances, is basically supporting the gruesome elephant training program. If you want to interact with elephants on your visit to Thailand, you should only visit elephant sanctuaries that do NOT allow elephant riding. “Walking” an elephant to grazing grounds is surely less glamorous than “riding” an elephant, but that’s what you will do in the ElephantNaturePark or the Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary.
Other Observation :
Don’t take any tuk tuk if you can. Most of the time the price is unreasonable, and if a tuk tuk driver gives you an incredible deal like 10 bath per person, that means that he will take you on a shopping tour. Look for public transport instead; it is both cheap and plentiful.
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