Tree's Journey to Thailand

Travel Consultant Tree Schmidt touched down in Bangkok this weekend as part of a trip with Tourism Thailand. View our most popular Thailand Adventure here.

Day 1:

Am I sitting at this desk in the very mod four-star Hilton Sukhumvit, in Bangkok, or is this a dream? 3 movies, 3 meals, 1 sleep, a 45 minute stop over in Seoul, South Korea, 17+ hours later and Thai Airways has me safely on the ground in Thailand!  A 25 minute transition from the airport to the Hilton (in an air-conditioned van - perfect for this hot, humid day) later, I'm ready to explore this amazing country.



Tonight's dinner was hosted by the Hilton at Scalini's, their fine dining Italian restaurant. Not exactly the cuisine I was expecting on my first night in Thailand, but it definitely became apparent why they had chosen to bring us here.  On arrival our team was greeted by the most colorful, well dressed, Italian maitre'd I have ever met.  For starters, we were served a meat & cheese board ( Homemade salami, sliced prosciutto, liver pate, a selection of Italian cheeses, olives and bread). That was followed by a light summer spinach salad and garlic infused grilled Salmon.  Each dish was expertly paired with Roberto's choice of wine.

After dinner, we drove to China Town, the plan was to walk off dinner, Ha!  As we walked the bright streets lined with food-cart vendors we could not resist trying some; deep fried duck, grilled octopus eggs tossed in chili cilantro sauce, and finished with a beetroot/carrot smoothie, YUM!!!  In Bangkok, the street food is inexpensive and tasty - we learned that many apartments here in Bangkok do not have full kitchens as the locals can dine out for USD $2 per meal! What a fun filled evening, good food, fine wine, lots of culture and new friends.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Day 2:

Starting at 8am today I met up with our team and our tour guide Kitti, who will be our escort throughout the day. Kitti shared with us that Thai people call their capitol (Bangkok), "Krung Thep" which means "City of Angels" and is home to Thailand's most majestic Buddhist temples, all impressive and each one more elegant than the next.

Visitors to Thailand describe the Temples as breathtaking, awe inspiring, amazing, beautiful and this list goes on. The Grand Palace was the first stop on our tour. It was almost 100 today, and my first thought was: WOW! look at the streets lined with multitudes of tour buses, this is going to be a very crowded, hot long day.  To my surprise once we entered the Palace the tour went with ease as our group of 5 had our very own guide.

The Grand Palace is absolutely a must-see - even if only visiting Bangkok for a day. This architectural masterpiece was built in the 1700's and was home to the Thai King for over 150 years. The Grand Place is one of Thailand's most sacred sites and to this day you are required to dress properly when entering the temple. For example, ladies: long pants, proper blouse with sleeves and shoes (no sandals or flip-flops). Within the Grand Palace was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We were able to enter the Temple to participate in a short prayer while viewing the Emerald Buddha - but no photos are allowed.

We learned King Rama I had Two seasonal costumes for the Emerald Buddha, one for the summer season and one for the rainy season. King Rama III (1824-1851) had another costume made for the winter season. The ceremonial changing of the costumes takes place three times a year and is done by his Majesty the King.

Next we visited Wat Pho Temple, this temple has a more relaxed atmosphere than Grand Palace. Here we took the self-guided tour.  Wat Pho Temple is known as the birth place of Thai medicine and healing.
The highlight of Wah Pho is the 15 meters tall by 46 meters long (50ft x 150 ft) gold plated Reclining Buddha!  It was an impressive sight for sure!

After the temple tours, our guide Kitti escorted us to see the flower, fruit and vegetable markets. What a treat! The full morning  tour ended with a mouth watering authentic Thai dinner at Taling Pling located in Sukhumvit.

Tomorrow will be back to trains, planes and automobiles as our journey continues to Chiang Mai.

Day 3: A full day’s journey to Chiang Mai our flight departed Bangkok in the late afternoon on Thai Airways new Dream Liner ( 787-8) holding 263 passengers. Chiang Mai is a 50 minute flight north of the city, seems to be a big air plane for such a short flight, however the plane was full.
The le Meridian was our host for the evening, The hotel is centrally located in the middle of Chiang Mai, easy access to shopping and dining. For our team the evening was short and sweet, a light dinner and off to bed.

Day 4: Up with the sun rise, a two hour drive ,Chiang Mia to Doi Inthanon National Park. Doi Inthanan National Park is part of the Himalayans and Thailand's largest mountain range. In the park we explored the scenic walking trails covered in fern, wild orchids, mosses and lichens. The weather was not in our favor as mother nature called for heavy rains and clouds. We carried on to see all that we could, even if we got a little wet. 

In the afternoon we were greeted by the Royal Project Club House and Agricultural Station Inthanon. Established in 1978 by the help from the His Majesty the King The Royal Project was created to eliminated the opium growing in this area and eventually all of Thailand. The Royal Agricultural center serves as a research center for a wide variety of vegetables, fruit, flowers and fish.
This sustainable highlands farming project is very successful with the assistance of 7 tribes and now is spreading throughout the rest of Thailand and surround countries.

Day 5: A misty morning, and on agenda today is a trek along the national trail to Mae Klang Village. The four hour walk took us through an ever changing scenic journey of majestic waterfalls, a dense green jungle filled with fora and fauna, and rice paddies. Our tour guide was very informative and provided us with the history and generation of the Tribes.
After the hike we entered Arabika Coffee at Bean Ai Somsak. The coffee grows organically on the hill sides of the village and is one of the many farmed items sold to visitors as a means for sustainable income for the people.

Day 6: Back to Chaing Mai, zip lining and more to come!

Day 7: Departing Doi Inthanon after breakfast we start our journey back to Chiang Mai ( a 2 hour journey by car). Along the way we stopped at various temples, one being the Doi Suthep Temple. I found this one very intriguing for its impressive 309 steps you can climb to reach the pagodas, free of charge.  Due to time, we opted for the tram (a small fee). Within the site are pagodas, statues, bells and shrines. There is a model of the Emerald Buddha and a statue of the Hindu God Ganesh.  Amazing views of Chiang Mai can be seen from one side of the temple.

After Lunch we continued to a safe

and well organized outdoor rainforest adventure of with “The Flight of the Gibbon zip lining”.  If you have never experienced zip lining this is a must in Chiang Mai!

Later in the afternoon we arrived at the 5 star Ratilanna Riverside Spa and Resort in Chain Mai, stunning!  This Hotel focuses on the Buddhist “Lanna” tradition.  One of the best experience we had was in the  morning, a monk arrives at the resort pier by canoe to receive alms from guests wishing to partake in the traditional custom of “making merit”.  We offered them food prepared by the resort. Once the service was complete we were blessed with a prayer.