Just in case you thought Bangkok might be losing their sense of humour, here are some great photos sent to us by one of our Bangkok guides!
Guide Training 2011 – Thailand!
By Kwanchanok Meechai “Jeab”, Thailand Director
We just finished a week of guide training in Thailand and it was a great week! Guide training is important because the guide is the heart of the tour as they are the person who shows the country to the guest. The guide must be knowledgeable, informative and service minded, which is why we need to have guide training: to keep the guides fresh and to let them know how important they are and we couldn’t do a good tour for the guest if we don’t have them.
My week was absolutely fantastic as Andrea and I did many things such as hotel inspections, survey for new tours, and guide training when we spent the day with all the guides.
The guides also had a blast! They like that Journeys Within thinks that they are important. They like that they have a chance to meet with the owner and they get to know each other more and more as Andrea does guide training every year. They love to hear that the company is growing and the success in of all our community projects.
As Andrea has been doing guide training since she started the company that means she knows all the guides that work for us in SEA, so she know which character of guide would best match the guest’s needs. Also she gets a good deal with the hotels management that she meets to get the special rate for the guests.
The guides love to meet Andrea and I love to spend time with her too. Oh, there are many reasons, but I will just say some of them that happened to the guides and me during training.
– She is easy going and always smiles 🙂
– She loves adventure & is brave enough to do everything!
– She always listens to other people’s opinions & is respectful.
– She is modest, honest and loves to make the people happy and helpful.
– She is creative and tries to offer new tours for the client.
And YES, she is the team builder for me!
I am so glad that we got to do Guide Training 2011 together; I know this will make everyone feel good and it makes us an even stronger team!
A night bike ride through Bangkok
By: Andrea Ross
Mom and I came through Bangkok- she needed to see the dentist and I was starting guide training…we had one night together in Bangkok! I decided an adventure was in order so we booked a Night Bike Tour with Grasshopper Adventures. The tour starts in the Old Town area, near Khao San Road. You ride through the streets and along the river and then cross to the far side of the river by ferry. Once there it’s a much easier ride with a lot less traffic and none of the heart stopping moments of riding in town. We rode to Wat Arun, the temple of Dawn. While I know the temple looks beautiful at sunrise it looks absolutely stunning at night. A group of monks was busy decorating the temple walls, but other than them it was empty and we were able to enjoy the temples quietly on our own. From here we rode along the river and over the bridge to visit the amazing flower market. At night this market literally takes over street blocks and the amount of flowers is mind blowing! Last stop was Wat Pho temple where the Reclining Buddha sleeps. We were a little late for him, but saw the temples lit up; it was stunning, the temperature was cool and we were the only people there, a great way to see it!
There were some downsides to the tour…riding on the main Bangkok streets was scary and you definitely had to pay 100% attention, even in the quieter area. I also didn’t like being in a group tour, I know, I’m antisocial, but I just like to be able to go at my pace and stop when suits me. Journeys Within can book it as a private tour and I think that would make it an amazing experience. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart, but it’s a great way to be on the beaten track all by yourself!
Dinner at The Peninsula Bangkok: it’s all about the treats!
By: Andrea Ross
We were invited to dinner at the Peninsula last night and what a treat! We went to the International Buffet they serve each evening. Inside they have traditional Thai food, as well as salads, breads, sushi, soup and all kinds of smaller, and delicious appetizers. Outside they have two cooking stations, one featuring Thai food and noodles and the other featuring barbecue and other more Western options. It was an amazing meal with a lovely view of the Chao Praya River. Of course I saved room for dessert and it was incredible. Sweets and pastry can be hard to find in Southeast Asia so my ridiculous sweet tooth often has to do without…well not here. Executive Pastry Chef Yoann Mathy offers a range of desserts that will have you signing him up for Top Chef Just Desserts. I enjoyed the array so much that they called Yoann himself and I loved hearing his story of learning to be a pastry chef by chance, not intention. He was charming and explained that his 20 person team was the one I should be thanking as they did so much of the work. He was a pleasure to meet…almost as good as his desserts. Even if you’re not staying at The Peninsula taking their boat across the river and enjoying the international buffet is well worth it!
Southeast Asia 2011: Thailand!
We asked Jaeb, our Thailand tour director, to fill us in on her top things for 2011. For the next few days we will tell you what she is excited about this year, from where to visit, what to see and where to stay!
What are your top five places and things to do in 2011 in your country?
Places to go:
-Visit the pride of Thailand, The Grand Palace, and then enjoy a massage at Wat Pho. Make sure you find the elephant drop off spot at the Palace!
-Visit Ayutthaya, but skip the day tour and instead cyle at night to see the temples.
– Flight of the Gibbon in Chiang Mai is a unique way to see the Thai rainforest. With over 3km of zip lines, this is the largest and highest rainforest canopy tour in the world!
– In Mae Hong Sorn, visit Bua Thong field to see the hills covered in blooming sunflowers. They bloom during November, and the gorgeous colors are worth planning a trip during that time.
– Koh Lipe is a small island in the Southern part of the Andaman Sea, and it is a great place to snorkel and dive in relative solitude. This place is not busy yet, so make sure to visit it soon! Boats leave from Pak Bara and Koh Lanta daily.
Things to do like a local in Bangkok
-Shopping at Siam area and tasting Thai iced tea, or in Thai, Cha yen.
-Shopping at The biggest market in the world, the Chatuchak “Weekend Market”
-Have a drink at Vertigo, the rooftop bar at the Banyan Tree hotel. The view of the city at night is amazing!
-Sampling food and walking in China Town at night
-Wandering around the Flower Market in the morning and trying Pad Thai at a well known restaurant near Wat Ratchanadda
