Clearly, we are a bit behind in posting reviews from our fantastic guide training trip in July (Can someone please tell me where August and September have gone??) . While we’re still working on writing and adding full reviews, I thought I would quickly post my favorite pictures from each location to give you glimpse of our great trip. Enjoy!
1. How do you become a guide in Thailand?
When I was student my favorite was English class and I did it very well.But it’s not easy to keep that part in my everyday life cos working without English usage.So I decided to take a tour guide course in 2001 from Archaeology Faculty of Silpakorn University and that my adventure began.
2. Why did you want to be a guide?
I ‘ve always known my advantage is English,and I’m a kind of easy learning person and for sure traveling is my life.For being a tour guide I can do what I really want and enjoy it,that makes me be who I am.I can learn everything from my guests,they’re from all over the world.
3. What is the hardest part about being a guide?
To know everything is the hardest part of my job,but also the most challenge for me.My guests they have different characters and lifestyle and interrest and background.So it makes me feel like I can be everything ,friend ,son , lecturer or student for them.
4. What are your favorite sites to show guest?
Definitely The Grand Palace,The pride of Thailand.
5.Where do you like to take guests to eat?
Any local Thai restaurant.we’re local so we know many of them.Once I invited my guests for dinner with me at a local restaurant,not a fancy at all, and they really enjoyed it.But I have to make sure that they really like hot and spicy authentic Thai food.
6. Favorite guests and why?
My guests they have their own style and character,then it’s hard to tell.But I do have my favorite Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Bob and Caroline. Because we had been through the hard time together. They were here in Bangkok while the Airport was closed so Journeys Within booked them on the tour for 3 days at The Bridge Over The River Kwai. We had good time there and forgot all the bad things for a while. Finally we made it, they caught the flight Back home. This was the second time they came to Bangkok with Journeys Within and they still remembered me when we second met .… Read more »
Every Friday evening I’m reminded that I live in a tourist town. The grocery store is flooded with people shopping for their weekend away, the parking lots and streets are busy and hectic and I tend to curse way more than usual. Then I stop, breathe and look around at my beautiful Lake Tahoe surroundings and remember the days when I used to come up here for the weekend because it is such an amazing place. I am grateful for the locals who welcomed me into their towns to visit and experience their hometown and hope to be a grateful local too.
Working in the tourism industry I realize that when I book a tour to Southeast Asia, I am sending our guests into someone else’s hometown. As locals in the incredible Southeast Asia area, I asked some of our staff to share something about their hometown that only a local would know.
Andrea Ross/ Director of Tours / Local in Siem Reap, Cambodia
1. If someone visiting your city had one place to visit, where would you suggest they go?
I don’t think I have a lot of choice on this one… it has to be Angkor Wat!
2. What is your favorite thing to do in your town?
I love the Old Market. I go and visit Pisey and watch people shop and bargain. I also happen to love my own swimming pool.
3. Is there a place in your town tourists do not know about, but you think they should?
Our town has been pretty well documented. The National Museum is new and I don’t think people realize how good it is, it is worth a visit, especially since it has AC!! You can also take a horse ride with Happy Ranch through the countryside, including walking through a temple or two! My aunt and I took a New Years ride on December 31st and it was a blast, a really unique way to see the countryside.
4. Is there anything you would like to add about the place where you live?
If you’re here, come and visit us J
Kwanchanok “Jeab” Meechai/ Bangkok Director / Local in Bangkok, Thailand
1. If someone visiting your city had one place to visit, where would you suggest they go?
I would suggest them to go – Patravadi theatre has offers good food and tasty and nice location. Also if whoever interested for the performance they can also do after the meal.
2. What is your favorite thing to do in your town?
My favourite thing to do in town is taking my dog to get a walk at the weekend at the ministry of public health. There is a lot of dog lover coming to meet up and join the weekend. I have attached my dog’s photo(Shi tsu) So I just think that there are so many foundations here still need helps like the money to support for the dogs and cats who the owner left them behind when they don’t want them anymore or had no time to take care. I know they are unlucky dogs from irresponsibility human but you can visit the link at www.home4animals.org and www.scadbangkok.org perhaps you would like to visit and play with them.
3. Is there a place in your town tourists do not know about, but you think they should?
I would like them to know Ancient City: There is combined with interesting places of all 4 parts of Thailand there so this trip can take only one day to get to know about Thailand.
Nicole Long / Laos Director / Local in Luang Prabang, Laos
1. If someone visiting your city had one place to visit, where would you suggest they go?
That is such a hard one! I would have to say either Kuang Si waterfall or Mt. Phousi at sunset. They are both natural and beautiful wonders. As many times as I have seen both I remain in awe. One extra plus Kuang Si has over Mt. Phousi is that you can take a refreshing dip in the green blue water on a hot day. You really feel like your on a movie set in a tropical jungle and then you realize that you really are (but don’t worry you rarely see any wildlife swimming around with you)!
2. What is your favorite thing to do in your town?
To be honest one of my favorite things to do in my town is hang out with local families and absorb their traditions and customs. They are always so welcoming and warm that I feel as if I am at home. It is always a fun experience when they have reason to celebrate. The celebration is filled with tradition, smiles, food, and a lot of dancing (which I love). A lot of times it can be a bit overwhelming because you’re the only farang (foreigner) and everyone is watching and taking care of you. And you are always asked by the older Lao gentlemen of the village to dance.
3. Is there a place in your town tourists do not know about, but you think they should?
I don’t know if there is an actual location I think tourists should go, unless they are feeling very adventurous. Since Luang Prabang is such a small town most tourists just stay in the main part of town and rarely go beyond about a ten block radius. I think if a tourist really wanted to try authentic food and see how the lao spend their days and evenings then I would suggest to go a little outside of town (honestly you don’t have to go far to get the “real” experience).
4. Is there anything you would like to add about the place where you live?
Narla Phuon/ Cambodia Director / Local in Siem Reap, Cambodia
1. If someone visiting your city had one place to visit, where would you suggest they go?
I will suggest them to go to Angkor Wat temple becuse it’s a temple that most the people wish to see when they are coming Siem Reap town. Visiting Angkor Wat temple complex it’s not just only the temple that they can see and explore the Cambodia history, but can also see the cocal people selling the sovenir, farmer planting and cuttting rice, understand about our tradition and culture.
2. What is your favorite thing to do in your town?
My favorite thing to do in town is having dinner with friends after the work done. It’s nice because we all working and no time to see each other, so it’s nice to meet and enjoy food together.
3. Is there a place in your town tourists do not know about, but you think they should?
Kulen Mountain is the places that not have very many tourist go there. There is a water fall up on the mountain. It’s not a natural site but it’s also an old place that have old temple on top was build by King Jajavaman II in 9th century. Overthere is crowded when Cambodia having the big ceremony but quiet when the cecemony done especially at rainny reason. Tourist can go there to explore about our nature and history tourism.
4. Is there anything you would like to add about the place where you live?
No, this is all have but If I found something that I think it’s good to see I will suggest people who coming to visit Siem Reap town.… Read more »
I always loved the episodes of Sex and the City where Carrie fell in love with her city. They were always so perfect, even at times, in their imperfection. I have never felt that kind of love for a city, I mean I have felt nostalgic and warm in London at Christmas, I have felt hip and blond in LA, I have felt edgy and interesting at a book reading in San Francisco, but I have never truly loved a city…until today. Today I loved Bangkok. I loved it not because it was perfect, but because today it was perfect for me. I think, like Carrie, to find that love you have to be on your own, have to be open to loving something because you aren’t surrounded by kids, husbands or friends. With no distractions, I spent a day with Bangkok.
It started with a taxi ride to Samitivej Hospital (doesn’t sound good so far I know). I had to get a root canal and I was scared. But the taxi driver took to the back way (is there any other way in Bangkok??). We went down a street selling only photos of the Royal Family, another that only sold monk paraphanelia: orange robes flapped out the doorways and alms bowls gleamed from inside.
At the hospital my dentist spoke perfect English and went through what would happen and why I didn’t need to be as scared as I was. An hour later it was done (except for that appointment in March where they do more drilling, but no need to dwell on that!).
My excema has come back so I stopped at the skin clinic where I didn’t have an appointment, I was seen within 30 minutes and another doctor with flawless English told me to take Vitamin B, use a new ointment she had and reduce my stress (I promised I would do two of the three).
Back on the Bangkok streets I took a taxi to downtown. I love the taxis in Bangkok, with the AC blasting it’s a cool cocoon trundling through ridiculously bad traffic. With kids and husbands this traffic is painful, but today it was a moving performance, each block we stopped was a new scene in motion with me as the audience.
I was dropped at MBK where I took escalators to the 4th floor and the Big Cut Salon and Spa. No fancy music here or smells of frangipani, but once the cucumber is on your eyes and the masks are being put on and taken off the dingy walls feel a million miles away.
A facial and eyebrow wax later I headed to the food court on the 5th floor. There I tried the new concept restaurant by Oishi. A take on Benihana you sit at a bar as they cook the food in front of you. Perfect for a party of one on a date with the world. My steak was perfect and I had in-meal entertainment as others came and their lunch too was prepared in front of us.
After lunch it was back to the salon for a haircut and color and now to the best surprise of the day. At each hair cutting station, a computer with games, movies and, wait for it, internet! I gleefully wrote Brandon that I was getting my personal to do’s and my work to do’s done at the same time. He didn’t appreciate the perfection of that moment for me.
Hair back to blond and me up to date on email I headed to the new Bangkok Art and Culture Center, across the street from MBK and Siam Square. I loved the cool of the building, the hippness of it all, but still with a sense of Thai history. Nothing Bangkok does seems to loose its roots. Because it was never colonized I feel that Bangkok has always been allowed to be itself and though it has changed and developed it never lost the traditions and weight of it’s past. Even in a brand new museum with a modern design you feel the presence of the Royal Family and the history of Thailand in its very foundation.
After the gallery I headed to Siam Paragon to look for some books for JWOC, unfortunately they didn’t have them, but I browsed the aisles flipping through history, art and guidebooks. I was interrupted in the middle of my browsing by thousands of screaming fans out the window. It turned out that Oiki? Or Odidi, or some Thai celebrity was making an appearance that day in the Square and the teeny boppers had turned out in force. O-whatever didn’t look as impressed as I think most men would be to see thousands of Thai schoolgirls screaming their names, his cool factor was off the chart…ripped jeans, a shirt off one shoulder and spiky hair. There was a moment of nostalgia…whatever did happen to New Kids On the Block?!? And where is my old school uniform?
My movie started at 730pm and I was surrounded by Thais on dates and just out for the night with friends. Boys and girls packed in to see Confessions of a Shopaholic. In Thailand, before any movie, a tribute to the king is played and everyone stands. I always get chocked up over this reverence to the King. It must be nice to believe in and love something this strongly. While their political views do differ, love for the king does not and this solidarity is inspiring.
While the movie was probably worth the $3 I spent to go, it was worth even more than that to listen to the Thai’s enjoying it. It was fun to listen and see what got the laughs…goofy dancing was a big hit!
I took the skytrain home, still packed even at 1030 at night, and then walked towards my apartment, despite the late hour people sat at small tables enjoying a before-bed snack of noodle soup, papaya salad and meat on a stick. I ordered some Pad Thai and ate it quietly on a plastic stool letting the honking and yelling roll over me.
I may not be Carrie Bradshaw, I may have traded stilettos for flip flops, but this was my city and I was in love, I walked the rest of the way home, letting the heavy air of Bangkok, full of noise and heat and history, kiss me goodnight.
Hot, busy and full of traffic, if there’s anything I need, you have it,
Fruit of all shapes and sizes with sticks of meat nestled beside it,
Chai Yen is oh so yummy and for fifty cents it’s in my tummy,
Makeup, hats and belts galore walking here is never a bore,
People shopping everywhere, I don’t even have time to stare,
Stop for a snack and watch the madness the truth is it’s just plain fabulous,
The noise is overwhelming, the smells can be heady, when I step on you I better be ready,
From kittens to toys to sad dolls that cry, I’m tempted by all, I’m not going to lie,
At night there are cockroaches, rats and more and the heat hits you as you step out the door,
A man holding a balloon selling pens, I give him a dollar and end up with ten,
So here is my ode to the streets of Bangkok, where I’ll always be up for just one more block!
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