Overseas vacation tours, 2008

Tour of Thailand

Summary of Itinerary
January 1 through January 17, 2008

Tuesday January 1/Wednesday January 2 – Fly to Bangkok – Meet at the American Airlines ticket counter at 6:00 AM. The bicycles will already be there. Leave St. Louis on American Airlines Flight 2543 at 8:10 AM. Arrive in Dallas at 10:05 AM. Leave Dallas on American Airlines Flight 61 at 12:10 PM. Arrive in Tokyo at 4:35 PM on January 2. Leave Tokyo on Japan Airlines Flight 707 at 6:45 PM. Arrive in Bangkok at 11:50 PM. Collect baggage and bicycles, go through customs, and board a bus for transport to our hotel.

Thursday January 3 – Tour Bangkok – Late breakfast, then meet with the group to plan the day’s activities. Tour staff will assemble the bicycles, and we will all meet with the tour guide and the van driver (both English speaking Thai’s) to review the details of our tour.

The hotel for these first three nights is the Siam Heritage Hotel (4 stars) at 115 Surawon Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500. Their telephone is 02.353.6101, fax is 02.353.6123, and web site is www.thesiamheritage.com. The hotel has 69 elegant rooms, each beautifully appointed in authentic Lanna and Middle Rattanakosin Era decor. Leisure facilities include a spa, Jacuzzi, swimming pool and gym. The hotel is close to many banks, shopping malls and local night entertainment venues. The Patpong Markets and the Silom Road area (a famous shopping district) are both just a block away. The group welcome dinner tonight is on a converted rice barge on the Chao Praya River.

Friday January 4 – Tour Grand Palace and Wat Pho, Bangkok – After a good night’s sleep and late breakfast we will meet to discuss activities for the day. The early afternoon is a chance to relax and do some local shopping. After a late lunch we will travel as a group to visit the Grand Palace and the Wat Pho temple complex. Breakfast, lunch and dinner as a group today.

Saturday, January 5 – Cycle to Ampawa – After breakfast we will depart via coach to see Damnoen Nam Saduak (the famous floating market) and the village of Ampawa, a small hamlet in the heart of the Mae Klong delta, south of Bangkok. After a visit to the market we will take a long tail boat trip along the maze of waterways in the delta. This area is part of the “Green Ring” the surrounds Bangkok, where numerous orchards grow pommelo, mango, grape guava, jackfruit, coconut and banana. The intricate maze of canals and waterways connects this fertile region to the capital. Ampawa has the highest concentration of temples in the kingdom. Our cycling today starts at King Rama II Park and ends in Ampawa. Along the way we will pass fruit orchards, plantations and temples, and get a chance to meet the people who live and work in this area. We will have lunch along the river.

Our lodging tonight is in the heart of Ampawa village at the newly opened Chotika Riverfront Resort. It is a small establishment comprised of rooms created from 80 year old canal-front stores, including an abandoned sawmill, all in indication of the bygone era when rivers and canals were the heart of this community. We will stay in mini-suites that open onto a private canal path. In the morning monks from a local temple paddle along the canal to collect alms. The Chotika Riverfront Resort is located at Ampawa, 44 Moo 3, Tambon Bangchang, Amphur Amphawa, Samutsongkram 75110. The telephone is 034.751.042, fax 034.751.042, web site www.chotikariverfront.com. The group will have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Total cycling distance 32km.

Sunday January 6 – Cycle to Kanchaniburi – Travel via coach to Kanchaniburi, with a visit to the famous bridge over the River Kwai and the war museum, before transferring to Wat Prasat Muang Sing, a Khmer temple site dating from the 12 century. As we cycle back to Kanchaniburi we will pass through the valley that gave rise to the Thai classical music style called Khmer Sai Yoke, and will stop at a jungle camp to ride an elephant.

We spend the night at the River Kwai Resotel, 55 Moo 5, Tamboln Thasao, Amphur Salvoke, Kanchanaburi 71150. The telephone is 091.734.5238, fax 081.753.9760, web site www.riverkwaifloatel.com. This chalet is located on the bank of the Kwai. Rooms are fully air conditioned, and the hotel offers a swimming pool, traditional and herbal massage service, and wireless internet access is available. The group will have breakfast, lunch and dinner together today. Total cycling distance 50km.

Monday January 7 – Cycle to Ayutthaya – After breakfast we transfer via coach to Bang Pa to visit the Summer Palace of King Rama V who regularly spent his summers there. The structures of the palace complex represent a variety of architectural styles, from very old Chinese handicraft to European 18th Century ornaments and furniture, all set in a very large park around ponds and waterways. We will cycle along the Chao Praye River through many local communities on small roads and paths that make for an excellent ride. On the way we stop at Wat Chai Wattanram (temple) before we enter the historic city of Ayutthaya, the Thai capital from 1350 to 1767. We ride to some of the main areas of the city including Wat Phra Si Sanphet. This structure was Ayutthaya’s largest temple and a favorite for the royalty. It later became the model for the Emerald Budda temple in Bangkok. The complex is dominated by Wat Phra Si Sanphet’s three towering chedis.

We stay at the Krungsri River Hotel, 27/2 Moo, 11 Rogchana Road, Kamuang, Ayutthaya 13000. The telephone is 035.244.333, fax 035.243.777, web site www.krungsririver.com. The hotel has air conditioning, sauna, outdoor pool, television, bar, restaurant. Our group will have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Total cycling distance 30km.

Tuesday January 8 – Cycle to Uthai Thani – After breakfast we transfer via coach to Chainat Province, stopping at Wat Pa Mok temple to see a famous reclining Buddha. Then we ride north into Uthai Thani Province, making several river crossings by ferry and passing by orchards and rice fields. Lunch today is a real treat, served on a restored rice barge as it cruises up the Sakaekrang River, passing lush river scenery and traditional floating houses. After lunch we ride on Thepho Island, known for its forests and prosperous family farms.

Our hotel is the Uthai River Lake Resort, 8 Moo 5, Tambon Koh Tapho, Amphur Muang, Tuahi Thani. The telephone is 089-162-8188. The group will have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Total cycling distance 39km.

Wednesday January 9 – Cycle to Kamphaeng Phet – This will be a great day for cycling! We will pass through many small villages and much scenic country, and cross many small bridges on our way through Nakorn Sawan Province into Kamphaeng Phet Province. The route is flat and uses back roads—we are now well off the beaten path and won’t see any crowds of tourists.

Kamphaeng Phet Province is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with Sukhothai, tomorrow’s destination). The city of Kamphaeng Phet (which means “Diamond Wall City”) was a fortress town meant to protect the borders of the Sukhothai kingdom from invaders, and the original moat and 6 meter tall wall are still visible in the moss and flower covered ruins. We will see archaeological digs in Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park and visit Kamphaeng Phet National Museum to view recovered sculpures of demons and celestial beings.

Our lodging tonight is the Chakungrao Riverview Hotel, 149 Taysa 1 Road, Amphur Muang, Kamphaeng Phet, 62000. The telephone is 66(0) 5571 4900 (through 4908), fax 66(0) 5571 4909, web site www.chakungraoriverview.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are with the group. Cycling distance 49km.

Thursday January 10 – Cycle to Sukhothai – With a name that means “Dawn of Happiness”, the city of Sukhothai was established in the 13th Century and was the capital of the first independent Thai kingdom. Sukhothai’s golden age started in 1278 with the ascendancy of King Ramkhamhaeng, and lasted through the 14th Century. The art and architecture produced during that period are considered some of the best in all Southeast Asia. Sukhothai Province is a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many of the original temples and monuments have been lovingly restored.

Our lodging tonight is the Heritage Hotel, 999 M 2 T. Klongkrajong, A. Sawankaloke, Sukhothai 64100. Telephone is 02.250.4527, fax 02.250.4525. Group meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cycling distance 89km. The air conditioned support coach will be available (as usual) for those who want to cycle only part of today’s route.

Friday January 11 – Free day in Sukhothai – We will stay in Sukhothai for another day, with an optional (highly recommended) ride available. You can use the free time for shopping, swimming, writing home, eating and lounging around. However, Sukhothai Historical Park is quite large and traveling by bicycle is the best way to see more of the great art and architecture preserved at this site.

We continue to stay at the Heritage Hotel today. Breakfast is with the group, lunch and dinner are on your own. The hotel staff and our tour guides will suggest good restaurants for those meals. Cycling distance approximately 30km.

Saturday January 12 – Cycle to Uttaradit – Today we ride along some of the most secluded and beautiful roads in all of Thailand, under canopies of palm trees and alongside lush green rice paddies. We are headed to the town of Uttaradit by way of Sri Satchanalai. This was the center of the Thai ceramics industry during the height of the Sukhothai kingdom, and pottery made in Sri Satchanalai was exported to Indonesia, the Philippines and all over Southeast Asia. A beautiful 300 acre national park here has over 70 species of birds, flowers, waterfalls, caves, gorgeous overlooks, and about 500 kilns used to make pottery. We will transfer by coach from Sri Satchanalai to Uttaradit. In our final destination town is the Klong Tron National Park, which is known for copious mangrove forests and the largest living teak tree in the world.

Our hotel tonight is the Seeharaj Hotel in Uttaradit, 163 Barom-Asana Road, Amphoe Muang, 53170. The telephone is 055.411.016, fax 055.316.427. The Seeharaj has integrated many aspects of the ancient architectural styles of northern Thailand in its exterior and individual rooms for a unique, imposing look. All rooms are air conditioned, and the hotel has a swimming pool and sauna. The group will have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Cycling distance is 82km.

Sunday January 13 – Cycle to Lampang – We will transfer today to the Wat Phrabatming Muang temple in Phrae to start our ride. Phrae is an old town with some great examples of teak architecture. We ride from Phrae to Lampang over quaint bridges and through local villages. We will pass through Ban Nasan, well known for bamboo products. You will have many opportunities to develop your bargaining skills as we pass by numerous colorful markets. The ride ends with a short transfer by coach to our hotel.

Lampang is about 100km south of Chiang Mai. It was founded in the 7th Century, and in more recent times was a center of the teak industry. Lampang was long occupied by Burma, and Burmese influence is apparent in many of the temples of the city.

We stay tonight at the Wienglakor Hotel, 138 Phaholyothin Road, Suankok Muang Lampang 52100. Telephone 054.224.470.1, fax 054.316.427. The group will have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Cycling distance 47km.

Monday January 14 – Cycle to Chiang Mai – Today we ride to Chiang Wat Hariphunchai (temple), which was built around 1044 and is one of the finest examples of Lanna Temple architecture in existence. After visiting the temple we transfer by coach to our hotel in Chiang Mai. This bustling northern city is the second largest in Thailand. Chiang Mai sits in a wide, fertile valley and lies on the banks of the Ping River. The Ping was a principal trade route from China to Burma and the Gulf of Siam, and Chiang Mai’s location meant its influence could spread up and down the river far beyond its own valley. Chiang Mai was the capital of the feudal kingdom of Lanna (“The Million Fields”), was well developed by the 8th Century, and reached its peak of power and culture in the 15th Century.

We stay in the Manathai Village Hotel, 39/9 Soi 3, Tapae Road, Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100. Telephone 66 5328 1666-9, fax 66 5328 1665, web site www.manathai.com. The Manathai is a small boutique hotel, located in the heart of traditional Chiang Mai where centuries-old temples mix with contemporary architecture. The hotel is located next to the famous Night Bazaar. Group meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cycling distance 50km.

Tuesday January 15 – Cycle around Chiang Mai – In the morning we take an easy ride along the Ping River to Ban Tawai village, the center of Thailand’s woodcarving industry. After lunch we return to Chiang Mai by coach. You are free in the afternoon to explore Chiang Mai further on your own. We stay another night at the Manathai Village Hotel. Breakfast and lunch with the group, dinner on your own. Cycling distance 22km.

Wednesday January 16 – Return to Bangkok – After a very early breakfast we take a 7:00 AM flight to Bangkok (Thai Airlines flight 125). We will return to the Siam Heritage Hotel, where we started the tour. The afternoon is free for shopping and packing for the return home. In the evening we will have a farewell dinner cruise on the Chai Praya River. Group meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Thursday January 17 – Return to St. Louis – After another very early breakfast we will transfer to the Bangkok International Airport to begin our journey home. We start on Japan Airlines Flight 708 to Tokyo, departing at 8:15 AM and arriving at 4:00 PM. Next is American Airlines flight 60 leaving Tokyo at 7:00 PM and arriving in Dallas at 3:35 PM. (Remember, we cross the International Date Line and gain back a day on this leg.) Finally is American Airlines flight 2608 leaving Dallas at 5:45 PM and arriving in St. Louis at 7:25 PM.

What the tour includes:

Fifteen nights in first class hotels, three stars or better, 15 breakfasts, 12 lunches and 12 dinners. Two nights dinner will be on you own. Welcome dinner will be on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok. Our Farewell dinner will be on the Manhora River Cruise boat.
Accompaniment by two English speaking guides during the entire stay in Thailand.
Air conditioned coach for all sightseeing trips.
Entrance fees for Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet and Sri Satchanalai Historical Parks.
Entrance fees for sightseeing in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
Entrance fees in Ayutthaya.
Elephant ride in Kanchaniburi.

International airport tax in Bangkok is not included (700 Thailand Baht, approx. 30 US Dollars).

For further information please contact:

Donald N. Humphries, President
tel: 314.739.4648
email: donaldh@touringcyclist.com

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