12 Day Exotic Thai Escape

DAY 1 Thursday - Depart USA
Board your international flight to Thailand

DAY 2 Friday - Arrive Bangkok, Thailand
Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Bangkok

DAY 3 Saturday - Bangkok Tour/Thai Dinner & Dances
Thailand has over 26,000 Wats or "Temples," and this afternoon's tour brings us to three of the most famous and unusual: Wat Traimit, Wat Po and Wat Benchamabophit. Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha) boasts the world's largest solid-gold Buddha, believed to be cast over nine centuries ago. The seated statue is close to 10-feet high, weighing 5.5 tons, and carved in the ancient Sukhothai style. When the Burmese were en route to sack Ayuthaya, the Buddha was enveloped in plaster to conceal its worth, a disguise which held strong for two centuries until a monk accidentally discovered it in 1957. Passing through Chinatown, your next stop is Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok. Surpassing Wat Traimit Buddha in size, Wat Po's Reclining Buddha is more than 150-feet long and over 49-feet high, and designed to illustrate the Buddha's passing into Nirvana. Aside from the 20-acre Temple, Wat Po is also known for its traditional Thai massage, techniques of which date to the reign of King Rama III. Continue to Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple) to view the "Phra Buddhajinaraja" (Bronze Buddha), beneath which lies the ashes of King Rama V. See the Temple's Ubosot Hall or Ordination Hall, erected from Italian Carrara marble in the European neoclassical style. This evening, enjoy an authentic Thai dinner. Experience a variety of typical Thai dishes, served by waitresses dressed in national attire. Following dinner, relax and enjoy a splendid performance of Thai classical dances
Overnight: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 4 Sunday - Tai-Chi Class/Tour to Ayuthaya & Bang-Pa-In Summer Palace
In the early morning, transfer to Lumpini Park for a Tai-Chi lesson, where a Tai-Chi master will demonstrate the basic movements of this ancient Chinese exercise. Following an assisted group exercise, enjoy a picnic in the park. Then travel to Ayuthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand from 1350 to 1767 A.D. Upon arrival, see some of Thailand's oldest ruins and temples, a few of which are well-preserved and steeped in the majesty of the Kings of Siam. Enjoy lunch at a local riverside restaurant. After lunch, enjoy an explanation of the history of this ancient city capital and its religious significance. Visit the giant bronze statues of Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol, known as the "Great Temple of Auspicious Victory," and Wat Panangcherng. On the return journey, enjoy a visit to the Bang-Pa-In with its Royal Summer Palace. Originally built by Ayuthayan King Prasat Thong in 1632, the site was abandoned following the Burmese Army raid, during which it was partially destroyed. The site, as it stands today, is largely the work of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), featuring a Versaillesque garden and several European style buildings
Overnight: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 5 Monday - Flight to Chiang Rai/Maekok River/Karen Hilltribe
This morning, transfer from your hotel to the airport for your flight to Chiang Rai. Upon arrival, enjoy a 45-minute Maekok River boat ride to visit the Karen Hilltribe, where there will be time for an optional elephant ride
Overnight: Chiang Rai
Meals: Breakfast

DAY 6 Tuesday - Doi Tung/Chinese Refugee Village/Yao and Akha Hilltribes
This morning, travel by road to Doi Tung to visit the Royal Villa and gardens of the King's Mother, situated in the Khlong San District. The Princess Mother Memorial Park, opened in January 1997, honors King Bhumibol Adulyadej's mother, Srinagarinda (Princess Mother). The Park contains a full-scale reproduction of the Princess Mother's childhood home in Thonburi as well as two exhibition halls that house photographs and mementos from her life. Behind the exhibition halls lies a beautiful park with small ruins and a pavilion with a life-size statue of Srinagarinda. Enjoy lunch at a charming local restaurant before transferring to Doi Mae Salong Mountain to visit the Chinese Refugee Village and then continue on to visit the Yao and Akha Hilltribe Village. This evening, enjoy an authentic dinner at a local Thai home, hosted by a leading lady of Chiang Rai
Overnight: Chiang Rai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7 Wednesday - Day-trip to Myanmar & Laos/Golden Triangle
In the morning, travel to the border of Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) to the Mae Sai Border Market. Enjoy some free time to shop before crossing over the Mae Sai Bridge into Myanmar. Once in Myanmar, take a rickshaw (two-wheeled cart) in Thachilek to visit Wat Palakaeng, a Burmese-style temple. Enjoy a guided walking tour of a Tai village and Tha Kee Lhek, a local market. From here, proceed to visit the Golden Triangle where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (Burma) converge. Enjoy lunch at a charming local restaurant before boarding a boat on the Khong River to visit Don Saw Island in Laos. Upon arrival in Don Saw, visit local shops which sell everything from wooden handicrafts to pottery, silver and specialized silk scarfs. Proceed to the ancient fortified city of Chiang Saen, the ruins of which date back 1,450 years. En route back to the hotel, stop at Fish Cave National Park, home to Wat Tham Pla and a small pool with a variety of tropical fish species. The Big Brook Koi, which can grow up to three feet in length, are the pools most colorful inhabitants
Overnight: Chiang Rai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 8 Thursday - Transfer to Chiang Mai/ Karen Long Neck Hilltribe
After breakfast, check-out of your hotel and travel to the city of Chiang Mai, commonly referred to as "The Rose of the North." En route, enjoy a visit to the Karen Long Neck Hilltribe Village. Interestingly, the women of the tribe adorn their necks with a series of gauged brass rings, an adornment that begins in early childhood and continues into adulthood. Many of the women bear an impressive twenty or more rings. Continue to visit the Fang Hot Springs, and area set amongst a ten-acre forest and containing over 50 hot springs. Lunch will be served en route. Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, visit the Handicraft Village and Factories to see first-hand how traditional crafts are made. Experience a range of craftsmen at work including Thai silk and cotton looms, Bo-Sang paper umbrella makers, and the Celadon Kilns with their exquisite high-fired stoneware, lacquerware, teakwood carvings, jewelry and silverware. After visiting the Handicraft Center, continue to your hotel
Overnight: Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 9 Friday - Cooking Class/Kantoke Dinner
This morning, visit the local wet market to hand-pick fresh ingredients for your Thai cooking lesson. A Thai chef will introduce the subtleties and exotic ingredients which make Thai cooking unique, as well as demonstrate methods for preparing your own Thai meal. As an added highlight to this unique culinary experience, a cookbook will be presented to you as a gift. Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. This evening, enjoy a Kantoke Northern Thai Dinner. As guests of this traditional event, you will sit on the floor, as is customary, and enjoy an exciting array of dances as you dine, including the Fon Lep (Fingers Dance), Sword Dance, Fon Thien (Candle Dance), and Ramwong, in which all guests are invited to participate. Following dinner, enjoy a special hilltribe show and dance performed by the Akha, Yao, Lahu, Meo, Lishaw and Karen tribes
Overnight: Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10 Saturday - Elephant Camp/Doi Suthep/Oasis Spa
After breakfast, travel northwest along the Mae Sa Valley, with its scenic botanical gardens and waterfalls, to visit the Mae Sa Elephant Training Camp. See the elephants bathing in the running streams or demonstrating their daily feats of skill and strength in a show with music and dance. Even more impressive is the Camp's goal to protect the endangered Thai Elephant by controlled breeding, a program which has flourished since 1995. Continue to visit a large Orchid Farm and Nursery, home to more than 50 species of mountain orchid, many of which bloom year-round. Enjoy lunch at a charming local restaurant. Following lunch, you will continue to the Doi Suthep summit to visit Wat Phrathad Doi Suthep, erected in 1384 A.D. Located 3500 feet above sea level, Wat Phrathad Doi Suthep is the most sacred temple in northern Thailand, containing a holy relic of Lord Buddha and a copper-plated chedi topped by a tiered-gold parasol in its interior cloister. Equally impressive is the mythological Naga (Dragon-headed serpent) staircase, containing 306 steps leading up to the temple grounds. This evening, enjoy a complete two-hour "Lanna-style Spa," including Aromatherapy, a Thai Herbal Steam, and a traditional Thai Massage at the Oasis Spa
Overnight: Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 11 Sunday - Flight to Bangkok
Early this morning, travel to a nearby Wat to give Alms (offerings) to the monks in return for a blessing (the offerings will be supplied for you). Following this ancient spiritual experience, transfer back to your hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Bangkok. Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to your hotel. This evening, celebrate your final night abroad at a farewell dinner
Overnight: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 12 Monday - Return Home
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast