CENTRALTHAILANDRICE&SPICETRAIL 9days8nightstriptomakeyourelaxandfeellikealocal TRIPHIGHLIGHTS TakeoursignatureHistoricBangrakFoodTastingandCulturalWalkingTours SightseeingofBangkok smajorlandmarksincludinggrandpalaceandtempleoftheemerald Buddha MasteryourThaicookingskillatBaipaiCookingSchool CookwithlocalsinSamutSongkram VisittheUNESCOWorldHeritageAyutthayaandtasteancientThaicuisine Visitafisherman svillageandtourtheiroysterandmusselfarms Visitacoconutorchardandlearnabouttraditionalcoconutsugarmakingtechnique Visitoff the beatenlocalfloatingmarketsandtheexotictrainmarket TastetheNewLatitudewinesandtaketheWorld sonlyelephantrideinthevineyard Dinewithvariousscenesincludingriverfront,beachfront,bustlingChinatown,andthemiddle ofthesea! StayattheluxuryhotelsandresortssetalongChaoPhrayariver,MaeKlongriverandHuaHin beachfront FarewelldrinkatoneofbreathtakingBangkok srooftopbar ITINERARY Day1:Welcomeandrelax Arrive in Bangkok. You will be transferred to the luxury Chatrium Riverside hotel set along the majesticchaophrayariver theriverofkings Ourguideswillintroduceyoutothesurrounding areasandhowtocommutearoundinbangkokduringyourfreetime.then,weleavetherestofthe dayforyoutorelaxandunwind. Meal:N/A Overnight:Bangkok Accommodation:ChatriumRiverside(5stars)orequivalent
Day2:ExploringBangkoklikealocal Off the beaten trackfood&culturewalkingtourinbangrak GrandPalaceandtheTempleofEmeraldBuddha TraditionalThaimassageatWatPho DinnerattheworldfamousBangkok schinatown ExperienceBangkokthroughvariousmodesoftransportation(TukTuk,RiverFerry, andtaxi) TodaywewillhaveachancetoexploreBangkokinthemostauthenticway.Afterbreakfast,wewill take you on the shuttle boat from your hotel to Bangrak district, one of Bangkok s oldest and tastiestneighborhoods.here,yourjourneyintotheworldofthaicuisinesbegins.youwilljoinour famousfoodwalk thehistoricbangrakfoodtastingandculturaltour.wewillintroduceyouto a various styles of Thai delicacies, prepared by some of the best chefs in town. All of the local restaurants we visit are legendary of their own. They are run by the second, third or even forth generation. You will have a chance to participate with restaurant owners and learn about their famous dish and history. By the end of the food walk, you will be surprised to learn about the diversitythaicuisines fromoneregionandethnictoanother. Then,itistimetotravel likealocal onapublicferryalongthemightychaophrayariver.aftera 20 minutes ride, we will get to Bangkok s Rattanakosin Island (the old city area). You will visit Bangkok s major attractions, including the Temple of Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, and the Temple of Reclining Buddha(Wat Pho). At Wat Pho, you will have a chance to try the traditional Thaimassage.NowhereelseyoucangetthemostauthenticThaimassagethanatWatPho.Then, another journey of the day begins.we will take a ride onbangkok s famous 3 wheelstuk Tuk to the world s largest Chinatown, known by locals as Yaowarat. Here, you will dine in at a famous Thai Chineserestaurantandgetthefirst handexperienceoftheexoticbangkok schinatown.after dinner,wewilltakearideoflocaltaxibacktoyourhotel. Meal:B,L,D Overnight:Bangkok Accommodation:ChatriumRiverside(5stars)orequivalent Remarks:Don tworryifthisisnotyourfirstvisittobangkokandyouhavealreadyvisitedthegrand Palace.TherearemanyattractionsaroundRattanakonsinIslandandwecanarrangeyoutovisit otherplacesinstead.justletusknowandwecantailorthisafternoontoyourpersonalinterest. Page 2
Day3:Learntocooklikealocal CookingclassatBaipaicookingschool Afterbreakfast,ourfriendfromBaipaicookingschoolwillpickyouup.BaiPaiisoneofthemost renownedcookingschoolsinthailand.afterarrivingintheirbeautifulandserenefacility,youwill have a chance to learn home style Thai dishes. The class will begin with the introduction of Thai local ingredients. The theory session of Thai cooking will follow. Then, Baipai expert chefs will guideyoutocook4deliciousthaidish.aftercooking,youwillenjoylunchwiththefoodyoujust cookinacharmingthaiwoodenhouse. After class ends around 1pm, your afternoon is free. You will transfer you back to hotel or other locationofyourchoice. Cooking class: For the class at Baipai, you will cook four home style Thai dishes. Menu changes regularlyaccordingtothefreshestlocalingredientswecangetforyourclass. Meal:B,L Overnight:Bangkok Accommodation:ChatriumRiverside(5stars)orequivalent Remarks:Wecanaccommodatenon cookingpartner.wecanreplacethecookingclasswithother activity.pleaseletusknowandwewilltryourbesttofindtheactivitythatsuitforthenon cooking one. Page 3
Day4:SlowtravelinancientAyutthaya VisittheUNESCOWorldHeritage sayutthayacity Visitancienttemples Tastevariousold timecuisines Witness the local artisan making Ayutthaya s famous sweet Roti Saimai (Roti with fairyfloss) TastethegrilledmonsterRiverPrawn Afterbreakfast,ourculinaryguidewillpickyouupforajourneytotheUNESCOWorldHeritageand ouroldcapitalcityofayutthaya,locatedjustlessthan1hourdrivefrombangkok.today,youwill haveachancetowinessayutthayahistoricaltemplesandancientruins.asthecitywithrichhistory and century old culture, Ayutthaya is also famous for its cuisines. Some of the dish you will try includesgrilledmonsterriverprawnwithitssizeasbigasyourpalm,ayutthaya ssignatureboat noodle,pla Ob Fang,andmanymore.Youwillalsowitnesssomeoftheuniquecookingtechniques bylocalartisans,suchasyouwilllearnhowlocalsmakerotisaimai(rotiwithfairyfloss). Meal:B,L,D Overnight:Bangkok Accommodation:ChatriumRiverside(5stars)orequivalent Day5:GolocalinSamutSongkram VisitDonWaimarket CookwithlocalsinSamutSakorn Fisherman svillage,oyster&musselfarmtouronfisherman sferry Dineatthebamboopavilioninthemiddleofthesea Optionalnight timefirefiresspottingonariverboat After breakfast, we check out from the hotel. We will head west of Bangkok with the first stop at DonWaimarket.Here,youwillhaveachancetotastemanylocaldelicaciesandlearnaboutvarious localproduces.then,wewillofftosamutsongkram,knownbymanyasthelastveniceofthailand. Wewillvisitafisherman svillageandlearnabouttheirwayoflife.then,thelocalfishermanwill takeyouontheirferrytovisitoysterandmusselfarmsaswellastofeedwildlong tailedmacaques. You will also help our hosts prepare the local seafood dinner. Then, we will have these delicious seafoodservedonthebamboopavilionbuiltrightinthemiddleofthesea. WewillspendanightinariversideboutiqueresortfeaturingThai woodenhouseaccommodation inamphawadistrictofsamutsongkram.amphawaisanoldmarkettownonthemaeklongriver, andithaslongbeenfamousforthefireflieswhichliveamongstthemangrovesinthewaterswhere the Mae Klong meets the sea. It s one of the only few places in the world that you can witness Page 4
thousands of fireflies light up in the same time. You will have an optional 1 hour night tour for fireflysightseeingonasmallriverboat(thebestseasontoseefirefliesisduringjunetooctober, buttheycanbeseenyearround) Meal:B,L,D Overnight:SamutSongkram Accommodation:BaanAmphawaResortandSpa(5stars)orequivalent Day6:Off the beatenfloatingmarketandpetchburi Visitoff the beaten trackthakafloatingmarket Visitthefamoustrainmarket Visitcoconutorchardandlearntraditionalcoconutsugarmakingtechnique Visitunseencave TakealocalfoodtourinPetchburi Seafooddinneronthebeachfrontrestaurant OfferalmstotheBuddhistmonkinearlymorning(optional) As95%oftheThaisareBuddhist,BuddhismhighlyinfluencesThaicultureandeverydaylife.This morning,youwillhaveanoptiontowakeupearly(6am)tolearnaboutadailybuddhistpractice andexperiencetheactofofferingalmstothemonks. After breakfast, we will take you to the unseen train market. Then, we will head to the off thebeaten Tha Ka floating market, where local farmers meet to exchange their produces. A row boat slowly brings you to explore ordinary Thai life by the canals. Visit the original coconut sugar makers to learn fascinating sugar making technique. You will have a chance to taste farm fresh localspecialtiessuchasroastedbananawithsweetdipandthefreshestcoconutjuice. Then,wewillleaveSamutSongkram.WewilltakealocalfoodtourofPetchburi,thecityfamousfor traditionalcuisineandlocaldessertsforsome200years.atpetchburi,wewillalsotakeashorttrip tothebeautiful,unseencave.tonight,wewillstayattheluxuriousworaburaresortandspaset on the beachfront in Hua Hin, the beach town famous for local Thais. You can spend a few hours relaxingattheresort,thenwewillwalkalongthebeachtogettothetown sbestlocalthaiseafood restaurant.again,yourdayisfinishedwiththefreshestandtastiestseafooddinner. Meal:B,L,D Overnight:HuaHin Accommodation:WoraBuraResortandSpa(5stars)orequivalent. Page 5
Day7:RetreatsinHuaHin WineTastingandWineryTouronElephantRide. HuaHinNightMarket Afterbreakfast,wewillgotoavineyardinHuaHin.Youwilllearnabouttheir newlatitudewines andwhyitispossibletogrowwineinthetropicalclimate.forthebestpartofthiswinerytour,itis theonlyplaceintheworldthatyoucantourthevineyardonanelephantride.afterthat,wewill followbywinetastingandatastylunch. Yourafternoonisfree.(Itistimeforyoutojustsitbackandrelaxonthebeachorhaveafamous Thai spa course at the resort). In the evening, our driver will bring you to Hua Hin Night Market, whereyoucanchoosetotryavarietyofthaifoodonyourownaswellasdosomelocalshopping (Ourdriverwillwaitforyou). Meal:B,L Overnight:HuaHin Accommodation:WoraBuraResortandSpa(5stars)orequivalent Day8:Farewell FarewelldrinkatBangkok srooftopbar. After breakfast, we will head back to Bangkok (about 3 hours drive). We will stop by a local restaurantforlunch.todaywewillcheckinatthehighly ratedhotellocatedrightonthecbdso youcaneasilycommutetodowhateveryoudesireonyourfreeafternoon.afteryourowndinner, we will gather again around 8.30pm to get the one of the famous rooftop bar in Bangkok for a farewelldrink.then,itistimetosaygoodbye. Meal:B,L Overnight:Bangkok Accommodation:ParkPlazaSukhumvit(4Stars)orequivalent Page 6
Day9:Airporttransfer Afterbreakfast,enjoyyourfreetimeuntilthetimeofyourflight.Wewilltransferyoutotheairport. (Checkouttimeis12.00pm) Meal:B Pricesinclude: 7%VATandallotherapplicabletaxes,servicecharges,andfees. Airportpickupanddropoff English speakinglicensedtourguides Mostmealsasmentionedintheitinerary Alltransportationexpenses(includingtransportationinsurance) Alladmissionfees 8nights accommodation(7nights5starsaccommodationand1night4starsaccommodation) Basictravelinsurance(MandatoryunderThailaw) Pricesexclude: Anyalcoholbeveragesduringthemeals,exceptforwinetastingonDay7lunchandDay8 farewelldrink. Gratuities Remarksandconditions: PricesarelistedinUnitedStatesdollars We can adjust our program to accommodate vegetarians. In most restaurants, vegetarian optionsareavailable.atcookingschool,itisalsopossibletoreplaceforvegetarianoptions. Cancellationpolicy Cancellationmademorethan60dayswilllossofyourdeposit. Cancellationmadewithin46to60dayswillreceive75%refund. Cancellationmadewithin31to45dayswillreceive50%refund. Cancellationmade30daysorlesswillreceivenorefund. Page 7
Paymentinformation Paymentisrequiredatthetimeofbookingtoguaranteespots.Paymentcanbemadein2ways 1) SecureonlinepaymentlinkbyPaypal: 2) Banktransfer: Page 8