A Taste of Thailand & Malaysia: Soft Adventure Holiday – Tour 6

Tonight our Taste of Thailand & Malaysia small group soft adventure holiday tour will stay in; CHIANG MAI – Our Thailand & Malaysia small group tour package officially starts when we check into our Chiang Mai accommodation.
A welcoming dinner will be had in the evening.
Chiang Mai is a favourite with all travellers.

Just a few of the easy to visit sights by foot, Tuk Tuk or Sawngthaew, (share taxi) include Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Jet Yot and Wat Phan Tao among dozens of others.
If you don’t temple out in town there is still the mountaintop temple of Phra That Doi Suthep, approx fifteen kilometres away in a national park.
For Shoppers, it doesn’t get much better than Chiang Mai. After a day at Worowat Market, Airport Plaza and/or dozens of other speciality shops or even Central Festival if you need a homesick mall, you can barter hard at the famous Night Bazaar.
Arts and crafts, textiles, silver and clothing are but a few of the great bargains to be had in Chiang Mai.
A budget trip to a dentist is another possibility as well to offset some holiday costs.

CHIANG MAI – A full day to get out and explore all of the above or maybe some time by the pool for any of those with jetlag.

A Thai massage perhaps.

Tonight our budget North Thailand small group tour will stay in; PAI – Today by minivan takes our small group tour to our special Thailand town.

Situated in a lush valley surrounded by beautiful blue mountain scenery, Pai has an aura all of its own.

Pai is possibly the chill out capital of Thailand. The afternoon is free to relax by the pool or take a stroll.

A vibrant nightlife of music, restaurants and bars after that is just the beginning.

PAI – A full day to relax and/or explore this amazing town in the mountains. Some good as it gets restaurants and markets all within an easy stroll away.

Tonight our North Thailand group adventure tour package will stay in; HILLTRIBE VILLAGE HOMESTAY – Pack just a day pack, (our main luggage will be safely stored in Pai), for the two day trek to Lahu, Lisu and Karen hill tribe villages, where you will experience a totally different culture and way of life.

We will eat & sleep in very basic huts with our local hosts and experience their very simple way of life. Do not expect a 7/11 out here.

They sometimes have no gas or electricity and live a very simple subsistence life, but you will never meet more hospitable people.

Tonight our Thailand small group vacation tour will stay in; PAI – Our cultural adventure trek will finish back in Pai after a fascinating experience.

Tonight our North Thailand budget small group tour will stay in; CHIANG MAI – Departing Pai at leisure by minivan will see our best Thailand & Malaysia tour package back in Chiang Mai for another chance to shop eat and/or catch some of the sights you may have missed last time.

Another truly fabulous travel destination with the lot.

Tonight our small group Thailand travel tour will stay in; SUKHOTHAI – Our small group tour will take a bus today to the first capital of Thailand, Sukhothai.

The rest of the day is free to relax or explore before dinner.

While the centuries-old, Old Sukhothai is the main reason for our visit New Sukhothai is an interesting town in itself.

A great Night Market will get the taste buds going for a start. Grazing with entrees from the nearby street food vendors is a great way to start.

SUKHOTHAI – Sukhothai Historical Park; A local operator will take our group tour by Tuk Tuk to explore the old ruins of Sukhothai which is now a UNESCO World Heritage-listed historical park.

Tonight our Thailand & Malaysia small group tour package will stay in; BANGKOK – Today by bus for the trip to the Thai capital of Bangkok. One of the worlds most visited cities and you also will be fascinated by it.
So much to see and do.
Wat Phra Kaew & the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun.

For shoppers maybe MBK or Siam shopping mall among thousands of other shops, malls and markets near and far.
Or take a boat with the locals on the Chao Phraya express to some local markets in Nonthaburi.

A few of the dozens of other possibilities may be Vimanmek Teak Mansion, Chinatown, Wat Traimit, Jim Thompsons House, Silom or Sukhumvit road shops.
OR? Maybe just lay back and have a traditional Thai Massage.
A month in the capital wouldn’t allow you enough time to see it all.

BANGKOK – A free day to explore some of the above or as it’s a Sunday the famous Chatuchak weekend market is the first choice for many. Truly one of the worlds great markets.

Tonight our Thailand & Malaysia small group food tour will stay in; KUALA LUMPUR – A short international flight today will see our group tour in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. No uncomfortable 22-hour train trips for Baktrax travellers.
Better known to all as simply K.L.
A bit like a smaller version of Bangkok is K.L. with loads to see and do. The Petronas Twin Towers is the must-see for most. Visible from most places to begin with.

Then in no particular order, it may be the colonial Kuala Lumpur Train Station, Merdeka Square, Masjid Negara (National Mosque), Masjid Jamek (Friday Mosque) or stroll around the Central Market or Lake gardens where the K.L. bird Park; www.klbirpark.com is the worlds largest walk-in aviary with almost 200 species of birds.

This is where the foodie part gets even better as we are in the centre of Chinatown just to begin. OOHHH! The choices?

KUALA LUMPUR – A totally free day to explore K.L. The city centre is reasonably compact which makes for an interesting stroll in itself.
FOR SHOPPING:
As we stay in the heart of Chinatown, nearby Petaling street has a multitude of street vendors.
An amazing amount of choices at meal time will be the toughest thing we have to decide on today as a real food Chinatown surrounds our accommodation.
Other opportunities for shopping include:
Central Market
Royal Selangor Pewter Factory
Just a few of the many shopping malls include:
Berjaya Times Square,
Mid Valley Megamall or
Pavillion KL

Tonight our Taste of Thailand & Malaysia comfort tour package will stay in; MELAKA – A short morning bus ride today will have our small group tour in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Melaka.

Along with Penang, Melaka has one of the richest histories in all of Malaysia.

Start at Melaka’s most well known pink landmark of Stadthuys (Town Square) in the historic town centre which may be the oldest Dutch building in the East. A large number of museums in the area include the Islamic, Architecture, Peoples, History & Ethnography and Literature Museum among others.

Then maybe, St Paul’s Church, 8 Hereen St, which is a Heritage trust of Malaysia restored Dutch Era residential house, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple (circa 1646), which is still in use today by the local Buddhist community or the oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia of Masjid Kampung Hulu, (circa 1728). Melaka has far too many attractions to list here.

Nonya food is one of the different styles more famous in Melaka but you will find a plethora of others, both local and international.

Between seeing and eating you can browse at the many shops along the famous Jonkers street now called Jalan Hang Jebat or at the modern shopping mall of Dataran Pahlawan.

MELAKA – A full day to explore all of the above which is centred around today’s Chinatown. Maybe a riverside meander for a Banana Leaf meal in nearby Little India?

Tonight our Malaysia small group vacation travel tour will stay in; KUALA LUMPUR – Our small group tour will return at leisure to K.L. with the rest of the day free.

Tonight our Thailand & Malaysia small group tour package will stay in; TANAH RATA – A chance for our small group tour to cool down for a while as we head by local bus to the hill station town of Tanah Rata, the main town in the Cameron Highlands. At up to 1800 metres above sea level, it’s blanket weather year round at night with cooler but not cold days most of the year.

Some of the attractions include the Tea Estates. Sam Poh Temple and the Sri Tehnadayuthapany Swamy Indian Temple.

But with the cooler climate, the major pastime for many visitors is hiking along the mountain trails of which there are numerous marked ones.

Once again a foodies delight awaits in Tanah Rata with some of the best South Indian restaurants in Malaysia. Just one worthy of a mention is Restaurant Bunga Suria which is just about as good as it gets for South Indian food.

Lots of Arts and Craft shops nearby to tempt you also.

TANAH RATA – Check out the environmental awareness in the highlands before either a morning or afternoon half day tour of the region today. The tour includes a visit to the Boh Tea Estate a Chinese temple and a butterfly farm while all the time enjoying the great scenery as you go. No meals.

Tonight our Thailand & Malaysia foodie holiday tour will stay on; PENANG – FOOD! FOOD! & FOOD! By local bus again today will see our group tour in Georgetown the big and busy capital of Penang island.

Georgetown has an atmosphere unlike any other place known to Baktrax in Malaysia and possibly all of S.E. Asia. It’s one of our all-time favourite destinations.

Go back in time as you walk the fascinating streets of the hectic state capital. Streets being the way to go much of the time as the footpaths are often owned by the resident house or business and as such are often blocked off for public use. Just a few of the main attractions include:

Fort Cornwallis.
Penang Museum.
Khoo Kongsi Chinese Clan House.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
Alpha Utara gallery.
Acheen Street Mosque or Hainan Temple and dozens more mosques, temples and colonial buildings.
Or head up to Penang Hill at 800 metres to get some great views of the island. Do this either by a long hard walk or take the historical Funicular Train where a monkey or two is often seen scampering around the tracks.
Lastly, but not least, another chance of a budget visit to a local dentist to offset some of your holiday costs. No meals.

PENANG – FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! First up today we will partake in a feast of traditional Indian breakfast treats. After that is a free day to explore this fantastic destination. But without a doubt one of the main purposes of coming to Penang is the FOOD! Our accommodation is within a few minutes walk of a multitude of Malay, Chinese or Indian restaurants. Penang’s famous Curry Laksa or Indian Tandoori chicken with Garlic Nan bread are just but 2 of the better known local favs. This will be another chance to eat the local way with a Banana Leaf Meal and it doesn’t get much better than a bottomless one at Krishna Villa restaurant in Little India.

PENANG – A final free day to continue our exploration of yet more food, go shopping and/or sightseeing or maybe get a local bus or taxi and explore the island at large with beaches and small villages adding another dimension to it all. A farewell dinner will be had in the evening. BUT WHAT?

Our Taste of Thailand & Malaysia soft adventure holiday tour is officially over after we check out of our Penang accommodation. No meals.

NOTE: A flight to either Bangkok or K.L. is also included to connect you to your next destination.