RATINGS SYSTEM
The purpose of our site
inspection was to participate in the available events and outings and make
recommendations to our guests. Several
events we tried were left out due to our poor experience with them.
All options we have put together are acceptable to help enhance your
trip.
This year, we are going a
step further to rate the various experiences on a scale of one to four stars,
four being the best. These
ratings are based on our experience as well as what we feel is a general
appeal to the group. Every adventure in this guide is worth the experience and
should be done if it appeals to you. We
simply felt that as people make choices on what they will and will not do,
this ratings system will help in that decision. Enjoy your trip.
Rating
of * * * *
is a MUST SEE
Rating
of * * *
is recommended
Rating
of * *
is enjoyable
Rating
of *
is highly specialized
DAILY
SCHEDULE
January 21, 2003 -
Tuesday
·
8:45pm Depart
Minneapolis/St. Paul, checking your luggage through to Singapore.
·
10:38pm Arrive in Los
Angeles in Terminal 2.
·
You will exit security,
go outside, and turn right passing Terminal 3.
The road curves left and you will be in front of the Bradley
International Terminal. Find the
Singapore Airlines Ticket Counter and check in to receive your boarding passes.
You will not need to claim your luggage as it was already checked through
to Singapore, however, you will need to show your luggage claim receipts so have
them available.
·
You will only have a
short time to kill before our plane boards at 12:45am. Dinner will be served right after departure and breakfast
will be served just before we land in Taipei.
We make only a short exchange of crew and refuel before leaving for
Singapore. If you decide to get off
the plane, take your boarding pass and passport with you. YOU CANNOT leave the gate area.
You do not want to encounter security issues in Taipei, Taiwan.
Brunch will be served on this final leg.
January
23, 2003 - Thursday
Hospitality
Desk open from 1:00-6:00pm
Pacific
World is our tour agent for this trip. They
will help you plan and arrange anything you want to do.
·
11:30am Arrive in
Singapore
·
1:00pm Arrive at Four
Seasons Singapore on motor coach. Luggage will be stored at the bell desk until
rooms are ready, your luggage will then be delivered directly to your room
·
6:00-7:00pm Cocktail
Reception in Windows East atop the hotel.
·
Dinner and evening at
leisure
Restaurant Recommendation:
o
The Best:
Jiang Nan Chun, a top 5 restaurant and the best food we had, a top choice:
Four Seasons Hotel
o
Ling Zhi: Orchard Towers
Basement
o
Red Book: Orchard Hotel
Shopping Arcade
o
Club Chinois: Orchard
Parade Hotel
o
Les Amis: French Shaw
Center
Nightlife
Recommendation:
·
Bounce around the
restaurants, bars and nightclubs on Orchard
Road which are all a block away.
·
Take a taxi to Mohamed
Sultan Road. You will find a
long strip of bars with all different formats.
This area has been recommended as safe for our group.
·
Take a taxi to Boat
Quay right on the Singapore River. You
won’t be disappointed.
January 24, 2003 –
Friday
Hospitality
Desk open from 8:30-11:00am and 2:00-5:00pm
·
7:30-9:00am Breakfast
served in Windows East atop the hotel. An
orientation will start at 8:00am.
9:00-12:30pm
Optional Tour S1; The City Tour * * * *
Price
per person is $ 25.00 US Dollars
Experience the four distinct
cultures of Singapore, its ancient crafts and rare sights of the old
“villages” where early immigrants lived.
Drive through Little India, visit Arab Street, and see the Sultan Mosque.
Your tour continues to Chinatown where you can explore on foot.
The final stop is at the European settlement along the Singapore River
where you can visit Raffles’ land site, see Parliament House, Victoria Theater
and Empress Place.
This is the perfect way to see
and learn about many areas of Singapore. This
tour will help you pinpoint areas you might want to revisit.
Afternoon
Recommendation:
Sentosa
Island * * * (4-5 Hours)
Singapore’s
Island Resort.
Taxi to the cable car tower and
get your best view of Singapore from the air as you make your way to this
fantasy island.
See Merlion, Dolphin Lagoon,
Underwater World, Asian Village, Butterfly Park, or the Musical Fountain.
Walk the island and sandy beaches or take the monorail from point to
point.
Allow for about 4-5 hours with
transportation and enjoyment.
Mass Rapid Transit * * * (2-3 Hours)
Take a few hours and get out of
town to see the real Singapore. We
suggest taking a train ride around the country.
For only about $3, you can
experience the exceptionally clean mass transit system of Singapore.
There is a station only a short walk from the Four Seasons, ask the
concierge for help.
You will also be able to see the
incredible high rise housing and communities that make up 90% of Singaporean’s
housing.
·
Shopping RECOMMENDATION:
Men’s
Suits; get a high quality cashmere wool suit, shirt and tie, all custom fit
and made, for about $400 US. If
you visit on Friday, Mr. Singh from Executive Boss Fashion can do your fitting
the next day, then ship it home within a week. Our suits arrived only four
weeks after our purchase. See Trey for directions!
Electronics
are also cheap in Singapore, but we recommend you know what you are looking
for and compare. All the best
brands are available in an American NTSC format.
·
Dinner and Evening at
leisure
January 25, 2003 –
Saturday
Hospitality
Desk open from 8:00-11am and 2:00-5:00pm
·
7:00-9:00am Breakfast
served at leisure in Windows West atop the hotel.
9:00-1:00pm
Optional Tour S2:
The Oriental Culture Tour, An Interactive Experience * * * *
Price per person is
$60 US Dollars; only 30 seats available
This
tour is a specifically created interactive tour of the Singapore culture.
It starts out on foot through Chinatown.
Visit herbal medicine shops and take in the age-old customs and
architecture typical of a by-gone era.
Your
first stop will be a private demonstration at a traditional Teahouse.
International renowned tea merchants will teach you the six steps to
the perfect brew. Relish the
pleasures of a simple and yet cultural experience to sip tea with snacks
amidst the aroma of tea leaves and Oriental flavor.
The
next stop will be the Chinese Opera Teahouse where you will discover the
unique and astonishing visual art form of Chinese Opera. What do the carefully painted faces, the magnificently
embroidered costumes and brilliantly colored headgear represent? What do the
swish of a sleeve, the flick of a finger or the rhythmic movement of a torso
mean? Join the experts as they explain the intricacies of Chinese Opera and
make-up, and enjoy a short performance and experience Chinese Opera for
yourself! Some Chinese snacks and tea will be provided while you enjoy the
performance.
Calligraphy
is an ancient art form, which has been kept alive through generations by mere
instructions. Receive a sample of this ancient art form as a souvenir of your
visit in Chinatown.
Finally,
visit the Eng Tiong Choon Opera Shop located at the River Valley before
returning back to the hotel.
5:30-10:30pm
Optional Tour S3; Wild Night Out * * *
Price per person is
$ 75.00 US Dollars
Rainforest
Café truly is a wild place to shop and eat.
Discover amazingly lush surroundings, including cascading waterfalls,
live birds and beautiful giant sized aquariums.
After
dinner, take a tour to the world's finest Night Safari. The 40-hectare park
adjoining the Singapore Zoo will unfold the mystery and drama of the jungle
after dusk with stunning effect. Some 1,200 nocturnal wild animals will
be seen in their natural state under subtle artificial lighting which allows
visitors to see the animals clearly while not interfering with their nightly
routines. Trams will allow visitors to clearly see the animals in safely
and comfort.
Includes
transfers, dinner at Rainforest Café with soft drinks, admission to the Night
Safari and tram ride.
January 26, 2003 –
Sunday
Hospitality
Desk open from 8:00-departure in Singapore
·
10:00am Luggage available
for pickup in room.
·
12:15pm Board shuttle for
a 2:20pm flight to Chiang Mai.
·
4:15pm Arrive in
Chiang Mai.
·
5:30pm Arrive at the
Regent at Mae Rim Valley, a Four Seasons Property.
Hospitality
Desk open from 5:30-7:00pm in Chiang Mai
·
Discuss and book optional
tours with Pacific World.
·
Dinner and evening at
leisure. The Regent has two good
restaurants on site or you can have dinner served to you on your private sala
(deck) for a romantic evening. KSTP-TV
will have 20 seats reserved at each of the two restaurants for this first night.
Ten seats will be set at each for 6:30pm in case you want to hit the
Night Bazaar on your first night here. Ten
more seats will be set in each for 7:45pm for an evening dinner overlooking the
fire lit rice fields after dark. Reservations
are held under "KSTP-TV". Be
sure to make your own dinner reservations for the rest of your stay.
Nightlife
Recommendation: The Night Bazaar * * *
A
must see in Chiang Mai is the Night Bazaar.
It is a high quality flea market in the streets every night.
The resort offers a free shuttle each night that leaves at 7:45pm and
picks up at 10:00pm to arrive back at 10:30pm.
You can also take a resort limo service to town on your own timetable
for about $15 round trip.
A
WORD ON SHOPPING IN CHIANG MAI
Prepare
yourself for a shopper’s paradise. You
will find high quality items for fractions of what we pay in the states.
We also found that the quality was much greater in Thailand than we
found in Bali the year before. A
$60 bottle of cologne was $13; a $100 Oakley hiking bag was $18; men’s
cotton Timberland shirts were $6 and so on.
The bargains are everywhere. How
will you get this all home? Have
no fear, an extra large Polo suitcases sold for $40.
If you want to ship things home, DHL and UPS have full services in both
cities and the resort can help you with your packages.
Regent
Resort Recommendations:
Aside
from the optional tours available to you, The Regent has many on site
activities. Chiang Mai city is
about 20 minutes away so either plan a trip to the city or investigate one of
many options on site.
In
addition to the Night Bazaar shuttle service, The Regent offers complimentary
daily shuttles into town with departures at 9:00am, 11:00am, and 2:00pm. Pickups in the city for return are at 11:45am, 2:45am, and at
5:00pm. You need to reserve at
least two hours in advance.
Do
you play tennis or want to learn how? The
Regent Tennis Centre is under the direction of Peter Burwash International,
the world’s oldest and most highly regarded company of tennis management
experts. They offer pre-scheduled
group lessons each day from 4:00-4:45pm with a different topic each day. You can also schedule private lessons. The resort has two Wimbledon synthetic grass courts and all
rackets, balls, shoes, and tennis clothing are complimentary for use.
The clinics and lessons carry a small fee. We are told that Andre
Agassi and Stefi Graff are frequent visitors.
Thai
food is very popular. We participated in a private two-hour cooking class
followed by the enjoyment and eating the fruits of our labor. The Regent will
be opening a Thai Culinary School prior to our trip.
The
Mae Rim Valley is filled with temples, waterfalls and orchid gardens.
The Regent offers complimentary mountain bikes complete with maps so
you can experience this valley on a mountain bike. The trip around can take 90 minutes or much longer
depending on the stops you make. If
you are a biker and have your own comfortable seat, I suggest bringing it with
you. The sights are worth the
effort.
To
relax, the Lanna Spa offers massages such as Thai, Swedish, Aromatic and the
Orient Blend for about $60 US per hour. You
can also have an Aromatherapy, a tradition in Thailand.
The Lanna Spa also has a full salon.
We suggest booking in advance and you can reserve times by emailing
them at rcm.lannaspa@fourseasons.com.
January 27, 2003 –
Monday
Hospitality
Desk open from 9:00-4:00am
·
7:00-10:30am Breakfast on
your own at leisure at Sala Mae Rim Restaurant on site.
They serve a wonderful breakfast buffet or you may choose room service.
Golf
recommendation: If
you are a golfer, we recommend the Royal Chiang Mai Golf Resort.
Designed by Peter Thompson, five-time British Open Champion, this course
is set in the mountains. It is
about a 30-minute taxi ride and the resort can make all the arrangements. For
about $60 US per person, you will get transportation to and from the Golf Club,
rent Calloway Big Bertha Clubs, golf shoes, cart, caddie and green fees.
The Regent will make all the arrangements or you can email the golf
course at www.royalchiangmai.com.
Plan ahead as early as possible.
9:00-4:30pm
Optional tour CM1: Wat & Shop * * * *
Prices: A private car for TWO with escort is $70 US
A Minivan for FOUR with escort is $60 US per couple
A Minivan for SIX with escort is $50 US per couple
Your
first stop visits the most important landmark of Chiang Mai, the Wat Phra That
Doi Suthep. Overlooking the city from the mountainside Doi Suthep, this
Buddhist Temple dates back to 1383.
Your
next stop is the Orchid Jade Factory. All
of the world’s jade is brought down into Chiang Mai, manufactured, traded,
and exported to the world. See
artists at work and see the world’s best quality jade on display as well as
for purchase. Expect to save big
$$.
Wat
Suan Dork is another Buddhist Temple dating to 1371. It also contains the burial site for all the Chiang Mai royal
family. You will then enjoy a buffet lunch before power shopping.
It
is time to hit Sankampaeng Road, home of the best quality merchandise in
Thailand. At each stop, you will visit the factory and sweatshops to see the
actual merchandise in production. You
will then have the chance to make unbelievable purchases.
All shops take major credit cards.
FURNITURE:
The first stop is at Chiangmai Sudaluck, home to an excellent selection of
hand made teak and rosewood furniture. All
prices listed are in US dollars and include shipping and insurance.
UMBRELLAS:
Next is the famous Sa Paper & Umbrella Handicraft Center.
Buy hand painted fans and umbrellas at ridiculously low prices.
You can also bring something from home and have an artist paint
anything you want right on the spot.
RATTAN:
Thai Arts manufactures beautiful rattan.
They also carry a selection of umbrellas hand painted by top-notch
artists. The umbrellas at Sa
Paper are pretty, but these are pieces of art; more expensive, but worth the
extra money.
SILKS:
Then go to Jolie Femme, a Thai silk factory.
Beautiful colors and the best quality silk in the world.
LAQUER:
You will then stop at Chiangmai Laitong, makers and exporters of laquerware
and bamboo products.
GEMS:
Your final, and probably most sinful stop will be Gems Gallery.
This is the World’s Biggest Jewelry Store.
The selection and quality are wonderful and you can purchase jewelry
for 35-50% of what you would pay in the states.
They have everything from .25 carat gems to 5+ carat diamonds.
·
5:30pm-6:30pm GROUP ONE
Cocktail Party at Residence 23. Your invitation will designate one night.
·
Dinner and evening at
leisure.
January 28, 2003 –
Tuesday
Hospitality
Desk open from 8:00-11:00am and 3:00-6:00pm
·
7:00-10:30am Breakfast at
leisure.
·
Day at leisure at the
resort or rent your own private van service and English speaking tour guide for
the day.
·
5:30-6:30pm GROUP TWO
Cocktail Party at Residence 23. Your invitation will designate one night.
·
Dinner and evening at
leisure.
·
7:00-11:00pm Optional Tour
CM2: Cultural Dinner and Dance * * *
Prices: A
private car for TWO with escort is $80 US
A Minivan for FOUR with escort is $70 US per couple
A Minivan for SIX with escort is $60 US per couple
Visit
the Old Chiangmai Cultural Center for a special Thai khantoke dinner.
While
you are eating dinner, you will witness seven short Northern Thai classical
dances. These dances are classic
and precise in their movement and meaning.
You
will then move outside to a covered pavilion.
You will then witness seven more dances, but this time, actual hill
tribe dances performed by hill tribe people.
The moves and meanings are much simpler, but the costumes and colors
will amaze you.
You
will end the evening with a BRIEF stop by the Night Bazaar which is nearby.
If you wish to have more time at the Night Bazaar, you can take the
complementary bus the resort provides the next evening.
January 29, 2003 –
Wednesday
Hospitality
Desk open from 8:00-11:00am and 3:00-6:00pm
·
7:00-10:30am Breakfast on
own.
9:00-4:30pm
Optional Tour CM3; Elephant Adventure Tour * * * *
Price per person is $100 US per person
You
will travel north to Chiang Dao and the Elephant Training Center.
These are actual working Asian elephants.
You
will see two demonstrations. The
first is a single file parade into the waters for a cool down and bath.
The second is a working demonstration of elephants pulling and moving
timber logs.
You
will then board an elephant and take a 30-minute trek through the mountain
woods and streams. We will trek
to visit an actual hill tribe village called the Lisu Tribe.
After a short visit, the elephants take you back to base camp.
Your
last adventure is boarding a bamboo raft for a one-hour trek down river. Each
raft has a non-English speaking guide to push the raft down the river.
You will witness the backwoods of Thailand as well as several working
villages.
Then
enjoy a Thai lunch at Royal Ping Resort (5 minutes from elephant camp).
Your
journey concludes with a stop at the Orchard Farm that
is adjacent to the resort.
·
5:30-6:30pm GROUP THREE
Cocktail Party at Residence 23. Your invitation will designate one night.
·
Dinner and evening at
leisure.
January 30, 2003 –
Thursday
Hospitality
Desk open from 8:00-11:00am and 3:00 – 6:00pm.
·
7:00-10:30am Breakfast at
leisure.
7:30-3:30pm
Optional Tour CM4: Eco-Adventure Challenge * * * *
MAXIMUM 12 PEOPLE ALLOWED.
Price per person is about $125 US
Dollars
This
will be a truly unique adventure. You
will spend the day with the Second Special Forces Division of the Royal Thai
Army. Your adventure starts at
base camp with an introduction to Jungle Survival including animal traps,
plant and snake identification, and more.
You
will ride in a 4WD into the mountains where you will begin a 2 hour morning
hike through the jungle terrain.
Your
rest comes at the top of a 60 meter tall waterfall. After a rest, you will repel down the falls.
At the base of the falls, you will have lunch and soak in the mountain
waters. For lunch, you will learn
jungle cooking techniques using bamboo and coconut utensils.
After
the “cool off”, it is only a short hike back to the 4WD and return to Army
Base Camp.
All
participants MUST be reasonably fit and have no disabilities.
Hiking boots are recommended as well as light comfortable clothing.
Wear long pants, NO SHORTS!
·
6:30-7:15pm Final
Evening Cocktail Party
We will end our journey with a dinner gala for the entire group.
The evening starts out with a cocktail party at the elephant bar.
We will take couple photos as well as a group shot for memories. Dress is light evening dresses for the ladies and slacks and
short sleeve shirts for the gentlemen.
·
7:15-10:00pm Final
Evening Gala
A special dinner and night to remember awaits you and your guest.
Your final evening on a trip such as this seems to always leave a lasting
memory and KSTP-TV wants that to be a very positive memory.
January 31, 2003 –
Friday
·
7:00-9:00am Breakfast at
leisure.
·
8:30am Luggage must be
ready for pickup at the front door inside your suite.
·
9:30am Departure from
front lobby area for transportation to Chiang Mai Airport.
·
Your luggage will only be
checked to Los Angeles. You will
only receive boarding passes through Los Angles when departing Chiang Mai.
·
In L.A., you must clear
immigration, then claim your luggage, and then clear customs.
We will proceed to a special ticket window where we will re-check our
luggage to our final destination. Luggage
carts are provided free of charge to make this transition easier.
You will then turn left out of the Bradley International Terminal and
follow around to Terminal 2. Go to
the second level to the Northwest ticket counter and check in to receive your
boarding passes for the final trek home. You will also need your baggage claim
checks to present to the agent to insure that your bags are properly
transferred. If your domestic
flight is on a different airline, your terminal may be different, but the same
procedure applies. For Minneapolis
travelers, you will have four hours before our plane leaves L.A.
·
Arrival into Minneapolis
is approximately 6:15am on Saturday, January 19.
