Thailand Preparations

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Thailand is a world of natural and cultural wonders. Exotic, colorful, historic, Thailand offers a plethora of ancient ruins, rich culture, unusual foods, a rich colorful environment and an amazing opportunity to visit a location very different from home. Preparation is critical. Thailand is HOT and HUMID. It can also be very wet if you go in the wrong season.
We chose to go in November, the beginning of the dry season. Stay away from July to October as that is the rainy season. March through June are the HOT, and I do mean HOT season. July through October is the monsoon season where it will rain heavily every day. So the best times are November through February. So choose wisely.
Secondly Thailand can be dangerous. The country just lost their King and the government is still settling in. There have not been any terrorist attacks for a few years but we are still in a world where terror must be considered daily. The laws and rules in Thailand are very different from the US. Do not disparage the King, country, police or the military. You can be immediately arrested. Do not get into a cab, as they have been known to rob tourists or at least rip them off. Do be careful, be aware of your surroundings, protect your belongings and you will have an amazing time.
We chose World Spree as our tour company. (Worldspree.com) We used them for China and they were superb as tour operators and for the best cost vacation. My personal group will consist of 4 travelers. Those of you who followed my China trip will know them well! There is Rick, my long time friend a trip room mate. Mike and Richard will room together. I am told we will be joined by an additional 8 -10 travelers, so we will once again have a small group.
Make sure your passport will not expire within 6 months of your RETURN to the US. Mike only had 5 months left on his passport after return and he was told to get a new one issued. So just make sure before you start that your passport has enough time left.
MONEY is the Thai Baht. One Baht is equal to $0.03 so money it cheap. I always choose to get my money changed before I leave the US. I have a friend at Thomas Cook in Seattle. I can get any currency for no fee, the million dollar rate, and shipped to my house for no charge. If you go to the Thomas Cook web site you can be assured of the best rates and secure money transfer. I use them exclusively world wide. I also bring my American Express, and MasterCard. Make sure you tell them you will be traveling outside the US so they do not delay your charges.
All air accommodations overseas and internal flights in Thailand are handled by World Spree. We only had to get to Los Angeles from Toledo, so I booked Delta round trip for an additional $500. Hotels, food (21 meals), local guides and transportation to Cambodia are also included.
As part of our preparations we also purchased camel backpacks. This is a small day back pack with and internal water bladder that holds 2 liters of water. This will come in handy in the 90 degree high humidity environment. Also the local water is not good to drink for us. It is not purified, so we will buy Gatorade where possible and load up the back pack. I am also bringing water flavor packs loaded with Vitamin C for when we drink bottled water. Hydration will be very important. We also have some OTC medications for diarrhea, muscle pain, a first aid kit, and C-Pack antibiotics just in case!
We are looking forward to an exciting trip, I plan to blog daily with photos and fun for all. I hope you follow. Please feel free to comment and I will do my best to respond to you all!

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