Thailand And Laos Journey: 37. Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang

Thailand and Laos (and Myanmar if I can manage it)

Hello, Sawatdee kaa and Sabai dee,

My next trip will be Thailand and Laos, and this is all about the before, the trip and the after - similar to my Malaysia/Cambodia blog. I am putting together from start to finish - tickets, do's and don'ts, tours, where to stay, places to see, things to do, as well as useful extras like transport, good places to eat, what to wear, climate, tourist traps, tricks and tips and whatever else I can think of that will be useful.

If you have any tips or advice, please, feel free to leave a comment and add your bit - whatever you think may be helpful or interesting.
Cheers.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

37. Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang

Well I finally sent of the reservation forms for Luang Prabang and Chiang Mai.

First - Luang Prabang
I ended up choosing Souk Lan Xang while it doesn't seem to be on a main road or anything and rather quiet from what I can make out, it does seem to be a more 'personal' type of accommodation.

I had sent an email last month (December) and received a response from the owner. A mate recommended this place and said the garden was lovely. I suppose you could say (from what I've heard) it's a little like comparing a small, friendly office compared to a large one in a huge conglomerate where it is impersonal.

Chiang Mai
I couldn't decide between three places, Smilehouse GH, Chiang Mai Thai House and Awanahouse so I emailed all three of them. The first one (Smilehouse) has rooms on the ground floor I've been told so that will probably be the one I go for. If the other two have ground floor rooms also, then it's a case of seeing which has the most to offer.

So now, we play the waiting game and see what happens. I've already had a response from Awanahouse saying they've received my online booking and will contct me as soon as possible.
WEll now, a funny thing happened. I just checked my emails and lo and behold there was on from Awanahouse saying sorry they didn't have a ground room available in January. Strange, I could have sworn I selected February when I filled out the reservation form. Have sent an email informing them of this so we'll just see what happens.