confused !

hi all

i am traveling to chiang mai next march, booking tours seems harder than i imagined as there is so many agents on the net .

i would like to see a karan hilltribe , but i dont want to go to one that the woman are exploited.

so

1. can you recommend a good one to go to

2. who is best to book this tour through...or

3. can you just hire a driver for a day to take you where you want to go ?

i would also like to go to the markets just over the border at burma , I am not interested in the elephant rides as i have done that in bali and most tours include this in it .

does anyone have any suggestions on how i can book what i want to do .

4. has anyone done the hot air ballooning ? it looks great , but seems very expensive , is there anywhere where you can get a good deal on this ?

thanks for any help you can offer

cheers

batt

confused !

This can all be arranged once you get to Chiang Mai...the things you want to do are standard. Pretty much all hill tribes that have visitors are exploited to at least some level. You just have to try and choose a good guide.

You can easily hire a car/driver for a day. No problem there.

The markets just over the border in Burma are not worth the trip imo...if you are going to be in the area seeing other sights, then maybe, but otherwise, it%26#39;s not somewhere I%26#39;d make a special trip for.

This website has some great information on being an eco friendly and aware tourist, and how to choose a good tour. It%26#39;s from a tour operator%26#39;s website, and I%26#39;m not endorsing them, as I%26#39;ve not used them. The owner posts here on occasion under the name allthai. Whether you use them or another company or just a driver, it%26#39;s a good read. http://www.all-thailand-exp.com/eco.htm

confused !

hi fish

thank you for the info .

i would prefer tohave things organised before i leave , so i am not wasting time searching for someone to take me places .

i guess what i meant about the karan tribes , is i want to go to one where the money i spend with them stays with them and they dont have to give /2 to anyone else. I feel if they put the work in then they should get all the money . so any suggestions ??

i dont mind stopping at places of interest along the way to the burma markets , actually i would rather prefer that .

can a trip like this be done in 1 day ?

once again , thanks for the info so far , i will go and look at that website now .

cheers

batt

just arrived home from my 2nd trip to chang mai and agree that its much better to book stuff there its much cheaper and theres heaps of tours we used panda tours and had the best karen people/white water rafting/elephant riding etc huge day but well worth it look up panda tours as soon as you get there trips can be arranged for the next day

hi jmvSydney

i just done a google search ....is this this place you are talking of ? does the address sound right to you ?

PANDA TOUR AND TREKKING -179 Thapae Rd., A.Muang, chiangmai 50100 -272 Moonmuang Rd.,A.Muang, Chiang Mai #50200

thanks for the info

batt

..There are many story%26#39;s about the Hill tribe people being exploited and do not know witch one to believe in...But the one we went to just out side C/M just up in the mountain side..They all seemed o/k to us they caud come and go when they wonted to but only around there village..they were not but in a carail to be looked at by al means..but an open hill village with rice fields around them and you could wonder around and see for your self..And they are look after as far as we could see and they did not mine having there pictures taken....But not all is not painted black....That i do not know about...You can see some pictures of the hill tribe women at work on my Webb site...you will also see the elephant camp that we went to as well and also the first elephant hospiel open my the Indian lady plus many other attractions while we where there...The Webb address is as follows...please leave coment...If you so wish.. picasaweb.google.co.uk/seaangler/030720071

hi seaangler

those photos are great !

can you please tell me where you visited, it all looked so interesting.

you can PM me with the details if you prefer .

thanks a million

cheers

batt

I will email you A.S.A.P..You said you are not going till march time so you have time...Ani ill do a report up for you..Chris

Were is nunya..by the way....Chris

hi again

thanks heaps .

i am in nsw , australia

cheers

batt

Hi Battling

I was amazed to see your name on this forum as when I was planning out recent trip to VN I was helped alot by the questions and answers on that forum from you - now I find you are going to northern Thailand around the same time as us as well so I%26#39;m sure your posts will be very useful again - I think I even based our trip to VN around your itinerary as could see what a thorough researcher you are.

Seeya Mez

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