“Chiang Mai was lovely, but Nikhom is the real surprise!â€
For my 8 days chiangmai tour, I selected Authentic Thai Tours, for its many wonderful reviews from tripadvisor. Its land tours quote were also reasonable compared to another tour agency. Though I was skeptical about the deposit required for reservation online and email, I was billed using Paypal. Plus the fact that Nikhom was very prompt in replying my emails, that sort of set my mind at ease a little.
When we met, Nikhom brought 4 slingshots along with him for my 4 young boys. Thrilled them to bits! To help us get in touch with him, he even prepared us a phone with thai phone line. In the hot weather, he dutifully prepared ice in his cooler box, to give us chilled water throughout the day.
In our Chiangrai trip, he very kindly volunteered to send us to the Night Market while he waited for us in hotel for our call to pick us up. It was truly heartwarming because if you do go from Chiangmai to Chiangrai, you know how tiring the drive is.
Our hilltribe trekking could not be complete without his company and the trekking guide that he brought along. My kids were adventurous, requesting to try snakes. They were so accomodating that they brought us to choose the exotics from the local market. Though at our cost, they heartily prepared iguanas, wasp soup, eels and bamboo worms for us, in addition to the standard dinner. Det, our guide, was a fantastic cook. Even in the mountain hut, we thoroughly enjoyed his curry, tom yam chicken and vegetables. Not to mention the extra effort Nikhom went to buy lanterns, explosive pops, fire sticks for my children to play in the mountains. We were entertained by the singing of the village kids. It was satisfying to see the kids receive our little gifts of candies and balloons. However, nothing beats seeing them gobbling up the remaining food, in their little kitchen. Nikhom had specially bought more food so that they too can have a share. This, to me, came from a person with a kind heart.
My kids had bountiful energy. At the hut, they played cards and refused to sleep. Nikhom, tired from the climb, still entertained and played with them till we were all ready to sleep. I guess, as a guide, he felt compelled to be responsible for us till we are safe sleeping in the hut.
We didnt expect to bathe, so did not bring towel. Nikhom lent us his towel and his shampoo and even offered us his socks for the cold night. He is really very thoughtful.
Trekking down the mountain, Det, our trek guide helped our 8 yr old boy down the steep mountain and rocks, even grazing himself in the process. At certain points, he even carried my boy across some rocks. At the waterfall, while we enjoyed the waters, Nikhom and Det, stayed aside to look after my boys and our bags. They were an amazing team, quietly doing their job as responsible guides.
At the end of my tour, Nikhom gave us a USB drive, containing all the photos that he had taken of us the whole journey of ATV rides, elephant safari, hill trek, white water rafting. As I scroll through all the photos, the memories flooded back. Nikhom really made a difference to our trip. He will be part of our memorable holiday in Chiangmai.
Singapore, Singapore
