Day 1, Tuesday
Relax and prepare yourself for your adventure on world-class Singapore Airlines. Meet other students, watch on-demand movies and unwind. A Rustic Pathways Flight Leader will accompany each of our escorted group flights from Los Angeles, making sure that your journey is easy and enjoyable.
           
Day 2, Wednesday            
Ghost Day - After flowing through different time zones and passing the International Date Line today is ‘lost’ in the ambiguity of international travel. Don’t worry - you’ll be able to pick up a free day on your flight home.
           
Day 3, Thursday            
Sawat dee and welcome to Thailand! The morning begins as you arrive into Singapore after midnight. You’ll be greeted in Singapore by Rustic staff who will show you the way to our coach bus which will take us to Hotel 81 not far from the airport. We’ll get you checked in and you’ll be able to get some well-deserved rest until morning. You’ll get a wake-up call to come down and enjoy a nice buffet breakfast outside at the pool. Go for an early morning swim if you’d like before packing up your things and heading back to the airport for the connection to Bangkok.  Arriving in Bangkok early afternoon, you’ll be greeted by many staff and program leaders who have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. After a quick ‘meet and greet’, we’ll head to the Regency Park Hotel in downtown Bangkok. We’ll enjoy a beautiful international buffet dinner, enjoy a traditional Thai massage or foot massage, and get some well needed rest.           

Day 4, Friday            
After a delicious breakfast buffet at our hotel, we’ll head out into town, and work our way toward the ‘Chao Phraya’ River, or ‘The River of Kings’. Here we’ll hop on some long-tail boats and go for a cruise upstream. Viewing Bangkok from the river is truly the most beautiful way to see it – away from the busy streets and with a cool breeze in your face. This tour will bring you past many of the city’s most famous sights, and finally to a floating restaurant, where we’ll grab some lunch. After a relaxing meal, we’ll head to a nearby floating market and check out how trade on the water works these days. Then, we’ll continue up the river to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Gaew, the King’s most official residence and the home of the famed Emerald Buddha. After wandering these beautiful grounds, we’ll head upstream again – this time to Wat Pho, another one of Bangkok’s most famous temples and home of the ‘Reclining Buddha’, the largest such Buddha in the world. With heaps of great photos, we’re on the move again – this time to the airport. We’ll hop a plane to Chiang Rai in the far north of the country, where we’ll stay for the night at our Chiang Rai Base house. Depending on how everyone is feeling, we may have a chance to check out a nearby market before heading back to the house for a good night’s sleep.
           
Day 5, Saturday
First thing in the morning, you’ll hop in our VIP vans and cruise up to Doi Tung, a quaint little village tucked in the mountains near the Burmese border. Here, visit a beautiful Royal Project Garden and Royal Villa, formerly the winter house of the King’s mother which is preserved exactly as it was when she lived there. On our way back, we’ll hop over the Burmese border at Mae Sai for a quick peek into this fascinating land. After just a short time, you’ll feel how different daily life is for people here in Myanmar. This is a great eye-opening experience, and helps provide important insight for students not familiar with the life situation of people in this region. After having a good look around, we’ll grab some lunch at a nice little restaurant, and reflect about the differences between Thailand and Myanmar.
 
In the early evening, return to a beautiful lake just behind the Chiang Rai Base house and enjoy the sunset behind the mountains. Then we’ll head out for a delicious Thai feast before retiring to the Base house for the night.

Day 6, Sunday
After breakfast, we’ll gather our belongings and drive up to the Golden Triangle, where 2 rivers and 3 countries (Thailand, Laos, and Burma) come together. This area is very interesting historically and culturally, and you’ll get a taste of this exploring local museums and temples. Take a long-tail boat ride into Burmese waters, and then downstream to an island in Laos. Take some pictures and pick up some souvenirs from Laos before heading back over to Thailand and beginning the voyage down to Chiang Mai. There are some great sights to see on the way, and the drive will take just over 3 hours. We’ll get situated at our Chiang Mai Base house and take some time to check out the neighborhood. Next, we’ll head into to city for the Sunday walking street market – a great way to get acquainted with northern Thai culture and the best shopping experience around.

Day 7, Monday
Rising early, we’ll hop back in the van and cruise up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the beautiful temple which overlooks the city and Chiang Mai’s most famous attraction. Enjoy the warm ambiance and the smell of incense as you take in the view of the city and valley below. From here, it’s off to the mountains of Mae Hong Son province, Thailand’s most diverse and remote province. A few hours drive will bring us to Pai, a cool little mountain town surrounded by hot springs, elephant camps, and dozens of diverse Hill Tribe villEdad. Here you’ll have a couple hours to check out the town before sitting down for dinner, then heading up to our longhouse in a Lisu village where we’ll stay for the night.

Day 8, Tuesday
Wake up and step outside for one of the nicest views in northern Thailand right out your front door. After a simple breakfast, we’ll go for a nice walk around the village and then it’s on to the next stop at Cave Lod – where we’ll go deep into some of Asia’s longest caves. From here, we’ll carry on to Mae Hong Son, where a beautiful buffet lunch will be waiting for us. Here, we’ll settle into our guest house and relax. Take a walk around the lake in the center of town, or just relax in your room. Evening will be very relaxed as well, and after dinner you’ll have a few options to explore about town before heading off to sleep.

Day 9, Wednesday
In the morning, we’ll take a chartered long-tail boat trip upstream to a Long Neck Karen village. These people have fascinating traditions, and this is one of the few villEdad left in the area – definitely a unique experience. From here, we’ll hitch a ride on the back of Asia’s most revered animal – the Asian elephant! You’ll be amazed at the speed and grace with which these gentle giants cruise through the forest and how many greens they can devour along the way. Next stop is the airport where you’ll hop the quick flight over the mountains and back to Chiang Mai. After showering up and having a chance to relax a bit, head into town for a traditional northern Thai ‘khantoke’ dinner and dancing performance. Then we’ll go to Chiang Mai’s legendary Night Bazaar, where you’re sure to find something for everyone on your souvenir list. When our legs get tired and we just can’t shop anymore, we’ll head back to the Base for the night.
           
Day 10 – Thursday           
For students who are connecting to The Elephant Conservation Project, Tribal Trekking and Service, or Woks and Wonders, or Come With Nothing, Go Home Rich this is a free day to spend as you please exploring more sights and activities in Chiang Mai, before meeting up with the rest of your group when they arrive tomorrow morning.
          
For all other students, you’ll take an early morning flight to Bangkok where you’ll meet up with your next Rustic adventure or say goodbye to everyone here and check in to your group flight home. Bon voyage, and we hope to see you again next year!
           
An Important Note about Schedule Changes :
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.

A quick note:  Many students over-pack and sometimes have to pay for overweight bags on domestic flights.  The weight limit is 15 kilograms (33 pounds).  You’ll have frequent access to laundry on this program, so you won’t need that many clothes.  We won’t tell on you if you wear the same t-shirt twice!

Carry-on Luggage: A small backpack works best.
Passport and Wallet
A photocopy of your passport
Sunglasses
A durable camera, smaller is better for this program
Journal
A good book
A pen

Checked Luggage:  A duffel bag, suitcase, or large backpack.  Wheeled suitcases are fun, but may not roll so well in rice paddies.  All items listed with “Plastic Bag” should be packed inside a plastic bag in case bottles
2 Photocopies of your passport
Long pants - one lightweight pair and one heavier pair.  Pants that have zip-off legs to convert to shorts are great.
Shorts-two or three pairs
Swimsuit
Underwear-5 pairs
Socks-5 pairs lightweight fast drying synthetic athletic socks are best
Shirts-t’s, tank tops, and athletic shirts.  One long sleeve shirt.  Materials such as polypropylene and capilene dry fast and help you stay cool.
Sweatshirt or jacket-lightweight and breathable
Rain jacket-lightweight, vented is nice
One casual, but nice-looking outfit for going out to dinner and visiting temples.  If you’re thoughtful, you can accomplish this without packing any clothing in addition to what’s listed above.
Sneakers- light, breathable, fast-drying
Flip flops are the old standby for Thai footwear.  Sandals that strap to your heel work great and are adequate for many of our activities

Water bottle
Personal first aid kit
            Several band aids of assorted sizes
            Double antibiotic ointment
            Medical Tape
            Preferred mild pain reliever
            Sterile bandEdad-4-6
            Ace bandage
            Antiseptic wipes 10
Sunscreen-PLASTIC BAG
Insect repellent with DEET, one small bottle-PLASTIC BAG
Hand sanitizer-2 small bottles PLASTIC BAG
Watch
Medications-don’t forget to let the staff know which meds you take
Travel toothbrush, toothpaste

Travel soap container and soap
Contact lens care supplies if needed

Optional Items:
Pictures of home, family to share with the Thai people you’ll meet
A Deck of Cards
Thai/English phrasebook
Travel pillow
A bag for dirty clothes-this can be a mesh bag, a pillowcase, or even a trashbag

Allowance:
$150-$300  The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar has an amazing variety of crafts, clothing, and unbelievable miscellaneous trinkets and shopping there is a real treat, so budget more if you’re a big time shopper and less if you’re a go light, less is more, bring home only the memories kind of traveler.

Where will we stay?
We’ll stay at hotels, guesthouses, Rustic Pathways Base houses, and even a bamboo hut.

What are the accommodations like?
We’ll be in nice clean rooms with hot water showers and western style beds.

How often can I do laundry?
We’ll be able to wash our clothes every few days.

Are the mosquitoes a problem?
There are mosquitoes.  They’re usually not too bad, but you will want to have a long sleeve shirt and long pants in the evenings.  Also bring a small bottle of insect repellent containing DEET. 

What will I need to spend my allowance money on?
You’ll want money to buy hand made crafts in the villEdad and at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.  There will be all kinds of souvenirs and fun stuff to buy, so budget some money for that.

What is the weather like?
It’s hot, and humid in the day and a little cooler in the mountains at night.  Daily downpours are short and give way to sunny skies.  Be prepared for heat and dampness.  Synthetic fiber clothes are great because they dry fast and don’t get as mildewy as cotton can. 

How often will I have access to email and phones?
Phones will be available nearly every day and Internet access will be frequent. 

How many staff members will be on this trip?
We never have fewer than one staff member for every five students.