Review from a tour I took back in 2002. If you lack travel-loving friends, I can really recommend going on an arranged group tour!

What do you get if you take five Aussies, one Canadian, one Swede, and one smiling Thai Geckos guide? A good start. Then put them in the exotic land of Siam for 2 weeks in the summer of 2002. Add some wings of history, adventures, colorful nature, and a kitchen filled with chili, lemongrass, and coconut. Voilá, you got a great vacation!

The Gecko¨s tour "Thailand At a Glance" started with me arriving at my hotel room in Bangkok, feeling quite tired, lonely and a bit nervous. I was met by Tania, my room mate on the tour, whom I had never met before. She was about as nervous and happy about some company as I was so we quickly became good friends, and went out on the streets to experience Bangkok. The night in Bangkok was followed by a sightseeing tour of its temples and palaces. The night train took us up north to Chiang Mai, where we visited some more temples, handicrafts places, and the night market. We ate in the local steet kitchens and fascinated looked at stacks of fried insects. The next morning, we woke up early to go elephant-riding through the jungle. On the way, we bought colorful souvenirs from a hilltribe village and had lunch on a bamboo raft ride.

After one more night in Chiang Mai, we took a bumpy local bus ride to Thaton and continued our trip to Chiang Rai in a long tail boat on the Kok River. The next day, we headed for the Burmese border and Golden Triangle. Then it was time for a rendezvous with the night train. The next morning, a bus took us to Kanchanaburi and our floating raft hotel on River Kwai. We felt the tragic wings of World War II history at Death Railway, the bridge over River Kwai, and Hellfire Pass.

Then we had some great baths in the Erawan waterfalls before heading south to the rainforest in Khao Sok National Park. After going trekking, collecting leeches, and meeting monkeys, we reached the coast at Phang Nga. In a long tail boat, we discovered the mangrove forests, the limestone caves, and the famous James Bond Island. We spent the night at Ko Panyee fishing village, and after a wet boat ride (the Canadian who could not swim was not very happy..), we arrived to Rai Leh Beach, the last stop on the tour. After a few days (too few) of lying on the beach, it was time to go back home with a backpack full of souvenirs, several film rolls, some new friends and lots of nice memories.. (and unfortunately, also a quite unpleasent souvenir: malaria.. but i didnt found that out until later..)