Testimonials

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I am a seasoned traveler. I have hired tour guides in many countries. After touring with Tong the bar has been set much higher for future guides. From the moment we (3 siblings) and I met her to the final kiss goodbye she was engaging, funny, passionate and full of knowledge. My day with Tong was the most memorable day of travel I have ever had.

The day was tailored to our interest with guidance from Tong. I highly recommend the Floating Market and the Tiger Temple. Tong is well known in both places and she makes sure that you see and experience everything with the greatest of ease. In addition, she is more than fair in what she charges for her services. This was a total plus experience!!!!!

Lizz Kluger

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We learned. We ate well. We laughed. Oh, we laughed.

Our time with Tong was the complete holiday experience. In between walking with tigers, visiting the real Bridge on the River Kwai and dining in a stilt home in the estuary, we received a delightful course on Thai history and culture.

Tong brings an intensity of passion, knowledge and warmth that elevates a trip into an adventure. Best of all it was incredibly fun. We cannot recommend her too highly.

For more pictures and extensive details of our Tong experience, please visit our blog:

Richard and Elizabeth Beeby
Toronto, Canada

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There's so much I can say about Tong and our time with her on our honeymoon in Thailand. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend two days with her, but even that was not enough. After several e-mail conversations it was decided that she would pick us up at 6:30 a.m. at our hotel, the Peninsula. Sure enough, there she was waiting for us right outside the door ready for her welcome hug. She offered us a beverage of our choice (mine being coffee) and seeing that I was tired, offered me a pillow. Her car was clean and she made sure that we were comfortable with the temperature. We knew that our plan for the day consisted of going to a fishing village and then off to see the temples, but did not know that the whole car drive would be filled with helpful information and fun sights. Tong is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about her country. She stopped on the side of the road to show us how the street vendors make sweet rice. It was delicious and I even got to make one myself!! When we arrived at the fishing village, we met the fisherman who was about to make our day AMAZING. We went out on his boat in the middle of nowhere and learned about the rules and regulations of such a village. Unexpectedly, we were taken to the oyster farm, where Tong and the fisherman picked fresh herbs and allowed us to eat the most spectacular fresh oysters we have ever had and probably will ever have. Afterwards, they took the boat over to the side of the land where the fisherman called wild monkeys. Hundreds of them!! Surprisingly, the last white monkey in Thailand showed up and ate fruit straight from our hands! The fisherman took us to his hut in the middle of the water where his daughter and her friends had prepared an amazing Thai lunch. After lunch, they brought out a cot and a pillow and let me lay down. It's as if they KNEW me.

As if that wasn't enough for one day, we continued our travels to the temples in Bangkok. As it started to rain, Tong quickly pulled out 3 umbrellas and we were on our way. Something I should mention: Tong is not just a tour guide, she is an expert on all things Thai, often making you emotional with how heartfelt she is in her sincere love for her country. She is also a FANTASTIC photographer.

The next morning Tong picked us up to take us to the Floating Markets. She knew exactly where we were going and what we were doing in a place that my husband and I certainly would have gotten lost in alone. We ate delicious food from vendors and were taken into the back canals of the markets to see the non-touristy side of things. On our way to the AMAZING Tiger Temple, we stopped at a wood working shop that had incredible artwork and gave us a good feel for what goes into making such pieces.

What to say about the Tiger Temple? I'm aware that many people don't like it and Tong made sure to explain that we could make our own opinions about it, but that she would try and show us a good time there. Yes, we went and took pictures with the tigers on our laps and did the usual, but it was what came after that was astounding. The Temple had a cub! Tong asked the monk to come out and let us play with the cub and I never wanted to let him go. We then went further on the grounds and found Bam Bam. Bam Bam, a sun bear, instantly made us fall in love with her. Sun bears are known for being ferocious. Bam Bam, however, is a teddy bear. Tong often refers to Bam Bam as her child as her love and devotion to her is amazing. Without Tong, the bear often does not eat or get attention. We fed her tons of food until she could barely move she was so full! It was the most surreal experience that we never could have had anywhere in the world and with anyone, but Tong.

As if that wasn't enough, we stopped at the River Kwai for some photo ops. Tong made sure we got every photo we wanted and knew exactly how to position the camera to get the newlywed couple and the background in perfectly.

I've had experiences in Thailand that I would NEVER had known about without experiencing them with her specifically. I got to see the touristy places as well and hear from an extremely intelligent, knowledgable woman what it was like to view it from the inside - from someone who highly respects her own culture and the culture of everyone to whom she has ever showed her country. My husband and I toured with her on our honeymoon and by the end of the trip it wasn't uncommon for me to hold her hand instead of his.

We will most certainly re-visit Thailand and if/when we do, we will be seeing Tong. I've made a friend for life.

Lauren Perotti

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In July 2006, my friend and I traveled to Thailand for three weeks. While in Bangkok, Tong served as our guide for two days.. Tong is amazing guide, a great person and now a great friend. I have traveled all over the world and used private guides in every destination and have never been as impressed with a guide as I was with Tong. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a guide in Bangkok. She is fun and intelligent and just a really great person. She taught us so much about Buddhism and Thai culture (all in response to our millions of questions) and gave us an experience in Bangkok that would could not have had on our own or with any other guide we encountered while in the country.

The first day with Tong we went to the tourist sights in BKK. The Grande Palace and Royal Temples, the Reclining Buddha and on a river boat tour of BKK. I watched and listened to other guides and Tong was by far the best. She has tons of information if you want it. She learned our likes and dislikes and interests and catered our tour and the information provided to those likes and interests. Not only was Tong full of information, she was well prepared to deal with us Californian girls who were unaccustomed to the stifling heat.
She had water available to us at every turn and could tell when we were ready to succumb to the heat. She took us to a fantastic restaurant we never would have found without her and ordered us the best food on the menu.

The next morning, we woke up early and met Tong who took us to the Floating Market, temples near the Floating Market and then Kanchanaburi. Tong introduced us to the best fried bananas, mangosteens (the best fruit ever) and I helped us bargain and avoid being ripped off.

After the Floating Market, we went to the snake show. It was very entertaining. I loved to see the people squirm when the snakes were near! We then stopped at the Royal Craft store where we bought lots of local Thai Crafts. Tong recommended this place and I bought tons of stuff.

We then headed to Kanchanaburi where we went to the Bridge over the River Kwai and then took a long tail boat to the monkey school. The monkey school is very small and you get a private show. We got to hold the monkeys and take lots of pictures. Since I love monkeys, I loved this place. I recommend it.

Then we went to the Tiger Temple which is another great site. After signing a waiver on our lives, we took lots of pictures with the Tigers and other animals in the temple. After a 12 hour day, we headed back to BKK.

Our days with Tong were great. She is so fun and kind. She planned our days to perfection based on our likes and dislikes. I highly recommend her to anyone traveling to Bangkok. I cannot wait to go back and travel with her again. She has so many ideas for tourists and has a profound love for her country. Bangkok is a huge and heavily populated city and is quite overwhelming. Tong was our savior.

Jennifer Peabody, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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My wife and i had only a couple of days in Bangkok at the end of a tour of Vietnam and Cambodia, and decided to get the best out of our time we needed help. After hearing good reports we booked with Tong. Tong herself was busy but arranged for 'Mr Q' one of her newer guides to take us around. He proved to be a fantastic guide! A 6-30am start to Day1 saw us visit the river Kwai bridge, JEATH museum, death railway trip, elephant ride,feed wild mokeys and visit tiger temple. What a marvelous day with 'Q' providing fresh fruit ( some delicious exotic fruits that we'd never had before ) and plenty of cold water to keep us going!! A more leisurely start to Day 2 at 8-00am involved 'Q' guiding us around the city. Once again many little extras were provided including some flowers for my wife from 'Q' who bought them for her at the flower market. 'Q' gave us plenty of information on all the temples and palaces we saw but not too much to bore us! He took us to a great thai restaurant for lunch and whilst my wife and i ate our meal he nipped out to a pharmacy in order to buy some sunburn soother for me!!

Once again a great big thanks to 'Q' from the both of us. I hope we are fortunate to visit Bangkok in the future and will be sure to tour with tong ( or 'Q' ) !!!

David and Tracy Tattersall

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