Thailand has no fixed tipping culture, which leaves most visitors guessing about what is truly appropriate. For decades, the Land of Smiles has operated without the rigid gratuity expectations found in North America. However, as international travel expands, local customs are slowly adapting to new norms. Today, tipping in Thailand is highly appreciated but rarely […]

The post Tipping in Thailand: Who to Tip and How Much first appeared on Chiang Rai Times.

Bangkok hotel prices depend on both the season and the dates of your stay. Cooler, drier weather draws more leisure travelers from November through February, while Christmas and New Year bring extra demand. Yet the calendar alone won’t predict the rate at every hotel. Bangkok also attracts visitors for business, medical care, conventions, and festivals, […]

The post Bangkok Hotel Rates: When They Spike and Why first appeared on Chiang Rai Times.

My friend Dana flew up from Bangkok on Friday, December 12, 2025, and the next afternoon we drove the switchbacks from Mae Chan, Chiang Rai up to Doi Mae Salong in my secondhand Honda Jazz, with two fleece jackets and a bag of tangerines from the market on the back seat. I’d booked us two […]

The post Cool Season in Chiang Rai – Why Hotel PMS Software Matters When You Book first appeared on Chiang Rai Times.

I spent thirty-one years keeping pumps running at a water utility in Toledo, Ohio, and I’ve lived in Chiang Rai since 2019, in a rented house off the road to Mae Chan with a mango tree that drops fruit on the car every April. I learned to dive in the Florida Keys in 1988, when […]

The post Retired in Chiang Rai to Diving in Komodo – A Komodo Island Liveaboard or a Hotel on a Pension? first appeared on Chiang Rai Times.

I’ve run longtail boat trips out of Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai since 2004, mostly the hour up to the Golden Triangle and back, and on good days the long run down to Chiang Khong. My father worked the same stretch of river before me, and he taught me to read it by the color of […]

The post From the Mekong to the Coral Triangle – A Chiang Rai River Guide’s First Raja Ampat Liveaboard first appeared on Chiang Rai Times.