Chiang Mai guide. Best Tuk Tuk Tours.

Hi everybody.

I%26#39;m off to Thailand for my 3rd trip on Aug 30 %26amp; Chiang Mai for the first time, can%26#39;t wait. I%26#39;d like to thank everyone for all the help I%26#39;ve received on this site.

Now I%26#39;d like to recommend someone else who may be of help to all future travellers.

Whilst doing alot of research for a tour guide, I found a man named Paul Collins from Best Tuk Tuk Tours in Chiang Mai. What caught my attention was the fact that he%26#39;s the only Farang registered to drive a Tuk Tuk %26amp; be certified TAT.

I contacted Paul with some ideas %26amp; he responded in less than 24 hours with an itinerary of sorts. I then wrote back with more ideas %26amp; once again he was quick to respond with changes. I have now booked him for 2 days doing all the things I wanted. My main aim in C/Mai is to buy homewares %26amp; having a perfect English speaking guide to converse with has made it alot easier.

I%26#39;ll post a review on Paul %26amp; all my adventures when

I get home.

Thanx again everyone.

Cheers,

Lynn

Chiang Mai guide. Best Tuk Tuk Tours.

Hi Lynn

Hope you have a great time in Chiang Mai, its a great place.

Just a minor point, I don%26#39;t know if you should call Paul a Farang. He%26#39;s actually a Thai citizen! (And he has to be or he couldn%26#39;t drive the tuk tuk!)

Chiang Mai guide. Best Tuk Tuk Tours.

Hi ctrunfree,

U are quite right, he%26#39;s a Thai citizen born to American parents which explains his perfect English (although not like us Aussies speak) %26amp; the bonus of speaking Thai. I%26#39;m a fussy buyer so the communication was my biggest deciding factor. Like I said, I%26#39;ll post again %26amp; tell all.

Lynn

HI Lynn, We have booked him for next Wednesday, I agree with your post, he was very fast in replying and whilst the original tour outline wasn%26#39;t exactly our thing, we have changed it a bit, all of which he was happy and open to....Not that anything was wrong with Pauls origianl tour plan. We really hope our tour goes well and we sue him agian on our 9 night stay, tell me - we have booked him and we are 3 adults - did you find the tuk tuk had plenty of room ?

Sorry jus re read your post you have not been yet - i wish there was a edit function on this site.

I know it seems as tho I praise Paul Collins a lot on here...but what can you say about someone who has taken a truly American farang lady who fell in love with Chiang Mai over 17 years ago and moved here with her husband five years ago, and then lost him less than a year after moving here, has helped her to learn quite a bit of Thai (still can%26#39;t get the perfect Northern Thai accent into my language skills with my Boston/NY accent...and I will almost for sure die trying!!! LOL), tries to teach me the Thai way of doing some things (like not completely loosing my mind and temper when dealing with shopkeepers, bankers, grocery shopping, helping with my long term visa and showing me and friends things that most tourists don%26#39;t ever see)? There seems to be some question about if Paul is farang or not. Well, yes, Paul is a Thai citizen. That%26#39;s why he is able to have a ligit tuk tuk license and was able to become a regestered TAT tour guide. But because both of his parents were born in the USA, (they have lived here for a total of over 70 years, and had 6 children born and educated here) and are both farang he also holds American citizenship. But Paul is REALLY farang. Thai people consider anyone who is not Thai farang. If you are black, white, or yellow...if you%26#39;re not Thai...you are farang. Paul is the only white tuk tuk driver who is licensed to drive a tuk tuk...and he is also the only one who has been granted a TAT tour guide license in the entire country (and he can show you the ENTIRE country. He%26#39;s not just licensed for Chiang Mai) Both of the above mentioned jobs are restricted to Thai Nationals.

When Paul decided to ';branch out'; from simply driving a tuk tuk he was unique in his University class...because he was the only white person there. He and his family just love Thailand and really want everyone who comes here to enjoy the experience, learn about the history and culture, and even open their home to some of Paul%26#39;s clients so they can interact with both ex-pats and Thai people and learn about the difference in our cultures. Paul has held many jobs here, from working as a certified English teacher, to working on a farm...but his passion is people and being a tour guide. He simply wants everyone to love his country of birth and its people as much as he does. He has a great sense of humor, a killer smile and goes the extra mile to make sure that everybody is enjoying themselves. Also, if he doesn%26#39;t know the answer to one of your questions, he%26#39;ll get the correct answer for you. I sincerely hope that anyone who wants to get to know Chiang Mai and the rest of Thailand give Paul a shout and let him show you the real Thailand....up close and personal..the way it should be seen! You won%26#39;t be sorry! Marie (nannyre)

Ha I just read what i typed - we will use him again, not we will sue him....gee I wish we had an edit function on this..

Either way pennywise, i knew what u meant even while laughing

In my mind anyone with %26#39;a great sense of humour%26#39; has to be good fun to spend some time with. I might even book a tour one day.

Hi all who posted on this topic,

I just got back from CM and spent a day with Paul last Sat (15 Aug). Trust me, Paul will make sure you enjoy the time spent with him. Paul is accomodating and will adjust the itinerary as the day goes by if you find the original plan is not to your liking. If you are into CM%26#39;s art and craft, Paul will recommend and bring you to what he think is the best in CM and he is not ';tied-up'; with any of them and hence you do not worry that he will take a cut on whatever you will be buying. As a matter of fact, some of the people at the art and craft factories that I visited were surprised (first time seeing PauL) that I have Paul as a tour-guide. He is also safe with his handling of the tuk-tuk and no worry about that. Having born and raised there, Paul is well-qualified to explain and show you the ins and outs of CM.

Enjoy and safe journey to all...

I have also booked PAul for two days in December and we are really excited about the days he has planned for us. So far I am very impressed with the quick reponse to my emails and the detailed itinerary he has sent me.

I hope you have a wonderful time and I look forward to reading your review.

Sam