Best & Worst Frequent Flyer Programs

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Tara

This interesting interview takes a look at how the 25 largest frequent flyer programs in the world stack up when it comes to redeeming your miles.

Here are the best and worst airlines for using travel rewards. I have bolded the programs that I use and added my observations.

1. airberlin, top bonus

1. Southwest, Rapid Rewards – I joined this one just because it seems to be the only way we can fly from SJU (Puerto Rico) to mainland USA. No availability on other programs the date I wanted.

3. Virgin Australia, Velocity – easy to redeem on their own flights, even managed to snag a domestic USA route I needed for next year on Delta!

4. Air Canada, Aeroplan

5. Singapore, KrisFlyer – yes, easy to get flights but crazy expensive fuel surcharges!

6. JetBlue, True Blue

6. Lufthansa/SWISS/Austrian, Miles & More

8. Air Asia Group, BIG

9. Alaska Group, Mileage Plan

9. British Airways, Executive Club – my go-to program for shorthaul OneWorld flights

9. China Southern, Sky Pearl Club

12. United, MileagePlus – partner availability better than their own flights but excellent online booking interface.

13. Qantas Group, Frequent Flyer – easy to book but expensive fuel surcharges.

14. Alitalia, MilleMiglia

14. GOL, SMILES

16. American, AAdvantage – better availability on international than domestic, no fuel surcharges!

17. Cathay Pacific, Asia Miles

18. Emirates, Skywards

19. Air France/KLM, Flying Blue – useful for flights in exotic places on KQ & GA

20. Turkish, Miles & Smiles

21. Delta, SkyMiles

22. Scandinavian, EuroBonus

23. Air China, PhoenixMiles

24. Avianca, LifeMiles – easy to use on their own metal but I hear not so easy on partner awards.

25. LAN, LANPASS – had to join as I couldn’t get flights to Galapagos any other way. Call centre is useless. They take your complaint, raise a “case number” when apparently disappears into a black hole. Why do they even bother?

Chiang Mai – Day Trip To Hmong Village & Doi Suthep

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Tara

After walking around the old city, it was just so hot we needed a break. We walked into the nearest tour agency and asked what they had possible for that afternoon as it was already 11am-ish. They did have a few tours scheduled as half-day afternoon trips so we decided on one which visited a Hmong Village and Doi Suthep (hoping to see birds there).

We grabbed some snacks and went back to the tour operator where the minibus picked us up and drover around town picking up other people. Then we made our way slowly up the mountain. The scenery was stunning!

The Hmong Village was very touristy but the handicrafts on offer were priced well and we bought a few embroidered bags, then relaxed in the garden. Not many birds around though.

Then we went back down the mountain a bit to Doi Suthep which is a large, ornate temple on a hill. Some people bravely walked up the stairs but most of us took the cable car up. Our guide showed us around, then gave us half an hour free time to take photos.

Still looking for birds, at least we found a nest!

This is why you don’t want to rent a car to drive around Chiang Mai city. The back alleys are so tight that large trucks can get stuck – in front of YOU! While dropping off one of the tourists after the excursion, we were trapped for about 15 minutes while this truck driver jiggled around parked cars. It was actually pretty entertaining as we weren’t in a hurry but would have been less so if we were trying to get to the airport!

48 Hours – $1 Lonely Planet Chapters

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Tara

For 48 hours, all Lonely Planet digital chapters are just a $1 (reg. $4.95).

Download guides on restaurants, attractions, hotels and more for your favorite travel destinations. I’ll be stocking up on Ecuador and Colombia for next year’s trip!

Enter coupon code PAYPAL1 at checkout.
Terms apply. See offer terms below.
Offer expires 7/2/2015.

Shop before 7/2/2015 at shop.lonelyplanet.com.

Back To Chiang Mai

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Tara

Having finished our brief birding adventures in Doi Inthanon and Mae Ping, we now headed back to Chiang Mai for a couple days of R&R.

Here’s a few interesting shots as we drove back.

It’s a bit hazy but there’s a giant reclining Buddha on the hill! This marks the road where you turn left to go from Chiang Mai to Mae Ping.

Spirit Houses

Huge bird statue

Sad to see bird in cages, especially after seeing them flying free!

After returning the car, we decided to relax with a massage.

Anusarn Might Bazaar

Israeli food for dinner!

I’ve done a fish spa before, it’s a strange sensation!

Morning stroll to the old city.

We stayed in the same Lannathai Guesthouse as the first night we arrived, very conveniently located near the night bazaar.

Grey-headed Parakeet (Psittacula finschii)

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Tara

The Grey-headed parakeet (Psittacula finschii) is closely related to the Slaty-headed Parakeet (which I saw in Nepal a few years ago) which together form a super-species. I briefly saw a small flock fly overhead as we turned down the road to Thung Kik in Mae Ping NP but they disappeared before I could get a shot. This species seems to be very difficult to get a photo of in the wild, not even Wikipedia has one, they just have a drawing of one!

They do have a fairly large range and Mae Ping is considered the easiest place to see them (blue dot). While you are likely to see them, expect it to be a swift fly-by!

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREY-HEADED PARAKEETS

Oriental Bird Club (only photography source of these birds in the wild I could find)

VIDEO

This is a pretty decent video of one eating even though he is partially obscured by leaves! It seems everyone has trouble trying to photo/video this bird!

Black-headed Woodpecker (Picus erythropygius)

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Tara

The Black-headed Woodpecker (Picus erythropygius) is a species of bird in the Picidae family. This was as close as I could get when we were in Mae Ping. There are much better shots on the links below.

They are found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thailand is by far the easiest place to visit logistically and Mae Ping NP (blue dot) has a good population.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Xeno-canto

VIDEOS

Some nice close-ups to make up for my shots being so far away!

Lodge Review: Thung Kik Camp & Hostel, Mae Ping

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Tara

When I was researching this trip and where to stay in Mae Ping, I found mention of Forest Cabins but nothing about the camp & hostel at Thung Kik.

I had no idea there was a hostel until I saw this sign.

Thung Kik has a few facilities such as picnic huts, a small visitor centre and a few multi-bedded rooms that can accommodate large groups or individual travellers.

We had a room in this bungalow that had 2 twin-share rooms and one 4 bed family room. We were the only ones staying here for this one night. A group showed up later, looked like Thai university students who took a large dorm on the other side of the grounds.

Our room, small, cozy and very hot and humid! No wifi so ignore the tablet. They do have power so I could watch pre-loaded movies or read e-books.

There are quite a few deer here, there’s a road just beyond the visitor centre that quickly becomes a dodgy dirt road so we turned back as I didn’t want to damage the car.

Rabbits near our bungalow. Coincidentally, we were here the day after Easter!

My husband trying to chat with the caretaker who didn’t speak much English! The room was really cheap, def less than $10, cash only, no credit cards!

Visiting Mae Ping National Park

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Tara

In direct contrast to the extremely popular Doi Inthanon NP, Mae Ping is well off the beaten track. I was drawn here to see Grey-headed Parakeets and there are a few other bird species that attract birders. After spending 2 mornings and one evening we saw very few people there and most were Thais in their own cars. There was one group there, hence the Forest Cabins were fully booked when I inquired a few months in advance. This is why we spent the first night in Baan Pailyn in Li. The second night we left open and found a room at the hostel/camp in Thung Kik which I will review separately.

Here’s the entrance where you drive in and pay the 100 Baht entry fee.

Visitor’s Centre (which was closed when we entered at 6am). You may be able to book a Forest Cabin if they are available here.

Snack bar ( I didn’t know this was here or I wouldn’t have bought so much food to bring in)

Turn off to Thung Kik, it was shortly after we turned down this road that I saw a small flock of Grey-headed Parakeets fly swiftly overhead and disappear into the bush. We couldn’t find them after that.

There is just this one road so you basically drive up and down this road looking for birds or pull into a designated parking bay if you want to walk.

White-bellied Woodpecker

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

Here you can see how the tall trees close in above the road making visibility very difficult. You will hear a lot more birds than you can see, let alone photograph. I did the best I could with those that were perched near the road!

Black-headed Woodpecker – one of the most sought-after birds for this park.

Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo trying to hide.

Indian Roller (thanks for ID, Matt)

Marriott’s New Rainforest Hotel Available – 10,000 Points

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Tara

Eco-tourists visiting Borneo now have a new points option. The beautiful Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa is a Category 2 and costs 10,000 points a night, 7500 if Pointsavers are available.

Motel Review: Baan Pailyn, Li, Lamphum (Near Mae Ping)

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Tara

I wasn’t sure of when we would arrive in Mae Ping and the forest bungalows were all booked up so we decided to leave it to luck and find something when we got there. We were in luck! This fairly new motel isn’t listed in Trip Advisor but we spotted it when we were driving around town. Rooms were very cheap around 800 Baht-ish.

The rooms were spotless and had balconies overlooking the fields.

Be aware that the restaurant next door closes very early. We were caught out and missed dinner so had to go back to town and find something. We ended up with sandwiches from 7-11. Li rolls up the sidewalks at 6pm.

Like most places in Thailand, the Baan Pailyn has a nice spirit house in front. They have a security guard at night and our car was safe. We left really early so we were told by reception to give the key to the guard. Although it’s much better for birders to stay in the park, this small motel is a reasonable overnight if you can’t get to the park on time.

Miles To The Wild

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