has a population of over 11 million people, it is also the coloured gem capital of the world. In terms of gemstones and lapidary supplies (tools, machinery and rough material) you are completely spoilt for choice. The Jewellery Trade Centre (JTC) is home to thousands of gem and lapidary dealers and if you can’t find it here, then you won’t find it anywhere! The Palladium Shopping Centre has silver jewellery and gem dealers as well as pearls. Khao San Road is home to wonderful restaurants as well as many silver jewellery shops. It is a well known backpacker street, so prices are cheap and it has many market stalls for clothes and souvenir shopping. Charoen Krung road is home to many shops selling mostly slabs and other rough lapidary material. Silom Road, adjacent to the JTC has many gem and jewellery shops as well.

There are also many non gem options, such as a cruise along the Chao Praya River down to Asiatique Shopping Centre, the legendary MBK Shopping Centre and Jim Thompson’s House. The tour of Jim Thompson’s House is well worth the time, he was an American credited with reviving the Thai Silk Industry in the 1960’s and the tour around his house is very informative. The Grand Palace is also well worth visiting and there are numerous temples and historical sites to see.

Bangkok has a fantastic food scene and we try to eat street food where possible, but you also have the option of visiting many world class or local family run restaurants. Food is cheap, easy to find and not always spicy! How spicy is up to you.

Chanthaburi is the centre for wholesale gemstones, located a two hour drive, SE of Bangkok. This is where the dealers from the JTC in Bangkok come to buy. The market only operates on a Friday and Saturday and is a little different to what you’d expect. It is an outdoor market with stalls on the road and roaming brokers who show you their gems. You can also take a seat in an open shopfront and wait for dealers to bring you gems. I rarely buy here as it is difficult to negotiate a good price, as all the dealers and brokers know each other and any ‘mystery’ foreigner is fair game. I do have a broker who buys for me, so if you know exactly what you want ahead of time, I can arrange for it to be purchased and waiting for you when we arrive.

We stay at a hotel near the river and there is a good choice of riverfront restaurants and also a funky craft beer bar. It is a very quiet town and a welcome change after the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Depending on the weather, we may visit a Sapphire mine, however the road is often washed out.

This is one of my favourite stops on the tour. We stay at a lovely family run hotel and the town is very easy to navigate. Itborders Burma, which is literally a 15m wide river away. There is a local daily market selling everything you could possibly need, except for gemstones! Luckily there are plenty of gem shops along both sides of the street selling gems from Burma. You can find Amber, Jade, Sapphires and Spinels in rough, single gemstones or already set in jewellery. I have been buying from the same dealers for many years and so it is easy to buy at a good price.

The night food market is made up of many ‘food vans’, Thai style, who line the roadway with tables and chairs on the footpaths. There are also restaurants if you prefer and afterwards you can have a foot massage with the locals on the footpath.

If you want to buy Jade jewellery, this is definitely the place to do it. We visit the main street where there are many dealers, shops and brokers. Once again this is a Burma border town, but for some reason more Jade passes through here than Mae Sai. There is also the Rim Moei Market 5km out of town that sits right on the Burma border. There are quite a few stalls with Jade and jewellery but it is packaged food, clothing and souvenirs that predominate. We eat at  Japanese/ Thai restaurant and you can watch them make your sushi on demand!

Just over an hour’s flight north of Bangkok is the second largest city in Thailand. There are very limited shopping options for gemstones, but loads of options for everything else. Located 300m above sea level, Chiang Mai has a cooler climate and is a joy to walk around. It is an ancient walled city, established over 700 years ago, with many historical features to see. It also has the most amazing nightlife full of restaurants, food courts and bars. We usually eat at one of three night markets which all have stalls spread along the street front. This truly is a place to relax and enjoy. Daytime activities are more limited, you can visit an Elephant Sanctuary, catch a movie or visit the Zoo. Note that we do not always visit Chiang mai on tour, so please check before booking. I can always help you extend your tour if you want to visit.

Two hours drive west of Bangkok is Kanchanburi, home to the Thai Burma Railway museum and Commonwealth War Cemetery.

It is also home to Black Spinel which makes wonderful jewellery.

We visit in April on ANZAC Day and you have the option of attending the dawn service.

We do not always visit Kanchanaburi on other tours, but it is easy to visit independently or on a day trip from Bangkok. T

here is a vibrant night market and also a party street with many bars and restaurants.

The Thai Burma Railway Centre is a privately run Museum and is world class.

The first capital of Thailand has wonderful ruins which we explore. It can get very hot, so we rent a self drive golf buggy or replica Model T to take us around as we watch tour groups cycle along in the heat! After lunch we stop for a visit to the museum, which is thankfully air conditioned. The culture and relics are really amazing as was the technology they used to harness water. We stay at a resort and enjoy  BYO poolside drinks before dinner at a wonderful restaurant that is walking distance. We stay near the historical village, which is actually 19km out of town, so you get the feeling you are out in the countryside.