by Scott Coates

Smiling Albino (SA) thrives on creating one-of-a-kind, total quality, seamless travel experiences. We’ve never been in the business of offering the cheapest hotel rooms or airline tickets. There are plenty of websites that do that. Instead, we enjoy working with and recommending a handful of properties in respective categories that we’ve personally visited, if not stayed at, and represent great value for money.

Rather than being a bit-and-piece ‘tour company’ we excel at creating

Seamless fun that works like a symphony

flawless experiences from start to finish. In many ways what we do is like the conductor of a symphony. All instruments must be present, in agreement of the song, tempo and manner in which the composition will be executed. If one instrument is not on the same page then all is lost. When everyone plays together, it’s magical.

Hotels are an area we specialize in recommending, picking the best ones based on guests’ budget and style, and building them into an overall travel experience. We put a good deal of time into personally visiting properties we work with once-a-year and maintaining strong personal relationships with the general managers, ensuring our guests are truly treated like VIPs.

Sometimes when we make trip proposals, potential guests search the internet and simply add up the prices of hotel rooms they find online and compare that number to our proposed rate. We understand that comparing

All it takes is one bad connection and all is spoiled

online hotel rates and the rates we offer can at first be confusing. In many respects it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Smiling Albino isn’t a business that simply buys and sells hotel rooms – we provide ‘extraordinary experiences’. This includes consultation, recommendations and deep thought into how to deliver the best experience based on your interests and style. Hotels and rates we build into our trips are always no more expensive than you would find yourself online when you include all elements (often there are two sets of taxes on the final payment page of online hotel sites: ++) and initially stated rates don’t include breakfast. Also, they often advertise rooms/rates that when it comes time to booking, actually aren’t available during your desired dates. Everything we propose is done in real time, at real rates with everything included. All of our hotels (and air tickets, events, etc) pitched include everything you would need and expect: all taxes, breakfast, guaranteed room, possible upgrade, reconfirmation of your room before you check in by our office team, to ensure a seamless and total quality experience.

Essentially, the hallmark of our business is the guarantee of quality and service, 100% of the time, no exceptions. Occasionally buying direct with suppliers can be cheaper in SE Asia, however the rules of Caveat Emptor certainly apply. Often tickets purchased online have hidden restrictions or change penalties that buyers may not be aware of. We don’t take those chances when booking things for our guests. All of the tickets we purchase and rooms we book come with options to change last minute details, move times and dates, with minimum penalty, as often happens in travel. To be

All you should think about during you trip is having fun, leave the rest to us

sure, we don’t offer the cheapest programs and services, but instead offer a comprehensive package that seamlessly fits all things on an SA program together with an eye to service and hassle-free fun. As a result we take full responsibility for guaranteeing all components work together harmoniously, every time. The value of the program is achieved through the collective sum of the entire experience. It only takes one missed flight, dirty room or missing airport pickup to spoil your entire trip.

Let Smiling Albino manage your entire experience so you can arrive, relax and enjoy it all from start to finish with no unpleasant surprises. That’s the way travel should be. It’s what we’ve become experts at over the past 10 years and dedicated our lives to delivering.

Enjoy reading Trains, Boats and Planes…, from the December 2009 edition of Expat Living Singapore, a neat story about Smiling Albino’s Bangkok 1910 trip.

Vendor at Tha Kha Floating Market

by Bank Takaeng

This dish will make you not only enjoying chicken but also the aroma of ginger. It’s easy and good for your health.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast, thinly sliced – 2/3 cup / 160ml.
• Ginger, skin removed and shredded – 1/4 cup / 60ml.
• Wood ear mushroom, cut into bite size pieces – 1/4 cup / 60ml.
• Sliced onion – 1/2 cup / 120m.
• Spring onion, cut into 1-inch pieces – 2
• Large red chilies, sliced – 1-2
• Cloves of garlic, crushed – 2
• Oil – 2 tblsp / 30ml.
• Water 2 tblsp / 30ml.
• Oyster sauce – 1 tblsp 15ml.
• Fish sauce – 1 tsp / 5ml
• Soya bean paste – 1 tblsp / 15ml
• light soy sauce – 1/2 tsp. / 2.5ml

Preparations:

• Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat
• Add garlic and onion and fry until it starts to turn brown.
• Add the chicken, and keep stirring until the outside of the chicken turns white.
• Add the water, ginger and mushrooms and stir fry to combine.
• Add the sauces, the chilies and the spring onions and fry for 1 min
• Serve immediately with steamed rice for 2

by Scott Coates

Ten years living in Asia and I’d never been to a Chinese wedding. Many Thais are of Chinese heritage but I just never found myself in the position to end up at one of their weddings. To that note, I’ve only been to a handful of weddings in my entire life. I know lots of people but just don’t make it to many weddings (maybe most of my friends are single or married already?).

During a January 2010 trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia with my

The start of the evening

girlfriend Erika from Singapore for holiday and a bit of marketing, I found myself somewhere I didn’t expect to be – a Chinese wedding. Asia is full of surprises and a common happening is the unexpected. For whatever reason you’re often not told about things until the last minute – it’s just the way things work. So there we were in our KL hotel on Friday when Erika asked me if I would accompany her to her cousin’s wedding the next night. “What, you’re going to a wedding,” was my reaction. Turns out her family didn’t tell her about it until that day and she hadn’t seen her cousin since they were small kids.

Fast forward to the next night, with my best clothes on (not wedding material that’s for sure), but assured that her relatives don’t dress up for receptions, we found ourselves in the northern suburbs of KL with Erika’s mom, uncle, aunt and a couple cousins. They were filing-in, about 250 people and almost everyone seemed to know one another. Turns out Erika’s mother has 19 brothers and sisters, most of who were there. Most of whom I personally met, trying my best to say “hello” in various Chinese dialects. Seems there were no less than five being spoken: Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakka, Hainanese and Hokkien. A quick survey of the room revealed no other white people and I certainly didn’t blend in. Children and elders alike smiled, looked curiously and no doubt wondered what I was doing there. What was I doing here?!

The bride and groom, both in their early thirties, had been married earlier in the day and were now wearing more casual outfits. They continually cruised the room, paying pleasantries and catching up with their hundreds of aunts, uncles, grand parents, cousins, etc. There was the odd presentation on stage and things were overall rather formal and stiff for the first hour or so. Bring on the booze…

Erika, the groom, bride & Scott

Like many events in the world, alcohol is the lubricant that really kicks things up a notch (or two, or three). Older, mild-mannered, quiet relatives I met earlier in the evening suddenly had a lot of more energy, spoke a bit of English and wanted to “cheers” glasses and after doing so drink their glass to the bottom. All my years of bartending (and tasting) were paying off. The spirits on offer were Tiger draught beer, a painfully sweet Chinese wine and a Chinese brandy (also very sweet). It seemed to be against the rules for a white guy to have an empty glass and being that you couldn’t have a sip without finishing your entire glass, a few went down the hatch rather quickly. By 10pm I was the most popular guy in the room with Erika’s older uncles and aunts, being pulled to this table, then that one to “cheers”, try saying something in their native tongue and generally make people laugh (I was usually not sure why).

Bring on a nine-course dinner which included Shark’s Fin Soup and a host of other new and interesting delights and I almost felt like family. Word had gotten out I live in Thailand and speak Thai. This led to one of Erika’s older uncles who seemed to be the party ring leader to ask me how to say “cheers” in Thai. “Chon Kaew” I replied and the room erupted into laughter. That became the phrase for the rest of the evening as person after person yelled “Chon Kaew” at every opportunity. One can only “Chon Kaew” so many times and a few attendees were reaching their limit.

As quickly as it began, it was over. Seems 11pm was the agreed upon

After a few drinks

finishing time, bottles were quickly boxed-up, tables cleared and the room emptied out. A few dozen more “Chon Kaews” and we were on our way back downtown. What started out as a potentially uncomfortable and quiet evening for the only white person and non-Chinese-language speaking person in the room turned into the event of the trip. This is what it must feel like to be a celebrity and I’m sure a few people I met will think twice before asking the white guy to “Chon Kaew” again.

by Scott Coates

A few shots from Christmas/New Years trips in northern Thailand. See the entire gallery here: http://photos.smilingalbino.com/Thailand-Photos/Northern-Thailand/Northern-Thailand-Dec-09/10978772_BRm5n#767408965_VtLHQ

Smiling Albino was here

Making friends along the Thai-Myanmar border

Blasting down Doi Tung, Chiang Mai province

Awesome morning at Rai Saeng Arun, Chiang Rai province

See the entire gallery here: http://photos.smilingalbino.com/Thailand-Photos/Northern-Thailand/Northern-Thailand-Dec-09/10978772_BRm5n#767408965_VtLHQ

by Scott Coates

When Daniel Fraser and I moved to Thailand in September 1999 to design and launch Smiling Albino, we chose lesser-known Thai venues as our playground. Most people prior to visiting have heard of the northern jewel

Very neat temples abound

Chiang Mai and the southern beach paradises of Phuket and Ko Samui. We were not going to open a tour company, rather a fun and experiential company. For that we needed to not only offer a different travel concept but take people places they wouldn’t find on their own. Ten years later we’ve been fortunate to host great people on wonderfully inventive trips and introduce travelers to places like Chiang Rai province, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ayutthaya and beach areas like Ao Nang, Krabi province and Ko Samet.

After guests travel with us once, come back for more and even a third helping, one must come up with new experiences and backdrops. These visitors also get curious about the major Thai destinations they’ve heard about. This has resulted in kind of an experience in reverse concept – do the off-the-beaten-track spots, then on your second or third trip hit some of the better-known ones. Essentially, we design custom/dream experiences that hold all the elements of classic Smiling Albino experiences. So there we found ourselves about three years ago, realizing it was time to become schooled in destinations like Chiang Mai, Phuket and Ko Samui. Off we went.

I used to be proud to say that I knew Chiang Rai province like the back of my hand and didn’t really know much about Chiang Mai or go there often. The

Mads enjoying a hippy bar

last three years has seen that change with my now visiting at least six times-per-year. At first it struck me as an overgrown mountain town cum city. Traffic, poor air at times, tons of tourist restaurants/bars/shops, and more cars. But like most places, if you’re there long enough, do your homework, get out and about, you find treasures and points that appeal. It’s not hard to understand why visitors can’t imagine how I happily live in Bangkok, but I do much of the year and love my time there. Yes, there are obvious downsides, but the upsides if you find them are enormous. I can’t think of too many cities in the world I enjoy more.

At first Chiang Mai to me had poor air, a good bike ride required negotiating cars and ring-roads for 10km or so to get to the good bits, and it seemed entirely like tourist hell with all the shops. Dinners with resident friends, drinks with musicians at bars, mountain bike rides up and down the area’s holiest mountain Doi Suthep, visits to art galleries, boutique shops, artisan villages and I came to understand what the fuss is about. Yes, this is a much bigger center than other northern provinces like Mae Hong Son or Chiang Rai, but there’s a lot of charm under the surface layer.

With roughly 225,000 residents, Chiang Mai is a much more planned city than even Bangkok. While dating to 1296 and the original walled/moat portion of the inner city remaining intact, highways have been constructed, large ring roads built with an eye to the future and irrigation canals carved out to ensure surrounding farms maintain good irrigation. A few nights there

Great outdoors

and you find there’s a ton of neat restaurants, lounges, bars and places to socialize. There are arguably more interesting/high quality shops selling everything from clothes, art, pottery, iron work, lacquer ware and nick knacks than in Bangkok in relation to the size of the center. Good breakfast spots, something that’s tough to find in Bangkok, are abundant in Chiang Mai. Smoothies, pancakes and real coffee are not only available but there a number of cool/quality spots to choose from.
Live music – check, a vibrant art scene – check, international food – check, outdoors – check, hilltribe people – check, world class hotels – check, a funky vibe – check. Chiang Mai really does have it all. I now understand what all the fuss is about.

While I wouldn’t go to Chiang Mai all the time or discount the value of our Chiang Rai trips, there’s a reason to visit this larger center. If it’s a healthy mix of the abovementioned, some home comforts and the outdoors is not the major reason for your visit, then Chiang Mai really is aptly named The Jewel of the North.

by Bank Takaeng

Scott and friends have done a fantastic dirt biking at Doi Chang, Chiang Rai.

by Bank Takaeng

This dish is quite rarity. It’s essentially a custard which is made from curried steamed fish. Typically, we make a little banana leaf as a bowl while we steam fish. If banana leaf is rarely to find, a small bowl is fine.

Ingredients:

Red Curry Paste
- 2-5 dried large chilies, seeds removed soaked in water for at least 10 min.
- Roasted coriandre seeds – 2tsp / 10ml.
- Salt – 1/2tsp / 2.5ml.
- Black peppercorns – 1/2tsp / 2.5ml.
- Ginza, skin removed and well chopped – 1tblsp / 15ml.
- Lemongrass, crushed and well chopped – 1tblsp / 15 ml.
- Garlic, crushed – 1tsp / 5ml.
- Shallot, peel and chopped – 1tblsp / 15ml.
- Kaffir lime skin, chopped – 1 tblsp / 15ml.
- Ginger 1 tsp / 5ml.
- Shrimp paste – 1/2tsp / 2.5ml.

Steamed Curry Fish
- Fish fillet in thin slices – 1/2 cup / 120ml.
- Red curry paste – 1tblsp / 15 ml.
- Coconut cream – 6 tblsp / 90 ml.
- Egg, beaten for 2 portions – 2
- Sweet basil leaves – 30
- Kaffir lime leaf, shredded and stem discarded – 2
- Red chili, thinly sliced – 6-8
- Fis sauce – 2tsp / 10ml.

Preparation:

Red curry paste

• Grind the coriander seed, in a mortar and grind them into a powder with a pestle.
• Add gins, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, kaffir lime skin, ginger and shrimp paste and pound using a pestle until the paste is smooth.

Steamed curry fish

• Combine the curry paste, coconut cream, egg and fish sauce.
• Add the fish and some of the kaffir and sweet lassie leaves.
• Mix again and place the mixture in a small baking bowl (or banana basket)
• Steam for 10 min over high heat.
• Remove from the heat, add remaining coconut cream on top, and steam again for 1 min.

This is serve for 2-3 people.

by Bank Takaeng

Scott and friends have done a biking adventure at Doi Tung, Chiang Rai.