Train Travel | Smiling Albino

We Ended 2020 with the Most Epic Train Party Thailand has Ever Seen

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 04:34:49 +0000

We Ended 2020 with the Most Epic Train Party Thailand has Ever Seen

2 february 2021

On the 10th of December 2020, Lamphun Station, in the small Northern Thai province of Lamphun, was morphed from a sleepy railway stop into a vibrant platform of sparkling performers, colorful accessories, choreographed photos, and locally-inspired cocktails. And that was before the group even boarded the train.

While we did our best to keep the experience a surprise for our guests [who, unsurprisingly, are huge train enthusiasts], once word got out and rumors spread about the journey, the buzz was unstoppable. Guests began flying in friends from other cities and provinces to join the event. Hopes were high, and we were up for the challenge!

The Experience

The day’s mood was sensuality, joy, sin, indulgence, pride, and theatrics. For four hours, guests aboard ‘The Curious Carriage’ indulged, danced, ate, imbibed, and were transported into a journey of escapism. As many commented, “we were transported into another world.”

The onboard entertainment, a journey-long revue show with 7 performers, glitter, music, magic, and engagement. The cast for the day was an eclectic group including acrobatics, drag stars, dancers, theatrics, singing, and a runaway train of other fun surprises.

“We wanted this to be a loco-emotive experience that’s two parts wild, two parts raunchy, and a dash of whimsy for the ages, and we pulled that off.”

-daniel fraser, smiling albino ceo & co-founder

The Challenge of All Challenges

Logistically it was one of the most challenging missions we’d ever executed. With less than an hour to transform two railway cars into a glittering mobile fantasyland, then cue numerous performers, caterers, bartenders and fixers, all while choreographing guest arrival antics and mobilizing friends-of-guests boarding the train at different stations, the journey into escapism was a synchronous effort across multiple provinces and teams.

“Putting this experience together, it was a massive risk. An almost absurd and foolish risk considering the moving parts and need for perfection. We were doing something we had never done before, in places we had never hosted trips before, for a group of Thailand’s most influential people. This was a once-in-a-century gamble with so many elements beyond our control. To pull off the ultimate surprise in Bond-film like fashion, the cards were stacked against us with daunting expectations and pressure.”

There are often no dress rehearsals for our most important performances in life.

While we tried to play forward the tape and map out how each minute would progress, mobilizing a moving militia of surprises, the truth is that our entire team was operating on instinct, and a desire to impress.

"This trip is the result of a few great minds thinking about what is possible, not what has been done. This has been the ultimate effort from our team at Smiling Albino.

Often transforming rural town infrastructure into a world-class experience that has blown the minds of some of the country’s most influential and successful people."

As “experience designers” who curate moments that we hope will live on in the memory banks of our guests for decades to come, we live for impression points. On this four-hour high-speed carriage of fun, we’ve received some of our best compliments which speak to our vision. Words like imagination, bold, daring, electric, unexpected were offered generously. Many of the guests are still talking about the experience, sharing it on social media, and dreaming of their next adventure. For us this is the ultimate reward. Happy guests buzzing about our “all hands on deck” pursuit to bring a wild concept to life.

More to Come

“This trip was just beginning for us as Thailand’s epic train adventure curators.” We’re already planning a custom journey in December with plans for more wild escapades to come.

“We want to transform events while taking guests on a wild journey. Journeys, where the path to get there, is just as great (or maybe greater) than the destination. Whether it’s an upscale product launch, a corporate event, a milestone occasion, or just a ‘why not, it’s Thursday’ hoorah, we’re here for it. For us, the sky is the limit.”

Learn more about our epic Train Journeys in Thailand

Want to know more about Smiling Albino?

Travel is more than a luxury for most of us. For us, it’s a lifestyle. An adrenaline rush that you feel when you step off an airplane in a new country. It’s the euphoria and “wind in your hair” freedom that you feel driving through winding lanes in an open-air tuk tuk. It’s the giddy feeling you get when you see a golden-clad temple for the first time – or one-hundredth! For many of us, travel is living, and we’re ready to start living again!

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The post We Ended 2020 with the Most Epic Train Party Thailand has Ever Seen first appeared on Smiling Albino.

More Experiences with Insider Access! – Albino Smiles August 2014

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 02:22:47 +0000

Take away more unique experiences from your trip!

Smiling Albino provides insider access experience.

Experiencing through the eyes of a local

Which would you prefer – front row seats at a Rolling Stones concert, or a fold up chair in the corner where you can only view the band from an oblique angle?

It’s a no-brainer, right? Of course the front row seats are obviously better. That is… unless the fold-up is backstage and you’re sitting next to Neil Young and Bono who are enjoying the show with you.

I hesitate to compare a Smiling Albino adventure with backstage access at a Rolling Stones concert, for we’re far less noisy, however I think you understand the point. Often times, it’s more than just getting off the beaten track that leads to a more memorable experience.

Over a decade ago, when we first started planning our Smiling Albino experiences, we asked ourselves what events in life are truly memorable, and why? What is it that gives an experience impact and value?

We’ve found that in our time of on-the-ground planning and delivering trips for our friends and guests that the best experiences are usually a blend of both visited – and less-visited – sites woven together into tasty brew of “seeing the sites” and experiencing the culture through the eyes of a local, and with a little creative flair added in, just for the memories.

Some outstanding experiences we have delivered recently:

– a private art tour hosted by one of Vietnam’s former Communist Art Police agents

– family bamboo raft building, then cruising it downriver in Northern Thailand

– A street-food adventure via motor-scooter and tuk-tuk in lesser known corners of Old Bangkok

For some, a holiday is checking items off of someone else’s list of things that they would like to see or do. Smiling Albino adds the insider access that oils the machinery of a great trip and ensures that in addition to those highlights, you also have something quite unique and memorable to bring home with you. Contact us today to find out how we can tailor an experience for you that you’ll be talking about for years to come, backstage, or otherwise.

Daniel B. Fraser

Adventure Highlights

From our Blog: Naypyidaw: Capital City Built from the Ground Up

Naypyidaw: Capital City Built from the Ground Up

Myanmar

Myanmar is a land that’s been essentially cut off from the world for the better part of five decades. Over the past few years, much has been written about its first official steps into the 21st century as the military slowly (sloooowly) loosens control on media, politics, and travel. Read more…

Dan spent a week in Myanmar in July finalizing the finishing touches for our newest tour edition “Asia’s Golden Land”. First adventure will happen this November! See full itinerary here. Contact Smiling Albino for inquiries and questions!

What’s Going On

Expat Entrepreneur Awards 2014

Daniel Fraser

Held for the first time by The Big Chilli magazine and networking community Bangkok Now (BNow), the awards recognise expat-established companies for their creativity, ingenuity, excellence and success. Smiling Albino’s very own Daniel Fraser has been selected as a candidate. Check out his “Nomination VDO” here…

Destination Thailand Coming to Toronto Sept. 14

Destination Thailand Program

Destination Thailand is the first Thai Festival to take place in Toronto’s world famous Yonge-Dundas Square this coming September 14. Smiling Albino’s Dan Fraser is honoured to emcee the event which will showcase the best Thailand has to offer to the Canadians and tourists from around the world. The event will feature famous Thai food from local restaurants, Muay Thai, traditional Thai Dance, exotic fresh Thai fruits, Thai handicrafts, authentic Thai massage, world class Thai beer, live entertainments, lucky draws, and much more. Please visit Destination Thailand on facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationThailandToronto

What’s Coming Up…

Smiling Albino is offering three new and innovative Southeast Asia travel experiences.

Dan and group on Royal Enfield motorcycleRoyal Motorcycles in Nepals

Since 1999, Smiling Albino has been crafting memorable travel experiences in Southeast Asia and Nepal by capitalizing on local knowledge and personal connections. This year, Smiling Albino is offering three new and innovative tours for the active, luxury travel market: Multi-transport adventure through Myanmar, Insider’s Access SE Asia, and Luxury Train & Bike Adventures. These new experiences have been made possible by recent travel ban relaxations in Myanmar, new luxury en-suite train cars in Thailand and Smiling Albino’s tireless search for new and interesting local characters throughout the region. The Insider’s Access experiences feature everything from art discovery in Hanoi with a former communist art policeman, to market tours with acclaimed chefs in Bangkok, to walking tours of Phnom Penh with foreign and local journalists, to aerial discovery of outer Angkor with expert cartographers, to name but a few.

Contact Smiling Albino for inquiries and questions!

Connect With Smiling Albino!

Facebook and Twitter: “Like” and “follow” us on Facebook and Twitter and you will get tuned-in to the latest breaking news and hot tips on travel and adventure in Asia. Planet Asia Travel Channel: Subscribe to the Planet Asia Travel Channel and receive expert advice and insider tips on travel in Asia from the team at Smiling Albino and our network of in-the-know locals, expatriates, and travel enthusiasts. NEW on Google+ and Pinterest: Now even easier to connect and stay up to date with us! Contact: Get a hold of us any time.

The post More Experiences with Insider Access! – Albino Smiles August 2014 first appeared on Smiling Albino.