Rudy takes you to back streets and the quiet, residential klongs, or canals, of Bangkok. Marvel at the Emerald Buddha visit the city's flower and fish markets, join locals offering incense and flowers at colorful outdoor shrines, celebrate the king's 80th birthday with an all-day and all-night party, and take a wooden boat along the city's main artery, the wide Chao Phraya river.

Join Rudy as he takes mahout lessons and gets soaked steering his elephant into the river that separates Thailand from Burma. Visit an Akha hill tribe village trying to maintain its traditions in the face of tourism. The saffron robes of Buddhist monks, the vivid colors of local blossoms, and the brilliant emerald of rice fields make the Golden Triangle a magical corner of the world.

Some of the world's most beautiful waters and beaches await visitors to southern Thailand, where the names of Andaman Coast towns such as Phuket are well known to backpackers and sun seekers. Join Rudy as he paddles through hidden entrances of small islands to find mangroves few people ever see. Visit the Dramatic limestone cliffs and rock formations jut from translucent waters of Phang-nga Bay.