Worried about finding stuff from your home country while traveling abroad? That's a legitimate concern. But you'll have few worries in Thailand. Here's why.

Malls as modern as you'll find anywhere!

Some westerners might think of Southeast Asian nations as lacking some of the services and amenities offered in the west. This might be true depending on the circumstance. But our experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Hanoi, Vietnam, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia suggests a different story.

Take Thailand, for example. When we visited the multi-level CentralFestival Mall in downtown Chiang Mai, we were impressed. Clean, bright, modern, vivacious, well-organized and — lots of people!

The organization of the latest malls here are superior to any I've seen in the United States: each level is organized by category of shopping interest. So, for example, if you're shopping for electronic gadgets, there's an entire level dedicated just to that category of commodity.

Need to cart your stuff to your car or to a taxi? No worries. The carts contain magnetic wheels. Wheel your cart onto the flat escalator belt (not stepped) which angles downward at a slight angle to the next level below.

Need to find medications? No worries. The in-mall pharmacy will look up your medication (in English) online, and find the equivalent to sell you in a box written in Thai script — and over the counter in most cases — even if it's controlled in your host nation! And all about town, you'll find small pharmacies. Just walk in, show them your box or bottle or write down for them what you want, and you'll quickly have an answer.

And of course, U.S. and European vendor products abound on each level. There's a Sizzler, Dairy Queen, and a host of cosmetics, clothing, and similar products from US and European as well as Far Eastern sources.

Pretty impressive for what some might call a “third world nation.”