And the winner is...

Congratulations to Heather Laing Folkins who is the lucky winner of our first Facebook Contest!

Heather won a 4 night package to Beijing that includes a tour of the Badaling Great Wall & other Beijing highlights, a special Hutong Tour and Peking Duck Dinner plus accommodation at the 5-star New Otani Changfu Gong Hotel.

Join the Chinapac Facebook Fanpage for a chance to win prizes and get weekly updates about Chinapac and South East Asia.

Best regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Chinapac on Canadian Travel Press

With China claiming the 3rd world's most popular destination, Chinapac's very own Otis Ashby puts his two cents in regards to selling and travelling to the big land of the Orient.

Read the full article here.

King for a Week

So after wrapping up my meetings and inspections in Bangkok, it was time to escape city life! With my wife in tow, it was off for a one hour flight to our next destination - Koh Samui. Famous for its spas and laid back attitude this was naturally my first choice. It was really hard to pick the place to stay as there are so many luxury resorts, after many hours of searching I found the perfect place - Sala Samui. I cannot even describe how nice this place is but I will try...

Everywhere you look, it is like you have stepped into a Restoration Hardware catalogue, but with more colour. Blue skies, swaying palm trees coupled with a calming décor of teak furniture, cotton linens, smooth hardwood floors, cool marble bathrooms accented with rainbow coloured orchids. And every villa has its own private swimming pool. It's like having your own beach villa. We barely left our room, let alone the resort!

On the days we did leave the resort, one day was spent visiting the protected marine park. If you must do one touristy thing, this is highly recommended. The day was spent power boating, snorkeling, hiking, swimming, kayaking and of course, eating. The water looked so velvety and color was like a soft jade green. Just beautiful.

Another night was spent on the town taking in an authentic action packed Muay Thai fight card headlined by Rob from Canada. The stadium was loud, hot and smoky. The card had 7 fights, 5 which ended by brutal knocks out so time was well spent on a Tuesday night.

My one guilty indulgence - I spent 4 hours at a 5-star spa, for a fraction of what it would cost at home. Scrub, wrap, massage, facial were all words of the day. I did, however, draw the line when they suggested I sit in a pool where fish would nibble the dead skin off your body...yuck.

I can't believe I have only 3 more hours here before I spend the next 20 hours getting home. There have been very times in my life when I felt a trip was too short and Thailand was definitely one of them. If you are looking to plan a trip for your clients that they will never forget, I highly recommend booking them on 2 week trip to Thailand.

Best Regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Greetings from Bangkok!

It is Thursday, 6am and the temperature is already 28 degrees. I'm looking over today's list of meetings and this evening's sightseeing itinerary and it will be a day of full day of fun, food and lots of education about Thailand.

I had departed Vancouver on an early Monday China Airlines red eye flight. During my years in the industry I have had the opportunity to fly with most airlines to Asia and this flight was one of my more memorable ones. The cabin crew were attentive and the in-flight entertainment was great. Surprisingly, there were many popular English speaking movies to chose from and the bathrooms were cleaned on a regular basis.

However, the thing that I enjoyed the most about this flight were the connection and arrival times. Where most of the other Asia carriers arrive Bangkok late at night, I had a short 90 minute stopover in Taipei and arrived in Bangkok at 10am allowing for more fun time.
Passing through Thailand immigration was quick and painless. After meeting our smiling guide Lek at the arrival hall we set off for a 40 minute ride to our hotel, the 1 year young Renaissance Hotel. This property is beautifully decorated and centrally located. Neighboring hotels include the Grand Hyatt, Intercontinental and the Four Seasons.

After a light lunch it was massage time. For just under CAD 30 I enjoyed a 90 minute massage at one of the many spas that Thailand is famous for. And so this has been my routine for the past few days: eat, work, sightsee and massage. Not bad for a day at the office...

Regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Three Days Until Thailand

So in three days I will be off to Bangkok to attend the Thailand Travel Mart. 40 appointments in two days, multiple functions, dinners, and meet & greets. Sounds like a job for 5-hour energy and lots of coffee. The weather in Bangkok is currently lows of 26 and highs of 32 and accommodation is at the 5-star Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong so for a business trip, this show is looking pretty exciting.

The only possible hiccup is where will I be able to watch the Canucks sweep the Stanley Cup playoffs...

If you have a special group request for Thailand or have something you would like for me to investigate on your behalf, do not hesitate to drop me a line.

Go Canucks Go!

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations