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

Time for Thailand!

In just under two weeks I will be heading to Thailand to participate in the Thailand Travel Mart Plus. This event is the largest B2B travel show in the greater Mekong sub region. I will have the opportunity to reconnect with our preferred local operators and hotels as well learn what is new and exciting for this region. I expect it to be fun, busy and hot with lots of activities planned for the days and nights. The first half of my trip will be spent in the Thailand's lively capital, Bangkok. After that we will fly 1 hour south for a change of scenery to the beautiful island of Koh Samui. Nice!

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.

Chok dee (Bye in Thai)!

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Happy New Year! Again!

This time we are celebrating in Thailand! The festival is known as the Songkran festival which will last for three consecutive days April 13-15. This festival is observed nationwide and the most famous Songkran celebrations are in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer.

The most common celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People will roam the streets with containers of water or water guns and drench each other and passersby. April is the hottest month in Thailand so the cool water is refreshing.

Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also go to a Buddhist monastery known as a wat to pray and give food to monks. In cities such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from the city's important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually 'bathing' the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats.

If your clients interested in visiting Thailand over the next year, I highly recommend our 12 Day Beaches, Bangkok and Beijing starting from CAD 2169 featuring 4 and 5 star hotels. I will also be returning to Thailand this June so expect more exciting news and specials from Chinapac.

Have a wet and happy Songkran!

Regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations