A Quick Recap: Thailand Visits

Thailand's company visits have certainly been an experience.  Most took place at the hotel, so it was great to have the opportunity to get out and explore more of Chiang Mai when we went to the companies.  Here's a quick recap of the visits from this past week.

Sunday, March 16th: 
--- Mr. Chalderchart Nakarungkul of Denchai Trading Company and the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce discussed the high quality of products and services that come from Thailand, the increasing health tourism industry, and how Thailand is the center of Asian business because of its increasing infrastructure. 
--- Mr. Phunut Thanalapanich from the Thai Hotels Association spoke to us about the association, the huge amounts of Chinese visitors, and the importance of credit cards in Thailand hotels.
--- Mr. Smith Taweelerdniti from Nithi Foods spoke to the class about Thailand's geography, different types of agriculture, and the spice industry - canning, drying, and dehydrating.

Monday, March 17th:
--- Mr. Mike Mann from the Integrated Tribal Development Project spoke to us about the hill tribe people of Thailand who grow coffee beans for Starbucks, and how Starbucks gives back to the community by donating to health clinics and schools.
--- Mr. Kittisak Somjai of the Micro Economic Development Foundation talked to us about the different types of loans available for hill tribe members, how the foundation is working to change the attitudes of the hill tribe people, and how they are working with the people to get the tribes to work together.

Tuesday, March 18th:
--- Mr. Sakchai Luangsathikul from the Thailand Board of Investment spoke to us about why Thailand is a good place for companies to invest and the investment trends of the future.
--- Mr. Ongart Kittikhunchai spoke to us about the Sunsweet Company about the canning business, particularly about corn.  For the company, corn is life.
--- Mr. Somkhit Kanokmaniphon from the CM Apparel spoke to us about the competitive market of clothing manufacturing, and how his factory is struggling to compete with the cheaper products being made in China. 

Thursday, March 20th:
--- Mr. W.K. Chow from Hana Microelectronics Public Company spoke to us about the business of creating microchips and microchip boards for various companies, such as Apple and Sony.  We were also able to meet with many of the employees during our tour of the facility.
--- Mr. Peytel Bruno of the SMV Company which is an exporting jewelry factory.  He spoke to us about the extensive process for making the jewelry, and we also got to hear from experts in finance, production, and industrial design.

It has been a great week in Thailand, and we can't wait to arrive in Singapore tomorrow!  Ashley will be headed back to Cincinnati, and we will be meeting up with Jeri.  Should be a great two more weeks!



The Hana Microelectronics Public Company

Hello Relaxation

Let's just say we are thoroughly enjoying our relaxing stay in Chiang Mai.  There are endless amounts of spas and shops, they run along the streets as far as we can see. 

Speaking of spas, we have certainly enjoyed being pampered.  Here is a rough estimate of the spa count:
- Back massage:  15
- Foot massage:  10
- Fish spa:  20

What's a fish spa, you ask?  Click here to watch! 

The Elephants

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm totally not into the whole "outdoorsy" lifestyle.  But in Thailand, everything changes.  I couldn't wait to get out of the classroom and to the elephant park. 

We headed out to the Mae Taeng Elephant Park, which was outside the city.  Along the way, we were able to view the Thailand countryside, the army horses, and saw more of that Thailand entrepreneurial spirit.  Upon our arrival to the elephant park, we were greeted by the elephants and the nasty smell that comes with them...

Our first stop was the bamboo river rafting.  Oh how fun it was to ride and sing until we were told there was a small crocodile in the water.  WHAT?!?!?  Oh those Thai men are so hilarious...  Not.  All the joking aside, it was quite hilarious seeing all passengers on the boat shift quickly to the middle. 

After our ride down the river, and after some major turbulence since the water was 4 inches deep, we went back to the elephant park for a show.  Nothing like a little bit of elephant dancing, some soccer playing, and some elephant drawing.  Never did we think we would be outdrawn by an elephant - oh, and Ryan bought the painting drawn by elephant NT (the initials signed by the elephant).

Then the fun began.  We paired up and hopped on a elephant - I'll spare you the video because it's a bit nauseating.  But basically, riding an elephant is like riding a roller coaster, just even bumpier.  Up and down, side to side... a heck of a lot of fun!

Ahhh, Thailand

Upon our arrival by plane, I knew Chiang Mai, Thailand was going to be different than any other city I had ever experienced.  To be honest, I was a bit terrified.  I distinctly remember looking back at Hayley and making a sarcastic comment about how cosmopolitan this city was, with its dirt roads and all.

So about judging a book by its cover...

Chiang Mai has certainly proved to be a place of a much-needed mix of culture, business, and fun.  After getting checked in to the hotel, our group headed out to the pool for some sun and then walked around the hotel area to find a delicious meal.  The good news, the food is scrumptious no matter what restaurant.

On Friday morning, we met with our hosts, Lamar and Noi, who taught us more about the culture and customs of Thailand.  We learned how to properly give and receive gifts, the importance of good hygiene and appropriate dress, and we were warned about the potential use of squatty potties.

We then took a vicarious tour of Thailand, learning about its location, the people who live in different parts of Thailand, and how some businesses are run.  There was a huge focus on the entrepreneurial spirit, and how it really motivates the Thai people to create new businesses to earn a higher income for their families. 

In the afternoon, we made a visit to the Doi Suthep Temple, which is just outside the city of Chiang Mai.  After taking a hike up several flights of rocky stairs, we made it to the temple, which was gold-colored and shown so brightly in the sunlight.  We were able to see the monks who lived at the temple - did you know that most Buddhist men, at some point in their lives, try out being a monk, even if only for a few days?  Only downside to the temple visit - having your knees covered when its 100 degrees and sunny.

After spending some time with the Buddha, we visited Lamar and Noi's friends at the Orchid Jade Factory.  We learned about the different types and colors of jade and how the family is looking into new business opportunities as jade is becoming extremely rare and very expensive.  The owner predicted that within 5 years, the world's supply of jade would be completely gone, so of course, we all found a need to purchase some of the precious stone!  What a great excuse to go shopping!

The Art of Repacking

And we are back in commission after a couple days of internet troubles!

While we have arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I wanted to quickly recap what happened on our last day in Hong Kong.

We started the morning with a visit to the Hong Kong Broadband Network... think Cincinnati Bell FiOptics Program, but 5 million times faster, cheaper, and just plain better.  We learned about the organizational structure of the organization, as it had 79 co-owners.  The top 90 executives are invited to be co-owners of the company by committing 1-2 years salary.  We also heard about their core business model, as they "flipped" the pyramid completely upside-down.  By catering to the lowest class of people, who happen to live in apartments of 1000+ units, the HKBN can provide cheap, but efficient internet to the poorer communities of Hong Kong.

The class was then taken to a new restaurant with HKBN executives for a dim sum lunch.  What is a dim sum lunch?  Well, we're still trying to figure that out ourselves.  Piles and piles of food just kept being served to us, and we had no clue what we were eating.  Well.... there were those chicken feet...  Needless to say, our newest trip slogan is "You dim some, you lose some."

In the afternoon, we went to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange where we learned about how the Hong Kong Stock Exchange works, the different companies listed on the exchange, and how they are working to attract more mainland Chinese investors.  The stock exchange prides itself on excellence in risk management, transparency, and efficiency.

After a busy day, we headed back to the hotel to get packed up for our journey the next day.  Our baggage restrictions were cut down quite significantly, so packing became a puzzle that we were all thrilled to be piecing together. 

Until April 14th, we said goodbye to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, From a Westerner’s View

There is no doubt that Hong Kong was the best place for our class trip to begin.  As the city is the most westernized, we all felt as though we had just revisited New York City.  The bright lights, the hustle and bustle, and the extensive subway network reminded us of the Big Apple. 

Needless to say, there were also many differences between the United States and Hong Kong.

1.       The fact that there could be multiple locations of one store virtually across the street from each other, for example, 7/11 and Swatch.

2.       Speaking of Swatch, the people of Hong Kong were obsessed with watches and golfing, as stores lined the streets.

3.       In Central, everyone is carrying around a shopping bag, whether it’s Louis Vuitton, Coach, or Giorgio Armani.

4.       Everything is backwards – the driver is on the opposite side, they drive on the opposite side, they walk on the opposite side.

5.       There is order to everything.  If you’re going to walk up the escalator, you go to the left.  If you will be enjoying the ride, you move towards the left.  You exit the subway through the middle while others enter on either side. 

6.       A mini Hong Kong lies underground in the subway. 

Unplanned Serenity

Everything moves so fast in Hong Kong:  the people, the subways, and even the escalators.  Sometimes I feel as though I'm just a fish swimming quickly through a stream, trying to keep pace or else knowing I will be eaten alive by swarms of people.

Yesterday, my classmates drove to Shenzhen, a city in mainland China.  They visited the 5th largest harbor in the world with Vincent Wu from West Chester Holdings. 

Unfortunately, due to a slight (or not so slight) issue with my passport, I was not able to enter the mainland.  While this was a bit disappointing, I was given the opportunity to explore Hong Kong with Ashley and Roger, the Hong Kong native helping us with the passport problem. 

We went up to Hong Kong University, which has an interesting mix of old and modern buildings.  In terms of student population, HKU is about the size of UC's undergraduate enrollment.  The campus is pretty compact, but it is literally situated on a mountain.  Killer leg workout...

So at HKU, we visited an art collection, and it was pretty cool to actually see the real objects from the Qing, Xia, and Shang dynasties, instead of just viewing pictures in a history book.  The weird thing about the campus was that for a Tuesday morning, it was pretty much empty.  The bookstore was even closed! 

We then ventured into SoHo, where we rode up the world's longest escalator and had lunch at a small cafe.  The shrimp and spinach cream soup was amazing, and the Pad Thai was great, too!  After refilling our stomachs, Ashley and I wanted to check out the small street vendors.  It was great having Rober along for the ride because he was able to tell us what the Chinese symbols meant and he was pretty upfront if he thought the goods were of cheap quality.  Ashley got a couple fun trinkets, and I picked up some post cards.  On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in the Swatch store and found the most adorable watches.  while we didn't walk out with a watch, we were given a catalog so we would remember to stop back.

All in all, it was great to have a bit more relaxed free time in Hong Kong to just explore the not-so-touristy areas, and I'm so glad Ashley and I had tour guide Roger along with us. 

And yes, of course selfies were a huge part of the day... Roger was laughing at us.