Half Day Trip to Two of Bangkok’s Nearest Tourist Attractions – Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong Market
Finally, I went somewhere in Thailand I’d thought I’d never visit. It was a half day tour of Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (ตลาดน้ำดำเนินสะดวก ราชบุรี) and Maeklong Railway Train Marketa.k.a. Umbrella Pulldown Market (ตลาดร่มหุบ).
It’s a perfect combination as a short day trip coming from Bangkok, especially when you’re in the city for a few days. And it was a self-guided tour with good friends, so that’s the main reason why I went.
Because I always tell everyone that Thailand is an amazing country with many beautiful scenery and natural attractions.
But when I mentioned to my Thai friends that I went to Damnoen Saduak, they shook their heads and asked, “Why would you go there?”
Two old vendors selling decorative fans at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Thailand…
Unfortunately it’s because Damnoen Saduak Float Market has a reputation as one Thailand’s biggest tourist traps. I’ve never been.
So I can’t say that it is, or it isn’t.
There’s only one way to find out and that’s to go!
You’ve seen attractive photos of foreigners gently rowed down a river surrounded by friendly vendors selling fresh fruit, souvenir tchotchke and way overpriced coconut water. That’s what people are afraid of, getting overcharged.
Damnoen Saduak Floating River Market is widely advertised as one of the must see side trips from Bangkok. But it’s got that tourist trap stigma that’s hard to shake. And that’s something I’ve known ever since I first traveled to Thailand. And the main reason why I stayed away for so long.
7 Quick Tips About Visiting Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
River tour boats can fit 6 adult passengers.
There’s not really a best time to visit this market in my opinion. If you want to see more tourists and more activity than visit between 8am and 10am. I got there at 11am when activity started winding down. But there were still many tourists and shop vendors by the canal still open.
Life vests are available on request.
Make sure you ask for boats with a roof or umbrella to protect from rain and sun. My wife and I got wet from rain because our boat had no umbrellas.
Don’t hold onto the sides of the boats. Boat drivers get very close to piers and if you’re holding the sides of the boat you’ll hurt your fingers.
There are paddle boats and motor boats for hire. Please choose the paddle boats. It’s environmentally friendlier.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market has no entrance fee. Just putting it out there in case someone asks for money.
Visiting Damnoen Saduak was Inevitable – With a Side Visit to Maeklong Railway Train Market
As fate will have it, a very good family friend was coming over to Bangkok from Hong Kong. She and her friends wanted to visit Damnoen Saduak and also Maeklong Railway Train Market for a half-day tour.
She’s been to Thailand dozens of times so she’s a seasoned traveler in this country. And she and her friends were curious enough to check both markets. And me too I have to admit.
I was particularly looking forward to seeing Maeklong Railway Train Market. I’ve seen dozens of videos of a big, slow lumbering train passing through an active market. Right before shop vendors quickly, yet casually, pull and roll their goods away from the path of the train. So I was really looking forward to making a video of the train passing through.
I Have to Admit, I Was Excited to Go
My mission, if I choose to accept it, is to locate a local driver, where I and my wife will be the tour guides. Mission accepted. It’s on, it’s on like Donkey Kong.
I was presented with a chance to visit and write and share it all here. And I must say, I was extremely curious as to what would happen. I mean I already knew there’s a distinct possibility that we’re going to get over-charged for something. What that something will be, I don’t know.
There’s only one way to find out.
Getting to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Train Market from Bangkok
Both well known markets are about 100 kilometers southwest of Bangkok. And an hour and a half drive from central Bangkok. Or if you have a crazy van driver with a death wish around forty five minutes with no traffic.
We hired a local Thai driver familiar with the roads of Ratchaburi province where the river market is located. And also Samut Sakhon province where the train market is located.
By car, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Train Market is a short 30 to 45 minutes away from each other. Which is why both stopes make a very good half day to full day trip combo.
Cost of hiring a private driver is 3000THB. Here’s what it includes:
Driving from 9am to 7pm. After 7pm the driver gets an additional 300THB per hour counted as over-time.
Tollway fees
Fuel costs included. Usually when you hire a private driver you have to pay to cover the cost of fuel, so this is normal.
There were seven of us in total, so split that with 3000THB the price came out to 430THB per head. Which is an exceptional value for a private driver. He could only speak a little bit of English but not a problem. My wife and I could do all the translating.
Meeting at 9am Sharp
My wife and I left our house at 7:30am. But of course we got there 30 minutes late. Which isn’t so bad considering the horrific traffic we had to go through.
Our plan was to meet at the hotel my friends were staying at. That’s also where our driver will be waiting. He arrived an hour early. My friends were staying in Siam Square which is a perfect jumping point to both destinations.
Once we got to their hotel we quickly jumped into the van and off we went. Our plan was to make the first stop at the floating market because it’s more active in the mornings.
Also we knew there will be a train running through Maeklong Railway Market at 2:30pm. You can find a train schedule below where I go into detail. So we would have plenty of time to explore Damnoen Saduak first.
This is near one of the entrance. This photo was taken around after 11am and as you can see, the river is not so crowded…
First Stop, Damnoen Saduak Floating River Market
It took us one hour and thirty minutes to reach the floating market. It was a weekday and driving out of Bangkok at that time meant less vehicles on the road but still had pockets of congestion at certain points. And our driver wasn’t a speed freak so that was good.
He also knew a lot of road short cuts which made the trip quicker. Which made up the time where we got stuck in traffic. This is one of the reasons why it’s better to hire a local driver familiar with the area. Google maps is good and effective in Thailand. But not as effective as a driver that really knows the area.
When we got close to the area around Damnoen Saduak we found out there were numerous side boat entrances. But we decided to stop off at the main entrance, use the toilet and then take a short walk around, before checking out prices for tour boats.
First Impressions
Along the canal there are many shops selling souvenirs. Okay, really the first thought that came to my mind was, who buys all of this stuff? There were large pieces of Thai style home ornaments and decorations. Large paintings of fish and animal carvings.
Granted there were t-shirts, keychains, sun hats, umbrellas and sunscreen could sell well. But I couldn’t really see anyone buying large carvings of wooden elephants out in the middle of nowhere and lugging it back to their hotels.
Most of the market is situated along the side of canals. We saw boats selling grilled pork but those were all near the entrance. But as you travel further down the canal we didn’t see any boats selling anything at all.
There’s food and drinks all around which are priced higher than usual. Which is to be expected. But we’re not here for shopping. We’re here to check out the prices for tour boats and hopefully find out the real cost of hiring a boat to tour around Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
My friend from Hong Kong stated that her friend previously paid 3000THB for two persons to tour the river. That price does not include the cost of transportation to the market. A 3000THB price tag in itself is highly suspicious.
Time to Ask Prices for Boat Rides
When you’re touring Thailand, bargaining is a national pastime. Yes, even Thais do it when they travel. And believe me, locals do not get preferential pricing treatment at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
My friends and I took a step back and let my Thai wife do the talking. We only found two boat tour desks.
The first tour desk we approached quoted a price of 100THB per head for a one hour tour of the river. Wow, that wasn’t so bad.
Second tour desk we asked quoted us 150THB per head for one hour ride also. But they’ll take us to some type of “special” place where we can taste some “special” local drinks.
Okay the prices weren’t so bad. It was a hell of a lot better than paying 3000THB for a wooden boat. And we already knew where to go to save 50THB so we went back to the first tour boat desk. Or did we? Yeah I know, 50THB is such a small difference.
Problem with self guided tour is you don’t know what’s the real price for anything…
Talking in Circles
Here’s where things get a little tricky. The first desk that quoted us 100THB now told us the boat ride is for 30 minutes. And that 150THB is the new price for 1 hour trip.
There was another lady who seemed to be the one in charge at a different desk at a souvenir shop that changed the price to 150THB. Granted 50THB extra per person isn’t too much to complain about. I mean, we’re already there so we might as well go through with the tour.
A day later though my wife spoke to her mother and she also said she paid 150THB for a 1 hour river ride. So, I guess that’s the normal price. So I suspect the 100THB was just a lure to hook customers away from competitors. That’s just playing dirty.
But they know what they’re doing. Because we’re there already.
The Real Price of River Boats Tours at Damnoen Saduak
So my friends and I paid 150THB per head. But I checked around on google and read people paid 1000THB per person. But their tours were 2 hours long. We paid 150THB for 1 hour. Like I mentioned already, my friend mentioned her friend paid 3000THB for an hour tour for two persons.
The issue is, there’s no standardized rates nor tour itinerary at Damnoen Saduak. The prices depend on who’s taking you there. Could even be the driver or a hired guide taking a cut. Plus there are tour operators claiming they provide more value for the money. Thus the higher prices.
Our driver never accompanied us and stayed with the van the whole time while we were out. So we can’t suspect him of bumping up our price.
Which makes me think that the real price for a 1 hour boat ride is 150THB at Damnoen Saduak.
Onwards to the Tour
There are lots of boats with tourists coming and going and it was in the middle of the afternoon. The mornings would’ve been a lot worst I was told because that’s when most visitors from tour buses arrive. So we got in at a perfect time.
We hired a paddle boat which moved surprisingly fast through the canal. Sadly, the water isn’t too clean. Tourism has certainly taken its toll. So please take care of your trash.
Once you hop on that boat and start taking selfies, the boat driver will immediately park you near market stalls along the river.
Which you should expect. It’s a floating market after all. But it’s full of souvenirs and things you probably don’t want taking up space in your home. I honestly didn’t see other tourists buy anything at all. Like almost everything today, you’ll find it cheaper on Amazon.com with free shipping.
Even then, it’s quite nice to glide down a quiet narrow river even though there are vendors just staring at you while hoping you’d buy something. Thankfully, the vendors keep to themselves and never pushed things in our faces.
Usually the boat driver will just hang out at vendors for a minute before moving along to the next area.
Lunch on a River
Since we left our home early in the morning we only had time to grab coffee. So my wife and I were both hungry and waited until we could find some food vendors on the river. And we couldn’t find any.
Later on, we found a stall by the canal selling a variety of food, including paintings of nature and wood carvings of current pop culture figures.
This was actually quite a tasty styrofoam plate of chicken fried rice…
My wife ordered a bowl of noodles with pork. And I opted for a plate of fried rice with chicken. Before our hungry brains realized there were no prices on the menus. That’s a bad sign. My wife asked how much for both items including one bottle of water.
The food vendor just smiled and said one moment. One moment of calculating the price is not a problem to answer a customer. But no answer came.
Double the price of Bangkok for a bowl of noodles with pork. But it’s to be expected…
It was only until our food came out that we were given the price. The total came out to 160THB. So in Thailand that is expensive for an outside food vendor. It’s twice what you’d pay for at a hawker stand in Bangkok.
But it’s certainly a price that a Thai tourist would balk at. And that’s the reason why there are no prices on the food menus. They don’t want to scare away customers that know better. To be fair, all tourist attractions all over the world charge expensive prices for food.
Just take a look at Disney Land for example. Or have you ever bought a bottle of water in Central Park in New York City? Absolutely expensive.
My wife and I didn’t freak out about the prices. Only thing is she didn’t like her bowl of noodles. But my chicken fried rice was good and tasty and a decent sized portion with fresh ingredients. I’d buy another plate.
I think they should just put prices on their menus. There will be customers that find those food prices reasonable.
A Souvenir Shop Stop is Inevitable
Whether you want to or not a boat driver will take you to a souvenir shop. It’s also a rest area so if you have to use the toilet it’s the place to go do your business. You’re not obligated to buy anything at all but if I had a choice I’d just tell the boatsman to take us somewhere else.
Our boat driver dropped us off at this souvenir and rest stop for 15 minutes…
So expect a short trip to a souvenir shop, it’s standard procedure.
After spending fifteen minutes or so browsing at things we would never buy we called for our boat. It was time to head back and just when we did, it started drizzling lightly. Five minutes later it turned into full on rain.
There are roofs that hang out over market stalls that provided cover. But at certain points there are none so if it’s really pouring you’ll get a good drenching.
Back on Dry Land
After we got off our tour boat there was a huge downpour. We quickly ran back to our awaiting van where our driver took us to a really good spot for seafood lunch.
Overall, it’s great now that I can say, yes, I’ve been to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It’s one thing I can cross off my check list.
And if you are deciding to visit Damnoen Saduak Floating River Market, you too will know what to expect. But I know it’s not easy for most to make this a self guided tour. Especially when there’s a language barrier.
Second Stop, Maeklong Railway Train Market
With our belly’s full from enjoying a seafood restaurant recommended by our driver we made our way to Maeklong Railway Train Market.
I have to admit, this was one place I was really looking forward to seeing. I’ve watched dozens of videos of such markets with trains passing through. I wanted to take an old Go Pro camera and place it in the center of one of the tracks.
Below is my video:
Maeklong is a fully functional local wet and dry market, with an emphasis on local. Thais come here to buy groceries at cheaper than supermarket prices.
There’s fresh fish, all sorts of butchered meat, fresh vegetables and fruits for them to shop for. And the local folks don’t mind us tourists taking selfies in their shopping space. They’re even nice enough to warn folks to not stand too close to the tracks as the train approaches.
There are lots of durian sellers pushing their stinky, spikey fruit at this market. But to be honest, you’re better off going to Aor Tor Gor Market because that’s where you’ll find the best Durian in Bangkok.
Maeklong Railway Train Market Schedule
The local market opens 7 days a week from 6:20am to 5:40pm. Which is the same time the trains operate.
Arrival:
8:30am
11:10am
2:30pm
5:40pm
Departure:
6:20am
9:00am
11:30am
3:30pm
To explain the schedule further, don’t worry too much about the departure time, unless you’re planning to take ride on the train.
If you’re coming to Maeklong Market to see the train passing through, focus on the Arrival hours. We got to the market at 2pm to wait for the 2:30pm train.
The train arrived slightly ahead of schedule. In any case, get there at least 30 minutes before scheduled arrival so you can pick a nice spot to snap them photos.
Above is a train schedule chart I found inside a local coffee shop with an incredibly super friendly café owner. I wrote an article about opening coffee shops in Thailand and this owner has the perfect location. You can enjoy a drink while waiting for the train to come by.
If You Must Visit Damnoen Saduak & Maeklong Market – Look For a Reputable Tour Agency
If you’re looking for day trip recommendations from Bangkok, Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong Markets are really good side trip options. But I know it’s really difficult for foreign visitors to do self-guided tours in Thailand.
And finding a handsome funny guy like me to be your local guide will be difficult.
Okay, kidding aside, I know most travelers don’t want the hassle of doing a self tour where it’s a challenge to organize everything on your own. And organized day trip tours around Bangkok are inexpensive.
Going on an Personal Tour is the Best Way to Visit Both Markets
However, you want to find a tour agency that won’t charge funny fees or ask for money after you’ve paid for everything up front already.
Which is why I recommend TakeMeTour.com that is really popular in Thailand. They have local experts that can take you to all the locations I wrote about on this post. A TakeMeTour local guide will pick you up from your hotel or a meeting point.
Local tour experts will show you around the way only a local can. And when tours over they’ll take you back to where they met you.
After the train passed it was safe for a selfie…
The Final Verdict
I must say, I had a good time and fun! I really did even though I dreaded traveling to tourist trap destinations. But I can say from my own personal experience that Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is not a tourist trap. Sure, the food and souvenirs are overprice.
If those two reasons alone are sufficient to classify Damnoen Saduak a tourist trap then you have to lump Disney Land and Universal Studios also.
It definitely helps when you’re traveling with good friends. I might even recommend it to all of my Thai friends that wouldn’t even want to go near there.
I enjoyed my time so much that if another friend came over to Thailand and wanted to visit both markets as a day trip and asked me to join, I’d go. Without hesitation.
Most importantly was the experiences I gained from visiting Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong markets that I think are perfect day trip tours coming from Bangkok.
Not Philippine Airlines. Okay, so I’ve flown economy twice this year with them. First was from Bangkok with a 16 hour layover in Manila Airport then finally to New York City. Finally I can make a review of Philippine Air.
But I wanted to wait for my return trip from New York City to Bangkok with a shorter transfer time in Manila before writing this post. This way I’ll have a little more experience about my Philippines Air A350 review from JFK to BKK flight.
$100USD Extra for Emergency Exit Row Seats
Anyone reading my blogs for awhile know that I always request a seat at the emergency exit row for long haul flights. That’s my usual routine as I enjoy the extra leg room.
While checking in at Philippine Air counter at JFK I did just that.
Then I learned that it will cost me $100USD extra for those seats. It’s the same policy as my flight from Manila to New York. So I wasn’t surprised. But it’s good to have confirmation that this their usual policy.
Most airlines today charge extra for the privilege of sitting in the emergency aisle row.
It’s a nice feeling not having your knees constantly rubbing against the seat in front…
But It’s Not All Bad News – I Still Had Plenty of Leg Room
Sure, I was bummed about that. But you know what? Philippine Airlines A350 economy seats has a decent amount of front leg room space. My knees barely reached the back of the seat in front of me. Even if that seat was fully reclined. On Philippine Airline’s A350 economy seat there’s a 33 inch seat pitch.
Look’s like I don’t have to ask for a seat a the emergency exit row, or what I like to call poor man’s first class seats because that’s plenty of space for my 6 foot tall frame.
The Airbus A350 has a 3x3x3 seat arraignment so the plane is smaller and seats 241 economy passengers comfortably. Maybe that’s why I felt that the plane was roomier. There’s just less people. Which I liked because I never had to worry about long waits at the bathroom.
Philippine Air A350 has a 3x3x3 seating assignment
Awesome In-Flight Entertainment System on the A350
I could easily pass the time with Philippine Airlines collection of movies. Especially with the responsive touchscreen monitor. The screen is sharp and clear. The audio was really good with no static.
There were a lot of movies that I missed. So I was super happy to see the movie titles I wanted to watch. Like Creed 2, Glass, Alita: Battle Angel and a bunch of movies I watched before but didn’t mind watching again. Just like my last flight from Manila to New York it made my 16 hour flight feel shorter.
The only thing that bugged me a little was the location of the USB and headphone jack. It’s right on the bottom middle of the screen. Which meant if you’re using the tray table to eat your meal, the cords are directly right over your food.
But my USB cable and audio headphones provided by Philippine Airlines have long cables so I did manage to move it aside.
This was my first of two gripes. But not really a big deal.
The Food
My flight from JFK was delayed for nearly two hours. There’s no way I’d pay for the overpriced food at JFK. So I roughed it out and waited for my first inflight meal. I’m glad I waited.
Passengers have two choices: Filipino/Asian or Western
I’ve never had Philippine food. On my last flight I had some yummy pork with rice and a couple of other good meals.
On this leg of the trip all of my meals tasted really good also. Though I didn’t pick Filipino food this time because it was the same as my last trip, which I already tried. So I mostly picked western choices.
For my main meal I chose beef braised in red wine. I’m a sucker for beef. I enjoyed this meal so much I mopped up the gravy sauce with my bread roll. It came with a side of black bean quinoa salad and that was so tasty too. Wish the portions were larger though but that’s because I’m a pig.
It was a filling meal still so I skipped the pudding.
Trust me. It tastes better than it looks – Beef in Red Wine Sauce
Next was the snack meal served nearly halfway through the flight. I picked Penn Puttanesca and Meat Balls. Another tasty home run economy meal served up by Philippine Air.
Again, it taste better than it looks, I’m a piss poor food photographer – Penn Puttanesca and Meat Balls
The last meal service on this flight was breakfast served just a few hours before landing at Manila. This time I picked a Filipino meal. The pork picadillo with scrambled eggs and garlic fried rice. This was a tasty meal as well. I especially liked the garlic fried rice.
This is the kind of breakfast I could enjoy anytime of the day
Of all the times I’ve flown long haul flights, I’ve never found one on par with Korean Air for food quality. I really enjoyed all three meals. Well done Philippine Air!
But…
There’s no available in-flight snacks you can munch on in between meals. Normally on other long haul flights on other airlines, there are small snacks you can grab at the galley and take back to your seat. Like nuts, pretzels, small sandwiches or cookies.
This was my second and last gripe. Come on Philippine Air, you could at least provide some cookies. Passengers need some good ol’ snacks to keep them hunger pangs at bay.
It was the same during my Manila to New York flight. So, if you know you’re going to get the munchies you should pack some of your own snacks to fend off those hunger pangs in between in-flight meals.
Landing at Manila Airport – And Rushing to My Connecting Flight to Bangkok
My flight from JFK got delayed for 2 hours due to weather. Which meant that I had to hurry and catch my connecting flight to Bangkok with 30 minutes to spare. I made it in time because Philippine Air’s ground crew was ready to assist all Bangkok bound passengers with a quick shuttle bus ride to the connecting terminal.
After passing though security I made it to my flight with 10 minutes to spare. It’s a three hour flight to Bangkok. It’ll be a quick one.
For this leg of the trip to Bangkok the plane was older. There was no in-flight entertainment. Not even overhead screens. This wasn’t a big deal to me because at that point all I wanted to do was sleep.
And there was still plenty of leg space in front, not that it mattered much as it was a short flight.
Thin sliced beef over pasta, not great but edible… But avocado ice cream was handed out for dessert and was yummy!
There’s only one meal which is usual for a short flight. I picked a beef with pasta. It wasn’t as good as the beef with red wine sauce on my New York to Manila flight but decent enough.
It was a pleasant flight with friendly service as the same as my previous flight.
Philippine Air Service
One thing that stands out is the service and professionalism I’ve experienced on my round trip flight on Philippine Air. The air crew are very nice and friendly. Even the ground crew deserves some nice words.
While boarding my delayed flight from New York I could hear the ground crew apologizing for the delay. Even though it was due to weather and out of their control. It’s little things like that which adds up a lot of points in favor of Philippine Air.
Philippine Air impressed so much that I signed up for their frequent flyers club membership, called Mubuhay Miles. And I’m looking forward to flying with them more.
It’s been a long while since I’ve written a hotel review in Thailand. So I’m super excited to share my experience staying at AWA Resort Koh Chang.
My wife and I were planning to drive from Bangkok to Koh Chang for a week. And her friend from the island said she has this great recommendation of a 4 star hotel right on Kai Bae Beach. She said we definitely needed to check out AWA Resort.
It’s located on the south end of Kai Bae Beach which means it’ll be a lot quieter. And we do enjoy our quiet. Plus her recommendations were never wrong so far.
She was the one that told us about Emerald Cove Koh Chang which I reviewed a few years back. And she wasn’t wrong then so she knew we would like definitely love AWA Resort.
This is a view you get from AWA Resort’s lobby.
I also did my own research and found lots of positive reviews on the internet. So I booked a deluxe room on Agoda.com website for 3 nights at AWA Resort. We went there during late March, which was still high season. We paid $80USD per night which included breakfast. And thats not a bad price for a four star beach hotel on Koh Chang.
Remember to Book a Room on the Main Property
I want to add that if you want a room with a gorgeous view of the hotel’s swimming pool or the beach, then DO NOT book a room on the hillside. You see, AWA Resort has an annex building across the road where the hotel’s car park is also located. It’s not a far walk and the hillside room has a beautiful garden.
But if you’re going to stay at resort on the beach. Then you might as well stay on the beach side. Even then while checking prices recently, hillside rooms at the AWA Resort are only slightly cheaper than rooms on beach side. Pay a little more and you’ll stay at a better part of AWA Resort.
Kai Bae Beach at AWA Resort
The resort is located right on the southern end of Kai Bae beach. Which is on the west side of Koh Chang island. During my three day stay at AWA I enjoyed swimming at this beach. You have to go down some steps to get to the water.
Every time I get into the water in certain beaches I hate stepping on sharp rocks and coral. Good news is at AWA Resort I didn’t have that problem. There is a reef further ahead where you can do snorkeling. But overall I didn’t come across jagged rocks. I’ve got sensitive feet so it’s a legitimate complaint.
Amazing Architecture
When you step inside for the very first time through the doors of AWA Resort your jaws will drop. The hotel’s lobby is really high. The walls are white with Chinese motifs throughout. It’s a very beautiful hotel with so much open space.
While checking in we were given a welcome drink, which is a nice touch. We also got a huge basket of fruit! Just joking. Though you can help yourself. I did and the staff never minded. Just leave some for other guests.
I just couldn’t help but get good vibes about staying at this amazing resort in Koh Chang. I’m a hotel exploring fanatic and could not wait to see our room.
There’s a subtle Chinese theme throughout. Chinese porcelain and paintings decorate AWA Resort
Our Deluxe Room at AWA Resort Koh Chang
We booked a deluxe room for $80 USD per night. Which included breakfast. We were shown our room which was on the fourth floor. We passed by some rooms on the ground floor that have easier access to the swimming pools. Next time we stay at AWA we should definitely see if we can get those rooms.
I’m sure it’ll cost more but I’m curious to see how much more.
Here’s my only gripe, there’s a big wall but the flatscreen television is tiny compared to the overall space.
A spacious balcony to hang out
With an incredible view of the swimming pool and beach ahead
We were so impressed with our deluxe room at AWA Resort. It was about 50 square meters with this big bathroom, complete with a bath tub. There were also complimentary bath salts to give yourself a spa treatment. I did every single night before bed. Heaven I tell you.
Everything you needed for a perfect stay was inside. Some beach towels, bathrobes, an electronic safe, coffee and tea maker and a refrigerator with complimentary water. Every evening housekeeping, knocks on guest doors with tiny Thai dessert to hand out.
Don’t you think that televisions too small for that wall?
One of the biggest bathrooms I’ve seen for deluxe hotel room
There’s free Wi-Fi and it worked well even though my room was a little far from the router. Yes, I do check. As a digital nomad I always check and see how many routers there are near where ever I stay. Judging from what I saw on the floor I stayed on I think every guest room should get proper internet coverage.
You know I always thought the mattress at home is the best. Until I went around staying at different 4 and 5 star hotels. AWA Resort mattress was really comfortable. And the pillows were so soft it cradled my head like a fluffy cloud.
Besides the small flat screen television, another thing that bothered me was the amount of lighting inside the room. The brightest light source was the reading light by the bed. But the light on the desk was really dim. Maybe it’s a way to dissuade guests from working?
If so, it worked.
Breakfast Time
If you booked a room with breakfast, serving time starts 7:00am to 10:30am. It’s a buffet breakfast and it’s served in a cool looking restaurant called the Spoon that overlooks Kai Bae beach.
The Spoon has these super high ceilings just like the lobby. Though it only seats 120 inside. But no worries, theres plenty of tables and seats at The Sala, which is another on-site restaurant serving Thai food.
My wife and I had our breakfast at the Spoon the entire time we stayed there. And we certainly enjoyed all the food served inside. They’ll make pancakes and waffles fresh. There’s an egg station too. And of course a section with Thai breakfast with noodles and porridge.
I also noticed there are numerous kitchen staff from the Philippines. Because Filipinos can speak English fluently and I suppose management brought them on board to take care of English speaking tourists. Good move AWA.
You can also enjoy breakfast near this beach. But it’ll be a short walk.
AWA Resort Koh Chang is an amazing hotel. Can you believe it’s priced under $100USD. For us ordinary humans that’s reasonable. As of writing I see a beachfront room for $75USD a night with taxes included on Agoda.com. That’s cheaper then when I booked in March and it’s a better room.
I’ve stayed at several hotels around Kai Bae Beach in Koh Chang and I have to say, AWA Resort is the best, in terms of quality, service and price.
A Foreigner’s Guide to Starting a Small Business in Thailand – As Written By an Actual Foreigner Living in Thailand
A hot topic today for long stayers in Thailand is what type of business one should start if one is up to the task. After writing this post about starting a coffee shop in Thailand I’ve received many emails asking for my opinion about how to open other kinds of ventures also.
As much as my wife thinks I’m brain dead most of the time, I’m always brainstorming new business ideas in Thailand, that have potential and current with the times.
“We only have to find a need and fill it.” is a quote that I hold close to my heart.
An Update for June 2020 and Beyond
Okay, as of this update Thailand is in the midst of the corona (COVID-19) virus dilemma. On top of that, Thai household debt is at an all time high. It is a nation of voracious spenders, not savers.
As a result, foreigners are scared to travel to Thailand with the corona outbreak. Locals are more cautious about stepping outside. Business that relied on foreigner visitors are flailing, from tour agencies, Thai massage shops to popular night markets. Beauty salons, traditional Thai massage parlors and all types of malls were ordered to shut down.
Everything is back for businesses though since mid June 2020. Though as of writing, foreign internationals are still barred from entering Thailand.
What Does All This Mean?
It means if you’re planning on doing business in Thailand you should never, ever focus on foreigners.
Although the Thai economy is not in great shape, locals are still spending, regardless whether or not they are living paycheck to paycheck. They are not squirreling their salary when things get worse. Thais might be a little bit more cautious on their spending habits. But Thais still have to eat.
With the poor economy, a looming pandemic that looks like it’s getting worse, you might be having second thoughts about starting a small business in Thailand.
Certain small business types are able to withstand a poor economy…
If this scares you, it should. But I’m not here to scare you. The key is to look for recession proof businesses. History has shown there are certain types of businesses that can withstand a bad economy and perhaps a pandemic.
And, I also know there are a lot of people reading this and still plan on forging ahead with plans to live in Thailand and start their own little businesses.
Because to this day, I still get emails from people asking me advice on starting all kinds of businesses here in Thailand.
I Knew There Were Many Foreigners Intrigued About Starting A Business in Thailand – But I Did Not Know There Were So Many From All Around Over the World
I’ve received many questions about starting a tour agency in Bangkok. A t-shirt printing company in Hua Hin. Even a durian farm in Chanthaburi. Also a tofu factory in Pattaya too.
I admit, those business ideas are far and out of my area of expertise. However, I am so amazed about the variety of questions coming from people around the world interested in starting businesses in Thailand. From all walks of life, ages and backgrounds.
Now before you read any further, I am writing for those that are interested in starting a small to medium enterprise (SME) in Thailand.
If you need information for starting a large corporation, then I’m sorry to say, I’m not your guy. But if the salary is just right you can hire me as a consultant. But I warn you, I’m not cheap.
I opened a Thai massage once, but it didn’t work out so had to close it down
On a serious note, personally I’ve never started a large company in Thailand. Only small businesses located in Bangkok. Some are doing well. And some I had to shut down.
I micro-manage my companies without doing any actual hands-on work. I will explain further about this by delving into the topic on how to start a small business in Thailand first.
And then talk about the need for a work permit or not.
Never Start a Small Business in Thailand Focused Only on Foreign Tourist
I also do not recommend starting any type of business where your sole customer base are foreigners.
If there’s an event, such as this current corona virus in Thailand situation that’s drastically reducing the amount of tourists, your business will suffer the consequences.
The situation has become so dire that a group of Thai shop renters inside MBK mall has called on the landlord to reduce their rent as they rely heavily on tourists money. This type of response has trickled down to other tourist heavy shopping centers like Pratunam.
Now that we’re clear, I’ll get into a little bit about registering a business in Thailand for some context.
Forming a Corporation in Thailand For Running a Business as Foreigner
For my businesses in Thailand I never had my name attached to any of them. Everything is under my Thai wife’s name.
I don’t have an exact statistical number to share with you. But I’m sure, that a vast majority of small businesses in Thailand started by foreigners don’t have their names attached to their businesses also.
Like me, most of them have their business registered to their Thai spouse, Thai girlfriend or Thai boyfriend. It’s the same as a partnership. Except you’re a silent partner.
Thailand is conducive to foreigners starting mid to large sized companies. But not so much for foreigners wanting to open small little shops that don’t require a huge start-up capital. You’ll understand why later.
I have to admit, my view on this will be biased…
To Break Things Down, There are Two Ways to Have Your Own Little Business in Thailand
1. The Easy Peasy Cheapie Way – Pros and Cons
Pros
This is where a Thai spouse comes in handy if you want to register a little business. With the least cost and amount of paperwork. Though if the business is under your Thai spouse’s name, then technically, you don’t really own the business.
Regardless, this is the method most foreigners staying in Thailand use. Because they have a strong relationship with their Thai spouse and also within their family. And they are comfortable with their significant other being the sole business owner on paper.
Steps for Thais to Open Small Businesses
Thais don’t need a lawyer or an accountant to start a small business. For Thai citizens registering a small business is simple and fast. Here’s how easy it is for them:
Go to their local government business registry office.
Show lease contract (if renting) or proof of business address, a photocopy of Thai ID and a printed photo of the shop’s exterior. Answer some questions pertaining to business. Yes, for small businesses you can open first, and then go register later.
Pay fee for administrative work and business registration paper. This cost about 50B to 100B in Bangkok.
They’re in and out of the registry office within an hour.
Cons
I know Thai-Foreigner relationships could be a touchy subject for many. I’m sure someone will ask me, what if my Thai wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend runs away?
I don’t know anything about your personal relationships nor able to tell your future. But if this is your legitimate concern, then maybe you’ll want to hold off on starting a new business venture in Thailand.
Also the thought must’ve crossed your mind about what would happen if your Thai spouse suddenly dies? In that case, you better have children. Or get busy making a bunch of babies.
Practically every single foreigner that I know have children with their Thai spouse. Because the eldest child will be next inline to inherit the business.
If something unfortunate does occur while the child is very young then you should have a serious discussion with your spouses’ family beforehand.
No one likes to sit down and discuss these situations. Thais could consider it bad luck. Wait, let me take that back.
They will consider it bad luck and will most likely hurt their feelings. It certainly wasn’t easy for me when I did the talk. But it was necessary.
2. The You’ll Need a Thai Lawyer, Sign a Bunch of Papers, Expensive Way – Pros and Cons
Pros
If you want to be known as the official sitting CEO then you’re going to have to register your business officially with the Thai government.
You’ll need a registered capital of 2 million baht as a requirement. It doesn’t matter if you’re opening a small low cost business.
I don’t know about you. But that’s a hefty price tag for one planning to open a tiny 10 square meter coffee shop with four tables and some chairs. Good news is you can use the registered capital for company operations.
Though I know many foreigners in Thailand with small business ideas don’t even plan to spend 2 million baht let alone have the budget.
There’s really not much pros for small business owners. Except you’ll have your name on paper as an official business owner.
Cons
As an American citizen I can start a business in Thailand under Treaty of Amity. Which means American citizens can wholly own a registered company Thailand. But going through all the process is unnecessary in my situation.
If you’re not an American than you’ll need to find more than one Thai shareholder or partners.
Like almost every other developed country you have to pay corporate taxes. I don’t want to get too much detailed about this part mainly because I’m not a tax professional in Thailand.
You might want to contact Siam Legal for their expertise on this matter.
You’ll Need Thai Partners
Besides Americans, other foreign nationals are unable to own the entire company alone in Thailand. You will be required to have Thai partners. Three of them to be exact.
And if you own majority shares you have to file a Foreign Business License. Which cost extra and prolongs the process. But if majority shareholders are Thai then the business registration process will be smoother.
Plus a Thai law firm is required to help you navigate the rules and facilitate the process. Though the Thai government has made it quicker for foreigners to get their Thai business registered. You still need to spend a lot of money.
Aside from the 2 million registered capital I don’t know what the other cost are. But off the top of my head it’s not going to be cheap.
As I mentioned earlier, it seems the country prefers foreigners starting a large professional company with Thai partners.
For foreigners wishing to start a small shop on their own in Thailand it’s nearly impossible.
If you have the necessary capital to fund a medium to large business in Thailand you’re probably wondering, where can you go find Thai partners?
Yes, this part will be difficult and I don’t have any answers. Again, if you’re opening up a small shop, like a specialty candy store it doesn’t make sense to have a bunch of partners does it?
Like I mentioned the system in Thailand is not set up in anyway beneficial towards small and certain medium enterprises.
To Get a Work Permit or Not to Get a Work Permit
In Thailand it is unlawful for foreigners to work in the kingdom without a work permit. As it is in most countries. Though you want to open a very small business in Thailand, this really shouldn’t be such a big issue.
Your Thai spouse can delegate the responsibilities that you have instructed. You can’t serve the customers, work the cash register or clean the toilet (which is a good thing) directly.
Even if you do interact with customers inside your shop the chances of you getting caught by a passing immigration officer with super keen intuitive eye is super, super slim.
Once in awhile Thai immigration run crackdowns on illegal workers. But they are focused more on illegal workers from bordering nations like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
Thai immigration officers also crack down on English language schools where foreign nationals are teaching English without the necessary documents or qualifications.
They usually go for the bigger fish. It looks better in the news when it gets reported.
I’ve never heard or read about any foreigners secretly working inside their small business get into trouble with the law.
Not All Thai Visa Types Allow Employment
I have a non immigrant O-Visa based on marriage. So I am allowed to be employed as long as I get a valid work permit. But I don’t want it.
If you do, make sure your Thai visa states that you are allowed to work. Because I know with Thai tourist visas, employment is prohibited.
If you carry a Thai tourist visa you are unemployable…
For me, it’s not necessary for me to interact with customers. If it isn’t necessary for you to perform any services then don’t bother. You can lurk behind somewhere in the shop and just watch.
I have seen many foreign owners in Thailand interact with Thai customers. And they have no work permit. I know, because I’ve asked them. And they’ve been working without work permits for years with no consequences. They’re not worried at all. They’re even well like by their Thai customers.
However, if somehow you defied the odds and actually got caught working inside your small business without a work permit you could be imprisoned up to five years and or fined from 2000B to 100,000B.
Okay now that I got the legal (boring stuff) part out of the way you’re probably wondering what’s a good business idea to start in Thailand.
Here are my thoughts.
Everyone’s Got to Eat and Cut Their Hair
The food industry is hands down, 100% the best type of business to start in Thailand. Though I want to make it clear, if you can’t cook a proper meal to save your life then you might want to skip the food business.
Second thing that comes to my mind are mens’barber shops. You can find Thai barbers for hire but you yourself must have some experience in the barber business.
There are a few other small business ideas I think can do well in Thailand and I’ll briefly touch on them. But the food business and barbers shop idea are two of the most recession proof businesses in Thailand. It may not be for other countries. But below you’ll see why.
First let’s talk about starting a food business in Thailand.
Why Food?
Did you know that Thai residential buildings do not have kitchen gas stoves?
I grew up in apartments in NYC most of my life. A gas stove was as common as a refrigerator and toaster oven.
When I looked for apartments all those years ago when I decided to live in Bangkok long term, I was looking for a place with a spacious kitchen. I went around like an idiot asking for one. I couldn’t find any. Because there aren’t any.
Though most upscale Thai condominium today have a decent sized kitchen. But again, no gas powered stoves as they are considered dangerous fire hazards inside Thai condominiums and apartments.
The Reasons Why Thais Eat Outside Frequently
There are no gas pipe-lines beneath the grounds of Thailand. Portable propane tanks and electricity are the primary fuel source used for cooking inside Thai residences.
Even fast food chains, small and large restaurants, every food type business in the kingdom either use charcoal, propane gas, electricity or a combination.
And propane tanks are not allowed to be used inside apartment and condominiums for safety reasons. To cook Thais have to use electric induction stoves. But electric induction stoves are expensive and also increases electricity bill.
Propane tank usage is allowed inside residential houses and townhomes.
Local Thai Food – The Ultimate Recession Proof Business in Thailand
Also, the newer generation of Thais can not cook. Especially young Thais living in Bangkok. Plus the availability of ready made meal choices make people lazy to cook.
They rather buy small bags of pre-cooked food on their way to work or going back home. They can pop inside a 7 -Eleven for a quickie meal. There are tons of hawker stands set up with plastic seats and wobbly tables to eat on. There’s no need to wash pots, pans and dishes at home.
So the good news is that the food industry is still a very good small business idea in Thailand. The bad news is the food industry in Thailand is super competitive. Either way, people still have to eat regardless the condition of the economy.
Though a major cost of any business is rent. But, if you’re interested about a food industry in Thailand then you might want to consider a home based food business.
Home Based Food Delivery Business and Leveraging the Power of Social Media in Thailand
If You Can Cook or Bake – You’ve Got a Fair Chance
If you can bake a kick ass strudel or a bake a cheesecake better than Junior’s then consider a door to door food delivery service. It’s the perfect opportunity to have a home based business in Thailand today.
Commercial electric and propane gas powered ovens are readily available. You can find them at Makro. Commercial ovens that use propane tanks cost about 25,000B. Electric ovens cost about 35,000B. Second hand equipment are plenty.
And you’ll have to pay to promote your Instagram photos and videos or boost Facebook posts to reach a wider audience.
Good news is in Thailand not too many businesses advertise on social media. At the moment. Which means that the advertisement cost is lower due to less competition. But I wouldn’t count on it staying that way much longer.
A Prime Example – Fat Girl at Heart
My wife ordered a cheesecake from Fat Girl At Heart after seeing one of their sponsored post on Instagram. I’m sure they spent a lot of money on promoting their eye catching yummy cheesecakes on Instagram ads. As a result they’ve gained a lot of attention in Bangkok.
Her mouth watering dessert photos worked their magic. My wife and I bought from them twice already since writing. Judging from her comments and reviews on her Instagram account she’s got plenty of satisfied repeat customer.
Not bad for a home based business that started off without a full commercial kitchen.
Thais Love Seafood – Especially When It’s Spicy
Spicy seafood boil is a good business idea too in Thailand…
Seafood boils are very popular in Thailand. Every single night market has one these days and they’re usually full of customers. It’s not a cheap meal but Thais love seafood, especially when it’s spicy.
This is a perfect easy home business. I might kick my own ass in the future for telling people about this. Seafood boils are easy to make at home. I’ve got my own secret seafood boil recipe. But you can research your own.
You get the sauce right. You boil the shrimps, squid and clams just right (don’t overcook it), drain the seafood thoroughly. Then dump the seafood inside a sturdy kitchen bag full of spicy sauce and you shake it around vigorously until every single morsel is covered. Voila.
Then use one of the any food delivery service available and you’re in business.
Pizza – Even Thais Love Pizza Too
I live just right on the outskirt of Bangkok and I’ve got a home with a backyard. I was thinking about building a wood fired oven behind the house.
Thanks to some instructional videos from youtube I’m confidant I can build one too. Once I finished building out my oven I can start testing pizza recipes. Then, when I’m satisfied I’ve got a great tasting wood fired oven pizza I could advertise on social media.
Wood fire ovens for making delicious pizzas. I would love to have one of these in my yard.
Start giving my neighbors samples. I actually think Thai people would prefer thin crust Neapolitan style pizzas. Over popular thick crust like Pizza Hut and Pizza Company. If they like it and get hooked I’ll start charging them. Sounds like a great plan to me.
Pizza ingredients are readily available in Thailand so you should have no problems finding good quality cheese, tomato sauce and flour.
A real NY pizza slice in Bangkok… If you can make this at home and do delivery you can do well…
Just a side idea. There are companies that sell wood fired ovens in Thailand. But not many. If you’re good at construction and can learn how to build these ovens, then I believe you can go around and try and sell this type of service to homeowners.
Healthy Foods in Thailand
So eating pizzas on a regular basis isn’t ideal. As much as there are unhealthy foods in Thailand, healthy food alternatives are making strides into the eating habits of local Thais and especially expats.
The health food industry in Thailand will be risky, due to scale and complexity. But it’s a niche market with not a lot of competition. Younger generations of Thais are becoming more health conscious.
Most are aware and educated about the dangers of an unhealthy diet. And the health risks of eating a high salt and high sugar diet.
Paleo Robbie in Thailand is serving the paleo diet niche and seems to be doing very well
Sad to say, eating healthy in Thailand is not cheap. Salad bars are expensive inside supermarkets and restaurants. Thai people want to eat healthy. But unhealthy food choices are much cheaper than healthy ones.
I always like referring to this online specialty grocer Paleo Robbie and as their name states focus on the paleo diet. You can order pre-cooked gourmet meals and have it delivered to you on a scheduled basis. Or shop for organic vegetables, free-range poultry, hormone and anti-biotic free meats from New Zealand and Australia.
Their prices are reasonable. The majority of their customers from what I can tell on their Facebook page are Thai and foreign professionals.
I don’t know how well they’re doing financially. But I’m assuming they’re doing okay. Because they’ve got a lock on this niche business.
What If You Can Do This on a Smaller Scale…
There’s no doubt Paleo Robbie is a registered company in Thailand. With big financial backing. Perhaps more than 10 employees, a large kitchen and warehouse storage facility.
But if you’re on a smallish budget I think you can work the same but at a smaller, specialized scale. And grow as your customer base grows.
If you can cook really well and knowledgeable about ingredients as well as find out where to source organic meats and vegetables you can create a small menu and start from there.
I only found out about Paleo Robbie through Facebook and Instagram. You too can leverage the reach and power through social media in Thailand.
However, I would do something differently.
I’ve never seen videos of Paleo Robbie’s staff cooking food. They only have photos showing prepared foods, or pictures of happy customers with their groceries. And that’s a great way to promote their brand.
It’s the Personality or The Face of the Company That Sells, Not the Food
But I believe if they showed a human aspect to their company they will be able to connect and reach even more customers. Not just through photographs.
They should focus on making videos. For example have chef or a cook prepare a healthy fresh meal from start to finish. They can showcase their specialty ingredients which customers can order. Everything is filmed and uploaded to Youtube.
Maybe they’re concerned about people stealing their recipes. Thus no one would order from them. True this could happen. But the numbers would be miniscule.
Emeril Lagasse – You might not recognize that face. But for a long while he entertained millions of people with his cooking shows, pre-Youtube days.
If this were true across the board, famous chefs wouldn’t be writing cookbooks at all. Or doing cooking demonstrations and shows in public and record a series of cooking shows.
The fact is, people want to be entertained first. They don’t have the time to cook. Let alone shop for all the ingredients. I’ve watched hundreds of hours of cooking shows. You might’ve watched more than me.
Have you cooked everything you saw on television or internet? I think not.
And a lot of people have a fear of cooking, literally. The idea of showing a video to a viewer interested in the Paleo diet is just to create a bond that photos can not achieve.
Thais are fickle eaters. Better bring your A game to retain customers…
I don’t know about you, but whenever I watched cooking shows like Emeril Lagasse, I felt like I’m inside the studio watching Emeril cook from the comforts of my sofa.
We can’t taste what he made through the television. For all we know, it could be too salty and bland. But because Emeril is so likable, we’ll take the leap to assume that whatever he cooked is delicious nonetheless.
Bottom line is, if you can produce a cooking video where you can make the viewer like you for your wit, charm and cooking expertise, then you’ll have better chances of getting orders from viewers.
Establishing a bond with your customer base is the key to any business, whether small or large. This is essential to any business.
So you might not need a kitchen space this big. But it is best to get the biggest that your budget can afford.
Food Sounds Great. But I’ve Got No Space…
Any food business you think about starting up in Thailand you should have plenty of kitchen space. Big kitchen space inside Thai apartments and condominiums do not exist. Even large Thai homes don’t have adequate cooking space.
Most Thais who own their own houses typically have to do their own renovations to expand kitchen space. Or build one from ground up.
If you have the money, you can rent an old small townhome. There are many decades old townhomes all over Bangkok for rent. No one lives inside because it’s an older building and it could be deep down a Soi. If you’re doing a food delivery or catering business you don’t have to worry about dining spaces.
Thai townhouses are usually three floors. That’s plenty of enough space for a kitchen on the first floor. Storage on the second floor and the third floor you or your staff could live in.
Since you’re not opening an eat-in restaurant, you don’t have to worry about designing restaurant decor. Not unless you want to make a chef’s table.
That’s just an idea. You just need to make a nice, clean kitchen space that will look good on video when you’re cooking. Then train your staff to prepare and cook meals properly.
You Don’t Have to Hire In-House Delivery People
When hungry customer orders food or desserts from you, you’ve got to get it to their hands quickly. One reason why home based food business can do well, particularly in Bangkok is due to on demand delivery service providers.
For a nominal fee based on distance and charged to customers, messenger app company Line created Line Man door to door delivery service. There’s also Lalamove a newcomer delivery service based in Hong Kong. Grab food delivery is everywhere today in Thailand. Food Panda charges too much money and not feasible for home based food business.
Everything is delivered on a motorbike. So orders can get to the destination quick while hot.
I’ve used these services before and it’s really reliable. Which is one of the reasons why I think home based food business can do very well.
These days as long as you have the right products and a solid social media presence you don’t have to open a sit-in restaurant and pay exorbitant rent.
Finally, I don’t recommend opening a sit in restaurant. Not unless you own the building or property.
What I’ve Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand
My wife and I have a couple of nail salon businesses in Thailand. So our salons were ordered to shut down by the government to stem the infection rate. All non-essential businesses were ordered to close as a matter of fact.
Except businesses in the food industry. Though there are health rules restaurants and food businesses had to adhere to they could still stay open and earn a living.
I’ve always wanted to open a food business. And just recently I’ve got the chance to start one up. I won’t go into too much details about what style of food nor where I’m opening my food business.
But like I’ve been preaching, to promote a food business start making videos.
Support my channel by subscribing and liking the video. And do try these recipes!
I’ve always loved the food business and I can’t wait to get back in! So my biggest advice if you want to do a food biz in Thailand is to promote, promote, promote! Use social media as much as you can to succeed.
Next Big Idea – The Old Fashioned Men’s Barber Shop
If there’s one business that comes close to being recession proof it would be mens’ barber shops. The past few years I’ve seen an uptick of barber shops with a newer, fresher look.
Behind those flash yet vintage looking barber shops are young Thais running their own barber business.
Night market spots are really popular for young Thai men to get a trim or buzz cut. You’ll see plenty in this super famous night market in Bangkok.
Thai men like to have their hair cut short and neat. Some like the side fade look. Some like quiff. Having shorter hair is practical in Thailand.
Just think about yourself when you were in your younger days and started discovering girls. Didn’t you primp your hair and put a single strand of hair in place? In Thailand multiply that 10x. Thai men love to keep their hair in good order to attract the opposite sex.
It doesn’t matter if the economy is in the crapper. Thai guys want to look good. Period.
There Are Practical Reasons Too
For instance many Thai males own a motorbike. Most wear helmets so having shorter hair makes wearing helmets more comfortable. And shorter hair makes messy helmet hair less noticeable.
If you lived in Thailand long enough you might say Thais don’t wear helmets. Well still, having shorter hair makes more sense than having longer hair flailing around their eyes and face on a highway. Thus, they need to cut their hair short regardless.
You’d think barber shops only have male customers. Well they also have females also, but these aren’t your average frilly girls. They’re called “Toms” in Thailand but they’re the same as lesbians. And they keep their hair short, just like men.
The Cutler in Chiang Mai. Check out his youtube video.
The cost of a cut and shave starts about 80B – 100B in the residential neighborhoods of Bangkok. Though popular barber shops with skillful barbers can charge almost double. Doesn’t sound like a lot per cut but you make it up through volume. Because it’s that cheap they go to their favorite local barber shops once a month if not twice to get a trim.
In this line of business you have to open near an area with a high concentration of apartments. With adequate parking for motorbikes.
Even though I personally think starting a barber shop in Thailand is a great business to run I believe the biggest hurdle in this venture would be finding experienced barbers. And I don’t know any.
But this is just an idea off of my head. I know nothing about cutting mens’ hair. But if you’re reading this, maybe you know how to cut mens’ hair professionally. And you can teach Thais that are willing to learn how to cut hair and from there start out a barber shop.
Photo Credit: Coconuts Bangkok
Starting a Barber Shop Franchise
Thais with extra spending cash interested in starting a businesses love purchasing franchises.In their eyes it’s a business in a box model that if have a proven success model could be replicated.
To date, I do not know of any barber shop franchises. There are unisex hair salons but no barber shop specific franchises in Thailand.
Go set up a great looking logo. Design an interesting looking barber shop with consistent look. Again, if you are a skilled professional mens’ barber, you can train Thais, either men or women to cut mens’ hair.
Getting Known – Putting Your Products and Services Out There
No one can deny the power and reach through social media. Facebook and Instagram are on everyones’ smart phone in Thailand.
Coincidentally, Thailand is a country where the usage of social media is through the roof. According to this statistic, in Thailand there were 26.3 million facebook users in 2018. And it’s projected to climb higher.
To be honest, that number is super-inflated. I don’t think they’ve taken into account that Thais have multiple Facebook accounts on multiple phones. Thais also delete Facebook accounts and start new ones frequently.
But let’s eliminate 10% as duplicate accounts. That’s still 23 million Facebook users. It’s safe to say that everyone with a Facebook account will also have Instagram account.
Measuring Success
If you go in to starting a small business in Thailand and think it’ll make you rich. You might have to brace yourself for disappointment. I’m not saying you can’t make money.
Or maybe you can if you are as innovative and business savvy as Richard Branson.
But most small business owners in Thailand do okay. With a little bit of extra income to supplement their laid back lifestyles. Sustaining the business is the hardest part.
The most important thing is you’re doing something that you like. If you are passionate about cooking then operating a small restaurant or catering business would be perfect for you.
If you can’t cook or even have a basic culinary background you should learn first.
Know When to Call it Quits
Sometimes we think we’ve got the perfect idea, the perfect location, the perfect employees and the perfect product. Then the business becomes a money pit. Feeling dejected you throw in the towel and call it quits.
The hardest thing to do in life is shutting down the first business you’ve ever started. I know that feeling all too well. On the bright side after losing your second and third business the pain is little bit more tolerable.
It’s important to have a goal post to measure how well or how bad the business is doing. And from then on decide if it’s viable to stay, or to go. It’s never an easy decision to make.
I’ll end this off with some of my final thoughts. Running a small business is a great way to pass the time, or keep yourself busy in Thailand. You could be retired, or you could be a business owner from another country looking to start something new.
Thailand does have potential. But in my humble opinion there are many more Southeast nations more suitable for opening a business.
You just have to look deep inside yourself and think about the real reasons why you want to start a small business in Thailand. If it’s because you think it’ll make you rich, you might have to think much, much deeper.
For me, I’m married to a Thai, with a baby coming soon, which is the sole reason why I’m here.
And I think with some good planning, perseverance and a lot of good luck you can also run one or two successful businesses in Thailand.
So you want to start an E-commerce business, eh? Maybe you’re making some decent bank from the drop shipping biz. And now you want a direct link to a Chinese factory for maximum profits. Even if your goal is to open a physical store selling products, you must come to the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China.
China’s Canton Fair Buyer’s Guide
Finding the latest fad products and jumping in before the craze hits the fan starts with a visit to Canton Fair in Guangzhou. Before you begin your new business venture, I’ll share tips on what to expect when dealing with Chinese suppliers and vendors inside one of China’s largest business expos.
Today practically everything you’ve interacted with, especially wearing was manufactured, or at least a part of it was made in the People’s Republic of China. From medical, health, and beauty products, agricultural, clothes, and especially those crazy little fidget spinners that made America’s kids go insane over a few years ago.
Fidget Spinners – Every single one of these were manufactured in China
If you had a steady supply of fidget spinners at that time you would’ve made some cash. And that’s what most entrepreneurs today want to replicate. Finding that one viral product consumers will eat up and pay ridiculous amounts of money for.
Yes, so that’s the idea. Meeting and rubbing shoulders with factories that produce products for cheap so you can line your pockets with big profits.
But… it’s not that simple. Well, it is and it isn’t. Luck plays into this in my experience. Which I’ll get into later below.
But first here are some reasons why you should go to Canton Fair to find factories for your desired niche products.
Canton Fair Is Where You Should Go
Whether you’re planning to start an E-Commerce business or sell from a physical store, Canton Fair is a great place to start sourcing products to stock your warehouse or store shelves.
It doesn’t matter what country you are in. The fact is any market selling shoes, stuffed animals, and local souvenirs was made in Chinese factories. Even 90% of the products sold in Bangkok’s Sampeng Wholesale Market came from China. Because many Chinese Thais have retained ties with family members in China.
Canton Fair, also known as China Import and Export Fair was founded in 1957 by the Chinese government. Twice a year in Spring (mid-April to early May) and Autumn (mid-October to early November) approximately 200,000 buyers from 210 nations converge on the grounds of Canton Fair to find out what’s new, hip, and chic to sell and make hefty profits on the market.
There are 150,000 exhibits spanning 16 industries during the Canton Fair to meet, greet, and gather information on trending items with the potential to go viral, like fidget spinners.
With so many buyers and sellers converging on one space, Canton Fair is broken up into three phases, with each phase lasting four days:
Phase 1
Electronics, lighting equipment, vehicles & spare parts, machinery, hardware & tools, construction materials, chemical products, and energy resources.
Phase 2
Consumer goods, gifts, and home decorations.
Phase 3
Textiles and garments, shoes, office supplies, cases and bags, recreation products, food, health products, and medical devices.
You’re probably super psyched about visiting Canton Fair to make some deals. But first, you’ll need a China Visa on your passport.
Traveling to Guangzhou, China for Canton Fair (A China Visa Might Be Required)
Depending on your passport you may need a China travel visa. Because I’m an American citizen with a US passport I needed one. I detailed my experience in applying for a China Visa in Bangkok, Thailand where I live most of the year.
Good news if you have a US passport you can apply for a multiple-entry visa with a 10-year expiration. This is great because I will be planning to visit the Canton Fair once a year. If I had to apply individually for each visit I’d have to pay 5060 Thai Baht each time I want to travel to China.
It is important to remember, that when you register as a buyer to attend the Canton Fair, you should receive an electronic invitation letter which is a good idea to take with you when applying. Bringing a copy of this invitation letter when handing in your visa application could make your China visa process smoother.
Because you will see on your China Visa application there are questions asking where you will be going or what you will be doing in China during your entire stay.
The Language
The only real obstacle however will be language. English is not widely spoken even in most service industry providers in Guangzhou. Most restaurants do not have menus in English.
Guangzhou’s metro subway train station is entirely in English including announced stops.
If you need to get somewhere by taxi make sure you have the address written down in Chinese.
While at Canton Fair rest assured everyone inside the exhibit booths can converse and write English.
In any case, have your Google Translate app ready for action. Better yet download the WeChat App. Every single vendor inside uses this app. There is even a nifty built-in translate-to-Chinese function.
Here’s a video of my 4 day stay in Guangzhou while attending the Canton Fair in late October through early November 2018:
1. Best Area to Stay in Guangzhou for Canton Fair
Yuexiu District
From my experience, if you want to stay in an area that is easy to travel to Canton Fairgrounds it is best to stay in Yuexiu District.
Personally, I stayed at Nomo Beijing Road A Jiedang MIX International Apartments and yeah, it’s got a long name. But the location is perfect. We were right inside a shopping center full of restaurants plus this subway station Gongyuanqian 公园前 in the lower levels. It can’t get any better than that.
You can check out more Yuexiu Hotels in Guangzhou on Agoda.com which is the same hotel website I used to search for discounts.
I’m looking at this from a business and a tourist viewpoint. Might as well go sightseeing in Guangzhou while making deals at Canton Fair, right?
And, the hotel is just north of the Yuexiu district and easy to reach by taxi which is what we used because we arrived in the city late and left for the airport early in the morning.
I could’ve used the subway trains to get to Baiyun International Airport but the Guangzhou Metro Stations open from 6 am until about 11:30 pm.
My wife and I enjoyed our sightseeing side trip. We went walking around and visited tourist attractions. And, the food in Guangzhou is awesome. It’s the kind of food I grew up eating like dim sum in New York City’s Chinatown or Hong Kong.
Even Western food is surprisingly yummy.
Might as well fill up on good food from restaurants around the Yuexiu district. Because even though there’s a cafeteria-type area inside Canton Fair my wife and I really didn’t find what was offered there too appetizing. But that’s just us.
Now that you know where to stay to enjoy the city of Guangzhou let’s jump into what you’re here for, which is doing business inside Canton Fair.
Wheeling and Dealing at Canton Fair
Before heading to Canton Fair you register online to get a buyer’s badge. It’s free and simple to navigate through the online application forms. You will need to send a front-facing profile photo and business card.
You can register on the premises of Canton Fair if you wish but I believe there is a small fee. And possibly a waiting line. Besides, I highly recommend registering online because you can get an invitation letter to make it easier on your China visa process.
The first day I went to Canton Fair I took a public taxi. My wife and I just did a little bit of sightseeing so we were not near a train station. Since there were so many public taxis driving around we decided to try it out.
I just showed the driver my buyer’s badge which had Canton Fair written in Chinese so he knew where I wanted to go. Guangzhou taxi drivers should not have any problems at all finding Canton Fair. It’s a big deal event that happens twice a year in Guangzhou so there’s no reason at all they wouldn’t know where it is. The metered fare came out to about 70RMB ($10USD) for 8 kilometers. Which is a reasonable price.
We took a subway train back to our hotel because I wanted to try it out. I mentioned there was a station right beneath our hotel too. It is insanely cheap, just 5RMB which is .70 cents US. Just bear in mind Guangzhou Metro train fares are priced on distance.
3. Tips on Finding and Meeting the Right Sellers for Your Products
Currently, I am selling different products manufactured in China. One of the items is ladies’ shoes. 60% of the shoes are made in China, whether it is fake or genuine. I’ll be using ladies’ shoes as a product example.
When you get to Canton Fair you will be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sellers occupying exhibit booths. We certainly were. Many are elaborately decorated booths and some are modestly designed. All have wall-to-wall displays of shoe samples they have produced.
All the salespeople can speak English, some more fluently than others. Since we were selling ladies’ shoes to the Thai market we had to find a style that suited the style choices of Thai women.
China manufactures half of the world’s shoesMany shoe exhibition booths are small and others are largeYou can pick colors and designs at the exhibition booths of Canton FairRemember to take a photo with any seller you are planning to buy from
You will be speaking with lots and lots of salespeople because in the shoe section alone at Canton Fair there were hundreds of exhibit booths lining up and down the massive convention hall.
So have a notebook in hand to take down information. But most importantly staple the business cards of companies you’ve spoken with to said notebook. Even better download the WeChat app, which is China’s very own messaging app, and take down their contact information. On top of that, take photos of salespeople including the exhibit booth so you and they can remember who you spoke with.
4. Price Negotiating Like a Pro and Understanding MOQ
Remember this little three-letter acronym MOQ. It means Minimum Order Quantity. It means exactly what it sounds. Every seller you consequently speak with has a MOQ. And every seller you will encounter has a varying MOQ number. The prices they quote are in US dollars.
For example, this would’ve been our first time attempt at ordering shoes so we didn’t want to order too many ladies’ shoes to handle.
We were only looking to purchase an initial order of 1000 pairs of high-heeled ladies’ shoes. Which is a very, very small order in the world of shoe industry in China. Obviously, sellers want buyers to order as much as they can.
We did find many sellers with too high of an MOQ. But don’t sweat it, there are so many sellers you are bound to find one that fits your MOQ as long as it’s reasonable.
But the fact is, most people attending the Canton Fair are folks like you and I. My wife and I didn’t want to commit ourselves to a huge order. We just wanted a thousand pairs of ladies’ shoes to test the market back in Thailand. The women’s shoe business in Thailand is very competitive.
Chances are, whatever you are planning to manufacture in China and sell in your home country you don’t want to order a massive amount too. It will take some digging to find a seller willing to deal with small orders.
Three Tips to Remember Inside Canton Fair
The first thing you should never do is lock down a deal with the first exhibit booth. No matter how nice or friendly the salespeople are. Even if they’re giving out unlimited donuts. Just kidding.
Make it clear you are walking around and checking prices. If a salesperson knows you’re browsing for prices they may try and offer the best price they can give. But even then, try and talk it down as much as you can. You’d be surprised.
Chances are you will not be dealing directly with a manufacturer, but instead some sort of manufacturing broker. A middle company.
Okay, that third tip deserves some explanation. Believe me, it was a real revelation for me also.
This was something I suspected while speaking with the sellers on the side. And was confirmed with a family member who does business in Guangzhou and is sorta of kinda business broker herself in China.
I’ll explain from the start. You see, Guangzhou is a modern metropolis as I mentioned. It’s not exactly littered with factories spitting out gadgets, clothes, and, picture frames. Where Chinese workers toil long hours in sweaty factories.
That happens inside factories located in cities on the edge of Guangzhou. Like Shenzen, Foshan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, and so on.
There are many cities surrounding Guangzhou doing most of the actual manufacturing work
Guangzhou is also a convenient place for foreigners to connect with Chinese manufacturers, or at least with Chinese companies with connections to Chinese factories. Because there’s an airport in the city, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Guangzhou has a suitable and adequate hospitality infrastructure to handle foreign visitors comfortably.
And Guangzhou has a lot of office structures where middle companies have showrooms where buyers can go visit. We visited the company we used to put in our shoe orders. They picked us up from our hotel. And when we were finished finalizing our shoe order the owner was nice enough to drive us to a mall where we could do some shopping.
Don’t Be Shocked to Find Out You’re Dealing With Middle Companies – There Are Advantages
In essence, you’ll be dealing with middlemen companies that take orders from foreign buyers to factories surrounding Guangzhou. These middlemen companies deal with multiple factories. So they’ll take your order and shop around for factories fitting your price criteria as well as theirs.
I’m not saying this is true for every single industry represented at Canton Fair.
For my instance, it wouldn’t make sense for shoe factories to spend money on renting a space, spend money on decorating and designing a booth. Hiring people to sell. Break everything down at the end of the convention and ship everything back to their headquarters. That’s a lot of unnecessary work. Factory owners rather sit back and have middlemen bring orders to them.
I didn’t mind dealing with a middle company. Sure, they cut into your profits. But again, in my instance, there’s a big chance a shoe factory would not accept my small order. A broker could take my order, bundle it with all the other orders, and thus be able to present it to a factory for preferred pricing.
In the end, it’s a win-win situation where I’m satisfied with the price and quality of my shoe order.
Wrapping It All Up
Guangzhou is an amazing modern city and one of the largest three in China. I could’ve squeezed in the old cliche about the old and the new. But really, Guangzhou is a city intertwined with the old and the new! What can I say that no one else has said already?
There are modern buildings, modern subway trains with English signs and announcement stops, with modern buses. Above all this is how you know when a city has reached a level of peak sophistication. And that is the amount of Starbucks. There are so many Starbucks Café in Guangzhou that if you threw a rock you’d hit two Starbucks.
It’s an ideal location for hosting the Canton Fair. Remember to pre-register. Pick a hotel in the Yuexiu district. Don’t worry too much if you’re not dealing with a factory directly. Figure out the price you are willing to pay and the amount of products you can handle. Don’t remember to factor in the price for shipping freight. And grab some dim sum at a restaurant in Guangzhou and enjoy your trip.
Planning on visiting New York City but don’t know where to stay for your first visit? The answer is easy. Look for a hotel in Manhattan’s Chinatown. I’ll tell you the reasons why Chinatown is the best area in the entire New York State to stay for your first Big Apple experience.
And I’ll show you the top 10 best hotels in the heart of NYC’s Chinatown. First, here are some reasons why you should consider staying in one of the most famous, yet cultural and historic neighborhoods in NYC.
Why You Should Stay in Manhattan’s Chinatown
On the books, there are three official Chinatowns in all of NYC’s five boroughs. Though off the books there are actually nine Chinatowns New York City!
Reasons Why You Should Stay in NYC’s Chinatown
Manhattan’s Chinatown is surrounded by subway train stations. Whether you want to go uptown, downtown, east or west to another borough there’s a subway station in Chinatown that will get you there. Some hotels I’ve listed below are near the Canal Street subway stations. And a handful located near Grand Street subway stations.
Food, food and glorious food. Today, Chinatown is not just about Chinese food and its ethnic variations. We’ve got restaurants representing Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Korean and fusion. With Little Italy, right in Chinatown, you’ll get your pizza and pasta fix instantly.
Manhattan’s Chinatown is located in lower Manhattan. Which means you can walk to most attractions downtown, such as Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Battery Park, Freedom Tower, and the 9/11 Memorial.
Best Hotels in Manhattan’s NYC Chinatown
Low season rates in NYC starts January to late March. High season begins October to December. Shoulder seasons are best times to visit NYC from late April through July.
Good news is there are many hotels in Manhattan Chinatown today competing for tourist dollars.
Budget: $150 to $200 per room
Mid-Level: $200 to $250 per room
High-End: $250 to $400 per room
1. HOTEL MULBERRY
Hotel Mulberry – 52 Mulberry Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10013
This hotel is located right across a popular public city park called Columbus Park. It has a lot of good reviews for clean rooms perfect for a quiet rest. There are many restaurants nearby that require a short stroll. You can walk to Little Italy in 5 minutes. Hotel Mulberry is just a small quaint hotel so many rooms sell out fast.
Read reviews and check rates for Hotel Mulberry on Booking.com
2. CITY ROOMS HOTEL SOHO
City Rooms NYC SOHO – 120 Lafayette Street, SOHO, New York, NY 10013
City Rooms NYC is located on the edge of Canal Street and Lafayette. By staying here you will be right on the border of Chinatown and SOHO.
Hotel 50 Bowery – 50 Bowery, Chinatown, New York, NY 10013
A very stylish chic boutique hotel in the heart of NYC’s Chinatown. Make sure you check out the rooftop bar with a spectacular front view of the Manhattan Bridge.
Leon Hotel – 125 Canal Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10002
Another affordable quality hotel near historic Manhattan bridge. Also near a train station as well as many small Chinese restaurants to eat inexpensively like the locals know how to.
Read reviews and check for discounts on Booking.com
9. HOTEL MIMOSA
Hotel Mimosa – 79 Division Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10002
One of the most affordable hotels in Manhattan’s Chinatown in the mid $200 dollar range. With no sacrifice in location, comfort and quality.
Read reviews and check for discounts on Booking.com
10. CANAL LOFT HOSTEL AND HOTEL
Canal Loft Hostel and Hotel – 94 Canal Street, New York, NY 10002
This small budget NYC hostel and hotel has mixed room dormitories and also all female room dormitories. Perfect for budget travelers in groups. Private rooms are also available.
And a Review of Philippine Airlines Flight 733 From Bangkok to Manila to JFK
Have you ever wondered whether Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is safe or not? How about what it’s like to fly Philippine Airlines from Bangkok to JFK with a 16-hour layover inside Manila airport?
Because for me, it’s that time of year again where I have to leave Thailand and head home to New York City for a month and a half.
I typically fly to South Korea with a short stay in Seoul. Last year I stopped over in Taipei, Taiwan. But I was looking for a change. So I picked Manila.
My original plan was to visit Manila for a few days. Because I’ve never been to the Philippines. But I had to change plans and head back to New York sooner. And I wanted to rest a little while longer before taking the longer 16-hour flight from Manila to NYC.
So I picked an itinerary with a 16-hour layover which I decided to stay the entire time inside NAIA. What can I say? I’m just trying to get out of my little own comfort bubble.
I Gotta Admit, I Was Nervous…
Typically I don’t do any research whenever I go anywhere new. I’m just a glutton for punishment. However, this is a unique case. Aside from that bullet planting scam inside the airport, NAIA was consistently on the list as one of the worst airports in Asia.
Though it’s off the list today due to active improvements through Philippine President’s Duterte’s no nonsense crackdown on crime. He even threatened to have the air force take control of NAIA if security doesn’t improve.
About six years ago while I was on a Korean Air flight from JFK to Bangkok, with a transfer flight in Seoul, a Filipino passenger sitting next to me told me he would never fly to Manila airport. Even though he was going to Cebu, Philippines. He didn’t go into too many details about it. But he just said it wasn’t safe and left it at that.
As you can see there’s a good reason why I should do some research on this trip. I even asked friends familiar with flying to Manila Airport for some advice. I also looked at other travel bloggers and travel websites like TripAdvisor regarding NAIA.
But I found that a lot of information I picked out, in the beginning, didn’t jive with what I was about to experience.
Even in economy there’s a lot of leg space on Philippine Airline’s A320
My First Leg of the Trip – PAL Flight 733 BKK to MNL
My Philippine Airlines flight 733 from Bangkok to Manila departed at 11 pm. The aircraft model is Airbus A320. As usual, I went to the airport earlier to check in so I could snag a seat by the emergency exit row for extra leg room. I call this the poor man’s first class seat.
Although inside the plane I noticed all the seats in economy had decent leg room. There’s a 3 by 3 seating configuration and according to seatguru.com, PAL Airbus A320 economy seats have a 29-30 seat pitch with a seat width of 19.7 inches. That’s pretty good for economy.
Flight time was 3 hours and the time flew by quick. I spent most of my time sleeping and even skipping meal service.
There wasn’t a good deal of inflight entertainment options because there’s an overhead display with only one movie showing.
The PAL aircrew was very polite. Just wanted to add that. Before I knew it, I arrived at Manila’s NAIA for the very first time.
Landing at Manila’s NAIA – Terminal 2
The flight arrived into NAIA around 3am. I was tired, but alert.
NAIA has 4 terminals but supposedly, Terminal 2 is specifically designated for Philippines Airline I read somewhere. I shall soon learn it’s not.
I followed the signs to the transfer desk and was told by Philippine Airline staff that I had to exit terminal 2 . Because my connecting flight is at terminal 1.
And because I had 16 hours until my MNL to JFK departs the friendly staff suggested I head out of the airport. I guess I could. But by this point, it was 3:30 am in the morning.
What could I possibly do that early in Manila?
At first thought, it was kind of weird to clear immigration if one is planning to stay completely inside the airport.
But NAIA is not one complete building you see. The airport is spread out so you have to take a taxi or an airport shuttle bus between all four terminals. This is what I dreaded happening because I read about unscrupulous taxi drivers. So, going to avoid that.
Then the staff directed me to use the airport shuttle transfer bus. Which I did.
Remember, As Long As You Have a Boarding Ticket with a Transfer Stamp, Taking the Airport Shuttle Bus is Free
Okay, so outside of Terminal 2 after you clear customs there is a waiting area for the Airport shuttle bus. Technically the shuttle bus was supposed to arrive every 15 minutes. I would love to show you where I found that information but it’s inaccurate.
It does not arrive every 15 minutes. At least not while I was there. But I’ve read elsewhere the bus schedules are very inconsistent already.
I asked a local traveling Filipino and he too said about 15 minutes. But he didn’t seem too confident. Eventually we saw an Airport shuttle bus pass us, and parked further up. He told me it was the airport bus and was just as confused as to why it parked further up, and not taking passengers.
So we waited for another one. About 10 minutes later more people came to wait for the bus. And then a man came out from the airport shuttle bus I saw the first time. He directed everyone to get onboard.
So here’s the fishy part. While the bus was moving the porter came around asking for 150 pesos. He was collecting from other foreign travelers. But didn’t bother the locals.
I didn’t pay. I just looked at him and shrugged. For one thing, I didn’t have any Philippine pesos on hand. The other, I wasn’t even expecting to pay for a fare.
The bus ride from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 took about 5 minutes. Nowhere have I read I had to pay to ride the airport shuttle bus. Incidentally, I spoke with another American heading to JFK that was on the same bus afterwards.
And the bus conductor told him if he didn’t have pesos he could pay in US dollars. Which in itself is highly unusual. He paid $3USD which is slightly over 150 pesos. Either way, it was fishy.
There’s a lot of space inside the airport terminal transfer shuttle bus.
I noticed that the Philippine native I spoke to earlier while waiting for the bus wasn’t even approached by the bus conductor.
Eventually, I learned, as long as you’ve got a transfer ticket on hand, you do not have to pay for the ride.
Here’s my proof. I stepped off the bus in front of Terminal 1 and the conductor just gave me a shy sheepish look. Like he got busted.
At NAIA Terminal 1
One thing that is certainly true about NAIA’s terminal 1 airline check-in counter is that the lines are long. I wish I took photos. Because there’s a lot of people, especially at 3 am in the morning. There appears to be some kind of order along the long lines of people queuing up to the counters.
Luckily, I already had my MNL to JFK boarding ticket printed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. So I can avoid the lines and make a beeline for passport control.
Here’s An Odd Story at Passport Control…
My wife’s friend is a native Filipino and I had previously asked her if she had any tips about Manila’s airports. One thing she said was don’t let immigration officers intimidate me. Sounds like an ominous prediction.
When I heard that my first thought was what’s the worst that they can do? And left it at that.
When I handed my passport to the immigration officer I noticed a very nonchalant attitude.
Then the questions started, “Are you of Filipino blood?”
I answered no.
“Have you ever been to the Philippines?”
No.
Then he spent a few minutes examining and looking through my passport. I have to admit. This was getting rather annoying.
I’m sure he can tell from his computer system and the fresh entry stamp that I arrived an hour ago. And my boarding ticket says I’m transferring.
Then he asked one last question, “Where did you fly in from?”
Thailand, I answered.
“Ah.” he says and stamps my passport.
Maybe I’m just being too sensitive. Maybe I was primed to feel the way I did because of my wife’s friend’s advice about not letting immigration officers intimidate me.
I’ve been stamped out by a lot of airports. And I must say, this one’s the weirdest. But I was glad it was over and by now I was so tired.
It was time to search for a dayroom or a lounge or whatever to sleep and shower in.
And I’m inside Terminal 1 – Looking for Dayrooms
On my initial research, I was looking to rent a dayroom I read about from The Wings Transit Lounge but it’s located inside terminal 3 on the fourth floor.
I walked around all over Terminal 1 and did not find any airport chairs I could sleep on. The chairs are made of metal with thin blue cushions. I read somewhere that airport security will fine passengers for sleeping on the chairs.
I really don’t know if there’s any truth to that. I’m not even going to think about trying. After possibly getting shakin’ down by that shuttle bus conductor, I didn’t want to take any chances.
Found a Dayroom – But is it Any Good?
At NAIA there are many airport lounges where you can pay to use and enjoy. But I was specifically looking for a bed. And most importantly a place to shower.
NAIA terminal 1 dayroom rates are 1680 PHP for 24 hours, about $33 USD so not too expensive.
Well, I found it. There are no direct signs leading to the dayroom rental. Follow my directions though and you’ll find it.
Look for the signs leading to gates 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15. It’s right next to a Starbucks. You will see a sign and a pair of elevators leading to the 4th floor where the dayroom rentals are located.
Price for room rentals are clearly stated
Cost of Dayrooms
For 1680 Philippine pesos, per head, you’ll get 24-hour access. Which is reasonable. Especially when I’ve got 14 hours to go so I can catch some sleep and a shower. By the way, there’s no wifi access inside the dayroom area. I know, a real bummer.
They only accept cash payments so you’ll have to exchange your local currency. There are two currency exchange counters near the duty-free shops.
There are single rooms with one twin bed. Also a couple of larger rooms with two twin beds.
You get a door key to your room. There’s no safety box inside to store your valuables so a good idea to have a good lock for your luggage or travel bags.
There are only nine rooms available and a receptionist sitting near the guest rooms.
This was the room I stayed in. Outside the window is the tarmac. Which isn’t exactly a good thing.
Single rooms are small but I’m only in here for a small stretch of time. You’ve got a small kit of towels, toothbrush with toothpaste, disposable slippers, soap and a packet of shampoo.
I got room #9 which faces the airport tarmac. I checked in about 5 am. As the morning rolled in I could hear airplanes taking off. I looked outside and didn’t see any nearby airplanes. That’s just how loud airplane engines are so the jet engine noise travels far. It was noisy to the point even the windows inside my room vibrated.
This happens about once every ten or fifteen minutes. It took a while but I did manage to catch some much-needed sleep.
That is until I started hearing staff talking near the reception desk. Also, a dayroom guest complaining about being charged an extra hour he overstayed. And ringing office phones.
The walls and doors at this place are very thin. I could even hear a guy in another room snoring.
As bad as I’m making it all sound I did manage to grab some sleep. And you might be able too.
There are two toilet stalls, a urinal, and a shower room
The best thing of all though at least there’s access to clean bathrooms with a shower room. There’s only one shower room and it’s not in the greatest shape. The ceiling is low and the shower head could use a good screw tightening.
Toilets were clean though. At my age that’s important.
For all the ladies you’d be happy to know there is a separate bathroom facility.
Checked Out and Ready to Leave for JFK
Boarding time for my flight to JFK was 7 pm. I checked out of the dayroom at 2 pm. I still had plenty of time. I wasn’t sleepy at this point and with the afternoon time, it seemed the frequency of planes preparing to take off increased.
Spending a few more hours inside a room with the sound of jet engines roaring past me is not fun.
So I decided to check out of the dayroom. And wait for 7 pm at the Starbucks next to the entrance at the dayroom. There were plenty of soft seats and a good place to waste some time there.
The free airport wifi access is very good inside terminal 1. I read reports somewhere else that it was really spotty. But while I was there for all those hours it worked really well.
Only takes a little while to log in. But when you’re on the speed was good. I could watch Youtube videos and surf with no lag.
I connected with the wifi access from Google. I tried the airports official wifi network but that one wasn’t working. For Google wifi, you get 30 minutes of access. When the 30 minutes are up you can just log back in again.
There are also mobile phone charging ports located near gate 9. It’s set up a little weird. There’s a bunch of chairs surrounding 3 narrow kiosks fitted with USB and electrical outlets.
There were more power ports than seats. But it’s better than nothing. And my flight was departing on gate 10 so that’s where I hung out to pass the rest of the time.
The air conditioning in this part of terminal 1 was really cold so bring a jacket. I was wearing shorts so it was extra chilly for me.
$100USD Extra for Emergency Exit Row Seats??
Here’s a shocker to me. At BKK airport I requested a seat on the emergency exit row aisle seat. Because I really, really enjoy that extra leg room. And I got it. Free of charge which is normal when I make the same request on airlines.
At Manila Airport I asked for the same. Only to hear it cost $100 USD extra to get those seats. I was surprised. Though I have heard airlines today are getting wiser. But why was I not charged for an emergency exit row seat for my BKK to MNL leg of the trip? It’s still an international flight after all.
I just stayed with the aisle seat I pre-booked.
Inside Flight PR 126
This was a Philippine Airline Airbus A350. I have to say, this is a very nice airplane. The seat was comfortable. The first time my ass hit the chair I was could tell a difference between the comfortability of these cheap seats compared to other economy seats on other airlines.
But, after 16 hours your butts still going to be a little sore. At least mine was.
Before the plane even took off I started to drift to sleep. Until I took a look at the in-flight movie selection. There were a bunch of movies available that I haven’t watched yet.
I watched Ready Player One, Pacific Rim 2, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Equalizer 2. The in-flight entertainment touch screen was awesome. The resolution was sharp and clear.
There is a USB charge port but no power outlet for laptop computers. There’s also free 5mb wifi internet access but it didn’t work while I was in this flight.
In-Flight Meal
You’ve got your Western option. And you’ve got your Asian option. I opted for the Pork Belly Singuba. I’ve never, ever tried Filipino food before. Never thought my first time would be on an airplane. I liked it.
At the next meal service, I ate the Chicken Bulgogi and Chap Chae. Not exactly Filipino, but hey, the meal was alright too.
Notice the extra bread roll? Yeah, I’m a big eater
I skipped breakfast which was served about 3 or 4 hours before landing. I was really tempted to try Bangus Lamayo. Which would be my second Filipino meal ever. But I didn’t feel hungry at all.
End of Journey
I have to say my first time flying with Philippine Airlines was a pleasant one. I should emphasize that the flight attendants were very nice and polite. The 16-hour flight didn’t even feel like a 16-hour flight.
The wide variety of choice in-flight movies was partly responsible for time going by so fast.
Lucky I’m flying back to Bangkok in the next month and a half with Philippine Airlines again. That’s how much I’m impressed with them. And if I time it right I could stay in Manila for 3 days or so.
I’ve never been to China before. So my first ever trip to Guangzhou (广州市), China is a milestone for me. If this will be your first trip to Guangzhou too I’m going to show you what you can expect through my experiences. From traveling to Guangzhou Baiyun international airport to Guangzhou’s city center at night and eating.
So the city of Guangzhou is 119 mile from Hong Kong in Southern China. It’s a city known for mass producing most of the products you’re wearing and using at this very moment. Which is why my wife and I was also going to the 124th Canton Fair for business. Nonetheless, I was super excited for my first ever visit to Guangzhou, China.
And it’ll be a special trip. Because my parents were originally from Guangzhou before immigrating to the USA.
As an American and even for Thais in my wife’s case we first had to get a China visa. Which depending on which blog you read could be easy. Or it could rather difficult. Luckily while we were applying for our Chinese visa in Bangkok we didn’t have any issues at all.
The Great (Fire) Wall of China
As a digital nomad, China’s great firewall could really hamper one’s efforts to share or write about their experiences in China on location. In China, if you plan on taking selfies plus food porn and posting them up on Facebook and Instagram you’ll be disappointed.
Only Chinese manufactured social media platforms function in China. This means Line, Instagram and Facebook apps won’t work as all are blocked by the firewall. But WeChat app which is China owned does.
Here’s your options for all you social media addicts
If you’re using your home countries’ mobile service provider with free or affordable international roaming then you’ll be fine. So if you’re from the United States and you’re using a service provider like T-Mobile you can post on your choice of social media inside China freely.
It’s a different story for your computer though because you can’t install SIM cards into one. Instead you’ll need a Virtual Protocol Network(VPN) which essentially disguises your computer’s IP address and fooling the great Firewall. In essence, a VPN makes it look like your computer is not in China.
You can try using installing ExpressVPN on your computer which I heard has good results in China to post photos and experiences on Facebook. Or even watch Netlflix when you’ve got a lot of down time.
Lots of nice photo opportunities in Guangzhou, China
Best Area to Stay in Guangzhou for Your First Visit – Beijing Road
So I did some extensive research for myself on which area I should stay in Guangzhou. I found out Beijing Road location is the best, in terms of convenience for finding transportation, food and walking distance to local attractions.
For instance the hotel or rather the serviced apartment I stayed at is called Nomo Beijing Road A Mall Apartments. It’s located inside a mall so plenty of food options. And the Gongyuanqian 公园前站 train station is underneath the hotel with a shopping arcade. Can’t get any better than that.
Now that you know how to post on social media in China, lets get down to the nitty gritty of visiting Guangzhou for your first time.
Starting with how to get from Baiyun international Airport to the city at night.
Getting from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport to the City after Midnight
I arrived into Baiyun airport a little after 11pm. Which left me with not a lot of choices for getting to the city. Actually I was only left with one choice which is metered taxi.
The line in passport control was long but it moved fairly quickly
We landed a little after 11pm. After getting through passport control and retrieving my luggage we were out of the airport by midnight. Luckily, metered taxis waiting outside of Baiyun airport are a plenty. While I was there there were lines of taxis waiting for tired passengers eager to get to their hotel rooms for shut eye.
Are Taxis from Airports in Guangzhou Reliable?
The official airport metered taxi line at Baiyun airport
I stayed in Guangzhou for about 6 days. Throughout those six days I’ve used taxis at least once a day. Every driver turned on their meter. No one tried to force a flat rate on me. And through google maps I followed the routes to my destination. None of the taxis made serious route deviations to run up the meter.
Though I should also add that Google maps is not that reliable in Guangzhou. I’ll get into that later though.
From my experience, Guangzhou taxi drivers are reliable. Except that one taxi driver that was drifting asleep during stop signals. And when he’d wake up, he’d start singing. What a great way to stay awake.
Metered taxi fare from Guangzhou Baiyun airport to the Nomo Beijing Road A Mall Apartments, the hotel I was staying at cost me 145¥, including the 15¥ tollway. About $20USD for a 30 minute trip. It’s not as expensive as my home city of New York. Though not as cheap as Bangkok, Thailand.
Not complaining though as the ride was convenient and hassle free. Especially in the middle of the night where transportation options are limited.
I already read elsewhere that metered taxi rides to Guangzhou from the airport cost roughly 120¥ so it’s on par with my experience.
I can’t remember specifically where the metered taxi line is at Baiyun airport but there are many signs in English pointing the way. Like most airports around the world you’ll get approached by taxi touts while making way to the official airport taxi stand.
Taxis in Guangzhou run 24 hours. You’ll find less past midnight but I wouldn’t worry. On our return flight to Bangkok we had to check out of our hotel 1am in the morning. And we did’t wait long to find a taxi.
Other than taxis, traveling around Guangzhou is super easy, especially on foot.
Getting Around Guangzhou
Guangzhou, just like Seoul, Taipei and Osaka is a real joy to explore on foot. The sidewalks are flat and spacious. The vehicles obey traffic lights. There are many street signs in English and finding the places we wanted to go to was easy.
Beijing Road is the main avenue in the city of Guangzhou. If you get lost, just find Beijing Road to reorient yourself and find where you need to go.
Only problem is if you’re using Google or Apple maps for directions you’ll see it’s a total gamble. Meaning the directions you find on it may not lead you to your destination.
This happened to me on numerous occasions.
This is the mall my hotel was located in…
I was looking for a Citibank and even on the Citibank app via Google or Apple maps I still couldn’t locate the branch.
Another example, according to Google maps the hotel I was staying at was actually 465 meters off from the actual location. Luckily the taxi driver knew the exact location of the hotel we were staying in.
Nearly 475 meters off from the actual location is quite a big difference
Then on Trip Advisor I was trying to find this Szechuan restaurant for an hour following Google maps. Only to discover that I’m not at the right location. From hindsight, what I will do the next time I’m back in Guangzhou is to call the places to check 1) if they’re still there and 2) where the exact location is.
Guangzhou metro subway train fares are cheap. And so efficient with frequent train arrivals. It simply is one of the best ways to get around the city. I used it to get from my hotel to the station near Canton Fair which is about 7 miles away. The train fare was only .70 cents or 5¥.
Subsequent times I’ve used the trains I’ve never spent more than 5¥ per train ride. The ticket machines are in English with plenty of English signs and maps leading the way. Station stops are also announced in English.
A Few Places We Visited on Foot
Like I mentioned already, Google maps is unreliable in Guangzhou for finding most businesses. However, it’s reliable for finding long established city attractions. And I visited them easily on foot.
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
For the short week we were in Guangzhou we went to Chen Clan Ancestral Hall located in the center of the city. My last name is Chan. But it’s the same as Chen when written in Chinese 陳 so in a way, I’m visiting my roots and paying homage to my ancestors
The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall also houses old and new artwork. With many antiques spread throughout the compound. You can easily visit all of the exhibits in about 30 or 40 minutes. It was nice to sit outside in the huge open courtyard and just think about what what life was like in the past. Certainly worth dropping by especially if you’ve got the Chen name.
There is an entrance fee of 10¥ and you have to show your passport. Normally I don’t bother carrying my passport around for fear of losing it. But in China, best to have it with when you’re out and about.
Temple of the Six Banyan Tree
This attraction is actually a lot closer to where we were staying. There’s a tall pagoda called Temple of the Six Banyan Tree. There’s a lot of history in this area which I won’t go into on this post. But you can find plenty of info about it here.
Also not a big huge attraction but cool place to pop in and take a look. Entrance fee to the main temple grounds is 5¥ and you can go up the pagoda for an extra fee of 10¥. Which I would’ve done if I knew we could go inside and up to the top.
Overall walking around and exploring the city of Guangzhou was pleasant. We here in early November and the weather was cool and crisp.
I would’ve explored more of Guangzhou but I was here mostly to check out the 124th Canton Fair for business. So I spent some days checking factories and so on. And still a lot of walking.
All this walking of course is going to build up an appetite. It’s time to eat! And in Guangzhou, there’s no shortage of good food.
Only thing is, we gotta find a restaurant with English menus!
Eating Out in Guangzhou
You’re not going to have a problem finding good food in Guangzhou. You are however, going to have a hard time finding a restaurant with English menus. Although I can speak Cantonese, I cannot read or write it.
Though the ability to speak Cantonese helps somewhat. But most locals in Guangzhou speak Mandarin. Which I cannot understand. Yet they can understand my Cantonese.
Very good pizza at Pizza Factory located inside the A Mall…
So I’m bit of an oddball whenever I’m talking and interacting with the locals. My point is, if you want to eat inside local restaurants there will be a language barrier. I guess you can always point at the actual food or photos of food which helps.
For anyone that doesn’t want to deal with the language barrier in Guangzhou there are plenty of McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Huts, Starbucks and many more international fast food chains.
But if you’re in Guangzhou you must have dim sum!
Dim Sum in Guangzhou, China
In Guangzhou, I recommend having some good old Cantonese dim sum for breakfast. Though you can have it as brunch or even for late lunch because most dim sum restaurants close around 10pm.
Though I usually eat dim sum for breakfast because that’s just the way I had it growing up in New York’s Chinatown. We call it “yum cha” which means “drink tea” which is an essential part of the dim sum experience.
Now you’re definitely going to come across the language barrier issue at a dim sum restaurant in Guangzhou. There’s only one restaurant that I know with English menus. But the menu has numerous spelling errors and translations. Don’t get discouraged.
Remember, a hungry tummy will always find a way.
The dim sum restaurant in Guangzhou with English menus is called Dim Sum Chef. It’s a restaurant chain but I can’t find any links to a website. But I found out about it because the hotel I was staying at has a mall called A Mall connected right to it on the 4th floor.
Another good dim sum option in Guangzhou that is also a chain is:
Dian Dou De 点都德 address: Beijing Road branch – 470 Hui Fu Dong Lu, Yuexiu district. There’s one more which is the main branch at: 587 Long Jin Zhong Lu, Liwan district
How to Order Dim Sum
The dim sum restaurants I went to in Guangzhou, every table gets a menu order form. But it’s in Chinese. I could speak Cantonese and relay to the servers that I can’t read Chinese. So I just mouth off the types of dim sum I normally order back in NYC.
And the waiters were friendly enough to help write in my order.
So, if you’re able to read Chinese you just check off which items you’d like to order…
But I also used WeChat to communicate with friends that can read Chinese. I just snapped a photo of the menu and asked my friend to translate for me. So if you know someone who can read and write Chinese this is one way you can order.
Otherwise, I recommend sitting next to a table with customers with lots and lots of dim sum on their tables. Then start pointing out to the servers what you want. Who knows, you’ll probably make friends with the folks sitting next to you too.
Tea Etiquette at Guangzhou Dim Sum Restaurants
Take a look at Luke Martin’s video below inside one of Dian Dou De’s branch. Where you’ll get an idea on what’s it like to enjoy a dim sum meal in Guangzhou. As well the process of tea preparation.
Also notice there’s a bowl and a plate. You eat from the bowl. The plate is there to put things like bones or discarded pieces of food. Don’t ask me why. I mean why do most fancy restaurants have like 3 different forks for different meal servings?
So these are the only two dim sum joints I’ve been to but I plan to check out others after checking out this blogger’s post on where to eat dim sum in Guangzhou.
But really your food options will be endless in Guangzhou. You’ll find something you’ll like, I’m sure of it.
Getting a Massage in Guangzhou
With old age quickly settling in on my bones after all the walking around in Guangzhou I searched out a massage place in the city via Google maps. I know I said it’s a gamble. But, I took a gamble. And my gamble paid off.
I followed Google map’s navigation all the way to Dongxing Blindman Massage Parlor. It was about a 15 minute walk from my hotel location. It turned out it was easy find.
Dongxing is not a fancy shop. It’s a local shop with neighborhood customers. Not a lot of tourists walk in those doors. And they can only speak Mandarin. Luckily they could understand my Cantonese.
While my wife and I went in, there was only one blind masseuse and a few others that could see. So not everyone inside is blind. I’m going to warn you, it’s going to be painful. Because they are trained to use their hands to locate points on your body that needs work on. So, they will continually massage and knead until the knots are gone with their super strong grips
Even after a few days later we were still sore. Not sore in a way where you can’t do your daily routines though. Just enough to let you know what they did worked. And we felt great afterwards. We went for the hour long massage which cost 70¥ per person. About $10USD which is a great bargain.
Looking forward to My Next Visit to Guangzhou
My first visit to Guangzhou has me feeling impressed. With most of my time spent on business I didn’t have enough time to scratch the surface of the city.
I wish Google Maps worked more effectively in China. I wish I learned Mandarin. Which I’ll try and pick up seeing as I will be visiting Guangzhou more often in the near future.
It’s a fun city to travel to and even with the language barrier you’ll still manage to score a good meal one way or the other. There’s no doubt you’ll have a pretty good experience on your first visit to Guangzhou too.
Applying for a Chinese visa in Bangkok could be smooth sailing. Or a total nightmare. That’s depending on where you’re getting your information from. Because I’m heading to Guangzhou (广州市), China to check out the 124th Canton Fair for business and to eat some dim sum.
Which means I’m going to have to get a China visa for my US passport. So like any average Joe looking for information about applying for a visa to visit China. And I was in Thailand at the time so I did a google search on how to get a Chinese visa in Bangkok.
I started reading blog comments and caught a glimpse of what to expect. And the glimpse I caught frankly caught me off guard.
According to this blogger, regular service takes 4 days. Which is normal and if you’ve done proper travel planning shouldn’t be an issue. But I also read it was possible that it could take a month to get back your passport and a tourist visa to China!
Applying for My First China Visa in Bangkok
In the immortal words of Bart Simpson, “Aye Caramba!” we were hoping it won’t take that long. My wife and I were applying for our Chinese travel visas two weeks before our scheduled flight departs for Guangzhou. And we already paid for our hotel in full with no refunds.
Then, I’ve been reading Mark Wien’s experience when he went to apply for his China tourist visa. His experience was more streamlined and uneventful. But it was the comments from his readers that got me nervous.
Bear in mind that his information and experience was posted in 2014. A lot of things could’ve changed in that time span. Which I found out did.
I read someone’s comment that he had to hand in a color copy of their passport. I always thought it was illegal to make photocopies of passports in color.
There’s just so much information out there about getting a China visa in Bangkok and I didn’t know who or what to believe. There were a mix of helpful information about the process. And there were some info out there to make oneself paranoid about the Chinese visa application process.
So like anything else I knew nothing about, I started with baby steps. First, I started off with something easy. Like check what time the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok opens.
The First Big Change
One thing my years of travel experience had taught me is you go to an embassy or consulate of the country you’re planning to visit to apply for a tourist visa.
So it would make sense that I would have to go to the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, right?
Wrong!
Currently you cannot apply for a China Visa at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok. You have to go to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Thailand (CVASC) located inside an office building a few miles away from the Chinese Embassy.
Business hours Monday-Friday, Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Submission of applications: 9:00 to 15:00.
Payment and collection: 9:00 to 16:00.
Good thing I came across this bit of info. Otherwise I would’ve ended up at the front steps of the Chinese Embassy.
With my visa application in hand only to have guards pointing and laughing at me like the idiot I am.
Be Sure to Check Out CVASC Website
Next thing to do is to download the China visa application. And also find out what supporting documents are required for a US citizen staying in Thailand needs. Which I found on CVASC (website) a list of requirements for your specific visa purpose. For tourist the visa category is L.
Again, because I am going to China for business I needed to apply for the M category.
Even though you’re reading this and applying for a China tourist visa, the documents and procedure required which I listed below is 95.9% the same.
Click on that button to find requirements for all visa category
The CVASC website is cool. There is an online form, not a PDF version like the one that I used from China Embassy website. And, you can make an appointment too. Which had I known, I would’ve used the CVASC website exclusively.
You do not need to make an appointment before showing up.
Click on that button and you’ll see an online China visa. You can even make an appointment too
Getting Ready to go to China Visa Application Service Center
I didn’t use the CVASC online visa application form because I found out too late about it. Instead I used the this four page form I downloaded from Chinese Embassy in Thailand’s website.
Since it’s a PDF electronic form you can input your information directly in. And then print out and sign when completed.
Which is great because I’ve got horrible handwriting. There could be a few questions that could trip you up but I’ll highlight those later on. Make sure you put on the caps lock too while typing.
There are China visa application forms at the CVASC you can fill out with an old fashioned pen. But honestly printing out filled out forms beforehand is the smarter move.
Filling Out China Visa Application Form (V.2013)
Make Sure Your Visa Form is Filled Out Accurately
The visa form is straightforward with 5 sections with sub-sections. Chances are you won’t need to fill out all 5 sections in this China visa application.
There are just a few sections that might make you scratch your head though.
Section 1.5 – This section you put in your current occupation. If you don’t see the listed description for yourself then just mark “other” and then write in specifically what you do. For me, I’m a business person so I checked marked that box. But that’s too vague. So the clerk personnel instructed me to check “Other ☑️” and write in specific occupation.
Section 2.7 – This section is basically asking who’s paying for your trip. I just typed in “SELF FUNDED”.
Section 2.6 – Here you get asked about your itinerary. I was just staying the entire week in Guangzhou. I just wrote on one line. For date “30-10-18 TO 05-11-18” and then for detailed address I just wrote in the address of the hotel I was staying at.
Section 2.10 – This ones just an observation from myself. This section asks what other countries you’ve visited in the past 12 months. So I listed the countries I’ve been within 12 months and one of them was Taiwan. So if you don’t know by now, China and Taiwan are not so friendly towards each other. The clerk personnel who initially checked my visa form just taped over Taiwan with white out. So if you’ve been to Taiwan in the past 12 months, just leave it out.
Don’t forget to sign your China visa application form and date it.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Okay, so everyone reading this will probably have to bring different documents depending on their traveling situation.
Here’s my situation. I’m married to a Thai with a Non-Immigrant O visa based on Thai family. And my work is based in the USA. I’m heading to China on a business/tourism purpose.
Here’s a list of documents I brought with me for submission:
My Prepared Documents (You only need to hand in one set)
Two recent passport sized photos (size and requirements) Glue one photo on the area indicated on first page of visa application. The other photo will be clipped to your passport.
Photo copy of passport photo page, Thailand entry stamp, Thai visa page
Proof of residence in Thailand (Not necessary if you have a Thai Tourist Visa)
Thai marriage certificate to prove I’m married to a Thai and the reason why I’m in Thailand (Also, don’t need this if you’re just a tourist in Thailand)
Flight itinerary – Into China and out of China
Hotel confirmation
* Invitation letter from Canton Fair
** Letter of intent (What’s all this about? You’ll find out below)
Recent bank statement
In Mark Wien’s blog post he stated Americans needed to hand in two sets of applications. I was only required to hand in one. I made an extra set, just to be safe. Again his blog post was made 4 years ago. In any case, the agency clerk took only one set from me.
There are copy machines and passport photo booths inside. I don’t remember how much they charge but just make your life easy and have all the copies and passport photos ready. Chances are, it’ll be cheaper to get all this done outside of the CVASC office.
* Letter of Intent
For #9 I mentioned letter of intent. This is a short letter you sign declaring what you’ll be doing in China. I didn’t even know I had to write this letter until I read this blogger’s post on getting a China visa in Bangkok.
Here’s what my letter of intent looked like:
To Whom it May Concern
My name is Warren Chan. I am a citizen of the United States with passport number ********. I have a Thai wife and currently staying in Thailand with a type “O” non immigrant visa based on marriage/family.
I would like to travel to Guangzhou China to attend the 124th Canton Fair and tourism with my wife. I have already pre-registered for attendance to Canton Fair and have included my invitation letter with my visa application.
I would like to stay in Guangzhou, China from October 30th, 2018 to November 5th, 2018.
Sincerely,
When you’re writing your own letter of intent just make it simple. My first letter of intent was long and too specific in detail. And I changed it to the one you see above.
** As my letter states I’m planning on attending the Canton Fair which upon registration I could download an invitation letter. Whenever you’re going to China for business if you can get an invitation letter from the company or factory you’re planning to visit make sure you get a letter from them so you can submit along with your China visa application. This is only needed if you’re applying for a China business visa.
If you know a Chinese citizen living in China and you’re planning to visit them, ask them to write a letter of invitation on your behalf. Same goes for education purpose, say for example if you want to study Chinese martial arts at an institution.
Going to Chinese Visa Application Service Center
The Chinese Visa Application Service Center is not an embassy nor a consulate. It’s just an agency operating on behalf of the Chinese government for processing and handling China visas. And they charge a service fee which you can see below on my receipt.
With my stack of documents organized like an anal retentive applicant I felt prepared for the worst.
The easiest way to reach Thanapoom Tower is by using the MRT subway train. The closest station is Petchaburi MRT station. Use Exit #2 and make a left turn when you’re outside. It’s a 700 meter walk, pass Saint Dominic’s School and Thailand Tourism Authority office building.
Remember the China visa application service office is on the 5th floor.
The front of the CVASC office, but the entrance is on the right with a metal detector…
Inside CVASC Office
During my research on submitting China visa applications in Bangkok I read a lot of blog posts and comments where people complained of long lines and long waits. However, there were also lots of comments saying it was a quick, easy and painless process.
I got inside 9:10am and there was a line but wasn’t that bad. There were 3 lines for individual applicants to queue up on. There were about 10 people ahead of us. So things went smoothly. But I can understand why this part of the process could be a slow going.
CVASC office in Bangkok
First of all from my sharp ears I could listen to the staff telling people they were missing documents. Or some parts of their visa forms were filled out incorrectly.
Also, there are a lot of Thai tour agencies handing in piles of China visa applications with Thai passports. Obviously this is for large Thai tour groups. So one messenger would bring in stacks and stacks of applications which would take time for Chinese visa agency staff to sort through.
But the office clerks went through the piles of Thai passports quickly as Thai travel agencies already know the document process and requirements.
Getting the Ticket Number
Okay, so the line my wife and I first queued up on is really where CSAVC clerks check your application to make sure you have all the necessary information filled out properly. And they take a look at your supporting documents.
The staff are all Thai. They can speak English but not fluently. From my short interactions with them they are sincere. They are there to really help out and offer suggestions to make your application as squeaky clean as possible. So your China visa application process goes smooth.
Ahead of us were a couple of young European travelers that were in line ahead of us. I overheard they did not have their paperwork together. From the looks of it they seemed frustrated. On their hands were only two China visa application forms. It didn’t look too good for them as they stepped off line.
Waiting to Be Called
Your number could come up quickly. Which happened in my case. Because I had to change my letter of intent a little under the advice of the CVASC staff who first looked at my papers. Luckily, I brought my laptop and made the corrections right on the spot.
But I needed to print it out. On the second floor there is a small convenience shop with a computer and printer. I emailed the letter to my email account and printed it off from there. It cost 15THB per print out.
Pay attention to these screens…
By the time I got back to the 5th floor my number had passed. No big deal. Just go back to the desk where you got the first ticket and let them know what happened. They’ll print you a new one.
There are television screens at the front with ticket numbers as well indications for which counter to go. There’s no automated voices announcing numbers. Just the sound of a bell whenever a new number is displayed. Which means you have to have your eyes glued to the screens when your number is almost up.
When your number does comes up head to the designated counter. And hand in your paper work to the nice clerks.
Photo copy of my passport photo page, entry stamp, Thai visa page
Proof of residence in Thailand (again, you won’t need this if you’re on a Thai tourist visa)
Thai marriage certificate (no, you do not have to marry a Thai to get a Chinese visa)
Flight itinerary – Into China and out of China
Hotel confirmation
Invitation letter from Canton Fair (to prove I’m going to China for business)
Letter of intent
Recent bank statement
The agency clerk went through our applications and it was pretty straight forward. We had all our papers ready and in order.
Only our hotel confirmation and bank statement copies were not needed and returned to us. I recommend bringing them anyways. Because you just never know.
Then we were given our receipts and because we chose regular service we were told to come back in 4 days. You pay the fee when you pick up your passport.
My China visa fee was 5060THB. If you think about it that’s a pricey visa fee. However USA charges Chinese citizens the same amount in US currency when they apply to visit USA. The CVASC clerk that handled my case recommended I get the 10 year multiple China entry visa.
Which made a lot of sense because it’s the same price as a single entry visa which I had initially marked on my visa form.
Everything was simple and easy for my experience. As long as you have all your papers in order the China visa process in Bangkok should be painless.
I was out of the CVASC office just a little over an hour. So didn’t take much time at all really.
Picking Up My Passport
4 days later I got back to the CVASC office. Passport pick up time is scheduled between 9am to 4pm. I got there about 1pm and the place looked quieter than the first time I went.
Perhaps, it’s best to go hand in visa applications in the afternoon time instead to beat the morning rush?
I went straight to the counter, with no line to wait and showed my receipt and got a ticket number. I plopped my ass down on one of the chairs and a few minutes later my number came up.
Notice the 467.29B service fee?
Went to the counter and handed in my receipt and paid my 5060B fee for my brand new Chinese visa. My wife has a Thai passport her fee is 1500B. I checked my passport with my brand new China visa and saw I had a 10 year expiration date. So that’s cool. Be sure to check that your name is spelled correctly and your passport numbers match before you leave the center.
My wife wasn’t with me this time but as long as I had her receipt I could pick it up for her. I spent no more than 10 minutes this time.
Smooth Sailing
Thankfully, everything went through without a hitch. I learned a few things about getting a Chinese visa in Bangkok to share with everyone here.
Granted I went for the business visa, I don’t think getting a tourist visa to visit China could be any much harder. Not that it was hard to begin with.
It’s not difficult at all as long as you have all your supporting documents with you, before you show up. That’s the main key. Also bring your laptop to make quick changes on your China visa application forms if necessary. There’s no internet access inside, but you can use your mobile phone to act as an internet hotspot.
With all the proper documents in hand you shouldn’t have any problems also while applying for a China visa in Bangkok whether you’re going as a tourist or for business.
Need help with finding the best Hua Hin beach hotels in Thailand? I have just the right hotels by the beach you’re looking for. Including my personal reviews and cost.
Hua Hin may not be as developed as Bangkok but it does afford many tourists comforts such as good quality hotels by the beach with reasonable rates. It’s a city well known for a much more laid back atmosphere. A clean beach and most of all delicious and affordable seafood.
But if you don’t mind walking just a short distance to Hua Hin beach you can certainly locate cheaper accommodations. However if you’re coming from afar, why not pick a hotel in Hua Hin that is close to the beach.
You’d be surprised how affordable beachside hotels in Hua Hin are.
I’ll even reveal my “Top 5 Hua Hin Hotels by the Beach” so you can make a better decision on where you want to stay.
But before I get into that, here are the best reasons why I think you should stay at a hotel right on Hua Hin’s pristine beach.
5 Reasons Why You Should Stay at a Hotel Near Hua Hin Beach
Hua Hin’s beach lines the central section of the city. By choosing a hotel by the beach area you can easily visit nearby attractions in Hua Hin such as their famous night bazaar.
For a small city, Hua Hin has a pretty big traffic problem. With very few pedestrian crosswalks in between. By staying at a hotel right on Hua Hin beach you don’t need to worry about crossing and waiting for long traffic lights.
Lots of hotels on Hua Hin Beach provide free shuttle service for guests to travel to nearby attractions such as the Cicada Market, Bluport Mall,and other points of interest near the hotels. So no need to rely on your own transportation or pay for tuk-tuks that charge 150THB one way.
Even though there are many international 5-star hotels located right on Hua Hin beach you don’t need to spend big money. There are many very affordable hotels right next to the mega hotels that share the same beach. If you can afford the big-name hotels then go for it. You won’t regret it.
Hua Hin beach is on the eastern seaboard so you’ll be able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise in the morning. Which is the best reason of all in my book to stay right on the beach!
I Highly Recommend Staying at a Hotel on Hua Hin Beach Between Hua Hin Night Market and Cicada Market
Hua Hin has a long stretch of sandy beach with many hotels right on the beachfront, from 5 stars to cozy boutique hotels.
The best area of the beach with hotels is between Hua Hin Night Market down to Khao Takiab (เขาตะเกียบ) translated as Chopstick Hill. Though Monkey Hill would be a more proper name as the area is full of cheeky monkeys that will rummage through your bags if given the chance.
But a few of the hotels on my top 5 Hua Hin beach hotels are just slightly outside of that particular area. Not by much though.
Matter of fact, one of my favorite hotels in Hua Hin by the beach and very close to Khao Takiab is number one on my list. It’s one of the best hotels in Hua Hin and is recommended for your first visit.
I’ve always been a fan of Amari-branded hotels and never had any problems at any of their properties. So when I found out there’s an Amari hotel property in Hua Hin by the beach I was excited to stay there. Granted it’s a bit of a walk to the beach. But they have a free shuttle car to take hotel guests there and back.
The Amari Hua Hin Hotel on Khao Takiab Beach
Technically the Amari Hua Hin is on Khao Takiab which is the southern end of Hua Hin Beach. They even have an awesome clubhouse by the beach where you can order drinks, and food and just chill out by the swimming pool overlooking the ocean.
When I stay at the Amari Hua Hin I usually book their Deluxe Pool View King room. It’s spacious and clean. I particularly like the view of the awesome massive swimming pool in the center of the hotel property. You can get a deluxe room with a view of the pool for around 3000THB per night with taxes.
Address: 25/2 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin City Center, Hua Hin / Cha-am, Thailand
Affordable large rooms with a great ambiance. I did a review of Escape Hotel Hua Hin a few years back. I’ve been back there a few times ever since, especially when they have price drops on their hotel rooms during low seasons which is a great bargain.
The Escape is still one of the nicest hotels with a short walking distance to the beach and highly recommended. When I’m there I usually book the double rooms on the second floor for 3000THB per night. It’s a great bargain.
There’s even a free shuttle to take you down to Hua Hin’s night market. And they’ll even pick you up for a free return trip at a designated time. The Escape is one of the best affordable beach hotels in Hua Hin I highly recommend it.
Address: 25/2 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin City Center, Hua Hin / Cha-am, Thailand
If you like pets or you’re traveling with your furry friends, the Ibis Hotel Hua Hin is the best pet-friendly hotel by the beach. Whenever my wife and I travel to Hua Hin with one of our cats we always prefer staying at the Ibis Hua Hin.
There are not many hotels on the beach in Hua Hin that allow pets. Thankfully Ibis is one hotel that does.
Granted their rooms are the smallest out of the five hotels reviewed here. But it’s very clean and the property throughout is well maintained.
However I want to add if you’re given the option to purchase breakfast I recommend passing it. I don’t think it’s an added value. There are many places to eat near the hotel within a short walk.
Address: 33 Naresdamri Road, Hua Hin Beachfront, Hua Hin / Cha-am, Thailand
With the Hilton brand name, you’ll know this will be one of the best beach hotels in Hua Hin. This 5-star resort is practically right on the beach. The beach is 90 meters from the hotel but with their amazing swimming pool, it’ll be hard to decide if you’ll want to stay by the pool or swim in the ocean.
The Hilton Hua Hin is not cheap. But not expensive either by international standards. Their King Classic Ocean view rooms are only 4000THB per night with taxes. That’s a real bargain for a 5-star hotel in the center of Hua Hin’s beach.
5. Avani Hua Hin Resort and Village – 4 Star Hotel
Address: 1499 Petchkasem Rd. Cha-am, Hua Hin Beachfront, Hua Hin / Cha-am, Thailand
The Avani Hua Hin is another awesome hotel by the beach in Hua Hin. Again, the swimming pool at this resort’s main attraction. I’ve spent many days just soaking in the pool. Some really fun memories.
Yet this is another hotel by the beach only 90 meters from the hotel and affordable too. For 3000THB per night with taxes I’ve stayed in the Avani Deluxe Room.
The Avani Hua Hin is practically one of the newest hotels in central Hua Hin, built-in 2016. I especially recommend this hotel if you’re traveling with children. Your kids will love the swimming pool and the fun kid’s club on premises.
These are the best beach hotels to stay in Hua Hin for the very first time. And if you consider the prices are quite affordable too, especially 5-star hotels like the Hilton Hua Hin. And if you’re on a budget you should consider staying at the Escape Hotel Hua Hin.
But whichever hotel you choose on this list I’m sure you’re going to enjoy your holiday in Hua Hin for your very first special visit.
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