While in Hong Kong, we had a little excitement scare when it looked like Mega Typhoon Megi might hit Hong Kong. Tropical cyclone warning level 3 was in place and at one point, level 8 looked imminent which generally means that nobody leaves home, all public transport closes, all shops and malls close and flights will be cancelled.

Luckily the typhoon moved north and the warning was reduced to level 1 the day before our flight back to Bangkok.

Over the last few days, I have been in Hong Kong. I was here to check out the Hong Kong Mega Show Part 1. This is a large scale Asian sourcing event held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. I visited part 1 of a 2 part event that brings together over 3,400 exhibitors from across Asia.

I travelled over to Hong Kong with 2 friends from England who I had been hanging out with in Phuket. The flight from Phuket direct to Hong Kong cost around 100-120 GBP with Air Asia. Whilst in Hong Kong, I met with another 2 friends, including @myeggnoodles. We were all there to check out the Mega Show and try to get some new business ideas.

The Mega Show was was not the only trade show event happening in Hong Kong during these dates. The China Sourcing Fair was also taking place. This made it especially hard to find decent accommodation at an affordable price. If you are planning to come next year, I would suggest to book your hotel/guesthouse/apartment WELL IN ADVANCE.

My Advice for Anyone Visiting the Hong Kong Mega Show

Looking back, there were a few things I would do differently. Here is my advice for visiting this show, or indeed any similar show:

1) Be prepared and do your research – Look at the exhibitor directory. Research the suppliers and manufacturers you may be interested in. If there are some you really want to see, you can find them on the exhibition map and then seek them out when you get there.

2) Have a plan or a goal - The show is on such a large scale that wandering aimlessly, like we did, really does not maximise the value you can get. Try to identify a niche or several in advance and spend your time in those areas. The show is split into general product areas. If you know roughly the product are/niche you are interested in, then you can focus your efforts on those areas, leading to point 3…

3) Be prepared to walk alot and be patient – There are endless rows or exhibitors and displays. Most will not be relevant to you, but only by viewing everything will you find those golden nuggets, or the unique products that excite you. This is where having a pre-conceived niche can help.  It would be near impossible, or at least very tough to see every square inch of the show in detail.

4) A no-brainer… Take a large supply of business cards – I didn’t do this and neither did the guys I was with. I really didn’t have a goal this time either, I just wanted to see what the show was like and maybe take away a business idea or two. What I found was that almost everyone you meet asks you for your card. If you want follow up contact, or more information later, handing them a card saves so much time (and makes you look less like an unprepared fool).

5) Put on your networking head – This show (and others like it) are a gold mine for meeting contacts and other entrepreneurs. Dress smart, get plenty of sleep, get your business cards ready (see point 4) and get ready to rumble. Everywhere you turn, you will find people with shops, internet businesses, importers, traders, wholesalers, distributors… a whole range of people that can help you and your business.

6) Wine and dine – If you meet a supplier who you are sure you want to do business with, why not invite them out to dinner. If you meet a fellow internet entrepreneur, why not do the same? A show like this, and all the peripheral entertainment is an absolutely awesome place to share ideas and do deals there and then.

7) Book accommodation in advance - I (as always) left things to the last minute. Most hotels were either fully booked or twice the normal price. Hong Kong is expensive at the best of times. I went for the budget option and ended up in Chungking Mansions. It certainly lives up to it’s reputation and I would advise any first-time/solo/female backpackers against staying here. Or at least, be prepared

Did anyone else visit or plan to visit this show? Have any more tips? Please leave a comment

Here are some of my random thoughts about things you should think about if disaster strikes. Although these are all related to my experience in Bangkok, most should apply anywhere.

1. Cancel your bank cards.
   Although I did this as soon as possible, I found some transactions on my statement that I did not recognise. I should be able to dispute these transactions and get them refunded. The banks will send out a replacement card, which will take a few days to arrive. These will be sent to your home address, do not expect the banks to do you any favours by posting the cards out to you in Asia, or wherever you are.
2. Get a police report.
   This is hugely important as you will need this report for many things. Get yourself down to the local police station. I went to Lumpinee station, where the staff speak English. This was relatively painless. They will take all the details of the incident, the report will be written up in Thai, stamped and signed by an officer. You will then be given a copy of this. Keep it safe!
3. Arrange funds
   If you have a backup ATM card available, that was stored seperately to your lost items, then you should be able to go online and shuffle some cash around to withdraw. If you don’t have a backup card, then things get a little more tricky. In this situation, you will need to get on the phone to a friend or relative to arrange a western union transfer or something similar. If you can’t do this, and really have no other options, then your best/only option is to talk with your embassy.
4. Contact your embassy.
   For a UK citizen, you will need to fill in form LS01 to report the lost/stolen passport and then fill in another form to apply for a new replacement passport. You will also need 2 passport photographs (tip: these can be arranged in the mall directly opposite the UK embassy for around 30o baht). All UK passports in this region are processed in Hong Kong I was told that the waiting time was usually 2-4 weeks and can only be collected in person, in Bangkok. I am due to leave in 14 or so days so they have requested urgent processing for me. Right now I have my fingers crossed. If I cant get my passport in time, then the following point applies.
5. Get a temporary travel document (if required)
   If you need to leave the country and cannot postpone your trip, you will need to apply for a temporary travel document from the embassy. In the case of UK nationals, this can be done in one afternoon.  This will allow you to fly to different countries but will cost extra.
6. Replace your Thailand visa
   Once you have received your new passport, you will need to go to the Thai immigration bureau head office to obtain a replacement visa. For this, you will need the original police report, your new passport and I will also take any other ID or paperwork I have, just to be on the safe side. I was told it can be done in one afternoon.
7. Re-arrange airline/travel tickets
   If you apply for a new passport in Bangkok, then you will normally need to collect it in person, at the same place. This may mean you will need to re-arrange your travel plans. Contact any airlines or other travel companies as soon as possible to re-arrange or get a refund if possible. Your trusty police report will be the key here. Lost/stolen passport issues are something airlines deal with on a regular basis.
8. Claim on your insurance
   Go through any insurance cover you have and read the small print, then make a claim for as many of the costs and lost items as you can. Keep any receipts you get given and don’t forget you will need the all-important police report.  In addition to travel insurance, be aware of any other policies, such as house, or phone insurance that may randomly cover you for some things.

Although I need to stay in Thailand until my new passport arrives, after speaking to Air Asia on the telephone, they have confirmed that I can still travel domestically within Thailand, with a photocopy of my passport and the police report. So, I’ll be off down to Phuket and Krabi soon for some beach time.

Why losing your passport is bad news. Lessons to take away

Visiting my embassy and applying for a replacement passport has taught me  few lessons. Obviously, being in the middle of SE Asia, I really want my passport back as soon as possible. If you have had a passport lost or stolen before, then this will hold up the processing time of a new passport signficantly (apparently), as they will need to investigate and do more checks on you.

For many travellers, such as myself, the passport is the main form of ID and is used for many things such as renting vehicles, hotels, checking in to domestic flights and obviously, leaving to move on to another country. It’s just plain hassle being left with no passport!

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above them. - Washington Irving

The important part… What lessons have we learned?

1. Keep a photocopy and/or a scan of your passport handy. Also consider your visa. I have a 1 year non-immigrant O type visa for Thailand. Having a photocopy or scan of this is handy if you have any problems with immigration while your passport if being processed (2-4 weeks for UK).
2. Always have a backup plan (or 2) for funds. Luckily I had another VISA debit card stored seperately. Using online banking, I can shuffle funds around and use this to withdraw cash or pay for things. Don’t keep your things in one place. At the very least, keep one backup card in a different place to the others.
3. Make sure you have online banking setup, and activated for all your accounts. This way you can always shuffle money around. With the modern days of instant transfers, if you need to, you can transfer funds to a kind stranger / fellow traveller who can then withdraw using their own card in a nearby ATM.
4. Backup your data. Although I was lucky enough not to lose my laptop and hard drives this time. If I had, it would have been a complete nightmare. If you can, backup to the cloud, especially all your important travel images and videos.
5. Use a safe. If your hotel room has a safe, make use of it, especially for your passport and bank cards. If you go out drinking, leave your valuables in your room, in the safe. If you must take valuable things out with you, maybe consider getting less drunk.

Further Resources

• British Embassy guide to being a victim of crime abroad
• British Embassy guide to lost or stolen passports
• Information on lost passports from the Thai Visa Forums

If anyone has anything to add, or any experiences to share, please leave a comment.

Now… One-2-Call do not publicise this very well, but it is possible to get unlimited EDGE and GPRS data for a monthly fee of 650 baht (approx $20) on your prepay sim card. Also a lesser known fact amongst casual users, is that you can use their online service to switch your calling plans, add SMS bundles, transfer balances, add special numbers and a variety of other goodies.

While this guide is all about the unlimited data option, you can also select lower cost hourly packages 20 hours (100 baht), 100 hours (350 baht) etc. However, if you are an iPhone user and Facebook/Twitter addict like me, then you’ll want your phone online permanently.

How to activate unlimited data

STEP 1) Make sure you have the relevant amount of credit available on your phone (i.e. at least 650 baht) and then visit https://12calleservice.ais.co.th/EPPWeb/index.html to access the eService. You can switch the language between Thai and English in the top right corner.

STEP 2) Enter your phone number. The system will then send you a one-time password via SMS to access the eService website. This password is valid for 15 mins. Once you receive your password you can proceed to login. Once you are in, you can view your call plan, value added services, remaining credit, validity period etc. Have a good browse because there are a load of goodies you can play with. I won’t go into it all in detail here.

STEP 3) In the left hand menu, select the option:  Call plans > Call plan & value added service switch/signup. Once in this section, you can select a whole host of promotions, call plans, bolt-ons etc. The option we are after is under the tab “Value added service”. Select option 7 – “GPRS Package 650 Baht Monthly fee 650 Baht, You can use free EDGE/GPRS Unlimited”, and then click OK at the bottom of the page.

STEP 4) You will then be taken to a confirmation screen. Click OK and you should be good to go. Assuming you have 650 baht available on your phone, your credit will be charged and you should receive a confirmation SMS.

Check your data usage

To check your remaining EDGE/GPRS usage, along with remaining SMS, MMS and other bolt on packages you might have added to your account, you can dial *139# SEND. Here is the response on my iPhone. Notice the lovely, juicy UNLIMITED text beside the EDGE/GPRS. Happy days.

If you find this guide useful, please help me by retweeting it and linking to it from your blogs. I would also love to hear any comments or additional tips you might have.

^^ Probably the biggest and most prominent symbol of what has happened is the burnt-out Central World building. It seems that many people will not view Bangkok as normal until this landmark has been rebuilt.

^^ Rebuilding the Zen section @ Central World – Look carefully and you will see random workers scattered around the maze of scaffolding.

^^ Workers recoating the steps leading up to Central World

^^ Outside central world is a section for people to write their messages of support. Below are a couple of them.

^^ Most of the messages here are positive and show the love that people have for Central World and their overwhelming desire for things to return to ‘normal’ (as far as Bangkok goes).

^^ These boards are constantly monitored for hatred messages. Where they appear, they are quickly painted over.

^^ These signs are in numerous spots around the area. I’ve seen the ‘A’ symbol in many places. Does anyone know what it means?

So the overall impression I get is that, on the surface, Bangkok will be physically rebuilt quickly and the damage masked over. However, it is also very clear that Thailand has been left with deep wounds that will take a lot more work to heal. I don’t know what the solution will be but I hope that Thailand can reconcile its differences and move towards a prolonged period of stability and peace. The majority of Thai’s do not want conflict and further damage to the country. The Thai people deserve better.

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I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this. I’m sure many of you know far more about this situation than I do, so please leave a message in the comments section.

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Not to forget the obligatory group photo…

Burnt Zen sign at Central World.

The main collapsed area of Central World.

Smashed sign in front of a closed-off entrance to the sky walk.

A burnt out MK restaurant next to a gutted mall in Siam.

Broken barrier near Siam Paragon

It’s extremely sad to see the destruction that was caused to some of my favourite parts of Bangkok but on a brighter note, it is also extremely heart-warming to see the response from the Thai people who seem intent on rebuilding and getting the city back on track as quickly as possible.

I’ll do a follow up post to this with some images of the rebuilding process.

Here is a quick little photo of a hidden cove in the deep south of Phuket, right next to my favourite beach. In anyone can guess where it is, I will buy you  a beer

What is the craziest thing you have seen on your travels?