Joseph in Asia (part 3)
From Ekamai bus station in Bangkok I travel to Pattaya in about two and a half hours. Upon arrival I immediately buy a bus ticket to Aranyaprathet for four days. Other than that, we'll see how everything turns out.
The few days in Pattaya have flown by and I'm actually coming to the realization that I haven't done or experienced anything particularly exciting. As always, when I spend a few days in this place, I have acted as a cigar courier for Gringo. Of course we discussed many world problems together over an excellent meal and advised some world leaders to find solutions. Hopefully it will be noticeable soon too.
Also visited the immensely large restaurant Boem Aroy (my pronunciation). The food is excellent, the view over the polluted sea is beautiful and the daily band plays wonderful music. You can get there easily and cheaply with the well-known 10 baht bus to Naklua. You get off at the market there and walk there in a few minutes. From a distance you can already see the triangular reddish neon sign with the name of the business in Thai language. Walking there you pass a bridge where during the day you can often admire a plumage of different birds in the water. This time you're in a restaurant that almost doesn't consist exclusively of tourists, but among the locals, supplemented left and right with a single stray tourist like me.
Towards Cambodia
Today I have to get up early because the bus to Aranyaprathet leaves at half past nine and I have to be present, at least according to the lady where I bought my bus ticket, at least 20 minutes before the departure time. Be there in plenty of time, but unfortunately the Yellow Bus leaves twenty minutes late. Knee ear who pays attention to that, right? Joseph has plenty of time because he is on vacation and then literally lives from day to day.
It's wonderful not to plan anything in detail and go on a trip with a global plan, that's the motto.
In short, five hours later the bus stops somewhere in the no man's land of Aranyaprathet and the two border crossers and I have to get off the bus. An attentive transporter is there like chickens to take us to the border, but Joseph thanks very much for that because he has planned two days ahead and booked the Indochina Hotel. For eighty baht a tuk-tuk will take me there within a few minutes. Wonderfully quiet hotel with a beautiful outdoor swimming pool with a spacious romantically lit outside with lovely seating areas and blessed from heaven with the most ideal temperature. Buddha must have had a hand in that.
Bag trading at the Rong Kluea Market in Aranyaprathet
Rong Kluea Market
This afternoon and evening I enjoy myself at the hotel and tomorrow I visit what many say is the most interesting and largest market in Thailand, the Kluea Market. Visited this market before and wrote an article about it for Thailandblog in 2015 that was reposted in 2019: www.thailandblog.nl/toerisme/grensplaats-aranyaprathet/
No sooner said than done. So with a tuk-tuk today to the immensely large market and once again amazed.
In the next life I will enter the textile and bag trade because there must be a fortune there, at least if I oversee the prices on this market. To give an example; brand new jeans converted for about 5 euros. There is also a lot of second-hand for sale that is indistinguishable from new. If you look up the back parts of the market you will see countless departments where shoes and bags, which have already had a life, are polished. And verily the result may be seen, it looks like new. Cartloads of bags that, in my opinion, come straight from the factory and may show minor deviations are also professionally repaired there.
Bag trading at the Rong Kluea Market in Aranyaprathet
Tomorrow to Cambodia
It is incomprehensible that no bus leaves from the Cambodian border town of Poipet to Siem Reap during the day.
In an evening/night trip I don't feel hungry and so I have to rely on a taxi that is a lot more expensive for a person traveling alone. A lady working at the office of the Indochina hotel is really fantastic in her service and books me a taxi that will be ready at 13.00 pm at the Holiday Poipet Casino with a sign with my name and for only 30 US Dollar take me to Siem Reap brings. She worked on a cruise ship for three years, speaks good English and knows what service means. M curious!
Joseph, I know from my own experience (traded with and for very well-known brands) that not only a lot of money is earned in the bags and textile brand trade, but also real gold money. Margins of up to 10-40x over head are quite normal. They also know their stuff in the watch world. Rolex, production more than 1 million pieces per year! Do you dare to say that the quality of the timepiece is better than a Casio? I claim that at least it does not escape each other. Or Laboutin shoes with price tags of 1000-2000 euros. Production costs max. 15 euros. But yes, marketing is everything. And those boys and girls are very good at that.