Thailand – Day 1

I’m sharing more about our Stampin’ Up! Trip to Thailand.  It was a pretty busy week and I took lots of photos.  You probably don’t want to see every single one so I’m trying to pick out some of the best ones that represent what we did each day.

The first official day of the trip was a Monday and it started with all of us getting on little “buses” to go to the General Session.  So they weren’t really buses more like a modified truck I guess.  The General Session was off site in a large tent with chairs set up for everyone and there were snacks in the back of the room.  A stage in the front of the room and big screens for us to watch some of the presentations from the Stampin’ Up! staff.

So I’m not exactly sure how it happened but somehow I was the very first person off the truck and walking into the tent!  I was so excited and nervous I didn’t even take any pictures going in.  But all the staff were lined up along the entrance clapping and giving high-fives!  I wasn’t even sure what to do – so someone had to tell me to walk inside and find a seat.  Well we were able to sit in the front row!

And if you visit Shelli’s blog (the co-founder of Stampin’ Up!) you can see us in one of the photos she posted.  Unfortunately its a nice photo of my backside but Greg is facing forward!

The highlight of the general session was the unveiling of the new Holiday Catalog!  We also saw several stamping presentations and received prize patrols and our very own copy of the Holiday catalog.  After the general session we headed back to our hotel for a boxed lunched.  It had lots of different food in the box – I tried a little bit of each thing for the most part – but it wasn’t quite for me.

The rest of the day was on our own.  We spent some time at the pool and then got ready for a special dinner.  I was selected to have dinner with one of the corporate staff and a board member, plus another demonstrator.  And we all had our spouses with us.  My dinner was with Rich Jutkins – the President of Stampin’ Up!  and Casey one of the board members.  The other demonstrator was Kim Wilson.  Our dinner was at one of the top rated restaurants on Phuket Island.  And it sits on top of a cliff over looking the bay.  The food was served family style so they just kept bringing out different things.  It seemed like the food was never going to stop.  The whole evening was wonderful and we really enjoyed talking to everyone at the table and learning new things about some of the behind the scenes aspects of the company.

It was a wonderful first day of the trip.  If you do go to Phuket in Thailand I would highly recommend trying to eat at this restaurant.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek of day 1.

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Thailand Pillow Gifts

One of the really exciting special parts of the Stampin’ Up! Incentive trip are what’s called the Pillow Gifts!  Every evening during the trip the little elves come into your room and leave a surprise on your pillow – well on the bed really.  It’s super fun to come back from dinner each evening and see what we got.  Many of the gifts in Thailand included brand new products from the upcoming Holiday Catalog.  We had to wait a little while before we could show those to you but now I can.

We had a welcome gift to begin with – the personalized sign on our door and an exotic fruit basket when we arrived.  I get pretty excited about personalized stuff because I normally can’t find anything with my name spelled correctly.

The fruit basket luckily came with a guide so we would know what was in there!  We had mango, rambutan, mangosteen, dragon fruit and banana’s.

Each night our pillow gifts came wrapped in a brown bag and tied with our Gold Edged Metallic ribbon and a tag with some of the Eastern Palace Tassels.

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Each tag had a fact on the back about Thailand.

  • In Thailand, people do not shake hands when they greet one another; instead, they “wai” or press their palms together and bow the head slightly to show respect.  The wai is also used to say hello, thank you, and goodbye.
  • The orchid is Thailand’s national flower, and 1,500 species of orchid grow wild in Thailand’s tropical forests.  Thailand is also one of the world’s largest orchid exporters.
  • Spicy Thai food has been heavily influenced by Chinese and Indian cuisine; common dishes include such flavorings as coconut milk, peanuts, basil, ginger, lemongrass, and hot chilies.
  • The Siamese cat is native to Thailand and is called “wichen-maat,” which means “moon diamond.”  Giving a pair of Siamese cats to a bride as a wedding gift is thought to bring good luck.
  • Thailand’s national animal is the elephant and is considered lucky.  If a white elephant is found, it is automatically considered the exclusive property of the King of Thailand.
  • The Thai phrase “Mai pen rai” is thought to perfectly represent the Thai way of life; it means “No worries.” In other words, don’t take life too seriously, and be sure to find “sanuk” or fun in whatever you do.

Many of our gifts were new Holiday Catalog product.  Here is a look at what we received.

We also received gifts that weren’t product including a waterproof phone case and the Phang Nga Bay group activity – an all day excursion I’ll share about in its own post.  Plus an overnight travel bag and a hand painted jar in a box.

These were all the things we received as pillow gifts but that was not all!  There was more – General Session with Prize Patrols, and the Hospitality Room with a new game everyday.  I’ll share those in a different post.

We were definitely showered by Stampin’ Up!  So on top of all the things we experienced they made it extra special with all the extra little touches and the many gifts we were given.

Thanks for visiting today!

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