Davao airport to NAIA
I took PR flight 730 bound for Bangkok with a 1-hour stop over in Manila. Well, as this is my first travel abroad, I don't know what to do when I get to Manila, with all the immigration and stuff, but I trusted my instinct to just ask around to people in uniform. And there I was, looking around and following people that I suspected were also heading to Bangkok. Then there, I finally got to the immigration queue and I never thought I could get through in just, what 3 minutes? Anyway, there I was, stepping on the boarding area. I took pictures with shops on my background, shops that I only saw on Cosmo magazine. And there! Our flight was called! Goodbye Manila!
Suvarnabhumi Airport
I know, I can't pronounce the name of the airport. And another agony came, I don't know what to do next! I just followed the people going to the immigration lines. I was amazed by this airport. It was so clean, enormous and so sophisticated. I was worried again because the immigration officer took some time looking at my papers and I keep smiling while looking at the camera they have at the desk (foolish me!). And then there! I was okay and it is time to look for the staff from Pathumwan Princess Hotel that will fetch all the participants for the training.
Pathumwan Princess Hotel
On the way to the hotel, inside the right-hand-drive van, I savored the moment that I am in a foreign land, with strange Filipinos that I know will be my friends in five days time. Being a town girl, I was amazed with the big roads and the skyscrapers and not to mention the pink taxi cabs! And then there we were, arriving at the Pathumwan Princess Hotel, one of the top 10 hotels in Thailand. It was so large and so beautiful! We were welcomed by by beautiful staff bringing green-colored beverages, which later on I found out was guava juice! And it tasted good! The staff of the hotel were so nice to us. And then, the organizer of the training met us to welcome us, give us our allowance and to instruct us on the upcoming activities. And then, off I retire to room 1817, yes, I am on the 18th floor and I am loving it!
Trip, trip, trip!
I know, the main purpose was for the training, but, would I let this time go without exploring the city? Well, luckily, the speakers and my co-participants have the same thought as I have! They also wanted to explore the city! So, what we did was, on the morning of the 4th day, we arrange a tour around the city. And as a consequence? We extended the lecture time 2 hours later in the afternoon just to catch up with the time table. So much for enjoyment in the city tour! hehehe...
Grand Palace + Vimanmek Palace + Reclining Buddha = FUN! FUN! FUN!
We visited the Reclining Buddha first and was I amazed by the art and architecture these people are involved. Man, I just can't imagine how they have preserved such beautiful art pieces. And then our next stop is the Grand Palace. This is where all my "Oh's" and "Ah's" were consumed! All the great art. My God, until now, the amazement still prevails inside me. See the picture? It really is beautiful and magnificent! And then I thought I have seen the best but the Vimanmek Palace or the Vimanmek Teak Mansion was equally great! It is so great that cameras are forbidden inside in order to preserve the things kept inside. It was a museum to commemorate King Rama V by displaying his photographs, personal art and handicrafts. Boy, the furniture are so great! The mansion also showcased the Thai national heritage. It is the world's largest teakwook mansion.
Markets, Malls, Foods and Pasalubong
We went to a night market, it is a place just like divisoria in Manila but the twist was, and it shocked me, was the place called Phatphong! I know some of you knew this. And for me, who have a slight knowledge about it (by researching about Thailand beforehand), I was laughing when I saw the signage of the place, much more when a man slightly grabbed me and said "sex show, sex show." I was laughing hard because my companions did not quite understand until I told them about it! And there were also boys who held a piece of paper to which is written "sex DVD," which they will just suddenly show to foreigners. The things sold at the market were basic pasalubong items which, take note, you must haggle so much so that you will agree on half the price itself! And Anita, our American companion never bargained! And she brought so many things. And knowing the Filipinos, the Thais must have had a phobia on how Filipinos bargained. But I never bought anything there since, well not to mention that I am on a tight budget, but some of the things there can be found in the MBK-center (mall beside the hotel), with the same price (after bargaining) and with much more options.
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night club strip
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During night time, I have my dinner at KFC (yes, 5 nights of KFC chicken!) since it is the only restaurant I know at the mall with cheap food. Their chicken do not come with a gravy, instead it come with hot sauce, hot as in HOT sauce. All the Thai foods are spicy. I think that is why they are thin (? just a thought!). They have also many fruits, they have the best lanzones, a different varity, without the sap and very sweet at that! They also have guava, which I think is their national fruit since they serve this to us in every meal. Their mango is not sour even if it is green. The oranges are good and the apples also, though small. And the juices, would you believe that we were served jasmine juice? And I never finished it since my imagination is that I am drinking perfume :). Breakfast at the hotel is the best! All international cuisine, you can choose whatever you want. And it is only in Pathumwan Princess Hotel in Bangkok that I tasted the best scrambled egg, cooked just the way I like it!
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oh so spicy Thai cuisine!
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I also visited some malls there and I was so proud to hear the songs of MYMP (Versions album) being played in one of the posh mall, called the Siam Discovery Center. It is there that I thought I was inside Cosmopolitan magazine. The boutiques their are all the brands that we saw in fashion magazines! The town girl in me was very proud to have stepped in a sosyal world :).
Since we were given a few hundred dollars for our pocket money, I got to buy some pasalubong for family and friends back home. As usual, I bought the Thailand t-shirts and Thailand key chains, that's all I can afford.
Goodbye Bangkok
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departure area Suvarnabhumi Airport
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And I thought that was it! But, there is still more to see at the Departure Area of the Suvarnabhumi Airport. Same as in NAIA, so many high end shops are in there and they are bigger! And also they have this another art, the"Churning of the Milk Ocean" sculpture, which depicts the Hindu traditions that just after creation the forces of good and evil, they agreed to work together to churn the ocean of milk. They used an enormous snake for the churning rope, and a mountain for the rod. It was really a very beautiful work of art, that lets us not forget the beauty of Bangkok, even in our departure from the city.
meet the world,
S
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