Monday, January 29, 2007 Discovering Mantra of the East By Id Acaylar
IT WAS the King's birthday when I went to Bangkok. But I did not see him or even have a glimpse of any of the Thai royalty.
Anyway, that was not my purpose. Together with PAL executives and travel agents from Davao and Cagayan de Oro, I was there for a familiarization tour organized by the statuesque Wanda Teo of Mt. Apo Travel and Tours and newly elected DCCC president, lawyer Domingo Duerme of Philippine Airlines.
We had a grand time, even from the start of our Davao-Manila flight. It was prompt and very convenient. It connected us right away to our Manila-Bangkok flight.
After 3 to 4 restful hours on the air, we were greeted and awed by Thailand’s newest pride, its colossal airport claimed to be the longest in the world and named by the King himself as Suvarnabhumi, meaning Golden Land.
Its roof structure reminded me of the famed Opera House in Sidney. From the plane’s window, it sprawled like a crawling caterpillar dragon with scales of lace.
Inside the terminal, it was teeming with tourists of different nationalities unmindful of the many shopping and dining facilities arrayed along the way to the immigration counters.
Suvarnabhumi must be a busy airport. We had to wait for thirty minutes for an available bridge before our plane could dock.
Our Thai host, Mr. Kosol Boonma, the owner of KBL Travel and Intertrade prepared for us an exciting but hectic itinerary that would show Bangkok’s major tourist attractions. Latest of these is the King Power Complex that housed the Downtown Duty Free Mall, a puppet theatre and a 548-seat buffet restaurant named Ramayana.
Tired and hungry, we dined first at the Ramayana. There was a lavish menu but I was attracted more by the unexpected offering of giant "tahong" and "talaba." I thought it must have been especially cultured and therefore free from red tide. Or it did not exist in Thailand.
So I gave myself quite a good serving but only to be let down. It paled in comparison to our smaller and more luscious native varieties.
And I thought aloud, "See, not everything that is big is nice." As usual, those who overheard me laughed.
At the Duty Free Mall, I was surprised to discover a display of Otop products. But these were all Thai handicrafts. So I wondered until I read somewhere, One Tambon, One Product or One Village, One Product. Aha! A program similar to our "One Town, One Product." I pondered which of the Philippines and Thailand was first to conceive and implement Otop.
On our second day, we were mandatorily but understandably brought to six 5-star hotels. All were well appointed, luxurious and located in downtown Bangkok where space was naturally scant. Therefore, many of their swimming pools were found in the upper floors. It must be chic swimming in the sky, I imagined.
What surprised me however were the resplendent Christmas trees and decorations in the lobbies and even in the frontage of one hotel. I least expected it in a Buddhist country. But then I realized that Thailand is a top Asian tourist destination that caters to an international market.
On a more personal note, I was charmed by the quiet elegance of Amari Watergate Hotel more particularly its octagonal lobby, well equipped gym, dainty spa and beautiful, unpretentious but generous floral arrangements.
On the other hand, I wanted to experience the opulence of Hotel Intercontinental although I felt more comfortable in the straightforward and businesslike ambience of Holiday Inn where we had our buffet lunch at its Cafe G, an interactive market style restaurant that featured individual food stations.
I missed though the authentic Thai specialties and dances at Indra Regent Hotel's Sala Thai Pavilion and the international seafood cuisine at Novotels's The Square Restaurant where a chocolate fountain and its waiting lounge amazed me.
Most memorable however was our visit to Baiyoke Sky Hotel where I made several discoveries. Its Tower 2 is the tallest building in Thailand and the 28th tallest in the world. Built in 1997, a year before Petronas Towers were built in Malaysia it stood at 997 feet and this afforded me, especially at the top revolving deck, a good wide view of the entire city of Bangkok.
The hotel had a mini museum where I found Thais' answers to our "trisikad, motorcab" and even "caromata." There I found out also that the twin Petronas Towers at 1484 feet are no longer the tallest in the world.
In 2004, Taipei 101 was erected in Taiwan and at 1670 feet, it is now considered the tallest building on earth. The Philippines tallest, the Philippine Bank of Communications building in Makati City is merely ranked 74th.
Then we were brought to the world’s largest jewelry store where I was entranced by the numerous Thai sculptures in wood relief hanging on the walls of its foyer. Inside the store I was engulfed by scores of glittering pieces of all types of jewelry encrusted with precious stones of varied shapes, colors and sizes. Feeling dizzy, I hurriedly went out lest I be tempted to buy something I did not consider essential.
Throughout my stay, I felt the constant presence of His Royal Highness, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. For who would not? His more virile picture was everywhere, in well decorated altar-like mammoth billboards erected in the most conspicuous places. And the Thais on the streets were in yellow, the color of the day the King was born.
What a reverential adulation!
The Thais value not only their King. Also, their Buddhist religion and traditions. In front of many edifices, no one could miss the temple like structures bearing the image of a Hindu God. Or was it a Goddess' There was also another structure that looked like a pigeon house because it had one post. I was told it was home for spirits who might have been displaced by the construction of the houses and buildings.
I then stopped wondering why Thailand calls itself the Mantra of the East. I surmised, perhaps it is the perfect blend of modern and ancient cultures that gave Thailand its tourism magic.
