Sunday, March 11, 2007 Sawasdee By Jinggoy Salvador
So soon?
It was just the start of 2007 and coming from a glorious year of traveling one point of the globe to another with whatever the pocket can afford (with much gratitude to the credit card for extending the spending capabilities... then again maybe not. It just made me spend more than what I should be pending).
I am not complaining or regretting spending every cent I have saved up in the past years, traveling and seeing the world is worth every cent you have earned so hard.
After depleting the moolah I have saved up for three years in two months and coming back happier, wiser and more knowledgeable, I had the next splendid voyage after three years again. But lo and behold, my travel pal Mikel had the need to get away from it all and scheduled the hanging trip to Bangkok to finally push through.
So it did. It was a fabulous thing I had toiled and harvested the fruits of the labor of the past Christmas season. It was a profitable venture that gave me this chance to travel earlier than the planned. Plus, the best reason of all, it was a chance to upgrade this new-found venture to a higher level.
With a quick and hassle-free booking, Mikel and I were in Bangkok on the cheapest possible flight. But inexpensive does have trade offs, we arrived past midnight and was at our hotel at 3 a.m. with no room available for us. Even with a copy of the confirmed booking, there was just nothing the poor front office Thai can do for us.
Rather than rant and rave and demand for a non-existent available room with comfortable beds to get our tired bodies to rest before we hit the Bangkok scene, we opted for the hotel next door (good thing there was an available room). Thank God for this.
Bangkok at this time is pretty much as exciting as any time of the year. It is bustling with activities, hot and humid, and plenty of tourists. The excitement has not diminished even after the coup d'etat and the simultaneous bombing in several spots of the country.
There was just no stopping the entry of visitors or even cause a pause in the business sector. The show, which the place is pretty popular for - meaning shopping and yes, Pat pong, must go on.
And if show is what you want, you will get more than you bargained for. Since my last visit in 2004, Bangkok seemed to have worked overtime in improving the cityscape. The new airport was very, very impressive. It is huge and efficient. Public transportation is monitored and safe. And once you get to the city and do your favorite thing (hey, hey the sun is still up so that fave thing is called "shopping"), then you will stand in awe before fantastic and amazingly chic shopping malls. They have been face-lifted and up graded to rival the chic malls in Europe. I believe they have the best ones now, much better than Hong Kong and Singapore. From local to international luxury brands, it is all there. What's more exciting is all theses establishments are inter-connected by a skyway pedestrian walk just below the BTS trains (or MRT to us). You can move from one mall to another and view the heavy traffic below you.
Chatuchak, everyone's must-go-to shopping destination, has not changed much except that there has been sighting of one or two Thai personalities walking among the shoppers. Well I don't know them but they must be showbiz, girls were swooning and begging for photo ops.
Now let's get down to your other favorite thing. This is when the sun is down and the fancy lights are glowing and the neon lights are flashing. Somehow the nightlife beckons. By beckon it means, "Sir, you want to watch show?" "Girly show sir?" (I'm stopping here, but the menu is much more diverse). It is offered by word of mouth or via a menu, complete with illustrations.
It proved to be exciting alright. I was expecting the music to cease at 2 a.m. just like the last time I was there. Curfew was about that time and the night dies with it. But surprisingly, the good times rolled and Mikel and I had to give up. Well, there was much to do the next day.
And the other must-do on the list? Food! How can anyone resist Thai food? And on this place where the cuisine is authentic Thai all over, there is no way you can go wrong. Eat on the sidewalk, dine in a fancy restaurant, whatever your budget may be, I am sure you will have a fantastic time gorging on the fantastic meal. We sure did! I can't imagine how much calories I must have taken in. The cuisine was just too irresistible.
Like the food you can't stop eating, I write like a blabbermouth. So much more to tell. How about catching the next issue?
