by By Ethel Cantor-Constantino Photos courtesy of Rommel Deduyo of Value Trip Travel
It was a pleasant surprise to receive a text message so early in the morning that said, “Ma’am Ethel, gising na. I have good news. Call me quick.” At once, I called the number of the text sender and talked to the man on the line who asked me, “Do you have a passport? How would you like flying to Bangkok, Thailand in three days for free?” Inwardly I said, “Wow!” upon hearing the question. But wait, such a short notice made me think for a second. I had a lot of things to do for the week and being away for days would mean either missing my commitments or doing everything fast or on the double.
However, flying to Bangkok for free was undeniably irresistible, especially so because I would be flying via Philippine Airlines, Asia’s first commercial airline, along with 15 travel agents from Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City.
As soon as I received permission to travel from my boss, I immediately fixed my broadcast schedule. On Monday, I did the taping for Mag-UmaSenso Ta!, an agri-fishery TV program of the Department of Agriculture 11, Tuesday made arrangements for my flight on Wednesday, did the taping for Talk Mindanao on Wednesday barely 30 minutes before boarding time. It was only fitting that we had the taping at the Davao International Airport, an apt venue for our episode on the Best of CIQS (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security) of which the DIA was a project beneficiary.
I had been to other countries in the past, but my trip to Bangkok was remarkable because our group was treated to a special accommodation from the time we were at the Mabuhay Lounge of PAL in NAIA to our stay at Kabayan Hotel-Pasig and then on our visit to Bangkok’s best hotels and tourist destinations which was facilitated by KBS Thailand.
The night before we flew to Bangkok, the group was invited to see the newest and biggest destination in Pasay City – – the Resorts World. It is an all-in-one stop shop where hotels, restaurants, signature shops, bars, a casino, theaters, and more can be found. It is also one place where you can find the first ever six-star hotel in the country, Maxims, which is set to start its operations this November. Maxims has two types of rooms: suites and villas with floor sizes as large as 600 square meters. Each suite has a sauna while the villas have individual swimming pools with assigned butler for every room. Just beside it is the Mariott Hotel, a five-star hotel.
In Bangkok, we stayed at Arnoma Hotel located along the busy street of Ratchadamri. The 3-star hotel has complete amenities and affordable yet comfy rooms. Their restaurant, which was my favorite chit-chat area in the hotel, provides an array of choices of delicious oriental and western foods.
Our three-day stay in Bangkok was simply memorable. KBS Thailand’s Sales and Product Manger Rowena “Weng” Porral Soria, together with the company’s tour guides, Coco and Noknok, took us to different hotels and tourist spots that my friends from travel agencies would be recommending to their respective clients back in Mindanao.
We were given beautiful leis at Bangkok Palace hotel, a tradition of the hotel to welcome their guests. We feasted on Thai authentic recipe Phad Thai (fried shredded noodles with shrimps, bean sprouts, peanuts, and chili) at Citin Pratunam in Ratchaprarop Road, one of the city’s shopping areas. At Baiyoke Hotel Tower, we conquered the fear of heights and viewed the entire city from the 80th floor of Thailand’s tallest building. At the Montein Hotel, we were amazed by the warmth of the hotel’s staff and got interested in the hotel’s location in Patpong, the red light district of Bangkok.
But more than the fascinating hotel experience, we were captivated by Thailand’s rich culture, history, beliefs and natural resources that were showcased in different ways and venues. The visit to the Royal Grand Palace, with its associate Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) was unforgettable and a must-see for every tourist. We admired its well-maintained 19th-century architecture and the 18-carat gold Buddha. Nearby was the city’s oldest and most venerable Buddhist temple (wat), including especially Wat Pho (officially Wat Phra Chetuphon), home of a massive statue of the reclining Buddha.
At the floating market, we got to see the traditional way of trading practiced by the Thais using small boats laden with goods for sale, mainly agriculture products. The klogs or canals which once upon a time gave Bangkok the reputation as the Venice of the East until industrialization set in to create roads and, today, some of them can be found at the western part of the city, almost an hour away from our hotel. While at the site, I was wondering if the Davao river could also be used as a tourist waterway with the use of bancas to ferry passengers/sightseers from Sandawa to Bolton and vice-versa.
The jewelry business center where the actual production and selling of Thailand’s gold and precious stones like diamonds, ruby, sapphire and emerald in various designs takes place, was a good stop for buyers and tourists alike.
Finally, the biggest treat for the group was the show Siam Niramit, Thailand’s extravagant, long-running stage production. Thailand’s former name was Siam, and the show was a revisit to its rich history. The stage production group, cited by the Guiness Book of Record as one of the biggest, is composed of 150 stage actors in 500 colorful costumes, great sound and light effects and music. We were wowed by the graceful moves of the actors and the moral lesson that the show tried to deliver to its audience.
But prior to this, guests at the Siam Niramit got to experience Thailand’s culture and tradition in a cultural village that displays elephants, ancient Thai houses, traditional livelihood such as weaving, cooking and fishing, and their music and dances too.
I will not soon forget what a wonderful experience our visit to Thailand was. ECC
