The Trinational Adventure: Part 7 - Bangkok

- April 30-May 2, 2011, Saturday-Monday.

- We arrived at Thailand around 6:30 in the evening via Thai Airways. The moment I stepped out of the airplane, I thought I was going to die of suffocation. Thailand's weather those days was humid and extremely hot, even hotter than when I was in India. Good thing the airconditioning system in Suvarnabhumi Airport was pretty cold, and our guide Olive was immediately in front of the airport, waiting for us.

- I can't go beyond without telling something about Olive. Our guide Olive is a really really energetic lady, who we initially thought was a Filipino in Thailand. Her first words to us were "Dito po tayo!!" when ushering us to the van. We later found out that she has so many Filipino tourist customers, that she learned many Filipino words and phrases. Since it was my first time in Thailand, she told me that she'll draw a map of the shopping places near our hotel, Indra Regent. In order to fully understand what kinds of shopping places we'd be coming across, she described the places using Philippine counterparts. "This one, parang 168, these ones, just like Greenbelt or Rockwell. Opposite that, just like Geeenhills....(and so on.)" Aside from that, she also always uses her good humor to explain things, and lighten up the mood.

- That evening, after Olive left us, my mom and I went around the Pratunam market to shop for souvenirs; I was a bit dizzy because of the extreme heat, and seeming lack of air. We also visited the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, to view the revolving roof deck, to view Bangkok from above. Funny enough, we saw Olive there, accompanying a Filipino family. We didn't call her since she was too busy entertaining her customers. Just below the roof deck, some exhibits can be seen, and can be used for free photo ops. Tuktuks, a Thai-house replica, some carvings among others were exhibited there.

There was a balloon inside Baiyoke.

Bangkok at night.

Tuktuk model.

Erawan (Brahma) shrine in the middle of Bangkok.

- My mom and I were supposed to go back to the Philippines the following afternoon, with the same flight as our other two companions. However, since I wanted to maximize my stay in Thailand, we arranged for a one-day extension in Thailand. I wanted to extend for more days, but I was afraid that our bag might be overweight, and that it'd be too tiring for me to travel for more than 2 weeks. Well, it's easy (and not too expensive) to go back to Thailand, since Southeast Asian nations do not need visas to travel to other Southeast Asian countries.

- Instead of going back to the Philippines, we arranged a day tour with Olive upon arriving at Thailand the night before. Our first stop was the Thai Grand palace. Now, I don't understand why rain clouds were following us, but it rained hard in Bangkok that morning. Gladly, the rain gradually and almost stopped upon reaching the big big big big palace complex.

- Just when I thought the rain was annoying, what annoyed me the most were once again, insensitive tourists who would block views, or walk in front of us even if they knew we were taking a photo. Olive hogged my photo for most of the morning, which took away my fun of taking photos. Still, I was glad that she was there to take decent photos of me (and my mom) in my day-stay in Bangkok. I also found it hilarious to see Olive's face whenever we'd encounter those insensitive tourists.

I hate that it was raining that day.

The stupa's goldness is mesmerizing.

The structures seem to glow in daylight; I just hoped it wasn't raining that day.

Stoop.

Himmapan creature.

Model of the Angkor Wat.

Rakshasas.

Tosakan's (Ravana's) heart was under this stucture.

Just like them.

The traditional Khmer pagoda: corn-like.

Different kidns of pagodas.

Chinese: angular/square-like, Khmer: corn-like, Thai: a combination of both.

Scenes from the Ramakien.

The Emerald Buddha.

Garudas.

Different kinds of stupas.

Thai-British combination.

This used to be the reception hall of the royal family.

With a Thai royal guard.

Dusit Maha Prasat Hall.

These structures are too elegant!!

Another Dusit building.

Near the exit.

- Our next stop was Wat Pho, where the famous golden reclining Buddha could be seen. The same insensitive tourists were experienced there, but we stayed for a shorter time in Way Pho. It was a marvel to see such a big golden statue that sent our spiritual and peaceful vibes, despite the seemingly blinding golden color.

The Reclining Buddha.

Offering bowls.

For the dramatic effect.

It was a huge huge statue!!

108 Auspicious Symbols of Buddha/Vishnu.

Too many spires. 

I love how Thailand's stupas are very colorful.

Walking around the Wat Pho compound.

Corn-shaped pagoda/stupa, a distinctly Khmer-style architecture.

Gold Buddhas.

Inside the main golden Buddha hall.

A funny-looking lion temple guardian

- After visiting and taking pictures in Wat Pho, we drove to the jewelry center, where we saw how gemstones were processed to perfection. During that time, I started to feel weird rumbles in my tummy - a foreshadow, and soon headed to a small small local restaurant for lunch.

- After our small Chinese meal, we headed to the Art of the Kingdom Throne Hall, a Victorian-styled building that housed many artworks around the country. Many of the artworks there were gifts of great artists to the royal family during special occasions. Photography wasn't allowed inside, sadly, even if the interior of the building would make it seem like the people were walking one of the buildings of Europe. Still, the exhibit itself, as well as some symbols that served as designs in the ceiling would remind people that they're still in Thailand. Also, we were able to buy 40 Baht sarongs (around 60 to 70 pesos) as part of our entrance fee. The colored sarongs were plain in color, but we were told that new colors constantly replace or add to the color catalogue of the sarongs. The sarong-selling was part of the king's advocacy to promote the art of Thailand.

Throne hall.

- My mom and I were soon brought back to the hotel to rest (ehem, shop,) so we could freshen up for our long night in Siam Niramit. Siam Niramit, or "The Magic of Thailand" in English, was built to showcase Thailand's cultures in a nutshell. Aside from the Guiness-awarded theater (highest theater in the world,) buffet meals, preview shows, elephant rides, and a Thai village with traditional house replicas can be seen.

- We arrived there around 5pm, and proceeded to have our buffet meal. The food served there range from Thai, Indian, Chinese, a little Japanese, and Western cuisines. After dinner, we were able to witness a preview show from the dancers that would be performing later on. They were showing a dance scene from a local Thai festival. While they were dancing, my mom and I went to the Thai village, where we not only saw local Thai houses, but people were also there to showcase regional art, cuisine, crafts, and music.

Arrived late afternoon.

Sawatdee chang (Hello elephant.)

With some performers.

These people pleasantly interrupted dinner.

- The gates to the theater soon opened, and we started around half an hour later. The show started out with Thailand's rich history, presenting all four regions, then on with the mythology and religious beliefs of the Thai people (hell, the Himmapaan forest, and heaven,) and last, the festivals and folk dances of the Thai people.

Siam Niramit at night.

Teaser performances.

That's one LARGEEE head.

Northern Thai.

Northeastern Thai (Issan.)

Jammin'.

Thai shadow puppets.

Stupa replica. 

Suvannamachha.

Hanuman.

- The stage was not too big, I think, or at least the stage being shown to people. The stage extended until the sides of the whole theater, which at some point I found distracting, especially when some people are performing in the center, and new features of the scene will come out at the far sides of the theater. Still, I highly admire and applaud the realistic effects that imitated nature. They were even able to build an indoor "river," where one person swam, and a few boats rowed by. Real goats, chickens, and an elephant was even part of the cast. I need not say more about the costume of props, or the flying apsaras and other deities, but I think the whole package indeed presented "Thailand" clearly, vividly, systematically, (extravagantly,) and concisely. Also, cameras and videocameras were not allowed inside, so people had to deposit them first before entering. Lucky for me, the lady who checked my bag didn't realize that my camera was in my bag. Still, I did not use my camera inside.

- I would also have enjoyed the last 30 minutes more, if only my stomach wasn't pounding my inner organs that much. I badly wanted to use the restroom. HAHA.

- Since most guests were still waiting for long cues to retrieve the cameras they deposited, I was lucky to have taken photos with some of the costumed performers at the open area. My mom was worried that I might not be able to, since I took a rather long trip to the restroom.

With some of the performers.

With northern Thais

Not too sure which part they're from.

With an apsara.

- Olive met us at the open area, and took us back to our hotel. Just as my mom and I were preparing to pack our bags for out flight back to Manila the afternoon after, big news flashed in all news channels: Pope John Paul II was beatified.

- The next morning, my tummy really gave its full force. I had a really bad case of LBM, which meant that I couldn't do some last minute shopping at the marketplace below our hotel. I guess that's a (nasty) blessing in disguise, so I wouldn't spend more money, and more importantly, our bags will risk being overweight, since our bags were 1 kilo away from the maximum weight. Still, I was able to watch the news that morning, and found out that Osama Bin Laden was already killed.

- I was happy that I felt better during our trip to the airport, and our flight back to Manila that day. During the dull moments in the plane (ehem, the whole flight,) I looked back at the trip, and still couldn't believe my luck of travelling to three countries that I badly wanted to visit (among many others.) During the entire trip, I realized that the funniest moments were the times when I would take vain photos of myself, and passersby would think I was taking pictures of them, the camera seeming to be aimed at them, although I was just taking photos of myself. I also wanted to thank the foreigners who offered to take my photos, with them thinking that I was having a hard time getting my angle. However, our Thai guide Olive told my mother, "Mama, he knows his angle." HAHA.

Churning of the ocean.

Isuan/Siwa (Shiva.)

The last shot.

- I will be more prepared next time, if ever I get to visit these countries again. Two weeks was not enough to be completely immersed in the cultures of these countries. My mom does not have any intention of going back to these countries, especially since she can't walk that much anymore, or exert too much effort. Going to these places made my parents think that I would be fulfilled, but the opposite just happened. I wanted to discover and know more about these cultures, because they only show how humans surpassed themselves during the early times. This may also give inspiration to and challenge the modern homo sapiens to surpass themselves, and do more wonders in the world.