BKK TRIPPING: PART 1 / MAY 21-23,2008 =D

I arrived in Bangkok in May this year to a city transformed.

It has been 14 years since I last visited (for my parent's 25th anniversary). 1995 was spent jumping from one temple to another with a tour group and posing with all sorts of Buddhas (gold, jade, sitting, reclining, etc... =p) in those ridiculous poses that tourists make. I think we may have also squeezed in a trip to the elephant show. The thing I enjoyed most though was the trip to the floating market where Sister Pusjing and I bought these lovely, flowy blouses for only 200 Baht (much, much lower than the price we would have otherwise paid for in Manila), and where Father and I gorged on food being sold off the boats (noodles, desserts, crispy barquillo-type flat pies with coco creams, etc.). It was a virtual tourist trap, I realize, but we didn't care. At night, we'd sneak out with Father--to the humongous consternation of Mother--to sample the streetfood (more than Bangkok's much fabled nightlife). We'd hop from one food vendor to the next, checking out which had the best tasting noodles, the best tasting buns, the best tasting ihaw-ihaw, etc., etc. Mother feared that we would catch something. (We don't eat streetfood in Manila, do we?!) This was way back when we still lived sheltered lives, hahaha! Her warnings fell on deaf ears. I suppose we all stupidly thought that, heck, it's at least more sosy to say, "Man, I caught a bum stomach trying all the streetfood in Bangkok" than it is to say, "Uh...I ate kase isaw and kwek-kwek in the kanto." Hahaha! 'D We would end the nightly food adventure by dropping by the rows of fruit vendors to buy a kilo or two of Mother's favorite sweet tamarind. The fresh kind. Our peace offering. Haha! =D

Still, I do remember thinking as soon as we landed in the Bangkok airport, and while looking out the van during transfers from the airport to the hotel, "Uh...we travelled four hours to see another version of...uh...downtown Manila?" Haha. I mean, their King (whose portrait was at every corner) even looked like then-President Ramos. The ex-rate was PhP1.00 to Baht 1.00. They all even look like Filipinos, except that they spoke a language none of us could understand.
































Last May (yes, my blog backlog is that bad =)), I took a trip back, this time with officemates, to attend the 2008 Thai Food Expo (Thaifex). I had to stay behind in Manila for last minute meetings and therefore arrived in Bangkok alone. The airport was the first signal that things have changed in Bangkok--that quite sadly, the difference between this-former-mirror-image-of-Manila and Manila has gone far beyond the marked difference in the value of our money. Impressively modern, the new Bangkok airport was more than huge. It was beautiful. It was efficient.

We were billeted at Novotel, Siam which is conveniently located near the major malls via rail or cab or tuktuk (but was quite far from the bargain centers). It was a business hotel. Nothing ostentatious, but very comfortable and cozy. Right below the hotel was some sort of tiangge which I suspect to be a place where "budding designers" plow their wares. I saw a few pieces that were great bargains, but sadly decided not to buy. We had, after all, quite recently started paying amortization for House Royal, and have since decided to think twice about buying "wants" and to, as much as possible, buy only the "needs". Interspersed with the clothing shops are small parlors, small convenience stores and small massage parlors, each offering "authentic Thai massages" for a very, very low price. I laughed, quite amused, to find this one right next to Novotel. ;p

Because of airport delays, I had arrived way past 3:00 p.m., too late to go to the Thai Fex which was a good hour and a half away from the hotel. After a quick very late lunch in one of the small noodle shops, I decided to go back up to wait for my officemates to get back. Some from meetings with suppliers; others from the expo. The view from my window further showed just how much Bangkok has changed since I was there last.


More in the next post. I am actually just taking a break. I have to go back to work now. =)