A few more Bangkok scenes

Sa makulay na mundo ng Chatuchak:

nagbebenta sila ng mga mini-fruits na actually kinulayan at minatamis lang na malagkit!

Ganito mag shopping:
Joy: ay gusto ko to!Joy: Give me discount, please? 50% Tindero: aaahhhhh... ok, ok.
Joy: Yehey! {ireto ko kaya ito kay nikko}


Dining in Bangkok:

Egg with every meal, and spicy sauce with your mango salad -- and everything else!

Diva home away from Home

a comfy couch, memories from Home , a Diva to share it with (naks!)

A Diva in Bangkok, Day 5

Our final morning in Bangkok started late. I guess we were all wasted after the walking and talking and laughing of the night before.

Joy and I bought street food breakfast and Benc had just gotten up just as we returned. That day, we decided to take things slow. So after a late breakfast, we took the short walk to the spa near Joy's house. We were going to get an authentic Thai massage! For two hours!

At first the prices scared me, but when you consider the fact that you'll be spending about P700 for a 2 hour Thai massage by a real Thai masseuse, I figured, nothing in Manila could possibly beat that deal.

So we got to it! We washed our feet first and changed into silk pajamas (this is what I liked. No need to undress and shower, then shower again after). Then we were led into a room where we had separate beds. Then the massage began.

There was no oil, no powder, no lotion. Just their hands and fingers using the smoothness of the silk pajamas to knead sore and tight muscles. It was done a little at a time, sort of like a warm up before a big gym workout. The "little massages" as I call them, serve to loosen you up before the major stretching. It felt so good I actually fell asleep and woke myself up with my own snore. Then all three masseuses started giggling.

The best part of the massage, I must say is when they start yanking at your limbs and making them crack! My favorite is the swinging thing: bubwelo muna sila from left to right then they twist your spine and you hear popcorn in places where you never thought there could be! Aaaahhhh! You felt all light and loosey goosey. Then that wonderful massage is topped off with a hot cup of tea -- oh, priceless.

We left the spa refreshed, re-energized and ready for lunch! We went to Convent road, which was right behind Pat Pong. It was foreigner territory, where most tourists and expats lived. There was a Starbucks and a few other bars. But we went there for the street food! We had some fried dumpling-like snacks with a sweet spicy sauce. Then Joy got us a salad with pork rind, cilantro, peanuts, mango strips, and a whole lot of other good things I can't remember. All I know is all of it together tasted sooooooo gooooood! It amazes me that such simple ingredients can yield something as magnificent as that. Mental note: ask Joy what the Thais call that dish.

We heard mass after that (where they sang Lead Me Lord, the song by Basil Valdez!) then went to Suan Lum for some last-minute pasalubong shopping. I realized this was a good alternative to Chatuchak, in case you can't stand the heat and crowds. But one must expect to spend a little more...about 10 to 30 Baht more.

Joy treated us to dinner after that, at her favorite restaurant, Anna's. We indulged in seafood and vegetables again, and then the maitre 'd, who knew Joy because suki na siya doon, gave us a complimentary slice of cheesecake. Also because Joy said it was Benc's birthday! (And around 5 other tables there that night were celebrating a birthday, too! Haha).

We walked back home, readied our things and rested til around 11.00 pm. I had my coffee with Joy while Benc dozed off. I was glad to have a few minutes left with her, just talking. I think I got a glimpse of what the next few days would be like with an empty house again, after several weekends of people coming and going. I felt a lump in my throat, thinking about it.

As we said our goodbyes, Benc voiced my sentiments: "Nalulungkot ako. Aalis na kami." And there was Joy, directing the taxi driver in her impressive Thai, hugging and thanking us for visiting with her. I don't know if I said enough for her to really understand how grateful and happy I was to spend time with her.

All that I could do was give her an extra long hug and say thank you all over again. It wasn't much, but I meant it from the bottom of my heart. And I hoped it was enough to tide her over til the next visit.

Karp khun kaa, Diva! You'll always be no. 1.

A Diva in Bangkok, Day 4

Today was Chatuchak Day. Yes it was.

The first time i was in BKK, I remember feeling exhilirated at the sight of the hectares of stalls I would see from the skytrain. I would walk/skip to the entrance, oblivious to the heat and rampage through the thousands of stores, picking up and purchasing anything that caught my fancy. I was a woman possessed! I was tireless! I was insane!

But that was 5 years ago. This time, I was still excited, but less loony with delight. I think the heat got to me, and the mass of humanity crammed into those tight corridors took its toll on me. I made it my goal to get the bilins and get out.

Well I got the bilins, but I was able to buy a few items for myself, like, 40-Baht slippers, and 100-Baht accessories, even a 25-Baht mug! But aside from the bilins, I also meant to take photos of the market, just to show how colorful and cultural it is.

You'll see people preparing and having their meals in the corridors, people selling odd types of food. I finally got to try this 3-Baht popsicle that they make out of syrup, flavoring, a steel contraption on wheels and lots of ice. I chose the strawberry one. Lifted my sugar levels somewhat.

We lunched in one of the foodstalls. We had pad thai. It wasn't as good as I remembered it. For one the shrimp didn't taste too fresh. To make matters worse, we racked up a bill of 475 Baht! Outrageous! Apparently, since their stall is located in one of the gaps between sections, they priced their food for foreigners. Dang! We were so pissed. Now we knew better. We should eat in the inner stores, where prices are closer to the real thing. Oh, and ask tao lai first before ordering.

We left at around 3 pm. Gad, that was somewhat of a relief. We went back to Benc's hotel to rest while he packed. Then we made a quick trip to Panthip to canvass for hard disks (which we ended up not buying). Well, Benc did the canvassing. Joy and I...ate! We ordered an almost-dinner meal at the mall's second floor food court. Hahahaha! They have this mouthwatering moo yang (roast pork) salad thing that is absolutely delicious! All for 40 Baht. Mmmmmm, if you're in the area, try it. They mix all their spicy sauces and a dayap water solution with it. Aloi!

We trooped back to the hotel later, but not without a cup of coffee from one of the street vendors first. We got Benc's things, and went to Joy's house where we got soi dinner. A little later we were joined by Joy's Thai friends -- Matt and her husband Boy. Thai-Chinese who were educated in the west and whom we could ask about Thai culture. It was a wonderful, raucous conversation. They were so candid and frank about themselves, which made it easy to compare our practices with theirs. I'll go on more about our conversations later. That calls for a whole other post.

They had to leave by midnight since they were attending a wedding the next day. So we wound down in Joy's living room with lots of laughs from an Indian Canadian comedian named Russel Peters. In between, Benc just kept ooohing and aaahing at Joy's apartment. It really was gorgeous!

I feel like I almost don't want to leave. It seems so easy here. It seems so familiar too. No wonder many foreigners settle here. Especially for Asians like us, but for the language and some practices, it could easily feel like home.

A Diva in Bangkok, Day 3

It was pretty slow today. But I enjoyed spending the day pretty much on my own. Joy went back to work, having to attend a presentation and an FGD for her product.

So I did some work in the morning. And I was able to email Roby, who called me soon as he read my message. We agreed to meet up for dinner that night! I was excited. I hadn't talked to him in a long time, especially since he didn't make it to the wedding.

Then I left the "house" a little before lunch. I took a cab...which was a bad idea. I knew in my gut I should've told the cab driver to bring me to Chong Nonsi station, instead of all the way to Petchaburi.

Geez. I had to pay the 44 Baht toll, in addition to the metered fare. Grrr! In all I had to cough up 123 Baht. Dang.

Well, anyway, that's done. And I told myself I've learned my lesson. POrlaw.

I had lunch with the hubby then they had to leave for a presentation at one of the Ministries at 3 pm til 5 pm. With all the time to myself I decided to venture out and try to commute by train to Jim Thompson's house. I overshot my station at first. B ut the lady at the station told me to go down at the National Stadium. I walked down the second Soi from the station and made it! Unfortunately to view the house, one had to pay 100 Baht! Urg. So I stole a couple of shots instead and cooled down in the gift shop.

The silk products are pretty. But pricey. There were bags, scarves, even ties. I was contemplating on buying the books about Jim Thompson, but I figured I could just Google it. Ehehe.

So I decided to go back to the hotel. It was close to 5 by then and the crowds at the interchanges were getting thicker. I made it in time, and by then Roby called saying they were 20 minutes away. When they arrived they brought us to a seafood restaurant. THeir specialty was a curried crab dish. We also had tom yum, stir-fried veggies, crispy milkfish and fried prawns. Sorry there are no pictures for this meal: I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo. Funny though I was able to take a people shot.

After that totally awesome meal, they drove us all the way to Sukhumvit Soi 49/11 where we had coffee and dessert at Spring Summer, a really cool restaurant that has a large lawn with tables and cushions all around, making for a really intimate experience. Here we had a ginger creme brulee...wonderful! The BTS chocolate mousse-flourless cake dessert was all right but wasn't really BTS.

We talked and talked about how Thailand seemed to do things better than Pinoys when we have the same resources, and we taught them how to do what they do. It gets you to thinking: why? THere are so many theories, and you're all welcome to speculate. It could be because we need an ironhand that no one can seem to implement. It could also be due to the fact that we were colonized. Or even the fact that we're the only Catholic nation in Southeast Asia.

We talked about life for expats in Bangkok. ABout how the adjustment was, learning the language, learning from them. There's a lot they can, and want, to take back home. There needs to be a way for us to share knowledge and help people act on that. (We came away with a couple of leads for new projects, ones that look very promising!)

We suddenly started brainstorming on possible projects we could do together. Benc was visibly energized, I could see the gears in Roby's head turning and Joy was suddenly asking us if we were comfortable working in different "environments".

It was a good night, and an interesting day. They brought me to Bangkok Gardens, where Joy was already waiting in the lobby and they took Benc home to the hotel. It felt good to reconnect. I feel that will be talking about more things more often.

A Diva in Bagkok, Day 2

Had a very restful first night at Joy's fabulous appartment! The Bangkok Garden Apartments are located in the heart of the multinational business district. Joy's is one of the many condos housing expats and middle class Thais. It's quite posh, actually, and very comfortable. This is the view from her unit.
We had breakfast together, and after making a couple of phone calls, Joy decided not to go to work. Haha! So we lounged around all morning til lunchtime. When our tummies started to grumble, we went down to the street and bought our meal! These carts are set up here all day, and they cook everything as you order them. They use fresh ingredients. Vegetables are still crunchy, meats are tasty, and their special sauces are unique. According to Joy these are recipes created by the vendors themselves. In fact no two sauces, they say, are the same.

We had a curry fish stew, roast chicken, chili mango, and fried rice with shrimp. Yuuuuummmmyyyy! Imagine? All that from the street food vendors for less than 100 Baht. This kind of fare, if ordered in some restaurant like Sukhotai would cost close to P700!

After lunch we made our way back to Platinum mall, where all hell broke loose, especially my wallet. No pictures are available because we needed to take care of important business first: aka shopping!

Joy taught me some very useful words and phrases in Thai that I was able to use. It was fun!

Mii - "have"
Mai - "no" or "none"
Ka - their form of po
Pi - is like saying ate or kuya
Karp kun kaa - "thank you"
Chai - "yes"
Uwan - fat
Yaii - big
Fwisay - "Free size" ehehehe

One thing about the Thai language is that they don't have an ending "s" in their words. And their words are nasal. They have rather flat but loud voices, but they are always polite. According to Joy, they almost never swear! Even when they cut each other off on the streets (and their streets are very dangerous). No road rage here, she says. And I did see that. They're painfully patient.

We dined at the mall's fastfood: which, again, was all made up of fresh foods and home-cooked dishes. McDonald's and Pizza Hut and Burger King are empty but the food stalls are all full!

It was a long afternoon. At 8pm we decided to head home and rest. But not before we had a short pictorial...in the clothes we bought. The biggest coup: a tailored beige coat! Woohoo! And it looks absolutely fasyon with the dresses we bought.

Ayayay! With all that new stuff I think I will have to buy another bag (or suitcase) to put in all my purchases. Phew. my wallet's thinner, but my wardrobe feels better. And I got some exercise in too. Haha

Sawasdeekaa from Bangkok!

Dateline: Bangkok

WE arrived in the wee hours of the morning, touching down at the new and fabulous Suvarnabhumi airport. All I can say, for lack of words at this time of the day, is that this is how an airport should be. Wide, spacious, clear walkways and large, printed instructions; facilities for quicker access (aka automated walkway) and manned immigration booths and airport officers ready to give assistance when you need it. Imagine, the Philippines had the one of the first airports in SEA, and now a country that was once considered "left behind" beat us to the new technology and design of an efficient airport.

We ran into snags getting to the hotel. For one thing, we did not see our sundo. We walked up and down the receiving area for an hour, called the hotel, but no one seemed aware of our arrival. An hour later we all decided to take a cab to the FIRST Hotel Bangkok. (which cost 600 Baht).

Once there, confusion on check in procedures, names and arrival times prevented us from going to the room to the rest. The front desk forced us to pay for the extra day (technically we were checking in too early so it counted as a day). Our poor coordinator, Bobby, acceeded to the girls' insistence that we "pay now! pay now!" just so we could all rest. Hay! They could've put two and two togethter and figured out we were with a group staying at the hotel, and that the organizer could be spoken to in the morning anyway. Besides, the names were in their list already, so they should've been expecting us to arrive. But no, they wouldn't admit us without payment. Tsk. Filipinos are still the most hospitable Asians in my book.

Oh, and they were still clueless about the pick-up service.

So we finally retreated to the rooms around 2.45 am. We had breakfast at around 8 then the delegates were off to their meeting. Meanwhile, I was left to explore the city on my own. I made my way to Platinum Plaza, as per Joy's recommendation (Joy, aka Diva #1, was calling the hotel all morning. The front desk told her we still hadn't checked in that day! Talk about efficiency. She was worried sick, thinking we spent the night at the airport, til she spoke to me on my cellphone!)

Platinum Plaza is Tutuban Mall and Divisoria rolled into one and packaged with a nice building, airconditioning and 6 glorious floors of fashion items: shoes, sirts, dresses, pants, accessories. EVERYTHING! Plus, if you buy three items of the same kind, sellers will give you the wholesale price. Not bad huh? If you're not the kind who wants to fight it out in Chatuchak Market, Platinum Mall is worth checking out. (by the way, other photos here are of the street vendors and yummy food I passed on the way to the mall.)

I spent all afternoon observing, taking photos and eventually purchasing a few items, just to try then made my way back to the hotel to meet up with everyone else. We went to Panthip Mall, this time a gadgets haven for all tech geeks: everything from adaptors to Macs is here. We didn't buy anything...yet. But when we do, I'll be sure to blog about it.

We met up with Joy for dinner at Siam Square. We had a feast at a popular restaurant in the area (whose name I cannot remember). We had chicken, pork (a must-try: their pork neck, their version of our lechon), papaya salad and noodles. Yummmmy! All that for only 390 Baht. Not bad, huh?


After that we joined the frey taking place on the streets: the night vendors. Clothes, toys, shoes, trinkets...you can get them all here at lower prices: about 10 to 15 Baht lower. Then the food vendors started setting up. Man, it was like a fiesta. I actually felt that Thais shop for a living. Then shop again for leisure! Most of the sellers looked like they were students...maybe fresh graduates exercising their entrepreneurial spirit. It was quite a sight. I'll probably join the party again tomorrow night! hehehe

We took the train back to First Hotel to get my stuff --- I would be staying at Joy's gorgeous condo for the rest of my trip, and Benc will join me shortly. It is amazing! I will post photos tomorrow. The place is really posh, the surroundings very tranquil but you realize, with the view from the balcony that the bustling city lies just beyond the next Soi (street). *Sigh* This is the life.

Enjoy the photos here. I will report more about my adventures tomorrow. Til then!