I am looking forward to our trip to Boracay. The trip is quite unexpected because my officemates just learned about the P8 promotion from Rita, another officemate. Still fresh from their trip to Cebu, they decided to try Boracay next. All of us were able to book the P8 fare to Kalibo but I was the only one to be able to avail of the P8 fare back. This would just be my second trip to Boracay so I am very excited about it. Maybe this time I’ll be able to see the other side of the island using atv for rent. I don’t know if these are still there but there was when I went there last time though we did not avail of it. That is if it is not very expensive also. I’ve already tried island hopping and riding a sailboat. Parasailing also sounds nice but I’m quite afraid of heights. I just hope we’ll have plenty of inexpensive fun.
We visited my brother at their booth in the Cultural Center of the Philippines on January 31, 2010 during the 1st Philippine International Guitar Festival. We arrived their at around 1pm. It was the last day of the festival and there were only a few people milling around because it was a dead hour. I got a look at the guitars that he told me cost between USD1,500 to USD6,000. My goodness, guitars can really be very expensive. He told me that Domingo Javier, the designer is a very famous guitar maker in Cebu. Cebu is really well known for good quality guitars. If you are into guitars, visit Cebu and browse around for value for money quality guitars.
My brother was reassigned to another city this year. As a medical representative, it is part of the job description that you get transferred every few years. It was a good thing that the company takes care of the moving details and he does not have to think about looking for a long distance moving company. He just packed his things and the company shipped everything, including his car. I guess being a medical representative has its perks like a car, free gasoline and other freebies but it also has its downside. One of these is always being on the move and the inevitability of being transferred to other areas.
During the class reporting in our Public Investment and Economic Development subject, one of the groups presented about collaboration between countries in offering medical services. A developing country will offer the land, infrastructure and labour while the developed country will offer the expertise and most of the financing. This known as medical tourism which caters mostly to older people from developed countries that are looking for cheaper medical care than in their home countries. So it is not surprising that people go to Thailand for plastic surgery while others go for spine surgery Mexico. The Philippines has also been trying to look into how it can benefit from this medical tourism phenomenon considering that it has been importing thousands of nurses, doctors and care givers over the years. If it can offer better pay for these medical and support personnel then these people would not need to go abroad to work.
Last year was a great year for me. I was able to travel to five countries around East and Southeast Asia. It has always been my dream to go to different places but mostly I have thought of exploring the countries in Europe. However, when I went to the countries I have been, I realized that there are places aside from Europe and the each country, no matter how underdeveloped, has a unique charm all its own. I still dream of going to Europe but I would not discount caribbean vacations also, or going to Africa and Central America.
It was already dusk when we were finally able to contact our Bhutanese classmate who arranged for our accommodation. We were outside the Grand Palace and were at loose ends because we did not know what her plans were and if she had plans for us. When we were finally able to talk to her, we learned that she had a dinner engagement that night. Since we did not want to waste anytime I convinced Wendy that it was the right time to go to the infamous Patpong. Unfortunately, we could not communicate with the vendors because “Sawasdee Ka” were the only Thai words we knew and the vendors we asked did not know how to speak English so we did not know how to get to Patpong. And I had this idea that Patpong was just near Grand Palace, which was totally wrong. We asked an old lady vendor how to go to Patpong and we were miming walking or taxi. She just smiled and nodded her head and pointed us down the road. We walked in the direction she pointed but we could not see anything resembling a red light district with a night market. Finally, we came to a rotunda, which I discovered the next day was a bus terminal, where we saw some more vendors. Our feet were aching with so much walking and we were pushing each other to ask again for instructions. We were shy in asking a man on how to go to a place well known as the flesh capital of the city. We got up our courage and approached another lady vendor. She did not understand us but she asked her companions and this middle-aged vendor guy who spoke good English told us that it was very far and that we had to take a taxi. We only had to tell the taxi to take us to Patpong. I think he was not convinced that we would be able to communicate with the driver so he volunteered to get us a taxi. After a few tries, he finally flagged down a taxi and told the driver where we wanted to go. He was so kind so I tried to give him a tip but he declined. I guess even in a place with a lot of tricksters preying on unsuspecting tourists, there are still good souls willing to help lost strangers.
It was a long taxi ride. The driver dropped us off at the entrance of a street that was lined with establishments but it did not look like anything like what we imagined Patpong to be. There were some skimpily clad ladies but we could not see anyone dancing inside doorways like we were told. So we walked to the other end of the street and turned left looking for the restaurant that a friend recommended. We were already very hungry by then. When we just circled back to where we came from, we finally admitted that we were lost. We went inside a small mall and asked if there were any internet cafes. A salesman told us that there was an internet cafe in Silom Complex across the main road. So we went across and asked around for the internet cafe. It was located in the third floor and when we reached it, we were told that they were closing in 15 minutes. We got one computer each and dropped our 10 Baht. Good thing my friend was online so I was able to ask him the name of the restaurant. I asked him how to get to Patpong and that we were in Silom Complex. He said that we were already near but he did not know the direction. We also searched the internet for directions but we only found that we were near the vicinity. When our time ran out, we asked the guy who was looking after the computers but he told us that he did not know. As if!!! Anyway, we went back to the entrance and we asked the guard. He looked at us funnily and said that after we cross we turn left and just go straight ahead, taking us further down the street than from the entrance of the intersecting road that we came from.
Finally, we saw the entrance of Patpong after walking for a few minutes. It was not a very long street filled with stalls in the middle and bars and restaurants on the sides. It was very well lighted and full of people. Going in, you will be met with guys with a list of shows that are available. Needles, pingpong balls, and other mind-boggling alternatives were listed. My stomach was already past growling stage so we just said told them later. We found Tiptop, the Asian Fusion restaurant, our friend recommended. We ordered tom yang soup that he raved about and something else. The tom yang soup was very delicious. Even Wendy who does not care much for spicy food, liked the soup. After eating, we went inside a grocery to buy some supplies. I could see a skimpily clad woman dancing inside a glass wall up the building. Maybe she was trying to entice customers to go in. After the grocery, we had no more money so we had to go to a money changer so that we can watch the shows that made Patpong infamous. We followed one of the guys who promised that it would only cause 100 Baht to watch a show and get one drink also. We climbed the narrow staircase and entered a very dimly lit room where the only illumination were in the middle where the naked and almost naked girls were trying to move sinuously to the music. Most of the girls were young but they already looked tired and disillusioned. They were just swaying there disinterestedly. Wendy and I found a table and we sat down. We were given drinks, (we chose Royal Thru Orange in can), and left alone to watch. Beside us on the other table were 2 Caucasian girls, who Wendy later told me, seemed to be Lesbians. Anyway, we were very nervous watching the girls on the stage because it was so dark and there were seedy characters going around and one of them put a can on top of our table. Suddenly, there was a commotion on the table of the Caucasian women and they went out in a huff while two husky Thai women were trying to block them from going. A guard came and the two customers were able to escape from the Thai women. On the floor, the show continued. A naked dancer with a fat belly came on stage. Even though she had a big belly, she was very game and energetic. She withdrew a string from her private part which glowed brightly in the dark. She pulled and pulled until it became a long string. This was followed by a woman who came on stage with what looked like a birthday cake. Call me naive, but I was wondering what they were going to do with the cake that was full of candles that they were trying to light. I was getting impatient because I wanted to watch the pingpong show but I felt very nervous already and I wanted to go out. It turned out that the woman was going to use a straw inserted into her private part to blow the lighted candles. We had the right to feel nervous because suddenly the two husky women came to our table and flashed a price list lighting it with a flash light that showed that we had to pay 2,600 Baht for the show and the drinks. Now I understood why the two Caucasians left earlier. Wendy and I also got up and the women tried to restrain us but we forged along and went to the cashier. The women stopped harassing us when we neared the cashier. There we paid the agreed upon 100 Baht. We were so happy to get out of the place in one piece.
It’s really true that curiosity can really kill the cat. Finding and experiencing Patpong is one adventure that I would never forget.
When travelling using an RV, it is good to invest in an extended service plan aside from vehicle insurance. Vehicular breakdowns are a fact of life when traveling that is why it is good to be always ready for such an eventuality. An extended service plan covers repairs in any service center nearest to where the vehicle happens to break down. This gives one a feeling of security because one knows that repairs would be taken-cared of and at minimal cost to the owner.
When we got to Bangkok, I can’t believe how many tourists were there. I think almost half of the people you see are tourists. Bangkok is similar to Manila except that it’s cleaner and they drive on the left, but the traffic congestion and the driving style are very familiar. On the other hand, the taxi drivers were also more polite, or maybe we were just lucky. If you say meter, they don’t argue with you. We visited the Grand Palace and it was really awesome. The colors were vibrant and glittering in the heat of the day. Looking at the mosaics, one has to admire the effort and painstaking detail the artists and laborers put into making the different structures in the compound. I learned that Rama V was a great fan of European style that is why you will see a blending of the East and the West. There was a particular building that the guide said was copied from the Buckingham Palace but with Thai style roof. The entrance to the Grand Palace was 350 Baht. It seemed quite steep but it also includes entrance to the Teakwood Golden Mansion, about 4 kilometers from palace, and also other museums. So if you buy the ticket from the palace, it’s already a steal. We saw the Emerald Buddha, which is their national treasure. It’s somewhat smaller than I expected and according to the guide, it’s not emerald but jade. The Buddha had three sets of clothing, one for summer, another for rainy season and the third one for winter. However, Thailand only has two seasons, the guide said, “warm and warmer”. The Buddha was wearing his winter clothes, which composed of the rainy season clothes with a mantle for the winter season as a cover. The 1:30pm guide was very funny and he was a fount of quips and golden nuggets of information.
Going around Bangkok, you can’t help but feel the presence of their King, the ninth Rama. His pictures are everywhere, even on their money. He must really be the most important figure in Thailand.
After the Grand Palace, we went to Wat Po, which is just a walking distance away. It houses the Sleeping Buddha statue. It’s a very big statue. There are also other Thai structures inside the compound. On our way to Wat Po, we experienced what our friends and the guide book have been warning us about, people who will approach you and tell you that the place you want to visit is closed for the day. We were walking along the walls of the palace on our way to see the Sleep Buddha when this man tried to approach us. He said, “Lady, Lady!” But we continued walking. He then shouted to our retreating backs, “Sleeping Buddha is close!” We paid him no mind and sure enough when we arrived at Wat Po it was open.
After we went around the temple compound, we decided to cross the river to the Temple of Dawn. We went to the pier to take a short ferry trip to the other side. It costs 3 Baht per person one way. When we arrived there, we walked along a plaza to the temple. Temple entrance was 50 Baht/person. The stairs climbing up the temple was quite steep and at the top you can see a view of the river and Grand Palace and Wat Po on the other side. Along the plaza you can find lifelike cardboard stands with a hole where you can put your face with the drawing showing a person in Thai costume. You have to pay 40 Baht if you want to have your picture taken. There are also stalls which rents out Thai costumes for picture taking. When we crossed back to the other side, I decided to try their Thai sausage, which a vendor was selling in the pier market. The sausage was similar to Ilocos longganisa, which was slightly sour and garlicky, just the way I like it.
We walked further along to a bigger pier and market. It was full of vendors selling food and other stuff. We enquired about some trips but we had no time to take it. It means that we have to go back to Thailand in the future to take those out of town trips.
How come when we think of beaches, it should have white sand? I am guilty of associating beautiful beaches with white sand. I do not know if it’s because white sand makes the water look bluer or greener and the area look cleaner than grey sand. But there must be something about white sand because all the brochures featuring beautiful beaches like that in sandestin have sand that is so white and glittering in the midday sun. I guess beauty in that sense is just universal.
Now that I’m back at home, the electric fan will become my best friend. It does not have to be Minka Aire, any old fan that emits cool air will do. I will really miss the cold weather especially during the times when I feel the sweat trickling down my back or beading my forehead. I will miss the times when wanting to air condition your room means opening the window and letting in the chilly air. My other friends don’t like the cold and I’m the only contrary one because I like it. I definitely prefer fall or winter to summer season.
