Bangkok has become Asia’s shoppers paradise because the Thai’s have truly accepted tourism as a major revenue generator for their economy… this is why the Thai government moved from the old Don Muang International Airport to the spanking new and modern Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where the friendly atmosphere for tourists begins. The airport is an hour’s tourist bus ride to downtown Bangkok where traffic is just as bad as any progressive Asian city.
Tourism in Bangkok means visiting many places of interest. There is the Flower Market where you can find all sorts of roses, marigolds, or jasmine for garlands or a tour of the Chao Prya River, where you can see five-star hotels one each side of the river bank. Of course no visit to Bangkok would be complete without a visit to a Buddhist temple. They are so numerous that we only went to a few Buddhist Temples.
What we visited was the Vihara of the Reclining Buddha. King Rama III had the image of the reclining Buddha molded and placed in the temple. It is 56 meters long with the head rising 15 meters high above the ground. Each foot is three meters high and five meters long. It is the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. All around the reclining Buddha are murals depicting the “13 Savika Etadagga Disciples or Priestess. Outside this temple are many other tall temples with golden roofs and tiles.
We stayed at the Asia Hotel, which is just a short walk from the heart of downtown Bangkok, where the famous MBK Mall, Bangkok’s shopper’s paradise is located. Just across it is another shopping Mall the Siam Discovery and beside it is the Siam Paragon, which is perhaps Bangkok’s most expensive shopping mall. We shuttled between the two. What I find truly amazing in Thailand is that for a minimum purchase 500 Baht, you can get a Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund when you get into the airport. That’s seven percent for any purchases you make, which is quite a substantial refund.
It was no surprise to see many Filipinos shopping at the MBK, after all, Bangkok has already “stolen” that reputation as Asia’s shopping paradise from Hong Kong a long time ago, where you can buy anything and everything, including fake this and fake that! But perhaps the most surprising shopping mall of all was the fabulous Siam Paragon which boasts of the most expensive luxury cars, the latest Ferrari or a Lamborghini Murielago and a Bentley Continental. They sell all sorts of model planes, archery sets, and other things that our stores don’t offer. No sir, they don’t sell fakes in Siam Paragon.
But the biggest surprise of Siam Paragon was found in its basement, where they declare, “Siam Ocean World, the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia”. I do not doubt this at all… it’s an aquarium that is three floors high filled with all sorts of marine life, including a bevy of sharks! Best of all, you can take a glass boat ride at the top of the aquarium. So you can watch all these sea creatures from all sides, from below in a glass tunnel from the sides and from the top! That includes a car turned into an aquarium. All this for 675 Baht and it is found right in downtown Bangkok!
No Bangkok holiday would be complete if you don’t taste their homegrown food cooked right along the sidewalks. Yes, their sidewalks are very clean, so you don’t get health problems eating sumptuous Thai cuisine which is very cheap. After a great meal, chances are, just a few steps from you is another famous Thai offering…Thai massage for only 150 Baht. At the end of your trip, don’t you ever forget to collect all your receipts so you could get your VAT Refund at the airport. That’s exactly what my wife Jessica and daughter Katrina did. Keeping those receipts, they got a hefty seven percent VAT refund at the airport. Really smart!
Cebu Pacific Air flies from Cebu to Bangkok every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 7:45 p.m. and arrives in Bangkok at 10:05 p.m. Bangkok to Cebu flights leaves at 10:55 p.m. and arrives in Cebu the following day at 3:15 a.m.