Amazing Thailand! (Part 1)

I was stunned the moment I entered my 12th floor room. It was superb! Sharing the same thoughts, all of us couldn’t stop talking about it for a good half an hour at the lobby of the hotel while waiting for our coaches which took us to a seafood restaurant for our first dinner in Thailand which was a feast! The food was superb, we couldn’t ask for more! Lobsters, prawns, squid….. what have you!

It was a typical busy Monday when the amiable Marijo Araneta of Philippine Airlines informed me of an upcoming familiarization tour to one of my “top three” favorite regional destinations, Thailand, sponsored by the country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, Southwind Travel and Tours and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. It was a rare call from her and I knew that she was up to something worth taking. Of course, in a bat of an eyelash, I immediately said yes to Marijo to the 5 days, 4 nights Bangkok and Pattaya sojourn.

The moment I saw the itinerary, I knew that this particular tour, which included visits to new and not so frequented attractions, will be an exciting one since it is not the “usual” Bangkok tour itinerary. Not to mention that my last visit there was quite a long time already.

Day one started as early as 5:30 in the morning for the check-in formalities at the Mactan International Airport to catch our 6:45 a.m. flight to Manila. There, we were met at the Mabuhay Lounge by our PAL escort, no less than the Manager for Passenger Sales, Visayas Sales & Services Chris Lebumfacil, and my very charming and bubbly Tita Alice Queblatin of Southwind Travel & Tours with her ever-supportive hubby, Tito Mario. Dave de Jesus, the Philippine Representative of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, met us upon arrival in Manila, all ready for the promising tour ahead.

Our Philippine Airlines flight PR 730 touched down at exactly 12:50 p.m. at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok with our hospitable and knowledgeable tour guide Barn welcoming us with all smiles. Not wasting any single minute, we immediately boarded our assigned coaches enroute to Pattaya where we were to stay for two nights. Halfway, much to our delight, we had a quick stopover to have a sip of a not-so-late welcome drink, a very refreshing cold coconut juice and a basket of Bangkok lanzones to match. It was heavenly-sweet! I never tasted lanzones that sweet all my life!

After the two-hour drive, the group checked-in immediately at the five-star Amari Orchid Hotel. I was stunned the moment I entered my 12th floor room. It was superb! Sharing the same thoughts, all of us couldn’t stop talking about it for a good half an hour at the lobby of the hotel while waiting for our coaches which took us to a seafood restaurant for our first dinner in Thailand which was a feast! The food was superb, we couldn’t ask for more! Lobsters, prawns, squid…..what have you!

Then, right after dinner, off we went to witness a breathtaking extravaganza, the Tiffany’s show. It is the original transvestite cabaret show in Thailand which claims to be the biggest in the world with more or less a hundred stunningly beautiful transvestites all donning elaborate costumes in countless costume changes performing live in front of a jampacked theatre for an hour and a half. Soon after the show, the “ladies” gamingly lined up outside the theatre to accommodate the audience who wanted a photo with their “favorites” as souvenirs to bring back home. Wow, it was a mind blowing experience indeed and such an unforgettable treat too before calling it a night after a long, long day!

Still with a cool hangover from the fabulous performance at the Tiffany’s Show the previous night, the group converged at 7:00 in the morning at the Orchid Terrace Restaurant to have a hearty breakfast before another long day ahead. Thanks to our escorts, Chris Lebumafacil of PAL, Tita Alice Queblatin of Southwind Travel and Tours and Dave de Jesus for observing punctuality seriously, everything went on as scheduled. We were able to leave the Amari Orchid Hotel on time for the one hour ride to Rayong, where Suphattra Land, a fruit and orchid farm was our first stop for the day.

Suphattra Land is every farmer’s dream farm. It is a fruit paradise on 800 rais (equivalent to 1,600 square meters per rai) with 20 varieties of tropical fruits including durian, rambutan, mangosteen, pomelo, starfruit, dragon fruit, santol, mango, grapes, longan, salak, jackfruit, rose apple, coconut, mayongchit, marine plum, passion fruit, and what have you! It was so huge an orchard that in order to explore the place, we had to take the tramcar to take us around the most interesting parts of the orchard.

The best part of the Suphattra Land experience was the free-tasting and eat-all-you-can of the freshly-picked fruits, which were all placed on long tables. Wow, a grand feast of fruits! Among the group’s favorites was the durian which was amazingly as big as a jackfruit! So sweet, creamy and just perfect that it tempted Tita Alice to try it for the very first time after seeing all of us enjoying it like heaven! And how she loved it! The mangosteen and jackfruit were hits too! After that, I can now say that everything is sweet in Thailand and yes, I can say that again! The few times I’ve been to Thailand, I never took the fruits there seriously since I’m not really a fruit person. But since then, I always made it a point to take fruits every single meal. As a finale at Suphattra Land, we were served with papaya salad and organic green salad with different Thai sauces. “Grabe na ‘to!”, quipped Yolly Wong.

Second in the itinerary that day was the Sanctuary of Truth. It is a very impressive all-wood structure made of red wood, teakwood and iron wood exported from neighboring Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia proudly showing ancient knowledge of present Thai artists. It is not only a replica of an ancient art from different cultures mixed with tradition of the past, it is also power of contemporary art.

“Building the ‘Sanctuary of Truth’ was not only for its loftiness, the idea was turned into wooden carvings of gods and goddesses and elaborately beautiful designs. From various forms of art, no matter what nationality or religion they are, to reflect thoughts and spirits of eastern cultures and announce to the world the complete and long standing profundity.

The truth that was shown through the sanctuary is the relationship between human beings and the universe: the father, the earth, the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars. They are not just fantasies but the truth of being human that eastern philosophers had searched for and discovered from time immemorial.”

Dinner that night was at the Ruen Thai Restaurant with no less than the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mr. Chaiwat Charoensuk with Assistant Director Mr. Akkrawit Thapasit, and Watcharapol Sarnsorn, Sarunya Boonla of TAT. As expected, it was another gastronomic experience with oh-so-yummy Thai cuisine.

From Ruen Thai, and before calling it a night, everyone was dying to try the authentic Thai massage which Thailand is known for worldwide. Who wouldn’t, especially when you’re there already, right? Well, our wishes were granted and what a perfect way to end the long, tiring yet exciting day!  

Day three was our last day at Pattaya. Before proceeding to Bangkok, another “must-visit” Pattaya tourist attraction, the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden was where we were heading right after breakfast and check-out from our home away from home for three days, the 5-star Amari Orchid Hotel.

A “paradise on earth”, Noong Nooch Tropical Garden is a sprawling 652-acre property located in an exceptional tropical garden and resort where tremendous varieties of plants featuring rare exotic palms, cycads, trees, shrubs, vines collected from all over the world are beautifully landscaped.

Presently, Noong Nooch Tropical Garden and Resort is known to be a place to witness impressive Thai cultural show and the biggest and most beautiful botanical garden in Southeast Asia. Thousands of visitors from around the globe visit the place every single day. Thai culture and traditional dances are presented daily in the theater within the garden compound. Besides the traditional shows, guests will have an opportunity to see other performances such as religious ceremonies, martial arts and the elephant show which is one of the most popular attractions of Noong Nooch. We truly had a grand time there. Tita Alice, Jessica Dantes and Angie Dy gamely participated in the elephant show. Of course, not as elephants but as people enjoying the tricks of the intelligent and lovable “dumbos”! Let the photos tell you what I mean.

Time was too short, I really wanted to stay longer there and make the most of the ‘must-visit” place but we had to leave for Bangkok to make it to the scheduled itinerary promptly as possible.