Summer Safari in Bangkok
March 23, 2003 | 12:00am
While Manila was all agog celebrating heart’s day last month with romantic concerts, dinners and sunset cruises by Manila Bay, my sister Michelle, her hubby Benny Soliven, their six-year-old unico hijo Vincent and I hied off to our favorite Asian destination – Bangkok. In this trip, we discovered something new: Bangkok is not only for grownups but also for kids who will surely enjoy the Safari World, Elephant and Crocodile Farms and more.
It was a two-hour flight from Manila to Bangkok, also known as the City of Angels. From the Don Muang International Airport, we drove along the city’s super highways and skyways as we admired the classic edifices of splendid architecture.
Welcome to Safari World, Thailand’s greatest open zoo and leisure park that offers a great variety of entertainment for everyone. Whether it is an exciting safari drive through the picturesque African wilderness setting, an intimate encounter with the friendly dolphins or a fast-paced action stunt spectacular, Safari World has it all. Stretching eight kilometers and lasting 45 minutes, the drive through the scenic safari gives you close encounters with tigers, lions, elephants, crocodiles and more in the comforts of your own car or coach. While munching away on seaweed and curryfish flavored chips, I thought I was at the MalaMala Game Reserve or Bakubung Safari in South Africa. Witness the exhilarating tiger-feeding show – the only one of its kind anywhere in the world.
Safari World opened in 1988 with a total area of 480 acres for its open zoo and 180 acres for the bird park. A major renovation began in 1989 and the leisure park now consists of an open zoo and marine park with 200 acres of land. In 1994, Safari World increased its registered capital and was accepted by the Stock Exchange of Thailand to become the first and only entertainment park to be listed in the SET.
At the Samphran Elephant and Ground Zoo, be mesmerized by the sight of elephants playing soccer and football. They are trained to sit like a dog, tumble, roll over and even stand on their heads while wiggling their huge feet in the air.
The crocodile show at Samphran is highly entertaining. Imagine a trainor sticking his head inside the mouth of a crocodile to the tune of Hawaii Five-O! to the delight of the spectators. I even threw pieces of dressed chicken which the crocodile caught with its mouth. Amazing!
Another highlight of this trip was our fabulous hotel situated right in the heart of the shopping district. Located in front of the World Trade Center, Pratunam, Mabunkro – Le Meridien President is the address to beat. A few steps away is its sister hotel, Le Royal Meridien with the fantastic Royal Health Spa. We stayed at Le Meridien but for an additional US$5 or 250 baht, one can use the grand facilities of the Royal Health Spa next door. I even got the chance to swim with the sculpted "mermaids" at the pool in the rooftop under the glow of the full moon. Michelle enjoyed the strength training, toning, and rehabilitation and aerobic programs while I tried the steam room and jacuzzi.
Le Meridien is a long-time favorite of travelers around the world because of its warmth and charm. It’s nestled amid Bangkok’s finest diplomatic, business, and upscale department store addresses. Each of the 377 guest rooms and suites offers the best of modern amenities and convenience in a soothing east-meets-west décor.
The Royal Health Spa incorporates design elements found in the world’s finest city clubs with four-meter ceiling heights and non-reflective glass frame which offer a panoramic view of Bangkok’s skyline. The rooftop pool and the 35th floor spa are each connected to the 36th floor by a grand staircase. Throughout the spa’s 1,500 sq.m. of space, polished timber floors, subdued lighting, luxurious furnishings, and artworks provide a relaxed setting where one can pursue fitness goals and find relief from the stress of urban living. After all this pampering, satisfy your palate at the hotel’s three excellent restaurants namely Espresso (the city’s best buffet restaurant featuring east and west cuisine), Summer Palace (which offers the best Cantonese cuisine and dimsum) and the Japanese restaurant Shin Daikoku.
Of course, a trip to Bangkok is not complete without checking the wares the city has to offer. In the toy department of the Central department store, there is an indoor playground for the kids. Parents can leave their children here while they do their shopping. In fact, Michelle and Benny left Vincent in the playground where he enjoyed the games and toys with other kids.
The Chatuchak Weekend Market is situated on 31 acres of land parcelled among 5,000 stallholders. Here you can find fabulous clothes from casual chic to elegant formal for a song, pets like pythons, monitor lizards and birds, luscious fruits and vegetables, antiques, pseudo-antiques, brass utensils, plants, army surplus goods, leatherware, rice, toys, furniture, cassette tapes, dinnerware, stationery and even hair dyes and stockings.
It was also in this market where we stumbled upon the Toh-Plue Restaurant where the cuisine is heavenly and very affordable. We savored deep-fried crispy catfish and spicy mango salad; stir-fried noodles with shrimps; fried crab meat with chili sauce, spicy seafood and coconut salad; shrimp and vegetable ragout, among others. Ice cold green tea shake is truly refreshing after a shopping spree.
I must say that Bangkok is unique among Thai towns. It is as far removed from the rest of Thailand as, say, New York City is from Dubuque, Iowa. It is an island in a sea of green rice fields, a Mont St. Michel surrounded by hinterlands. Thailand, as it appears on the map, is shaped like an elephant’s head. If this is so, many tourists say, then Bangkok must be the beast’s golden tooth.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are lured and attracted to Bangkok’s color, chaos, and contrasts each year. Bangkok is a vendor’s market where food and goods range from dirt cheap to very affordable. It is only in Bangkok where you will find a rowdy city inhabited by gentle people. The scent of burning joy sticks emanating from golden temples mixes well with the aroma of food wafting from the makeshift kitchen of a street vendor. There simply is everything for everyone in this city. Bangkok awaits one and all.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
