The Bear is Going Home

My Beloved girlfriend (who is now My Beloved Wife) asked me to bring a bear to Thailand. She said that that bear will be my companion during my 6-month stay abroad.

Well, that bear was a good companion indeed. I even gave it a place on my bed. Now that I’m going back to the Philippines, I decided to carry him instead of putting him in my luggage.

I thought that I look weird in carrying the big Teddy Bear around the airport but I can always say that the bear is for My Beloved.

I don’t have enough money for another ticket so the bear has no choice but to sit on my lap.

We are flying in a Philippine Airlines flight. It was good flight. The food was fine and we spent the flight time watching movies.

We even watched the sun as it sets over South China Sea West Philippine Sea.

It was evening when we reached Manila. The Bear sighed because he knew that we're still a long way from Home.

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And this ends my blog posts about my adventures in the Kingdom of Siam. It was pleasant stay in that country. I learned a lot and I saw a lot. I met a lot of people too and some of them became good friends.

I do hope to come back to Thailand in the future and write more blog posts about it.

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Enroute to Manila: Waiting A Little in Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok)

My gateway to Bangkok was once inhabited by snakes. And they are not just any snake; they are the mythical Nagas – creatures that was believed to inhabit the netherworld and keeper of earth’s treasures.  Thus to appeal to Naga’s not to be angry for invading their territory, the gatekeeper erected this monument.

The gateway, which is the Suvarnabhumi Airport, was actually built in an area previously called as Cobra Swamp. So, I guess, the reference to the mythical Naga is not only based on superstition.

The name Suvarnabhumi means “Realm of Gold” and was the name given by the King of Thailand.

I read in Wikipedia that Suvarnabhumi Airport, a.k.a. Bangkok International Airport, is the largest airport in the world in terms of area. It has the world tallest control tower and the largest single-building airport terminal. Suvarnabhumi Airport is ranked as the top 20 busiest airport in the world and top 6 busiest airports in Asia.

Suvarnabhumi Airport was my only gateway to Bangkok because I entered Thailand only through this airport. I passed through it around six times and I couldn’t say anything bad about. In fact, it is one of my favorite airports.

The Naga statue is not the only monument that welcomes air passengers. Popular Buddhist myth characters are also present like Indrajit.

Indrajit is one of the statues that also welcomed me in Wat Arun.

There are plenty of things that I like with Suvarnabhumi Airport. One is that they have walkalators. Another is that they have drinking fountains. And what I like the most is this airport is spacious and have plenty seats for passengers waiting for their flight. They even have free WiFi connection, which I used to chat with my loved ones before I board the aircraft.

Just like other airports, Suvarnabhumi Airport has restaurants and a Duty Free Shop.

Suvarnabhumi Airport replaced the old airport located within Bangkok. It was developed in conjunction to Thailand’s booming tourism industry. I guess that the Thai government realized, like what the Philippine government is realizing now, that the old and small airport will hinder the growth of tourism industry.

How I Went to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Bangkok

I usually went to Suvarnabhumi Airport by riding taxi cabs since it is the easiest means of going there. However, I also tried riding the train going to this airport.

The train is another reason why Suvarnabhumi is my favorite airport. Just imagine the convenience that it gives to tourists and local passengers who don’t want to be trapped in the heavy traffic in Bangkok. How I wish that our MRT or LRT in Manila have stations in each terminal of NAIA. I believe that being connected to the train system will make predatory taxi drivers behave because people have alternative way of going to Metro Manila from the airport.

The growth of tourism industry goes hand-in-hand with the improvement in the transportation system. Thai government realized this thus they built Suvarnabhumi Airport. My country, the Philippines, is now having the same realization. There are plans of building another commercial airport in Cavite or transferring flights to faraway Clark in Pampanga. I do hope that the Philippine government take a look at what the Thai government has done and copy some of the positive things, particularly the (1) development of big airports that can handle large volumes of air traffic and (2) the connection of the airport terminal with the rapid train system.

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Reporting Live from Siam

“Sawatdee kraup. Sabai dee mai.”

That is how the Thais say “hello” and “how are you”.

I am learning a bit of the Thai language because I am now in Thailand and I will be in this country for a very long time. Yup. You read that right. I will be here in Thailand for a very, very long time. It is my first time to be outside of the Philippines for more than a month. So you can expect that my blog posts in the coming months will feature the sights and scenes in this country.

I left Manila just this week and I rode a Philippine Airlines flight. My experience with my flight is actually good. I experienced no hassle or any problem. I even liked the meal provided during the flight.

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The meal included a cup of rice, a serving of beef dish, a piece of bread, a glass of orange juice and an appetizer. A small cup Magnolia ice cream for dessert was not included in the photo.

I reached Suvarnabhumi Airport after 3 hours of flight.

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Suvarnabhumi Airport looks good. I guess it is bigger than NAIA Terminal 3 and definitely looks better than NAIA Terminal 1.

I can say that Thailand is very similar with the Philippines, based on what I saw during the few days of my stay here. This country have the same tropical climate like the Philippines. The houses and buildings that I saw is not that different with our structures in the Philippines. Even the Thais look like Filipinos at first glance.

The main difference between Thailand and the Philippines is the dominant religion. The Philippines is filled with Roman Catholic churches while Thailand is filled with Buddhist temples. We have many stores that sell images of Christian saints while the Thais have a lot stores that sell san phra phum or spirit house, which serves as a shrine for “protective spirit” of the place.

Here is what I want to do during the whole duration of my stay here in Thailand:

1. Visit a lot of temples, especially the one in Ayutthaya.

2. Ride on top of an elephant.

3. Walk around downtown Bangkok.

4. Tour some Catholic churches.

5. Have dinner with the royal family.

Well, the last item in the list is just a wishful thinking. He he he.

So these are my initial report live from Siam. I hope that I can accomplish some of the activities I placed on my list.