Friday, July 20, 2007

Elephant Massage & Temple Hopping in Bangkok


Bangkok is a place that wherever your head turns you will see a palace or temple nearby. I don't wonder anymore that it is called a "kingdom" and for the matter it is one because it is being ruled by a monarch. My Thai friend Siriwipa which acted as our tour guide and translator when me and my friends visited Bangkok proudly told us that the people of Thailand love King Bhumibol Adulyadej so much. One Thai told me that it's illegal to own a copy of the film "The King and I" as Thai people view the movie as an insult to their culture.

Yellow is the official color of the monarchy and as a sign of respect people wear yellow shirts during certain days of the week.

The views inside the temples and the Royal Palace were simply beautiful (the term beautiful is an understatement but I can't think of a more appropriate term).

When visiting one of the elephant sanctuaries in Thailand always ask for an elephant masseuse to give you a "Thai massage." It's the most unique massage that you will ever experience.

One travel bit I learned is that Buddhist monks in Thailand are not allowed to touch women because they must have pure thoughts and by touching a woman might make one think indecent things.

How to get to Bangkok from Manila:
-Airlines that ply the Manila-Bangkok route are Philippine Airlines, Thai Airways, Kuwait Airways and Cebu Pacific.

-Transport arrangements to and from the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport are pretty similar to the old Don Muang Airport. Taxi is the best way to and from the airport as it is cheap when traveling with at least with 1 companion.

8 comments:

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

INteresting read. Quite a travel experience. My former boss is a Thai and she's now back in Bangkok. I'm planning to visit the place very soon if time and budget permits...

By the way, I do have a copy of the movie King and I (the 1956 musical film) and the Anna and the King by Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat. At some point, my former boss told me that story is biased and very inaccurate...

Thai people cook good food. I miss those spicy food cooked by my former boss...

kegler747 said...

@dodongflores: Yup! your right, I also love Thai cuisine. I want to go back to Thailand soon.

ian said...

never been to thailand... ought to visit it one day soon =]

chanced upon http://www.travbuddy.com where you can create a world map highlighting the parts of the globe you've been to. might be a nifty addition to your blog [if you haven't posted one in your older entries...]

happy travels and safe journeys ahead =]

ian said...

...and http://www.world66.com rin pala has a similar map-generation capability =]

kegler747 said...

@ian: thanks for the info. You may also try www.virtualtourist.com, meron din sila ganun na which you can zoom in to a specific continent. check it out coz its cool :)

THE ANiTOKiD said...

Such an interesting post! And to think that I need a massage now! A very good massage! Never knew such existed until I read your post! As always, your articles are always an interesting read, my friend! And i kid you not!

justpurny said...

so therefor the monks can touch me? hehe

kegler747 said...

@ gorjess: the monks will never touch you and you should not touch them :)