After a truly hectic week spent at the Chateau Royale Golf and Country Club in Batangas for the 15th National Youth Congress, my boys and I decided to spend four glorious days in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was my fifth time to go to Bangkok and so naturally, I would be Ivan and Macky's unofficial tour guide. After a three hour enjoyable & quiet plane ride (macky was asleep most of the time & Ivan was really excited since this would be his 3rd trip abroad), we arrived at the Suva-chuva-chuva International Airport (the correct name escapes me at the moment), 1 in the afternoon (2 pm here.. they are an hour late). The airport itself is already a tourist attraction! Too bad we can't say that for our own airports, tsk tsk...

There were so many arrivals that day and the line towards the immigration counter was sooooo long, good thing the Thais really care for babies and put much priority on families traveling with infants... We were ushered to the VIP line and whizzed our way past the long queue... Macky was smiling from ear to ear (making pa-cute I should say).

The trip to Pathumwan Princess took us an hour and although there was some traffic here and there, it was nothing compared to the horrendous traffic jams we're accustomed to in Manila! Anyway, it was again, an enjoyable ride since I took my job as tourguide to Ivan seriously (Macky couldn't care less as long as he had his meal.. snack.. papop... all that in varying order). We arrived at the hotel with such excitement that couldn't wait for the receptionist to give us our key so we could freshen up and shop! The hotel was soooo nice, the room was huge & had a spectacular view of downtown Bangkok (also, below us was the olympic size swimming pool & we had a great view of bodies of all shapes and size swimming or just lounging about... I pity Ivan 'coz most of the bodies we saw were almost always the ummm, chubby ones).

And so after resting a bit & changing, we went down to the ground floor and entered MBK -- the biggest shopping mall in Bangkok!. Thus, our shopping soiree began.

However, for all its bargains, sales and discounts, what endears Bangkok to me is its cuisine! I love Thai food! And Ivan who rarely agrees with me when I crave for Thai food when we're in Manila, became a huge fan of the real deal. We'd buy all sorts of stuff & eat it while we're shopping or just walking around. We'd eat chicken wings, fried pork, spicy fishball noodles, tom yum, spicy tamarind, guava with sweet/spicy sugar... We loved it so much! Our days and tours around Bangkok we're never complete without a snack or a meal of sumptuous Thai delicacies.

And let me just add that it was in Bangkok where we had the chance to eat authentic Indian dishes! Our friends from Pakistan (whom we met during the Asian Youth Congress in Malaysia) had a two-week training in Bangkok & when they learned we would be coming, they waited for us for a day just so they could see us & treat us for dinner (ain't it sweet?). So they took us to this Pakistani Restaurant in one of the oldest districts in Bangkok & though Ivan & I were a bit apprehensive (first, we felt intimidated because everyone kept looking at me, Ivan & Macky maybe because we were the only foreigners there & second, we were never really fans of spicy food), we trudged along in respect to the wishes of our friends. You only had two choices: spicy or very spicy. We chose the first one. But then, when the food was served & we had our trustee sevenUp to swallow the spicy viands with, we found ourselves enjoying the meal! Indeed, good friends, great conversations & superb dishes make a truly unforgettable gathering.

However, our adventures did not end there. When we finished, we walked around the neighborhood quietly drinking in the scenes when lo & behold! an elephant walks past! In utter shock of meeting an elephant face to face, in the streets of Bangkok, I was rooted in my spot, unable to move. Same with Ivan who was carrying Macky! And surprisingly, we would still meet three more elephants along the way. Amazing indeed!

The sights and sounds of Bangkok are truly exhilirating! And you never lack of things to do or places to see & even things to buy! We visited its temples, its malls, the Bangkok Ocean Center, the Safari World (both sites made us appreciate the animal kingdom even more, having been face to face with its inhabitants)...

Ivan & I have traveled to Malaysia and Singapore but for us, our Thailand trip was the best!

Truly, Bangkok is an amazing place to visit. Its friendly & accommodating people who are so genuinely nice (they sooo love children & would ask us if they could hold Macky even for a few seconds.. & they would give him food or shower him with praises), their absolute faith & devotion to their culture, their religion & their king are all so exemplary & inspiring that it just makes you long for your next visit! That's why Ivan & I will be saving up for our next holiday there.. with Macky of course!

Indeed, Bangkok is a land of superlatives. Mesmerizing. Magical. Amazing. This is all an understatement. Trust me when I say that Bangkok is just too beautiful for words.