untraveled viajero no more

i have always expressed my deepest desire to embrace world’s varying cultures. to see the world while still able has always been in my life’s to-do list. indeed, life works in mysterious ways. last april 9-13, i was given the opportunity to leave my country and set foot in one of the world’s vibrant cities–bangkok.

my expectations of bangkok were plastered on the floor. i didn’t expect much, in other words. i heard a lot about thailand’s city capital–it’s like manila, market is like greenhills; only cheaper, etc. looking from the window’s of the-never-failed-to-be-late cebu pacific, one couldn’t help but disagree.

suvarnabhumi (swa-na-vum) airport was a feast to the eye. it’s almost like an olympic stadium lit at night. our flight was delayed for one and a half hours, but it’s all worth the wait. i allowed nothing (or no one) to spoil my first-ever trip overseas. once we arrived, we went to duty free–beside it, was a huge traditional thai emblem–it’s where the first "kodakan" took place. we then went to the immigration to have our passport checked. we were graciously greeted by nathan (natanpong), a representative from KBN travel and tours. he was waiting for us since midnight. he is one of the nicest souls i’ve ever met in my whole life. he is very polite, courteous, protective to us. he was like a tito to his nieces and (a) nephew. he ushered us to our van, which took us to baiyoke suite hotel. the amazing interiors of the airport was not the only one that made our sleepy heads wander around. the glass-walled carpark building made us all say, "kainis sila! panalo pati ang parking." it was a good 30-45 minute trip from the airport to our hotel. but even under the starless sky, bangkok glittered with its golden arches. it was humid but we felt the warmth of thailand–thanks to nathan! (he reminded me of tito bubot–soft spoken, generous with his smile, and polite).

baiyoke suite hotel is, apparently, in the middle of bangkok’s market district–night bazaar and all that jazz. for a three-star hotel, the lobby was great. after we checked in, liz and i went to our room (352); while micha and rachelle were roommates at 354.

it was hot, hot, humid (and did i say hot) in bangkok even in the early hours of april 10. the airconditioning system didn’t help that much.

but still, we were tired. and we fell asleep around 4 in the morning.

that ended the first few hours since we landed in the city of siam.

more stories to come, soon.

*sparkles!