Bangkok bounces back

(Part 1)

In mid-April, just after the aborted Asean summit in Pattaya, travel agency owner Kaemsak “Pong” Bhammornsattit recalls telling worried customers from overseas to postpone their trip to Bangkok.

“We are honest with our visitors, that is why they trust us when we say everything is back to normal,” adds Pong, the managing director of Bangkok-based Trikaya Travel Services, whose number one market in terms of volume of tourists is the Philippines (check out www.trikayatours.com).

According to Time magazine, tourism is one of the world’s biggest industries, accounting for 220 million jobs. In Thailand, it is the foremost source of foreign exchange, spawning over four million jobs. There has been a decline in tourist arrivals in Thailand due to the global economic crisis, the temporary closure of the Suvarnabhumi international airport in November and the riots in April.

But the Tourism Authority of Thailand is confident that by yearend, there will be no decline in the number of visitors to Thailand, which hit 14.5 million in 2008.

Because the tourism-nourished Thais suffered from the airport’s closure, Pong is 100 percent sure the people will not allow a similar takeover of their premier international airport ever again. According to Thai Airways GM Nivat Chantarachoti, flights from Manila to Bangkok are now 84 percent full, compared to 62 percent in December. From mid-November to Dec. 5, flights to Bangkok were totally non-existent because of the Bangkok airport’s shutdown.

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Today, with political unrest like a bad dream that has faded with the morning light, no reported cases so far of the dreaded swine flu, a low crime rate and with postcard-pretty destinations, Pong says it’s back to normal in Bangkok.

Actually, that’s not quite true. My family and I were in Bangkok on the first week of May and we found out that Bangkok isn’t just back to normal — it’s cheaper than normal, with hotels, shops, restaurants and all those in the tourist trade enticing tourists like bees to honey.

For one, the five-star serviced suite that we booked at the Grande Centrepoint Hotel and Residence on Ratchadamri Road went for less than $100 a night, with free buffet breakfast.

Normally, says Seiree Hattharatch, the hotel’s group sales manager, “a suite like this, with living and dining rooms, fully equipped kitchen, cutlery and glassware, would cost at least $200. But we’re offering it now for half the price.” (Check out www.centrepoint.com)

Shopping is unbelievably cheap in Bangkok, with most shops offering tourist discounts and additional price cuts if you buy Thai-made products. At the Zen department store not far from our hotel, there was a 10 percent across-the-board discount on all items during the May 1 weekend. At the Chatuchak weekend market and the Night Market, you can get nice embroidered bags for 50 baht each (it’s 35 baht to $1), throw pillow cases for 100 baht, stainless steel cutlery with the most amazing designs for about 80 baht per piece.

Did you know that there are outlet malls just outside Bangkok, similar to the outlet malls in the US? We went to the Khao Yai Premium Factory Outlet about two hours out of Bangkok, and you could get bargain prices for Ralph Lauren, Lacoste and other branded items (even the local Pena brand for ladies) that are made in Thailand.

One of our best shopping destinations, however, was a floating market frequented by locals. On wooden stilts on the banks of an amazingly clean river, the Lampraya floating market’s ambulant vendors roam around on boats where they cook popular Thai dishes like fish cakes and crispy prawns for an average of 20 baht per plate. The floating market is also a Thai cook’s dream, for it has all the greens, herbs and spices — from lemon grass to chili, from lime to basil for 10 to 20 baht a kilo for a pack. I chanced upon my first lanzones (long kong) of the season at 80 baht! There is also a smorgasbord of Thai desserts, including what they call a coconut pancake, which reminded me of the bibingka I used to eat as a child in Villa Beach in Iloilo City.

A big fat bundle of orchids that probably costs close to a thousand pesos, costs just 20 baht at the floating market. A must-visit place especially if you like to hoard up on fresh Thai ingredients (thank God our hotel suite had a ref!).

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Bangkok is like a spice rack — it offers an array of choices, flavors and attractions, from sweet to spicy red-hot.

In this spice rack are not just several shopping options, but also a dizzying array of cultural sights, foremost of which are the temples. Bangkok (which like Los Angeles means “City of Angels”) alone is said to have over 500 temples, and a first-time visitor should not miss the Grand Palace (which includes some of the most breathtakingly beautiful temples and chedis in the world) and the Wat Po, which houses the gold-plated Reclining Buddha. The latter, which we visited during this trip, is completely covered in gold leaf and is 138 feet long. The Buddha’s feet are nine feet long and their soles are encrusted with mother-of-pearl.

It is this availability of choices that Bangkok offers — whether a shopping bargain, a heavenly massage or a stupefying sightseeing tour — and the efforts the Thais exert to make those choices pleasurable and affordable, that make it easy for Bangkok to bounce back from any crisis, and soar once more like the angels it is named after.

(For more information, call the Tourism Authority of Thailand office in Manila at 911-1660.)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])