THE OTHER ARTICLE

"Loy Krathong" in Thailand
by Rina Jimenez-David

Thais celebrated Loy Krathong, the Festival of Lights, during which Thais head off rivers, canals, lakes or any body of water to lay down floating disks filled with candles and flowers supposedly to let all of the bad luck of the past year float away, to be replaced by good fortune.

Our group of Filipino journalists had the bad luck of arriving in Bangkok about a week early for Loy Krathong but we too had a chance of observing the feast thanks to our friends from Siam Cement Group under whose auspices we had visited their country.

On arrival in Bangkok, we hurriedly dropped of our bags at the Pathumwan Princess which strategically has a corridor leading out of the hotel direct ti MBK, a six-story shopping center known for its dizzying arrays of goods and very competitive prices, for just one and a half hour's worthy of frantic shopping. Then we were bused to River City where we were to board a river boar for a dinner cruise and some entertainment.

Later that evening fortified by a Thai buffet and dazzling traditional Thai dances, our hosts introduced Loy Krathong to us, instructing us that we were to light the candle and sparklers, set into the disks of banana stalks and surrounded by flowers after which a boat hand would scoop our lit krathongs and lower them into the waters of the Chao Phraya River.

I'm told that during Loy, meaning to float, Krathong, the Chao Phraya makes for a lovely sight as thousands of candles float downriver carrying the wishes, prayers and vows of contrition of the people. After I watched my own personal krathong float away, a fellow journalist teasingly asked what else there was I had to wish for. I wished that I would see my grandchildren soon, I informed him, though given my children's states if the heart, soon might take longer than I wish!

Everywhere we went, there were unmistakable signs of Thailand;s booming tourism industry, long the envy of its neighbors. Philippine tourism authorities are rightly proud of the country's breaking the one million mark as far as tourism arrivals go. But that's still quite a distance from Thailand's annual 12 million tourists, many of them from the US and Europe, though we also spotted a number of Chinese and even Russians.

Those of us who were visiting Thailand for the first time wanted to know what was Thailand's secret. After all, it is like the Phils., warm and muggy, if not raining, for much of the year. Bangkok is still seized by horrific traffic jams at all times of the day. And when it is raining, the streets likewise fill up with water, But the tourists keep arriving- even if Thais have to struggle with their English. At the year old Suvarnabhumi Airport, the info boards were lit up by announcements of arrivals and departures of hundreds of flights from all parts of the world. Clearly, Thailand's open skies policy is paying off.

Well for one thing, Thais seem to have the tourist game all figured out. While there are tourist police who take special care to prevent petty crimes, there's little to worry about as Bangkok boasts a very low 3% street crime rate. And even as we boast of Filipino hospitality, the Thais have their own unique gentleness and good humor to see them through.

A prime example of Thailand's careful planning not just to lure tourists but to keep them entertained was the evening we spent at Siam Niramit or Magical Siam.

Siam Niramit is a stage presentation that brings the audience back to the ancient kingdoms of Siam, which became Thailand only after the war, and thence to the realm of myth and folk festivals. This it does through the magic of special affects, flying Buddhist angels, a river onstage, alive elephant, even goats, and the energetic performances of a cast of 150 actors, dancers, musicians and even a comedian or two.

Before the show, guests are treated to a buffet dinner and then a showcase of traditional Thai life, though on the evening we were there, the rains prevented us from visiting the live tableau€s.

As if the two hour shows wasn't enough, as we exited the theater, we found costumed dancers and acrobats, elephants and other animal life, ready for photo ops. Even if one has just a day to spend in Bangkok, a visit to Siam Niramit, is enough of an introduction to this amazing country.

Of course, no account of a visit to Thailand would be compete without mentioning the food.

On our first dinner aboard the riverboat, the buffet featured traditional Thai dishes; and Aemrudee, who is with SCG's corporate affairs group, insisted we all try the fish cakes wrapped in banana leaves. Later during dessert, an SCG official urged us all to try the ice cream made from young coconut, so light and refreshing a treat after the spicy fair!

The next day, over lunch at the SCG guest house, under the benevolent eye of King Rama VI, founder of SCG, we were treated to a Chinese lauriat that featured, among other treats, Peking duck and noodle soup that came in bowls each with its own mini-burner. During lunch at the Wangsala Complex outside the city the next day, Aemrudee proudly presented us with durian, which, she said, is not in season and so was rather expensive at this time of year. We took it with sticky rice and coconut cream, a most delicious, calorific dessert!

For our final dinner, our guide brought us to the top of the tallest bldg in Thailand, the Baiyoke Tower, opened in 1998, with a restaurant in the 78th floor, that offers a fantastic Asian buffet. After dinner, we took a secret ride on the service elevator to the 84th floor to an open-air revolving deck that affords one the best views of Bangkok at night.

THANK GOD I AM DONE>>>> JOOOOBE!!!