Thursday, October 04, 2007
Yup, I'm back! Actually I've been back in Manila since last week. My (working) trip to Bangkok was one of those once-in-a-lifetime happenings. Behind those grueling 8 hours a day lectures, the *&^%! exam and the 10-pounds binder which we had to drag to Siemens Thailand everyday, it was fun, fun and more fun!! Bangkok is a place you can easily fall in love with. You will be in awe at their palaces, the people who have a deep respect for their King and the culture that exudes warmth and friendliness. What made it even more special was the twenty other colleagues who were part of the adventure! I can't write everything that has happend, so I guess I will just write it down in a list so I will forever remember.
TOP 15 BANGKOK ESCAPADES
15.CAPAP Kick-off Meeting (Amari)
Finally, we meet our counterparts from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam! All crazy and brilliant people with different personalities, taste and outlook! It was interesting to learn about their culture, lifestyle, home country, etc. Culture shock was evident but we enjoyed and embraced each others' differences.
14. Patpong Red Light District
What can I say? OMG!!! On our first night in Bangkok, our country coordinator asked/invited us to go to Patpong. It was the red light district indeed. Highlights of the show were pingpong, smoking cigars, shooting darts, barbwires, razors, writing with a pen, drinking beer...if you've heard or been to Patpong, you'll know what I mean ;) And during the show, there was this almost-naked girl who made an attempt to massage me!!! WTF?! And the table next to us was swarming with almost-naked girls because the table was occupied by a rich guy. So whenever I turn to my right, there would be someone's ass centimeters away from my face.
13. Living On My Own
Well I had two other Filipinas and the other CAPAPs with me, but it still felt different. Maybe because we each got our own hotel rooms, so it took some time to adjust to being alone. I had to be responsible enough to wake up on time, take care of my things and budget my allowance. It was my first time to do my own laundry and iron my own clothes. Even though we were allotted two laundries a day, it wasn't enough so I still had to wash some on my own. It was also fun to do my own grocery-shopping. Groceries in Bangkok are kick-ass!!! It even beats Rustans Fresh! They have a wide array of fresh items, stocks, etc. I always go to the supermarket even if I don't need to simply because I love the feeling of grocery shopping on my own. And then there was missing family and friends. Even if I brought framed pictures of them, it still wasn't the same.
12. Authentic Thai Cuisine FTW!
Fantastic. I love, love, love iiiiittt!!! It's spicy, but the flavor is rich! And of course it beats the Thai restaurants here because you can really taste the difference in flavor. My favorites include Pad Thai, Green Curry, Coco Pandan, Tom Yang Soup, Sweet Potato Cakes, Samurai Balls, Roti with condensed milk and Durian chips!
11. Baan Pha Ngam Team Building Activity
OK, the team-building sucks. It scared the shit out of me because they made us do all these fuckin' rope challenges. What's even worse was they were capturing our every move and expression on camera. Gaaah!! But it was fun afterwards with a small BBQ picnic, then dinner buffet/karaoke nights. When Hendra sang "I Believe I Can Fly" with matching emote, I almost fell off my chair! Then we sat down by the hill to gaze at the stars and hang out. Grabe, first time ako nakakita ng ganun kadami at kaganda!! I didn't want to sleep at my bed, and instead just camp out. Unfortunately, Hendra spotted a (poisonous) snake (how he saw it at that dark of a night, I don't know) and we ran for our lives.
10. Exit Exam
So not everything was purely for fun. Of course we were there to study and so that also means a 29-page, 101-questions exit exam that lasted for three hours and covered 1000-pages worth of notes. Talk about hell! My head was spinning the whole time. And no I wasn't able to balance the balance sheet (story of my life), calculate the EVA and solve the currency exposure problem. Damn it!
9. Siam Paragon/Siam Square Adventures
Bangkok is known as a shopping destination and of course our Thai colleagues nevr failed to show us the best ones. From upscale to bazaars to side street, we made sure every corner was covered. We also watched Chuck and Larry something in Siam, just to experience their theatre. Their front is cool, but I would say the moviehouse itself is at par with Gateway or Shangrila.
8. Thai Traditional Massage (ohhlala!)
After the fuckin' rope challenge, everyone's body was aching so we decided to go to Golf's favorite and recommended massage place. THB250 for 2 hours dude, sulit na sulit!! Actually it was supposed to be THB450, but with Golf's bargaining powers and because there was so many of us, the price was lowered. My joints cracked, but it was purely relaxing! :) Pizza afterwards, where we tried weird Thai flavors..I must say, they are very generous with their cheese!!
7. Khao San Road
A place for the young and musicians at heart. After indulging in all kinds of rotis, we headed over to Khao San Road for more shopping and a taste of local music and art. It's a long wide road that's filled with aspiring musicians and artists selling hand-painted accessories. Khao San Road is the place for poets and thinkers to hang out or simply enjoy walking through. CAPAP savored the warm breeze and aritistic air.
6. Chatuchak Market
The biggest market in the world with over 15,000 stalls. My favorite shopping destination. Name it, they’ll have it. Even better, at rock-bottom prices that you can still bargain. It’s crowded, it’s hot and it’s a haven for pickpocketers. But it is definitely heaven for those who love to shop till they run out of cash. I had even more fun shopping with Angela, Isabel, Dung and Vy. They were brilliant bargainers and had excellent sense of direction. Tee also helped us navigate around the place and even took us to his fried Gloy's stall to chat and hang out.
5. Royal Palace
The THB 250 entrance ticket was worth it. The Royal Palace was everything it stood for; the magnificence and splendor was still evident even until now. It showed the unique Thai culture at its best. I enjoyed it even if I got sunburned because I have a special fascination for Thai architecture even before going to Bangkok. There’s just something about their palaces and temples that attracts me so much. And of course camwhoring opportunities galore! We were all just enjoying each sight and goofing around.
4. Last Night In Bangkok (Tee's House)
We Filipinas were the last to leave Bangkok, since we opted to stay an extra day there and Tee's dad suddenly invited us to their house for dinner. It was our last dinner in Bangkok, and Tee's family made sure it was a feast to remember. They prepared a lot of Thai seafood dishes and dessert, but what made it special was the people in the dining table. Tee's dad is hilarious, mom was loving and also funny while his sister was the typical cool ate. Tee then gave us a tour of his house, where we laughed on his baby pictures and those when he still had long hair. His family sent us off with durian mooncake to take home to Manila. Their maid made beaded bracelets for us as remembrance. Nothing could've made our last night in Bangkok better.
3. Go Samed Island Beach Getaway
Study during the weekdays, beach getaway during the weekends! Go Samed was worth the three hour bus ride! It wasn't a spectacular beach, but the company was fun! We played games in the water, jumped off the deck a million times, rode on the Banana Boat and ate delicious Thai streetfood. One of the funniest thing was when we rode the Banana Boat, Phong sat at the very back, while I was in front of him. When the ride became rough, Phong fell from his seat and was only hanging on to the handles while the boat was still running at full speed. He looked like he was flying!! The next time it happend, we both flew so far away! Bus ride home, Isabel and I just talked and talked the whole time, till our necks were stiff from turning at each other's direction the whole 3 hours!!
2. Late-night card games
Did I ever mention that we went to this hip dance club where their girl's restroom has a all-guy band playing inside? How exclusive! We thought we had danced and drank the night away however, we decided to go to Pei-Ying's room and play cards till 5am (wak-up call is 6am, kamusta naman diba?) But it was addicting and so much fun playing Killer/Police, Tong-Its, etc. especially when you know Belle and Phong are a little drunk. The next day, we couldn't recite during class. Boo.
1. CAPAP People
From the Vietnamese Phong, Vy, Tram and Dung; Singaporeans Isabel and Angela; Banglai Rez, Maheen, Professor, Yvonne and Daisy; Indonesian Hendra; Taiwanese Bella and Pei-Ying and Thai Golf, Tee, Pook and Varisa. Without the company, it wouldn't be as much fun and memorable. Without the Thais helping and touring us throughout the three weeks, we would be like lost puppies. Without the stories, the jokes, gossips..everything..it wouldn't be the once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Phase One is over, there is two more to go. For now, it's just purely emails and Facebook. Now I'm back at Siemens Philippines. And yes, once again I'm stressed to the highest powers. Mahirap pala maging isang trainee. Buong araw, nagtratrabaho ka, pag sa gabi, either gumagawa ka ng assignment or take-home work or nag-aaral ka para sa exam. Pag may project, ubos na ang weekends mo. Pero tuloy pa rin ang pagtuto, kaya hanggang ngayon, gusto ko pa, kaya ko pa.
There's Nothing More To Say ;
