Bangkok Beckons
By Michael David C. Tan

PHOTO DETAIL, COURTESY OF THE TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND

Khun Lhianna O., who took over the reins to run ASEAN Journals Co. Ltd. (AJCL) from her husband William some years ago, managed to grow the publishing company’s number of publications to nine – one weekly newspaper (Samui Express), five localized publications (the fortnightly What’s On Bangkok and Pattaya, and monthly What’s On Samui, Chiang Mai, and South), two companion publications (Bangkok Afterdark and Chiang Mai Afterdark), and the weekly What’s On This Week.  A great feat, which, interestingly enough, isn’t rooted on anything but good business sense: “Keep (and reward) those who are doing well, and (remove) those who are not,” she once said to me, stating the obvious, when I visited for a job consideration.

While the approach is blatant, perhaps even brusque to some, what was, for me, interesting to note was the approach’s sagacity being seemingly easily cancelled out by the red spirit house under a balete tree right in front of AJCL’s office at Sukhumvit 62/1, not far from EDSA-like Sukhumvit Road in Bangjak, Phrakhanong in Bangkok.   An animistic practice of providing alternative house for the spirits (of the tree, in this case, as well as of the spirits who once considered the place where the office building now stands as their home), the spirit house does not only assuage what could be offended spirits, but to urge them to dispense with good luck.  As if no matter the effort a person does – to succeed in publishing, in AJCL’s case – if the spirits do not concur, then all these efforts are in vain.

Even more interestingly, the ironic practice is all over Bangkok, so that even as the whole country, which, as of mid-July, has been reeling from the effects of the strengthening baht due to increasing foreign direct investments (FDIs), among others, the central business district in downtown Siam is scattered with spirit houses, most business suited Thais giving the wai (bowing in reverence, similar to the Indians’) when they pass by one.

This is the new Bangkok – trying to be global, even as its past is not necessarily mingling with the present and future, as much as cling on its shirttails, unwilling to let go, even as everything else is moving forward.

WONDROUS CITY OF ANGELS

It would be futile to deny Bangkok’s beauty.

Dubbed as the city of angels, Thailand’s capital is brimming with seemingly heavenly attractions.  There’s the Grand Palace, the royal capital since 1782, which is a big compound of houses that, more than anything, showcase the grandness of Thai architecture (and the grandness of royal life, as if anytime Yul Bryner is going to emerge from one of the rooms, followed by Deborah Kerr, as he taunts her with his et cetera, et cetera).  Boasting a hodge-podge of Asian influences, it is “peculiarly Thai,” said Rick Alberto, Samui Express editor.  And he was – still is – right.

For Bt200, while at the palace, the Wat Phra Kaeo, or the Emerald Buddha, can also be visited – somewhat of a must for Thais since the Wat Phra Kaeo represents the monarchy’s demigod status, and to non-Thais a peculiar reminder of, again, how the country is going modern with its past (cultural heritage?) trying to keep its bygone glorious form as intact as possible.

Opposite the Grand Palace is the Wat Arun Temple.  For Bt20 this time, marvel at the porcelain-encrusted central pagoda, shimmering like shards of broken glasses when the sun is at its brightest.  Sitting solemnly right across Chao Phraya, and accessible by Arun Amarin Road, as well as the more dramatic access via Tha Tian Pier near Wat Pho, the temple is more than a holy ground.  Perhaps similar to Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, with its hideous gargoyles reflecting the medieval times of its makers, ready to pounce at unwanted visitors (supposedly seen or unseen), Wat Arun Temple’s pagodas are reflections of Thailand’s rich (Sri Vijayan) heritage, fiercely beautiful, like the headgears worn by kings to battles, though also by artisans when performing.

Other attractions include the Marble Temple (in Thai, Wat Benchamabophit), ornately decorated to magnificently contrast against Bangkok’s clear skies; the Khlong Bangkok Noi (Royal Barges Museum), which houses old royal barges that boast of intricately carved mythical creatures gilded in gold, always awe-inspiring in grandeur and, perhaps, astronomical costs of making them; and the Vimanmek Mansion, the world’s largest golden teak building that showcases elite living in Thailand’s colored past.

And these only touch historical architectural wonders.

Shopaholics can get lost in Prato Nam, Bangkok’s more high-end Divisoria, where biyaheras (Filipino businesspeople) go to source their goods in Thailand; or in Siam, where the budget-unconscious can buy designer labels from one shop to the other, interconnected by walkways to allow easy navigation (and spending); or at the night markets, most famously in Khao Sarn, the backpacker center, where the goods are similar to elsewhere, but sold cheaply to suit the target market; or at Chatuchak, where the weekend markets offer everything under the sun – that is if one can learn to navigate the maze of shops; and Silom, too, where the night stalls that open from 9:00PM stretch for blocks and blocks.

And then there are the shows, varying from the lavish katoey (transsexual) Las Vegas performances at Sukhumvit, to the visiting international performers at the cultural centers, and the traditional Thai performances (think King and I, when the kingdom of Thailand entertained visiting dignitaries from the West) everywhere in Thailand where there are throngs of farangs (visiting foreigners and expatriates).  Of course, there are the infamous “nasty shows,” too.  One can, in fact, choose what nasty show to watch (in Silom, people approach farangs – I was approached, too – to show them a list of these shows), including “woman and dog, ping-pong show, woman and woman,” et cetera.

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