Tantalizing Thailand

'City of Angels'

Bangkok's ''real name,'' according to the books, is Krung Thep,

which means ''City of Angels'' (almost always misspelled as

''Angles,'' Thai delegate Jirayu jokingly confided). This,

however, is just a small section of the complete name which is

listed in Guinness as the longest name in the world for a

place--Krungthep Mahanakhon Bovorn Ratanakosin and so

on... (The Thais' propensity for linguistic bravado is evident in a

lot of things, including their names. For one thing, they're listed

in phone directories by their first names.)

The next day, we were taken by Dr. Charnvit, our host, to the

Grand Palace, a compound of royal extravagance. With an area

of 200,000 square meters, the place contains an amazing array of

halls, small temples of various colors, and a wall gallery

depicting the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana.

The main attraction for foreigners and locals alike is the Emerald

Buddha. Situated high up on an altar inside a temple where

everything you touch is literally made of gold, this jade figure

measures only a few feet. But size doesn't seem to matter.

Always packed with devout Buddhists, the temple continuously

replenishes itself with more and more pilgrims.

On our last night in Bangkok, Nueng, whom we had designated

as guide, took us to Khaosan Road. The place is a tourist

destination not so much for its cultural significance as for the

cheap buys which range from hemp wallets to suitcases.

At 9 p.m. the place was just coming to life, and already teeming

with farang or white foreigners. Reggae and disco music were

blaring simultaneously from various bars all over the strip.

Despite the two guards posted on both ends of the road, we

could smell the sweet scent of marijuana wafting in dark corners.

It seemed like the place never slept. Nueng told us this was

nothing compared to how it is during the Buddhist New Year

holidays.

Isanthe northeastern part of Thailand, Near the Cambodian border, we went to Phnom Rung, which

was built by the Khmers in the 12th century. Unlike most of the

other Thai temples, this one was Hindi. It was destroyed by war

and natural forces, but much of it has been reconstructed by the

government's Department of Fine Arts. Still, one cannot help but be amazed by the fact that the Khmers

had carried huge pieces of laterite from a quarry 100 meters

below just to build this grand monument. The architecture is so

precise that, at a certain dawn in April, sunlight streams into the

very center of the temple, right smack into a stone lingga, Siva's

phallic symbol. North of Bangkok lies Sukhothai, reportedly the first capital of

Thailand. Founded circa 1238, the ancient but well preserved

ruins still stand at the center of the modern province.

Among the must-sees are the Speaking Buddha and the Si

Satchanalai Park. The former is a few meters high, and legend

has it that the king used to go through a secret passageway that

led to the Buddha's head. From there he would order directives

for the Thais to conquer the world.

This kind of cultural preservation became more evident when,

on the way back to the hotel, we were dropped off at a temple

festival akin to the Filipino fiesta. As a local movie was being

shown, children were performing a traditional dance to

background music by local musicians using traditional

instruments.

Happy Songkran!Songkran is a Sanskrit word that denotes the sun's shift from

Aries to Taurus. Traditionally meant for purification, it has been

transformed into a national excuse for soaking others and

getting soaked yourself.

At night, people trek to the city's night bazaar, a haven for

bargain-hunters, farang and locals alike. They say the goods

here are cheaper and more varied than the ones on Silom and

Khaosan roads in Bangkok. Anything from ceremonial daggers

to opium pipes, from silk undies to hemp skirts, they've got it.

Fakes abound--fake Rolexes, fake Nike shoes, fake Tommy

Hilfigers. (I said there should be shirts here saying ''This is an

Authentic Fake T-shirt from Thailand.'')

'Mahout'Elephants are held in high esteem here. The legendary kings of

Siam had chang phuek, white elephants, roaming the royal

courtyards. The more elephants a king owns, the more powerful

he is. This is attributed perhaps to a legend that Buddha was

born as a chang phuek. Outside Chiang Mai, there is an elephant park where tens of

elephants roam around, giving rides and shows. Trainers, called

mahout, use sticks with pointed hooks to urge their ''pets'' to

perform acrobatic moves. Tourism is a big thing in Thailand. You will see the ''Amazing

Thailand'' logo displayed everywhere. But then again, with or

without such marketing strategies, the program participants

would have to agree that this is indeed a country worth

returning to.

Just don't forget to smile. And remember to hold on tight if

you're taking the tuk-tuk.