Meditations in Bangkok -2

Designer labels at a bargain

Being mad about jewelry, I went somewhat clinically insane trying out the variety of Narayana’s Victorian reproductions in sterling silver, onyx and marcasite. There were also rip-offs of Cartier and Piretti designs being sold at about a third of their price tags if and when they find their way to showcases in Manila.

A five- to six-minute nerve wrecking cab ride from our hotel brought us to two other monster malls. There was the Siam Center (that offered more of the same stuff at Narayana’s) and perhaps one of the most famous destinations for the Filipino tourist--MBK, the Tutuban Mall multiplied by 10. Come to think of it, almost all the goods found at that shoppers’ haven in Divisoria seem to have come straight from MBK. Famous for its copies of designer goods, the MBK stalls have Emporio Armani, Chanel, DKNY, Jil Sander, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and, of course, Prada. The items are made as close to the real things but priced as far away as possible from the tags attached to the originals in designer boutiques.

It was literally a plethora of faux items--Abercrombie and Fitch, Polo by Ralph Lauren, Diesel--all begging to be purchased by those who still subscribe to the religion of the "logocentric" dressing. I was shown a cluster of industrial nylon shoulder bags, which the salesgirl proudly announced to have been made in Korea where (her words) "the best imitations" are made. But I pointed out that the familiar metallic triangle said Panda not Prada.

The little Thai lady smiled, raised her hand and said, "Wait!" Aided by a screwdriver and the nimblest hands that side of MBK, she literally plucked out the misguided label and turned it into Prada in a grand total of… uh, 1½ minutes. "Now Prada," she said.

Bargain paradise

The weekend market was something to behold. The first thing we did Saturday morning was to get a cab ride to Chatuchak and check out the reason for all that fuss. True enough, the open-air market was a bargain paradise offering you anything and everything from natural boulders for landscaping (I kid you not again) to military surplus goods. The stores also offered about 80 percent of products sold in every imaginable stall and even so-called prestigious boutiques in Metro Manila at about one-third the Pinoy price.

Khryss, Jojo and I could have gone completely crazy if it were not for the intolerable heat. Having been raised in the tropics, I thought I knew the meaning of humidity. But the slow walk down the corridors of stalls, where about 25 percent of the Bangkok population and maybe a little bit more than a third of the total number of tourists, can be found was something my hard-knock life did not prepare me. After an hour, I did not need an overeager Thai to throw a pail of water to get me wet from scalp to toenail. I literally sweated right through my clothes and started seeing quadruple.

This was when I realized that I was not a guerrilla shopper. As much as I pooh-pooh all the middle-class values that tend to diminish the excitements of life into the trivia of proper behavior and convention, I became aware of my limitations in enduring natural environmental conditions. Seeing the swarms of people practically going delirious not because of the bargain prices but because of the steam coming out from the ground and the skins of fellow humans, I also realized their dedication and single-minded determination to shop until they literally dropped. Dehydration or sunstroke rather than mere commercial fatigue would most likely cause a sudden collapse.

That night, a Thai friend of Jojo Atienza’s took us out for that one big pig-out. Throughout our stay, we feasted on every available kind of curry available. A lesson immediately learned was one should stick to green curry because the orange or red one will scald your tongue with its spiciness and cause a premature feeling of fullness due to the glasses of water drank to wash out the chili from the tissues of your oral cavity.

Tasting the real thing

Food was unbelievably cheap, especially if you are not the kind who would pay for the ambience rather than the quality of the dishes offered. You can be rendered immobile by the amount of food you get for an amount equivalent to P200 per person.

We were not prepared for Silom Village, a most popular restaurant that made me realize all the Chicken Pandan I had consumed in Thai restaurants in Manila were mere parodies. Gorging on catfish salad with shredded green mangoes, yet another variation of green beef curry and the most delicious rice cakes, I was alarmed by the amount of dieting that would be required when I got home if I wanted to retain my rights to a passable waistline.

On our last day, we decided to invade the River City Antique Center located right beside the Royal Orchid Sheraton.

There can only be one way to describe my immediate reaction about this place: it’s frothing in the mouth.

From the moment we entered the lobby, I knew I was in major trouble. This newfound passion for Southeast Asian folk arts, most especially those endless imports from Bali, Indonesia, have somewhat diminished the focus on Filipiniana products. There was an arts and crafts display at the River City lobby where the most beautiful Thai fabrics--not only silks but also beautifully embroidered, encrusted and even block-stamped materials--were sold. Throw pillows made from fragments of vintage clothing sold at about P1,500 each. Beautiful maroon throw pillows block-stamped with gold designs came cheap at about P330 apiece. I was calculating how much I would have to pay Thai Airlines for excess weight.

But it was the upper floors that completely blew our minds. Levels upon levels of antique shops sold the most beautiful Buddhas from Burma and Cambodia. These were not the brass or even resin reproductions sold at the night market in Patpong but rather intricately carved pieces preserved in the most graceful and loving manner possible.

Suddenly I was overcome by a kind of catharsis that results from having a limited budget and modest income. A 6-ft high 18th-century Buddha from Cambodia with a stunning face cost 150,000 baht (translate that to P165,000). Mura! Comparing this to how much those items cost here in Manila, the tag price (without haggling pa yan, ha?) was more than reasonable. But reason told me that I couldn’t afford to push this adventure any farther than my purchases at MBK. I kept telling myself that the shipment cost to Manila would make the price sky high and impractical. I made the mistake of asking how much it would cost to ship the piece to Manila. The estimated price was about P4,400. At that point, I cried.

I consoled myself by focusing on my social conscience, by convincing myself that my life will not be any better if that gorgeous piece of Asian art was not deposited in my foyer. I told myself I needed a psychiatrist, that I was being selfish, careless to even think of purchasing such an item that will not improve the plight of my Third World nation. It gave me peace for three minutes and misery for the next three days.