MANILA, Philippines – Spending 3 days in Bangkok was certainly not enough but at least I was able to get a taste of the amazing culture of Thailand.

I was able to shop a little at Pratunam, take a city tour and feast on scrumptious Thai dishes.

Eating Thai cuisine was an experience in itself because it seemed like an adventure. Almost every dish I ate was new to me. And they all tasted great.

Even the affordable meals (20 baht to 40 baht) at the food court or cafeteria were satisfying.

But whenever I’m asked about the most memorable experience in my Thailand trip, I would gladly say that it was my stay at Muang Thong Thani (MTT), a satellite city in the Bangkok metropolitan region.

According to the MTT website, “Muang” means the center of a region, “Thong” means gold and “Thani” means town.

Most of my friends who have been to Bangkok have not even heard of the place.

When I asked my friends about their favorite Thailand experience, it would either be about sightseeing, shopping or eating.

MTT fun

I went to MTT in October 2009 to watch the PTT Thailand Open at the Impact Arena.

I was supposed to watch the opening matches of the tournament but tropical storm “Ondoy” struck on September 26. My flight was postponed but I was still able to watch the final between French Gilles Simon and Serbian Viktor Troicki.

My dad and I went straight to MTT after checking in at TK Palace. We were lucky to have made it just a few minutes after the first set began.

It was my first time to watch an international tournament and it felt good to be around people who appreciated tennis. The Impact Arena was around 70% to 80% occupied.

The turnout is a far cry from the Davis Cup tournaments I watched in Manila. The only time I watched a tennis match at a full house venue was during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). In fact, the crowd was overflowing at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center to support Cecil Mamiit.

Aside from the Impact Arena, MTT is also home to The Tennis Academy of Asia (which turns out be an exclusive sports club) and a football stadium.

There are also various buildings, convention centers and commercial spaces in MTT. My dad and I were able to go around aboard the internal shuttle bus.

I stumbled upon the Nirvana Spa, where I think got the best Thai massage in my life.

I also believe I had the “cutest meal in my life” in MTT at the Nuti Food & Drink restaurant. It is not located at the MTT commercial complex but along one of the side streets.

My black peppered pork meal consisted of peppered pork bits on a lettuce leaf, carrots and dressing, a flower-shaped sunny side up egg and a turtle-shaped cup of rice. Aside from being cute and creative, the meal was very tasty.

Splendid structures

Of course, my Bangkok trip will not be complete without the temple and palace tours.

Such structures reflected the grandeur of the city as well as the artistry of its people.

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha and Temple of the Emerald Buddha were some of the must-see temples that I visited. It is important to remember that they are sacred places of worship. I had to take off my shoes and cap before entering the temples.

The Grand Palace, meantime, is a magnificent complex of buildings, temples and the former residence of the King of Thailand. The architecture is splendid.

The ticket to the Grand Palace contained several free passes to other places or museums. One of them is the Vimanmek Teak Mansion at Dusit Palace.

The tour of the Dusit Palace was delightful. I would have wanted to take photos of the Royal Family’s summer residence but picture taking was prohibited.

Our tour guide, Ms. Dao, said Thais want people to see their tourist spots, such as the Vimanmek Teak Mansion, for themselves.

Love for the King

Another thing that struck me was how much the Thais loved their King, Queen and the rest of the Royal Family.

Images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit were displayed on buildings, street light posts and street corners. Their pictures were almost everywhere.

A taxi driver even let go of his steering wheel, clasped his hands and bowed when we passed by the statue of King Rama V.

I could not help myself but ask Ms. Dao about why they love their king very much.

She went into great detail about King Bhumibol, who was confined at the hospital that time. She talked about his greatness and even commented that he resembles former President Fidel V. Ramos.

She even mentioned that King Bhumibol went to the Philippines to learn how to plant rice.

“Now you are the ones importing rice from us,” Ms. Dao stated. “That’s why we love our King!” - by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com