We marveled at the temples and buildings of cultural interest, visited the museums and galleries, witnessed major events, delighted in their cuisine and experienced most refreshing and relaxing health and beauty treatments.
We were captivated by wondrous entertainment — from classical to modern, from traditional theater to jazz. And let’s not forget shopping in staggering variety of bazaars and street stalls. So what else is there to see and experience in Bangkok?
Believe it or not, we recently discovered a winery resort, a dairy farm and dined at what the Guinness Book deemed the world’s largest restaurant in 1992. All these wonderful experiences were made possible through Cebu Pacific Air, JG Summit and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, represented in the Philippines by Dave de Jesus.
Dr. Bhirombhakdi, a visionary entrepreneur with a great appreciation for the finest things in life, set about his mission to produce wine with a world-class taste for the people of Thailand.
The first vineyard was established in the PB Valley, located on the hillside of the Khao Yai National Park. In time, the Khao Yai Winery was created with a total area of 3,000 square meters. The winery has a climate-controlled cellar and imported French oak barrels, and is considered the largest and most technologically advanced winery in Southeast Asia. With its 1998 harvest, PB Valley Khao Yai Winery celebrated its first milestone.
After the tour we had a wine tasting: Shiraz for the red and Chenin Blanc for the white, and it proved without a doubt that quality wine can be successfully produced in Thailand.
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In 1957 Chokchai Bulakul, a graduate with a degree in animal husbandry from America, founded Farm Chokchai. The legendary Thai cowboy purchased an area of 100 acres in a deserted forest plateau to do integrated farming.
The farm, through the years, has continued to expand and now has an area of 8,000 acres. The guided tour began with a brief stop at the Machinery Museum, where the first tractors and pickups are displayed. We then proceeded to the milk-collecting center where we tried our hand at milking the cows.
On board a tractor train we passed by the cattle feedlot, the hay barn, the avian division, the awesome sunflower field and the horse-training facilities. Our final stop was the petting zoo, where we fed the deer and sheep, and gave milk to the calves in a simulated wildlife environment.
There was also a show with a smart chimpanzee, poodle, goose and parrot. We were likewise treated to stunts by some cowboys, who did tricks with a lasso.
The self-reliant dairy farm also has 60 luxurious boutique tents that are fully air-conditioned. All the activities are designed to influence the visitors and employees to respect and care for nature, the environment and the society we live in.
We culminated our educational, fun-filled tour at Chokchai Steak House, where we enjoyed tender and succulent steak.
Our farewell dinner was at the Royal Dragon Seafood Restaurant, considered one of the best and largest in the world. They have a staff of over 1,000, whose unique style of serving includes skating for speedy service and balancing the dishes through a zip line from one end to the other.
There you are, the variations on a visit to Thailand are nearly endless. No matter how many times you have visited before, there is always something new and innovative to discover. Thailand is truly amazing.
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Cebu Pacific Air flies from Manila to Bangkok 10 times weekly. Daily flights leave at 9:35 p.m. and the return flights depart at 12:40 a.m. There are additional flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays leaving Manila at 2:50 p.m., with return flights at 5:45 p.m. arriving in Manila at 10:05 p.m.