A Note on the Journey to Thailand (1)
Not Only Heaven for Men

In fact, the assumption citing that Thailand is heaven for men is not entirely correct. At least, during the five-day visit to the land of the White Elephant we did capture a different side as revealed in the following bijou notes.

Sawasdee ka! From the first moment our feet touched the ground in Bangkok, this greeting was uttered by every Thai welcoming our arrival. They saluted us by bringing the palms together in front of the chest while uttering “Sawasdee ka!” This greeting was wholeheartedly pronounced with a wide smile on the faces of Thai people.
Such was the first impression when joining the Agent Educational Tour organized by Thai Airways Bali last week. The Bali Sales Representative, Ni Wayan Witarni accompanied the 12 participants, (4 men and 8 women) on this 5-day-4-night tour.
As the tour leader was a woman, and the majority of participants were women on the current visit, we were taken to explore the other side of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Please forget first the Pat Phong that is famous as the ‘red light district’ of Bangkok and the heaven for men as widely reported by journalists when they publish in several Indonesian media.
As a world tourist destination, Thailand prepares various presentations for tourist attraction ranging from its best delicacies to affordable souvenirs, romantic beaches, cultural attractions and challenging nature, up to sex tourism and prostitution (the latter did not draw us but it’s not certain for 4 other ‘unknown’ members who should restrain themselves from this program!).

Market, Market and Market Again
The most prominent attraction we got during the tour is visiting market, market and market again. There are uncountable markets in Bangkok - it is very crowded with its markets! Because of these enticing markets a member of our group was teased into doing lots of shopping which made her spend all her money. But not to worry because at every corner of the market there is an ATM using both Thai and English language. Though your savings in Bali are in IDR currency, you can still get at it by swiping your ATM card or credit card easily.
Almost our entire time was completely spent at markets! Markets in Bangkok truly vary in terms of types and sizes, ranging from the souvenir markets that are adjacent to hawkers at street side. These range from medium up to very spacious size like the Jatujak, Tokyu which is up to 10 times the size of a football square and the Chatuchak Weekend Market is huge too, having 9,000 booths.
Entering the markets in Thailand is not different from that in Bali. Displayed price could be bargained as low as we could get. The difference is that those traders would not be angry if their goods are bargained very cheaply. They keep on smiling and try to persuade the buyers.
At relatively low price, your trolley would certainly be filled by hunting for goods at Thailand markets. Price of a T-shirt varied greatly, starting from 50 baht (1 baht = IDR 300) up to 200 baht. And so too did the price vary of the characteristic silk clothes of Thailand. These prices varied according to the content of silk. On account of such great variations of price, some buyers often miscounted and got the goods at the same price as that obtained from the adjacent shop.
How do you bring your goods from the market to your hotel? Government of Thailand is very smart for this matter. Development of urban transportation keeps on being improved. Bangkok used to have a disorganized system of transportation, but now it should feel proud of many kinds of urban transportation modes. Traditional vehicles like Tuk Tuk still operate for short-range transportation. Then, there are taxis, buses and other sophisticated means such as subway train and cable car.
For the latter mode of transportation, a station is conveniently situated near or at the entrance of some markets. One of our group members who had bought many goods, got lost and was left behind on the cable car which made our other members panic. She ultimately arrived safely at hotel. “Nothing needs to make you fear here. Though Bangkok dwellers do not speak English they could show you the right direction,” uttered the woman who got lost.
(Next edition: Culinary Adventure)

It was revealed by the Head of AHRD, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, I Gusti Putu Laksaguna after inaugurating the training of Food & Beverage at the campus of STP Nusa Dua Bali, Friday (23/5) This event was attended by the Director of STP Bali, Made Sujana together with its staff, Head of Central Lombok Government Tourism Office, Abdul Somad and a number of officials related to the ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The training constitutes a program offered by Department of Culture and Tourism to provide professional human resources, chiefly in the domain of food production. According to him, Central Lombok has the beauty of nature and culture to become an alternative future destination. “Though it has not yet been developed to its maximum potential at this moment, in years to come it could draw visitors from Middle East,” uttered the former director of STP Bali.
For Balinese youngsters, Laksaguna added, the availability for professional workers in tourism domain is not a problem, but motivation is required for other regions, particularly pertaining to the economy and tourism for the region and its community. “Availability of professional workers in tourism field becomes a challenge for Indonesia in the future. On that account, the AHRD continues to organize tourism training,” he added.
In the meantime, Director of STP Bali, Made Sujana said that this was the second time training was held. It was attended by 30 participants who were generally youngsters with minimal educational background of Senior High School or Vocational High School. Such six-month training also gives opportunity for internship at hotels around Nusa Dua. “Should there be any participants showing outstanding achievement, it would open the possibility to be accepted as hotel employee in Bali,” he said.
Head of Central Lombok Government Tourism Office, Abdul Somad added that most of the community of Central Lombok does not have an awareness of tourism, whereas the potential of its tourism, both its nature and culture, is somewhat promising. For that purpose he would like to express his gratitude to Department of Culture and Tourism assisting his region and STP Bali being ready to provide such valuable training to his youngsters. (BTN/015)