Thailand’s flyovers

In Bangkok I saw for myself government  infrastructure—multiple flyovers and flyovers.

Their flyovers are long and wide unlike the ones in  Cebu which are  short and only have two lanes. Thailand has  a mass transit system with   buses,  motorbikes and  trains.  There are no  jeepneys that are  the “kings of the road” in the Philippines,  especially in Cebu City. Traffic is bad in the city of Bangkok but in the outskirts where we went to the Rose Garden for an  elephant show and  boat ride  traffic was pleasant.  I think our politicians should visit Thailand if they are serious about adding flyovers in Cebu City.  The flyover design in Cebu City won’t work; it’s too short and  narrow.

Politicians should now listen to the  people,  especially  urban planners because these are experts who have studied their craft and know what they are talking about. We asked before why  politicians refuse to listen.

Bangkok doesn’t have jeepneys but traffic is still   bad in the city  except when going to the outlying  province. Bangkok roads are wide  and use multiple-layered flyovers but traffic is still bad  especially during peak hours.

One time it took us an hour to reach a place for dinner, which  would usually take a few minutes  on the road. Traffic was not just bumper to bumper, it was stalled in the rain.

The rivers I saw were super clean with no trash thrown in.  Thailand’s tourism is doing well with  14 million visitors by plane, without counting those who enter by land  from Vietnam, Cambodia and other places.

During our visit, we went to the Rose Garden where we  toured an  organic farm and harvested fresh produce, which we were taught to cook or  prepare for a vegetable salad. My good friend Honey Loop did the honor of concocting a very good salad while my tocayo Ricky Tio made a  concoction for soup that was not totally spicy but  so pleasant to my taste buds. We later  watched an elephant and crocodile show with a packed audience.

We were so amazed with Thailand’s growth. Many residents got their  education in the Philippines.  Our country, meanwhile, has fallen far behind.  I think  local government officials should experience in Thailand and learn, not just come to shop in its famous discount-friendly markets.

By the way, we had a pleasant flight to Bangkok and would like to thank the flight crew of Philippine Airlines for being so  passenger friendly to the group  with Consul General Bobby Joseph and Honey Loop. Allow me to express my sincerest gratitude to Ricky of Holiday Tours for including me in the familiarization tour, and travel companions Bobby and  Honey.

Honey was right when she told me that the benefit of travel was gaining  new experiences.

That’s what  happened to us in Siam Kempinski Hotel where my roommate Ricky  had difficulty having  a  shower.  Both of us didn’t know how to operate the bathroom fixtures. There was a bathtub but Ricky couldn’t shower there either because the stall had clear glass panes, which exposed the naked user to everyone in the bedroom.

We found out later that one has to press a button  to lower  the drapes in the bathroom. We had a good laugh over that  encounter.