The Queen's Garden and a Khantoke Dinner

My journalist tour mate asked me if I wanted to tag along with him to another garden - the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens located in the outskirts of the city. He wanted to do an article on this. Of course, I said “yes.”

At the park, we were greeted by a vast, manicured landscape of emerald green grass with flowering bushes, elegant fountains, sculpted lotus ponds, and even a winding pool. At the centre of the park was a tree garden where auspicious trees from Thailand’s 76 provinces are planted in the shape of Thailand’s geographical map. There was also an orchid pavilion, a hiking trail covered by a trellis roof filled with climbing vines, indoor exhibits of local and foreign plants grouped according to their species and habitat, and greenhouses. It felt great to be this close to nature in the middle of the city.

My tour mate, who was some kind of a botany enthusiast, had the time of his life learning about the exotic species in the garden from the caretakers. And while he was interviewing the botanists, I walked around and snapped away pictures of myself against backdrops of orchids and tropical foliage.

That night, our last night in Thailand, we were treated to a traditional khantoke dinner. Khantoke is the name for the round, pedestal serving tray in which several small dishes are laid out to welcome guests or celebrate an occasion. We had a long, low table set up in front of a stage and as we dined seated on small pillows on the floor, we watched a show featuring local and indigenous dances. It was the perfect way to cap our Thai adventure. There we were, sitting under the moonlight, feeling the cool mountain breeze against our faces, watching the flames on the torch lights flicker all around us, and savouring the new flavors of our hearty feast of northern Thai specialties (which are quite different from the central Thai cuisine we are accustomed to).

The table set-up was exquisite. We had bamboo, coconut, and lacquer dinnerware and cutlery. Though there were wooden ladles and serving spoons, we were told that the traditional way of eating was with the fingers of the right hand – getting a small bite-sized portion of sticky rice, kneading it into a tight ball, dipping it in the sauce of the main dish and melding a portion of this dish into your rice, then popping it into your mouth. This was quite familiar for our group for this is done in the Philippines as well.

We enjoyed the Lanna-style chicken curry, Burmese pork curry, fried chicken, spicy chili dip, crispy noodles, sticky rice, and the northern delicacy of deep fried pork skin, similar to the Filipino chicharon. The meal came with soup, fresh veggies, and fruit bowls. The serving bowls were small, but unlimited refills were available to diners. Drinks, such as alcholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as coffee and tea, were also served.

The cultural show started halfway through the dinner. There was a small orchestra playing traditional instruments and dancers in gorgeous costumes. Most of the dance routines mimicked the daily rural chores such as planting and harvesting, or the movement of farm animals like the “Magic Fowls” dance. Others were more dramatic like the ferocious “Sword Dance” or the graceful “Fingernail Dance.” At the very end, the dancers formed a circle. This is called the Ramwong. After a few minutes of dancing, they invited the audience to participate. Some of my tour mates volunteered to go onstage. The dancers taught them the basic steps and then they were asked to join the circle. I was contented with watching and taking their pictures.

After the dinner and performance, we gathered around the dancers for a group shot and then we went back to the hotel to rest for our early morning flight to the Philippines the following day.

I arrived in Manila in the early afternoon. After unpacking and taking a power nap, I called my boss to let her know that I was back. She told me that she and the rest of our production team (hand-picked by the actor groom) were already in Baguio City for the pre-production of the celebrity wedding that was going to be held there, but there was an early-morning pull-out of some engineering crew the following day from the broadcast compound. She was hoping I could go with them so that I wouldn’t have to travel to Baguio all by myself. I told her it was not a problem.

I packed again after dinner and the next day, I was on the road to Baguio, a good nine-hour drive from Manila.

Upon arrival and checking in at my hotel, I immediately headed to the location of the first VTR shoot. They were taping one-on-one interviews with the bride and groom, and their family and friends at the park across the hotel. As I approached the staff, the groom, whom I had the pleasure of working with for years on his top-rating sitcom, walked over and teased me about being late. My boss told him, “Be nice to her. She just came back from a trip yesterday and didn’t hesitate to come here right away for you.”

He hugged me and asked where I had been. When I told him I was in Thailand, he asked whether I had relatives there or if I had to shoot a video segment there for work. I said I was there just for a short, personal holiday. He asked me why. See? That was how odd it was to go to Thailand for vacation in those days…even a celebrity, who was used to traveling extensively found it a bit strange. I just said, “Why not?” And when he asked again, “Why not Hong Kong or Singapore?” I replied, “Too common. And why not Thailand?” A couple of years later, he himself, went to Thailand to shoot a TV show.

Nowadays, nobody will ask you those questions anymore…even ordinary folks. Everybody goes to Thailand for vacation now.

Thank you, Thailand, for a most memorable week. Khob-Kun-Ka!

Photo Credits:

tourismthailand.org, mychiangmaitour.com, travelocity.com