BANGKOK OASIS SPA
(Part 2, Bangkok series)


There are literally a thousand and one day spas in Bangkok, one of the reasons i don't mind going back again and again to this city. The way i figured it, i need to go to BKK for the next 384 years to try every single one of these spas!!

I literally stumbled upon the website of Bangkok Oasis Spa, and made reservations pronto. So it was, on a hot and humid Friday late afternoon, a Toyota Avanza (painted to look like some giant flower) parked at the driveway of the hotel and fetched us. Stepping inside the vehicle, one gets hit with the pleasantly intoxicating smell of aromatherapy oils. That's their service vehicle for you.
We engaged in some chitchat with the reception staff while scanning their spa menu. Hmm....this pandan juice they served us is really cool and refreshing! Wonder if i could ask for a whole pitcher?! :-D
The Oasis Spas group was founded in August 2003, and after operating 4 branches in different parts of the northern province of Chiang Mai, they opened their first branch in Bangkok just around February this year.

They informed us that the owners really made a huge effort to scour around for an ideal location before pushing through with this Bangkok branch. And i must say it was quite an inspired choice. Located along one of the sois (alleys) off Sukhumvit Road, the neighborhood is accessible, yet peaceful and quiet.

I'll let the pics do the talking at this point:

Entrance gate to the spa



Isn't this white house and manicured garden just lovely?



A closer look at the exterior facilities



Steps leading to the treatment rooms. Be careful so as not to
fall into the pond!




The sofa inside the main reception area


We availed of their Lanna Style package, essentially a Thai Traditional Massage, followed by a Thai Herbal Hot Compress, then followed by an Aromatic full body oil massage.

Quite great! I was so relaxed that i fell asleep; and when i was shaken gently awake and heard the dreaded words, "The treatment is finished, sir", i inwardly groaned and thought, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Can't i stay here forever?!"

Apparently not.

Darn.

(Bangkok Oasis Spa is located at 64 Soi Swaddee, Sukhumvit 31 Rd., Bangkok. Just go straight along the Soi, and you will see the Euro Grande Hotel on your left. Soon after, there is a HUGE sign [which you can't possibly miss] telling you to turn right to get to the spa.

The spa is open 10 AM to 10 PM everyday. Tel. no.: 662 262 2122. Reservations are recommended; check out www.bangkokoasis.com for full details on location/rates/packages)

GIPPLE, ANYONE?
(Part 1, Bangkok series)


Went with my friend R.T. recently to the City of Angels, me mainly for work and him for some R & R. (Yeah, he actually has memorized the full name of Bangkok; which, i believe, consists of something like 24 words or so)

Anyway, I was at the hotel lobby, sitting at the lounge area while waiting for a business associate to arrive for our meeting. With nothing much to do but wait, i glanced out of the window. . . and saw this:




Funny name, no?

Well, it turns out that the Thais pronounce it as one syllable, "puke", just like when it means "vomit". So, no, there is no double entendre meant here. Sayang [pitiful, isn't it?]

At any rate, it reminded me of that Seinfeld episode, "The Junior Mint", wherein Jerry couldn't remember the name of the woman he was dating. All he could recall was that her name rhymed with a certain female body part. In the end, she caught on and confronted him, and he was left to make wild guesses.

Mulva? Gipple, anyone?

WEIRDO ON THE LOOSE CAPTURED AND LOCKED UP AT ARKHAM ASYLUM


"Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about himself or herself. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to tag 6 people as well and list their names. Don't forget to let them know they've been tagged!"


Ack! I have just been tagged by my Corregidor travel writing & photography classmate J-O-H! Hmm...wonder why she tagged me?? ;-D

Anyway, here goes:

1. I don't like eating melons, but like melon shakes. And i prefer Buko Joe bottled coconut juice over the just-opened-with-a-bolo real coconut.

2. I used to think Bill Gates was the Anti-Christ, what with Microsoft's crappy yet pervasive software lording over most of the world's PCs. Now that he's devoted full-time to his foundation, i'm convinced more than ever that he is indeed the Anti-Christ!

3. I read newspapers section by section, and put them all back such that the paper looks all tidy and unread.

4. Same with my books, i don't fold the pages or jot down notes on the margins, and make sure the spine of the book doesn't have "stretch marks"....mainly so i can give them as gifts AFTER i read them! Hehe :-D

5. I don't wear (much less own) a wrist watch, on the theory that its weight would make my left arm longer than my right one.

6. I have this tendency to ask other people intensely personal questions, about their age, weight, marital status, gender preference (!), etc., often prefacing my query with "If you don't mind me asking. . . ."

Hah! As if i care whether they mind or not. . .i want answers!! ;-d


Jacs, JenCC, Carlos, Tophman, and Lei, you've all been tagged!