Most travelers see
Thailand as a nation teeming with culture and historical relics that extend to
its numerous ancient cities—where iconic temples and reclining Buddha statues
abound. To some, a shopping haven;
to the younger generation, a multitude of islands ripe for an abundance of
revelry—especially come full moon nights and during the renowned cultural
festivals of Songkran and Loy Krathong.
For
Irish Karunungan and Eisa Ireneo Adelante, the reasons for wanting to visit
Thailand again range from culture, people and to food. “I decided to visit again to experience the
good food, culture and hospitality of the people of Thailand. I first visited
the country for 14 days a few years ago, but this time I wanted to share the
trip with some of my best friends,” Adelante tells.
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| Eisa Adelante shares a camera shot with Mario Maurer |
“My family and I were
debating between visiting Thailand or Hong Kong, and Macau for my nephew’s
graduation celebration. Having been to both countries before, I knew that each
had its own unique appeal. We ended up selecting Thailand, because when it came
to culture, fantastic food and, of course, awesome shopping—it just becomes the
obvious choice,” Karunungan says.
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| Irish Karunungan with Thai heartthrob Maurer |
Unbeknownst to the two
travelers, at the time they purchased their plane tickets, their decision to
book a trip to Thailand will present them an opportunity to meet and greet
Thailand’s most popular actor, Mario Maurer.
That
Mario Maurer surprise
While preparing for the
24th Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) Travel Expo, which took
place at the SMX Convention Center from February 10 to 12, the Tourism
Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized a program that will reward two lucky
travelers who will avail themselves a trip package to Thailand from
participating travel agencies during the travel expo.
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| Popular actor Maurer greets everyone aboard the boat. |
That surprise-of-a-gift
turned out to be an all-expense-paid three-night trip to Bangkok and Pattaya,
with the opportunity to go on an afternoon cruise with Maurer along the
historic Chao Phraya River. The two fortunate winners turned out to be
Karunungan and Adelante, who, after scoring good travel deals to Bangkok, also
got the wonderful surprise of their lives when the TAT called and informed them
of their Maurer date.
Experience
Thailand with Maurer
Ever since the TAT tapped
Maurer to be its tourism ambassador, the country has seen an uptick in the
numbers of young visitors from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Walailak Noypayak, TAT
executive director for the Asean, South Asia and South Pacific region, said,
“The next generation of potential travelers is going to be young people,
especially within Asia. We are happy that Mario Maurer is working with us in
promoting tourism to Thailand among these new emerging markets.”
True enough, the boy-next-
door actor who walks with a very likable and humble personality, despite his
snowballing popularity and the successes of his movies, such as Love of Siam,
Pee Mak and the Philippine-produced film Suddenly, It’s Magic, which he
costarred with Erich Gonzales—Maurer appears genuinely and passionately
committed to sharing the many gems his country has to offer to travelers—most
especially to young people.
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| Sunset over Chao Phraya River |
On-board the Supanniga
Cruise boat that cruises the Chao Phraya River, Maurer privately met with the
lucky fans and some members of the media at the back of the boat for an
intimate talk.
Having met Maurer, both
Karunungan and Adelante weren’t able to hide their excitement and joy from
their faces, as I sat down with them on the boat’s second-floor dining area
over a plate of delicious spring rolls.
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| Tasty bites aboard the Supanniga Cruise boat |
“Thailand’s biggest
heartthrob certainly did not disappoint. He was very gracious and generous with
his time. Even when his leather shoes got soaked from the spray of the Chao
Phraya River he just continued to chat and take pictures with me. The entire
trip was such a surreal experience and meeting Mario Maurer was the proverbial
icing on this cake,” shares Karunungan, as she beams in recollection of her
private moment with the Thai actor.
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| There are lots of interesting sights around Chao Phraya River |
“Meeting Maurer was
definitely a belated Valentine’s Day and advance birthday gift for me. I not
only get to experience a different side of Bangkok by cruising the Chao Phraya
River, I also had the chance to meet and talk to Maurer, who was so accommodating
and so into taking selfies with me,” Adelante narrates.
#AmazingThailand
As we wrapped up the
afternoon by navigating a scenic portion of the Chao Phraya River, we stared at
the sun starting to slide underneath the horizon, while the distant old temples
and towering skyscrapers of Bangkok slowly appear as silhouettes—a festive vibe
reigns over the boat.
Amid the shared laughter
of everyone, from fans and even those who have limited knowledge of Maurer,
such as myself, but similarly—all shared a developing fascination for Thailand;
its colorful culture, jovial people, majestic sights and sumptuous
cuisines. A look at each of our faces
depicts nothing else, but the joyful contentment of being at that place at that
exact moment.
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| Sunset |
Amazing Thailand indeed, I
told myself—and even without the promise of meeting another famed Thai
personality, I am pretty sure even the two Filipinos and their fellow winners
from Indonesia and Vietnam would agree; visiting and re-visiting Thailand much
like our own country; the Philippines, is a definite must for all travelers.
This article appeared on the March 19, 2017 issue of Business Mirror
