One of the Southeast Asian countries I never get tired going back to is Thailand. Having visited this country countless times, every visit offers something new to the traveler.

Thailand offers the traveler more than its share of eye-popping wonders. I’ve floated down a steamy jungle stream on a makeshift raft and have been confronted by natives drinking Mekong whiskey and brandishing huge chunks of meat. I’ve indulged in a traditional Thai massage while lying on a tropical beach as soft as baby powder. I’ve enjoyed superb meals in a country where Thai food is known, refreshingly, just as “food”.

But even as one samples Thailand’s magnificent wonders, it’s impossible not to indulge in tacky calculations about how darned cheap they are. A descent Thai dinner for two, drinks included, for 600 Baht – wait a minute, that’s only 800 pesos! Hey, let’s have a look at the dessert menu!

Thailand has long been a good travel value, and has turned the country into a 24-hour sale-a-thon for many Filipino travelers who likewise enjoy shopping tours. Several years back, the exchange rate between the Philippine Peso and the Thai Baht was on equal footing. The slight Peso devaluation in recent years is a vivid reminder that, in the days of a global economy, one country’s economic meltdown is another’s holiday bargain.

Unlike the Philippine’s current state of political affairs, Thailand, by contrast, is one of the more stable governments in Southeast Asia, under a constitutional monarchy. While still an agrarian society (Thailand is the world’s leading exporter of rice), the country’s cities are filled with busy, well-educated folk driving late-model cars (Thailand is also known as Southeast Asia’s Transportation manufacturing capital) and modern cellular phones. Its people are unfailingly friendly – the Thais are world-class smilers – and view foreigners with curiosity rather than suspicion.

Thailand has a well-developed tourist industry that has launched an aggressive campaign to attract much needed foreign currency to supplement the country’s meager foreign currency reserve. Although the language barrier can be daunting, the Thai language is tonal and thus nearly impossible for tourists to master even with a phrasebook - most Thais speak at least a smattering of English (the words sometimes come out in funny ways, though; one Thai shopping center advertised itself as “The completeness center for everything you can find.”)

But even if the only Thai words you know are “pad thai’ and Sawasdee, you won’t exactly have to rough it, and you certainly won’t go broke. For not a lot of Baht, you can live like the King of Siam (old Thai name) himself, taking in Thailand’s wonders while folding your arms and imperiously pronouncing, “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”

To find out the best bargains in Thailand, many typical travel rules apply – do a lot of comparison-shopping; don’t be shy about haggling, since it’s a longstanding tradition in Asia and a buyer’s market besides; and don’t be afraid to walk away if the price isn’t right.

But an even better method of finding deals in Thailand is to adopt a particular frame of mind, a philosophy to guide you on your journey. Take the cue from Thailand’s dominant religion by following what Buddhists call “the Middle Way,” a path that avoids both excessive self-indulgence and extreme self-denial. The Middle Way method of traveling in Thailand sidesteps both high-end restaurants and hotels, where prices are often just as steep as anywhere else in the world, and super - cheap accommodations, which in a place like Bangkok can be downright scary.

Upon arrival at the airport, we immediately went to the hotel reservations desk gave the attendants our request – near the shopping area and not so expensive. Sensing that my traveling buddy and I were Filipinos, the hotel representative immediately told us to get the Paiyoke Suite near the Prathonam area – Avenida for point of reference. We stayed for a night but immediately moved out to the Dusit Hotel in the Patpong area, which was certainly a good way to get a quick start the following day. It’s best to begin your day early in Bangkok, since it takes a long time to get around this congested city of narrow streets and more than 8 million residents.

Taxis are plentiful and cheap – just like in Metro Manila you can go almost anywhere in Bangkok for under Pesos 500. Taxis are supplemented by tuk-tuks – three wheeled scooters with a two-passenger back seat covered by a canvas canopy. Tuk-tuks offer a complete assault on the senses – the motor spews blue smoke (most tuk-tuks now are powered by LPG) and sound like some of our local tricycles about to explode in a shower of sparks.

On our first day, we quickly visited the Grand Palace, the residence of the King of Siam until the constitutional monarchy was established in 1932. It’s overrun by tourists and picture-takers, with massive gold Buddhas, a soaring red-roofed temple and ornate carved dragons. The current King of Siam, incidentally, looks nothing like Yul Brynner, but more like an adult version of the science whiz in school. But be forewarned – the king is revered in Thailand and criticizing him in public is officially against the law.

We fared much better walking 10 minutes to Wat Pho, the oldest (16th Century) and largest Buddhist temple in Bangkok and largely ignored by visitors. Wat Pho is a complex of nearly two dozen ornate structures, including one housing a massive 140-foot-long gold Buddha, shown reaching nirvana. Just gazing at the serenely sublime statue is nearly enough to give you a “contact nirvana” of your own.

Inside Wat Pho is a school where a girl of 6 caught our eye and acknowledged our Filipino conversation and waved us with the traditional Thai greeting, a serenely radiant smile coupled with a slow, reverential bow with hands folded prayer like at the chin. There was so much soul contained in that simple gesture that it took our breaths away, and it remains one of those travel images you carry around with you for the rest of your life.

Perhaps the best part of Wat Pho – and one of the best values in all of Bangkok – is the on-site school of massage, which convenes each afternoon. There, under the watchful gaze of their teachers, students give traditional Thai massages for the astounding price of 200 Baht or roughly less than Pesos 300 an hour. Thai massage is aggressive, involving hard twisting and rubbing of muscles, particularly in the feet and legs, along with cracking of the joints. Thai massage is widely available in almost every nook and cranny of Thailand. Here in Bangkok even small parlors offer this type of services. However, you should be careful about what kind of massage you’re getting. Nonsexual massage is usually billed as “traditional” or “ancient” (even though the other kind of massage is probably older.)

What is a trip to Thailand without tasting the real Thai food? I’d never make it as a food critic in Thailand because all of my reviews would say, “The food was great and the prices were cheap.” Those who frequent Thai restaurants in Manila will recognize most of their favorites – satay, pad Thai and various kinds of yam (spicy Thai Salad), along with some dishes that haven’t made it to the Philippines, such as chicken-fried cartilage and pork jowl. A dinner and beer for two that costs Pesos 700 in Manila will set you back by about Pesos 300 here, and it’s not hard to find more modest restaurants that charge half as much. Like mid-range restaurants in Manila, there many modest restaurants and bars here that provides Karaoke music as entertainment, featuring Thais singing popular American tunes in unaccented English.

After a whirlwind tour of the city, my companion and I decided to upgrade to one of those fancy 5 star chain hotels. This time we checked in at the Royal Orchid Sheraton. As expected, this hotel features all the amenities you’d find at a 5-star hotel – color TV, a minibar, a decent shower and a fine free buffet breakfast with good coffee – all for just less than three hundred dollars.

In the nightstand beside the bed was “The Teachings of Buddha”. Paging through the book while lying in a comfortable and cushy bed, I reflected on the wisdom of the Middle Way, thinking that Buddha’s next reincarnation should be as a Thai travel guide.

Bangkok is as typical as Thailand as Manila is of the Philippines, loud, fast, vibrant and ultimately not very representative of the rest of the country. If you’re not a fan of big, bustling, smoggy cities, you’ll want to escape to the mountains north of the capital or the beaches to the south.

If you’re not in a hurry, one of the more civilized ways of getting around Thailand is by train. You can take an overnight sleeper car to the town of Chang Mai, 465 miles north of Bangkok on a 13-hour journey and wake up to rice paddies awaiting the summer rains. Chang Mai, is ringed by fog-laced hills and dotted with temples, and is a popular jump-off point for trekking into the countryside.

The highlight of our trip is a visit to one of Chang Mai’s many elephant camps where we took one of the elephant rides around the area. I was expecting a gentle orbit around a flat gravel track, something like the Dumbo ride at Disneyland Florida. Instead, the elephants lumbered into the jungle along a distressingly narrow hillside path, with a 30-foot drop in to the creek just an elephantine misstep away. At several points during the journey, the elephants stopped to feed, leaning precariously over the edge of the trail to snatch succulent forest greenery with their trunks.

The elephants plodded up a steep hill into a small village of straw huts inhabited by the Karen tribe, one of more than a dozen semi-nomadic tribes that inhabit the hills of northern Thailand. We rode to the final leg of our trek, a raft ride down a jungle stream. The rafts were simple Huck Finn affairs, crossed bamboo logs lashed together with ropes. Halfway through the hour-long ride, we drifted over to an embankment where we encountered a small group of hill-tribe party animals gulping Mekong whiskey and gnawing on some sort of meat on a spear. They offered to share their good fortune with the sort of sloppy insistence characteristic of those drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. I contemplated trying the whiskey, but opted to placate my friend, whose look said, “don’t even think about it.”

From Chang Mai, we flew Bangkok Airways to the beach resort island of Phuket. We stayed at the Royal Meridien Hotel overlooking Nai Harn Beach, near the southern tip of Phuket. The hotel features deluxe suites with sea views, a Jim Thompson boutique, tennis courts, a swimming pool and on – site Thai massage.

Having been used to right hand drive, my friend and I rented a jeep the following day and drove around the island. As it happened, the jeep died in Karon, reputedly the nicest beach in Phuket. We walked to the far end of the beach and comforted ourselves with the only sensible remedy to a stressful day – a Thai massage. As I lay on a downy Thai mattress getting a Pesos 300 massage, listening to the crashing surf and watching the sun dance off the jade green water, I couldn’t help but think, “et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”

How to Get to Thailand
One can catch three daily flights from Manila to Bangkok, with Thai International Airways or Philippine Airlines. Lufthansa and some other European and Middle East Airlines also offer discounted flights to the city of Angels. Check out your travel agents for special promotional fares (Hip Hop Pass).

Where to Stay
For budget travelers, there are a lot decent hotels to stay in within the city especially along the Patpong area. Anything calling itself a “guest house” offers Spartan backpacker digs; the Chart Guest House (58-62 Khao San Road) seems the best of the lot, featuring rooms ranging from US$5 to 15 a night, email service and a pleasant restaurant. For luxury travelers, The Royal Orchid Sheraton (+662 266 0123), The Oriental (+662-236-0400), The Grand Hyatt Erewhon, The Peninsula Bangkok and The Shangri-La Hotel offers reasonable rates and discounts including airport transfers and pickups, complimentary breakfast, high tea and dry cleaning.

Getting Around
For the love of Buddha, don’t rent a car in Bangkok. Taxis and tuk-tuks are plentiful and cheap, although communication can be difficult. It helps to have someone from your hotel write down your destination; grab a business card from your hotel to direct drivers on the way back. The most pleasant way to get from some points to others is by riverboat.

Taxis, tuk-tuks and songthaews (converted pickup trucks used as buses) are also available in Chiang Mai, and the town is small enough to explore on foot. Bicycles and motor scooters can also be rented near the town’s Main Square.

Renting a jeep in Phuket makes a little more sense, allowing you to tour the coast at your leisure. Rates range from US50 to US 75 a day.

Where to Eat
There are a lot of sit-down restaurants in Bangkok; many locals snack at the numerous noodle stands that line the city’s streets. The Whole Earth Restaurant (71 Sukhumvit Soi 26 and 93 Soi Lang Suan, near Siam Square has outstanding food, reasonable prices and a large vegetarian menu. The Windmill Restaurant (543-545 Silom Rd.) features excellent curries. There’s also a stretch of good restaurants along Sukhumvit Road in the downtown area.

In Chiang Mai, the Aroon Rai Restaurant (43-45 Kotchasaran Road) has a huge two-level seating area and very cheap prices for most entrees.

On Phuket, where seafood is a specialty, the Old Siam Restaurant on Karon Beach Road in Karon features dining on a second-story terrace overlooking the beach. At the Coconut Café on Nai Harn Beach, you can enjoy a Pesos 200 lunch of fresh seafood and a huge Thai beer.

Other information: Tourism Authority of Thailand, www.tat.or.th or www.amazingthaild.th, features a searchable database with information on shopping and tours.