... This and That ...: September 2005

Bangkok beckons

On a hot August evening braving the bustling crowds of Mumbai on a bus ride to Chembur little does one expect to get a phone call from your father who informs you of a trip to Bangkok next week. That’s exactly what happened to me. The temptation was too strong to resist. I was in a catch 22 situation. It was sinful to go and sinful not to go. Sinful to go because of the impending consequences of asking my boss for permission. Sinful not to go also because going places with my family have always been my life’s most cherished moments.

Amidst biting fingers and cracking knuckles I somehow asked my boss for a few day leave who was benevolent enough to grant it immediately in spite of truckloads of work at the office. Soon I completed some uncompleted work and bought tickets for Bangalore from where I would be flying to Bangkok. I woke up excitedly by six in the morning and left home by seven since the Indian Airlines flight was scheduled at half past nine. My Bangalore to Bangkok flight was to take off at 1345.In the ideal world I would have reached Bangalore at 1030 and this would give me a good buffer of 3 hours and 15 minutes for the Bangkok flight. It was here I realized that the world is a seldom an ideal place. The flight was delayed by one hour. When I called up my dad and broke this news to him his Blood pressure increased by 10 points. The only saving grace was that both flights were Indian Airlines and this was like a silver lining. Amidst getting shouted at from 800 kms away that I could have come the previous evening itself I broke the news to my dad that the flight was now scheduled to take off by 1130. Now the BP was rising in geometric progression. Soon we began making back up plans and further back up plans that the rest of the family would have to leave without me. And finally we started boarding by 1130 and the BP was in control. This would mean that I would reach Bangalore Airport by 1300 and have around 45 minutes for the formalities. And as we all sat smugly inside the Aircraft did not take off till 1200 hours! When I reached Bangalore at 1325 hours I had precisely 20 minutes to go through security check and immigration. I was simply whisked from the domestic aircraft, cruised through all these procedures and dumped into the International Aircraft. And here I saw 3 relieved faces smiling and waiting for me. Whew! One can only trust Indian Airlines to give you such escapades. Now the BP was plummeting like the speed and momentum of a bungee jumper.

Amidst Pepsi, peanuts and PJs we reached our destination in 3.5 hours. The aerial view of the city was beautiful with neat rows of towers, well planned roads, etc. At the airport we soon got some forex and headed to the VISA on arrival counter. The ride from the airport to the city was memorable. The cabs in the city are Toyota Corollas. We drove a cool 35 kms in 25 minutes flat. In Mumbai even if all vehicles are off the road you can never dream of even dreaming of something like this. Bangkok has always been known for traffic congestion, which they have tackled bravely. It was said that in the 80s where being stuck in the traffic for 3 to 4 hours was a common phenomenon the traffic cops used to actually boogie to keep stress levels of the drivers at bay. They have come a long way since then. Now traffic policemen don’t have to wear their dancing shoes to work.

We reached the hotel, which was in the heart of the city at Soi Sukhumvit. After some dinner we couldn’t help but admire the towers nearby which had the first 5 floors only for parking cars.

Next morning was a city tour day. It was the queen’s birthday and hence a public holiday. The city is very tourist friendly and very affordable. Price levels are comparable to Mumbai. We asked the cabbie to take us to the Grand Palace. Grand is an under statement for the Grand Palace. It was opulent. It looked like the entire place was bathed in gold. Sharing 945, 000 square metres of common ground the Wat Pra Kaeo was built by King Rama I and there are extensive murals of the Thai version of the Ramayana. There are a lot of interesting sights here including the Emerald Buddha, the intricate customs and traditions followed by the localites etc. One thing that amused us was that one is not allowed to enter the temple with inappropriate clothing. So one cannot dare to enter with shorts or a mini skirt. In that case you have to borrow a temple robe. Needless to say there was a long line here of mainly tourists.

Then we visited a couple of more Buddhist temples and drove around the city a bit. The city was as densely populated as Mumbai; but extremely well planned. The numerous flyovers, good quality roads, toll highways, sky trains made it very functional. It was a classic example of how a choking and unyielding city had metamorphosed into an international lithe global trading hub.

In the evening we witnessed a cabaret show called Mambo. There was everything – soulful songs, dramatic dances, extra ordinary sets, and lissome girls. The only difference was the performers were all transvestites. This I soon learnt is a huge phenomenon in Thailand. It is very common to spot these people and they lead near normal lives. Also flesh trade is a glaring business. Since it is legalized in the State it is as common as any other trade. At about an arm’s length away from our hotel there was Soi Cowboy, a red light area. Young girls trying to entice interested customers infested this place. For them it was like any other trade and they were thorough professionals. One cannot help but wonder the transient nature of this profession. It was a disturbing sight.

The next day we went about town to do some shopping. We went to Indra market at Pattunam. Here you can shop till you drop. You can choose to pick up really cheap stuff off the street or at the wholesale market or choose to go to a chic up market mall. The variety was mind-boggling. After doing some hard core bargaining we had bags full of souvenirs, clothes etc to take home.

Next in our schedule was rice barges cruise. This was supposed to be a tourist attraction where one is taken on a cruise on the Chao Praya river which is Bangkok’s life giving river. We were first taken on a speed boat across the river and were duly shown all the landmarks of the city such as a Cambodian temple of the dog, Wat Arun, National museum, floating markets etc. Then we were led into a klong or a canal. This was what made Bangkok once referred to as the ‘Venice of the east’. Houses, which were thousands of years old, stood sturdily touching the canals. There were postmen on boats, hawkers on boats and even eateries on boats. Some distance away there was some marshy land and on asking the guide if one could find crocodiles there he coyly retorted that you are more likely to find one on your plate. We soon disembarked at a Buddhist monastery that was by the riverbed and they had some pet fishes, which were royally fed. And here we embarked on a charming little rice barge where we pampered to some exotic Thai fruits like durians, litchis, pineapples etc. We soon got back to the hotel and were planning an adventure filled day at Pattaya!

Even the thought of waking up at half past four and heading for breakfast by six did not deter us from taking the coach to Pattaya the next morning at half past six. It had to be fun. Beaches, coral islands, water sports can never wear you off. It was a journey of 2 hours along with an adorable Japanese family. We drove past Laem Chabang industrial area, which was also one of the world’s leading transshipment ports. When we reached the place we were guided through the activities by our tour guide who was a smart cookie and knew his namastes and sayonaras. There was rain for a brief period and even this did not dampen their spirits. We did some para sailing and were ferried to a coral island. Here there was an array of activities starting from water walking, water scooters and snorkeling. We settled for snorkeling and water scooters. On the beach there were various little shops selling trinkets, sea shells, clothes, and other service providers such as tattooing, hair styling etc. It was vibrant sight to behold. We settled for water scooters and snorkeling and much to our chagrin could not spot any corals for they were far in the sea and besides were not meant for such easy viewing. Then we were taken in a glass-bottomed boat to see some corals. After this there was a visit to the world’s largest gem factory. The variety here was incredible. As part of the promotion of the store there was a 20 minute movie of a making of a gem where we were made to sit in a little train and taken through a little mine and shown hydraulic washing of gem stones and then cutting etc.

We returned to the hotel exhausted but contended. It was indeed a memorable day. The next day we had to take the flight back to Bangalore. As we packed our bags we also carried along with us took home along with us some precious gems which keep adding to the treasure trove of life’s beautiful experiences.

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About Me

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

The Paradox called life

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Bangkok Beckons