Ramesh’s blog This is Me!!

My visit to Kathmandu and Pokhra

    The name Nepal just brought to my mind glimpses of slit eyed people and definitely that of the Himalayas. Other than that I did not think much of that mountain country to our North East. So when my wife suggested about going to Kathmandu with some friends of hers who knew the place well, I said okay in a half hearted manner. In hind sight I realize it was good that way because it had kept my expectations down. The short flight from Terminal 3 of IGI airport got us into Kathmandu in an hour and fifteen minutes. When we arrived, there were two old battered looking taxis to transport us to a three star hotel. Don’t know what got into one of the friends for she started speaking in what seemed like a Russian  accent behaving like a thorough tour guide and went about calling each of us “Toooorist” each time she addressed us from then on.

Having checked in, we were out in no time to sight see the place on foot and we were being guided by our able “tooor guide” through dusty crowded market places. And I was thinking that if this all there was to Kathmandu, I am  very hopeful of my next four days being all that exciting. Just a waste of time or so I thought.  It was not far from there that the street opened up to what might be the city square and with that so did my hopes. To one side of the square, where numerous people had congregated, was the house of the living Goddess. Sadly, it was just past the visiting time and the little Goddess had finished sitting by her window for the visitors to catch a glimpse of her. It was most interesting when our friends told us that us that very place where we were turned bloody each year during the festival months of October when several bulls were sacrificed in keeping with an age old tradition.

For the remaining three days we had our visits more or less chalked out and looking back I must admit it worked to clock work precision except for the four odd hours we lost due to a flat tire enroute to Basanthpur. Our Hotel Manager of Hotel Marshyangdi did nothing to help us out except make false promises of sending another car. During the days that followed, we travelled to Bouda – the world largest stupa, visited the Swayambu atop a hill and I looked around for a Khukri. By the way the coffee shop Flavor’s at Bouda has some yummy cakes that I highly recommend. For the ladies there is a shop selling some fine jewelry and precious stones.

On the third day after much eating and shopping and sightseeing not necessarily in that order, we rented a  van out for two days to take us to Pokhra – a place that was six hours away by road.  Enroute, after a two and a half hour long drive, we stopped at Mankamana 125 Kms to the West of Kathmandu. There are some lovely places by the river to photograph before hopping into the cable car ride to the top to visit the Mankamana Temple at the height of 1250 odd meters above sea level (by my latest Protrek watch which I am hoping was  accurate enough). The view from the temple is good but it could have been better ,I feel, had it not been for the hazy cover. The cable car ride was steep but nothing compared to the one I experienced at Langkawi. By the time we got to Pokhra we could barely see anything outside. Surprisingly though even in that dim light the snow capped mountains reflected enough light to make itself noticeable and the increased sound levels inside the van on sighting the mountain was indicative of the heightened excitement levels. That night, after checking in into the hotel all of us just strolled for a walk generally getting our bearings about the place straight.

The next morning at four we were ready for a short bus ride to a the sunrise point is called “Sarangkot View Point” located at 1600 m above sea level. As we got there we could only make out the silhouettes of other tourists gathered earlier than us all expectantly waiting to see the sunrise. It was not long before that spectacular event happened just before our eyes and I must admit watching the Machhapuchare  or the Fish Tail Monuntain as its called turn from a dark silhouette to a crimson orangish mountain was a sight in itself. That done we spent the rest of the day going boating on Feva Tal lake and spent a lot of time eating and shopping.

In all it was a good trip and considering that I went in with very little expectation, was I think the primary reason why I came back very satisfied. As my wife observed this was one visit when I was not my edgy self and seemed more relaxed. I guess it is purely attributable to the excellent guides we had to take us around. Not only did the guide treat us well as “Toooorists” ought to be but left no bit of planning to chance. So would I want to go back to the Magical kingdom of Nepal again? Well, with the same set of friends/guides… sure, why not? 

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My visit to Krabi

One way you know that a year has gone by so quickly is realising that you are planning in earnest and then packing for yet another holiday. After Langkawi  last year this year we aimed for a Family reunion at Krabi in the South East of Thailand.

Once again, my wife and I turned to Tripadvisor.com and started to look through the various airline websites for the best deals for air tickets and the best places to stay in. Without a doubt most travellers who blogged on Tripadvisor.com recommended we stay at Railay Beach (preferably West Railay) for that is where all the activities were. However after much debating and weighing our options and considering the possibility of having to wade through slushy soil during the low tides we decided on staying in Ao Nang instead for it was better connected to the mainland. Besides we had to give my fathers age its due.

Based on last years success at planning and executing the trip we felt so much at ease doing the bookings ourselves and in the process. AirIndia had the best deals on a to and fro ticket and so we grabbed it only to rely on Air Asia for the domestic flights from Bangkok to Krabi and back.

12 Jun 10 We arrived in Bangkok and spent the next two days generally catching up with family and shopping and of course deciding on what we would like to do while at Krabi. We browsed the net and decided on a hotel Ananta Burin in Ao Nang based on the reviews on Tripadvisor. The booking was done through AsiaWebDirect.com that offers the best prices than any hotel can directly through its own web site. We settled for a 4 nights package with airport pick up in a deluxe room pool facing. To my surprise we were sent two 10 seater vans at the airport and not charged any extra. The hotel itself is new and the staff polite, friendly and warm. Having got in at 1800 hrs we didn’t do much that evening except walk down the road to find a decent restaurant. We found one just as it was about to close but the food was good.

13 Jun 10 was a rainy day and we had to shelve our plans of going Rock Climbing at Railay Beach because getting to Railay depended on going by boat and we were not too sure to risk rock climbing on a rainy day. Instead we drove along the Noparathara Beach and went for lunch at a reputed Sea Food restaurant called Kruathara (I am not sure what the words After Tsunami on their board was intended to convey). They had displayed pictures taken seconds before Tsunami ravaged the place 6 years ago. The food was good and kids had fun watching live lobsters and strange looking crabs and ray fishes amongst other things in the aquarium. Later we walked on Noparathara beach and its an awesome sight to see a beach so lively and so packed with so many tiny crabs, and other shelled creatures and even an occasional Jelly fish. Having spent some time collecting shells and photographing the place and after the kids had their share of fun we returned to the cleaner waters of the hotel pool for more swimming.

14 Jun 10 With ten of us travelling together we could afford to charter a speed boat to ourselves and went on what is called a Three island tour. There are several islands to pick and chose from including the James Bond Island from the James Bond Movie. We picked Hong Island, the Lading Island and one other. It was the first experience of its kind to be zipping past so many rock masses jutting out of the water in various shapes and then to be taken into the cave like entrance to the mangroves. An occasional Jelly fish or two could be seen here an there. After the mangroves we left for Lading Island which was the designated lunch spot. After a good fill of Steamed rice and Thai chicken curry we ventured out into the waters to feed the schools of tiger fish with the left over rice only to be swarmed by them from all sides. An occasional white Jelly fish could be seen here and there and one got close enough to go past my wife’s leg leaving a jellyfish feeling and a burning sensation for a while. Hong Island was definitely the best stop where we got to snorkel and even take three turns of half an hour each canoeing with different family members. It was exhausting but fun as well. Of the lot, my niece and I surely showed such great synchronisation (see picture) in our movements that I suggested that we should form a team for the 2012 Olympics.

15 Jun 10 We decided on a half a day tour to go Elephant back riding through the thick vegetation and then to see the cat fish farm. We hadn’t planned anything for the afternoon and just as when my brother and I were coming under some serious criticism for poor planning and wasting a whole afternoon doing nothing the Rain Gods came to our rescue with a heavy downpour.

The elephant back ride was exciting no doubt with the kids definitely enjoying every bit of it. But having seen and experienced the bigger farm with over 250 odd elephants in Chiang Mai earlier, I didn’t find it all so impressive. The Cat Fish farm had so many different sizes of cat fishes and my brother could not ask help asking if they were feeding the unusually large ones any steroids.

16 Jun 10  Rock climbing was on the agenda and this meant having to go from Ao nang to Railay beach which is famous for its rock climbing locations. The trip was tailor made for our requirements and what is usually offered as a half day tour was converted into a full day tour with lunch thrown in as well. Once again we had a long tail boat all to ourselves. After a brief halt at the store to pick up climbing gear we were set for our maiden attempt at rock climbing. At first, when Judith – our German tour operator said the max height we might climb to as beginners would be only 30mts it seemed like a cake walk. A fifteen minute boat ride later when I came face to face with the rock face, I must admit I had my doubts … I could feel my acrophobia taking over.

That not withstanding I decided to give it a go but only after letting the kids try first. And my older son went up with no hassles and so did my niece. Now if nothing else at least for face saving I had to make an attempt of be categorised as a coward. So force I did and of the three possible levels a beginner could climb to – 10 mts, 20 mts and 30 mts – I got to the 10 mt mark easily. But as I was being lowered I had already decided that the 20 and the 30 were not my cup of tea. After lunch we walked to the eastern side of the island and then came the lovely beach into view. Oh it’s a spectacular sight to see and there was more rock climbing for those who were interested. While most of the family got busy playing in the sea, I tried my hand at building sand castles. In no time I had a few interested bystanders peering over me as I dug out a deep moat around my castle.

On the way back after an hour or so in the sea we decided to trek up the mountain to see a lagoon and view point. While my son accompanied my brother I took my niece and went our separate ways. Somewhere in between we lost them and we went ahead to find the lagoon. As it turned out the others only got to see the view point  where as we were the only two who got to see the Lagoon albeit from a distance. I was not comfortable taking her down the steep mountain slopes wearing her slippery plastic shoes. The way down from the visit to the view point and the lagoon  was quite tiring more so because I was worried for the safety of  my niece. I was sweating profusely as I normally do but when we finally got back to the rest of the family my niece was cheeky enough to claim she was not scared one bit but it was I who was and that I was sweating because I was so stressed out due to the fear of heights. Obviously my maiden attempt at rock climbing earlier that morning had not been enough.

Just for the sake of not regretting not having tried, tired as I was (or do I say stressed out as I was)  after the trek up and down to see the lagoon, I decided to give the 20 mtr  mark a go. I must admit I was doing fine only lowing upwards not looking down until my guide said something. To clarify what he uttered I made the mistake of looking down and that was curtains for me.

Now recollecting I realise it so funny and irrational how fear can affect us so much. We headed back to the hotel. After a change we headed out to a supposedly good sea food restaurant – The Ao Nang Sea Food Restaurant. The least I could say is Don’t go there. They are over priced, offer poor service and charge you an additional 3% on credit card payments for something that can be had for a third of the cost elsewhere.

After enjoying 5 days at Krabi, on 17th we headed for Bangkok.

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My visit to KL and Langkawi

Planning a maiden trip to someplace where no one we knew lived was not going to be easy. So Malaysia it was and it was around early May that we started reading up hotel reviews and checking on airline deals etc online.  The recession globally, if any, only made it easy for us to get far too many offers than we could handle. Just to give us an idea on how much one should expect to spend, we also tasked a reputed Travel Agency to work out a 7 day tour package for us.

Langkawi came as the natural choice of the second place to visit in Malaysia when Silk Air extended us a fantastic promotional offer at the time I went in to book my tickets. And this was one time when I enjoyed the benefits of working for the Indian Government in full measure for at a time when more than half the world  reeling  under a falling economy not only was I getting a fantastic pay hike but also the arrears in one go.

08 Jun 09 - We finally arrived in KL airport after spending 6 hours in Singapore. I knew the city was a good 50 minutes away. A car ride was inescapable I knew all along but I didn’t realize that for what I paid I would be travelling in a gleaming black chauffeur-driven Mercedes. My elder son jumped into the front seat unable to contain his excitement and some forty five minutes later I could hear the chorus of both of them echoing their “Wowwwws” when the Petronas Tower came into view. Our hotel the Dorsett Regency - one of the few that offered quad occupancy in the heart of KL - was very close to the Petronas and without a doubt we were received in great style when the doors of the Merc were opened.

Four days in KL was adequate to go around and see what was worth seeing. KL being a bit city, sometimes it can take a good part of a day going from one place to another. We soon realized that it was best to take a Taxi on a daily hire basis on a fixed rate and that automatically ensured we had a cab waiting for us wherever we went. During the four days we went around to Batu caves, The Royal Selangor Pewter factory, The National zoo (Zoo Negara) and to the top of the Menera towers and Beryl’s Chocolate factory besides walking the streets of KL and shopping around. Despite our best attempts, we didn’t find an authentic Malay food restaurant in KL. It was disappointing!

12 Jun 09 - After four days in KL I didn’t know what to expect of Langkawi except for what I had seen from a few photographs  and hotel reviews I had read online. We all certainly looked forward to tasting some authentic Malay food after not having got much whilst in KL. It was on the Air Asia flight that I finally got to have some Nasi Aayam (or Chicken fried rice and it was mmm to say the least ' possibly because I was hungry too).

Talking about the Air Asia flight I am reminded about the previous evening we got down to telling our sons about flying over water and stuff like that when my younger one asked me if we would land on water. It was just one day before that over 130 people had died in that mysterious disappearance of the Air France aircraft over the Atlantic on its way from Brazil to Paris and I couldn’t help recollecting that as I answered my son by saying “We just might … one just did yesterday and a lot of people died”. By the time I realized I had made a terrible mistake he was crying his lungs out in mortal fear refusing to fly the following day. Fortunately and thankfully there are these Happy Meals from McDonalds that do a fantastic job in diverting the attention in times like these and believe me they work their magic every time. 

Langkawi being among the biggest of the islands there, was connected to the mainland by air and by ferry service. The drive to City Bay View hotel took us about 25 minutes. Langkawi being so close to the Thai coast has a fair mix of Malays and a small Thai speaking population with few Chinese or Tamilians compared to the mainland.

The hotel room was bigger than the one we had in KL and the view from the room was breathtakingly beautiful. Sitting on the bed with the curtains drawn one could see the bay and the yachts at a distance and each morning I couldn’t help the sing the song “…Oh those sailing boats with their sails afloat..if only I could see…that familiar sunrise through sleepy eyes…how happy I would be”.

The first evening we just walked around a bit near the hotel the first evening familiarizing ourselves with the area before hopping into a restaurant to have our first real Malay meal. It was all I had anticipated! The following day I flagged a Taxi down and struck a deal with him as we did in KL to take us around on a fixed price per day basis. Nazzer, our driver, had a lisp to his talk but was a kind man and over the next few days grew friendly enough to take us over to his house. He showed me a portion of the house he had built himself indicating to me he too was a DIY buff. His collection of antiques ' irons, wall clocks, coins and china ' was interesting. Nazzer took us to the Underwater world, the Black sand beach, the secluded but beautiful Tan Jung Rhu beach, the waterfall in the Book Village which is a library, where we all played in the cool waters. The high point of our stay there and quite literally was the cable car ride. The ride to the top of the 720 odd meter high mountain through a 42 degree incline as it climbed had me sitting on the edge of my seat clutching onto anything and everything I could lay my hands on while my sons had a hearty laugh seeing my mortal fear of heights.

Of the two places I fell in love with Langkawi and the fact that there were only about 50000 people on the entire island made it appealing. It was quiet yet not too quiet, it had all the modern facilities and connectivity and it was in the centre of South East Asia. The fact that it was a Duty Free Port made it even more attractive as a destination to visit. Having travelled quite a bit around South East Asia, I found the absence of that unfriendly, rude, cold feeling one gets in Singapore (Sorry Singapore!!) while interacting with the locals contributing the most to making me feel at home.

Before long we were packing our bags to get back home my wife suggested that we should try and come back to Langkawi next year. Well the heart desires for sure'.who knows? Just as my Taxi Driver replied to me when I asked him on the way to the airport if he had been for a Haj, I think I will leave it to destiny and 'Insha Allah' we will come back.

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My Visit to Rajasthan

'How about Rajasthan this year?' asked my wife a few months ago as we sat planning on the October Puja-break. Rajasthan surely sounded different from any of the holidays we had done where we would usually run home to our family. Rajasthan also posed different challenges ' accommodation, food, transport and of course finances but not withstanding I said Okay. We can do Jaipur and Jaisalmer I suggested as the planning started in earnest a few days from then.

Jaipur brought to my mind names of Hawa Mehal, Sheesh Mehal and a few other names from the school text books where as I was blank about Jaisalmer. Infact only when I looked it up on the map did I realize how close to the India ' Pak border we were going to go. The thought of staying out in the desert in a tent braving the harsh weather and going for a day long camel safari all seemed interesting enough. The Internet websites YouTube and Virtualtourist.com if any only gave us more details of what to expect while whetting out curiosity more with the bits and pieces that they didn't cover.

Through a friend of mine in the Army, I managed to get the assurance that things will be taken care of in Jaipur. I was assured of a place to stay, transport to take us around and all we needed to do was sightsee and shop.. Fortunately for us I managed to get the required reservations in 2^nd / 3^rd AC on the Rajadhanis and Shatabdhis ' another first for us ' and that was like half the worries over.

09 Oct 08 ' We were heading towards Delhi. As luck would have it the children found some friends of the same age group and for the forty two odd hours that we travelled the kids displayed no signs of any lazy bones in their body climbing and crawling and swinging from berth to berth. My younger son even composed a song during the journey 'Ooooonapamama anganganga 'Achan is a monkey on a tree'.. Ooooonapamama anganganga'..He is a baboon' and sang it loud only to be received by our co passengers with loud cheers and laughs.

After two days in the capital which the kids enjoyed going to the Malls, Teen Murthi Bhavan, Gurgaon and of course McDonalds (and McDonalds again and again), the early morning of the 13^th found us chugging along to Jaipur in the Shatabdi. Having reached the army mess, we quickly had lunch and spent the rest of the day sightseeing. We managed to tuck in Hawa Mehal, Jantar Manthar, Jaipur Palace all in one afternoon. Though there was some restoration activity going on we managed to get to the top of Hawa Mehal only to be treated to a lovely view of the city and the forts that lay at a distance. Truly an architectural marvel ' the Hawa Mehal ' in the manner it manages to stay so cool inside even on a hot afternoon.

Mohammed Sayeed, our autorickshaw driver, with whom we had signed a whole day contract to take us around seemed to know the place well and if that was not enough he even took care of our belongings at each place as went sightseeing. Chokidhani is a place that came highly recommended by my friends and Mohammed Sayeed suggested we keep that for the evening. (Its open from about 1800 to midnight).

After a long day towards evening it seemed like we had enough energy still left in us to go spend another 2 to 3 hours at Chokkidaani. For my wife I guess it must be the New ring I bought her that kept her mind occupied from thinking how tired she really was and as for my children perhaps it was the thought of getting a chance to see Elephants and Camels at this 'place' we were going to.

Chokkidaani was definitely a place worth visitng. I realized that the minute we entered and amidst all the cultural things on display in various corners of the resort, it was amazing how my wife's nose picked up the smell of the Paani puri and Gol Guppas and made a bee line for the stall first. 7 minutes and 32 Paani Puri's later we decided to go in for the free dinner before looking around the place. The dinner was a sit down dinner and no sooner than we sat down I had a Pagadi (turban) on my head and I was being called the Sethji where as my wife was being referred to as Sethaniji. The food was based on an unlimited Thaali concept and the food was Vegetarion, traditional and mmmmmmmmmmm to say the least. Just as we thought we were so full and getting ready to get up did these guys come and serve us  some Kichidi, Desi Ghee and powdered sugar.  We thought we would burst at the seams if we had any more but at their insistence I tried one spoon of it and God ! it just melted away in my mouth. The rest of the evening was spent going around from stall to stall ' dances, puppetry, magic shows and even Mehendi on my wife's hand. It finally culminated in a Elephant ride.

The following day was spent going uphill towards the Amber Fort and once again my trusted friend and guide Mohammed Sayeed kept all the other touts and guides at bay. We had a chance to see the biggest cannon on wheels before returning to the city only to head to my favourite haunt ' Tanishq to buy my wife some traditional jewellery (More incentive to keep her tired legs going I suppose). By night we were all set to leave for Jaisalmer.

'The train usually runs late' the auto rickshaw driver had warned as we were finishing the second day of sightseeing at Jaipur. Mohammed Sayeed had become our trusted auto driver, guide and friend over the previous two days and had done his bit to showcase the best of Jaipur to us. By 2300 we had got ourselves dropped off at the railway station. Just as Mohammed had predicted the train that was scheduled to arrive at 2350 hrs pulled in one hour late by which time both kids were sleepy and tired and my wife looked drained out as well.

When I woke up the following morning it was nice and bright and the absence of vegetation was prominently noticeable. Jaisalmer was the closest I had travelled to the Indo'Pak border. A little later the train stopped at Pokhran station and it was only when I spotted a whole lot of Army Jawans detrain that I noticed the station's name. With little time to lose I got both my sons out of the train to click a photograph of theirs at this station famous for the Nuclear Blasts our nation conducted some years ago.

Finally by 1400 hrs that day the train slowly pulled into its last stop by which time my tour operator Oasis India Camps had already text messaged me the number of the Taxi that had been sent to pick us up. 45 kilometers later the air-conditioned-Indica taxi came to a halt outside the Camp. From the entrance one could see the 35 odd tents neatly pitched in nearly two acres of land. The cold bottle of Distilled water that we were given was truly a WELCOME drink in every sense of the word. We were shown to our tents and I was pleased that we got what we had been promised on the web site.

A camel-back ride into the sunset was the first thing on the agenda and the kids were excited about it. Having read up on several websites we had come prepared with face creams, cameras, boxer shorts and even a cushions each for all of us as many tourist had blogged about how painful a camel ride can get. The evening's camel ride found the kids screaming for their lives in total fear as the camels lifted themselves up on all fours. With me holding the younger one and with the passage of time the screaming slowly died down as we headed towards the nearest Sand dune. Each time the camel made its way up the slope of the dunes one could hear the reemergence of the screams and cries but only to last for a while.

The sunset was beautiful no doubt and while we were explored the dunes, we were treated to some haunting music from an Algoza. The kids (and wifey was no exception) had a rolling time on the dunes. In the evening we enjoyed the program watching the young ladies gyrate their hips to some Rajasthani music and taking an occasional swig of some fine Lagavulin from my hip flask.

The following day started early after stuffing ourselves with some scrambled eggs and Aloo sabji with Paratha. The kids looked forward to the long day on the camel back in the grueling heat. Actually none of us knew what to expect and that made it even more interesting. Both kids had opted to ride with one of the parents and the younger one stuck to me (as he normally does only when he is on unchartered territory). Sunblocks, caps, scarfs and lots of water bottles had been packed into our backpacks as we mounted the noisy beasts of burden at 0830 hrs. The walk on my camel (Rocket) to the nearest dune we had visited the previous evening was familiar turf but thereafter it was the Desert National Park territory. On the way as the sun got hotter with each passing minute we were lucky to see some bouncing deer, sheep and even a desert fox. Kids seemed to have grown a lot bolder overnight and our guide Mr Ali talked us through the entire way.

By 1100 we were at yet another big Sand dune that seemed untouched by tourists. We stopped there to let the camels rest a while. Kids just wanted to jump and roll in the sand but I forbid them. We walked some distance with the camels and on the way we saw several chameleons and smaller reptiles. I came across a good skull (with the horns intact) of a goat. I was so tempted to pick it up and take it home and my guide Mr Ali reminded me about what had happened with Salman Khan in the black buck case and so I dropped the idea.

With our lips parched and stomachs rumbling for lunch we could hardly wait for lunch to be brought on a camel cart to the designated place. The paraphernalia included tables, chairs, floor mat, a decanter for water to wash our hands, bottles of Mineral water and some really yummy food. A short rest later by 3.30 pm we were on our way back to the Sunset dune. By then the Sun was rather cruel and the breeze had died down. The guide let me have a go at controlling his camel too. Hard as I tried to break the camel into a run, the beast paid no heed and then no sooner than the guide made a clicky sound the camel would run. The day faded into the evening. I sat on the reclining chair outside my tent reflecting on the holiday and saying to myself 'I couldn't have thought of a better way to have welcomed in my 40^th Birthday'.

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My visit to Bangkok and Chiang Mai

It was after 6 long years that I went back to Thailand on a holiday. Sitting inside the Kochi airport, I could already recollect the smell of Kao Pat Kai and Tom Yam Kung that I had so long ago. It even got my mouth watering. This time I had planned not to spend my time just in Bangkok alone but also to go to some part of Thailand that I had never seen and also if possible try and catch up with some old classmates of mine.

Suwarnabhumi ' the new airport where I landed - is truly an engineering marvel and it is supposed to be a very energy efficient design. Getting out of the four level airport and meeting up with my father indeed took some time. Once outside I could almost immediately tell that Bangkok had changed so much in the last six years - elevated expressways and multilevel roadways and really wide roads. What ever happened to the traffic congestions that this place was so notorious for ? - I wondered

Over the next ten days I went about doing bits of shopping but mostly going around places I was once familiar with which looked so transformed now. The MRT system had made commuting locally so much easier. However the only problem with the MRT system was that it was limited to Bangkok city. Within the first few days I had decided the place I was going to visit would be the Northern Province of Chiang Mai - the old capital of the Lanna Dynasty which is also famous for its elephant farm and rich cultural centres.

For the days I spent in Bangkok, I wondered how much this small Kingdom had changed. The Thai Baht which fetched once Rs 10 in exchange for Baht 25 eighteen years ago today fetches Rs 30. At a time when the Indian Rupee is growing stronger that is saying a lot about the local currency. The Kingdom known better for its tourism (or was it sex tourism alone) has come a long way to become the world's biggest exporter of Rice and also a major exporter of finished electronic goods. On the cards are also plans to convert Bangkok into the Detroit of the east ' producing all the important cars. It is not surprising then that I even saw a TATA car advertisement in the local television.

There is not a day that I spent there that I didn't enjoy the wide variety of Thai food available to me ' be it in large department stores or by the street sides. Mmmmmmmm Thai food is really unmatched. One other thing I experienced while I was there in Bangkok after many many years was a haircut. My! the way these guys literally pick each strand of hair and cut it treating them with such care really can put one to sleep. And I kept thinking to myself if this is the Thai haircut what might the Thai massage be like ' No wonder then that they say one night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.

Chiang Mai was much quieter and nicer and we stayed at what was called the Night Bazaar inn very close to the Night Bazaar ' a year long attraction so typical of Chiang Mai. In the three days I had in Chiang Mai we (my dad and I) had not a minute to waste. If a visit to a Buddhist Temple and a visit to a local tribal village was what kept us busy on the first day, it was the day long visit to the Elephant park and Orchid farm that was on the cards on the second day.

Of the places I visited, without a doubt the elephant farm was the most enjoyable. Hailing from a state in India that parades its elephants for practically every temple function, I had grown up seeing elephants, I didn't think the Elephant farm will have very much to enthuse me. After all having witnessed the Thrissur Pooram festival where one gets to see over 20 elephants paraded in front of the Temple, I thought I had seen it all. I was so wrong. But on all those occasions, the elephants, I remember were chained and had a mahout poking and prodding with his sharp stick.

The elephant farm had over a 150 elephants and if the number did not surprise me, their best behaviour most certainly did. Not one of them ' unlike those elephants at the Pooram which are chained and constantly poked and prodded by the mahouts - had any chains on their legs and none of them needed any close supervision of their mahouts. If anything they were extremely naughty and playful. One even snatched a bunch of bananas from my hand from behind when I least expected it. To watch them play football and paint was such fun. Once the hour long programme got over I was treated to a 45 minute long elephant back ride through the thick jungles, crossing the river and up and down the hilly terrain and through the marshy land.

It was undoubtedly the high point of my trip to Chiang Mai. And what better way to end the trip than with a visit to the Cultural Centre to watch a traditional dance show while I sat on the floor being treated to some exquisite Thai cuisine. It is amazing how time flies when you are having a really good time.

Before I knew it, my stay in Chiang Mai was over and in a few more days I found myself packing to get back to India. But as I mentioned before, this was one holiday that was very different from all my previous trips to Thailand for this time I saw an interesting part of the Kingdom. I am already looking forward to yet another trip to the magical Kingdom which welcomes all its tourists with a pleasant Sawadeekap greeting an open arms.

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My visit to Pondicherry

Some days ago I had written about Summer vacation 07 and had mentioned about a trip to some place. Well this is it….

I am not a very religious man if any I tend towards becoming an atheist more than a believer. So my wife telling me that if we were to go to Pondicherry and visit the Aurobindo Ashram, I should be willing to do it with an open mind without any preconceived notions made perfect sense.

I read a number of Travel related blogs to see what other visitors had to say particularly with respect to their stay at the Ashram facility. I was frankly a bit disappointed from what I read as there seemed to be more complaints than compliments. Some sites had racial discrimination reports - Indians telling off foreign tourists in a very inhospitable way. Critical as I am of life and the places I go to, I was in two minds whether to go ahead with the trip or to cancel it altogether and find some other place to go to. That's when my wife reminded me to try going there with an open mind and I decided to give it a try.

The trip started with a bus journey across the 600 Kms that separated me from Pondicherry on a Volvo Bus. It was a little over 13 hours that the bus ride would take and friends had warned us about the summer heat. With minutes left for the bus to depart, my older son managed to hurt his head as he turned to take a leak (Indian ishtyle) under a hoarding sign. The rusted frame of the hoarding cut into his scalp and now I was worried about the tetanus shot which automatically became Item No 1 on my TO DO LIST at Pondicherry the next day. My aunt (84 years old) who accompanied us found it too cold inside the bus but otherwise did fine.

Day 1. We reached Pondicherry at 6 AM and a short auto ride later we were at the gates of the Cottage Guest House. "An Open Mind" I reminded myself as I passed through the main gates. Two rooms were quickly made available to us and contrary to what I read in some of the blogs, the rooms were very neat, the bathrooms were clean and the beds were made and requisite towels were kept ready too. Water was kept in one corner in an earthen pot ' natural refrigerators of the yesteryears. First impression from me after having traveled fairly extensively, full marks for the simplicity, the cleanliness and the price tag above all that was attached to it. After a quick wash, I got my tokens for the meals. Three meals for a person cost Rs20/- (yet another chance for all of us to say wow and that's what we did when we were served our first meal). Without wasting much time I headed to the Ashram-run dispensary and as I walked, I noticed the old tiled roads and the French architecture on both sides. After the shot was given to my son, when I asked how much I was told "We don't charge however, if you want to, you may put in money into the offering box" I quickly put a 50 rupee note into box and left.

After the lunch we headed for Auroville and I was impressed with the manner in which barren land has been converted into such a green place. Barring that and seeing the Mathrimandir from a distance and shopping at the shop there, there was really not much to report. The Mathrimandir itself is a huge spherical shaped structure plated with Golden coloured plates. I am told inside is a huge crystal onto which suns rays are focussed throughout the day to light up the centrally airconditioned sphere. Visitors were not permitted into this sphere which is primarily used for meditation unless you have a special pass issued from earlier visits or you were a VIP.

The summer heat made our thirst unquenchable. By evening we were ready for an early dinner at the Dining Hall as the place is called standing in a queue to collect our plates and be served. Each meal there though simple was very nutritious and yummy. One is expected to dump all the uneaten stuff into a trash bin before handing it over to be washed by the volunteers there.

Day 2

Day2 started rather early with us wanting to make it for the early morning breakfast at 6 AM. Thereafter the first half of the day was spent in what was called a city tour that took us around the Botanical Gardens, The Museum, The Aquarium, and also for boating. Later we headed for the FabIndia outlet where I bought two short Kurtas for myself while my wife looked around for some more stuff. I realized shopping in Pondicherry was definitely cheaper than buying from the FabIndia outlet in Kochi.

Day 3.

Being the last day in Pondicherry, I did not want to push my aunt much more than I had already in the last two days. She seemed to have withstood the taxing visits quite well for her age and her face looked tired. There was one other place that remained to be visited having come this far ' the Aurobindo Ashram. So I talked my aunt into accompanying us there before getting back to her room. The rest of the morning I spent the time in the park with my family watching my sons go up and down the various slides and merry go rounds etc. There was not much to be done in this Spiritual place and on the whole it was a decent holiday. Personally, I was pleased that I had been able to take my aunt to some place where she had not gone before. I would not mind going back there once again in my old age . But that's a long way off isn't it??

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My visit to Israel

It was December 2004 and I was told on very short notice that I would have to go to Israel to attend some meeting. For someone who loves to travel here was another opportunity staring me in the eyes and I didn't want to say NO.

The route had been finalized and we were to travel from Mumbai (where I was based then) on EL AL their national carrier all the way to Israel and by Air India via London on the way back.

Waiting at the Mumbai airport for the checking in was such a different kind of an experience. Despite my bag having been screened by the XRay machine by the Indian Security guys, EL AL airline had cordoned off an area and not only did they run a special detector on the outside (and occasionally insides) of the bag but also they asked me a lot of questions on where I was heading and what my purpose of the visit was etc. Beyond a point when I told them I would not want to disclose the purpose of my visit, I was impressed with the confidant tone in which the lady said "Ok never mind we will find out before you land there through our own sources". And I knew they meant every word of it. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them at the check in counter were under cover Mossad agents. One thing was certain Security was no monkey business for these proud guys. After all, their survival depended on it.

After 7 long hours we finally reached Tel Aviv airport in the wee hours of the morning and there was someone waiting for us to see us through the Immigration formalities. Israeli Immigration is something I had heard of from my other colleagues who had been there earlier and I was mentally prepared for at least 45 minutes of interrogation and may be some frisking too (by some pretty Israeli secret service female agents). Unfortunately, we were out at the baggage claim in less than 20 minutes after landing there thanks to the efficient manner in which we were conducted through the whole process .

The new airport seemed very impressive. However, for an airport that big, I don't seem to remember seeing very many aircraft. I attributed it to landing there at such unearthly hours. In another half an hour I had been checked into the Carlton Hotel on what was one of the busiest roads around there. There were three Sheratons, a Hilton and not to mention a whole lot of embassies on that road alone. On the other side was the beach. It was nippy and my Biological clock was in no way instructing me to switch off and go to sleep. I forced myself onto the soft mattress and somewhere in time I must have dozed off only to be woken by a knock by my neighbor (my colleague) some hours later.

For the next three days we worked till late on most days only getting back on time for a late dinner. The food was good but after a few days I realized that the choices were limited. It was nearly the same thing every single day. One interesting thing I did notice was that if one were to have a fish preparation for dinner and later ask for a glass of milk they would refuse to give it to you. It took me some time to come to terms with being refused when I was willing to pay for what I was having. Any way I reasoned it to be because milk and fish don't go too well. Infact we say it back home too just that we don't enforce it as strictly.

Saturdays are days of Sabbath and everything comes to a standstill. By religious beliefs, Jews are not expected to do any work. So on days of Sabbath  you don't get served hot milk in the restaraunts because that involves heating. Lifts are programmed to stop at every floor so that one does not have to even push the button. The roads are so empty and its nice to drive around.

For the lone weekend we had, it was decided that we would go North one day and South the other day. So on the first day we drove up North to see the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights and Nazareth ' the birth place of Jesus. All along the way I noticed large tracts of land where drip irrigation had been resorted to.

The Sea of Galilee is famous for the reason that it is here that many of Christ's  miracles were recorded - his walking on water, calming a storm, feeding five thousand people (in Tabgha) from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and many others.

The Golan Heights , my guide explained, was of immense significance to the Israelis as it bordered the Sea of Galilee ' the largest fresh water source anywhere in Israel. Also bordering thhe sea was Syria and any attempt to even poison the waters can have severe implications on the Israeli population.

Nazareth is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical associations. Today, Nazareth is the capital of the North District of Israel, as well as the largest Arab Israeli city in Israel. Apart from a visit to a church there and a walk through the market place, there was really not much to see there. But to realise that I must be one of those few people to have gone to both the Vatican and to have visited Nazereth definitely  made me feel special and previleged. By evening I was in my hotel room getting ready for an early dinner and ready to get into bed early knowing well I had to wake up early again next morning.

The next morning after breakfast we set out to see the Jerusalem and the very place where Christ is believed to have been born - which was under Palestinian control and there after to visit the Dead sea. The drive itself must have taken no longer than anhour or so. Standing at a vantage point my guide pointed out to the path along which Jesus is believed to have gone on the back of a donkey. It was explained to me how Jerusalem plays an important role in three religions ' Judaism, Christianity and Islam. From where I stood I was also shown a black dome and I was told that it was the third most important mosque in the world for the Muslims. Later we were taken to the wailing wall  and were told very catogerically not to take any phtographs or write anything on the premises. I had before hand made out my wish list and kept the paper handy to shove it into one of the crevices in the big wall. Well they say your wishes come true. I know for a fact mine have not till today but I am still hopeful. Later we were take along the very street along which Christ is believed to have walked last to be crucified. Much of that has now been commercialised with shops lining both sides of the narrow way up the hill. The spot of crucifixion has been marked by a metallic star and in there also is the chamber where the body of Jesus was believed to have been burried for the first three days when no one wanted to come forward to give him a decent burial.

Later in order to go to Bethlehem to the church which has been constructed over the very place where Jesus was born, we had to go into Palestine controlled part of Israel. Fortunately our driver was quite resourceful and he contacted his friend on the other side of the border and for $10 per head we found ourselves sitting in a Mercedes Benz in a short while after we crossed over into Palestine occupied territory and well on our way to the church. To see the old mosaic work and to see the very spot marked by a yet another metallic star and the manger where the three wise men first visited Jesus made me realise how fortunate I was.

A short while later we were back into Israeli side of the fence and well on our way to the Dead sea. Now from my high school geography, I remembered that the Dead sea was well below 392 meters below sea level - the lowest point on the surface of the earth and that no life form survived there. But what made it unique was the fact that it was taught to us that one could never drown in the dead sea. I personally prefer to see and then believe than to trust logical explanations.

A thirty minute drive later with just minutes to spare we reached the shores of the dead sea. My God!! it is an unbelievable experience to float on the waters of the Dead sea. The sea is so salty that one drop that made it way into my eyes left my eyes burning for minutes on end. I even picked up some black soil from the sea bed (supposedly very good for the skin) and rubbed it all over myself. It was definitely an experience of a life time to have come on this visit to this tiny state and to have seen so much in those two days.

Now when I look back I wonder how many have actually been so lucky to have visited the Vatican and then to go visit Nazereth, Jerusalem and Bethlehem - the very place where Jesus was born. Not many for sure!!! Anybody out there wanna kneel before me and kiss the very hands that have been to these holy places?

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My visit to Galle and Colombo

"We are going to Gaul"  I echoed no sooner than I heard it. Clearly an excess of Asterix comics had its influence on me. "No Galle In Sri Lanka" corrected my colleague.

Later that evening I looked it up on the net and there I found a tiny speck on the south western coast of Srilanka called Galle. Clearly the light house and the old Dutch fort were the important attractions there. Seven days after we set sail from Mumbai we were off the coast of Galle and from a distance while we waited for the Pilot to come on board, I could see the lighthouse. It was a while before we finally went along side.

My first impression it looked no different from my own home state of Kerala. Considering that Galle was only a few hundred kilometres south of my home state that really was not surprising. Lots of coconut trees lined the coast and the port itself was not so exceptionally clean. It was a just after lunch that I stepped out to go to the city. It was Dec 2004 much before the Tsunami struck the little Island.

On the drive I noticed similar looking features and but for the language difference one could really not tell if the people were Indians or Sinhalese.  In the main town I say a few multi story buildings and one of them had this huge hoarding of Ambuja cement. I was quite pleased to see that. Close by was the busy market place and the post office not too far from there. I managed to buy a post card and send it home.

The local liquor shops were filled with a wide variety of liquor which included various kinds of locally made Arrack. I picked up a bottle before I went to see the fort and the Light house. Not being a great lover of history for me it was just a walk along the coast. From where I stood my local guide told me an interesting story about Rhumassala Kanda the island jutting out from the sea a small distance away.


Rhumassala Kanda is associated with the legend of the traditional Ramayana story. Legend has it that when the warrior Lakshman was wounded, a Himalayan herb was required for his cure and Rama despatched the Monkey-god Hanuman to fetch it. But Hanuman forgot the name of the herb, so to be on the safe side he tore off a hunk of the Himalayas, carried it on his back and dumped it, where it now lies!

I headed towards a reputed jewelers to buy something for my wife as a souvenir. After having got her three beautifully shaped Moon Stones (Later I realized that Moonstone is one of the many things  Galle is really famous for).  I got back to my home on the seas by 5 pm  but only after stopping at a road side restaurant to taste some good Masala Dosa and tea. Don't know if it was the taste or if it was my hunger I remember having had three dosas that afternoon.

The next morning we sailed to Colombo. Colombo was definitely bigger and more developed than Galle which in comparison now looked like a village. I knew I had exactly one day to go around and see and take in as much of Colombo as I could. Realising there wasn't enough time to really go to many places a few friends of mine and I opted to drive around the city a bit before getting off at some shopping point and to walk from there.

The first stop was the House of Fashions. This is the best shop I found in Colombo. It has the cheapest brand named clothes I have ever seen you will get lots of bargains, from jackets, tops, shoes, handbags everything for any age. In fact I was so pleased that I managed to get a beautiful red and black Calvin Klein bag fro my wife. The price I paid for it was a steal and that if nothing else bothered be quite a bit. But one look at the department store and you know it was not the place to keep fake stuff. After picking a few more bits and pieces for the brats back home, I walked out to look for some good Sri Lankan Tea shop. I intended to carry some tea leaves back home. Finally I came across a good shop with the certification by the government to assure the buyer of the quality.

Inside the air-conditioned tea shop one was confused by the many flavors in the air. The sales girls were dresses in saris but in a manner I had not seen before ' no not the traditional Gujarati or Bengali way of wearing a sari as we are so used to seeing in India. That was reason enough to make some small talk with one of the pretty ladies in there who also charmed me with her smile and and let me have a taste of their Vanilla tea. Wow Vanilla tea and I was floored. I knew at once I would have to buy some to take back home. So after getting a handful of different tea packets I did some more window shopping before taking a bus back to the docks. While on the bus that troubling thought of the bag I had bought earlier that morning got the better of me. So I pulled it out of the bag it was packed in and took a closer look and sure enough I was in for a disappointment. It was not the Calvin Klein CK logo but a closer look revealed it was GK and inside one of the zipper pocket was a card which had the words Gold Key Club.

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My visit to Italy and Vatican

Having finished with a quick two day tour of France, on the evening of our second day we were on the train towards Italy. Quite honestly I don't remember the finer details of this maiden trip and unlike my other visits, I did not maintain a diary. I do remember the train ride and having dinner on the train. To me personally, it was like living out one of the scenes from a English movie. To be able to have some good wine with the dinner only added to the thrill of the first time experience. I also remember the Italian immigration staff coming on board to check our travel documents before we tucked in for the night.

The next morning we got off at the final stop Rome and my eyes nearly popped out seeing the average Italian. Both men and women were so beautiful. Fair skin, black hair and such great features mmmmm I could fall in love with every one of those beautiful ladies and my wife couldn't stop ogling at those handsome men. The fact that they didn't speak much of English didn't bother me one bit. In a short while from then managing with our broken English we get to our hotel. The hotel was much older than the one in Paris but the rooms and the bath was much bigger and that was a sight that pleased me. Crashing onto the bed back down, I lay watching the ceiling and was impressed to see that they had maintained the hotel as old as this so well despite it not being one of the star hotels. My father from his visits earlier had warned me about the pick pockets and cautioned me to be extremely careful.

In the two days we had to see what ever we could see of Rome including the Coliseum, more pretty Italians, and the Trevi fountain before finding our way into the smallest country in the world ' The Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel. The day trip to the coliseum was done in a local bus holding a local map (in Italian of course) and a whole lot of sign language which often had to be done till perfected to get our message across. The Coliseum and the ruins around were all within walking distance from where the bus dropped us off.

After having walked around a bit with my son strapped in a stroller, the first glimpses of the massive Coliseum became visible. After breaking for a quick bite we went into the old playground of the Lions and the Gladiators. I was impressed by the sheer size of the coliseum and it brought back memories from many an old English movie of this genre I had seen.

Finally after having explored in and out of the coliseum we stepped out only to find two Gladiators posing there for a photograph with you. Ten Dollars they said and that was bit too steep for a fraction of a second pose with these make believe skinny Gladiators and so I declined.

Next stop was the Pantheon which was still some distance away and from the Pantheon - which as I remember was basically a big hall with an Obelisk outside, we walked up to the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi is where one flips a coin facing away from the fountain wishing to come back some day and so we did just that. We even got our 2 year old monster to flip a coin so that all of us as a family could come back some day later. I was quite surprised by the amount of coins that lay in the pool of water.

The next day we had set aside for a trip to the Vatican. Vatican ' the smallest country in the world and the Headquarters of the Pope. One can't miss the spread out structure of the St Peter's Cathedral that meets your eyes as you walk into the Vatican. The Sistine chapel undoubtedly the most important one has to see in the Vatican. The frescos on the ceiling of the Chapel are perhaps the best piece of art by famous Michelangelo. To put it in words is simply not possible. In any case as the old saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. Well this one is worth many millions for sure.

Anyone who is a painter no longer needs to concern himself about seeing innovations and inventions, new ways of painting poses, clothing on figures, and various awe-inspiring details, for Michelangelo gave to this work all the perfection that can be given to such details. It is definitely a MUST SEE. What impressed me the most was the manner in which such precise work had been executed and that too so many figures in so many different poses and orientations? It was clearly a mark of a Genius. I stood there spell bound watching and taking in as much of the work of the Genius I could. If nothing else this one place alone had made my entire trip worthwhile. I will cherish this trip for ever I was sure of that.

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