Only as far as I know™...

“Bangkok is safe. If you see anybody wearing camouflage holding a machete, don’t be scared. They sell coconuts ”. Bobby Lee Bangkok comes alive at night! I wanted to hum ‘ One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble, not much between despair and ecstasy …’ I am not a fan of the lyrics though…But I am sure all the 80s and 90s kids recognize the tune. There are lights everywhere and all the night markets beckon you with their exotic wares and dares. Yes! Lot of ‘dares’ also, as we could indulge in many adventurous things which are not readily available, especially in India. However, except for the de rigueur sniffing of the famously polarizing durian , I couldn’t muster enough intestinal fortitude to try out the deep-fried and crispy scorpions, crocodiles, wigglers, etc, on display. There was no question about their edibility, but I was seriously lacking pluck and spunk at that moment. On the other hand, I couldn’t smell anything stinky about the Durian. Au contraire, it smelled swe...

  “Best part of beauty is that which no picture can express ”. Francis Bacon   Meru William Butler Yeats Civilisation is hooped together, brought Under a rule, under the semblance of peace By manifold illusion, but man's life is thought, And he, despite his terror, cannot cease Ravening through century after century, Ravening, raging, and uprooting that he may come Into the desolation of reality: Egypt and Greece, good-bye, and good-bye, Rome! Hermits upon Mount Meru or Everest, Caverned in night under the drifted snow, Or where that snow and winter's dreadful blast Beat down upon their naked bodies, know That day bring round the night, that before dawn His glory and his monuments are gone. ***** After the gilded glory of the Grand Palace which had about 35 structures, we stepped out of the palace grounds and headed towards the Grand Pier to catch a ferry across the iconic river Chao Phraya. We had lunch at ICE YEN , a cosy café near the ...

Day 1, Part 1. Thailand Old City   “ It sounds plausible enough tonight but wait until tomorrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning .” H G Wells This is so true. I do this for all the major decisions and also amazon purchase ideas. I put what I think of as ‘reasonable and absolutely required purchase’ and it doesn’t seem the same in retrospection. However, travel opportunities are like striking gold, if you don’t grab it, it might just slip away and even after getting a hold, you need to plan and execute till you can feel the aura of El Dorado! Thailand first day was literally striking gold! We left around ten from Lisa’s Place walking towards the Grand Palace entrance gate. It was just 1.1 km away and so we started in the direction leisurely clicking pictures on the quaint bridges on the canals. Boughs of bougainvillea had clambered over the walls of the bridge, and it was picture perfect, almost idyllic in this part of the old city with its blend of the old neo-classi...

  The full name of Bangkok when transliterated into English is “ Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit ” which is often shortened to “ Krung Thep ” or “ Krung Thep Maha Nakhon ” in official parlance. The name “ Krung Thep ” means “City of Angels” in Thai, while the full ceremonial name is more of a series of descriptions that roughly translates to “ The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of Ayutthaya of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishvakarman ”. Lot of the words are from Pali/Sanskrit. One finds an amazing amount of shared history and mythology between India and Thailand. The...

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”  — Ralph Waldo Emerson “In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention”.  Pico Iyer There is a time to let things happen and then there is time to make things happen…and for me it was time to take on the reins and make things happen! I got the offer from our family elder to plan a journey to the most feasible location abroad for our immediate family. The budget was to stay under 2 lakhs in total for 5 people. After dawdling for two months due to an impasse created as five people couldn’t agree on one destination, I got the ultimatum to get things moving. Near the Boat Jetty, Old City And so, it was Thailand- VISA free and the flights were cheapest in comparison and off-season rates were available for stay and events. Moreover, ...