Bangkok - SuvarnaBhumi

Lonely Planet (LP) posts a very different picture of Bangkok. Atleast, in my mind. Its not exactly a place with orange clad monks walking around, espousing Buddhism. Its a little ahead in time comparing Bangalore. Practically speaking, it gives a head start before one delves into populous Bangalore's exponential growth.

For a nation that has moved back and forth from military rule to democracy, it has made good strides in planning and infrastructure. Roadways are well planned if not immaculate. I read its the most visited place in southeast asia. And, that directly translates to a lot of revenue through tourism -- I did spot a very posh building labeled "Ministry of Tourism". The King (Bhumibol a.k.a Rama ix) is worshiped everywhere -- one can spot huge cutouts of his and the Queen all over (Remember "King and I"?). Buddishts are about 95% of the population. Wats (temples) are everywhere, like you'd find temples all around Des. And, so are traditional thai massage shops. You'll realize Bang-aluru is becoming quite like Bang-kok.

Our experiences were a commonplace, but worth remembering. As I mentioned earlier, its no Shangri La. When we stepped out of the airplane, we were almost lost. I stopped by to ask a lady, "Do you work here? Where's the left baggage counter?". She said something to the other lady standing by us and they both started crackling and giggling. OK, I expected folded hands and some "Swasadee"s. Quite rudely, I was first asked to go and get a visa. We got our visas quickly and left our heavy baggages. Our first 'topi' was planted by a 'Meter Taxi' guy. No meter and 300B (which was, strangely, the price that all the officials inside the airport mentioned to me). Only while returing back to the airport, I realized its 150 with the meter on. On our way to the 4 star hotel (Amari Atrium), all the exoticness from my mind was slowly getting replaced by a concrete jungle, heavy traffic, and not to mention-pollution.

You'll get respect for the BB (or, rather, $$) you pay. We were showered with welcomes at our exotic hotel. Ofcourse, you pay in $$ for everything including water. On the left is what you see from the 20th floor.

Everyone, from Meter-taxi drivers to the Concierge, talks only about 'Shopping' -- as if thats the only word they know in English -- infact, thats true. Bangkok is _the_ shopping stop in SE asia. So, we first embarked on it. We went to Siam Square to a mall called MBK shopping center. It should remind you of Garuda mall in Bangalore. Seven stories tall and you can atleast squeeze about 50 thousand people from it [below, right]. While bargaining is considered a low-class attitude towards spending, in Bangalore's prime commercial malls, its a fundamental right in Bangkok. Generally, prices quoted are double the actual. In our jetlagged daze, we bought a lot of stuff. How does this sound: People from India travel to Bangkok for Rs.8000/- (versus Rs.12000 to Delhi on a local flight from Bangalore) to do shopping. Copernicus and Thomas Freidman were/are right: the World is flat!

I love Thai food. Thai Thai food is differnt than American Thai food. The latter is better in my opinion. The smell (stench, for me and the kin) of sea food in every single restaurant overrides the taste of any other type of food. We took LP's advice on a vegetarian thai restaurant and regretted it: First it was not easily locatable, secondly, it was a rustic uncomfortable place. Even Burgers tasted quite awkward.

We then wanted to do some sightseeing. We did Meter-taxi hopping which works out to be a great deal. Grand palace has some beatiful architecture and it radiates royalty. They also have an ancient model (very detailed) of Angkor Wat (original in Cambodia). Suvarna - is abundant. It took about 2 full hours to tour the palace. Emerald Buddha, actually made of Jade, is one of the attactions. By the palace is Thailand's biggest temple, called Wat Pho. The temple houses several Buddha idols, huge ones, and it houses the school of traditional thai massage which opens at 8am and runs till 4:30. Of all the Buddhas, the reclining Buddha is the most magnificient one [bottom, right]. We wanted to goto another temple called "Wat Arun". But, we soon got habituated to seeing temples and it was almost "shopping time", again. So, we header back to Siam square and did the remainder of our shopping list -- as if the we hadn't finished it already.

On our last day, before the flight, I wanted to get a traditional thai massage. So, we took the help of our Concierge and found a spa like parlour close by. I've only heard about it but to get a one is peine forte et dure. . The masseuse literally walked over me. She first found some muscles on my shoulder that I never knew. Then she twisted my leg so hard, I forgot which was right versus left. The she beat on my head so hard that I could have become a tad shorter. To top it, she was laughing over my plight. "You're big and strong, why painful face?", she said. My body was a bit sore after I left. Anu safely resisted this dismantling process and settled for a foot-massage. I think your mind feels very good after subjecting your body to such hardships -- I felt extremely relaxed. Don't mistake it for a happy ending ;-)


I say, it was a good two day vacation in Bangkok. This is as much Suvarna as you can see in Bangkok [bottom]