I just hope that the next time I go to Thailand, Madhan does not have 'TV' on his 'To buy' list, cause there are so many beautiful places to see there, I don't want to be expending my time and energy on something as mundane as buying a TV, even if the savings vis a vis Indian price is substantial at half the cost itself. And we wasted nearly one whole day, albeit not in one stretch, buying the TV, In that time I could have visited the Grand Palace and the temple within of emerald Buddha, shopped for fruits from the floating market, enjoyed the sunrise on the Chao Paraya river and found and done a few other things not on any one's 'to do list'.
We had 4.5 days in Bangkok and with all that 'checking out for TV's' on the agenda, we travelled to areas of Bangkok which otherwise we would not have bothered to go to. We used the sky train-BTS extensively, skipped lunch on all the days to shed the extra fat and match up to the locals... not really, but the skipping part is true enough as once out of the hotel we were not sure of finding anything vegetarian enough. Not many people speak or even understand English so we erred on the side of caution and busied ourselves with other things to keep from feeling hungry. For me, the smell of the food as we passed by eateries in the markets and road sides in the evening itself took a little getting used to. But the fruits, neatly peeled and stacked in carts were a pretty sight. Talking of fruits, the vegetation of the place is very similar to Chennai, the two cities being on the same 13 degree latitude.
Apart from the vegetation and latitude, there are not many other 'parallels' between the two cities. I find it incredible that a country that is 'English challenged' has taken so well to western technology and methods. The skyline is dotted with high rises, the city is as clean as its people will it to be, the mass transport system of metro and sky trains makes commuting within the city so easy, the BTS stations have been so meticulously planned that the over bridges connect directly to the malls and other places. And all this is the result of forethought at the turn of the millennium, while India with its myopic vision was just producing software engineers by the horde to the neglect of all else. The city connects well with the other places as well. And with all this, Bangkokians have not lost their love for the green, there are beautiful bougainvillea adorning the over bridges, every house and every shop in every lane off the main roads have their own garden growing in huge pots complete with a water filled pot with lotus and a thriving marine eco-system within.
Another incredible thing about Bangkok is how people just let you be. No ones going to stare at you the way foreigners are stared at in India, probably its their manners or they are just discreet about it, either ways you feel very comfortable being there. Sure cannot say the same for Indians visiting there though, with the fashion sense of the locals so very 'western'. Usage of sun glasses strangely enough is conspicuous by its absence, for that kind of a climate its absence is rather interesting. We got to see the elegant traditional Thai-wear only at the cultural show. People there are not overtly friendly but neither are they hostile. There are lot of stories about people being conned in Bangkok, I fortunately didn't have that experience and it seemed like an Indian city with sufficient precautions necessarily to be taken of the valuables just like in an Indian city
Food of the place is significantly derived from sea, rice being the staple cereal. Loads of fruits as well, some of them exotic looking like Durians, Dragon fruits, Mangosteens, Longan and Rambutans apart from the tropical fruits of Mango, Jack, Guava and Banana. This is just a list of fruits that I saw and not an exhaustive list of whats grown / available there. The green outer part of the tender coconut is entirely cut to resemble a squarish goblet without the stem. The juice of little oranges-Tangerines are freshly extracted, filled in small bottles stocked in iced glass boxes and tasted divine. The fruit is so sweet that it does not need any sugar. Raw papaya salad is a must taste there. We got the restaurant to not add the fish oil and shrimp paste and we had this amazing extra spicy and crunchy and hopefully vegetarian version of the salad.
Culturally the place is very much like India. Lots of stuff from mythology, colourful beliefs and history. The Buddhist Wats, the temples are beautiful. The temple roof with its pointed corners look lovely. And there are giants in the Thai culture who are all characters from myths, mainly Ramayana. The giants stand guard at the entrance to temples much like our dwara palakas. Though fierce looking, wearing a mask and some having fangs they stand for good and teach the valuable lesson of the folly of judging people by external looks. The dances, the costume, the beliefs have been influenced by India, China, Cambodia and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. Hence Ganesha is a very popular God here. Pra Ram (Rama) from Ramakien (Ramayana) is a much loved character from whats become the national epic of the country.
Thailand also has a lot for nature lovers, Erawan national park and the drive to it was wonderful, Enough cannot be said of the beautiful Erawan falls. There are loads of places that I have parked for next visit and staying over night in the Erawan national park, visiting Kumphawapi, the red lotus lake in the northeastern part of the country, Bat safari at KhaoYai national park are a few of them.
Another incredible thing about Bangkok is how people just let you be. No ones going to stare at you the way foreigners are stared at in India, probably its their manners or they are just discreet about it, either ways you feel very comfortable being there. Sure cannot say the same for Indians visiting there though, with the fashion sense of the locals so very 'western'. Usage of sun glasses strangely enough is conspicuous by its absence, for that kind of a climate its absence is rather interesting. We got to see the elegant traditional Thai-wear only at the cultural show. People there are not overtly friendly but neither are they hostile. There are lot of stories about people being conned in Bangkok, I fortunately didn't have that experience and it seemed like an Indian city with sufficient precautions necessarily to be taken of the valuables just like in an Indian city
Food of the place is significantly derived from sea, rice being the staple cereal. Loads of fruits as well, some of them exotic looking like Durians, Dragon fruits, Mangosteens, Longan and Rambutans apart from the tropical fruits of Mango, Jack, Guava and Banana. This is just a list of fruits that I saw and not an exhaustive list of whats grown / available there. The green outer part of the tender coconut is entirely cut to resemble a squarish goblet without the stem. The juice of little oranges-Tangerines are freshly extracted, filled in small bottles stocked in iced glass boxes and tasted divine. The fruit is so sweet that it does not need any sugar. Raw papaya salad is a must taste there. We got the restaurant to not add the fish oil and shrimp paste and we had this amazing extra spicy and crunchy and hopefully vegetarian version of the salad.
Culturally the place is very much like India. Lots of stuff from mythology, colourful beliefs and history. The Buddhist Wats, the temples are beautiful. The temple roof with its pointed corners look lovely. And there are giants in the Thai culture who are all characters from myths, mainly Ramayana. The giants stand guard at the entrance to temples much like our dwara palakas. Though fierce looking, wearing a mask and some having fangs they stand for good and teach the valuable lesson of the folly of judging people by external looks. The dances, the costume, the beliefs have been influenced by India, China, Cambodia and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. Hence Ganesha is a very popular God here. Pra Ram (Rama) from Ramakien (Ramayana) is a much loved character from whats become the national epic of the country.
Thailand also has a lot for nature lovers, Erawan national park and the drive to it was wonderful, Enough cannot be said of the beautiful Erawan falls. There are loads of places that I have parked for next visit and staying over night in the Erawan national park, visiting Kumphawapi, the red lotus lake in the northeastern part of the country, Bat safari at KhaoYai national park are a few of them.
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