Thailand

In the land of smiles: Thailand

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I wasn’t prepared for anything which is what conditioned me for everything to come. I can’t explain it. But when I landed at Bangkok, (Suwarnabhumi pronounced Su-wana-poon) a singularly inspiring piece of engineering, I was overcome with various feelings_ euphoria, above all. I needed my visa (on arrival for Indian passport holders), a shower and change. I was backpacking, had no time to waste, had to pack in as much as I could while I was here and I wasn’t going to check into a hotel to distress.

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Thailand & Cambodia – Summer of 17 part-1

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Nothing much has changed since; the lovely people continue to offer charming smiles and warmth. Mouth watering food scene remains intact. Ah! One not-so-good change has been the (ex)change value of our Bhartiya Rupaye – it is 1.9 INR to a Thai Bhat /THB (almost double or half, depending on which end you are on – the selfie or the main!). And it pinches alright either way.   

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Self Drive Trip across Thailand (7 days, 2000 kms) : Part 4 (Bang Saen)

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Next day we walk down to the beach. Beach has its own share of food stalls and other knick-knacks counters. We come across a lady vending ripe jackfruit flesh. This is an exotic dish in Bengal (Bongs famously say that you either love it or hate it – immensely; primarily because of its strong odour and quaint taste). Sharmi tries the fruit and it tastes good. Jackfruits look quite different here. They are larger in size and pricklier in appearance. We saw them yesterday while entering Bang Saen but did not recognise them for what they are. It’s only today, on coming across the peeled version, does the realisation dawn.

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Self-Drive trip across Thailand (7 days, 2000 kms): Part-2 Preparing for the trip

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Thailand packages are tediously limited to Bangkok and Pattaya (that’s how they are bundled up by travel agents here); and for the more desirous ones, add-ons are Phuket or Krabi. Ditto, while discussing Thailand with colleagues who have visited it, all they had on offer were superficials limited to these destination. And here is what we observed – Bangkok, where we spent maximum time was the most uninspiring despite all its glitzy malls, tourist spots, shopping centers, et al and Pattaya, which we drove across, did not appear much different. Actually, both the places had ‘TOURISTY – NOT AUTHENTIC’ tag imprinted bolder than the fonts here for any discerning traveler to see. Our best memories of the country extend beyond (and almost exclude) these two places.

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