The Super Tuk-Tuk

We went for a walk around the streets and on the way back we hired a Tuk-Tuk. Initially I thought that am on a super bike. The silencer behaved like one. 

And he gave the feeling that he's all set to do a wheelie...When the signal goes green, he pumps the accelerator that you will really feel the torque :)

Wonderful Journey.

Ocean World and Siam Paragon

Ocean World -  This place was there in our bucket list, since the college days. Have seen few videos of it then and wanted to experience live. And we must thank GOD at this moment for blessing us with that opportunity. 

Never seen those large collection of FISH species before. Have only seen in pictures, but to see them live was an experience. 

When you watch the above video, you will really enjoy the view.

Large tanks with the best fishes in the world. The tanks are so huge that you will really feel like you are under the ocean.

This experience will be on cloud 9 once you enter the ocean tunnel view. What was that? Breathtaking view of marine life.

Siam Paragon:

One of the biggest malls in the world. I couldn't believe the rank it has until I saw the place. Really fantastic.

Now I feel like the malls in Bangalore as very tiny :)

Couldn't walk around and see the food court even. So big that you will lose your directions in between.

And had a wonderful lunch near to a fish tank attached seat. 

WATCH THE LIVE & EAT THE FRIED :)

Didn't want to go out of that mall. Even in Bangalore, I love walking around the malls and visiting the shops. Ani hates it. 

And the best part was that the whole place was in a Christmas mood. I really wanted to experience that moment in a foreign land and I got it.

Bird Show at Safari World

Did not know that the birds can do these kind of amazing acts. The sequence in which they came out to greet the viewers, the discipline in their walk and the skills they poses...Really amazing view it was.

There were birds in the group who responds to specific acts if the right currency is given to them. Me and Ani loved it a lot, then think about the kids who were there. The sheer excitement on their face was wonderful to watch.

Must recommended show in Safari World. In fact all the shows are recommended :)

Dolphin Show and Sky War Stunt Show

This show had a lot of school students as viewers. And there were special songs dedicated for them. I believe it was in Thai language.It appeared for me as devotional songs. But loved the music in it and the tune. And the students were so excited for being there.

Dolphin show amazed us with their human coordination  You will understand once you watch this video. So responsive and trained. 

And the sky war stunt show had the Thail version of James Bond movie story line. Again stunts and explosions captured the attention of the stage.

Again there was a free bath in this show :) See the video for that moment. But it was so sad that this time many students seriously got wet.

Wonderful day at Safari world.

Oran-guttan Show, Sea Lion Show and Cow Boy Stunt Show

This video has three parts: Oran-guttan Show, Sea Lion Show and Cow Boy Stunt Show.

Must say that the Oran-guttan show was sooo funny. They were acting like us. I really wondered how they could enact us so closely. Singing songs, wrestling and many other activities. We really enjoyed that show.

Next is the sea lion show.  They mesmerized the viewers with their water skills.

And the cow boy stunt show: will like it, if you like the action. Explosions, stunts, humor...a well mix for a complete entertainment.

For all these shows, you have to really rush to get the best view of the show. There will be hundreds of people to compete with. Then this funny situation happened.

We reached pretty much early for the cow boy show and the front rows were vacant. I noticed the board with a warning says: "The first two rows may get wet". Any way we were in the third row.

The show started and people were really enjoying it. And there was two situations which gave a bath to the front row audience. First situation: we were safe. but in the second we really got wet :)

See the above video to view those moments.

And again, at the end of the show, there is a chance for photo. You can pose with Oran-gutans, Sea Lions and Cow Boy performers. You have to pay some money that't it :) 

But wonderful experience. Am so happy that Ani loved the show. She was with all smiles, through out the show.

Para-sailing over the Pattaya ocean

First time in life, flying with only a couple of strings attached, ohooo, that was a wonderful fly.

Initially I did not have the courage to go for it. But Ani gave the courage and I joined the men team to fly over the violent ocean.

Flew for five minutes over the waters. I was enjoying the light weight in the wind, at the same time afraid of the strings. 

You have to pay around 500 bahts for a trip. While you land, the boat driver will have a calculation on what speed he has to make you fly down. Might at times the wind might take the control and the drive has to take you another round. Then it's a free ride :)

While you are about to land, there will be people who are ready to catch you. You can trust them :)

The Sign Language

I would have learned this upfront :)

Thank god that our guide knew English. Otherwise it would have been a tough time to stay in Thailand.

Majority of the Thailand people don't know English. Thai is the official language. 

And the problem is that you have to learn the Sign Language. Convey what you want through actions and drawings. I must say that it is tough.

When we wanted to go to the nearest metro station and when tried to hire a tuk-tuk, that was the worst time I stumbled upon the language barrier.

It took nearly 15 minutes for me to make him understand that I want to go to the metro station. I even made the sound of the train and the hand movement to make him understand. And at the 20th minute he got angry with me and left. 

Did I look like a loser in that street. I think so.

It's like a foreigner in Kerala and asking for something to a guy who don't know English  The spectators thinks that the foreign guy is either mad or not eligible to be in Kerala :)

Best thing that works there is to have the visiting card or the picture of a location and show them. That worked for me 85% of the time.

On the way to Pattaya

Gems Gallery Bangkok

When the guide told us about this place as the biggest gem gallery in the world, I did not take it seriously. Rather all those jewellery advertisements from India were flashing through my mind, in which everyone claimed that they were the biggest :)

But the moment we entered the Gems Gallery, I was convinced about the fame it had. 

First they took us for a small train tour, where they will show the life cycle of gem creation. And how it is processed. Very impressive journey which will provide you with knowledge in that area. 

By the time we were out from it, we fell with love with the gems. Ani gave me a warning, not to purchase anything without her knowledge. She know me :)

Then they took us to the sales area where you can purchase gems jewellery. The showroom was too huge that you need a complete day to go through all the collections they have.

We rushed through the collections as we only had less time to spend there. And I had a plan in mind to buy a gift for Ani as it was our Wedding Anniversary that day. What a coincidence :)

I bought her a nice bracelet as gift and she was soo happy for it.

I recommend this place for a visit.

Wat Pho

The time the trip was confirmed, I started checking out the specialties of Thailand. And this Buddha Statue came up in all the searches. This is also called - Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

The complete name: Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan. Wat Pho is better right :)

In the premises of Wat Pho

We reached there by around 10 in the morning. Like any other places in Thailand, this place was also clogged up with tourists. Majorly from US & Russia.

We already had the tickets ready and entered the premises. 

One specialty which Ani was pointing out was the shoe bag which they provided (we can carry it with us), as we have to remove the shoes to enter the structure. She was telling that the similar practice should be here in India.

I know why she told about it. I had a couple of bad experiences of losing my favorite shoes from the church premises. It happened once that when I came out my shoes were missing. I cannot walk bare foot and so I took someone elses shoes and went home. Then I realized that, the pain of losing the shoe was a chain. One person does the mistake and it goes through others.

Fantastic and colorful structure.

Wat Pho is named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived.[4] Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions.

Adjacent to the building housing the Reclining Buddha is a small raised garden, the centrepiece being a bodhi tree which is propagated from the original tree in India where Buddha sat while awaiting enlightenment. I clicked a picture with Ani in the canvas.

Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok (with an area of 50 rai, 80,000 square metres), and is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single Buddha images of 160 ft length: the Reclining Buddha.

Ani near to one of the golden color entrance

The image of reclining Buddha is 15 m high and 43 m long with his right arm supporting the head with tight curls on two box-pillows of blue, richly encrusted with glass mosaics. The 3 m high and 4.5 m long foot of Buddha displays are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They are divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified like flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers and altar accessories. Over the statue is a seven tiered umbrella representing the authority of Thailand. There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. People drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune, and to help the monks maintain the wat. Though the reclining Buddha is not a pilgrimage centre, it remains an object of popular piety.

I was amazed by the construction of the structure and the ambiance they had for meditation. Loves a place like that where you can sit all alone away from this world.

A Tuk-Tuk outside Wat Pho

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Frankly, when planned for the places to visit, this did not turn up in the list. And so we were not having an expectation about this place. But the moment we saw the way they have maintained the entrance area, we knew at that point - it is going to be a fantastic place. And really it is!

And I was telling Ani that we need to cover the whole place in few hours. That plan got teared apart when the guide told us that the village has 600 acres of sprawling landscape to walk around. We did not lose our hope.

And it was interesting to know that the garden belonged to an individual, unlike the government operated ones in India. 

Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha purchased the 600-acre (2.4 km2) plot of land in 1954 with the intentions of developing the land as a fruit plantation. However, the owners instead decided to plant tropical flowers and plants as a wildlife conservation project. The garden opened to the public in 1980, and management was transferred to Pisit and Nongnooch's son Kampon Tansacha in 2001.

The guide took us for the cultural show area inside the village first. My mind was full of the gardens around that I did not like the cultural dance show. And that too, after Alcazar show, nothing of that kind will impress you. I wanted to go out. I was poking Ani to walk out, like many of the tourist did. But she wanted to watch.

Waited for an hour to get the show to get over and I took her hand and dragged to the garden. I was running around out of excitement. It was 20 times of Lal Bagh.

Well maintained and so colorful, that you will not allow even a grass to escape from your lens. I clicked around like a thirsty photographer.

The garden is divided into several areas. You can feel that transition clearly as you move on.

French Garden

European Garden

Stonehenge Garden

Cactus & Suculent Garden

Variegated Plants

Ant Tower

Butterfly Hill

Orchid & Bromeliad Display Garden

Flower valley

As I mentioned earlier: In addition to examining the wildlife, tourists experience religious ceremonies, martial arts demonstrations, massages, and elephant shows. There are also two restaurants, a small zoo and a hotel with a swimming pool and Thai style rental houses on the grounds.

Martial Art demonstration was like a comedy show for me. It has some real kicks and stunt styles which I enjoyed. As the stunt was staged, even when those two people were fighting and kicking each other; they had all smiles on their face (I am laughing inside now while writing this). They are used to it, that's the reason.

But it also reminded me about - Tony Jaa - who hails from Thailand. I have enjoy his martial arts and these people seemed to be his disciples.

All together, A Fantastic Journey...

Second day in Pattaya

One thing we already planned was to have some backup places for visiting. What happens is that the trip organizers will give enough time to take rest, which Ani and I don't want to go through. We are there for a visit with some money spent and wanted to utilize whatever was in reach of our plan and place.

One of the main attractions in Pattaya are the beaches, crystal clear that you can see what lies beneath - the rich coral reefs and fishes, it is an awesome experience.

We started off in a speed boat, which is the main transportation in that area. They will take you for a fly over the sea. 

One thing I learned from that journey is that there are gutters in the water too. The boat was going so fast that it goes up the violent waves and comes down with great impact. Oh god, it was like travelling in KSRTC  bus through thrissur - Palakkad bypass. Ani got headache due to the rough journey.

But I enjoyed it :)

On the way, we had a halt at the parasailing point. I flew over the oceans :)

Then went for undersea walk. 

The final destination was the Coral Island where we spend the rest of the day in the white sandy beaches and other water games.

Fantastic day with the other tourists who had all smiles on their face.

Another two places to visit in pattaya are the Nong Nooch village & Mini Siam

Must visit places. 

One day is not enough to visit the Nong Nooch Village. I must say - it's a fantastic place to hang out. For me there was numerous places to click for the pics. I was pulling Ani on her hand to cover the place in short time. She got frustrated with my running :)

Nong Nooch Village

Ani clicked this photo in Mini Siam

Will write some detail info about these places in another post.

What happened on the first day

Got out from the airport and we started off to Pattaya in a van. Reached there by 1:00 PM. As the check-in time was 2:00 PM, we went for a walk. 

That was a wonderful street next to the hotel. The first item we encountered was the sticky rice with mango & thick coconut milk. It was yummy. I have not seen that kind of rice before. It was kind of transparent.

Restaurants are everywhere. Specially the sea food and pork. 

We were starving by that time and decided to try the first Thai specialty. I tried Fried with Thai sauce and rice, while Ani tried  squid variety. 

We loved the food. That was a fantastic start :)

Don't know what all I tried in those 5 days. Specially pork...became my favorite.

We went for the Alcazar show shortly. I Must say that it was mind blowing performance.

"Pattaya is well known for its katoey cabaret (aka ladyboy or transvestite) shows. Alcazar show in Pattaya is one of the most popular cabaret show in Thailand. Don't miss to watch this show live. Alacazar show's stage is a bevy of professional entertainers presenting artistic impersonations through songs and tales of love and adventure with a fantastic sound and light show. This is our only night out-a cabaret with a difference, a transvestite show where everyone on stage is a man (or at least, started off that way). Plenty of laughs! The costumes, light and sound are very professional. Take your camera! Experience the new wave of entertainment. You should not leave Pattaya without seeing our Alcazar Show. A Memorable Experience of a Lifetime! The greatest show in Asia which is a legend of Pattaya, join our audience for the wonder of lifetime. Touching the marvelous combination of Music, Dance & Costumes. We'll Touch Your Very Soul! With Alcazar's famous reputation for "Satisfaction Guaranteed", you are sure of an amazing night out to please & amuse you.  

No trip to pattaya is complete withhout Alcazar Show. It’s been said that if you want to see beautiful ladyboys, go to Tiffany; but if you want to see a great show, head over to Alcazar. Pattaya has made good of its long-time love affair with ladyboys. Extravagant costumes, convincingly stunning ladyboys, spectacular stage sets are all part of a grander show that delights you with non-stop fantasmic entertainment, from the Russian stage to K-Pop to Persian harlem and even outer space. Whether you are in for the beautiful ‘ladies’ or the show, you’ll get your money worth at Alcazar. The natural beauty of many Thai boys provided the fame of their looks. They showed their glitter and glamour, creating some good entertainment. One good thing about Alcazar show is that audiences can take photo or video during the show"

It's fun and a good feeling to walk around the streets and taste the food varieties. Most of the items never seen before :)

The whole Pattaya was in a part mood. It was late in the night but the street was so lively and celebrating.

I was walking with Ani through the infamous walking street. We had a clue about this place before. But as there was one more couple along with us, there was a feeling of security.

It was illuminated with wonderful lights. Saw a couple of shops where you can get the suite stitched in 24 hours, with the finest cloth you can get in the world. But did not go for it as already I have a set which are not used frequently.

There was some hotels with girls calling you to play snooker. There were some people learning snooker from these girls. Suddenly the situation started changing.

The feeling of insecurity started to build up when we walked for a kilometer or so. Girls were calling the people passing by for massage and other activities.

As having a family, they were not targeting us. The street transformed more or like Amsterdam, and girls began to show up with very little clothing.

We remembered what pastor told us. Less dress - more demon :)

So we took a 180 degree turn and walked towards the beach area. Ani's hands was frozen by that time.

The sight was expected and that wasn't very surprising. But then it was sad to see people trying to make up a life with that profession. Even I could see kids along with them. Soon or later they also will join the same profession. Thats the sad part.

For travelers, it might be a leisure land, but giving them to LORD's hand for a revival.

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Prior to this travel, I have seen only two airports in my life (That too from outside). One is the Cochin International Airport and the other one - The Bangalore International Airport. 

While visiting these two airports - I felt like the wow inside. The max I could see was the luggage check in counters and people moving with strollers. 

When went inside the Bangalore Airport Terminal, I was in a wonder world. Was enjoying each and everything inside. 

Was running around inside the Duty Free area and Ani had a tough time to catch up with me. 

The whole feeling went upside down when we landed in Suvarnabhumi Airport. Got a shock first and I was able to understand the fact that the Bangalore International Airport is only 1/20th of Suvarnabhumi Airport.

And the facts about this airport was fantastic.

It is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, Thailand. The other one is Don Mueang International Airport.

The airport is currently the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and Orient Thai Airlines. It also serves as regional gateway and connecting point for various foreign carriers.

I could spot two A380's parked outside. They are hugeeeeeee.

The airport has the world's tallest free-standing control tower (132.2 metres / 434 feet), and the world's fourth largest single-building airport terminal (563,000 square metres / 6,060,000 square feet).

Suvarnabhumi is the sixth busiest airport in Asia, and the busiest in the country, having handled 47.9 million passengers in 2011, and is also a major air cargo hub, with a total of 96 airlines. 

On social networks, Suvarnabhumi is the world's second most popular place where Instagram photographs were taken in 2011.

Hours of operation
24 hours.

Facilities
130 passport control checkpoints for arrivals, 72 for departures.
26 customs control checkpoints for arrivals, 8 for departures.
22 baggage conveyor belts.
360 check-in counters. There are 100 additional counters for passengers without luggage.
107 moving walkways.
102 elevators.
83 escalators.

Architects
The airport was designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects

Fantastic place to travel through.

Vehicles in Thailand

The first thing I noticed when landed on the Thai land is that the vehicles there, which are entirely different from what I have seen in India.

Its for the first time on an international travel, but I feel, have seen the best of the best cars in the world. Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, Ducati Bikes, cars & on & on...

Even there was a super car show in Siam Paragon. Quenching the thirst of touch those super cars :)

The best deal

The first advice, we got on travelling to Thailand was to take a native sim card and use that, instead of welcoming a big bill, due to high international charges.

After getting out from the immigration formalities, me and Ani started looking out for a good sim card. There was around three-four various dealers outside.

I was looking for the maximum talk time, while Ani discovered the best deal for me. UNLIMITED GPRS!!!

Thanks to dtac for the offer.

I was excited. For me GPRS is like breath. Needs it always while on the move. 

Without a second thought we went for that plan and used it with 100% utilization.

If you have noticed my facebook acoount during the trip days. You can really track me out there. 

I was updating the places live and Ani was furious about it.

I was doing it for one main reason. To have the right place and the timings recorded forever. And it worked.

Two funny mistakes happened in between is that, when I updated the places - once happened to be in Brazil and one in queensland. Trusted completely on the GPS system.

Learned one important lesson from it - Never trust the technology too much :)

A friend at the Gate 20

The flight timing was at 1:00 am and we were waiting at the Gate 20. Suddenly one Thai student came running. He was so worried and was trying to get into the gate. When I told him that the flight is at 1:00 am, a smile broke out of his face and he sat next to us and relaxed a bit.

Few minutes later he started talking to us, asked where we were heading to and all. When he came to know that we are on the way to Thailand, he gave some good tips about the place. Where to go and what to buy along with some 'must eat' menu's.

When I asked him why he was based in Bangalore for education, we came to know about the english gap in Thailand. The english education system is not robust in Thailand which makes the life of english speaking tourists tough there. 

Me and Ani experienced it when we were trying to hire a tuk-tuk service to the nearest metro station. Initially I tried to convey the message with some bits and pieces of english. When that did not work out, we shifted to the sign language, which was more comfortable than speaking english.

Funny language situations in Thailand :)

Thailand Trip: Epilogue

There is always a first experience in our life, which will be cherished till the end. You will be really excited, thrilled and filled with joy when that moment near your life. Is that something that we can explain in our words? I don’t think so. 

I was in that cycle of life until yesterday. There was a lot of things which happened in my life in the past few days. The first flight journey, the first international trip, the first international celebration…It was a real magical world for me. I can only thank my LORD for all these blessings..

The Thailand Trip:

The actual trip plan was something different when we started our planning. When it was almost planned the situation changed for a good reason and the Thailand trip plan came up.

We booked it in the starting of November. Ani created a new excel sheet with the plan blue print. We did not want to miss a single moment in Thailand. And for that one reason, we went through a lot of websites, reviews & checked with the people who has gone there before.

The main person who helped us to finalize the trip was our Pastor. He has been there before and his experiences was a real value add to plan our trip.

It was my first flight journey. I never travelled in flight before. Ani suggested several times to take a domestic flight from Bangalore to Cochin, but I wanted to have the international journey. So I kept on waiting for two years and it happened. Happy!

Feeling that we are on a foreign land was really awesome. It gave us enough confidence of our planning practice. With GOD’s grace, there wasn’t a single glitch throughout the journey. Not even a single minute was wasted. Utilized our time & money efficiently.

All together a successful project – both planning & financial wise.

The preparations:

Got all the itineraries three days before the travel. The travel agent conveyed the message that we have to carry minimum 40,000 Bahts while travelling & for arrival VISA formalities.

Ani did the money exchange from an authorized center which was located in her office campus. The transaction was smooth and we got ready with enough Thai currency.

Kept ready all the proof documents like passports, photocopies of PAN card, Marriage Certificate, Address proofs. 

Another good thing we did was to carry a travel adapter which can be used in Thailand, as the plug connection was different than we have from India. We also took an extension cable to Charge the camera battery, laptop & two mobiles. This helped us to keep all the devices ready to use at every point of time. That was a big benefit.

Ani had a checklist of items to be taken and that really helped us to arrange the things faster than expected.

Had wonderful moments, new friends and families, shopping, travelling…More over – we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary there. A real different experience.

What we loved there:

My Camera was like an extension of my arm – ready to click. I loved the food, scenic beauty and photographic opportunities, while Ani hated the Thai food due to less spice and salt.

The Trip Photos / Videos Statistics:

I beat my own record this time. It was a real tough job for Ani to filter and approve the pics I took. Uploaded and shared it in a day.