He he he :D
These were the first words of my cousin, Biki [Bishan, but 'Biss-H(n)aan' in Thai English!], after we came out of the Immigration counters, there.
Buying a non-refundable pair of tickets has an advantage - you are double charged up to make your trip a success, or at least the flights. March 27-April 1 was our plan. Bangkok and Pattaya. Thanks to the corporate holiday package Biki gets from his employer where he is allowed to bring one guest from immediate family (mathematically, someone who has the same surname).
The first "aw" moment was when we stepped inside the Suvarnabhumi International Ariport at Bangkok. Man! what a port it is for air. Arrays of high domes of spherical sections connected to each other gives you a feel of being inside a gigantic air baloon which is still in process of being inflated. It plays with you psycologically.
In a tourist special mini-van (driven by Mr.Tuk), we were taken to our hotel at a place called Pratunam [Patu-N(n)aam]. The hotel had everything good except the narrow lane where it was located. Being a Kolkatan, street food is always like a part of the outings (only the growing waist size make you think twice!). But the food stall on the carts on both the sides of the street, there, wohhohh!! Total aroma therapy [In the Nazi spa of the early 40s for Jews customers]. I personally had no major problem, but Biki :)
Well, the first night in Thailand had to be about something that the country is well known for. The Thai massage. The hotel itself had a spa. They make you change to 'hostipal clothing' and for sharp one hour in the midst of aroma candles, the real ones, and very dim light, your body gets a treatment worth the making it to the appointment on time.
The next day was our Bangkok city tour. After a pure veg breakfast we sat out. Our guide was Cho. After his various explanations on different city buildings (where "Rama" became "Lama" in his best English and we had a little confusion if the person in question was from India or Tibet), he showed us various signs of Thai culture being influenced by that of India. prominent of them were Rama, Asoka and the respectful word of "Nana".
In the Wat Traimit, we saw the biggest gold Buddha in the world. Solid 5 tonnes of gold. About 7-8 feet high. The appearance was very very peaceful. People were praying in front of the statue.
Although, these places fill you with an overwhelming feeling of detachment and (AND) peace, but I remember having a thought of "plucking one finger nail would suffice for quite some time."
Just outside was the Aryavalokitesvara Bodhisatva Temple. A Chinese temple where, more than worships, I found people coming and putting down their wishes to the huge standing Buddha.
A girl named Miyo, an exchange student, even explained the process of knowing a result of something beforehand there. You shake a little quiver filled with thin short bamboo sticks and the whatever is written on the one stick that falls out of the quiver is what is most likely to happen. (I think this is what she explained to me)
Just outside was the Aryavalokitesvara Bodhisatva Temple. A Chinese temple where, more than worships, I found people coming and putting down their wishes to the huge standing Buddha.
A girl named Miyo, an exchange student, even explained the process of knowing a result of something beforehand there. You shake a little quiver filled with thin short bamboo sticks and the whatever is written on the one stick that falls out of the quiver is what is most likely to happen. (I think this is what she explained to me)
After visiting the Bodhisatva temple, we remembered what was advised by Biki's friends about spending (read wasting) time in knowing the names of various buildings in the city. Its better to go for the Siam Ocean World and, later, to Siam Niramit show. Thankfully Cho was more than happy to make the arrangements.
The sun went higher up in the sky and we went to the basement of a glamorous shopping mall. This is where is the Siam Ocean World, one of the biggest aquariums in South East Asia. The lighting was florescent and was the worst for pictures in a simple digital camera.
You have seen them in those "Nature channels" but when you actually see them then only you believe that they exist on this planet as easily as you do. I myself am such a channel watcher and even to a regular like me, it took a trip to an insanely huge aquarium to believe that these things exist, live, move and respond. You feel one truth coming at you from every direction: Humans are just another species living on this earth.
You are not able to see the faces of people around you and the only hue present is of the blue. The color of the water kingdom. Walking inside a glass tube with water in all three directions, when you see a 5 feet long shark swimming with its teeth exposed just outside the glass only inches away from you, you know that it is sheer appreciation that comes out for mother nature and her unmatched engineering to create such marvelous creatures. There were like hundreds of more kind of sea creatures. But so also were the swamp and desert dwellers...
Most of my friends have gone "eeks!" and "yukk" on this yellow coiled beauty. But for me it looked like the Don basking in his office wearing his albino suit. And in total contrast, meddling with his thoughts is his pray sporting a clown costume below.
Vito knows that no matter how jolly and indifferent the clown pretends to be, it is as cautious as he himself is. Also it is definitely something that the Don isn't - Poisonous. No muscle, but something equally, may be more deadly, poison. Any attempt and the result is clear - the clown gets eaten but as the last lunch.
Huh! Coming out of some cheap copy of the classics, here is someone sitting on the dry rock, I liked very much. The sound of a banjo and the slow boot steps of the wooden floor on a rickety Texas saloon came flowing into my ears.
I don't remember the section of the "Ocean" world where this tough guy was kept, but I remember that for sometime I could not help but think that he was only a dummy. But when it moved its head away from, then again towards my camera, I was not left with any doubt. An armored tail and the wrinkled shirt - totally ready to take on the duel with the desert.
After the breath taking Ocean world, we found a McD and helped ourselves. At 5:30 pm, we were to get a pickup from the Siam Niramit people.
Although, the show starts at 8pm (with strictly no cameras allowed inside), people start to gather at the theater premises from 6pm. Once you are inside and walking around, you know that this much of time is needed before the real show begins. Inside the premises, they have set up a prototype of a traditional Thai neighborhood with real people and house and equipment and food on display for the tourists.
As I had already said in the very beginning, the Thai culture is a lot influenced by the Indian culture, it was no surprise for me to see a scene from Ramayana being depicted in the puppet show while moving around the traditional neighborhood. Also, seen only in television, it was nice to actually see the signature Thai way of making the flat puppets move and tell the story.
Already impressed with the little village I was roaming in, which was frankly not very much different from how people in India have chosen to live, we gathered in the wide open space in front of the theater to witness open air traditional Thai dance performances.
That one hour had such an effect on me that I would not hesitate to say that movements of the dancers with the enchanted music of the traditional instruments were by far the most elegant I have ever seen. But the thing that takes you more inside the performance is the smile the dancers give you while making very prominent eye contacts. Its only your body that is left behind in the crowd, rest is taken in.
Then, it was 8pm and the time to submit my camera and enter the real theater. I was actually happy that the cameras were not allowed inside the Siam Niramit show. The battery of my camera was going down quite fast (it is servicing my little camera since 2008). If I would not able to click anything, nobody else should.
But all these stupid jealous triumph was forgotten when that world record holding show began. A stage with 30 feet high wings, unfathomable number and kind of background accommodating depth and even a human deep canal of water in it. The 80 minute show is on the Siam culture. The powerful kingdom, the lifestyle of people, the turning points of history, the trades, the folk and religious beliefs. And all these are shown with a magnanimous style with not only humans but highly trained animals elephants and cattle being a part of the show. The technologies, the play with the light and shadows, the music, the compactness, the mind blowing art and above all the grandeur of the whole show with all these put in is something worth a visit to Bangkok. It is my personal recommendation - If in Bangkok, no better way to spend one of your evenings than being at the Siam Niramit.
Thanks to the dinner and hospitality of Mumbai's Great Punjab Hotel on both of our nights at Bangkok, home never felt too far away. Next day we sat off for Pattaya.
You are not able to see the faces of people around you and the only hue present is of the blue. The color of the water kingdom. Walking inside a glass tube with water in all three directions, when you see a 5 feet long shark swimming with its teeth exposed just outside the glass only inches away from you, you know that it is sheer appreciation that comes out for mother nature and her unmatched engineering to create such marvelous creatures. There were like hundreds of more kind of sea creatures. But so also were the swamp and desert dwellers...
Most of my friends have gone "eeks!" and "yukk" on this yellow coiled beauty. But for me it looked like the Don basking in his office wearing his albino suit. And in total contrast, meddling with his thoughts is his pray sporting a clown costume below. 
Vito knows that no matter how jolly and indifferent the clown pretends to be, it is as cautious as he himself is. Also it is definitely something that the Don isn't - Poisonous. No muscle, but something equally, may be more deadly, poison. Any attempt and the result is clear - the clown gets eaten but as the last lunch.
Huh! Coming out of some cheap copy of the classics, here is someone sitting on the dry rock, I liked very much. The sound of a banjo and the slow boot steps of the wooden floor on a rickety Texas saloon came flowing into my ears.
After the breath taking Ocean world, we found a McD and helped ourselves. At 5:30 pm, we were to get a pickup from the Siam Niramit people.
Although, the show starts at 8pm (with strictly no cameras allowed inside), people start to gather at the theater premises from 6pm. Once you are inside and walking around, you know that this much of time is needed before the real show begins. Inside the premises, they have set up a prototype of a traditional Thai neighborhood with real people and house and equipment and food on display for the tourists.
Already impressed with the little village I was roaming in, which was frankly not very much different from how people in India have chosen to live, we gathered in the wide open space in front of the theater to witness open air traditional Thai dance performances.
Then, it was 8pm and the time to submit my camera and enter the real theater. I was actually happy that the cameras were not allowed inside the Siam Niramit show. The battery of my camera was going down quite fast (it is servicing my little camera since 2008). If I would not able to click anything, nobody else should.
But all these stupid jealous triumph was forgotten when that world record holding show began. A stage with 30 feet high wings, unfathomable number and kind of background accommodating depth and even a human deep canal of water in it. The 80 minute show is on the Siam culture. The powerful kingdom, the lifestyle of people, the turning points of history, the trades, the folk and religious beliefs. And all these are shown with a magnanimous style with not only humans but highly trained animals elephants and cattle being a part of the show. The technologies, the play with the light and shadows, the music, the compactness, the mind blowing art and above all the grandeur of the whole show with all these put in is something worth a visit to Bangkok. It is my personal recommendation - If in Bangkok, no better way to spend one of your evenings than being at the Siam Niramit.
Thanks to the dinner and hospitality of Mumbai's Great Punjab Hotel on both of our nights at Bangkok, home never felt too far away. Next day we sat off for Pattaya.
2 comments:
awesum dude,keep writing
Thank you for a trip :) Loved the aquarium stories and pictures and you petty jealousies. Yes, felt the same when I visited the Georgia Aquarium. So, what fell out of your wish?
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