October 31, 2008

DAY 1 @ Bangkok continues....

Venue: Bangkok Date: 19.01.2008 Time: 02:30 p.m. Feeling: Inquisitive 

Amidst all that chitter-chatter with the cabbie and clicking off to the tunes of those realistic landscapes, city lights, smiling faces and other pictures that gave a natural geographic feel, we lost track of time, and much to our dismay we realized that we had travelled much away from our hotel to the Wat Traimit or the Temple of the Golden Buddha (An idol 3mts high and weighs 5.5 tons..) which is located next door to the palatial grounds, in the heart of Bangkok near china town.

 

'Wat’ means ‘temple’ in Thai. Unfortunately, the royals chose to grace the place with a visit on the same day, which meant that it was close to the public for the day. The only saving grace was that we could click away to our heart’s content, which meant some fantabulous pictures of the dazzling palace.

 

Suntong dropped us right in front of the gates and moved forth to find an impressive spot in the parking lot so that he could play the role of a guide inside the temple. Till he arrived, we strolled through the road side stalls and eatery joints, trying to figure out the kind of food they sold. My eyes also caught the mini souvenirs section but I wasn’t smart enough to get hold of my hubby’s wallet accountable! ;) But money? That was not going to stop me from shopping. So without much of a delay, I got my very own first memoir from the grounds of Wat Traimit. A small little Buddha and a bottle of water! LOL :) As soon as I entered the temple I had an eerie feeling, something which reminded (The ‘déjà vu’ feel of already visiting this place) me of my hometown. One of the most famous temples at our place is the Guruvayoor temple where before we enter the temple, we are routed to a shack that stows our slippers.

The same thing happened here and not just that but every bit of the flow of people entering the temple, stacking the slippers with a token base, the continuous addressing of people to take care of their belongings, the shops, the silence, the idols all reminded me of my hometown. That was so nostalgic! (Even the entrance fee to the temple, which gave the feel of a museum!!) This place was filled with idols of Buddha. Quite surprising, that a young prince, who had attained the path to salvation in the Northern regions of India had his messiahs to spread his teachings to the most parts of the eastern world. My hubby was on a spree of taking photographs. He basically enjoys pictures that speak a thousand words and those which emit a certain aura of realism than mundane pictures. I on the other hand enjoy when people smile as I click.

 

So I entered this sacred place, and as I bowed, I could see the tourists clicking away to glory. I mean, I totally understand all this could be a lifetime experience for many, so joining them I and my hubby too enjoyed the marathon of clicking pictures. In between, I took a little while to pray and touch the feet of the Golden Buddha.  The official name of this idol is ‘Phra Buddha Mahasuwan Patimakorn or Phra Sukhothai Traimitr’. I even got the chance to light a fragrant ‘agarbathi’ next to the feet of the idol. It was such a nice feeling. Apart from the main Buddha, there were also other miniature idols of Buddha in this temple.

 

Though they all look the same, as far as myth goes, it seems that each of these idols actually played a part and have a different role in the epics of mythological tales. There is a hidden story behind this temple. This idol was completely covered in stucco during the 18th century just to protect it from the Burmese. But during a transfer, it slipped and broke to reveal that it was actually made in gold.

 

This place was an accurate impression of perfect beauty met with standstill time and experience. It was less of a place for worship and more, a place for faith. In this country, male religious followers are believed to spend a particular phase in their life as a monk. But the fact remains that Thai temples are more than any holy monastery, a paradise to enjoy silence. Such a way of life actually controls the manner in which a person lives, his culture, education or his very own lifestyle. After strolling in front of the temple gates for a while, without wasting a minute, we drove to yet another sacred ground. This time, it was the Wat Pho or Wat Phrachetuphon Wimonmangkhalaram Rajaworamahavihara which is Bangkok's largest temple. Being a Keralite myself, this time, the Buddha’s idol reminded me of the Anandha Padmnabhan temple in Trivandrum.

The only difference is that there I could see Lord Vishnu and here it was another avatar of the same Lord. This, 45 mts long, statue was basically a giant reclining Buddha. It seems this is where Buddha entered attained Nirvana. Clicking a snap that covers the entire statue is next to impossible. So we toured around the statue to get a feel of this amazing structure. The statue’s feet alone can reflect 108 images of Buddha’s impressions. The slanting look of Buddha brings you to serenity. It is just amazing. A great spot for a good photograph!

 











Apart from this statue, this campus was engulfed with a legendary stretch of high and low tombs sculptured in different artistic gauges. We had fun simply touring these tombs as this entire ground was some sort of a crystal maze for us aliens. My hubby was busy peaking into other cameras that went on clicking around where as I was more interested to find out a bit more about this place.

 





Till date, numerous monks dwell there is what our guide said. This museum-cum-temple-cum-touring peak shelters around 394 statues of Buddha, a Bodhi tree and many other deity idols within its well-fenced compound. We even got a good look of the various tombs shining exotically in the spread of the dusk strokes. Before we walked our way to the parking lot, we loitered by the small time souvenir shop available within the vicinity of this temple where the salesgirl lured us to the best of buying something. But we simply surfed through the showcases of this shop and rushed to where our cabbie was waiting for us, trusted and tired. Much tired, gulping down all the water I had and sweating it all out along these toiling treks, we headed to the next destination. Once again, another temple! :)

October 22, 2008

Day I - The most sought after places in the Far East


In continuation of my travel epic, the story goes on somewhat like this... In Bangkok, within the deep siesta scene, I slowly evoked that I am not here to slumber, but wander… I pulled off the sheets that sheltered me through this amazing journey of relaxation and rejuvenation (after all that commotion and chaos, the night before) and with a mood so high, I moved my way towards a refreshing shower…

As soon as I recovered from the stoned world of dreams and trips, (thanks to the hot water tub!), I changed to my casuals, on my sweetheart’s orders and before it was too late, we rushed out for a quick lunch with the free coupons that were given to us.

The lunch, to be frank, was awful. I mean, who in the world would eat anything like that? There was no presentation style, everything was clustered in one plate and no one ever knew what the smelly stuff they were eating was and even worse, to add to all these existing woes, mostly the food was non-veg and being a veggie, I wholeheartedly empathized with those veggie souls who would encounter this kind of a situation in an unknown land.

But later, thanks to the recent concept of globalization and the monopoly of corporate giants, back in the city, I was able to find everything from a Veg. Club sandwich to a Tofu Pizza (As those guys have no clue, as to what is ‘Paneer’!) So after this quick, not-so-impressive lunch, we hired a cabbie for the rest of the day for the 2-day trip in Bangkok, to not go waste. In a Camry, groomed up just like a taxi, we set off to our first destination in Thailand.

Venue: Bangkok Date: 19.01.2008 Time: 02:00 p.m. Feeling: Excited

Now here we had our very own cabbySuntong’, or however it was pronounced (as all names out there sounded the same to me), who became a close buddy of my hubby in these, two days’ time. During our travel to various places, Suntong also served as the local bi-lingual translator teaching us a little bit of Thai (proper Thai that he knew!) taking minimal assistance from his half-baked knowledge of broken English.

Further, without hurting the ego of our cabbie, we left to him the decision of detailing the noon and night itinerary. Though I had my own list of places to visit, the number of which was humongous and the task practically not that feasible, I kept mum and let my sweetie and the cabbie do all the talking. Instead of blabbering, I simply pitched in whenever Suntong would jump up with enthusiasm and teach us a word or two in Thai. For example, ‘Sawatdee’ stands for Hello, Goodbye, Good morning, and Good evening. ‘Sawatdee’ is basically used for wishing someone a good fortune or blessing. However, like in many other languages, the suffix of this word differs based on the genders for which it is used.

For gentlemen, it is ‘Sawatdeekha’ and for ladies, ‘Sawatdeekhrap’. It is a pretty confusing language. If the same thing is said at the end of the conversation or for saying ‘Thanks’ or something, then it is pronounced as ‘Sabaaydeekhrap’. ‘Khapumkhaa’ is for Thank You. Once again, based on the gender, this word may change. Hmm. Now check this out! In their language, at times, the same word is used throughout a sentence, but of course in varying frequencies—ranging from low to high. If you want to ask someone ‘Is it new?’, then in Thai you need to ask ‘mai (in low frequency) mai (in high poetic frequency)? LOL!!

I can just go on talking about their language. But my personal travelogue isn’t just about that. So, in between all these language classes, I and my hubby were also seriously clicking some exotic, ethereal real-life shots of the narrow city lanes in Bangkok. Bangkok, as it goes by its name and fame, is a city which never sleeps and which never wakes up either. Why I say this is because the Thai people, how much ever broad-minded and heart-warming they are by personality and no matter how far they lead many other nations in terms of technology, lifestyle and branding, as an outsider, you will always sense a standstill way of life.







People are not very keen or do not take an effort to expose themselves to new things and lines of thought. That, at times, can be a bit surprising and also annoying. If a nation wants to extend its horizons of tourism and globalization, it is imperative that initiatives to enhance the general public’s awareness about the customs and practices of people from various regions should be definitely on. (Well, for the money part, they all are quite well-equipped!) So all things apart, our trip was on! And it continues...

Arrived at last!!

Hi! To all my dear planetarians and else.... I understand that Iam two posts late, of my introduction... But better late than never!!! :)
Blogging is not alien to me and I have always liked the concept of expressing one's opinion on an online platform.. I already have a blog on 'Creativity' (which I believe is one of my precious assets) and now I am here, to begin a blog which would simply contribute to be my board of self expressions... In this blog, I will begin to note down each incident that leaves an impact on me, my reason of worries or merries, my surprises, my thoughts, my past, present or future, my reflections, my assumptions, my life and world as I see from my eyes... So if you are an avid reader of blogs, no promises that this is going to be an interesting diary to read, but it might make you think, talk and tell, at times... it may trigger you to speak out your words, in your tone to the world.. So let us share, let us care....:) Hoping to see more from you all, in my future posts... Till then, Happy Blogging!!!

October 21, 2008

Destination, long awaited!!!

From here onwards, I will be jotting down experiences from the Thailand trip that I took earlier this year, in my blog. There will not be any consistent sequence, as my creativity might trigger some other exciting stuff too. However, 10 days from this trip will be detailed slowly, one by one, for my loved ones to read and enjoy. So without wasting much time, here I begin my own travelogue, in my own words......

 

Venue: Chennai to Bangkok
Date: 18.01.2008 – 19.01.2008
Time: 02: 00 am – 06:00 am
Feeling: Sick

Childhood, then adolescence and now my present! All this while, I have been taken to various ends of the world, I have seen which many haven't, I have met people of unique ethnicity, I have eaten what I dare not say on this public platform, I have seen and captured some awesome images either with my little gizmo or my soggy eyes (as my eyes keep watering, if exposed for long in the sun, which apparently means that I do most of these things during the day :)), I have got the chance to enjoy some very rare moments in unknown lands and I take pride when I say I have been half round the globe.

Far East especially has always been one of my favorite regions of visit. Till date, I guess I have visited just, all of the lands that bear the well-known crazy foods, charming people, monumental richness, historical achievements, tai-chi, kung-fu, judo, chopsticks and what not, in the Far East. Right from Hong Kong to Bali. But there was this one place, that I always wanted to visit. In dreams, I saw this paradise, I did not get its name... But when I knew where it was, it was never the same...





For ages, my loved ones have been promising to take me to lands where nature begins and ends. I am not an adventurous person but the excitement of discovering something so ancient and oriental always gave me the thrills. When in 2005, this thrill did not face reality, thanks to my overdue passport renewal, I lost hope just like how a soldier loses hope when his ammo gets jammed and there isn’t a single soul to help him out amidst that entire fire raid….wow! Now why in the world, did I take up that analogy? Guess, I am still not over the mini-series mania ‘BOB’...

So, back to my real story, I simply thought how can I substitute a trip to the never ending scenic surprise filled experience with a cabby ridden trip to the Northern terrains of India? Thrilled, was not the feeling or the word I was looking for, when I heard this… But life is unfair, it has always been. So, then back in 05’ November, I said ‘Yes’ and I ended up enjoying a pretty decent trip to the plains of ‘goris’ and ‘choris’. A place filled with colors, palaces, great spicy food, good looking hunks, nice weather (only during the end of the year) and lots of leg pain (as you have to walk and trek all your way out, in these places)! But all this while, even while messaging my fiancee, or while nodding to the funny English lecture which our guide was trying to install in us, my head was dangling with thoughts, that filled pictures of nature, elephants, drinks, fun, colors, festivals, dances, beaches, smiling people and lots of shopping.

A slight amusement reflected in my grin and I knew I had to just go there, at least once.. Where? No prizes for guessing this one... but it was truly Thailand!


Years passed, I got married to my sweetheart, got a peaceful job and life was never so much better. I and my soul mate keep traveling to unknown destinations to explore regions of interest or to reveal something, which for many others is extraordinary. My days of courting with my sweetheart began when I was averagely enjoying my trip in Rajasthan.

How I wished then that I would travel the ends of the world with him. But of course, later we went places, we enjoyed places, we looked for new places and eventually we decided a great place to go for my next birthday! Any guesses? Yeah finally, we had decided to hit the coasts of Thailand. A dream that was becoming so true, that it was kind of hard for me to believe.SO, I started planning for this lovely trip to Thailand which was planned for around 15 days or so. So, I bid farewell to my dear colleagues, whom I would miss and would empathize with as they have no clue where I am off too.

I knew that these people were envying me, in their minds for the very fact that I was going to have a blast in the best exotic place, ever. For starters, the packing began and i was not even able to think what I need on this trip. I mean, the excitement was carrying me off from my presence of mind. The countdown began and the next I remember is, the final day, the night of our flight when me and my hubby rushed our ways to the airport (as always we rush at the last moment) to catch our much delayed, queue sticking, leg aching, roller coaster flight.

Apparently, it was the holiday season and all the flights were jam-packed. So we waited and waited, from one line to another, catching a bite or two, taking snaps, cit-chatting, observing and commenting about the people around us and the constant peek towards our watches. Finally, we got past the checking and security and the flight eventually kicked off at 2:00 am (it was initially scheduled for 12:00 am), thanks to all the commotion due to the enormous groups of passengers waiting to board various flights that day.

Finally, we squeezed our way into the flight and after the ‘welcomes’ and the ‘here’s your seat, Mam' session, I took a breath of relief for just a minute, after tucking my seat belt. Phew! But the marathon of disasters wasn’t the end for me, that day. More to come is what I say! I slept for a while which was quite tough, as the seats were cramped and my tummy wasn’t doing so good. I might have even thrown up if it wasn’t for my willpower of bearing and tolerating stuff.

So even before, I could blink an eye amidst all that noisy music, stuffed air and a hell a lot of humans around me not shutting their mouths, 'breakfast' was the biz word for the attendants. C’mon, give me a break! So, I skipped the smelly breakfast and just waited until that huge ton of fuselage reaches my most awaited destination.



And like an angel carrying away the weight of so many souls, our flight, sharp at dot time, ultimately reached Bangkok, the heart of the Thais, the city that never sleeps. The time was perfect, the weather couldn’t have been better, the process of immigration and other airport formalities were peaceful. But amidst all this, I had a head going nuts and a tummy going growls.


So strolling through the women only sections and peeking on my back now and then to ensure that my man is still behind, I reach for the conveyor belt so that we can just grab our baggage and get out to inhale some fresh air. Frankly speaking, I was tired of those artificial fragrances seeping through my nasals from the time we started from Chennai. It was high time that I really got some air, so fresh. Inside the airport corridors and lounges, we found some interesting tidbits to be shot at. So we reached for our cameras and shot some amazing masterpieces.





At the airport entrance, our hearts skipped a beat when we saw that there was no one to load our asses. After a minute's session of bargaining just like one of those common tourists that you see in an unheard land, we managed to yield in for their rates and was just desperate to reach our hub so that we can slosh off to sleep for the rest of the day (That is at least what I thought!) But back at the Bangkok Centre Hotel, we spend some time in exploring the arena of this new land, its people, trying out the food and so on. The camera shots had however become the routine for the day.

So after the initial check-in formalities and the exploration of our new hub for the next few hours, we raved into our new room – 412. Yeah, how could I forget that number? This hotel was exactly located a walk away from the local railway station, the Hua Lampong for which we had the subway right in front of our hotel. The best part of the day was we got to hear that China town was just 10 minutes away from the hotel. I hate Chinese food, so that is not why I am so excited but it is the fact that China is known for its great antiques and other weirdo stuff. And I was just waiting with my camera, to take a click of these out-of-the-world stuffs.

 


However, I sloshed off as soon as I saw the beds, all thanks to the freaking jet lag, that I had. It was so bad that after a long time, I had a sleep without any dreams, not even of holidaying in Thailand and I had no clue what time it was when I woke up. But all I knew was I was ever ready for an awesome, fun-filled Thai trip! :)

Hmmm.....Miss them!



I was sitting today at office without much work to do and I just began to think about what do I enjoy doing the most.. I mean of course things that bring a curve on my face.. lighten my soul and makes me feel peaceful...things I rarely do but when done I gain a million dollar happiness....some things that make me feel lucky.. some of them are:

1) Stay in solitude
2) Write short verses about something that hit or inspired me
3) Spent hours doing something with my computer
4) Long drives on a rainy day
5) Dance to some filmy music assuming a real life scenario
6) Read a good book and then talk about it
7) Hang out with friends 'till we die laughing
8) Go out on a dinner to a romantic place
9) Mushy moments with my baby
10) Sing during a shower
11) Try to look pretty
12) Meet up really old friends
13) Receive a card/gift on a special day from anyone
14) Teddies all around me
15) Collect key chains, photo frames and bags
16) Watch a nice movie at a theatre with popcorn by my side
17) Make good friends and keep them
18) Travel to unknown places
19) Take innovative snaps
20) Fight with my mom
21) Someone praising me for something
22) Keep smiling in all times
23) Love all and hate none
24) Go out with my beloved for a drink
25) Have mysterious fans and well wishers
26) Make my dad proud and happy of me
27) Decorate my work station
28) Clean my room and keep it always tidy
29) Shop things that I love
30) Smell of earth after the first rain
31) A walk by the beach side all alone gazing at the sunset
32) Long drives with nature on either sides
33) Innocence on the face of a kid
34) Mischief done by a cute brat
35) Smell of weirdos like petrol and oil paint
36) Sleep with a long dream
37) Make great sandwiches
38) Spent hours with babies around me
39) Call people I love, with lovable nicknames
40) My sweetie's dimples
41) Set up various wallpapers on my desktop
42) Trip on something very funny
43) To do all the things written above

WOW!! Only if I could always do these.... hmm.. the only thing I don't' enjoy much is cooking.. but I am good at eating though.....! ;) Any similar takers on that...?
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