Day 5: 3rd Oct, 2008
My last day in Bangkok. I had booked a tour for Grand Palace and The Royal Monastery of Emerald Buddha (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
I met the most interesting and entertaining women in Thailand - Koko, our tour guide. She was packed with so much life and energy that it effused into the tour and transformed day 5 as the best day in Thailand.
The group was really international in mix – an Indian from Muscat, a Korean couple from KL, 2 girls and 2 guys from the Australian police, an African American from Boston and a Lebanese (honeymoon) couple from Dubai. Koko addressed each of us by our city names except the American guy – she called him chocolate.
En route to the Grand palace, she went on non-stop giving titbits on Thailand, thai culture etc…(10 million population in Bangkok, 5 million cars, 2 million cycles and 50,000 cycles. 95% Buddhist, 3% muslims and 1% greek Christians – no England Church. 44 alphabets in the Thai language, monks eat 2 meals a day and do not eat after 12 pm)
Our first stop was at the Reclining Buddha. A huge gold plated statue. Around the statue there were numerous offering cups and for 10 batts a bundle of coins are available to offer in each of the offering cups. I took a bndle of coins and prayed for a wish and offered the coins in each of the cups – close to a hundered cups.
The Australian lady police clicked a snap for me with the majestic ‘Reclining Buddha’ in the backdrop. She lived up to the reputation of police in GK by asking Koko, of the two statues which one was Marco and Polo (it was two separate statues of Marcopolo).
Koko never entertained questions as she was sure of her script and she knew the answers to those untimely questions would be addressed at a later stage.
I befriended the Indian guy and we both helped each other in clicking our respective snaps. He worked for Gulfar in Musact.
At the Grand Palace (built in 1782) we saw the Coronation Hall, the Royal residence, the Chedi where the remains of Buddha are kept and the temple of Emerald Buddha – carved from a blockof green jade and was first discovered in 1434in a stupa in Chiang Rai. At that time the image was covered with plaster and later a part of the plaster on the nose flaked off revealing the green stone underneath. Initially it was thought the stone was emerald and thus the legend of Emerald Buddha began.
I clicked a photo with Koko and promised to sent it to her hotmail.
On our way back there was stop at a Gem factory and outlet. Koko said ‘ you can buy ruby for your friends or secretaries from here….very cheap’ – taking a dig at the elder executives visiting Bangkok with their girl friends or secretaries.
My flight was at 6.30 pm so I left for the airport at 4 pm and for the first time in 4 days I got to know the traffic jams in Bangkok. The 10 minute drive to the highway took 45 minutes. Sensing the situation, my taxi driver re-negotiated the taxi rate and hiked it by another 100 batt – he lived up to the Bangkok taxi reputation: they are out to fleece the tourists at any given opportunity.
I reached Suvarnabhumi airport content of having a great trip and was already looking forward to my next. Not sure of the destination, I was thinking about the possible destinations. One thing was sure. It had to be Europe. After Turkey, Singapore, Srilanka and Thailand it was time for Europe. I walked into a book store at the Duty Free and found a book and my next destination too – Night Train to Lisbon.
Saturday, 15 November 2008
The Vibrant Floating market
It was drizzling when I left the hotel at 6.30 AM for the floating market. The surprising fact was that the roads in Bangkok were well maintained, inspite of the incessant rains. The rainy season is similar to that in Kerala which is attributed to the gutters of Kerala roads. Rains does the same things every where…if allowed they clog, roads lines with trees will have rain water dripping on to the tar roads….but only in kerala it uproots the metal and the tar delicately (miserly) laid by the government contractors.
There were three families in the mini bus; two from Dubai – a Swedish couple in their late 40s and a Lebanese family with a 10 year old girl and another family from Singapore with 2 kids. This group was the most reserved and cold. For me it was a solitary tour as I rarely interacted with them.
After 20 minutes of drive huge salt fields were seen spreading over a 10,000 hectares. The fields become active during Dec to May and when the rain arrives the workers migrate to other villages and cities in search of work. Since the ground is salty, people collect rain water in huge pots for domestic purpose.
Our first stop was at a Coconut factory and Orchid farm. At the factory coconut sugar was being produced. Coconut was dried and cooked in huge bronze vessels and the cooked juice was allowd to cool in small cups. Once cooled they were like jaggery cakes.
The Orchid farm had a wide variety of orchids and they had a nursey selling saplings….but sales were very few obviously due to the in-flight restrictions.
I bought a Buddha portrait from the stall and had a quick tea and set-off to the floating market. We reached the entry point of the canal which leads to the floating market. The group was split into two and along with the Lebanese family I boarded a small boat.
The water was murky black. I am told that the canal earlier was inhabited by crocodiles and poisonous sankes. With the advent of toruirns and plying of engine boats they soon vanished. The canal is also famous for being part of a Bond movie – Roger Moore had a boat chase in this very same canal.
The either sides of the canal offers the backwater life of Thailand. Houses erected on wooden platforms with their very own private jetty with a boat parked; it brought back visuals of Kerala and more so with the sights of mango tress, banana, shoe flower, tamarind, coconut and Bougainville lining either sides of the canal.
The driver slowed down whenever a chedi or a Buddha statues appeared in the vicinity – for us to capture it in our cameras. The 30 minute boat trip was refreshing apart from the sight of the murky waters – the cool breeze, fresh green air and the aroma of coconut oil being processed from a near by coconut factory.
Finally we reached the floating market - a huge shopping complex erected on a wooden platform selling almost everything including ‘batik’ paintings and pearls. The sides of the platform are lined with small boats packed with leather bags, Buddha memorabilia, mat products etc a cooking corner that dishes out freshly made thai food. I bought two banana leave trays of pan cakes for 20batt - they were the size of ‘Usha Utup’s bindhi - 16 0f them. They were oven hot and tasted so good…. full of coconut milk, rice powder and sweetened banana paste.
On our way back we had a stop at th ‘Royal Thai Hnadicraft Centre’. The intricate wooden carvings on huge slabs of wood were amazing. I met Anil Chander and family. What a small world!
i send an SMS to Amin - wishng Eid. Later he told me he had send an SMS which i never got.
I had lunch form the Italian restaurant at the hotel – ‘Da Vinci’. Red Mullet dressed with olives and tomatoe with grated cheese and an Italian herb soup. In the evening I visited the Paragon mall. An amazing mall with all the premium brands in attendance and the food court was swarmed with residents and tourists. I ended buying a few clothes and a leather office bag and later had deep fried pork balls. It was one of the spiciest dish I ever had for as long as I can remember. I swallowed 2 cups of coffee to douse the fire within – the mild throat infection got killed in the process.
There were three families in the mini bus; two from Dubai – a Swedish couple in their late 40s and a Lebanese family with a 10 year old girl and another family from Singapore with 2 kids. This group was the most reserved and cold. For me it was a solitary tour as I rarely interacted with them.
After 20 minutes of drive huge salt fields were seen spreading over a 10,000 hectares. The fields become active during Dec to May and when the rain arrives the workers migrate to other villages and cities in search of work. Since the ground is salty, people collect rain water in huge pots for domestic purpose.
Our first stop was at a Coconut factory and Orchid farm. At the factory coconut sugar was being produced. Coconut was dried and cooked in huge bronze vessels and the cooked juice was allowd to cool in small cups. Once cooled they were like jaggery cakes.
The Orchid farm had a wide variety of orchids and they had a nursey selling saplings….but sales were very few obviously due to the in-flight restrictions.
I bought a Buddha portrait from the stall and had a quick tea and set-off to the floating market. We reached the entry point of the canal which leads to the floating market. The group was split into two and along with the Lebanese family I boarded a small boat.
The water was murky black. I am told that the canal earlier was inhabited by crocodiles and poisonous sankes. With the advent of toruirns and plying of engine boats they soon vanished. The canal is also famous for being part of a Bond movie – Roger Moore had a boat chase in this very same canal.
The either sides of the canal offers the backwater life of Thailand. Houses erected on wooden platforms with their very own private jetty with a boat parked; it brought back visuals of Kerala and more so with the sights of mango tress, banana, shoe flower, tamarind, coconut and Bougainville lining either sides of the canal.
The driver slowed down whenever a chedi or a Buddha statues appeared in the vicinity – for us to capture it in our cameras. The 30 minute boat trip was refreshing apart from the sight of the murky waters – the cool breeze, fresh green air and the aroma of coconut oil being processed from a near by coconut factory.
Finally we reached the floating market - a huge shopping complex erected on a wooden platform selling almost everything including ‘batik’ paintings and pearls. The sides of the platform are lined with small boats packed with leather bags, Buddha memorabilia, mat products etc a cooking corner that dishes out freshly made thai food. I bought two banana leave trays of pan cakes for 20batt - they were the size of ‘Usha Utup’s bindhi - 16 0f them. They were oven hot and tasted so good…. full of coconut milk, rice powder and sweetened banana paste.
On our way back we had a stop at th ‘Royal Thai Hnadicraft Centre’. The intricate wooden carvings on huge slabs of wood were amazing. I met Anil Chander and family. What a small world!
i send an SMS to Amin - wishng Eid. Later he told me he had send an SMS which i never got.
I had lunch form the Italian restaurant at the hotel – ‘Da Vinci’. Red Mullet dressed with olives and tomatoe with grated cheese and an Italian herb soup. In the evening I visited the Paragon mall. An amazing mall with all the premium brands in attendance and the food court was swarmed with residents and tourists. I ended buying a few clothes and a leather office bag and later had deep fried pork balls. It was one of the spiciest dish I ever had for as long as I can remember. I swallowed 2 cups of coffee to douse the fire within – the mild throat infection got killed in the process.
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Ayuthaya – land of temples and a reminder of the Burmese aggression
Day 3: 1st Oct, 08
The mini tour bus picked me up at 6.30 am sharp; by then I had a quick breakfast from ‘The Café’ on the 1st floor.
There was a family from Chicago (Indian guy married to a Thai with a Indo-Thai 5 year old girl and on the way an American couple (didn’t look like they were married) also joined. 15 minutes later we were transferred to a bigger bus already filled with another 20 people. It had a different mix of nationalities. Our guide for the day with a long Thai name had also christened himself as ‘peter’ for the convenience of his tourists.
The bus finally set off for ‘Authaya’ (80 km from Bangkok) the ancient capital of Thailand. Initially it didn’t occur to me that the name must have come from ‘Ayodhya’ since Hinduism (they call it ‘Brahmanism’) has and continues to dominate Thai spirituality. The earlier name ' Siam' and even the name 'Thai' have all origins from Sanskrit.
As Peter started to give an introduction to the Thai Culutre and the iteninary for the day, it was raining outside the bus.
On the way we passed by several temples with multi layered roofs and intricate wood carvings embellished with glass work and gold plated finishes. Every few kilometres these decorated temple roofs were visible; even if you miss one there are plenty on the way as there are over 30,000 temples in Thailand.
In addition to the temples, numerous Stupas were seen in the temple compounds and stand alone ones too. They are called ‘Chedi’ (Spirit House) and is an integral part of Thai culture. The ashes of the dead are parted into 3 (homage to the ‘Thrimurhti’)– one part is stored in an earthern pot in the house , another part is immersed in the sea or river and the third part is kept in a ‘chedi’ – another reminder of the influence of Hinduism. The huge ‘Chedis’ are built for the royal family and the commoners get to buy ready made ones (which are very small in size – around 6 feet tall).
Incidentally the Kings’ sister had died in early January and she is yet to be cremated as her Chedi is being constructed and will be completed only in November. The cremation is set for Nov 14 th to 16th...there will not be any entertainment and thais will be wearing black during those days.
The traffic was less as all schools and universities were closed for semester break. Peter was giving some intresting info about the Bangkok and its past. Around 8000 years ago Bangkok was under the sea and it emerged over the years. As of now 1 km of Bankgkok has gone back under the sea. It’s a precarious situation for a low lying land (just 1m above sea level). Bangkok with a population of 8 million (95% of them Buddhist, 3% Muslims and the rest Hindus and Greek Orthodox Christians) stretching over 15 sq km depends heavily on Tourism and Rice farming (worlds biggest rice exporter). Both were affected with the 1995 floods.
The water never receded completely. On the way most of the land was still holding a lot of water raising its level with the tidal waves. New houses were built on wooden platforms and Peter was narrating how he was out of work during those flood days as Tourism just came to a stand still. The floods affected the Thai economy as the paddy fields were completely destroyed. Also boat trips are often interrupted as the water rises and closes the gap between the water surface and bridge making it impossible for the boats to pass under the bridge.
We reached our first stop – The Bang Pia Palace. It has a summer palace and a winter palace, the latter was built in chineese architecture by the Chineese as a gift to the royals. There’s a small lake that flows around the palace that looked very green and calm with a few venetian bridges criss-crossing them.
It was still drizzling and I loved every moment of that beautiful cool wet morning celebrating thai architecture. There was a look-out tower (called the sages look-out tower) in the middle of the compound that gave us a panoramic view of the Palace and the compound. The green lake snaked the palace surroundings and the green landscape with shrubs trimmed as lions, tigers, elephants and dears.
The next stop was at a temple that was partly destroyed by the Burmese. In the whole of the Thai history looks like the Burmese were the villains. They plundered Thailand several times. On the Burmese invasions, there’s an interesting episode were queen Suriotia (not sure of the spelling) disguised as a man went to war. She was killed by the Burmese king and years later her grandson killed the Burmese king and ousted the Burmese. This has been captured on celluloid and it runs for good 5 hours.
The temple compound had hundreds of Buddha statues and only a handful were not mutilated – complete with limbs and head. The rest were all vandalised arguably by the west (Portuguese, Dutch, and even the Japanese). An Indian toruist from Banglore told me that the Buddha sites in India (Gaya) are well kept and this vandalism for sure has to do with the Europeans. Incidentally Thailand is the only country in South East Asia that was not colonised by the West – mostly since Thailand had able rulers during the 1800s and they also exploited the rivalry between the British and French.
Back to the Buddha statues; the first Buddha statues were Burmese style – well decorated and colourful. Buddha statues over a period metamorphosed from Indian to Thai in physical traits. But still curly hair and big ears are considered lucky in Thailand (of course very rare for a Thai gene to process it).
The temple compound had a few ‘Chedi’s that belonged to the earlier kings and his brothers and their wives. The height of the pillars that ring the ‘chedi’s’ at the top end indicates the positon of the deceased in the royal hierarchy.
We moved on to another temple built in the 14th century and the Golden Buddha statue there is 400 years old. The temple compound also had a few ‘Chedi’s and I climbed the narrow steps to all the way up. At the top there was a small Buddha statue and a few dry flowers and burnt out incense sticks were seen lying there. Coming down was a bit scary. The steps were too small and too steep. May be the steps were accurately measured for a petite Thai feet.
Before getting back to the bus one of the numerous vendors selling Buddha statues and other thai artefacts pulled out a small china saucer with images of Thailand printed at the edges and a photograph of mine sticked in the middle. It was really a surpise and I thought I need to buy it even though she charged me 100 bhats for it – it was a pleasant memorabilia.
Our return from Authaya to Bangkok was via a cruise on the 365 km long Chao Praya river – the longest river in Thailand. It was a 3 hour cruise. There were 2 levels and lunch was served in the first level. The upper level was open and lot of westerners gathered there to bask in the mild sunlight.
The waters were clam. Indonesian hyacinth floated on the waters. It was interesting to know that Thai’s dried these unwanted plants, that block the water and clogging the waste, to make baskets and furniture and then export them to Indonesia – what a profitable revenge. They are also used to make fertilizer and to make flower pots and to grow mushrooms. A good learning for the Allepy Town to clean its backwaters, invent new employment opportunities and cut down on mosquito larva. The Choa Praya river banks constantly erode and get wider due to the incessant sand mining – reminded me of the dying rivers in Kerala for the same reason.
It was a good 3 hour of relaxing after witnessing the remains of the Burmese brutality, vandalised Buddha statues, exquisite temples and Chedi’s, water logged paddy fields and land and the uncompromising Thai spirit of welcoming tourists.
The mini tour bus picked me up at 6.30 am sharp; by then I had a quick breakfast from ‘The Café’ on the 1st floor.
There was a family from Chicago (Indian guy married to a Thai with a Indo-Thai 5 year old girl and on the way an American couple (didn’t look like they were married) also joined. 15 minutes later we were transferred to a bigger bus already filled with another 20 people. It had a different mix of nationalities. Our guide for the day with a long Thai name had also christened himself as ‘peter’ for the convenience of his tourists.
The bus finally set off for ‘Authaya’ (80 km from Bangkok) the ancient capital of Thailand. Initially it didn’t occur to me that the name must have come from ‘Ayodhya’ since Hinduism (they call it ‘Brahmanism’) has and continues to dominate Thai spirituality. The earlier name ' Siam' and even the name 'Thai' have all origins from Sanskrit.
As Peter started to give an introduction to the Thai Culutre and the iteninary for the day, it was raining outside the bus.
On the way we passed by several temples with multi layered roofs and intricate wood carvings embellished with glass work and gold plated finishes. Every few kilometres these decorated temple roofs were visible; even if you miss one there are plenty on the way as there are over 30,000 temples in Thailand.
In addition to the temples, numerous Stupas were seen in the temple compounds and stand alone ones too. They are called ‘Chedi’ (Spirit House) and is an integral part of Thai culture. The ashes of the dead are parted into 3 (homage to the ‘Thrimurhti’)– one part is stored in an earthern pot in the house , another part is immersed in the sea or river and the third part is kept in a ‘chedi’ – another reminder of the influence of Hinduism. The huge ‘Chedis’ are built for the royal family and the commoners get to buy ready made ones (which are very small in size – around 6 feet tall).
Incidentally the Kings’ sister had died in early January and she is yet to be cremated as her Chedi is being constructed and will be completed only in November. The cremation is set for Nov 14 th to 16th...there will not be any entertainment and thais will be wearing black during those days.
The traffic was less as all schools and universities were closed for semester break. Peter was giving some intresting info about the Bangkok and its past. Around 8000 years ago Bangkok was under the sea and it emerged over the years. As of now 1 km of Bankgkok has gone back under the sea. It’s a precarious situation for a low lying land (just 1m above sea level). Bangkok with a population of 8 million (95% of them Buddhist, 3% Muslims and the rest Hindus and Greek Orthodox Christians) stretching over 15 sq km depends heavily on Tourism and Rice farming (worlds biggest rice exporter). Both were affected with the 1995 floods.
The water never receded completely. On the way most of the land was still holding a lot of water raising its level with the tidal waves. New houses were built on wooden platforms and Peter was narrating how he was out of work during those flood days as Tourism just came to a stand still. The floods affected the Thai economy as the paddy fields were completely destroyed. Also boat trips are often interrupted as the water rises and closes the gap between the water surface and bridge making it impossible for the boats to pass under the bridge.
We reached our first stop – The Bang Pia Palace. It has a summer palace and a winter palace, the latter was built in chineese architecture by the Chineese as a gift to the royals. There’s a small lake that flows around the palace that looked very green and calm with a few venetian bridges criss-crossing them.
It was still drizzling and I loved every moment of that beautiful cool wet morning celebrating thai architecture. There was a look-out tower (called the sages look-out tower) in the middle of the compound that gave us a panoramic view of the Palace and the compound. The green lake snaked the palace surroundings and the green landscape with shrubs trimmed as lions, tigers, elephants and dears.
The next stop was at a temple that was partly destroyed by the Burmese. In the whole of the Thai history looks like the Burmese were the villains. They plundered Thailand several times. On the Burmese invasions, there’s an interesting episode were queen Suriotia (not sure of the spelling) disguised as a man went to war. She was killed by the Burmese king and years later her grandson killed the Burmese king and ousted the Burmese. This has been captured on celluloid and it runs for good 5 hours.
The temple compound had hundreds of Buddha statues and only a handful were not mutilated – complete with limbs and head. The rest were all vandalised arguably by the west (Portuguese, Dutch, and even the Japanese). An Indian toruist from Banglore told me that the Buddha sites in India (Gaya) are well kept and this vandalism for sure has to do with the Europeans. Incidentally Thailand is the only country in South East Asia that was not colonised by the West – mostly since Thailand had able rulers during the 1800s and they also exploited the rivalry between the British and French.
Back to the Buddha statues; the first Buddha statues were Burmese style – well decorated and colourful. Buddha statues over a period metamorphosed from Indian to Thai in physical traits. But still curly hair and big ears are considered lucky in Thailand (of course very rare for a Thai gene to process it).
The temple compound had a few ‘Chedi’s that belonged to the earlier kings and his brothers and their wives. The height of the pillars that ring the ‘chedi’s’ at the top end indicates the positon of the deceased in the royal hierarchy.
We moved on to another temple built in the 14th century and the Golden Buddha statue there is 400 years old. The temple compound also had a few ‘Chedi’s and I climbed the narrow steps to all the way up. At the top there was a small Buddha statue and a few dry flowers and burnt out incense sticks were seen lying there. Coming down was a bit scary. The steps were too small and too steep. May be the steps were accurately measured for a petite Thai feet.
Before getting back to the bus one of the numerous vendors selling Buddha statues and other thai artefacts pulled out a small china saucer with images of Thailand printed at the edges and a photograph of mine sticked in the middle. It was really a surpise and I thought I need to buy it even though she charged me 100 bhats for it – it was a pleasant memorabilia.
Our return from Authaya to Bangkok was via a cruise on the 365 km long Chao Praya river – the longest river in Thailand. It was a 3 hour cruise. There were 2 levels and lunch was served in the first level. The upper level was open and lot of westerners gathered there to bask in the mild sunlight.
The waters were clam. Indonesian hyacinth floated on the waters. It was interesting to know that Thai’s dried these unwanted plants, that block the water and clogging the waste, to make baskets and furniture and then export them to Indonesia – what a profitable revenge. They are also used to make fertilizer and to make flower pots and to grow mushrooms. A good learning for the Allepy Town to clean its backwaters, invent new employment opportunities and cut down on mosquito larva. The Choa Praya river banks constantly erode and get wider due to the incessant sand mining – reminded me of the dying rivers in Kerala for the same reason.
It was a good 3 hour of relaxing after witnessing the remains of the Burmese brutality, vandalised Buddha statues, exquisite temples and Chedi’s, water logged paddy fields and land and the uncompromising Thai spirit of welcoming tourists.
Later in the night I tried fried fish in thai sauce. I cant complain the food is not spicy but some how I guess I don’t really enjoy thai food.
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Sawat-dii ka
Day 2 : Sep 30, 08
The flight touched the runway of the ‘Suvarnabhumi’ airport at 8.20 am local time. My adjacent seat was occupied by a Canadian guy who had finished his college and was on a 6 month vacation to Thailand. We didn’t talk much as he was watching movies back to back. I watched ‘Sex and the City’ and then took a short nap so that I could utilise my first day in Bangkok without having to rest in the hotel room.
The visa process was simple. it is one of the few places on earth where we Indians get a visa on arrival. It hardly took 10 minutes and in the next 20 minutes I was out of the airport. I was warned by Deepnaker not to take fall for the taxi services that will pounce on you but to go directly to the ‘Taxi Meter’ office and book a taxi to the hotel. I did the same.
After a 25 minute drive I reached hotel Rembrandt. The hotel glass door opened and I walked in with my luggage. "Sawat-dii ka" greeted a beautiful Thai face…she smiled at me and then bowed with the face touching the folded hands. I finished the hotel formalities and took the elevator to my room on the 10th floor. The huge windows opened down to the swimming pool on the 4th floor and to the Bangkok skyline beyond.
Since it was mid noon I decided to go out later in the evening and to utilize the time at hand for a traditional Thai massage. The Thai masseusse rang the bell 25 minutes later. The next 2 hours was a rejuvenating experience. I wore a Thai suit (a soft cotton loose pyjama and top - similar to that jet lee wears in movies wherein he thrashes 20 others who also wear similar suits). I thought this was one of the best night dress man could ever lay his hands on. Anyways the massage progressed and at several points I felt aroused, slipped into quick naps (I even softly snored….and woke up hearing my own snoring) and endured slight pain at times. My body was bend and twisted around her body and swirled in all possible postures that I never ever imagined my body could handle. She was a professional .... dexterously managing the authentic spirit of Thai massage.
After a lunch at the Indian restaurant (Rang Mahal) on the 26th floor and an hour later I walked towards the Skytrain station armed with a map of the city. I took the skytrain to the Siam city centre station (ticket price Bhat 25) and walked towards the MBK mall. This mall houses brands as well as duplicates of all major brands, lots of Buddhist artifacts, cheap clothes, leather, furniture, accessories, coffeshops and what not.
Reached hotel by 8 pm and had dinner at the Thai restaurant in the hotel. I had a sea food soup, grilled pork topped with raw paste of garlic, chillies, lemon grass and lime. I didn’t quite like it. Since I had a slight throat irritation (thanks to the freezing air circulation in the Qatar airways flight) I stayed away from all cold drinks and even wine. So I finished the dinner with a green tea. At a corner i saw malaylam film director/producer Lal and two others engaged in a discussion. one of them looked like a popular cinematographer...i couldnt remember his name.
After dinner, I went for a short walk on the Sukhumvit road and then took a tuk tuk (our very own auto rickshaw). The driver immediately displayed a brochure. A selection of photographs of naked and scantily clad girls. This was not a one time incident. Even while walking in the street or taking a taxi/tuk tuk tourists are approached with such brochures. Its shocking to see the enormity of the sex trade that has entrenched the society. Every second shop in the Sukhumvit by lane is a massage parlour that offers everything. Girls call out to tourists inviting them into the shop.
I came back to the hotel and booked a tour for next morning to the ancient city of Ayuthaya. The tour agent repeatledy informed me that i will be picked up at 6.30 am in the morning....and i placed a wake up call for 5.45 am with the hotel reception.
The flight touched the runway of the ‘Suvarnabhumi’ airport at 8.20 am local time. My adjacent seat was occupied by a Canadian guy who had finished his college and was on a 6 month vacation to Thailand. We didn’t talk much as he was watching movies back to back. I watched ‘Sex and the City’ and then took a short nap so that I could utilise my first day in Bangkok without having to rest in the hotel room.
The visa process was simple. it is one of the few places on earth where we Indians get a visa on arrival. It hardly took 10 minutes and in the next 20 minutes I was out of the airport. I was warned by Deepnaker not to take fall for the taxi services that will pounce on you but to go directly to the ‘Taxi Meter’ office and book a taxi to the hotel. I did the same.
After a 25 minute drive I reached hotel Rembrandt. The hotel glass door opened and I walked in with my luggage. "Sawat-dii ka" greeted a beautiful Thai face…she smiled at me and then bowed with the face touching the folded hands. I finished the hotel formalities and took the elevator to my room on the 10th floor. The huge windows opened down to the swimming pool on the 4th floor and to the Bangkok skyline beyond.
Since it was mid noon I decided to go out later in the evening and to utilize the time at hand for a traditional Thai massage. The Thai masseusse rang the bell 25 minutes later. The next 2 hours was a rejuvenating experience. I wore a Thai suit (a soft cotton loose pyjama and top - similar to that jet lee wears in movies wherein he thrashes 20 others who also wear similar suits). I thought this was one of the best night dress man could ever lay his hands on. Anyways the massage progressed and at several points I felt aroused, slipped into quick naps (I even softly snored….and woke up hearing my own snoring) and endured slight pain at times. My body was bend and twisted around her body and swirled in all possible postures that I never ever imagined my body could handle. She was a professional .... dexterously managing the authentic spirit of Thai massage.
After a lunch at the Indian restaurant (Rang Mahal) on the 26th floor and an hour later I walked towards the Skytrain station armed with a map of the city. I took the skytrain to the Siam city centre station (ticket price Bhat 25) and walked towards the MBK mall. This mall houses brands as well as duplicates of all major brands, lots of Buddhist artifacts, cheap clothes, leather, furniture, accessories, coffeshops and what not.
Reached hotel by 8 pm and had dinner at the Thai restaurant in the hotel. I had a sea food soup, grilled pork topped with raw paste of garlic, chillies, lemon grass and lime. I didn’t quite like it. Since I had a slight throat irritation (thanks to the freezing air circulation in the Qatar airways flight) I stayed away from all cold drinks and even wine. So I finished the dinner with a green tea. At a corner i saw malaylam film director/producer Lal and two others engaged in a discussion. one of them looked like a popular cinematographer...i couldnt remember his name.
After dinner, I went for a short walk on the Sukhumvit road and then took a tuk tuk (our very own auto rickshaw). The driver immediately displayed a brochure. A selection of photographs of naked and scantily clad girls. This was not a one time incident. Even while walking in the street or taking a taxi/tuk tuk tourists are approached with such brochures. Its shocking to see the enormity of the sex trade that has entrenched the society. Every second shop in the Sukhumvit by lane is a massage parlour that offers everything. Girls call out to tourists inviting them into the shop.
I came back to the hotel and booked a tour for next morning to the ancient city of Ayuthaya. The tour agent repeatledy informed me that i will be picked up at 6.30 am in the morning....and i placed a wake up call for 5.45 am with the hotel reception.
Monday, 29 September 2008
Siam - en route
Day 1 : 29th Sep 08
My first trip to an exotic new and far away land…ALONE. Am a bit nervous and excited on how I could pull of the next 4 days, enjoying every bit of it and returning content having made a good trip. It was a decision taken at the spur of the moment. Initial plans to Dubai tumbled as Sophie was travelling to India and Richu had an option for a trip to Salalah.
I am at the Qatar International Airport waiting for the connecting flight to Bangkok; delayed by an hour and now estimated at 9.45 pm. I had second thoughts about carrying my laptop. But it turned out to be a time saver and a redeemer for my dead blog waiting for the last few months to get some fresh new words. I strayed through the airport terminal …and disappointingly discovered that the airport do not offer ‘Airport Lounge’ access for Diners Club members.
I remembered to call Shanavas and wished him Eid Mubarak.
Finally settled down at Costa café with a large Café Latte and delighted to find that my laptop found a wireless network. Plugged my ears with music from my folders – Atif Aslam soothed them with the ‘Tere Bin’ number.
A group or 5 arab young men at a corner table playing cards, a European couple next to my table wiping away the spilt soda from the table and her clutches, that sprayed on to them while opening it (one of them had shaked it quite a bit), an arab young couple taking their photo on the mobile with his wife resting her chin on his shoulder…
Chairs kept on changing the faces of their occupants…there were tired faces, chirpy kiddie faces and faces dipped in paper back books yellowed at the edges; all waiting to continue the journey.
Ashaji entered with the ‘Mera Kuch Saaman’ number and I closed my eyes for a few moments of tranquil ecstasy.
My first trip to an exotic new and far away land…ALONE. Am a bit nervous and excited on how I could pull of the next 4 days, enjoying every bit of it and returning content having made a good trip. It was a decision taken at the spur of the moment. Initial plans to Dubai tumbled as Sophie was travelling to India and Richu had an option for a trip to Salalah.
I am at the Qatar International Airport waiting for the connecting flight to Bangkok; delayed by an hour and now estimated at 9.45 pm. I had second thoughts about carrying my laptop. But it turned out to be a time saver and a redeemer for my dead blog waiting for the last few months to get some fresh new words. I strayed through the airport terminal …and disappointingly discovered that the airport do not offer ‘Airport Lounge’ access for Diners Club members.
I remembered to call Shanavas and wished him Eid Mubarak.
Finally settled down at Costa café with a large Café Latte and delighted to find that my laptop found a wireless network. Plugged my ears with music from my folders – Atif Aslam soothed them with the ‘Tere Bin’ number.
A group or 5 arab young men at a corner table playing cards, a European couple next to my table wiping away the spilt soda from the table and her clutches, that sprayed on to them while opening it (one of them had shaked it quite a bit), an arab young couple taking their photo on the mobile with his wife resting her chin on his shoulder…
Chairs kept on changing the faces of their occupants…there were tired faces, chirpy kiddie faces and faces dipped in paper back books yellowed at the edges; all waiting to continue the journey.
Ashaji entered with the ‘Mera Kuch Saaman’ number and I closed my eyes for a few moments of tranquil ecstasy.
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Corporate Culture … the dilemma of the East!
An Irish executive broke the thin glacial silence in the loo with a puffy fart. There was a sudden moment of stillness among the others busy leaking into wall closets. The Irish guy laughed out and made the inappropriate exhaust looked funny. It worked …others too felt it was an uncontrollable funny moment of air seepage. I too felt the same….but then does an exhaust from an eastern outlet would be treated the same? It would have easily brought in an air of embarrassment and questioned the very basis of personal hygiene and public conduct.
Along with the English language, corporate culture moulded in the cold speckles corners of the western boardrooms over the decades, by spirited men in cotton blended woollen suits, has entrenched the world (at least the common wealth nations and other territories where the west had influenced) in building and fine tuning the governance framework.
Hence the corporate cultural symbols are mostly western and every new entrant, naively gazing at the maze ahead, is expected to pick up the nuances and ever evolving cultural ethics at a pace that demands an instant metamorphosis.
If your pedigree had not peeped out of the fringes of small towns and highland villages then you are in for tough days. You are always on the lookout of being conscious of being relentlessly right in the way you exchange greetings while meeting clients, conducting oneself at meetings, having the fork on left and knife on the right and clearing the cutlery from outside working towards the big white china; and of lately to be seen in corporate power lunches having more of salads, brown and high fibre breads and fruits.
The east had always been tolerant to new cultures, religion and food habits and so for the corporate culture as well. A typical bollywood adaptation of a local would be a bhaiya in white dhoti and baniyan with a one room office adjacent to the go down/whole sale outlet perched on the glazed floor bending forward resting their overgrown belly and elbows on a wooden desk cum drawer that opens up to accommodate bundles of cash and registers that need to be used ad hockly. A few meters away an assistant, one of the few lads who had done well at the village school especially in arithmetic, would be eyeballing a thick register with a convex spine -like a rainbow- changing colours to suit the bhaiya’s temperament.
From a floor level desk-cum-drawer to a boardroom, it’s been a huge leap. It’s a fine balance between the real self that’s evolved over years picking up slices of life from the people and the stories around and the sudden impact of a whole new way of life that eats up half of your adult life.
At a time when the West is incorporating more of the Eastern techniques in exploring the power of the inner self into the corporate culture, may be its time for the East to redraw the blue print for a corporate culture rooted in the ancient secrets of power of the mind together with preserving the creators balance of the life’s forces.
Along with the English language, corporate culture moulded in the cold speckles corners of the western boardrooms over the decades, by spirited men in cotton blended woollen suits, has entrenched the world (at least the common wealth nations and other territories where the west had influenced) in building and fine tuning the governance framework.
Hence the corporate cultural symbols are mostly western and every new entrant, naively gazing at the maze ahead, is expected to pick up the nuances and ever evolving cultural ethics at a pace that demands an instant metamorphosis.
If your pedigree had not peeped out of the fringes of small towns and highland villages then you are in for tough days. You are always on the lookout of being conscious of being relentlessly right in the way you exchange greetings while meeting clients, conducting oneself at meetings, having the fork on left and knife on the right and clearing the cutlery from outside working towards the big white china; and of lately to be seen in corporate power lunches having more of salads, brown and high fibre breads and fruits.
The east had always been tolerant to new cultures, religion and food habits and so for the corporate culture as well. A typical bollywood adaptation of a local would be a bhaiya in white dhoti and baniyan with a one room office adjacent to the go down/whole sale outlet perched on the glazed floor bending forward resting their overgrown belly and elbows on a wooden desk cum drawer that opens up to accommodate bundles of cash and registers that need to be used ad hockly. A few meters away an assistant, one of the few lads who had done well at the village school especially in arithmetic, would be eyeballing a thick register with a convex spine -like a rainbow- changing colours to suit the bhaiya’s temperament.
From a floor level desk-cum-drawer to a boardroom, it’s been a huge leap. It’s a fine balance between the real self that’s evolved over years picking up slices of life from the people and the stories around and the sudden impact of a whole new way of life that eats up half of your adult life.
At a time when the West is incorporating more of the Eastern techniques in exploring the power of the inner self into the corporate culture, may be its time for the East to redraw the blue print for a corporate culture rooted in the ancient secrets of power of the mind together with preserving the creators balance of the life’s forces.
Labels:
blue print,
corporate culture,
power of the mind
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Silent Discovery
each time the dark silence looms
methinks -- an evergreen soul!
as each leaf falls, green or yellow,
the upheavals in the cold breeze go unseen
i live in the wings of time
i believe the world melts with me
nowhere do i hear the inevitable footsteps.
while lost in the musings of the green,
the coldness of the dark creeps in . . .
I see the upheavals in the cold breeze;
the evergreen shell breaks.
no more do i stare at a few above!
beneath i see thousands . . .
avaricious desires drift with the breeze
the pristine soul glitters.
as the sighs, moans and the incense cloudsfade,
the mind wanders and finds the lost path
the path through the enchanted woods . . . !
methinks -- an evergreen soul!
as each leaf falls, green or yellow,
the upheavals in the cold breeze go unseen
i live in the wings of time
i believe the world melts with me
nowhere do i hear the inevitable footsteps.
while lost in the musings of the green,
the coldness of the dark creeps in . . .
I see the upheavals in the cold breeze;
the evergreen shell breaks.
no more do i stare at a few above!
beneath i see thousands . . .
avaricious desires drift with the breeze
the pristine soul glitters.
as the sighs, moans and the incense cloudsfade,
the mind wanders and finds the lost path
the path through the enchanted woods . . . !
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Domestic help.....why export it?
I was on phone with my mother in India. At 60 she still spends a considerable time in the kitchen that had metamorphosed over the years… from red oxide paved cement floor to tiled glazed flooring, from earthen stove to imported gas cooker and a puffing chimney paved way to a exhaust fan blackened with oil, spices and dusty cobwebs. She was extremely lucky on one aspect – for most…. the life line of a modern kitchen – domestic help. There was this family of 4 sisters, from the nearby district with roots in Tanjore, who took over our kitchen in the last 3 decades. They made their entries and exits chronologically as each of them reached their marriageable age.
Sandhya made her debut when the youngest of the sisters left last year. Unlike the sisters, she was not a resident domestic help. She lived 10 minutes of long-strided walking from my house and started her chores at 7.30 am and left (I should admit) exhausted at 5.30 pm. She was a mother of a 2 year old and 4 year old who were taken care of by her widowed mother. I was glad that my mom was happy that sandhya had fitted into the cast that had been moulded for 3decades by 4 dark sisters with a graceful servility that was imagined to be difficult for a new tribe to ensconce into.
She was in a hurry to hang up the phone as Sandhya had to leave work early today to attend the Sthree Shakti (Women Power) meeting. Not knowing what this government funded program was aimed at, I was anxious to know what does a high school drop out and mother of two working as a domestic help, doing at these meetings and whether it did help her to ease her life’s troubles.
There was a silent revolution gaining momentum in the rural areas and she was a link in that long chain connecting thousands of women witnessing a blooming emancipation and self-sketching their empowerment under this program. The program gave them a platform to launch small scale entrepreneurial programs like paper basket units, revival of handicrafts techniques on the verge of fade out among others thereby creating self sustainable units and creating jobs in their neighbourhood.
Sandhya earns Rs3000 a month from her job, lives with her family and finds time to engage herself in social programs creating additional revenue streams for her family. What about the gulf maids? Are they better placed than Sandhaya? They earn double the salary and live in air-conditioned apartments in the Gulf. There ends the glossy side. The price they had paid for this is a huge loan from the local loan sharks to pay for the Visa, ticket and agent commission. On an average majority of the maids do not stay for more than 3 years. They reach home richer by a few chiffon sari’s but still need money to pay-off the debts that helped them to reach gulf. The trauma of living away from family and kids and in some cases the physical trauma endured are scars that may take a long time to heal.
Every town and village has scores of aged parents and working couples who need domestic help. Then why do nations export domestic help and get branded as nations brimming with maids and labourers.
Sandhya made her debut when the youngest of the sisters left last year. Unlike the sisters, she was not a resident domestic help. She lived 10 minutes of long-strided walking from my house and started her chores at 7.30 am and left (I should admit) exhausted at 5.30 pm. She was a mother of a 2 year old and 4 year old who were taken care of by her widowed mother. I was glad that my mom was happy that sandhya had fitted into the cast that had been moulded for 3decades by 4 dark sisters with a graceful servility that was imagined to be difficult for a new tribe to ensconce into.
She was in a hurry to hang up the phone as Sandhya had to leave work early today to attend the Sthree Shakti (Women Power) meeting. Not knowing what this government funded program was aimed at, I was anxious to know what does a high school drop out and mother of two working as a domestic help, doing at these meetings and whether it did help her to ease her life’s troubles.
There was a silent revolution gaining momentum in the rural areas and she was a link in that long chain connecting thousands of women witnessing a blooming emancipation and self-sketching their empowerment under this program. The program gave them a platform to launch small scale entrepreneurial programs like paper basket units, revival of handicrafts techniques on the verge of fade out among others thereby creating self sustainable units and creating jobs in their neighbourhood.
Sandhya earns Rs3000 a month from her job, lives with her family and finds time to engage herself in social programs creating additional revenue streams for her family. What about the gulf maids? Are they better placed than Sandhaya? They earn double the salary and live in air-conditioned apartments in the Gulf. There ends the glossy side. The price they had paid for this is a huge loan from the local loan sharks to pay for the Visa, ticket and agent commission. On an average majority of the maids do not stay for more than 3 years. They reach home richer by a few chiffon sari’s but still need money to pay-off the debts that helped them to reach gulf. The trauma of living away from family and kids and in some cases the physical trauma endured are scars that may take a long time to heal.
Every town and village has scores of aged parents and working couples who need domestic help. Then why do nations export domestic help and get branded as nations brimming with maids and labourers.
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