Summer 2016 - THE GREAT THAI EXTRAVAGANZA

Here is a write up of Rishabh, Nandita and Nishanth.

THE GREAT THAI EXTRAVAGANZA

BY RISHABH SHETTY

Thailand is a marvelous country in which no words 

can describe its hidden wonders. Situated just east of India ,it can be referred to as one of the “gems” of south-east Asia .My trip to Thailand was just a surreal experience and what better way to experience Thailand at its best than during the world famous and nationwide :Songkran festival or water festival. The official currency of Thailand was the “Thai Baht” but many a times during the trip, the fathers mistook it for “Thai Butt”!! .

Our first stop was the capital, Bangkok. This grand city is home to uncountable skyscrapers and numerous historical sites and the malls  there  also added to that “WOW” factor. Our hotel there was the Novotel Pleonchit sukhumvit which was centrally located to the best malls of Thailand .Even the  Skytrain station was located at our footsteps.The total duration spent here was 2 and a half days and during this short period , we tried different types of Thai cusines , checked out malls ,went to historical sites and a whole lot of things .Bangkok is known as one of the best shopping destinations.. hence, most of our time we spent in the swanky malls and the street markets . Our last day in Bangkok was a memorable one as in the morning , we spent 4 hours in the Grand Opulent palace of Thailand. The architecture and the pietra-dura was stunning .Hats off to those 17^th century architects who built this complex .

Next was a visit Platinum mall where electronic was at its cheapest .Overall it was a fun experience while we walked around 3 hours in the mall .We then bought some goodies at the renowned street markets and walked for 2 hours .While going on a 1 and a half hour walk back to the hotel, we found ourselves at the heart of the songkran festival. We got drenched with cold water trickling down our back …we also got to witness a rock band live!! And eat fish which was marinated with rock salt .these moments in Bangkok I will cherish all my life .

Our next stop was the famous Krabi islands.

Krabi  is a tourist frenzy spot located south of Thailand close to Phuket .Our resort was called the Holiday Inn resort ,which was  situated right next to AO Nang beach and the hosted the best swimming  pools in town with amazing amenities like 4 waterslides !! the biggest and fastest being the green one … Now since he Krabi town was pretty far off,we didn’t go there ,instead we went shopping at the famous markets situated  near the main AO Nang beach stretch . Our total duration spent there was 3 and a half days.  Our visit to the AO Nang beach was a nice one as I found a lot of hermit crabs and some knick –knacks from the sea that I could keep.

On our last day , early morning we took a boat to the world-famous Chicken Island for snorkeling !!.It was called Chicken Island as the rocks were shaped like the head of a chicken. The water patterns and snorkeling there was an out-of –this-world experience as there was different water colours showing the depths of these coral infested waters .While snorkeling we could see various marine animals ,be it sea cucumbers to schools of fish .This day was a day to cherish for the rest of my life.

When I look back now at the time I spent in Thailand ,I feel we could have scrounged for a few more days to check the hidden wonders of Thailand …………….

OVERALL ,this was trip was a must-keep in my treasured chest of memories.

By Nandita

 

From 2016 summer vacation the days between 13th to 18th April were spent at one the the most beautiful and hottest places, Thailand. Those exhausting yet fun six days went by too fast. And in memory of these six days i would like to recollect the various things which occurred during the given time span. First of all, the over all general itinerary of the trip was to fly from Bangalore to Bangkok on the 12th, reaching on the 13th we would spend  2 and a half days their. After which we would catch a flight to Krabi where we would spend the remaining 3 and a half days and hence, return to Bangalore.

We arrived early on the 13th but, managed to pig out in the airport until around 6 when we got a van to head to our hotel, Novotel. We were all pumped to try the exotic Thai food, so we headed out for breakfast, we weren't disappointed. Due to our obvious lack of sleep, we rested until lunchtime, after which we went to the Central World, a popular mall in Bangkok. We were in the city at the perfect time as the Thai New Year, Songkran was in full swing. The mall was no less, there were fresh stalls providing us with authentic Thai specialties. We got some shopping done and then headed back. We didn't hesitate to change into our famous swimming suits and jump into the warm pool outside.we stayed there until late. Afterwards we all snuggled in with a warm plastic box of Thai takeout. Thus, concluding our first day. Or second day, was started with an early breakfast and then we were headed towards the Grand Palace. True to it’s name, the palace was grand. They had delicate tinted glass work and the whole thing was coated in gold. Thought it was hot, it was worth and the lunch afterwards at another mall was also promising. Later that night, we toured the streets of Bangkok , only to get caught among the festivities of Songkran.

And, there in the middle of the renowned city of Bangkok, did we see the Thai new year in full swing. We took part in the festival to complete our now Thai lifestyle.

The next day was spent in the airport. We bid our goodbyes to Bangkok and headed for Krabi.

We reached Krabi at around $ and headed to the hotel to feed our deprived hungry. With no note of hesitation we jumped into the pool, we spent the rest of our day there. Due to our late lunch, dinner wasn't much of a question. We had a pizza between four of us kids. The next day was spent at the beach we had a traditional Thai meal with cold coffee for lunch. On coming back to the hotel, we took a dip in the pool. That night, we went out for dinner again, yet, no Thai dinner. The next day, we sailed out to Chicken Island where we went snorkeling. Krabi was yet beautiful place.

 Nishanth

 

 

Wedding Anniversary 2016

Summer 2016 - Thailand

The kids version is available here
Great Thai Extravaganza

All of my vacation seemed to start with how we deliberated a lot before finding an amicable place to visit and this was no different. We started with Spain moved to New Zealand then Bali followed by Siam reap, Cambodia and even Mysore before finalizing on Thailand.

Day 1: Took Air Asia BLR - DMG  Landed 5am in Don Muang airport. Air Asia prices everything Alla cart, from seat placement to baggage to transfer of baggage b/w connections, food, water literally anything that you can think off. So although the  price on the surface appears like a good deal add some of the basic travel requirements and you are pretty much priced out. Just my disappointed rant about the airlines bookings.

After the visa formalities we took a shuttle to Novotel Hotel, Ploenchit. It was an ideal location and close to many of the city's landmarks.

We headed out for breakfast onto one of the streets and it was our first whiff of the food. Loved some of the curries and dishes. Rested in the AM and headed to MBK mall afternoon.

Just as we celebrate Malayalam and Tamil New Year between the 13th - 15th of April, Thailand celebrate's their new year the same time. It was just a good coincidence that we were there for the Songkaran festival - Thailand's new year celebrations.

We spent the evening at MBK mall, some shopping followed by dinner. The entire place had a festival look with food stalls everywhere. Mango rice, sweet potato, green mango salad, lots of fish and different kinds of meat were all over. Thai coffee made of coconut milk was to die for. We took the metro back to the hotel as the cabs were charging a bomb due  to the fest. After cooling off in the hotel pool we called it a day.

 That evening  Vivek and myself walked on the streets of Bangkok to get a feel of the environment. We did encounter the well known night life and sluttier side of the city. Being the nice and responsible gentle men, we took a consolidation price in a foot massage and had a few beers in a dance bar and returned.

 DAY 2: The day started early with a breakfast buffet @ the hotel. A good mix of an international breakfast along with Thai cuisine.  Today the 14th April was a holiday however the palace was open. 

Trying to hie a tuk tuk or a cab was a challenge due t the holiday and we encountered all kinds of con jobs. One tuk tuk wala stated that after 1 PM the entrance fee to the  palace was half so while we wait till 1 he can take us to a boat ride that will take us to the palace. Another fellow said that today it is open to only for Thai's so he can take us for another fun thing. Thanks to the internet we did not fall prey to these.

We reaching the palace, kids under 12 were free and Nishanth is 20 days short of 12, we encountered a stubborn NO from the lady admitting people in and that he is too tall to be 12. Myself and Veena stood beside him and told see.. parents are tall... nothing dong. ..she was in no mood to listen and we just bought the ticket. 

The palace itself is beautiful and spread out. walking around in the hot sun made of a tiring day and there was not much of a motivation for the kids and it appeared more of a checklist to them. It was a worthwhile visit, there were large bus loads of tourists thronging the entrance and it was chaotic, once inside the large area of the palace seemed to scatter the crowd and made for a pleasant visit. 

After spending a good 6 hours @ the palace we went to the platinum mall followed by the pratuna market near by. The place was shutting down early due t the festivities as we walked in but we managed to grab a few things. It was almost 6 PM by the time we were done and the streets were choked as the festive celebrations set in. The cabs were either too expensive or refused to come. It turned out to be good as we started to walk through the street we were exposed to the celebrations. Water guns every where spraying as we walked by, given how hot the day was it was a nice cooling and fun filled walk.The kids who were tired and refused to walk a few minutes ago soon seemed energetic as they taunted the folks to spray water on them. We snacked on food as and when we saw something interesting and the trek to the hotel no longer seemed like a challenge. 

DAY 3: We had a flight to Krabi that afternoon so the morning was spent packing and shopping in the local malls. We landed in Krabi by 5 very hungry and had an early diner.

DAY 4:We had breakfast @ the hotel and the kids played in the pool. We then headed out to Ao Nang beach and spent a good part of the day there and returned after lunch.

After lunch the kids had some fun in a fish spa. The tiny fish nibbled on their skin and made some feel scared others squirmed and a few others just refused to put their feet in the water.

DAY 5: We had an early breakfast and took the boat tour to the nearby islands. We requested for a good snorkeling place that is not deep and safe for the kids and we ended up  in chicken Island. It turned out to be a wonderful day. We snorkeled for a few hours and not realizing the effect the sun was having on the body. That evening out skin was burnt and feet sore from stepping on the corals.

The boys found a picked up a clam from the coral floor and here is a video of it.

Another video at the beach after a long snorkelling session.

DAY 6: We had a late evening flight to Bangkok, the morning was spent packing and last minute shopping.

Ok I am tired of writing... just pictures ..good bye.

                            ****