Bangkok - Part 2

We managed to visit Bangkok for the 2nd time and stayed close to Benchakitti Park. This place has lovely facilities and is very huge. People of all walks of life come here for running, walking and relaxing from 5:00 AM.  

It's also got a massive lake.

A view from the top.

It's got massive lotus ponds.

And man-made wetlands.

And an outdoor gym.

We also went to Ayutthaya on a extremely hot and humid day.

It was the capital of Thailand many many years ago and although this city is in ruins, it still hold significance in Thailand's history.

Some of the temples do remind us of how things would have been few centuries ago.

Another set of ruins.

Although restoration is in progress, but some temples are leaning a lot.

They restored a sleeping Buddha statue, that I think is an abomination of what was previously here. I don't know how someone would come up with this, approve this and be okay with this. 

We treated ourselves to drinks and cake, they tasted best in AC!! That was a bloody hot day.

Also went to the Siam Museum.

And being Thai, means more than just the Thai clothes.

This country is a mixture of modern and traditional values.

Goddess Kali in the Siam Museum.

And a modern take on Ganesha.

They say, one can see an image of themselves or their shirt's print in unexpected places.

MOCA Museum is also a magnificent museum to visit when in Bangkok.

Everyone wants new toys and they need to unique. So an artist created Mushkin. 

The company wanted "An Original Toy". 

My take on MUSHKIN. Someone who goes to the office everyday. My teeth, were no where close to MUSHKIN's teeth though.

These crowns and these facemasks are quite popular features of Thailand.

How did Thailand get influenced by India? Well, Bharat and Suvarnabhumi have been trading partners since centuries and this picture shows India's influence in South East Asia.

The below pencil sketch blew my mind.

A depiction of Amrit Manthan.

Bangkok on a rainy night.

And Dali was free that evening to paint Trupti, by looking into the mirror.

Who are we to judge, "what is beauty?" , because one thing could be beautiful for someone and ugly for the others.

We also went to the hustle bustle of Chatuchak Market. 

It did remind me of SArojini Market in Delhi; minus the loud music, unnecessary stares, the random shoulder bump, heaps of rubbish and the gutka stains. 

What a lovely test series! And I also watched some cricket with few new friends in Sukhumvit.

All and all; Bangkok was awesome!

Thailand's growth and its obsession for cleanliness

We recently completed our travels in Thailand and their obsession for cleanliness is mind boggling. They are remarkably looking at every fallen leaf and picking it up from the streets and pavements to make everything spic and span all the time. 

We saw these elephants (video above) en route to the hotel and even they were walking on clean pavements.

 We reached Krabi, it is a small beach town and if you see the cleanliness here, it is pretty exceptional.  

We then jumped on a mini truck ride to our hotel and the streets in the town were outstanding well kept and didn't bump into any pot holes. As people of Indian origin and with British passports, this was a new thing for us! 

Even the Highways are astonishingly of Western European standards, and in some cases better than European standards. However, in England we do see filth along the motorways, over here; we didn't see any garbage on multiple bus rides that we took. 

Even in Bangkok, that is a very busy city; probably the busiest in South East Asia, they were able to keep pavements clean for people to park their bikes and get some sort of dinner sorted. Also the restaurants haven't encroached on to the pavements. 

In Chiang Mai, we visited the Royal Gardens and they were spectacularly manicured gardens and looked extraordinary during our visit. 

When visiting the White Temple of Chiang Rai, the whole journey looked like a movie set coming into the temple. Also within the temple, there was hardly any dirt or garbage seen anywhere. 

If one visits the temples in India, they feel like a dumping ground and around the temples one would see the temple offerings were thrown in heaps. Why? 

Now that was around the touristy area. When we took the train and came into Bangkok, the station is ready for the next level of growth. They have their main railway station Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal ready for the high speed railway. 

This station is better equipped than any Indian Train station or airport. India is doomed. Thailand is about 15-20 years ahead of India. How did India lose the race to Thailand? 

And within the Bangkok city they have exceptionally well maintained parks and canal systems. People with kids and with grandparents jogging and running in early mornings & evenings. Can anyone show me one city in India with such clean canals or river systems? 

These parks (Lumphini Park's video above) then get full in the evenings with people doing their exercises and enjoying their time with each other. It's an easy & cheaper way to create a healthier society. People of all capabilities and ages visit these parks to exercise. Indian government has no interest in making lives of the citizens healthier & the politicians are more corrupt than the British when they ruled India! 

Even the malls are more aesthetic than the Indian malls.

....and better looking and more posh. 

Those who say "India is growing" are as delusional as the cows grazing grass in the fields. The other countries have already grown and have surpassed India by decades. All India can do is dream about their past and gloat about it.

Thailand

 

So here we are, on a trip to Thailand. 

Phuket > Krabi > Koh Samui > Koh Tao > Bangkok > Chiang Mai > Chiang Rai > Bangkok > Siem Reap (Cambodia)

We chose a route which would allow us to explore the southern beaches of Andaman Sea, then Bangkok city and then go to the Northern Mountains. And, finally take the bus to Cambodia. 

Patong Beach in Phuket. The Bangla Road is pretty busy 24 hours a day for 365 days!

Gorgeous sunset

We hired a bike and off we went to explore some other beaches.

..only to then get caught by the police & get fined , for not driving with a International Drivers Licence! Embarrassing! 

Kata Beach in Phuket

We then hopped on a bus and went to Krabi. 

The beaches of Krabi were extremely beautiful.

The long boats are a unique touch to Thai beaches.

and the lime stone cliffs too.

After Krabi we went to Koh Samui. To our surprise we were there on one of the festival days; Loy Krathong, Thailand's Festival of Lights. It coincided with one of the biggest festivals in India on the full moon day in November. One would light the candle and float these floats in the water.

We did see some massive ones in the town centre.

The Lamai Night Market has food, t-shirts, hats, fruit, beers, shakes, and more to offer.

The island also offers beautiful temples one can visit. Please be mindful of the clothing when you visit temples.

The temples are extremely clean.

The Big Buddha of Koh Samui. After Koh Samui we went to Koh Tao. 

This is where we caught up with some really bad weather.

There was a storm brewing and no one was in the water. We ended up going to the beach one day only and rested indoors for 4 days.

The rain was persistent in Koh Tao.  

We then took the boat and then the train to Bangkok. 

Bangkok boats of some absolutely gorgeous temples. 

The amalgamation of Hinduism and Buddhism in Thailand was quite evident. In a Buddhist temple of could see idols of Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. 

Here we see Garuda. The vulture god of Hinduism.

 

Outside one of the Buddhist temples.  

Wat Arun in Bangkok.

We crossed the Chao Praya River, to get more views. 

Lord Rama was at the entrance of one off the Wats. 

Off we went to Chiang Mai and crossed the historic city of Ayutthaya.  

At the Chiang Mai station. 

The monument of the Three Kings in Chiang Mai. 

The Wat at night, with the moon shining in the background. Sometimes the camera doesn't capture what one sees with their naked eye. 

We also visited Doi Suthep in the mountains of Chiang Mai.  

The Royal Park Rajapruek was about 30 minute drive from the city centre. 

It has beautiful gardens , ponds, lakes and walkways.  

The biggest attraction was the Orchid Park. 

Again, the photos don't do justice to what we saw at the park. 

The next day we went to the Blue Temple, White Temple and the Black house. 

These are really modern temples and do symbolise a society ready to look at religion and temples with a new perspective. 

En route to the white temple we also saw the big buddha. 

The entrance of the White Temple was quite different than the other places we had visited.  

The temple was something out of the world. Also, the architect has a very beautiful eye to how one can make this place more photogenic and touristy. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I am not as opinionated as others, but I loved the aesthetics of the place.

Accidentally we ended up wearing white that day!  

Everyone here looks stunned! 

And the next day, we went to the waterfalls Khun Kron. 

There was a constant spray of water when we stood there. 

The clock tower of Chiang Rai. 

We then took the night train back to Bangkok. 

The scooter drivers run Bangkok city. They are the lifeline and if one has to go from A to B, one must take the scooter. The traffic is really bad, the buses are slow (although they are AC) and the metro doesn't connect every important part of the city. Trupti and I hopped on 2. Check out the number of scooters in the background. 

Democracy Monument in Bangkok.  

Also, the Tuk Tuks are the other mode of transport that are the bloodline of Bangkok City. 

Christmas isn't far and we will be missing the English Christmas this year and will be celebrating in t-shirts and in the tropics.