Bangkok: Eating, Shopping and Evening-Outs!

Let me warn you at the onset. I am not much of a party person so I probably saw the tamest side of Bangkok. But we had fun and here’s the score!

Eating: Bangkok as you probably know eats everything and you will find all sorts of food and eating joints- from fantastic roof-top restaurants  to road side kiosks. If you are adventurous go for the local stalls. My husband tried a kiosk selling fish dumplings with lots of veggies and hot sauce (something like a bhel-puri). He asked the lady to make it hot, she did and he was soon gulping down a bottle of coke. Spicy in Bangkok can be really spicy. If you are on a budget try Cabbages and Condoms. The food is OK but is the atmosphere which is very pretty with fairy lights and outdoor seating. We also checked out the Sua-Lum Night market and did not like it much. You aren’t missing much if you don't go. Most malls in Bangkok have a food court serving good and varied food. The one in MBK has an Indian outlet too if you are craving for dal-naan-paneer. The fruit milkshakes are a good option too.

Another must to is heading to Sirroco- the roof top restaurant at Lebua for a drink. You can stand on the roof-top with a drink in hand and enjoy the view and the fashionable crowd. A meal here can be very expensive and one might have to book days in advance.

Evening-Outs: Like I said, my review will probably be very tame. If you have a great group of friends , any place can be fun and that applies to Bangkok as well. We checked out a couple of clubs and most were filled with tourist and Thai ladies. No surprise here. The places almost look and feel the same. Dance or enjoy a drink if you want to. We headed out shortly. What I would recommend for an evening out is a dinner cruise. There are a large number of these with a variety of budgets. Most leave between 7.00-8.00 PM, so be sure to make early reservations. It is not the food but the whole experience of Bangkok floating by with lights as you sip your drink and feel the cool air from the boat deck which makes the experience memorable.

After the cruise, we went to Bamboo- a restaurant at the Oriental Hotel where they play jazz after 10.00 PM. Dress code is formal and men must be in trousers and closed shoes. I thoroughly enjoyed the music and the voice of Frankie- the lady on the mike. She even autographed a paper coaster and told me how she wanted to be a singer ever since childhood.

$ Shopping $: There are three types of shopping experiences in Bangkok. First, the high end global brands: There are a number of malls in Bangkok which house global brands like Valentino, Todds, Gucci, Judith Lieber and the second rungs like Calvin Klien, Mango, Guess. If you are looking for bargains or the latest styles you would be better off buying these in US/or asking a relative to do so during sale season. The Bangkok prices are high with barely any promotions running.

The second shopping experience are the local Thai brands. These are housed in Central World, Robinsons, Zen etc. Trendy styles and good quality. An evening blouse might cost anywhere in the range of Bht 1000-2500. They have lots of home products, stationary and accessories. Take a look and you might find something you really like.

The third shopping is the local street bargain shopping which most of us are excited about when we go to Bangkok (including myself). Heading to MBK is almost mandatory. It is a mall with stores as well as kiosks. You will find all sorts of stuff here at good bargains. I found some lovely stoles for Bht 300, comfy cotton Giodarno t-shirts for Bht 350 (on sale) and some very nice bags for Bht 300-500. There are small picks like coin purses (Bht 35), cushions (Bht 200), movie CDs (Bht 50) and many more. If you have the weekend you might want to check out the Chatuchak market. The market comes up on weekends just outside Bangkok and is huge (about 20,000 stalls) and crowded like crazy. You will get anything and everything. Clothes, pets, food, furniture….But be armed with a hat, water and common sense. Having a friend helps immensely.

But if crowds are not for you and you still want to do some street shopping there is hope. Look around your hotel and malls post 6.00 PM. Stalls come up with clothes, CDs, bags etc. Take a look and bargain hard.

Most importantly have loads and loads of fun! We did :)

Sights and sounds of Bangkok

We headed to Bangkok from Hua Hin by road yet again. We left early morning and reached our hotel (Shangri-La, see review) by 11.00 AM. A quick shower and we were out of the hotel in a jiffy to cruise down the Chao-Pharya and see the wonders of Bangkok.

Chao Pharya Cruise: The Chao-Pharya river cuts Bangkok into two and is dotted by large hotels on both sides. We started from the Boat Pier 1 (right next to the hotel) where we purchased a tourist cruise day pass for 150 bht (about Rs 200). This pass allows you to take any of the tourist boats for the day. You can hop on and off as you please and comes with a river map which makes a nice souvenir. Our plan was to stop at 2 piers (Wat Arun and Grand Palace) and then simply sit in the boat and view the city as we cruised forth.

Wat Arun: Even though our visit was in December, the weather was hot and sultry and we kept drinking lots of water. Our first stop was Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn (Wat=temple, Arun=sun). It is about 80 m high and the climb is pretty steep if you decide to go to the second level. The temple is decorated with mosaics and sculpture. The area also has a number of kiosks selling cane bags, wood carvings, masks and other knick-knacks.

Grand Palace: Our next stop was the Grand Palace. Since we were in shorts and half sleeves we were unable to go in but could only see the structure from outside. Though there are clothes for hire, the line is long and the procedure cumbersome. Remember to wear clothes till your ankles and palms, however, hot it might be! The Palace has was construction post 1750 and has been the home of the Thai King since. It is an enormous complex but then thats what royalty is all about !

If alive, its possibly edible: After these 2 stops and 3 hours, believe it or not, the Bangkok heat and smell had tired us for the day. The steets are lined with dried fish, frogs and intestines of god knows what. It appeared to me that if something lived it could be eaten. Overpowered by all this we decided to keep sitting on the cruise boat after Grand Palace and simply watched the world go by till about Boat Pier No. 15. What I had fun doing was throwing out bits of bread to fishes in the river. A fistful of bread crumbs quickly attracts fishes almost 12 inches in length. They will hurry towards the food and you will see a whole bunch of fishes splashing about for a treat!

Other tourist must stops in Bangkok are the Emrald Buddha, Jim Thomson’s House and the Crocodile Farm. Recommended one day de-tours if you are in the mood are the Ancient City (if you like history) or Pattaya (for Beach).

Hua Hin- around the town

Hua-Hin is actually the Thai King’s summer resident. And, so, the well off families also began spending their summer here. It is now filled with luxury resorts and hotels; at a fraction of what you would pay at Maldives or Kho Samui. Still, we decided to look around and it was easy to cover the entire town in a day or two.

We first headed to the beach. It is packed with locals and tourists; with the locals usually eating and the tourists reading or drinking. You can sit on the chairs if you order something. We asked for a couple of cokes but after about an hour decided to move on. There were no water sports but we did collect shells, ate corn-on-cob and picked hats and fake Armani sunglasses!

Time for lunch and we headed to a Pizzeria at a mall. A sight I kept noticing was Thai girls and women with tourists in Hua-Hin. It is common in Thailand, but specially so in Hua Hin. It is very common to find such couples specially at eating joints and shopping centers.


Some landmarks in Hua Hun are the railway station (supposed to be the country’s prettiest), the clock tower, the King’s Palace and the elephant park. The rail station was small but brightly painted. The area around it was decorated with paper streamers and buntings. The clock tower also serves as a bus stop! The King’s palace we had to miss as he was in residence.

I tried to shop (I try to shop everywhere ) but could not find much. The market is about a street or two. What you must do is check out the Thai boxing though! They put on music and its fun to see jabs. The one which we saw was a friendly match sponsored by a company so thankfully no broken teeth or nose!

To Thailand: Hua Hin and Bangkok

“ I am going to shop and shop, till I drop”, said me as we checked in at the airport for our flight to Bangkok. My excited look was matched by a thoughtful one by Sanjay. “But we are in Bangkok for 2 days only” said my husband regaining his composure. And so started our trip to Thailand- 7 days in Hua Hin ( a sleepy beach town filled with resorts) and 2 days in Bangkok.

We landed at the Bangkok airport early morning 6.00 AM and were met by the attendant of AKA Resorts, Hua Hin. She led us to a 5 series BMW, our chariot for the 3 hour drive to the resort. These 3 hours flew as we looked out into the scenery, busy Bangkok surburbs slowly replaced by small dhaba style eateries interspersed by large factories and temples every now and then.

AKA resort, Hua Hin: We checked into the resort; our first impression being fabulous. We were looking to just chill, laze and do absolute nothing in the next week and the place seemed perfect. In the middle of rice fields, the resort had large well maintained lawns with open eating areas and a pool. We drove to our villa in a golf-cart. It had a lounge with TV and small bar area, a bedroom, a massage room, two bath areas, a terrace with sunbed and a decent sized pool all to our selves.  :)

We spent the next 3-4 days reading from the library, swimming and taking walks around the area. There are times when you just want to be pampered. AKA fit the bill perfectly. We had picked some groceries on the way to the hotel and had enough to munch during the daytime. I am a vegetarian so my choice was certainly limited.

On the fourth day we decided to head to town.

Thai Curry at home

My other half decided he would wear the chef's hat last Sunday. On the menu was Thai red curry with rice. We used the Asia Kitchen's curry powder (no that’s not cheating!), packaged coconut milk and lots of veggies like broccoli, peppers, Thai red chili and zucchini. It turned out pretty good with zero "out-of-packet" taste. Kudos to the chef. I am going to try convincing him to make it again one of these cool pre-winter evenings.

Mithu tells the future

Indore, October 1, 2009

"Chalo Mithu Miya, apna kamaal dikhao, Vasudhaji ko unka bhavishya bataao" (Co'mon Mr. Mithu, show the wonders you can do, tell Vasudha her future too)...

Out popped the parrot from its cage and picked a card for me. Within 10 seconds it was back home. Faint letters predicted what my future holds. Since it is mostly good stuff, I believe it!

Mangaldas ni haveli- Ahemdabad

The car drove through old Ahmedabad; a cobweb of streets crammed with shops, kiosks, cows and people. I was headed to Mangaldas ni Haveli- a 200 year old heritage home turned into a restaurant. It was glittering with lights. I entered into a courtyard, complete with a tulsi plant in center. Many doors led to multiple rooms, now converted into kitchens.

The attendants showed me a well tucked into a corner. It is 40 feet deep and collects water from the terrace during rains. A narrow staircase led me to a room which now displays traditional clothes and artifacts for sale. I climb more and come to the eating area. There are both a/c and open seating options. I choose to sit outside-surrounded by grand pillars and painted ceilings. The lanterns and the pleasant breeze add to the charm. They serve Gujarati as well as North Indian food. I opted for the Gujarati platter- bajra roti, a number of vegetable servings, chutneys and kadi and of course srikhand. The food and the surroundings took me back in time. A time when people enjoyed their simple evening meals unhurried under a starlit skies and cool air.

For details visit houseofmg.com

Leh Diary@Day 9

September 12, Saturday: Back to Delhi

We have a 7.00 am Kingfisher flight back to Delhi. We leave the hotel early and soon I am on my seat, the seat-belt clasped. The aircraft takes off and I crane my neck- looking out of the window to see the last of Leh. The week we spent here was wonderful. We relaxed, we saw a different people and culture and more than anything nature at its best. I feel lucky visiting and learning about this place, which, in turn taught me some things about myself. So long!

Leh Diary@Day 8

September 11, Friday: Pangong Tso

It is our last day in Leh and we have reserved it for Pangong Tso. Pangong Tso ( Tso: Ladakhi for lake) is a salt water lake in the Himalayas at a height of about 4,250 m (13,900 ft). It is about 140 km long and extends from India to China. Two thirds of the length of this lake lies in China. It is 5 km wide at its broadest point. In winter, the lake surface freezes completely overnight. The drive is 5 hours one way and we leave the hotel by about 7.

The drive: It is some time before we enter unchartered territory. Like all our journeys in Leh, this one also has merismerzing views. I know this is our last day here and I am busy looking out of the window trying to soak in as much as possible. We cross Chang-La pass (18,000 feet / 5,475 m) on our way after a couple of hours. It is extremely cold and windy here; much more than Khardung-La. We quickly click some pictures and pack right back into the car. The road winds its way across snow-capped mountains, bare brown valleys and green plains. The road is very good, and again, maintained by the army. They have put some amusing road-signs on the way. We rattle them off as they approach. “If married, divorce speed”; “It is better to be Mr. Late than Late Mr”; “Peep Peep, do not sleep”.

Wildlife: The route from Chang-La to Pangong is almost uninhabited except army presence. We see yak, wild untamed horses, blue sheep (they are brown but for some reason called blue sheep) and various birds. We also site this very cute rodent like creature known as “walmuthu” locally. We name it “muthuswamy”. It stands about a feet tall and is furry. Sanjay and Rahul get out and feed it biscuits. And then some choco-pies, kit-kats and cookies! And muthuswamy eats it all and wants more! It is certainly not calorie conscious.

Lake: We begin to approach Pangong at about noon. I can see this patch of sapphire enclosed between bronze-gold mountains. We get closer and realize that the trip is worth the distance. Vast like the sea, the lake stretches right into the horizon. Mist clouds the horizon. It is very cold and windy as the area is open. We walk around the edges, taking in the place.

After an hour it is time to head off. We all doze off at various points on our drive back. The landscape passess by...

Leh Diary@Day 7

September 10, Thursday: Khardung-la

We are in no hurry today and everybody wakes up later than usual. The only thing on our agenda today is the Khardunga-La for which we start at about 10.00 am.

Fast facts: Khardung-La has the distinction of being the world’s highest motorable road at 18,380 feet and possibly one of the most scenic. It lies at the crossroads of the ancient silk route. The road was constructed here at second attempt in 1972 by 201 Engineer Regiment of the Indian Army.

Tourists need passes to access Khardung-La and the guesthouse has arranged ours. It takes us a good two hours to reach Khardung-La but not a moment is boring. The ever changing landscape keeps us occupied. The road is in very good shape. Our driver tells us this is because it shuts every Monday for repair and maintenance. The work certainly shows. The drive is smooth for most parts, albeit scary at times with a random reckless driver from the opposite end.

The pass: The top has army presence. We can see snow all around and waste no time in throwing fistfuls at each other. And do they hit hard! Peace prevails and we decide to make a snowman instead. But the winds gather speed and it gets chilly. I make a quick stop at the tiny temple and pick up a mug at the sovenier shop run by the army. We chat with the army person who has fought in the Kargil war. Solemnly, we head back to Leh.

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It is evening as we reach back. Since we are changing our hotel for the last couple of days we pack and move to the nearby Leh-Chen. It has opened just 2 months back and is new. What we all really like is the food. We wrap up the evening looking out with hot chai and pakoras!

Leh Diary@Day 6

September 9, Wednesday: We trek a lot more!

We get up early at 5.30 am, the plan being to start from Rumbak by 7.00 am last. We pack, tidy up the room and load ourselves with layers of clothing.

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Starting off: It is very bright and very cold. The puddles which have frozen to ice at night are yet to thaw. I need to breathe with my mouth even though my throat seems to freeze with every gulp of air.

Pretty isolated scenes greet us. We see a well like structure across a flat area. It is for the nomads who will pitch their tents here when they pass. We keep walking and after about an hour the climb starts to become steeper. Tashi points towards Stok La-our destination. It is a ragged top of boulder stones very high up. I pause. We are climbing up there? Is he serious? I decide its best to concentrate on short targets-mine now being one step at a time. I realize that I am climbing better, having learnt from the last few hours.

Stok La: We approach Stok La at about noon, five hours after we left Rumbak. The last bit is almost vertical and I drop as we reach the top. The Stok La pass is about 5000m high and completely isolated. We all practically collapse and few minutes pass before we get up and notice our surroundings. There are mountains and valleys all around. And steep trails on either sides made by climbers. Tashi points out to Stok Kangri, the highest peak of the area at about 6,000m. Maybe one day. For now Stok La is my Mount Everest.

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Downhill: A stop of half an hour and it is time for the descent. We can see the trail, round and round across mountains. It is a long way off to Stok village and we are unable to see our destination. We start downhill. The gravel is loose and my pace slows considerably. It is some time before I get a grip. I realize I must walk straight with one foot right behind the other as if on a tight rope. I can see Sanjay and Rajat speeding ahead excitedly. After about an hour and a half of walking we start becoming impatient. We still cannot see our destination. Tashi tells us it is behind the mountains. We are now in mid of gorge like mountains.

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Pit-stop: At about 2.30 PM we site an orange tent and cheer up. It takes us another half an hour before we arrive there, crossing atleast 4 mountainsides. We make a stop of half an hour. It is maggi time again and some chilled sprite. I wash my face which is now covered with dust and grime. It is another 3 hours walk before we reach Stok. We pack up and move, our pace brisk. We are determined not to stop anywhere in between.

To Stok village: The trail from here is a large river bed. It is dried for now and we follow it. The mountains around are all brown with large rocks with few specks of green in between. Every now and then we spot a lizard. It is sunny and hot. At about 5.30 pm we sight the green trees of Stok village. It is encouraging that we can atleast see it now. The last bit takes almost about an hour, even though we are walking quite fast. We arrive at the Stok base camp and are glad to find the taxi waiting to take us back to Leh.

Back at Leh: We reach the guesthouse and I head off straight for a hot shower. It is only later, wrapped in warm clean clothes and with a mug of steaming chai that I am able to really think. I walked for over 12 hours on mountain terrain in sun and cold. I saw the most beautiful places- untouched by man and isolated. I did something I never thought I could.

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Leh Diary@Day 5

September 8, Tuesday: We trek

We have zeroed in on the Zinchen (Jingchan) to Stok trek. We are going to do this in 2 days, though, this is usually done in 3 days (I realize later why!).

The plan: We will drive from Leh to Zinchin via Phey village. Zinchen is a base camp for a number of treks and about 2 hours away from Leh by car. From Zinchen we will trek for 5-6 hours to Rumbak village where will stay overnight. The next day we will trek for about 10-12 hours to Stok La (4950m) and then head towards Stok village base camp.

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To Zinchen: We leave the guesthouse at 9.00 am after breakfast, all we need packed into 3 knapsacks (for 5 people). We meet our guide Tashi who is from Sikkim. We leave behind the town, driving along the Indus river and cross Phey village after about an hour. We cross vast stretches of desert with dust and the burning sun glowering on those who have chosen to hike through this. I am glad we are driving instead.

We head off: There are several tents and horses here at Zinchen, with a number of treks making this the start point. It is about 11.00 am and we head off between the gorge like mountains. The terrain is mostly a rocky climb with narrow loose gravel paths when crossing mountains. It is sunny and we tire in half an hour because of the heat and altitude. A rest stop is in order where we drink some water and pop in some candy for a sugar boost before we are off again. Progress though slow is steady; we stop every now and then to admire the mountains and cross small streams.

Camp Lunch: After about three hours we arrive at a small tent in the middle of nowhere. This is a stop-point for trekkers to refill their tummies and water bottles. Of course they serve hot maggi-and we order 5 servings without any delay. I wash my face in the nearby stream and we refill our now empty bottles. The mix of fellow travelers is interesting- people from Australia, Germany, Israel, Czech and Hungary. But no other Indians! We exchange stories. The German lady tells us she has visited Leh several times. The Czech and Hungary group are out for 10 days all on their own, each carrying 35 kilos on their back. The Israelis are out on a break from school. It is soon time to be on our feet.

Recharged from our break we walk faster. The terrain slowly becomes flatter and more scenic. The air is cooler too. We reach Rumbak at about 4.00 pm. It is a small village of about 10-15 homes made of stone and wood. We talk to the villagers about the “home-stay” option. They allocate us two different homes and we go with the respective families.

Rumbak, home-stay: The family myself and Sanjay are staying with are relatively well to do. They have a separate room for guests on the terrace. It is clean and comfortable. The lady serves us tea and we settle in for the evening. The rest of the gang comes over too; we chat while stretching our legs and flexing toes to relieve aches and pains. Looking out of the window we see sheep and yaks. Sanjay and Rahul head off to explore. They come back and tell us that the villagers grow wheat and also use wind power. In turn, we also use the typical Ladakhi toilet- basically a hole in the ground where you do your business and throw in some mud! Dinner here is served early at 7.00 pm. The lady of the house brings us rice, dal and cabbage. We eat and prepare to sleep. I load on a couple of quilts on me but don’t feel very comfortable. Every now and then I look out of the window to the prayer flags fluttering furiously in the cold. It is quite some time before I manage to sleep to the sound of the wind raging outside.

Leh Diary@Day4

September 7, Monday: Chill and Shop

We all got up late, as today was reserved for strolling around town and gearing up our energy reserves for the trek ahead. We headed off to the market at about noon for lunch at the Chopstick Noodle Bar. It serves Chinese, Thai and Tibetan food. The place is neat and chic. Most importantly the food was great :)

With food and fuel taken care of we began checking out the shops and their wares. The Leh town has about 3 main streets. Most large shops are owned by Kashmiris and sell carpets, pashmina shawls and jewelry. The smaller shops owned by Ladakhis offer clothes, woolens, stone jewelry and local bric-a-brac like prayer wheels, musical bowls and copper daggers. They are lined with interesting touristy t-shirts proclaiming “yak yak ladakh”; “tin tin in Tibet” and “I trekked from Manali to Leh”. Ultimately, we picked a couple of traditional wool caps, a muffler and a turquoise pendant. We found a shop selling homemade apricot products and added some jam, oil and scrubs.

Leh Diary@Day 3

September 6, Sunday: Monasteries and other landmarks

We have a packed day today with visits to the Hemis and Thikshey monasteries and then the Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and confluence of the Zanskar and Indus rivers.

Hemis Monastery: Located about 47km from Leh and in a gorge, it takes us about an hour and a half to reach, with the scenery changing from brown to green to brown. We know we are approaching Hemis when we start seeing walls with prayers carved on each stone. Built in 1630 by the Dubka Order, Hemis is the largest and the richest monastery in Ladakh. Various valuable scripts and painting are kept here. Legend has, that it even houses a page of the holy Koran. Prayer wheels and paintings flank a large open courtyard. We go inside and bow to a statue of Padmasambhava about 2 storeys high. The inside of the monastery has ornate paintings. I am surprised to see one of Kali too!

Thiksey Monastry: We head back almost halfway towards Leh, with our next stop at Thiksey. We reach here at about lunch and so first head to its café. The monastery opens again by 2.00 PM and we are off, climbing the stairs yet again. The monastery in white, ochre and red appears to “grow” out from the hillock it stands on. It has 10 temples and many lamas. We go straight to the statue of Maitreya (Future Buddha). I make it a point to turn all the prayer bells. I find something comforting about doing so.

We were now off to “sangam”, the confluence of Zanskar and Indus.

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Magnetic Hill: We cross this on the way to the confluence. Like promised in all articles, the car travels uphill by itself on neutral for a good 50m. An army person found this phenomena though many say it is simply an optical illusion. Sanjay, Rajat and Rahul get out of the car and record a video. I for one don’t think much of this.

Confluence: We see ourselves approaching the confluence from a distance and it is an amazing sight. We get out of the car and head towards the rivers. It is chilled! That does not stop us from removing our shoes and socks and dipping our feet in the water.

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib: It is time to head back. We halt at the Gurudwara. Legend goes, that when Guru Gobind Singhji was meditating here, a demon tried to kill him by pushing a boulder from a nearby hill. The boulder, however, stopped rolling as it touched the Guru. The Gurudwara houses the boulder. We folded our hands in respect and accepted the prasad closing the day on a sweet and auspicious note.

Leh Diary@Day 2

September 5, Saturday: Sights and sounds

I get up early at around 6.00 am, expecting a headache but relieved to find none. I head down for a quiet walk and am joined in some time by the rest. Our plan for the day is a visit to the Shanti Stupa, the Ladakhi music festival and planning logistics for the days to come.

After a breakfast of baked beans and potato rosti washed down with glasses of honey-ginger-lemon tea (something we end up drinking the most in days to come) we head to the Shanti Stupa. Located on a hilltop, right next to our guesthouse, we climb about 560 steps (yes we counted!) to it. It was sunny and windy and we halted after about every 100 steps or so. We reached up only to find that a nice road also leads right up to it!

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The Stupa: Built in 1983 by a Japanese monk, with help from the Central and State government, the Stupa is dedicated to world peace. It is white and has various depictions of Buddha. We sit here for almost an hour enjoying the view of the area spread out below us. On our way down, we relish some apricots straight from a tree. Ah! the small joys of life!

The Festival: It is 6.00 pm in the evening and we are off to the banks of river Sindhu for the Ladakhi dance festival. It is cold and the winds whip up. We huddle under huge tents set up for the audience. The festival begins with an ode to the gods- a rhythmic beating of large tablas. The performances begin by villagers of different areas each representing their own culture. The Ladakhi dances, are essentially slow, where the participants will gracefully move the feet and arms and turn around displaying the rich dresses and headgear. The themes of the song vary- from a lullaby for a young prince to an ode to a loved one in the month of spring.

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We watch, sip hot tea and click lots of pictures!