Thailand !

First impression of the country is a little awe inspiring, especially because of its new international airport. Its simply splendid. Absolutely comparable to any international airport anywhere in the world. Its huge, has just about everything to make arrival, departure or just transit a complete pleasure. All the while that I was at the airport (and I was at the airport for a while as Mr. Hubby assumed that it will take me hours and hours to complete the immigration process while it took me a whole 10 mins!), I kept wondering why there was so much disparity between the infrastructure we have in India and Thailand. All this speculation is quite cursory and after just seeing the airport for the first time, mind you.

In my head, the economy for any country is put simply the comparision of the local currency with indian re. So, from that skewed perspective, we are not that far behind. In fact for every 1 Thai B, we can match for 1.33 INR. So that in my head is almost equal. Considering that flattening analogy, I kept wondering why we cannot even come up with a single international airport in India which could even try to compare with the new International airport in Thailand (its called the Suvarnabhoomi airport)?? There was not a single rationalization that I could think of except that we are a country of corrupt or lazy individuals.

Anyhoo, after a bit of roaming around and checking out the book stores (Oh btw, a copy of US weekly or People magazine in Bangkok will cost you precious 350 bucks!!), hubby finally arrived. Our next flight to Koh Samui was about 4 hours away and I was itching to get outta the airport and maybe, just maybe go shopping! Alas, my precious ideas were soon crash landed as the tourism helpdesk prompty informed us that we simply did not have enough time to set out for shopping! Mmppffft

Wiled away some time at the airport before we checked in for our next flight. The aircraft to Samui should really give you an indication of the island itself! Its a bright aircraft with flowers and splatters of paint ! I guess its supposed to kick start your vacation mood even before you set foot on the island :) The flight was completely full of tourists and vacationers like us, I don't suppose there was anybody at all who was visiting samui for any mundane reasons..

The flight is really quite a short 75 mins flight, just right for a quick nap post lunch :) The island as you dip close to the landing is a treat for sore eyes. But I have to say, barring that half a day when we landed, the rest of our entire vacation was gloomy all thanks to the monsoon season. But the day we landed was glorious :)) Sunny and the water was as azure as possible. The airport at Samui does not look like any other airport you may have seen anywhere else! Samui is an ideallic vacation spot and the airpor proves it. It could easily be mistaken for a resort itself ! Complete with landscaped lawns along the runway and thatched huts which have the baggage claim areas, tourists center kiosks and even the restrooms ! All A class mini airport designed with International tourism in mind.

We had asked for an airport pick up and drop to our resort which happened promptly. Its such a pleasure to see tourism taken so seriously, I can't even begin to describe it. No wonder there is a lot of money flowing into their economy via tourism. They really know what a service industry is supposed to look like and function. Just about everything can be arranged and the service is impeccable.

The resort we booked for the next 4 days was 'Amari Palm Reef', an upscale 4 start resort on the beach. The welcome there was just awesome. There was personal attention from the time you set foot there. I mean, at every possible hotel or resort that I have been to, we feel the service when we step into the recepion desk. But here from the time our luggage landed on the ground, there was a lady who came to welcome us. Resort PR reps were not confined behind a desk to service you when needed. They were on their foot, each one attaching themselves to each party of guests to make sure that everything from the welcome drink, to the luggage to the check in was comfortable. They made us sit in a lobby area which was beautiful and she checked in for us. I mean, thats service. We didn't even have to lift a small finger to get us all set. Our check in was automatic, our luggage reached our rooms before we did. Hubby being the sneak that he is had called in advance and told them that it was an honeymoon vacation (he forgot to mention the teensy detail that it wasn't the first one technically :p). So, that lady infact told us that they were upgrading us to a junior suite absolutely complimentary !! What bliss!

The rooms were very spacious with flowers and thai welcome nic knacks everywhere :) Every room or suite is self contained with a dining area and a seating couch or sofa apart from the usual beds and entertainment units.

The beach was absolutely a delight, especially when the weather was so misleadingly beautiful. The sand is white and so powdery that its such a bliss to walk endlessly. The water is quite shallow and you can walk on and on into the sea before its gets even 5 ft deep! So, the good thing is you can frolick as much as you want seemingly far into the ocean although the water is not even waist deep for almost 100-200 meters..

Evening was a time to relax at the bar by the beach which is done up so beautifully. The happy hours are definitely worth it. They have happy hours from 5 in the evening to 9 PM :)) What else do we want isn't it ? The bar also boasted of a well stocked cellar and the wine list was definitely impressive. Another interesting offering is a so called 'unlimited wine buffet' whereby you could taste how many ever wines you wish to from their wine list for a fixed price. Yes, like a buffet :)

The next day was almost entirely spent going around the island and visiting different temple ( Vats as they are called) and exploring the general natural bounty of the island. The transportation options are unlimited, you can hire a taxi, opt for a public bus/van or even rent your own vehicle. Rented vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, from the macho bikes to rugged jeeps, everything could be procured for a very nominal price. We opted to go for a gearless honda bike so that yours truly could drive too. Wonderful as they are, in the entire samui nobody really asks for a licence. They only need to see a passport to give you a bike, wonderful isn't it !! :P

Food options now, can be daunting in the begining because a non meat, non sea food - food is not considered food by the thai :)) They do find it quite strange when you ask for no meat, no fish sauce kinda dishes. But I guess they have figured over last few years that providing vegetarian/vegan option is quite important so they have learnt not to quite show a surpirse face anymore :) But the options are limited and not available at every restaurant. Having said that, its not difficult for a vegetarian traveller in thailand, its just a question if getting yourself acquainted with the local surroundings and scout for restaurants who offer vegetarian options. You will be suprised at how accomodating quite a few restaurants can be. So, if you scan thru menus that are displayed outside the restaurants and do not find any veggy options, don't be hasty to write it off as they just might be quite willing to accomodate your vegetarian preferences.

Thai food as always, does not dissapoint you. There is something for everybody, it can as meaty as you want, as spicy as you want and as as flavorful as you may like. But after having really acquired my taste for thai from the US, I have to say that original thai food can be a little different from what you may imagine. As all minority foods go, I think a lot of them are tailored for the local tastes, e.g. Chinese in india is hardly chinese by any standards. Same goes for american thai, it is a little different from the original thai. For one, you cannot expect the thai ice tea at every restaurant no matter how obvious you may think it might be :)) Vegetables that you find in dishes vary in a major way from what you may generally expect to see. E.g. I love bamboo shoots and would have thought that its quite a staple thing in their curries. But I was sorely dissapointed as I did not find that anywhere at all.

Another interesting tit bit is the spurt of italian restaurants that you can find scattered almost entirely in all touristy areas in Thailand. I had an opportunity to talk to the owner cum chef of one of them who had opened an italian cafe along the beach in samui. He told me that most italians restaurants there have been opened by italians who came there as tourists and fell in love with the island. Now, I found that extremely interesting as a restaurant is a huge commitment and you definitely need to make sure that you have a solid clientele before venturing into something like that. But according to him the major percentage of tourists to places like Samui and Phuket are Europeans, infact almost 70% so there is no need to sell italian/euro food to them. They already know and appreciate it. Infact they are happy to have a familiar food option made available to them as opposed to a more pungent and spicy thai option.

Apart from these, there are your typical american fast food joints (which by now, I have stopped exclaiming for! Think its only a matter of time, we will see KFC and Burger King in every remote village all over the world)

After an ideallic 4 days in Koh Samui, we headed towards Bangkok. We decided to be a little adventurous and take a train to Bangkok. We had an extra day so time was not really a concern (it takes 11 hours by train, overnight). The train system or the railways in thailand is so much like india, its almost uncanny. If you disregard the fact that you see thai people around, you can almost believe that you are in an indian station about to board Karnataka express or Rajdhani. Same kinds of smells and sights greet you as soon as you reach the station. I think for tourists its a certain rude awakening that no matter how touristy and comfortable certain parts of the country was, countries like India are Thailand are still the so called thrid world countries. We could have very well taken a flight and saved 10 hours or taken a high speed cruise boat which would have been 10 times more luxurious, but I think it was a good choice to take a train to Bangkok. Things like that really help you see, enjoy and feel the country a lot more as opposed to a packaged tour full of comforts.

Bangkok, is like any indian or international metro. Absolutely the same fundamentals. There is a city center which buzzes with activities, sky scrapers which let you know that a lot of money is being generated here. Residential areas which are quite off limits to tourists and the general hustle and bustle of the city. There is a huge influx of tourists here and its such a different experience to see how the city will take you in no matter who you are and what you are there for. Tourists come there to shop, to see the different sights in the city, businessmen from all over the world come here for silks, gems and more. Despite all that influx, you see hoardes of people going on with their day to day lives being compltely oblivious to everything. Its simply amazing.

Whats also amazing is the fact that the city is alive. And when I say alive, i really mean it, its just throbbingly alive. There is a certain pulse to it which can only be compared to cities like NY or Mumbai. The city has things to do and multitude of options no matter what time of the day or the night. We were up and about till almost 2 AM one day and the city was buzzing till the time we retired so I really have no way of saying when they do relax or shut. If you want to catch a movie or eat or even shop, the city has options for you no matter what time it is. There are at least 2 night markets in the city. I am guessing they start at dusk and go on way past midnight. And these markets are not just rows and rows of shops, but its structured in such a way that there is a common area in between where there is live entertainment and food stalls along the entire compound like a carnival!

It is simply amazing. Having said that, I think wherever you have so much of tourism, you will have a lot of blatant money making! It happens in india where we charge foreigners almost 10 times more entrance fee for every damn national reserve or tourist spot. I think the notion behind this is that this is how tourism industry survives and on a more obvious note, they can afford to pay that much ! Similiarly in case of thailand, they know that the currency exchange makes every thing damn cheap, so they do not hesitate to ask for even 100 times the cost of an item. Its actually quite funny to see any negotiation in that country. They will start with 350 baht for anything. I am not kidding, out of 10 items you ask for 8 of them will be 350 baht! I am not sure what the rationale behind that is. Anyways, from 350 depending on the article, believe me the price can drop to 20 baht , also depending on how good you are at negotiating. :)

Its also a country brilliant at duplicating just about anything. If you thought India and China were experts at manufacturing fakes, you have to visit Thailand. Now I am not that brand conscious but hubby is, and he was quite stunned to see how absolutely fab those fakes are! Apparently they do a damn brilliant job at making fakes :)) Since the manufacturing industry thrives there, shopping is sheer pleasure. We shopped a lot but not as much as I might have, given the kind of shopaholic that I am! I think my mum's prayers are finally working :)) After about 3 pairs of footwear and a handful of clothes, I called it a day ..

This post has become much longer that I had intended it to be but there was just so much to take in for a week :) Its a lovely country and you should definitely put it in your next top 10 destinations!

ps: Due to the absolutely sucky bandwidth here, interspersed pics are only a fraction of what I intend to upload, plz check back again (an again) for the entire set :)