Ta Prom, Angkor

The Smiling Apsara, Angkor Wat

The Temples of Bayon at Angkor

Profile of Lokeshvara at Bayon Temple

Bayon

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Our propeller plane had been circling over the verdant rice fields of Siem Reap for over half an hour now. Earlier, the pilot had announced something about waiting for permissions to land and Kavita’s mind promptly conjured up conspiracies of the Khmer Rouge kind. She eagerly made her way to the back of the plane to glean more information from the cabin crew only to find out that heavy rain was making it impossible for our toy plane to land. So much for sleuthing around for a sensational news item!

The visibility was nearly nil when our pilot finally swooped down at a forty-five degree angle and made a dash landing in the thick of blinding rain. Rain like we’ve never witnessed before in our lives. We clapped with joy for touching ground and stared in disbelief at the curtain of rain outside. It was still crashing down on the flimsy airport roof as we cleared immigration and made our way out.

Kinal, our taxi driver, (whose name means chubby boy that he’s not any more) drove us into town in his Toyota that magically transformed into a boat every time we had to cross a river-sized puddle. Just kidding. Kina managed quite well in English and made no attempt to dissuade us from staying at our chosen hotel. Such a pleasant surprise after Thailand. In fact, Kina complimented our choice of hotel and offered to be at our service for our trips to Angkor. Instinctive distrust prevented us from signing him on initially. But later we did and we’re so glad for it!

The Angkor temples can be hurriedly toured in one day, completely covered in three, and leisurely studied for seven days...or more. Although we opted for the second option, we were mighty skeptical about visiting the ruins for three consecutive days. All our doubts vanished the moment we first set eyes on Angkor Wat next morning.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is every bit the city of bedlam and commotion that it is known to be. This sprawling metropolis is an unplanned mish-mash of modern sky rises and remnants of the old city. Not surprisingly, Sommerset Maugham called it gaudy and overwhelming.

For the amount of urban land area it covers, there aren’t nearly enough roads in this city. Once known as the ‘Venice of the east.’ Klongs or canals formed its transportation heart line; water taxis still remain the fastest means of getting around the city. We had read about the unending traffic jams but you have to sit in one to believe it. Sometimes it takes more than half an hour just to make it across one traffic light. The taxi drivers, as in almost all countries (except Singapore), are a strange set. Be sure to hail down meter taxis that will reluctantly oblige you by starting the meter when you hop in. But sometimes even the meter ones will want to negotiate a price before setting out. Rest assured, you shall be taken for a ride.

Oh and if the tuks-tuks (cousins of the Indian autos) fascinate you, be ready to pay whatever he determines to charge and go wherever he determines to take you. As a traveler from England commented, they’re waiting around corners to trap the first person that comes around looking like he’s not sure what he wants to do today. We considered ourselves mighty smart when we hopped into our tuk-tuk after negotiating a great price. Five seconds into our ride, the driver convinced us that everything around the area we were headed to would be shut by now and it would be a pointless trip. We solicited his advise on an optimum destination whereupon he offered to take us to a sex show. We politely declined and resolutely stuck to our boring choice of shopping. So he drove us around the block and dropped us off nearby still expecting to be paid the price we’d determined at the outset. Some arguments and a police station threat later, he lowered it by a margin and let us off the hook.

On our trip to the old city, we enjoyed a water taxi ride on the Chao Praya river until pier Thatien. It was one of the hotter days in Bangkok; which means that you sweat three bucket loads instead of the usual two within the hour. Water taxis are exactly like the vaporettos of Venice; boat buses that take you from stop to stop along the water. The ostentatious Wat Po, better known as the seat of the reclining Buddha, loomed ahead as soon as we emerged from the pier. While crossing the road, several men on the street informed us that the Wat would be closed until 1:30pm on account of a religious ceremony. Nagesh ignored the "good samaritans" and marched to the Wat entrance sure enough to find that there was no ceremony and that all visitors were welcome as usual.


The sheer magnificence of the Reclining Buddha took our breath away. We were completely unprepared for the magnitude of this gold statue. The entire Wat complex is opulently crowded with Chinese pagoda structures, ornate chedis (multi-tiered tapering conical structures), and rich sculptures. One of the temples in Wat Po houses Nagesh’s favorite Buddha statue in a meditating posture shielded by the seven-hooded serpent king.

Our next halt was the Grand Palace, home of the Emerald Buddha. This jade (not emerald) idol is enshrined in a grand hall decorated from floor to ceiling with murals from the life and times of the Buddha. The idol is dressed in three different robes in a year, according to the season, in the presence of the King. We spent several peaceful minutes admiring the idol and its intricate gold throne. A walk around the complex brought us upon a miniature model of Angkor Wat, more extravagant chedis, the entire Ramayana (or Ramkien as it known in Thailand) painted around all four walls of an oriental structure, and the King’s palace.

For some reason, we had presumed that Thailand would be as English speaking as Singapore. Surprisingly, not many Thais speak English at all. Even the staff at our hotel struggle to communicate more than the basics. The shopkeepers quote you prices by fetching a calculator and punching in the numbers. You’re expected to bargain by punching back the price you wish to pay! Talking of shopping, we visited the mother of all markets in the world: the Chatuchak weekend bazaar featuring 9000 stalls and everything from a pin to an elephant. Despite being drenched, first in sweat then rain, we scoured the entire market. It reminded us so much of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, only cheaper even than India.

A lot of international male travelers can be spotted with a Thai girl in tow. Sex seems to be as common a business as any. And although foreign travelers are most obvious clients, the Asian men, apparently, are the greatest promoters of this industry.

The weather and traffic are primary reasons why ‘malling’ has become a favorite pastime of the people in Bangkok. Innumerable air-conditioned shopping centers crammed with people cram the city. All famous designer brands can be found at one-tenth the price and custom tailoring can be done at very affordable prices.

One of the visits we thoroughly enjoyed was to the Jim Thompson’s House. An American working for the Intelligence service, Thompson arrived in Thailand in the forties just after the Second World War and stayed on permanently. He built a lovely Ayuthayan style home in Bangkok studded with antique treasures from all over the country. While Thompson himself mysteriously disappeared one day, his name is most popularly associated with the Thai silk production company he started. Our tour of his exquisite residence was followed by a visit to his store. The silks here are of the finest quality and we highly recommend the Jim Thompson designs and fabrics to anyone looking to decorate their home.

Overall the chaos and heat of Bangkok exhausted us beyond the toughest of hikes. We are so ready to visit Angkor Wat and then go home to India.

The Best Thing About Thailand

If it hasn’t been stressed enough, we’ll do it one more time. Thailand is THE place in the world to get yourself pampered. We spent a whole afternoon in Phuket treating ourselves to an amazing three-hour session of massages and facials.

Things were moving along just fine until Kavita heard a little scream from Nagesh’s end. The masseuse was tugging at his underwear with humble determination, while our man was desperately trying to rescue this last piece of garment on his body. Of course the lady won the tug-of-war and it took Nagesh about three hours to get used to the fact that he was stark naked under her hands. Or so he claims. But nobody will be fooled into believing that he wasn’t in heaven. Right?

P.S. Sajeev, now we know all about the joys of an oil butt massage.

Phuket, Thailand

The good news is that Phuket is pretty much all cleaned up after the boxing day Tsunami disaster of last year. The bad news is that business is not anywhere near picking up and the people have taken a far greater economic beating in its wake. This is low tourist season in Phuket, but business has apparently never ever been this slow. So claims a grocery shop owner whose shop is located right next to our hotel. But we’re not complaining. For an unthinkably low price, our room comes with a private outdoor jacuzzi. However, huge bars along the beachside streets yawn with boredom and locals are keen on spreading the word that Phuket is ready for tourists again.

But here we are, determined to feed ourselves to the fury of the waves one way or the other. Thailand has long been a favorite with Hollywood movie makers which also guarantees that tourists such as ourselves will set sail on pilgrimages to James Bond (Man With a Golden Gun) and Leonardo Di Caprio (The Beach) islands in search of `paradise'. The pilgrims are gathered from their respective hotels in the morning and transported by a van to the pier. We’re really excited about setting sail for the legendary Koh Phi Phi islands only until our guide welcomes us with, "Today will be windy and cloudy, anyone want sea-sickness pills?"

Our speedboat has not quite made it past the harbor that the water starts unveiling her alter ego. Our perky vessel thrashes against the rough sea with loud crashes. The passengers wear a look of utter fright, or at least surprise, while the guides seem to be amused at our discomfort. An hour into the joyride, the rain comes thundering down to drench us every inch. If a regular stormy day at sea can feel so overwhelming, imagine the sheer power unleashed on an aberrant day. We cannot help but think of the cruel havoc wrought on Phuket a few months ago.


Our agitation is somewhat pacified when the boat enters a lagoon. Guarded by a gateway of cliffs, the calmness of this natural emerald pool is all too surreal. This is the magic spot where Leonardo cavorted around in The Beach. After a quick dip in the holy waters, we’re on our way to the Phi Phi islands. The snorkeling is excellent and believe it or not, the fishes love bananas. We call them monkey fishes when schools of them come rushing in to attack bananas thrown overboard by the guides. After lunch, we stop at a secluded beach with pristine sands and aquamarine waters. The fishes here are fond of bread and swim up right up to the shore for snacks. For the next couple of hours we pretend that we’ve been deserted on that tiny island and that life is only about the sand, the waves, and the beach loungers.

Koh Samui, Thailand

A perfect little miniature birthday cake, decorated with five delicate plumerias, sits at the center of a low oriental table. Bunches of white and purple orchids droop over the confection like a blessing. Kavita is seated on a tatami mat covering the floor of the pagoda shaped pavilion set in the heart of pond filled with blooming lotuses. She waits, with a swiss army knife in hand, to cut her birthday cake at the stroke of midnight. Nagesh softly sings her a very happy birthday, camera in hand, leaning on one of the pyramid-shaped pillows marking the four corners of the pavilion. What an exotic birthday this is!

Our Ayuthayan style cottage built on stilts leaves no doubt in our heads that we’re in exotic Thailand. Set in the midst of lush palm trees, orchids, plumerias, and lotus ponds, our cottage at the Princess Village is a stone’s throw away from the turquoise waters of Chaweng beach. The weather is hot and humid. But not inside our fully air-conditioned luxury cottage decorated with silk drapes in rich weavings of brown, rust, and gold. Our extra large bed is prepared with pure white sheets and decorated with complimenting pillows in orange paisleys. Ancient wooden double doors lead into a step down bathroom complete with a closet and all modern amenities.

Our routine during those three romantic days at this small island is quite simple. We spend most of the morning swimming in the warm clear waters. This is followed by an utterly relaxing, and most inexpensive, hour-long massage on the beach. The ocean view massage pavilions are set up right along the waves. Somewhere in between we make time for some aromatic Thai curry generously infused with lemon grass, fresh ginger, corianders, capers, and spicy red peppers. When in Thailand, think twice before ever ordering your meals "spicy". Ever since our first fire-in-the-brain experience where we were ready to bolt to the ocean to quell the heat, we’ve safely stuck to ordering our food "mild" or "medium". Yes, this is a bunch of cast-iron-stomach-hot-spice-loving Indians talking!

A torrential downpour marks every one of our afternoons. The rains always arrive around the same time without fail, just like a postman doing his rounds. The message is to enjoy the lush surroundings from the open balcony of our cottage where a tea service awaits us. A wicker basket lined with cloth compartments containing a pot of jasmine tea and two little cups left on the table outside. We sit there watching the rain, eating our cookies, and talking about our lives. This is the first time Kavita has come to appreciate rain. In certain places, a downpour is so complimentary. Koh Samui is one of those places.

We spend our last evening celebrating the rain and soaking it in while running on the beach and frolicking in the waters. The sea transforms itself continually during a storm changing from shimmering blues to unreal aquamarine contrasting deeply against the dark gray-black sky. The sand alone remains unfazed as it silently soaks in all the water, barely turning a shade darker, hardly perturbed at all.

The markets along Chaweng beach are nothing to write home about. They overflow with fake brands of clothes, watches, sunglasses, bags, and everything else. We hate to think what Bangkok will be like. Although most of the street food promises instant death, we’re daring enough to try desert pancakes (thai crepes) with different fruit fillings from a street vendor. Fried as deeply as it is in butter and oil, we figure the germs would be long dead. Talk about four servings of desserts for under $2!

The only notable sights on the streets in the evening are groups of brightly dressed transvestites openly soliciting all "innocent" tourists that dare to cross their path. By the way, it is Nagesh who thinks they’re transvestites, while Kavita still maintains that they’re beautiful ladies going about their "business". We should also mention the Pink Lady bar showcasing "fine" ladies who offer excellent thai massages amongst other services.

The only reluctant bit of sightseeing we do is on the last morning, just a couple of hours before our flight to Phuket. We find a pair of scooter taxis and go pinion riding to see the Big Buddha. Probably the most unimpressive of all the Buddha statues that await us, or so we hope. With that we make our way to the "boutique" airport in Koh Samui which is to say a collection of scattered non-air conditioned huts one each for check-in, arrival, departure, gift shop, and café. Later, we board our "boutique" airline (Bangkok Airways) for our "boutique" flight by propellor plane to Phuket that almost gives us a "boutique" heart attack during landing.

Renewing Old Bonds in Singapore

In the past, Singapore has been a favorite transit city on our way to India. We’ve only briefly explored the city before. But this time we're really excited about meeting Nagesh’s cousins who live here.

Bhargavi, Muthu, and Vijay – thank you for your exceptional hospitality and your sacrifice of the air-conditioned bedroom. We butted into our cousins’ lives in the middle of Bhargavi’s (Nagesh’s sister-in-law's) project submissions. But despite her all-nighters, she took plenty of "breaks" to spend time with us.

On their insistence, we extended our stay to four days in Singapore. Bhargs finished her submissions and spent every single moment thereafter entertaining us and cooking us delicious south Indian food. Days speed by when you’re having so much fun. We explored Singapore – the malls and the Merlion, ambled through a night safari at the zoo, revived snooker days of yore at the historic Raffles hotel, enjoyed dinner along the beach, and grooved the nights away at the coolest nightspots. But this is not all. This account shall remain incomplete without mentioning Muthu’s delectable coffee, quips, and hilarious photography skills, Bhargavi’s gregariously fun attitude, and Vijay’s explosive fun spirit camouflaged behind a shy exterior. We soaked it all in and sitting here in Thailand wish you all could’ve come with us.

We hope to catch up with you elsewhere around the globe. Down under maybe, if you keep your promise. But stay in touch and good luck for everything to all of you! And thank you again for a stupendous time in Singapore!