Travel Diaries - Key Takeaways & Invaluably Valuable Lessons

Like a woodsman severely perspiring and brutally chopping down a tree with their axes, how many of you had tried or is doing to heavily exert all your effort and strength when you squeeze the bottom-of-the-bottom toothpaste with your Hulk hands so as not to waste away that last tiny weeny-teeny bit before tossing it in to the trash can? 

Those who are extremely proud of your achievements as the main product may not agree with it in the open even though you vigorously nod within yourselves. For those who consider achievements, success and money to be as the by-products of sincere hard-work and intense determination, they will say without any hesitation like me that they still do it with no qualms of regret or compunction in doing that act.

Some people might say that we are stingy. Au Contraire, with our blood, sweat and tears, we had earned our hard-earned money and we immensely value what we had paid to purchase that one single toothpaste. We try to get the maximum out of it. 100% extraction may or may not be possible. But, we strive close to 99.99% just like how the medicinal ads as Dettol inform everyone that their products prevent 99.99% bacteria!  

Oh. By the way. It's a typical middle-class Indian mentality to have the VFM attitude. There is no way that those born with a silver spoon or golden spoon or even platinum spoon would be able to understand it though they might pretentiously and overtly agree to it. Anyway, it's up to them. But, to those who have done it and experienced this situation will definitely know what I am exactly talking about here. 

Why am I giving this big lecture on effective and maximum utilization of resources when the blog title reads "Takeaways and Lessons"?

Well. Life is also like that toothpaste. Unless and until you have exprimired the lessons in its entirety, you tend to squander away the time by repeating the same mistake again and again. No one is perfect. So, committing a mistake is not wrong unless it's a grave one. But, we should have the open-mindedness to accept the mistake and take the necessary steps to rectify them so that it doesn't happen again. 

IMHO, you can error the same mistake for the second time as well as it's a bit difficult to internalize everything at one go. But, when we are doing it for the third time, the mistake ceases to be a mistake and you turn out into a habitual offender. Only God can save the person after then. Before it's too late! And if you happen to be an Atheist, even that glimmer of hope is switched off.

However, to correct the mistake, first of all, you should have the understanding that what you have done is wrong in order to proceed to the subsequent steps.

Why is it important to ensure that your mistakes aren't repeated time and again? 

Simple. At the end of the day, everything in the world boils down to one indispensable fact - Survival - whether you have the stomach to digest this fact or not. Also, every person is unique in their own ways with different levels of tolerance, patience, temper and anger. It naturally follows that if at all you have knowingly or unknowingly hurt/harmed someone (Say X) or X feels/perceives that they have been physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually or psychologically violated and also possesses a very high anger level and quick-temperedness by/through one of your own repeated same-to-similar mistakes, who knows what might happen to your life. Things can go real ugly if your wife and children's lives are dependent on you. This situation can once again be interpreted as: X had also failed to learn his/her lessons from their previous encounters with their tempestuous anger lashing in their turbulent life.

Unless you don't want to be dead, the bottom line is dead simple : Flatten your undoings at the earliest and turn a new leaf else life has the uncanny ability to put you through the sword until you have acquired the right knowledge to lead a balanced life. 

There are many such lessons which I had painstakingly learnt during my spiritual-adventure travels:

1) Planning is of paramount importance if you like/love/desire to travel, either backpack or group, to reduce your costs. Most importantly, you can have peace of mind without scratching your head as to how to go about from one place to another especially when it comes to choosing your mode of travel.

2) Have the element of flexibility built in your fixed or free-flowing tour itinerary so that in the case of any flight reschedules, you have the buffer time/ day to visit the places.

3) Apply the principles of Idealism to practical life and meaningfully add value instead of holding on to it as one's own identity and strongly desiring that others should also live it in their lives.

4) Personal problems, however important they might seem, are extremely trivial and insignificant in nature which needs to be dealt heads on instead of being bogged down by the weight of the situation.

5) Everything is transient like a passing cloud. So, are our troubles and worries as well. Not at all worth in giving too much emphasis, energy and time to it though the issues need to be addressed. And Oh no no no! It's not some dumbshit intellectual philosophy I came up with. 

 6) No matter what, Meditation must be inculcated as a way of life to not only reclaim your lost energy expended during the course of the day but also have a clearer clarity through self-monitoring and self-regulation.

7) It is better to be differently normal than be normally different.

8) Karma precisely knows when to strike back like an angry King Cobra. Be extremely careful of our words and actions and practice the right ones at the appropriate times. It is tremendously difficult to follow it immediately but to make things even simpler, the 'right' is the objective 'right' and not a subjective one catering to an individual's whims and fancies.

As the wise saying goes, you earn your trophy through practice off the field. You merely get them on the field.

Think positive. Feel optimistic. Be realistic.   

Travel Diaries - Mesmerizing Leh & Ladakh - Part 4

Acknowledgements:

First of all, whoever has been, is or will be reading this blog, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for patiently lending your ear, I mean eyes!, to sift and scan through my innumerable adventures and personal rants. Don't look so puzzled? There is nothing mystifying here. Pangong Lake is the last of my travel places as a solo traveler cum tourist in this spiritual-adventure trip. So, isn't it my duty to thank you for tolerating and rating (in your mind!) on my writing skills, unique perspectives, suggestions and recommendations and the objective representation of the reality of all the places and events that I had visited and experienced? I should, right? That's what I did.

Without much folderols, let's drive through into the spell-binding enchantress called Pangong Lake.

The hospitalized families from Chennai didn't make it to the Pangong Lake for their own reasons known to them. Hence, it was just me and one more decent family of 3 along with the driver cum guide who was different from the guide and driver we had during the Khardung La Pass. Having still not yet recovered from the previous day's excruciating travel, the guide announced that it would be one more long trip with stops at Thiksey Monastery and Chang La Pass.

It was a sweet place - Thiksey Monastery. Too good. The balmy breeze flowing through my tidily combed hair with the sun gently caressing his rays and neatly packed with pin-drop silence.What more you could ask for when you wanted to be in such a place in the first place. It's like striking gold at the exact spot where you wanted the gold reservoirs to be!

After a quick break at Chang la Pass for teas, restrooms and much needed dog stretches for the aching body, the guide proceeded towards Pangong Lake. The never-ending meandering roads coupled with the bumpy roads would have made the ride even worse if it hadn't been for the scintillating snowscape and landscape that punctuated the bleak landmass.

The towering mountains were the palliative reminders of pure truth that our so-called important personal problems are extremely trivial and insignificant in nature which needs to be dealt heads on instead of being bogged down by the weight of the situation. 

Hours later, the first glimpse of the Lake was shown by the guide. It was completely majestic and left me with wanting to see the entire lake ASAP. Many a turn and the whole lake was in sight. A sight to behold! I had never seen anything in my life like that before - On TV, Movies and Net - Yes. But, in person - NO. It was like Switzerland had taken a grand detour and parked her grandeur at that spot. Needless to say, Switz is also on my Bucket List which I would like to visit one day in the future whenever time permits.

I am certain that many would have seen like me in numerous movies to the captivating beauty of the Swiss Mountains and crystal-clear waters with her lush and verdant tress in the backdrop. Pangong Lake is exactly like that picture minus the trees. Just like how our capital Delhi is a land-locked place, Pangong Lake is also within the confines of mountains and lands on all sides. It is an arresting piece of visual setting by the omnipotent Demiurge. 

Having been shown to our cosy quarters which was basically a tent attached with a toilet and bed, the guide gave us a good trip around the lake. The weather was nipping, the winds were piercing and the waters of the multi-hued astounding lake was harshly cold. As the sun set down, the driver rushed us to our accommodations as the weather could turn pretty nasty it seems. Serving to a okay dinner, our sleep was welcomed with a pitch blackness. The guide asked us to properly secure our tents and not to leave it any cost as the night-time temperature with the howling freezing winds can make you sick and unhealthy. 

Listening to his instructions like a Math student in an Integral class, I immediately switched on the torch in my mobile. Was I afraid? Nope. More than that. I was freaking scared. Just imagine. You don't the language and are in an extremely remote place of the country. The place is astonishingly new. No power. Inclement weather outside. Any stray or wild animal could easily come madly rushing into the tent or any local could have simply unzipped the tent and made their way out of my tent like a King/Queen with all my belongings. Even when I was feeding the tiger or close to being trampled by a herd of wild elephants, I wasn't that frightened as I knew that others could understand what I said and most importantly, I was in safe hands. But, here. My only thought was to chant Krishna's name with the hope that morning would be fine. That was the first day, okay night!, in my full trip where I feared the worst for my life. 

Early morning was the sweetest thing that I had heard and seen from the previous night's nightmarish experience. The colors of the water in the lake had radically changed like a caterpillar to a butterfly and the pleasant romantic winds with hot tea was as soothing as a Shreya Goshal's song. It was time to bid adieu to this cracker of a place and head towards our hotel again with stops at Shey Palace and Hemis Monastery. 

Lunch was outside the Hemis Monastery and inside the place, monks were doing their ritualistic dance and the teacher was helping the students to do it in a more synchronized and co-ordinated manner. It was nice. Short stopover at Shey Palace and guide proceeded to the hotel where I packed all my things and headed straight to the airport in the next morning with the same family who had accompanied me to Pangong Lake.

Leh-Ladakh is a MUST visit place for everyone though the flight tickets are expensive. Speaking of flight, kindly ensure that your airplane is really scheduled to depart on the said date and time as they are liable to reschedule based on the whooshy weather at the airport. I had faced a similar situation before I departed from Chennai to Delhi as they said that the flight from Delhi to Leh was cancelled and I was allotted a flight on a different date. But, after politely requesting him to advance the flight timings to the previous flight so that the tour itinerary isn't delayed because of me, I was given the morning GoAir from Delhi to Leh. 

Since the flights were fickle and capricious as the stock market, I decided to not to book any flight from Delhi to Chennai and waste my money on my departure but to travel by train so that even in the worst-case scenario if my flight from Leh to Delhi was re-scheduled, I would still be able to book a train ticket from Delhi to Chennai. As luck would have it, I got myself a ticket at RajDhani (Don't exactly remember the name of the train now) and visited the nearby Palika Bazaar to kill time as the train was due in the night on the same day as I landed in Delhi from Leh.

Palika Bazaar is an ideal place for lovers and romantic birds as there were many shops that sold cheap items. How good were the items? I don't know as I didn't buy any excepting for an excellent book to read during the journey from Delhi to Chennai.

With the train slowly chugging into Central station, there is nothing like home sweet home as my travels had taught me a valuable lesson to not to take unnecessary personal or any problem seriously and at the same time, solve the necessary problems before it goes out of hand. 

Finally, before wrapping the travel diaries up, unless and otherwise you know Hindi, DON'T EVER visit Pangong Lake alone. I am not saying that the place was ACTUALLY dangerous or the locals were REALLY thugs. The place is drop-dead gorgeous and I didn't interact with the locals as language was a barrier, thus, I have no idea how they are.

It's just that our mind works in mysterious ways and when we are in a freaked out panicky state, it starts to generate unrealistic imaginations imbued with fear and hyperventilation. Just imagine what would have happened had I shouted in the middle of the night that someone was attacking me when there was no one in reality just because my mind was playing tricks due to my personal fear. I would have caused an unnecessary and unwanted furor and who knows what could have happened to others because of my fear. Luckily, nothing of that sort happened. 

It's just plain wrong in my opinion to make others falsely believe of any imminent danger when there isn't any in REALITY as the other people would also start to get frightened and tensed and cause a chain reaction of undesirable consequences. 

The point which I also wanted to emphasize is that there is always safety in numbers whether you know the local language or not. 

Please do enjoy yourselves in this amazing Pangong Lake and immerse in the riveting splendor of Leh-Ladakh at least once in your life. 

Hope you liked reading my longggggggggggggggggggggggggg adventurous cum spiritually oriented travel diaries. Most importantly, the recommendations as I felt it would be immensely beneficial if at all you were to travel to any of these places.

Thanks a lot again.

Ciao!

                                                           X---Concluded---X

Travel Diaries - Mesmerizing Leh & Ladakh - Part 3

Scientists categorically and unequivocally aver that time machines aren't practically possible. Even the exceptionally genius Stephen Hawking is of the same opinion with his experiment. However, the irony is that time machines have already been found in this world and the cacophonous joke is that everyone, Okay mostly!, of us is using the time machine without realizing it. Don't look flummoxed and have a bemused expression. You also know it. In fact, you are carrying it everyday with you. 

You still didn't get it? 

The time machine's nothing but a CAMERA.

Confused?

Thinking How so? 

When you're taking a picture of the present and then look back at those fond memories after 5 or 10 years later, what you are effectively doing is then to turn the time to the past through the photographs by being in the future present.

Sounds confusing?

To laymanize it further, supposing you want to show your kids of your wonderful wedding album. You lovingly open it and show them what and how your dream marriage unfolded by those memorable photos which were taken long ago. Hope you have understood now. 

What relevance does it have with Leh and Ladakh?

The two families who got hospitalized were discharged and so the entire group along with the guide proceeded to Khardungla Pass through the serpentine roads which were good at some places and really pathetic at others. What else can you expect at altitudes above 17500 ft. But, what was unexpected were the stunning and arresting sceneries all around you which were simply remarkable that you get highly besotted by the surrounding ambiance.

You cannot get enough of the clicks on your mob cam or DSLR, if you possess one. Please get yourself a DSLR or any high res cam if you are planning to go to Leh. I mean it as it's worth for the staggering and stupendous  natural settings that's right in front of your eyes which you can relive whenever you want in the future. Now, I hope you would have understood as to why I brought in the Time Machine reference into the picture, pun intended, earlier in the blog.

It's not just about the destination but the journey to the final stop that is pure feast for your eyes if you can overlook the back breaking, literally, ride. At long last, we arrived at Khardungla and got the much needed respite from the mind-blowing and tiresome travel. Climbing on the snow-rich mountains and playing with it was white fun. A word of caution. Don't ever remove your gloves even for a moment by challenging yourself that you can be without it. Your hand will get numbed with no sensation whatsoever for some time.

Once sufficient time was given to be there as that wasn't our end halt, the van proceeded to the I-forgot-the-name-of-the-valley for the night stay. It was a tough task for the drivers as well because the roads became too narrow at certain spots and one wrong move would have hurled us down into the plunge like Iron Man speeding downwards from the top without his suit malfunctioned. 

After what seemed like eternity, the I-forgot-the name-of-the-valley was reached where dinner and coffee was served with explicit instructions that no power would be there until the strike of morning. Catching a good night's sleep due to the toilsome and arduous journey, we stopped at a gigantic Buddha temple where the sun was at its glowing best by shining in a beast mode. From there, it was time for camel ride. Not the Rajasthan-esque camel. This breed was different. Nevertheless, It was a jolly good one. 

Short stops at a Gurudwara like Temple and Magnetic Hill before proceeding to Alchi. It was so quite that you could actually listen to the rustle of the leaves. Yep. It was another ancient Buddhist temple. Purchasing a couple of Buddhist statues for home, Alchi bade us goodbye and grinding through the torturous and windy and finally through normal and straight roads, our hotel was in plain sight much to my relievement as the next day was also a tedious journey to Pangog Lake. 

Oh. By the way, those who are interested in Rafting can do so in a place called Zanskar River.at your own personal expense. From what I heard by the guide, there weren't many rapids and the cost was a bit too high. So, I stroked it off ASAP from the list as it wasn't worth my money. But, there were still many takers for it. If you feel like doing it, you can very well involve yourselves in the Rafting.

I have reserved the super special Pangog as the final blog in my Travel Diaries not only as it was the last place that was there in the itinerary but also the place deserves an exclusive and separate blog by nature, pun intended.

                                                      X---To be Concluded---X

  

Travel Diaries - Mesmerizing Leh & Ladakh - Part 2

Instead of being like Tom Hanks in 'Cast Away' where he had to completely fend for himself, there is always help when you ask the right person. Who better than to ask our prized Indian Army personnel who was standing near the entrance of the Airport. Guiding me to the nearest Taxi Stand, with the help of a driver, I reached my hotel where I was duly welcomed in by a very friendly Tour Manager (TM) who even said that I needn't have to pay the Taxi Fare and that he would take care of it. Yes. In this case, the Guide and TM were two different persons. 

The TM's instructions were crystal-clear - Acclimatization to the weather of Leh, Drink lots of liquid fluids and Not to partake in any non-veg food due to the fact that it will consume, pun intended, time for digestion. As I was a Veg, I had no issues with the last part. Sadly, there were two other family from Chennai who were admitted in the hospital on the day of arrival itself. The official version from the TM is that they had certain non-veg food and that caused them sickening health issues. I have no idea what actually caused their condition to become bad and sad. Just think for a moment. You are thousands of miles apart from your hometown. And you have fallen sick with your nice kids on a trip which you have been looking forward to enjoy.  

I was amongst such a situation and I felt really sorry for them as they had also traveled all the way from Chennai by spending a fortune but ended up in the beds of the hospital. Poor people. They were around 6 of them and none of them were able to make it to the next day's itinerary. In fact, one of the family was nearby to my house which I learnt during my brief interaction with them on our first day before they were hospitalized. 

All this had happened during the night time and I was in the know of these events only in the morning when the bright sun broke apart the intense curtain of chilliness of the night. Oh Yeah. The weather was cold. Damn cold. Unfortunately, I didn't have any gloves and my hands were being slowly frozen like water turning to ice. I decided to get myself a pair of cheap gloves when we were on en route to sight-seeing.

First up, the Tourist van went up to a Buddhist temple atop a hill followed by the palace. There was absolute stillness in the air which made the meditation simpler and faster and at the same time, the dry chilly winds was making matters worse. I had been to Kullu-Manali, Shimla, Gangtok, Badrinath, Kedarnath when I was a kid. So, chilly temperature wasn't a big obstacle to me. But, the dry cold winds was something which I was experiencing for the first time and I was constantly in need of water like an agricultural crop in a land. After visiting the Palace, the driver politely obliged to drop us near the market to get gloves. There was an Aircel showroom nearby and evaluating a quick CBA, okay Cost-Benefit-Analysis, it wasn't worth to have a postpaid SIM just for the tour. The only major barrier apart from the weather which I faced was the language. Luckily, I had people who could speak English in our van. Thus, I simply got the gloves as that was mandatory for survival in that inclement weather and foregone on the idea of SIM as there were decent people around me in our group to help me out in case of any emergency like any sickness which the family from Chennai had experienced. 

Leh-Ladakh was a paradise for photo-taking. Such was the opulence of breath-taking vistas that were spread out in front of you like a lavish buffet. Incredible is an understatement to thoroughly capture the grand beauty of Nature's exquisite paintings on the canvass of land - You could literally see snow-capped mountains on one side, greenery on other and dust-filled barren lands on another. DSLR holders and owners would have a field day on the field with their valuable cameras as they have a treasure chest of scenic settings in their kitty. I had to be contented with just taking pics in the cam on my mobile to freeze those marvelous views which was extremely unique and striking from each angle that you could not comprehend the wonders of the majestic landscape merely in one single shot.

After the purchase of gloves and whatever others had wanted to purchase, we returned by the van to the hotel and I half-expected Maggi to be my staple diet throughout the course of the tour. Luckily, I had an array of fantastically cooked food, at least in my hotel, to withstand the brute of a weather. The HK encounter with food made me very cautious to politely request the servers whether it was Veg or Non-Veg as they had both in their menu. And I said "fantastic"for the food not only for the taste but also it was piping hot. A much needed where everything was darn cold.

As the next day we had to travel to the highest motorable road in the world - Khardungla Pass and then to a I-forgot-the-name-of-the-valley, it shall be covered and concluded in the next blog.

                                                     
                                                           X---To Be Concluded---X

Travel Diaries - Mesmerizing Leh & Ladakh - Part 1

You are playing a sport - say Football or Cricket. You are diving to catch the ball. You have achieved it brilliantly but in the process, you have fractured your elbow in a nasty manner. The doctor has advised you strict bed rest until you are up and running again. In the mean time, you have also adhered to the rules imposed by the doctor upon the health so that the road to recovery is without any hitch and glitch. But, you slip down on the floor when you get up to get yourself a drink and get hit on the same elbow. Again. The pain is tremendously torturing.

Let's freeze the frame for a moment here. When it's emotional and psychological, the magnitude of the torment is further amplified to the point that it pushes you to suicidal limits.

That's precisely what happened to me as well post the Hong Kong Trip. I was convalescing well and on the verge of a fast recovery track to get back in shape properly and continue my IT career again. As I had become as brown as a berry, I also took the help of Dermatologist to de-tan and clear away the black pigmentation due to acne. The doctor's reco was NO SUN until the treatment was done and dusted. Taking all the necessary precautions which was given by the doc like staying hydrated than normal average and using prescribed lotions, I was within the four walls and being self-reflective on my idealistic nature to get on terms with the practical world. Idealistic individuals are the ones who push the humanity to a humanely good and positively better world but can it be at the cost of the individual themselves? It is better and prudent to be a Krishna than a Rama in this ugly and highly self-centered world.

It was then a big fight ensued between my mom and me which eventually culminated to having suicidal thoughts. That's the problem when you are a feeler and an empath even though you can crystal-clearly understand the other person's position by putting yourself in their shoes. Just like the fractured person breaking and damaging his injured elbow again, the on-the-mend emotional scars were violently thrown open like a hurricane devastating a house.

So, to get back to normalcy, I went to temples in Kumbakonam and Trichy like Ucchi Pilayar Temple. I have been there as a kid with family and relatives a long time ago. But, this was the first time that I had gotten the opportunity to be solo in the midst of the Darshan. Likewise, it was really an absolutely blissful place @ the Auroville Ashram, Pondicherry. Full of trees. Invigorating air. Stimulating atmosphere. Auroville is the aura of Pondicherry. A peach of a beauty. People usually travel to Pondi for something else. They can save their money and improve their health by immersing themselves into the tranquil surroundings of Auroville.

Prior to proceeding to Kumbakonam, I had opted for a Leh-Ladakh tour package from Cox&Kings (C&K). Why Leh & Ladakh? The place had loads of Buddhist monasteries and serenity permeating the air. Why C&K? Coz they offered the cheapest price after extensively analyzing out the other tour websites. As the direct flight from Chennai to Leh was toweringly steep, I had to board a flight from Chennai to Delhi and from Delhi to Leh. 

How did I suddenly jump to Chennai and then to Leh? As the journey was tedious and fatiguing from Kumbakonam and Trichy, I halted for a night at Pondicherry to give my body some rest before catching an early morning bus to Chennai and then a flight to Leh from Delhi. Don't ask me how I managed to journey from Chennai to Delhi. It was again by a flight.

As soon as I landed in the chilly and exquisite Leh, I found to my consternation that my dratted Aircel didn't have any signal to contact the C&K Tour Manager. 

                                               

                                                            X---To Be Concluded---X

PS 1:

Now,you must know by now why I said "Destiny always has an ace up its sleeve" in one of my travel blogs earlier. I had no intention to be there at Leh-Ladakh. But, there I was then.

PS 2:
When you think through as to why Lord Krishna had said committing suicide is not a viable option in the Gita, you will not even think again to do that act.

PS 3:
Commonly and conventionally, people are of the opinion that committing suicide is a dastardly act. But, when you look through the prism of Suicide's POV, the people who does them are actually more courageous than those who don't as they have the guts to take their own lives. Some might say that they don't have the courage to face life's problems. What's gutsy in doing suicide?

Once again, that's just a part of the perception. When you see the whole picture, a life overpoweringly transcends the problems - small or big or simple or difficult. And those normal souls who have given up their lives on their own accord due to personal problems or depression, they cared enough to not care for their life anymore by shedding away their value for their life.

SO, you will probably have a question as to whether I support the concept and practicality of suicide since I have given a detailed explanation for the phenomenon.

When you have thought through from Lord Krishna's POV as to why he said suicide is an irresponsible solution, you can never ever say again that suicide is a good solution for life's problems. Hence, my answer is that I don't support it but respect the individuals' choice who does it as it's their personal wish and their life.

IMHO, playing with others' lives is highly wrong - knowingly or unknowingly. But, your own personal life - Do the damn you what without hurting or harming or injuring or wounding or bruising anyone around you.

Travel Diaries - Touristy Thailand - Part 2

Bashing Bangkok began as soon as our tour van crossed the Don Muang Airport in the opposite direction. Putting two and two together, yes. You are right. Bangkok and Pattaya are 180 degrees apart to each other from the point of view of the airport. Bangkok was more like the Parrys in Chennai with modern buildings with the only exception that they didn't speak Tamil. Before checking into our hotel, The Buddha's temple was where the van stopped to get a Darshan of the great Lord himself. It was really a tragic irony to see a massive reclining statue of the Buddha when he authoritatively emphasized that he was against Idol worship in any form, pun intended. Yet, the huge idol was extremely similar to Lord Padmanabhaswamy @ Thiruvananthapuram and Lord Ranganathar @ Srirangam. I am not saying that they had copied it. But, still saying.

Anyway, the temple was a lovely place of deep calmness. You could actually feel the peacefulness pervading throughout your body like ink spreading in water. So, when it was time to depart, I had to do it with a heavy heart as the whole temple was an atmosphere of pure tranquility in the midst of thundering madness outside its gates. Heading straight to the hotel without any further halts, instructions were clearly given to be ready very early in the morning to visit the zoo. There was no second thoughts. Having had my dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant, of course Veg, with directions given by the polite and courteous receptionist, it was easy to locate, dine in and come back to the hotel to switch off the lights for the day.

Getting ready and the van was sharp on time to wade through the traffic to the zoo. All the animals were free to roam within their enclosures and the jeep was slowly cutting across them to take snaps of the magnificent beasts especially the Tiger. The entrance to the incredible feral being was akin to the doorway shown in The Jurassic Park 1 with giant doors slowly ajar to the incoming visitors to give a sense of awe and wonder. But, the highlight of the zoo was the various shows and activities like the Orangutan Boxing Fight, Tiger-Feeding, Dolphin Show, Sea Lion Show, Stunt Show etc. 

Yes. You read that right. It was actually a real live cutey tiger in my hands and it drank milk from the bottle. No no no. You shouldn't ask me about the price to do it. It was worth every rupee, okay Thai Bhat. However, I had heard about the atrocities that happens to these fearsome and ferocious animals in a place called Tiger Temple in Thailand. I didn't have time to go there but such an act did not happen to the pretty and adorbs tigers in the zoo. At least, not in my presence.

So, once when the zoo was done and dusted, we were free to explore the lovely place for the remainder of the day. As The Batman Vs Superman movie was also being released, I asked the guides for their guidance to the nearest best theater to catch up with the movie. SIAM Mall was the closest and Krungsri IMAX was my choice of viewing without knowing that the film would be so horrible and I was mentally lamenting & cursing that the IMAX ticket was not worth the hype for the film.  

With nothing else to do in the mall and being dead tired after the tiresome walks @ the zoo, I dispersed to my hotel by the train with the name of the stop and everything explained by the guide initially itself when I asked them the cheapest mode of transportation to commute from the mall to the location of my hotel. 

Sleeping like a log after returning to the hotel, I woke up to the blaring alarm in the morning. As the itinerary was completely unoccupied and with every inch of my body screaming in pain, I decided to sleep through the morning instead of visiting other Buddhist temples in the vicinity. I couldn't even stand up to use the rest room. That was the situation I was in after the tedious and laborious walks for the agenda that we had in the previous day. 

Maybe next time in the distant future if at all I visit the beautiful Bangkok with family that I would have the privilege to see the splendors of Buddha's teachings. Oh yes. There are so many places like the Tiger Temple, Floating Market etc. that was not included in my schedule. But, one thing was sure. As I was boarding the flight from Bangkok airport to Chennai, I felt an over enveloping sense of relaxation and chillness for which I started to travel in the first place. 

As they say, Destiny always has a trick up its sleeve.

                                                                

                                                                   X--Concluded--X

PS 1:

I missed out the Skydiving @ Pattaya. Kindly don't ever crib after coming to Bangkok as you don't have any in the capital and the nearest is Pattaya. It's the cheapest and best skydiving near India. 

PS 2:

It's always fun to learn new things when you hear other people talking about their travel experiences or, for the fact, any experience in general. No, I am not talking about eavesdropping. That's outright wrong. In my case, there were other tourists who were talking about Leh-Ladakh being the Land of Monasteries and an absolutely chill out place for solitude and self-reflection. As far as I knew until then, Leh-Ladakh became famous because of Dil Se or Uyire in Tamil and 3 Idiots movies. 

PS 3:

I did forget the name of the Mall where I saw the dismal Batman Vs Superman. Google came to the rescue as I remembered the IMAX screen name. How could you forget this vital piece of information when your all-day-sweat-out money goes down the drain?

Travel Diaries - Touristy Thailand - Part 1

Yep. Before I opened and closed my eyes in the flight from the thrilling Hong Kong Trip which was deeply saturated with excellent memories as Disney Land & Ocean Park, I was in the hot and sunny Don Muang Airport at Bangkok. I was duly picked up by the pre-reserved car which was also inclusive as a part of my tour package to Pattaya. It was Pattaya first and then Bangkok.

Logging into my hotel and wanting to stretch my legs a bit to have a decent Veg Indian Lunch after 5 days munching on Coke & Chips in Hong Kong, there was a Pure Veg Punjabi restaurant nearby to my hotel. Thanking Lord Krishna for his timely munificence, I ate to my heart's content eventhough it was only Roti and side dish. After what seemed like eternity, I reached my hotel as I was reeling under the after effects of a good meal. Hitting the sack, it was time for me to catch my forty winks. 

I was asked to call up the guide in the evening. As I didn't have any Thailand SIM, I had no other alternative but to call up the Makemytrip.com representative from the hotel pay booth in the evening to confirm the timings for the Alcazar Show. Promptly picking me up at the appointed time by the guide, the ticket was given by the 2 guides before the start of the show.

My Goodness! The Alcazar show was a spectacular display of country themes like China, Japan, India etc. by the men and women artists in a panoply of astonishing settings imbued with dazzling lights and performances. It was spell-binding. And you really cannot take your eyes off the stage. Such was the grandeur of the exhibition which sucked you in, like a whirlpool, into the show. 

When the show came to a tremendous applause end, we were given options for the best clubs in the city to spend the night. As I was not a party animal, I headed straight back to the hotel to get my remaining sleep due to the jet lag experienced earlier in the day from HK to Thailand. En route to the hotel, there was a road side shop which sold Pancakes. The guide recommended that it was a good place to a sink your teeth in if you wanted to have a cheap dinner. I had ordered a Banana Pancake. It was fantastic and my dinner was done then and there. The hotel was just 10 minutes walk from that place and I had a wonderful z'ssss before another long day for some high octane action.

The guides took us to an island in a speed boat for adventure sports like Parasailing, Coral Walking etc. It was Coral Island.  I was given the choice by them to select which sport I would be partaking in. Since my entire trip was revolving around the idea of adventure & spirituality, I took up both Parasailing and Coral Walking.

Parasailing was extreme fun especially when the boat slowed down and you get the experience to plunge down and soak yourself into the water and then fly like a bird again. The view was simply superb and the wind blowing through your disheveled hair further lightened the airiness around you. It was time for Coral Walking next.

It was indeed a one of a kind mesmerizing activity where you get to see live corals and fishes face to face with a very strict advise to not to touch any of the living corals. The walk was a walk to remember! particularly with the heavy and round mask around the head. I had always wanted to try out SCUBA diving and Snorkeling.

But, as of date till now, I hadn't gotten the right opportunity to immerse into the wondrous and colorful oceanic life that lies within the deep and vast waters of our planet. Fortunately, the Coral Walking came close to it. Hopefully, one day in the future, working hard and with enough savings in my bank account again, I would be able to attempt these 2 activities in a picturesque setting as The Andamans or Maldives.

After lounging in the beach and basking in the pristine and azure waters, the guides had arranged us lunch @ another Indian restaurant when we reached the land from the Coral Islands by the returning speed boat. I wouldn't say that the food was excellent but considering the fact that I was ravenous from the water sports, the food appeared delicious. To put it in simple terms, it was okay-okay.

My travel operator friend had explicitly given me sound advise before embarking on the trip to HK and Thailand that the massages in Thailand were nothing but a quick way to rob not only money but also a medium for sexual diseases. Keeping that it in mind, as soon as the guides told us that they will be taking us to a Massage Hub, I politely declined their offer and asked them what other important place to visit in this gorgeous town. Unanimously, they said it was Walking Street.

The entire stretch of Walking Street was a hive of activity where you can see entertainers like The Golden Statue Man or Magicians or dancers performing on either side of the narrow street with throngs of people flocking into pubs and bog standard massage centers with slinky girls showing interested candidates a book of their specialties. The full segment of the Walking Street was vibrant and energetic. Party lovers will have a whale of time in this place. As there was nothing of significant interest to capture my attention, it was just a simple and long to-fro walk down the lively street.

The Tuk-Tuk Auto which dropped me off nearby my hotel is a MUST for all those who travel to Pattaya. Since we had an early wake up call to depart to Bangkok in the following morning, I was out like light as soon as I reached my hotel.

It was time to leave the splendid Pattaya. But, not without having a brief halt at the Gem Factory en route to Bangkok. It was nothing but a dignified way to lure the tourists to purchase their expensive exhibited items. As I was already cash-strapped, you know what I would have done. Yep. Wait for the guides to give their clarion call for our drive to Bangkok. 

Bashing Bangkok is for Part 2.

                                                              X--To be Concluded--X

PS:
If the guides tell you that there is a beautiful Russian Show, please refrain from unnecessarily shelling out extra bucks as it is nothing but a strip show. As the Alcazar Show was out of the world, I thought, okay assumed! my darn mistake!!, that the Russian Show must be exquisite and found out after going there that it was a strip show.

In fact, there were 2 shows side by side. Since even many old people, men and women, went to a particular show, I thought it should be good and found it to be boring, waste of time and had to leave in between to Walking Street afterwards.

So, anything other than the world-famous Alcazar Show, do ask questions and clarify your doubts with your guides regarding what the show is about without blindly assuming as I that all the events are like the stunning Alcazar Show in case you don't want to expend your hard-earned money on frivolous stuffs. Just a heads-up.