[saket77]

[The dates were finalized in a jiffy and I booked the tickets online for the Kolkata – Bangkok leg. Our tour planning spanned over 6 days; from 01st January to 06th January 2014 and I made an itinerary which included 3 places: Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Larn.




It was due and due for long. But for sure. The Land of smiles- The Amazing Thailand!

The seeds for visiting Thailand were sown about 3 years ago when I was looking for an affordable foreign destination for a holiday. This materialized only 3 years later and during this time; I doubled…from my single status! The accident (of doubling) happened last year, but more on it later. However, we visited another foreign destination technically last year too- Bhutan!

I had two choices in mind when deciding for the December-13 vacations. Both options were far apart; both in terms of distance and what they had to offer: Simla and Thailand. On one side Simla promised beautiful snowfalls, shrilling cold weather which would be fun, and not to mention (and miss) – An enthralling travel by the narrow gauge Kalka-Simla Railway through the breathtaking views of the hills and surrounding places. The other option, a stark contrast, Thailand offered those exotic beaches with crystal clear blue-green waters bathing the pristine white sandy beaches. Also, it had the charm of a foreign travel destination tied with it, I cannot deny, which probably swung the decision in its favor. Another reason which makes visiting Thailand an attractive option is that one can get the Visa- on arrival, which is convenient and mostly hassle free.

And yes, it was due for long too…remember the 3 year’s part? The seeds sown of Thailand travel about 3 years ago had probably turned in a big tree by now and hence, we (no more ‘I’, remember the last year accident?) unanimously decided that Thailand it is. However, traveling places in December end (& January beginning for that matter) brings its own disadvantages with it. This is the peak season for tourism which in ‘finance terms’ means higher air-fares, higher accommodation costs and even unavailability of one or the either. I did not have anything very lavish in mind, hence started looking up for air fares with budget carriers like Air Asia, Tiger Airlines, etc. Fares were high by their service standards hence; I finally opted for Jet Airways, though it meant paying a tad higher than the previous options. The dates were finalized in a jiffy and I booked the tickets online for the Kolkata – Bangkok leg. Our tour planning spanned over 6 days; from 01st January to 06th January 2014 and I made an itinerary which included 3 places: Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Larn. Booked all the hotels online too.

We had to board the Jet flight from Kolkata on 31st night; hence we reached Kolkata from Ranchi on 31st morning. All malls in the city wore fancy lights, almost bridal make-ups and were wrapped by Christmas trees owing to the Christmas & new year celebrations. Kolkata has been a favorite destination, esp. for people living in the eastern region of the country and I am no different. The wonderful people, the great food, the street markets and the mix of contemporary and olden times is perfect in Kolkata and I love it to the core. We caught up with few old common friends and had a nice time throughout the day. Later in the evening, we reached the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at about 2200 hrs. to board our flight which was scheduled at 0130 hrs.



The new re-planned Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Integrated Airport- Kolkata

Check-in started about 3 hours prior to the departure time and we completed all the check-in & immigration formalities by about 0100 hrs.

The in-flight experience was good and the crew served the flyers stuff like beer, alcohol, good food, fruit juice etc. We were also given Thai immigration forms for arrival & departure during the flight which later helped us in clearing our visa procedure.

Bang on time, we landed at the one of the busiest Asian airport (and the world's fourth largest single-building airport terminal) – Suvarnabhumi Airport serving the capital city of Thailand, Bangkok. This enormous airport also houses the tallest control tower in the world.







The Huge Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok.



Outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport

As soon as we got into the airport terminal through the aero bridges, we straight away headed to get our visa. Suvarnabhumi is a large airport, hence, be ready to spare some time to get from one place to another and be prepared to take a long walk, though escalators help a lot for the cause.

Upon reaching the ‘Visa on Arrival’ counter, I presented them with the pre-filled forms with our photographs to initiate the procedure. The visa on arrival forms are available on Thai Immigration website and one can download, print and fill it in advance to save some time & hassle in the airport. For ones who don’t have it in advance, forms are available near the application counter.

One by one, we were called for verification of documents and were electronically photographed. A visa fee of 1000 THB was collected per head and receipts for the same were handed over to us. The process hardly took 15 minutes and movement to 2 counters one by one and we finally got our visa stamped on our passports. The immigration form which was handed over to us in the aircraft had two sections in it: arrival & departure. The arrival part was collected during the visa procedure and the departure card was stapled on the passport pages. The Thai tourist visa is valid for 15 days only and one must present the passport, return air tickets, visa application form with a pp size photograph, immigration card and of course the 1000THB visa fee to acquire it. The rule book says a minimum of 10,000 THB per person or 20,000THB per family to be carried but the authorities probably are not interested in seeing your cash, but it is advised to carry sufficient Thai currency to meet your immediate expenses like the visa fee, taxi fare, hotel charges and fooding. Do keep in mind that the visa fee is only accepted in cash and in the Thai currency strictly.

After the visa procedure, we claimed our luggage and finally headed to Gate no. 8, level 1 to get a transport for Pattaya town. All directions are well marked in the airport. One can board a bus directly to Pattaya from the Airport too; however, I found them priced exorbitantly. We took a shuttle bus which operates free of cost between the Airport and Ekamai (or the Eastern) bus terminal. The bus terminal is the last stop of the shuttle bus; about 10 min. drive from airport. The Eastern Bus Terminal has numerous 1st class buses going for Pattaya every half an hour and we boarded one for 134THB per head.

We reached Pattaya comfortably under 2 hours and hired a ‘songthaew’ (a cross between a pick up van and an autorickshaw!) for about 200THB to reach to our pre-booked hotel on the beach road, South Pattaya.
The Pattaya beach is nice, though nothing of exotic sorts, but still caters to a large number of foreign tourists. Good food, drinks & beverages, massage etc. are available on the beach and you can rent a beach chair for about 50-70 THB for a day. A lot of water sport options are available for the one who would like to indulge in such adventures. My advice- save the bucks for Koh Larn.





View from the beach road, slightly elevated from the actual beach.



Lots of options for indulging in water sports at Pattaya

Apart from the beach, what we enjoyed most in Pattaya was the street food. Street food is both hygienic and tasty but for drinking, always use bottled water which is always easily available in the Family Mart & 7-11 stores which are in abundance all over the place. Most street foods are available in the range of 40-80 THB per person. Chicken is almost a staple food in Thailand; however, there are vegetarian options in plenty too. We also dined at a fine Italian restaurant and most dishes were priced in the range of 200-300 THB. My wife fell in love with the pancakes and had it at least 3-4 times a day!



Enjoying Pancakes...Dosage: 3-4 times a day or as she felt like!

Another attraction in Pattaya which cannot be missed is the electrifying nightlife, esp. at the Walking Street. At least a walk through it is highly recommended even if you don’t plan to take liquor. To avoid too many embarrassing questions from children, you may want to leave them behind in hotel (in case you are traveling with).

On the extreme end of the walking street is the Bali Hai Pier which serves as a port for ferries sailing towards Koh Larn, a truly exotic island which is a must do, if you are in Pattaya. After spending the evening at the Walking Street, we returned to the Hotel. Transit within the town is made easy by songthaews and motor taxis. Motor Taxis are basically small bikes on which you can travel as a pillion. They charge anything between 40-100 THB depending upon the distance. Just make the deal in advance to avoid any confusion later.

At the end of the post, I will leave you with some more pictures of Pattaya beach. The next post will conclude the story.

[saket77]

Next morning we had plans for sailing to Koh Larn, hence made to the Bali Hai Pier at about 0900 hrs. There are plenty of options for traveling to Koh Larn from water. You can hire a small boat, a speed boat or a regular ferry. The speed boat costs about 2000-2400 THB for a round trip (15 min each way), however, we opted for the regular ferries which would charge 30THB per person and will take about 45 mins to travel to Koh Larn-Tawaen beach. Not a bad deal when you are on a relaxing holiday…I can spare an extra half an hour relaxing on a steady ferry and also save 2000 THB!



The Bali Hai Pier


After about 45 mins., we reached Koh Larn. The island is nothing short of exotic. The sand is fine and white in color. The water is clean and the beaches pristine. One can literally see the shallow sea beds near the shores; water is clean to such extent.



People alighting from the regular ferries. We traveled in it too.



Entry Pier for Koh Larn.




Visitors are greeted in Koh Larn by its clear waters bathing the shores.


Notice the fishes in the water!

We walked to a quieter beach (probably the Tonglang beach) and I dived in the water as soon as I found that perfect spot for us.




Yours Truly!


We collected some corals which were left on the shores by the tides of the sea. I was amazed to see a lot of fishes swimming in close proximity to me in water. In fact, I was able to catch one of those without much effort and we posed for a few photographs together. After the photographic session, we let the fauna back into its aquatic territory.





Caught a Fish without much effort. Let it back in its territory after the photo session :-)

There are numerous shops around the beach which serve good food with plenty of options including sea-food. We had breakfast in one of such small restaurants and the food was nice.





Sea Food available for munching at Koh Larn.

However, we chose this:



Chicken & Crab Fried Rice.

After enjoying most of the day into the sea and different beaches like Tawaen, Thonglang, Tien and Sangwan (I may be incorrect for some beach names), we planned for ‘under-sea walking’ to witness the underwater life, which was both nervy and beautiful at the same time. They charge about 600 THB per person for this activity and another 700 THB if you want yourself photographed. A short video clip is also provided in the CD. Though the CD part is optional, but it will be a crime to miss it, hence we paid 1800THB and hopped on the speed boat to the main boat. We were instructed all the DO’s & Don’ts and then provided with helmets, divers & a photographer to accompany us under the water, on the sea bed!

But I must warn, this is not for the faint hearted and people who are claustrophobic. During the initial moments in water, for a second I thought I have made a big mistake opting for it as my wife is former and me-latter! However, when we look back at those moments and photographs, it feels magnificent & splendid. It was a privilege to witness something which probably belongs to the other world; so unheard and unseen. Simply brilliant.



Under Sea Walking...A Great Experience for Lifetime!

However, for my wife, the experience was no less than a torture and she refused to speak to me for about an hour or two as it was me who convinced her for it. Poor me, I had nothing to do than enjoying the beauty of and ‘on’ the beaches for the next couple of hours!

Posting a few pictures of the beauty 'of' the beach. Save the 'on' for later!:-D







The exotic Koh Larn!

After spending some more time at Koh Larn and after making up, we headed back to Pattaya by the regular ferry. After reaching Bali Hai Pier at about 1630 hrs, we headed to the Walking Street. Sipping some cold coffee, we walked to another beach on the other side of the Walking Street where I dived into the water again. This beach was dirty in comparison to Koh Larn which we had just witnessed, but who cares! Had some fried crabs as snacks too and relaxed on a beach chair for rest of the evening.

Exhausted and enthralled, we returned to our Hotel in the evening and after a shower, we walked around for the last night in Pattaya followed by a lovely Thai massage. The traditional Thai massage is very relaxing and refreshing. However, since it is not particularly light handed, you may request for a lighter massage if you feel it’s too strong. In the traditional Thai massage, the masseuse uses her own body against yours in some positions. We felt very relaxed after the one hour massage session. My advice- if you want a genuine Thai massage, avoid any shady places else you may end up raising a few eyebrows while telling your story later!

Next morning, 04th of January, we left to the Pattaya bus stand from where we boarded the bus for Bangkok city- 124 THB each. Comfortably under 2 hours, we reached the Ekamai or the Eastern bus terminal in Bangkok from where we hired a taxi to our Hotel in ‘On Nut’. The location of the hotel was chosen because of its proximity to the BTS Sky train would mean easy & timely commute within the city.

After taking a nice shower, we hopped on the BTS train to Siam. Siam houses many glitzy & glamorous malls of Bangkok like Siam Paragon, MBK Center, Siam Center, etc. and we had a nice evening walking around the beautiful & sophisticated malls.



Wifey enjoying her evening at the Siam Paragon.



Yours Truly, wanting to buy 1, but already have 3 at home, hence had to control!

In the process, I spotted (& clicked) a Lamborghini! A few other cars like Maserati, Rolls Royce and a few other super expensive ones turned into nice photographs through my camera lens. I will post the pictures of all the cars that I clicked in the last/ next post.

In one of the malls, I played a full size keyboard which was kept on display which probably caught the attention of a few people around (I can play a few musical instruments without the need of running away for the listeners!).

We hired a tuk-tuk to go to the Indra Market which is the shopping hub, esp. for the Indians. However, I did not find it very special or cheap to be honest. I could see people going ga-ga over a 150 THB t-shirt or a pyajama, but probably they did not do their math. Think of it like 150 THB is about 315-320 rupees when converted to the INR, and you can get better stuff for that much in the Indian street side markets! However, to each his own…this logic did not go down too well with my wife and she shopped for a few items at the market. I kept reaching for my wallet every time I heard the words ‘this is looking nice na?’ Felt like a computer program with a command.

After some walking around and dinner, we traveled back to the hotel by the BTS. In the hotel, I jotted the plan for the next day which was a trip to Thonburi, the old Bangkok located on the banks of the most important river of Bangkok – The Chao Phraya. Thonburi and adjacent areas are among the most visited places in Bangkok by tourists because of the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Wat Pho and a few other pagodas. However, reaching Thonburi is a complicated & time taking process. One has to first reach to Saphan Taksin by the BTS followed by a short walk to the Saphan Taksin Pier. From the pier, one can catch a regular ferry for 40THB per person to Tha Tien Pier (or any other pier you are visiting).

We had planned for Wat Arun, hence, we alighted at Tha Tien Pier and took a ferry across the river for 3THB per head. The view of a tall structure, Wat Arun, looks magnificent standing on the bank of the Chao Phraya. One can walk around the garden campus for free, but if you want to enter the Wat and climb on the extremely steep stairs to have a majestic view of the Grand Palace and the surroundings from such height, a fee of 50THB per person is charged for entry in Wat Arun.



Wat Arun standing tall and handsome on the banks of the Chao Phraya.









Wat Arun, one of the most important Budhist Pagodas in Bangkok, along with Wat Pho.



The magnificent gold Buddha statues at Wat Arun.

As soon as we started to climb the stairs, we noticed that the architecture on the Wat is finished by porcelain. This would have gone unnoticed if we had not opted for entering the Wat. The first level of stairs is steep but still okay. Nothing in comparison to the next level. The next level of stairs is extremely steep and has very narrow foot steps to rest your feet on. I could see people struggling to climb up and even struggling while coming down….it was that steep and narrow. The stair case was being used one way at a time- if people are climbing, none would be alighting down and vice versa. People were literally panting after climbing these stairs. This is where people like me have an advantage. I am a lean frame by industry standards and hence have a much better power to weight ratio (in TBHP terms!). When people were using both hands to grab the rail and help them climb by pulling themselves, I held the rail from one hand, held my wife’s hand with the other and kept pulling her up as she was struggling to climb herself.





The Steep Stairs in Wat Arun.

We managed to climb fairly easily and were rewarded by the wondrous view from this height. The Grand Palace looked absolutely glorious, royal and imperial from such heights. Clicked a few beautiful shots at the place and came down. I must say that coming down is also not easy due to the steepness and narrowness of the steps of the stairs.



The Grand Palace...and probably the most visited site in Bangkok.

Then we crossed the river by the ferry and visited Wat Pho, walking distance from the other side of the river. Wat Pho is famous for the reclining Budha, and considered to be among the oldest and most sacred Wats of the Thailand. As we were exhausted due to heat and hunger, decided not to go inside the Wat Pho and the Grand Palace which stand adjacent to each other. Took a nice view from outside and headed to have some Thai food – Pad Thai. During the walk, we bought a few souvenirs for friends, relatives & for ourselves too.

After spending the day around the old Bangkok, Saphan Taksin and some shopping in the adjoining market, we returned to our Hotel by 2200-2230 hrs and packed our luggage as we would be leaving for India next day. The hotel staff, as instructed, called a taxi in the morning and we left for Suvarnabhumi Airport at about 1130 hrs to board our flight back to India, scheduled at 1455 hrs. Cleared all the check-in and immigration procedure by 1415 hrs (local time) and boarded the flight. The in-flight hospitality ensured that we had a nice lunch and pleasant flight to reach Kolkata by 1610 hrs IST.

We had a few hours to spare to catch the train, hence, we utilized the time for some shopping on Kolkata streets. Also, since I am a vinyl enthusiast, I utilized the time to buy some vinyl titles. Later at night, we boarded the train back to Ranchi and reached home sweet home by 09:00 AM.

Our fantastic trip to Thailand had ended but we brought back tonnes of memories and gigabytes of photographs to relive those wonderful days for our entire life. I am grateful to Team-BHP that lets me have the privilege to share my entire experience & a few photographs with you guys. Also, I thank all the readers & visitors of this thread and please feel free to post or add information from your own experience to enrich this thread and to have versatile views.

Regards,
Saket

[saket77]

Now a few pictures of the exotic cars that I spotted during the trip:



This BMW wearing matt paint was staring at us, rather we were staring at it near the Walking Street Pattaya.



A Maserati.



The Royal R - Rolls Royce.



The Mighty Lamborghini!



???



The Porsche!



???




Cool Alloys for regular Cars!



But Still My Favorite! The Civic.

[moralfibre]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

[RevvMusic]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you Saket. Glad that you finally managed to materialize this long awaited trip. It was a nice feeling reading through the t-log. The pic of the undersea walk and the overall experience of it took the cake for me. Can you please tell us about the exact feelings that you were experiencing the moment you entered the water and traveled through the seabed?
And for obvious reasons, I absolutely love the pic of that music shop. I could sit in there all day and wonder where time has been vanishing.

[palitrana]

???

That Green Car looks like a Lotus Elise, can't confirm though!

Drool Stuff these cars. All these South East Asian countries seem to be so rich with a lot of these supercars on their roads.

Nice to see you carrying on your BHP passion into Thailand! Awsome Photos!

[saket77]

Originally Posted by RevvMusic

Can you please tell us about the exact feelings that you were experiencing the moment you entered the water and traveled through the seabed?

Thank you Shubho!
Ah...regarding the undersea walk...I would love to narrate the entire incident.

Actually, my wife was not willing to come, but I wanted her to experience the underwater life, hence wanted that she comes along. I convinced her that its all very easy and nothing to fear about. Then from Koh Larn Island, we boarded a speed boat which took us to a bigger boat which was sailing (but stationary) in the middle of the sea.

We were first instructed about hand gestures to use to communicate under water. Basically 3 of them : 1. All Good, 2. Problem and 3. Take me up.

Then we were given those heavy helmets which you can see in the photographs which had pressurized air supply in it. The air pressure was really high - both for breathing and so that no water enters the helmet. But the pressure was so high that our ears popped out in a few seconds and almost started paining; this we realized as soon as we alighted into water by the stairs on the boat.

Now, the following moments were really full of anxiety. The first moments when I was in water and approaching the sea bed, I felt like very very claustrophobic. For a second, I thought I may not be able to complete this activity. The problem was compounded because it was almost a free fall to the sea bed. Moreover, I was very worried for my wife, as she is little faint hearted. However, few seconds later, I reached the sea bed, standing on my own feet and then I relaxed and started breathing in the normal rhythm. My wife also reached soon after and I was even more relaxed. However, the high air pressure was deafening and our ears were almost paining. Moreover, there was a fact playing in my mind that our lives are dependent on the helmets with air supply in it.

But then the view of the corals, fishes and the silence around...it was magical. The corals were colorful and of vivid shapes. Will share a few more pictures soon.

Walking in so much water is not easy and required a lot of strength for each step that we took. We could not communicate freely, or by speaking and hence we felt handicapped. In all, it was a mix of anxiety, helplessness and tonnes of rich experiences. Wife came out soon after the photographs, but I ventured for a bit longer, feeding bread to fishes. Soon, probably hundreds of fishes gathered and I could not see anything else except coulourful fishes all around me. I could feel the fishes biting my gloves while feeding them!

Came out of water, talked to my wife if she was okay. But then for long, and even now, I am forced to think that how lucky we are to live in a favorable environment where we can walk perfectly, communicate with spoken words, and breathe the air around us. The helplessness is no more in our territory...if you think about it, you will start valuing every small thing that probably we all do hundred times a day without paying any attention to it

[saket77]

Originally Posted by palitrana

???

That Green Car looks like a Lotus Elise, can't confirm though!

Drool Stuff these cars. All these South East Asian countries seem to be so rich with a lot of these supercars on their roads.

Nice to see you carrying on your BHP passion into Thailand! Awsome Photos!

Thanks man for the Lotus! And for the appreciation of the photographs. The mighty Lamborghini just blew me away...not only us, but a few firangs were also drooling over that Lambo parked in front of a plush hotel.

[Nonstop-driver]

Did you missed something Saket? About the accident that happened last year and the 'on beach' part?

I demand this to be completed!

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Did you missed something Saket? About the accident that happened last year and the 'on beach' part?

I demand this to be completed!

Now since you have asked, some people claim that marriage interferes with romance. There's no doubt about it. Anytime you have a romance, your wife is bound to interfere. That's the story for 'on beach' part!

And read post no. 51 on this page...http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3058345
that will answer the 'doubling' part.

Do respond after reading though!

Regards.

[Nonstop-driver]

Originally Posted by saket77

Do respond after reading though!
Regards.

Fully agree with your explanation

And by the way.. reading through your post, and further, I liked the next post!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3058402

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Fully agree with your explanation

And by the way.. reading through your post, and further, I liked the next post!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3058402

Oh yes! Ani's post was a killer!
However, hope you read the next post too!

[Samba]

Excellent travelogue Saket. Your post was very informative. Mentioning the visa procedures and the cost involved in all kind of activities will be definitely helpful for the prospective Thailand visitors. The pictures were nice too along with your beautiful narration. You are really a nice story teller. While reading this travelogue i clicked on the link where you shared about your love story. Enjoyed every bit of it.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Samba

Excellent travelogue Saket. Your post was very informative. Mentioning the visa procedures and the cost involved in all kind of activities will be definitely helpful for the prospective Thailand visitors. The pictures were nice too along with your beautiful narration. You are really a nice story teller. While reading this travelogue i clicked on the link where you shared about your love story. Enjoyed every bit of it.

Thank you so much for your appreciation! I will be immensely happy if my log helps prospective travelers to Thailand.

And glad that you read and liked our story too. That was long ago when I was preparing for my MBAs. Thank you for taking out some time to go through all these posts.

[saket77]

Adding a few more pictures from the trip:



Koh Larn Waters


Speed boat in which we traveled for under sea walk.


Beetle- The Bug...but in pathetic condition.



A Mini


BTS Skytrain - Very similar to our own Delhi Metro.


A Maserati.