For as long as I can remember I have been planning to visit Thailand. Unfortunately most of my friends and acquaintances discouraged me from making it a family trip.
Planning a family trip is never an easy task especially when one person is located in another continent. So after a lot of permutations and combinations on a rainy day in July along with my Mum and Sister, I started the journey to Thailand.
The trip to airport and the plane via the aero bridge was pretty exciting for reasons that don't need to be mentioned here. Anyway, we traveled by Bhutan Airlines which ensured a wonderfully smooth transfer to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The free visa on arrival makes Thailand extremely popular and the queue for visa applications is huge. We stood in line for about two hours. There is an express line where you need to pay 200 TBH and wave goodbye to the misers like me who wait in the serpentine queues.
Let's fast forward the rest of the waiting and baggage collection stuff. We went to Pattaya directly from the airport.
A busy seaside town which keeps bustling late into the night and one can see throngs of tourists leisurely strolling around. Too tired after the journey and the wait for visa, we somehow gathered enough strength to go out for dinner. The roads are dotted with eateries that serve a variety of food. Fresh seafood to Thai curries to the familiar fried rice to even vegetarian dishes...you can find anything under the sun.
We opted for Thai curry and fried rice with pork and chicken. Thai food includes a lot of green vegetables and it has a unique flavor owing to the liberal use of lemongrass and galangal.
We walked around a bit looking at the souvenirs and the massage parlors. I knew one thing that I was not leaving Thailand without a proper Thai massage.
Next day the tour began with a trip to Coral island. The tour operator picked us up from our hotel and we were transferred to the speedboat. The sea at the Pattaya Bay is quite rough and one needs to go thigh deep into the sea to board the boat. Soon we found our slippers floating around which were promptly rescued by the speedboat staff. The next stop was a man made islandish place where the boat stopped for the adventure sports. Amazingly we were instructed about the activities in hindi. There are four activities - the parasailing, underwater sea walking, jet skiing and banana boat ride.
Without much ado we three, including my 69 year old mother, decided to go for all the activities. I am a scaredy cat...I even fear giant wheels and roller coasters so this trip marked overcoming some massive fears.
Sailing a few feet above earth can be a terrifying experience for some but as soon as I rose up I could feel myself leaving behind all the shackles and stress of the mundane world. There was a strange sense of freedom and the view of Pattaya was wonderful. They also give you the option of taking you midway and dipping you into the sea.
After this we were again transported to another spot for underwater sea walking. After a quick instruction session we slowly climbed down and the huge oxygen dome was placed on our head. The weight of the dome eases the descent and it can get a little uneasy but you need to hold on...things get comfortable pretty soon. We walked around holding hands surrounded by fish and coral. The instructors and divers are extremely helpful.
The final leg of this visit was the jet ski and banana boat ride. We concluded this day trip with lunch. The tour operators also click pictures which are made available at the end of the trip.
In the evening we went for the Alcazar Cabaret show. Words fail to express the glitter and excitement of the cabaret. The show awes every age group. The excitement of everyone in the auditorium was at its peak...the disco lights, the shining balls, the stage, the dancers everything made the show unique.
By the end of the day we were extremely tired and the massage parlors were beckoning us. There is a reason why Thai massage is so well known. The masseuse squeezed out the exhaustion and at the end of our 60 minute session we felt immensely relaxed. With a light body and happy mind we enjoyed the last meal in Pattaya.
The next day began with a trip to Sriracha Tiger Zoo on the way to Bangkok. The zoo is unlike any other zoo I have ever visited. The tigers (yes there are numerous tigers) are so enchanting that for a moment we forget that they might gobble us whole if given a chance. The zoo is packed with activities like feeding the tiger Cubs, kids, the piglets and the big tigers and crocodiles.
Make sure that you keep in mind the timing of the shows i.e. tiger show, crocodile show, elephant show and the pig racing. All the shows are quite entertaining and missing anything would be a huge loss.
Then the main attraction is getting your photo clicked with a full grown tiger. It costs 200 TBH per person. The tiger is of course mildly drugged so don't be surprised if it decides to suddenly growl and stand up. It happened to me and trust me I still think it's a miracle that I didn't run off. My sister has ethical issues with drugged animals so she opted out. For me this was another moment where I conquered my fear.
After the exciting day in Sriracha tiger zoo, we were transferred to Bangkok and we had the day to ourselves.
The two days of Bangkok deserve a separate section and will follow soon...
