Bangalore to Dudhsagar Falls

What does travelling mean to people?? Some people travel for fun, adventure and some adrenalin rush; some travel to meet and spend time with their near and dear ones but for me travelling and exploring new places has become one of the biggest passions in my life….. Something which motivates me to work hard and make enough money with which I can explore new places….

This time around my passion for travelling and exploring new places has led me to one of the best kept secrets of the Western Ghats – “Dudhsagar Falls” …..

Dudhsagar Falls is situated in Goa along the Goa-Karnataka border and is one of the best falls in India…. The best time to visit the falls is in the month of August during monsoons when you can experience the magnificence of the falls in its entirety…. However like the famous saying “To get something good you need to work really hard” the same applies for this falls too…. There is no easy access to this falls and you need to really work hard to reach this falls and experience its true beauty & splendor in the monsoons….. May be this is one of the reasons that the beauty of the falls has been preserved since decades as there is very less human exploitation!!!

Enough of talking here is a teaser photo….

Planning Phase -

The very first question that comes into your mind while planning for a road trip is which is the best possible route to get there? Or which is the best mode of transport to get to your destination? As I do not prefer travelling by Bus, Train etc. and Driving is my passion so the only question that was lingering in my mind was how to reach the falls from Bangalore by road. So I started searching the best possible tool available to mankind – Google ;) Based on various travelogues on the internet there are three ways to reach the falls.

1)     14kms trek from Castle Rock Railway station – This is for the young and the adventurous and not for the faint hearted as it involves a 14kms exhilarating walk on the railway track. This is supposedly the best way or may I say the only way to explore the falls during the monsoon season when the falls is in its full glory. So you need to walk 14kms on railway track to experience the true magnificence of the falls and as I mentioned above you need to really work hard to achieve something good. But for a Lazy person like me this was not at all an option ;) hence this option was erased from the drawing board  ;)

2)     Train ride from Castle rock – You can hitch a ride on any of the goods train plying from Castle rock towards Dudhsagar this again depends on your luck in getting permission from the railways to hop on to the goods train and the schedule of the train and I feel this isn’t a viable option. To avail this option you need to checkout the Bangalore to Dudhsagar Train timings.

3)     Jeep ride from Kulem to Dudhsagar – Kulem is situated around 12kms from Dudhsagar and there are private jeeps that take you to the falls for a fee from Kulem. The jeeps operate only after the monsoons have receded, that is end of September or beginning of October because they need to cross the river stream in few places in order to reach the falls. This is the best way to reach the falls for families involving ladies and children who cannot trek/walk for long distances & for few lazy people like me who don’t prefer walking 14kms to see a water-fall ;). However the jeep ride doesn’t mean a smooth ride to the falls it is as strenuous as walking since the terrain is not even and you are in for a back-breaking bumpy ride. So if you are suffering from back pain etc stay away from this jeep ride.

So as it is very obvious from the above I chose to avail the Jeep facility from Kulem to visit Dudhsagar.        

Since Dudhsagar is situated in Goa and it is November so how could one just visit Dudhsagar and not visit the beaches and indulge in some water activities and shack food J in Goa….. So we planned to visit Goa after Dudhsagar…. So the plan was Bangalore to Dudhsagar to Goa :) 

It was a long weekend and the plan was to start from Bangalore on Thursday night reach Kulem in the morning hire a jeep and visit the falls and head to Calangute after visiting the falls to spend the rest of the weekend…..

So this was the planned route

Bangalore-à Kittur à Ponda à Kulem à Calangute à kittur àBangalore

The next thing was to plan for people who would accompany me on this trip…. However it was not at all difficult this time to convince people to come for the trip as the destination was Goa ;) People were more than happy to accompany me to Goa J

So the plan was ready, people were ready now was the fun time Tour de Dudhsagar

Day 0 Thursday:

21:00 hrs. All of us were excited and got off work early. We boarded my friend’s Skoda Rapid and were off for our journey…. We were very hungry and planned halt at kamat near Sira for Dinner. However one of my friend suggested having our dinner at the Chat street on Sajjan rao circle and how could we say no to those yummylicious dosas so we decided to pit stop at Sajjan rao circle for some hot Dosas and chats….

23:00 hrs. After some delicious ghee dosa and chats we were off for our journey. There was a mad rush on the highway due to the long weekend. People were heading home and almost all major junctions were choked. We somehow managed to take some gully roads and reach Nelamangala Toll….. We were stuck almost for 30 minutes in Nelamangala toll it was a real pain.

Day1 Friday:

04:00 hrs. We reached Hubli toll and were planning to take our normal route to goa which is Kittur à Ponda à Goa however we had never even once tried the Dharwadà Ponda à Goa road so we thought why not explore a new road so that we are aware of all possible road conditions to Goa and it will help us for the return journey…… So we took the risk and decided to travel through Dharwad..

So this was the modified road

Bangalore-à Dharwad à Ponda à Kulem à Calangute à Dharwad àBangalore

The road from Dharwad to Goa was in a good condition barring few bad patches but overall this road is well maintained and can be used to travel to Goa…

07:00 hrs. We reached the Goan check post and asked directions for Kulem. Kulem is not very far from the check post hardly 10-12kms. We reached Kulem railway station at 8 in the morning. We were directed to the reservation office for the jeeps that would take us to Dudhsagar falls… We booked a jeep for 2100 as we were 5 of us…. If you are less in number you can hop into the shared jeep for 350 per person. The distance from Kulem to Dudhsagar falls is around 12kms.We parked our car near the railway station. They have dedicated car parking facility for visitors in Kulem. So you don’t have to worry about your car while you are on the way to the falls by Jeep or via the train trek. Also if you are travelling from Bangalore and plan to hit Dudhsagar on the way to Goa then you needn’t worry about restrooms in Kulem as there is a change room and pay and use toilet right next to the boarding point of the jeep in Kulem which are clean and well maintained.

09:00 hrs. After freshening up we boarded the jeep and were off to Dudhsagar falls. My fingers were crossed and I only hoped that the falls had enough water so that all our hard work to get to the falls doesn’t go in vain…. It was a bumpy ride though the Forrest and the jeeps had to cross flowing streams at few places. There were people standing in the flowing stream to push the oncoming jeeps so that they don’t get washed away or get stuck in the flowing water ;) The jeep drove through some scenic roads and we captured some beautiful landscapes on our DSLRs…. After 45 minutes of bumpy ride we finally reached the entrance of the falls where we were dropped off by the jeep. We were given exactly 1.5hrs to visit the falls and come back to the point where the jeep would pick us up and drop us back at Kulem.

                                           

                                  Eleplant taking bath en-route to the falls

                               Some beautiful landscapes en-route the falls

   Jeeps crossing the river stream

 People standing for a safe passage of the jeep

                                  Finally the entrance

10:00 hrs. We started to walk towards the falls and after 15 mins of walk through the flowing streams and slippery rocks we finally got the first glimpse of the falls…. It was beautiful!!! It was not as spectacular as it would have been in monsoons but the falls had adequate water and did not disappoint us. The falls is frequented by lot of foreign tourists. They were very excited to spot monkeys on the way to the falls and were busy feeding them…. After trekking a bit more we finally reached the foot of the falls…. It was amazing… people were swimming right under the falls…. It was really tempting. We too wore our life jacket and jumped into the water…. It was really refreshing after a 13hr journey from Bangalore. It was a great feeling to swim right under the falls….. We played at the falls for an hour and were back at the entrance where we were picked up and dropped back to Kulem….

Slippery rocks and streams that need to be crossed by walk to reach the foot of the falls

 Dudhsagar falls

  Spotted a train passing the falls

                                Taking a dip under the falls

14:00 hrs. After having lunch at a restaurant in Kulem we headed off to Calangute. We drove for about two hours and finally reached Calangute where we booked an accommodation right next to the beach…. Accommodation is not a problem during October or November in Goa…. We don’t have to book it in advance unlike during Christmas and New Year which is the peak season in Goa and getting a room is really very difficult….

17:00 hrs. After taking some rest we hit the beach and had fun…. We were back at the accommodation by dusk had dinner and were almost unconscious since we did not sleep previous night because of all the driving and the excitement to see the falls…. We had our dinner and were fast asleep…. That culminated Day1….

                                   Calangute Beach

Day2 Saturday:

As we were bored by the usual tourist places in Goa, we wanted to visit some new place… I switched on my TripAdvisor app on my phone for some suggestions. I came across a beach called Mandarem beach which was around 18kms from Calangute and had good reviews on Tripadvisor… So our destination for Day2 was set…. After a sumptuous breakfast we headed off towards Mandarem beach on our rented bikes…. However due to connectivity issues we lost the GPS signal midway and reached Arambol beach instead of Mandarem… Arambol beach was not very appealing so we again set off on the road to explore a better beach.. On the way we asked a local who directed us to a beach called Ashwem beach. After 20 mins ride from Arambol we reached the Ashwem beach… The Beach was simply spectacular!!! White sands clean water not very touristy… you can hardly find any tourists here. It was a hidden gem…. We spent the afternoon at the beach and headed back to our accommodation in the evening…

While we are in Goa we always make it a point to have at least one meal at the Kamat fishland in Panjim…. So we had our dinner at Fishland and headed off to our accommodation… This concluded Day2…..

                                Ashwem Beach

Day3 Sunday:

We woke up early in the morning and checked out of the accommodation by 10… We headed back to Bangalore via Dharwad since the roads were good… We had our lunch in Dharwad and were back in Bangalore by 9 in the night…

                                Yummy lunch at Dharwad

It was a great experience to have visited Dudhsagar which was always on my to-do list and stumble upon a spectacular beach called Ashwem beach. All in all a weekend well spent…..

A Weekend Trip to Bandipur

We had few relatives coming down to Bangalore from Kolkata and they wanted to visit some tourist locations around Bangalore. As usual my in-laws looked upon me for some ideas. Frankly speaking I always try and avoid family trips because in a family trip you don't carry 3 bottles of Beer, 2 underwear’s & 2 packets of cigarettes in your bag, all these heavenly things are replaced by some good clothes, soft drinks and chips packets ;).All the ingredients that make a purrfect holiday need to be parted with in a family trip... Hey that just rhymed ;)

Anyway there was no escape and I was given the task of planning and executing this trip by my In-laws.

The plan:

location

Since our relatives were visiting us for the first time what better/clichéd place to visit than Mysore.

Though Mysore is a very beautiful city, I have been bored to death by visiting Mysore and all its attractions like the Mysore palace, Zoo etc. time and again hence I wanted to skip Mysore this time because I already had to sacrifice on the heavenly things mentioned above ;) and did not want to visit the same old places which would add to the boredom.

However for all people visiting south India for the first time Mysore is a must visit place and hence it couldn't be dropped from the itinerary. So keeping all these things in mind I suggested Bandipur so that we can spend maximum time in Bandipur and visit attractions in Mysore on the way back from Bandipur so it was a win-win situation for all.

Route, Accomodation & Transport

We were totally 6 people and I and my In-laws have hatchbacks so driving by ourselves was totally ruled out because it meant taking two cars for a comfortable journey..... So we hired a Qualis to drive to Bandipur...

The route was Bangalore--> Mysore--> Bandipur Via the Mysore Ooty Highway....

With the route and transport planned it was time to plan for the accommodation. I was shocked to find out that few resorts in Bandipur which charge around 6k per person per night were running full. The high income and the spending capacity of people in Bangalore these days has had a major effect on the surrounding tourist places. As we Bangaloreans try and explore new places over the weekend and since we don't mind spending on quality things, the cost of most of the accomodations in the Tourist places around Bangalore have sky rocketed. However I was lucky to find an economical resort (Bangalore standards ;) ) called MC Resort which was situated close to the Bandipur Forrest.

We booked the resort for 6 people and were all set for the trip.

The Journey Begins

The worst part about a family trip is that you are not allowed to drive in the night as elders give consider safety as the prime importance over anything else which means you have to wake up early in the morning for the journey. I had to wake up by 5 and the shift my arse from the bed to the Cab which was waiting for us downstairs. I didn't even bother to take a shower, I just woke up had a cup of coffee and sat in the car parked downstairs and dozed off.As I did not have to drive this time i had the luxury to doze off in the journey :) .

We left Bangalore at 6 in the morning. As a ritual people heading towards Mysore always pit stop at the Kamat hotel located midway between Ramnagara & Chanpattana. So did we!! Because how could you start out on a journey without the amazing idlis and Dosas dished out by this Kamat joint without which this journey would have been incomplete.

After a sumptuous breakfast we headed off to Bandipur. MC Resort was not difficult to find, it was on the highway itself some 200 mts after Jungle lodges Bandipur. I did not have high expectations from the resort since they were charging us way below what the other resorts were charging in its vicinity.

However when I reached there I was pleasently surprised. The rooms were very clean and well maintained. They had a nice sit-out and had facilities like Carrom, Swimming pool, TT tables etc. We had actually found a gem of a place.

I just threw the luggage in the room and jumped off into the swimming pool.... After spending close to an hour swimming playing TT etc. we went to the dining hall and had lunch. The lunch was very delicious, the flavours had a bit of village touch to it.

As the saying goes you don't visit a jungle and not go to a safari. So We booked for a private Jeep safari which was scheduled in the evening. It was one of a kind experience for our relatives since they had never visited a jungle and never been in an open Jeep safari. The safari started at 3PM. We spotted elephants, Bisons, Peacocks & some birds. However we weren't lucky enough to spot a tiger or any wild cat. The Jeep us took us around for almost 3 hours and the disappointment of not spotting a tiger was clearly visible on the driver's face too as he was optimistic in spotting a Tiger since the people who went for the morning safari had apparently spotted the Royal Bengal Tiger 3 times.

However all the search went in vain and we had to comfort ourselves spotting some wild elephants and jungle fowl ;) .

We were back at the resort by 7 and had tea and some delicious snacks. The resort arranged a camp fire which again was a unique experience for our relatives. After a round of snacks at the camp fire spot we had our dinner. This completed Day1 of the trip. All in All MC resort was a wonderful place to stay and the delicous food being the highlight of the resort. 

Day 2: Gopalaswami Betta & Mysore

As Mysore was an important leg in our itinerary we had to check out of the resort early. We checked out around 9 in the morning. When you are around Bandipur in the months of October & November you should make it a point to visit Gopalaswamy Betta. This is a picturesque hill located in the core area of Bandipur and offers some breath taking views of the Bandipur forrest from above. This place was once a paradise for trekkers but due to all the restrictions in place people are no longer allowed to trek in Gopalaswamy betta. The Gopalaswamy betta opens at 8:30 in the morning for visitors and closes at 5PM. Even with the restrictions in place Gopalaswamy Betta is a must visit place when you are around Bandipur. We checked out around 9 in the morning and reached the hilltop by 10 after spending an hour or so we started descending towards Mysore. We saw some famous attractions like the Mysore Palace on the way back and as a ritual again we stopped at the Fish Land restaurant in Srirangapattana. We had some delicious fish preparations like the Anjal Rawa fry, Mangalore style Pompret curry etc.  for lunch after which we departed to Bangalore. This completed our Mysore/Bandipur trip.

All in All it was a short & and a Sweet trip which our relatives are still raving about to other relatives which in-turn may result in more number of relatives visiting us and we doing a Bandipur/Mysore 2.0 :) 

Looking at the submerged roads in Bangalore, Indian navy expresses interest in opening a naval base in the heart of the city

Looking at the recent rain that has created chaos and submerged all the roads in Bangalore and the inaction from BBMP to fill the potholes and clear the water from the roads, the chief of Indian navy has expressed interest in building a naval base at the heart of Bangalore city.

Here are some of the excerpts from the letters written by the Chief of the Indian Navy to the defense ministry.

“I was travelling from Bangalore international airport to MG road to attend one of my colleague’s Daughter’s wedding. It took me almost 3 hours to reach the venue as all the roads were covered with water. Travelling by a boat would have taken me less time to cover the distance. This sparked an idea in me to create a naval base in Bangalore. Given the strategic location of the city and its strategic importance it makes perfect sense to start a naval base here.

I initially had the concern if the roads will cause damage to the warships. However when I discussed with my technical experts about this they told me that it wasn’t a problem at all since the submerged roads have huge potholes and the ships will never come in contact with the surface of the road and as a matter of fact given the depth of the potholes Bangalore can even house Submarines. Moreover based on the discussions with the residents in Bangalore I found that the potholes are never filled by the civic authorities and hence it will never cause any problem to the navy to house warships.

Creating a naval base in Bangalore will open up a huge employment base here and diversify the job opportunities for people living in Bangalore as people here are solely dependent on IT for a living. This will also help Intelligent and smart Techies to join the Navy which will in turn strengthen our armed forces and help us in building better defense systems here in our country and reduce our dependencies in sourcing foreign products. This will in-turn help us in creating a great nation.

With this I would like to conclude that creating a naval base here in Bangalore makes perfect sense and the defense ministry should look into this subject closely and provide approvals for the same. “

So if the defense ministry considers this option we could soon see a naval base at the central business district of Bangalore.

Disclaimer: This is just a work of fiction and any resemblance made to any character is purely coincidental ;)

Mesmerizing Thailand… Chapter 2 – Pattaya & Bangkok

Thanks to the cheap travel packages offered by all the major travel agencies and easy access to all the forbidden things (you know what I mean ;) ) Pattaya has become very popular among Indian youth for all the wrong reasons these days. This is the major reason why you are met with suspicion and raised eyebrows by friends when you tell them you are visiting Pattaya. But Pattaya has more to what meets the ears, it has something for everybody. Pattaya is not just a heaven for bachelors but also a good place for couples to spend few days and enjoy the night life, famous attractions and indulge in water sports this place has to offer.

Before you visit you need to be aware of few things/terminologies that you will come across a lot when you visit Pattaya. This will help you to plan better and prevent you from wandering off to the unkown ;)

So here are few terms that you need to know before your visit.

1)     Tuk Tuk

2)     Go Go Bars

3)     Lady boys

4)     Ping pong show

You can Google these for more information J

We spent 3 days in Pattaya and I think it is more than sufficient for seeing all the major attractions of Pattaya.

Day 1 :  We checked out from Koh Samui at 9 in the morning and boarded the flight to Utapeo at 10am. Our plane landed Utapeo Airport at 11 in the morning. Utapeo Airport is the closest airport to Pattaya. It is a very small airport and doesn’t have much transport options. Hence I suggest you that if you are planning to go to Pattaya through Utapeo Airport you book the taxi beforehand so that the taxi driver will be at the airport waiting for you with a placard with your name on it.

We had made the taxi bookings through our hotel for 1000 Bhat (2000 INR). The driver was waiting for us at the airport on time.

We had decided to stay close to all the major attractions in Pattaya and not spend much on the accommodation as we would hardly spend any time at the room and we would be visiting different attractions for most part of the day. We booked an economical hotel at Soi 8, beach road which cost us 6k INR for 3 days. It was a well maintained hotel but since it was located near the beach road it had many Go Go Bars around it with music playing till 4-5 in the morning. So if you are a peace loving person and want to go to bed at the right time you need to stay away from this place.

We checked into the hotel at around 1 and after quickly freshening up we headed off to the art museum. We boarded the Tuk Tuk for 10 Bhat each to the art museum. The art museum had some really nice 3D paintings. After spending an hour at the art museum we headed off for the world famous show in Pattaya, Tiffany’s Show. At first I was really cynical about the show as it was a show performed by Lady Boys but when I watched the show I was taken aback by the magnificence of the show. The colors, The props, The stage, The performers, The background, everything made a memorable experience. No wonder this show is so famous and it is a must visit for everyone travelling to Pattaya. The show got over by 730 in the night, leaving us wanting for more. As I am blessed with a fun loving wife she did not want to go back to the hotel and instead visit few more places…… So we boarded the Tuk Tuk again and headed off to walking street.

What do I say about Walking Street, a very lively street at the end of the Beach road. The street is full of Go Go Bars, People holding placards of the Ping Pong shows, Eateries and curious tourists. What I liked most about Walking Street was Coconut Ice-cream served on Coconut never tasted something like this before. We dined at one of the live fish restaurants where we had to select live fish from the fish tank after which it was cooked and served right in front of us. It was a heaven for a fish lover like me. I had some fresh squid rings and Salmon. This ended the first day at Pattaya. It was a day well spent after all the skepticism surrounding Pattaya. We realized all the things said about Pattaya are not completely true and even a couple can spend quality time here.

Day 2: After a hectic day1 we planned to tone down day2 a bit. We planned to visit the Aquarium in the morning, Floating market in the evening and visit nearby bars at dusk.

We took the Tuk Tuk for 100 Bhat for two people to the Aquarium. I really liked the concept of the Tuk Tuk’s. They were open jeeps plying tourists to different parts of Pattaya at nominal rates. You needed to press the alarm button located on top of your seat when your destination has come. For short distances and shared drive they charge 10 Bhats per person but if you are planning to hire a tuk tuk for long distances you need to have good bargaining skills. We hired a Tuk Tuk to the aquarium for 100Bhats for 2 people from Soi 8 after a long bargain. I found Thai people very nice and honest. After a long bargain the driver dropped us off at the correct place without any hassles and did not try to fleece us. Once you strike a deal with the drivers, be rest assured that you will be dropped off at the correct destination and you will have a hassle free drive. But as a thumb rule always bargain and get to a price before you take any kind of transport.

The Underwater World/ Aquarium was again something new to me. I have never been to an Underwater Aquarium. An avid fish lover like me has never seen fish as an endangered species or appreciated its spectacular color/texture/looks in captivity like an Aquarium. I have always envisioned fishes as exotic food items ;) . So it was a unique experience for me. We saw many different species of fishes like puffer fish, Sharks, jelly fish, Stone fish etc.  We were lucky to have visited at a time when the divers inside the huge aquariums were feeding the fishes. It was a spectacular sight. After spending an hour at the aquarium it was time for us to head off to the Floating market. We took a Tuk Tuk again for 20 Bhats this time to the Floating Market.

Floating market as the name suggests is a huge market with shops mounted on elevated wooden platforms situated on top of a water body. There are few vendors who sell food items on the boat too. You can hitch a ride on a boat if you want to that will take you around the floating market for 100 Bhats. Else you have bridge like structures on which you can walk and experience the floating market. I did not understand the concept of paying 200 Bhats per person as entry fees to visit a market. The market is overcrowded by tourists indulging in some exotic street food and beverages. There were some dance performances to pacify tourists like me who were wondering why did they pay 200 Bhats to visit a market ;). All in all the place was a onetime visit/watch like most of our bollywood movies ;).

We boarded another Tuk Tuk back to our Hotel and that completed Day2.

Day3: How can you visit a place which is surrounded by the mighty sea and not indulge in any water sports, to be more specific underwater walking, something which I wanted to experience, which was our main intention of visiting Pattaya. Yes, Day 3 was dedicated to water sports.

There are more many tour operators who operate a day long tour to Koh Larn/ Coral Island for snorkeling, underwater walking and parasailing. We chose Pattaya Sea King Tours for the one dayt tour as it was cheap and they gave us a free CD containing our pics of underwater walking and snorkeling. We were picked up at the hotel at 930 in the morning and transferred to the speed boat. We were 8 of us onboard and surprisingly all of us were Indians, It felt like home. For the first time I was travelling on a small speed boat for a long distance that itself was a water sport for me J.

It took us half an hour to reach Koh Larn Island where we spent an hour Snorkeling and after which we were transferred to a bigger boat for underwater walking. It was a unique experience and what I like most about the underwater walking was feeding the fishes. The fishes were literally ripping off the bread off my hand and at a point I was scared that they will eat away my fingers too ;). The visibility in the water was not that great but was manageable. We were transferred back to the speed boat after the underwater walking and underwater posing for photographs ;) . We had a sumptuous lunch which was included in the package and which included some fresh fishes to satiate you cravings for sea food when at sea J. We spent the next two hours shopping and relaxing at the chairs laid out at the beach. All in all it was another day well spent. We hopped onto the speed boat and were back to Pattaya by 4 in the evening.

 We went back to the room freshened up and headed off to the beach with some beer and chips. We spent rest of the evening at the beach watching the sunset and finished off with another dose of fresh sea food dinner. This marked our last day in Pattaya and almost the end of our Thailand trip.

Day4: Tour De Bangkok…… We checked out of our hotel in Pattaya and hired a private taxi to Bangkok which cost us 1200 Bhat. We had booked a cheaper accommodation again at Bangkok which is centrally located so that different tourist attractions are easily accessible from it. We booked a hotel which was located right next to the Nana metro terminus.

We checked in by 12 and dumped our luggage and headed off to explore Bangkok. We planned to stay just for a day in Bangkok as there is nothing much to do here. We asked the hotel guy about which is the best place for shopping and he said MBK market. We located MBK market on our map and took the train to that place. We got off at Siam which is supposed to be the Bangkok’s city centre. I just loved the infrastructure in Bangkok… All the destinations are easily accessible though the metro and buses and the city is beautifully planned…. All the buildings are interconnected to each other and to the train terminus….

MBK market is a huge shopping mall where you can find every possible item ever manufactured ;). Branded stuff to cheap gadgets to Ray Ban costing 300 INR…. Everything is available in this market. It is a heaven for shopaholics…. I was cursing myself to have spent 4k on a Ray Ban Polaroid when a similar item is available at 1/10^th the cost in Bangkok. Well no wonder Bangkok is pitted to be the numero uno shopping destination for us Indians J . For all my budding photographers just imagine if you could own a Canon 55-250 tele  lens for just 7K wouldn’t that be a steal? Exactly that is the kind of price you get stuff for at Bangkok. And MBK market is the place to go for such amazing deals. After spending sometime at the MBK market and having come lunch we were planning to get back to the hotel but when you have a khatron ka khiladi types wife with you rest assured you can never have a 9 to 6 types tour….

Wifey looked at the map and said why go back to the hotel look at this river in the map and the Bangkok metro runs till midnight so why not head to a station close to the river and walk beside the river? And if you remember what I have been saying in all my blogs that “a quote next to a famous personality in a morphed internet picture once said "Always agree to your woman else every discussion will be an argument" ;). So we checked the nearest station to the river and took the train to the station. It was 9 in the night and we got down at the station leading to the river without knowing what on earth we were doing out here in the middle of the night. We saw a huge crowd assembling near a gate which read Asiatique free ferry. Wifey gave the excited look to me again and I had to toe the line again and stand at the queue without knowing what was Asiatique or where the ferry was taking us too…… A true middle of the road tour…..A big boat picked us up from the pier and we were travelling to the unkown…..

But the destination was spectacular… Asiatique was a sea side market bustling with tourists and thanks to my dare devil wifey that we decided to take the ferry to this place…..  This was a good end to our Thai trip…. We had some really nice Ice Cream and indulged in some street shopping… Our Bike trip to Ladakh has moulded us to take up any kind of adventure into the unknown…. We took the boat back to the pier and the metro back to our hotel in Nana…. All in All it was a fun filled adventurous and a tiring day out in Bangkok….  Thank you wifey for being there and accompanying me or should I say guiding me through all adventures in my life.. Truly blessed to have you I must say J

We went to the local bar had the world famous Singha beer and retired to bed…. That marked the end to our Thailand trip. We took the flight to Kolkata the next day from Bangkok and spent some quality time with cousins and were back to Bangalore the day after that….

All in all Thailand is an amazing country with so many islands to visit and so many activities to indulge in…. I strongly recommend Thailand for a memorable vacation J