South East Asia

Friday:
Mom, Jeetu and I began our 9 day long trip to South East Asia at 7p.m. Plan was to spend 3 days each in 3 different countries. So we got loaded with Matrix SIM cards for each country, and took US Dollars to convert them to Bhat, Rupiah and Ringitts as and when required. Left Chennai airport at 9:00p.m, and it was a long trip to Pattaya..

Saturday:
Right at the beginning itself mom started complaining about our travel agent in Chennai - Dexter, coz we had a really long stopover at Colombo that we hadn’t planned for, and sat shivering at the airport, unable to sleep properly, all the way from 10p.m when our flight landed in from Chennai, upto 7a.m when the flight to Bangkok was to take off. I managed to get some sleep, as I’m quite capable of sleeping anywhere at all, but both of them were having a real tough time. We finally made it to Bangkok by 1p.m and took a coach straight away to Pattaya. By the time we checked in, it was nearly 4p.m, 20 full hours since we left home in Chennai!
Anyway, checked in to our hotel - Golden Beach, which was a bit of a confusion, as I first thought GOlden Beach was just a beach, and we were to be staying at a hotel on that beach. So I kept asking our travel agent in Thailand - Anucha from Welcome Travels which hotel we were to be staying, and she kept saying "Golden Beach"!
Anyway, the cab guy assured us he would take us straight to the hotel. So we got there, relaxed a bit, had our first Thai meal – which I totally made worth it, by trying out some Crocodile! Yup, actually had Crocodile meat, and it tasted pretty good. Sort of like pork with egg I would say! Sis and mom were totally getting grossed out by what I was doing, but I just love experimenting with food, and was gorging the dish, downing it with some Singha! We then went for the famous Alcazar show, which was a really good watch, and called it a night after one horrible pastry from the hotel that we thought of having for dinner, as our lunch was quite late today, and the Crocodile was not yet digested!

Sunday:
Began our Pattaya tour early morning, after one minor hicupp where the cab that came to pick us started driving us to the Bus stop coz he thought we were on our way back to Bangkok. We had to tell him that we barely got to see Pattaya still and had an entire days tour left. So he turned back and we cleared up the confusion with friendly Ms. Anucha from, who then put us in a cab with 5 other Indians – 3 Sardars in their 50’s, who turned out to be a lot of fun, and one newly married couple – Ashish and Neha who were from Delhi and currently settled in Bangalore. So much talking ensued.
We first went Parasailing, which was just really awesome coz it was the first time I was doing it over water. The last time was on land in Kashid. The initial take off was the best part, and then somewhere in the middle, the driver slows down till you just about hit the water, and then takes off again – that was again a really awesome feeling. Our second adventure was Undersea walk. This again only me and Jeetu did and we left all our stuff with mom to hold and went under water with a big tub on our heads. The initial drop up to the water bed was painful as there is huge pressure difference and our ears totally pop. But once you get used to it, it becomes a lot of fun. The experience was so much like snorkeling in Andaman, only this time, I was not at the surface, but amongst the fish in the sea. I was once again thinking of Avatar, and the experience was more awesome this time, because I actually saw a plant that was just like the one in the movie, where it just closes shut the moment you touch it – sort of like a prettier and quicker Mimosa Pudica (commonly known as touch-me-not - I’m showing off my Bio here!).
After these 2, we went to Coral island where there were more adventures – Jet sky, water scooter, banana boat. I just went with Jeetu on the scooter, sitting behind her and called it a day. Too much adventure for one day. Bought my Singha and sat sipping watching the beach. Jeetu joined me with a Magnum that I kept insisting she try out, and mom found some Guava from somewhere and started lecturing both of us on how we are missing out on all the Vitamin C that she is consuming! Moms!!
Soon we got back to Pattaya mainland and went to an Indian place for lunch. I was so pissd with this! All the way to Bangkok and eating bludy rice and daal! But guess Anucha didn’t want to experiment, what with so many Indians and all. Ashwin and Neha were veggies to top it! The Sardars were gorging on whatever was there. They were a really friendly bunch. In the boat ride on the way back from Coral island, they were giving me advice on what all I should do in Bangkok. Of course, they said that my fun is supremely limited coz I’ve come with family, but gave me good shopping advice all the same.
After lunch, we headed back to Bankok. We missed the red shirt protest that was happening in Bangkok today, and got to our Hotel just after the melee. Read all about it in the Bangkok post at night at our Hotel Princeton, which was in some place called Din Daeng, and far from Sukhamvit where most other hotels are, and far from MBK and other shopping malls as well. But at least it was a fine hotel with a nice swimming pool that Jeetu was enjoying in while I went to buy food from out. Bought different things from different places so all of us could experiment, downed it with Chang beer this time and watched MI3 on the sole English channel that was available and called it a night.

Monday
This was the last day in Bangkok and the itinerary was half day tour of the city. Half day tour became just a few hours, coz by 10, all Jeetu wanted to do was start shopping, like as if the world was coming to an end, and our guide, Mr. Bobby was only too happy to let us go to some jewelry store where he was probably getting commission for brining guests, and he just scooted after that. So we, along with Ashwin and Neha, who we bumped into again, and who were on their last day of their 9 day sojourn, went to Pantip Plaza and began our shopping, or rather what I’d like to call – the day Jeetu and Mom plundered Bangkok! They went totally ballistic shopping. At Pantip, Jeetu was beginning to lose it coz she wasn’t seeing any clothes and bags and slippers and whatever else she wanted to pick up. So we quickly bought the camera she wanted, and I finally picked my 1TB HDD which I contemplated so much the last time I was here and skipped and then scooted to MBK. We bid adieu to Ashwin Neha when we entered Pantip itself, coz they just wanted to browse, having already spent enough on their trip, and I knew Jeetu is going to go crazy here. Once we went to MBK, it was a sight to watch. The bags just kept piling. Finally, by 6 in the evening, just when I thought we were done and should head back, Jeetu starts asking for “street shopping”. I had to tell her that Bangkok is not like Bombay where we can find a Linking Road, and MBK is probably the best place to shop. But she still wanted to go ask a Tuk Tuk guy. So we did that, and he told us that such places would all be closed. Then he says he will take us to a suit store en route to our hotel. These Tuk Tuk guys are notorious for doing this and this was our second time today. We tried denying, but it was of no use and said we’ll step in for 5 mins. The place the idiot took us was a suit-tailor where only made to order deals were made. The guy realized we had just unwillingly come with some Tuk Tuk guy, so asked us to not waste either of our times, and we went back to the Tuk Tuk. The guy drives us out of there, and in 5 mins, stops at some remote place and starts yelling at us, saying we were supposed to be inside for 5 minutes. We yelled back saying the shop itself was not willing to keep us there and there was nothing we could do. But the guy doesn’t stop yelling and asks us to get off and continues to shout while leaving, saying he hates Indians! Man, what a mess! I quickly got mom and sis out on to a main road and we stopped another Tuk Tuk who was charging 150 Bhat to our hotel. I was ok with paying for it, coz I wanted to get out of there fast. But then we felt it was too much, and didn’t want to get into any more mess with these people, and stopped a nice fluorescent pink Corolla Taxi that drove us back in the comfort of it’s a/c for just 100 Bhat. That was a good deal! Reached our hotel, freshened up, had a head and shoulder massage which was my first ever Thai massage, and I was seriously wondering how such a thin girl could dig her fingers so deep into my back! I could hear mom and sis keep telling their masseuse to go easy as these people were giving a sort of massage that we weren’t used to! Anyway, it definitely felt relaxing, and then we ended the day with a last Thai meal – Pork, Duck and Prawns, to the sound of a live band playing at Prineceton.

Tuesday:
Woke up at 3:30, with barely 5 hours of sleep to catch the flight to Bali. The moment we checked out, the cab was waiting for us. Welcome Tours have not faltered this far! Got to the airport and a long flight to Bali in Air Asia. Managed to catch some sleep in it, and reached Bali by 9:30IST, 12noon Bali time. The person who was to meet us was waiting out, in spite of us not calling and informing him of our arrival, which was something we were supposed to do as per the itinerary worked out by Dexter. He introduced himself as Sandy, which I later got to know was spelled Cendy. I almost told him that some people call me by that name too!
Half hour drive to Diwangkara Holiday Villa, and the entire journey I was staring out of the window, just short of a dog with its neck sticking out! Bali must by far be one of the prettiest places I’ve seen. The entire city is brown and woody, with lots of trees and pretty looking buildings. Really loved the whole place. The crowd was not as hot or stylish as Bangkok though, which was something I noticed when I traveled to Bintan as well last year. Anyway, we checked into our room and had lunch – our first Indonesian meal! Proper Nasi Goreng and a Malaysian noodles I cannot pronounce. I was really enjoying the food, but Jeetu only had one piece of chicken and mom also ate very little.
Then we toured around the hotel property and took tons of photos, and caught a small nap and then left to Kuta Beach, supposedly the best beach of Bali. We were to catch the sunset there, but mom kept asking ‘where is the sun?’. It was far too cloudy, and the beach was way too crowded for us to enjoy it. However, an archer conned me into buying a bow and arrow (I have absolutely no clue what I plan to do with that thing) and sis got a funky hairstyle thing done at the beach. After that, we got back to our hotel and took a walk to catch dinner outside. The whole of Kuta beach left along with us, it seemed, coz nobody stays outside after sunset! Anyway, for dinner, Jeetu and mom wanted to try some food outside the hotel. They didn’t mind Indonesian again, but just not at the hotel. But after the place where we had dinner, a shack called Watering Hole, I don’t think they will ever have Indonesian food again. Once again, I was the only one enjoying the chicken and fish, mom and sis were totally bugged with the food. So much so, that towards the end, mom was having plain rice with sauce!

Wednesday:

Today was a full day tour of Bali plan. More of the wood and stone carvings, temples, paintings, and of course, more shopping!
We first went to a song and dance show called the Barong dance. It was based on a famous mythological story of Indonesia – war between Rangdha - a tiger monster and Sadheva, some good lady. Was a pretty good watch. After that we went to a temple called Thirth Amur which literally translates to Water Bubbling, and the temple is basically built around a spring which keeps bubbling out of the water. Was a really good sight to catch. The temple itself was really beautiful. Cendy was explaining how this was one of the few temples where outsiders were allowed all through the outer corridor, middle corridor, up to the inner corridor. The entire thing was in open air, and the rituals included placing an offering at the end of a pond where people stand in line and take a bath. There were men and women all together, quite an unusual sight. Here we did some shopping, which I must say was one of the most frugal in Bali this far. Following this we headed to an active volcano sight. Had lunch at a place which overlooked Mount Batur, Lake Batur, and another active volcanic mountain – Mount Angudha. Really beautiful place. Tons of food, which for a change both mom and Jeetu liked, and tons of photos later, we headed to Ubud. Our last stop before heading back. This was a temple palace where the royal family still stayed. So certain portions of the place was cordoned off for visitors. There was one section where little girls were learning to dance. The same dance form that was there in the Barong dance earlier in the day. Mom went on saying Bharatnatyam is better! Even during shopping, she would keeping saying, ‘you can get this at Cauvery Emporium for lesser’, ‘you can get better things in Bangalore’, and so on.. Very typical Indian mentality I think. Anyway, the day ended with mom going in for an Indonesian massage, and Jeetu taking the Foot Reflexology thingy, and me going for a much needed jog after all this food I’ve been eating!

Thursday:
Today was our last day in Bali as we had an early morning flight once again the next day to KL. First half was free and Cendy was going to meet us only at 2p.m. for a half day tour.
While mom and Jeetu chilled out in our very beautiful room at Hotel Diwankara, I decided to go out, use the net and also get a massage done. Boy, this was one massage that I would never forget! For one, the guy giving the massage was pressing so hard, that later on in the day, my legs were hurting, almost as if I'd worked them out in the gym! Never knew a massage could induce such a feeling. Also, he was trying to make conversation in the broken English that most people, save Cendy, spoke here. I remember so clearly the things he asked:
"How old are you?"
27
"Oh, you dont look 27 at all!"
Thanks
"How are the girls in India?"
Pretty good
"You like girls in Bali?"
Yeah, I guess (was really hoping his next question wouldnt be, 'would you want one?')
"You have a lot of hair"
(Didnt anticipate this question) Hehe, yea I do
"We Balinese dont have this much hair at all!"
"Are you married?"
No
"Do you have kids?"
(what!!) No..
"Do you want it stronger?"
(you can actually massage stronger!!??) No, please..
This went on for a bit and the massage turned out to be quite unlike any other I've ever got!
Cendy picked us up at 2 sharp and we headed out to the famous temple Tanah Lot. En route, we stopped at one monkey forest where there were more monkeys, and even flying foxes than I've ever seen anywhere else. Mom Jeetu kept squealing every time a monkey passed by, and they just wanted to get out asap. Tanah Lot was really pretty. At certain angles, and in high tide, the temple seems to be floating in water. Tanah Lot translates to floating temple. Tons of photos, and a bit of shopping later, headed back to our Hotel. During the entire 3 days, Cendy kept talking to us and giving us a lot of information on Bali. He made the entire tour so much more interesting. I would completely recommend going on a guided tour here. Bangkok and KL one can manage on your own, but Bali, definitely needs to be done with a guide. Some of the reasons I can think of:
1) Not too many people speak English in Indonesia, so it makes sense to have a guide translate for you
2) There are so many places to visit and things to do, its better to have it all organized, so that you make the most of your time spent there
3) There is so much history and culture in Bali, that on your own, you would never get to know things like the caste system in Bali (very similar to our own), the architecture, the Kings that ruled Bali and gave its current appeal..
Cendy really made the whole Bali experience worthwhile. A very good thing about him was, he never helped us bargain when we shopped. He wanted his people to have a good business without him spoiling it for them. I found that commendable. Tipped him 100,000 Rupiah when we left, but it was nothing compared to what a phenomenal tour guide he was. Always ask for Panaroma Travels, and Cendy from there, during a visit to Bali.

Friday:
Left early morning and reached KL by 10a.m. Got to our Hotel - Grand Continental (which I soon learnt had absolutely nothing 'grand' about it), by 11a.m. and realized that check-in time is only at 2 and we had 3 full hours to kill! Hotel guys 'obliged' to have our room ready by 1, and we went roaming around wondering what to do. Found an Indian hotel where mom ordered tea and was heaving such a sigh of relief saying it was the first cup of proper tea she's had in a whole week. There were so many times in Thailand and Bali that I had to go hunting for a cup of tea of this tea-addict mom of mine, and she just never liked any of them! Finally she seemed satiated, and after some 'Thosai' and 'Maggi Goreng' later, went into our room. Our half day KL tour was to start by 1:30 itself! What organizing!
This half day tour was total gibberish. We first saw the Petronas, from some garden 2kms away from the tower, which the tour guide said was 'Photo point'. What shit! We had an equally good view from our hotel itself. Then went to a Buddhist temple and the Kings Palace which we again only saw from the outside, and then went to some chocolate factory and an artifact store! Its so irritating that these tour guides take us to such nonsense places where they make their commission, and we get a totally shitty tour. We were completely dissapointed with the KL package so far. After the "tour", asked the guide to drop us off at Bukit Bintang where we could do some shopping, and Jeetu was totally cursing me for having made her spend so much in Bangkok coz she was liking the shopping here so much more. What was actually working for us was the conversion in Ringitts. Lot better than the Bhat conversion. Mom and she once again went about testing my mathematics skills by asking me to convert everything they picked in rupees, and then going on to buy so many things. Mom was getting terrified as the time got closer to 9, as she felt it was unsafe to be out this long, and Jeetu just didnt feel like leaving as she felt like a kid in a candy store! But we had to get out, bought some food from a Chinese restaurant outside the Sung Wei mall and went home and had it with some Carlsberg this time. Had 2 full bottles! Guess iSt was the Friday evening effect.

Saturday:
Genting full day tour today. Became 3 hours tour. Coz although we left at 9a.m, we stopped at Baku Caves that was a good sight, but also stopped at a watch factory that was once again extremely uneccessary. Then there was bad traffic as it was a holiday - May1, and finally the long queue for the cable car at Genting, and ended up reaching the resort only at 2p.m. Only to be told that we need to leave at 5! We just caught 2 rides. Each had a waiting time of more than an hour, and we tried optimizing by eating while watiting in the line itself. But still barely managed to see the resort, and really felt the entire KL planning was messed up. We were actually supposed to be given one night stay at Genting. That would have made so much more sense as we could have spent more time and enjoyed more rides. This was just so rushed and no fun at all!

Sunday:
The whole day was to ourselves, and we decided to go up the Petronas. Reached the place by 8:30 and realized that tickets were already sold out! This was my second time here and once again couldnt get to go up! THen we checked out of the hotel, as we had to do that by noon, even though our flight was only at 9 in the night and shuttle was coming only by 5. How much could Dexter screw up KL for us!
Went shopping in Chinatown which was loaded with fakes, but Jeetu just wasnt enjoying it as she wanted to go back to her candystore in Bukit Bintang. So we went back there and I was completely drained out by then. But these 2 ladies never seem to tire when it comes to shopping and they went on and on. I had to convert cash twice to satisfy them as I kept running out of our "budget". Anyway, we finally left the place by 3:30, did a bit of shopping at 7/11 where we bought some local chips and chocaltes and finally got to the KL airport by 6. So freakishly early as the shuttle would only ply at that time. So waited it out and just couldnt wait to get back to India now.

Overall, some tips would be:
Bangkok:
1) Packaged tour is fine, as there are only a standard set of things to do in Thailand.
2) Convert only USD's here as Rupees conversion to Bhat kills you!
3) Dont take the elderely to Pattaya. I did try to avoid this, but the travel agent kept selling it to us and we went ahead.
4) Shop till you drop at MBK!
Bali:
1) Definitely go on a packaged tour.
2) Stay in Diwangkara, or anywhere in Sunnur beach. Its close to most of the interesting places.
3) Only convert USD's again. Rupees, or even Bhat's kills you here.
KL:
1) Avoid packaged tour in KL at all cost. The place is so small, with so few things to see, and an extremely well organized train network and taxi guys that behave just like the ones back home, it all can be easily done without a travel guide.
2) MBK in Bangkok and Bukit Bintang can be close shopping rivals!
3) If you want to go up the Petronas, get there not later than 7a.m!

Most important tip can be: Avoid Dexter travel agents. They were decent in parts, and that too because their counterparts in the SEA countries made up for their goofups, but Dexter on their own - very shitty.

Some highlights of the trip was:
Bangkok:
1) First time parasailing and under sea walk for me - brilliant experience
2) Alcazar show in Pattaya is a must watch
3) MBK mall - so many things you feel like buying here
4) Trying out Crocodile meat!
Bali:
1) Prettiest place I've ever travelled to
2) Watching surfers in real at Kuta beach
3) Most insane massage ever!
KL:
1) Shopping at Bukit Bintang
2) Longest cable car journey up to Genting - 3.4kms long

Basically it was a good trip. Think I'm completely done and dusted with South East Asia now! Mom has had enough of her "foreign trip". Dont think she'll ever want to go again. Although I'm really glad she went now itself and not any later. She would have hated it so much more later. Jeetu has had her share of shopping! Although I'm quite sure she would loved to stay back and do some more. Next time around, she will just chuck all the sight seeing, and stick only to shopping!