Spanish countryside: Andalusia

After our stay in the Gran Canaria island, we spent a couple of days driving around in Andalusia, the southern (and warmer) part of Spain. We flew to Malaga from the Canary Islands and straightaway drove to Sevilla. We spent a day in Sevilla and then came back to Malaga. Once in Malaga, we spent a day exploring the town and then did a day trip to the hill station of Granada. Driving around was quite comfortable as all these towns are about 1-2 hours away from each other.

What I remember most about this leg of the trip was the warm(er) weather and the non-European culture of Andalusia. It was a lot warmer here in December than London, with temperatures ranging in the early 20s. This made the walking around and exploring the towns quite comfortable. And this region of Spain has a Moorish (Arabic) influence which was in juxtaposition with the European feel in the rest of Spain. This mixing of cultures made for interesting towns to explore; in terms of their architecture, handicrafts, look and feel of the towns, history and music.

All the three towns were quite similar in some aspects. They all had cathedrals in the city center, a fort or a major palace from Moorish times and an enchanting old part of the town with narrow lanes and memories of a very distant and different past.

Sevilla

Sevilla old town

In Sevilla, we spent the whole day walking around the old narrow cobbled lanes of the city center, eating tapas in the various cafes when tired of the walk and enjoying the sun which had made the day very warm. We took a map of the old town which guided us to the main sites to see and the rest of the time, we just walked around on whichever street seemed interesting to us.

Church of del Salvador

The first church we went into was the Iglesia del Salvador (which I mistook for the main cathedral). Inside the church, there were intricate sculptures made of solid silver and and huge Christian paintings all around. They were one of the best I have seen in Europe and very impressive. The square just outside the church was also fun, it was full of people enjoying the winter sun while being out for Christmas shopping. There were vendors selling street food and performers entertaining the kids.

Sevilla cathedral

After del Salvador, we reached the cathedral of Sevilla which is a huge Gothic structure built of light brown stone. We had had enough church visits for the day and so decided not to venture inside but have heard that its a beautiful cathedral.

Giralda Tower

Just next to the cathedral is the Giralda tower; a huge architectural marvel which provides good views of the city from the top. It might be worth visiting though we did not go up. (In a lot of European towns, every place is hyped up so much that you end up spending money on things not really worth it. I would say its a good idea to decide before-hand what place you would like to pay and visit, rather than going everywhere the guide books tell you to!)

Alcazar Palace

Alcazar Palace

We did visit the Alcazar palace though (or castle as its called), which is located just next to the cathedral. The palace was a remnant from the Moorish reign of Sevilla, and was built in the Arabic style. It had grand rooms with exquisite designs made in marble on the walls, all clean and well preserved. The designs in the palace reminded me of the marble carved windows and structures from the Mughal architecture from India, in Agra, Delhi and some places in Rajasthan. I would say that the work in these Indian palaces and forts is grander than Alcazar, except that here, the structures were a lot better in terms of maintenance and preservation as compared to India (there were no names written on the walls by visiting tourists as it happens in India!). And this cleanliness makes it look a lot better than what we have in India, which is a pity given that we have much better palaces in India. But that's how it is!

We also took a horse carriage ride around all the touristic areas around; the Torre del Oro tower, a bull fighting ring, a couple of museums and the Parque Maria Luisa park. The carriage ride was a good way to just ride through all the worthwhile areas and then decide which of those places you want to spend more time at.

Playa de Espana

Playa de Espana

After the carriage ride, we spent some time at the Playa de Espana, which is a huge brown sandstone Parliament building located in the center of the Maria Luisa park. It is built in a semi-circular shape, with fountains in the center and a flowing canal in front where people can choose to boat (in Venice-like gondolas). In the setting sun, the building looked mesmerising; the brown of the building and the yellow of the sun playing games with each other. We also liked walking next to the base of the building; around the semi-circle, there were mosaics contributed by each of the cities of Spain which were interesting to look at.

Santa Cruz

After Playa de Espana, we spent some time in the Santa Cruz area of the town, which is another of the old and handsome part of town with cafes and eating places spread everywhere. It was relaxing after the hectic day to just walk around lazily and stop for a cup of coffee whenever tired or just flick through the souvenirs being sold in all the shops. Sevilla is also famous for the tomb of Columbus which we did not get a chance to see. Might be worth visiting next time.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Giralda, just next to the Giralda tower which actually had tasty vegetarian food. If you ever get to eat there, would recommend the paella, it was just so yum and tasty, a must try!

In Sevilla, we stayed at the Barcelo Renacimiento, an executive hotel located outside the town on an island. It was a good and relatively cheap hotel. I did realise though, that it makes sense to stay close to the city center, as it makes it much easier to go in and out your hotel especially if it gets cold and you need to either find a sweater or else buy one!!

Malaga

We spent the next day exploring the town of Malaga. It was not as extensive culturally like Sevilla, as Malaga is more of a beach town. Nevertheless, we found it to be very lively with lot of things to do.

View of Malaga

We first went to the Malaga Gibralforo fort perched on top of a hill, which was again a remnant from the time the Moors ruled over Spain. It was quite average honestly, with a museum with some displays of those times. The view from the top of the fort though were fascinating, a birds eye view of the town below, the sea on one side and mountains far away on the other side.

The rest of the day, we spent exploring the narrow lanes of the town. The cathedral was a beauty; huge, light brown and with crowds all around. And surprise, there was a tower next to it for views of the city!

Malaga cathedral

Malaga cathedral

Malaga was the home of Picasso, and we visited his house since we could not see the museum as it was already closed by the time we reached. Picasso's house is definitely a miss as it has nothing commendable to see or appreciate. But just next to Picasso's house is a restaurant called Picasso, another place I would recommend as the food served there is a lot tastier than a lot of places around. Plus the waiters are quite fluent in English which feels like a boon!

Malaga main street

The main street of Malaga was especially lively at that time of year as it was Christmas time. So there were lighted decorations over every street, christmas trees on every square, shops on sale and families all out having a nice time in the streets.

Street performers

And then there were the street performers to keep the people entertained, and there is one I should definitely mention. The photo here shows two street performers and I am still not sure how they managed that! It was espeically interesting to see how the kids were all trying to figure out the secret of how the man was floating in air so effotlesslessly. Any ideas?

There were hajaar places everywhere to just sit around and enjoy the scenes in the small streets of the city center. Each of them providing a good view around, plus tasty titbits to eat. There were also flamenco dancers and musicians carrying guitars coming in regularly to the restaurants to entertain the guests and ask for money thereafter. It felt a little like begging though, and very unlike a first world country. Visiting these towns also make me wonder how Spain fits in with the developed world; it did not feel so given the poverty among the the people in the smaller towns.

Castillo de Santa Catalina

The hotel we stayed in Malaga was earlier a castle: Castillo de Santa Catalina. It is a definte recommend. Castillo is located slightly outside the town but its a lovely place to stay. Its not a huge castle but a smaller one, with a couple of tastefully done up rooms and well-maintained gardens all around to spend time in.

View from Castillo

From the towers of the castle, you can get a panoramic view of the city lights and the sea (and Africa also maybe?), and enough place on the terrace to relax while taking in the view. Also, given that the castle is located outside the town, its a very quiet place to relax on the trip.

View from Castillo

We did not get much time to spend there though, but it was definitely a high point of the trip. I also noted that space management in the castle was not the best. They could have a lot more rooms than what they have currently, if they just would just optimise the space a little more. Then possibly more people can enjoy this beautiful experience.

Granada

The next day. we did a day trip from Malaga to Granada, with the drive taking us through mountains and fields and small villages on the way. It was not the most picturesque drive I have been through though (and not at all like the breathtaking views of the Spanish countryside we had seen in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) but it was short enough to not be boring:).

Highway 'services'

On the way, we stopped at the local service eating places which were a nightmare to get vegetarian food at. The only options available would be potatoes and bread and cheese, and the fact that we knew how to say 'no meat' in Spanish was a big life saver.

Granada

Granada was a beautiful town, maybe the most charming of the Andalusian towns we visited. It was located just next to the Sierra Nevada mountains which form a picturesque background to the town. They were snow covered at the time of the year, and consequently Granada was a lot cooler than the other towns. It is situated on hilly ground and hence has roads going up and down giving it a charm of its own.

Entrance to Alhambra

We spent some time in the square next to the huge town hall, eating and then watching the local performer catching hold of tourists walking by and embarassing them. Then we went up the Alhambra, the royal palace, located on top of the hill. The entrance to the fort was pretty, green paths winding up the mountain; the image looked just out of a painting.

Shop in Alhambra for clicking pictures

Inside the Alhambra, you again see the same Arabic architecture as seen in Alcazar in Sevilla. There are many old buildings within this complex too, for times of war and times of peace and for prayer. There is also an old Turkish bath in line with the fascination of the Arabic for communal baths.

Inside the Alhambra

We had lunch at an Indian place just near the town square, called Mulgai. The food was strictly ok, but after a week of having tapas with limited vegetarian options, an Indian lunch felt almost like heaven. In case you are in the mood for desi khana, at least you know that Granada has options.

Alhambra and Sierra Nevada

Thereafter, we walked up the hill in the old town, to the top of the hill which provides a mesmerising view of the Alhambra fort from afar with the snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains in the background. On top of the hill, there is also a mosque from the Moorish times.

Sierra Nevada

There were huge crowds of people at the top taking in a view of Alhambra from afar, a truly magical look. But there were many locals also spending time on the hilltop square just catching up with each other and chatting away before Christmas. Like a town square, there were performers entertaining the kids; and one I particularly liked were creating big bubbles using soap water which fascinated not just the kids but adults alike.

Granada

While coming back from the view point, we walked along the squares of the old town, in front of old churches, taking in the view of the town (and the cathedral!) with the sun setting and washing the whole town in bright orange. We stopped at a couple of local restaurants just to have a bite and felt like we had come to a different world, almost expecting a belly dancer to appear out of nowhere and waiter wearing topis and carrying shishas serving us. We also ran into a local market by mistake which looked just out of Turkey or Morocco. The people were Arabic, the music was Arabic and the things being sold were all Arabic too, like shishas, topis etc. It did not feel like Europe at all!

Square in Granada

After spending a few moments taking in the feeling of that place, we left to go back to Malaga and back to London the next day.

On the whole, the whole Andalusian experience had been a fascinating one for us. An exquisite mix of two disparate cultures coming together in such a beautiful form.

Food was the only tough part of the trip. For one, it was very tough to converse with the waiters at the restaurant since their English was not too fluent. And second, it was even tougher to get vegetarian food, so we ended up eating a lot of patatas (potatoes) and bread over the next few days. Getting vegetarian food and communicating in English were the only minor problems we had. That notwithstanding, it was a nice feel good trip. A definite recommend if you want to experience a different side of Europe or just want to go back in time to a different era.

Gran Canaria of the Spanish Canary Islands

This winter, we had a couple of days off and were looking at places close to London to go for a couple of days of relaxation. As you would know, most of Europe is out of bounds for travel during winter unless you are in for skiing. So we searched around a bit and finally decided to go to the Canary Islands where the winter is a lot more sunnier and warmer than continental Europe.

And so there we were, on the island of Gran Canaria for 4 days around Christmas. The flight to Gran Canaria was pretty long given that it was still European territory and that is what led us to check the map and realise that we were closer to Africa than Europe!! Also made us wonder how the Spaniards managed to hold on to these islands when all the imperial powers were relinquishing their colonies. I guess the fact that these islands are in the middle of nowhere with no major local population, plus their being a warm holiday option in the winters must have been a major factor in this decision.



Anyways, Gran Canaria is a small round volcanic island in the middle of nowhere and looks like a jewel while landing onto this island. You can get a view of the other nearby Canary Islands (Tenerife and Colarejo) while landing. The first view of Gran Canaria was not what we had expected though! We had expected it to be a green lush island whereas it turned out to be a dry and bare island with limited vegetation. Hence, it looks more like a desert with very limited patches of green and honestly not as inviting as most holiday places would look. Apparently, there is a huge fresh water shortage on the island too and all water is imported from the mainland.

We landed at the capital city of Las Palmas and hired a car from the airport itself to drive to our hotel. I would suggest booking a car (in advance) while on the island as its not that easy to get around, with taxis being pretty expensive and places to visit being spread out around the island. For me, the driving was a bit hard initially, as it took me some time to figure out what to do on roundabouts, who has the right of way etc., but once I figured that out, the whole driving experience became a lot more enjoyable.

St Agustin

We stayed at the Melia Tamarindos on St Agustin beach, but we were so busy that we did not get a chance to explore that area at all. The hotel was nice, the rooms were a little garish though. The pool outside is huge, and the hotel has multiple activities within, like tennis, mini-golf etc. to keep you busy (none of which we had a chance to enjoy though!). Melia also has its own casino which opens in the evening, plus a lounge on the ground floor which has live music everyday. We really liked the lounge a lot, it was a good place to unwind at the end of a busy day. Sit by the sofas and enjoy the performers singing and dancing every evening. The breakfast buffet at Melia was amazing, the spread was so huge that it was tough to decide what to eat and what not to! Can't say the same about their dinner though, being a preferential vegetarian, we had a tough time finding any stuff to eat!

Watersports

Scuttlefish

When in Gran Canaria, people spend their time doing one of three things: water sports/other beach activites, chilling/partying or sightseeing/touristy stuff. For the first two days, we did scuba diving with Puerto Rico diving, located near the Amadores beach. The shop is run by Nina who is a Norwegian (as are half the tourists on this island!). The first day we dived at the Amadores beach itself and saw a couple of interesting fishes, like barracuda, octopus, scuttlefish, lobsters etc..

Stargazer

The next day we dived in the Arinaga area and it turned out to be an amazing experience. For one, the sea wall there requires quite a lot of skill to navigate. But once inside, the whole wide sea world opens up right in front of your eyes.

Moray Eel

We spotted many interesting sea life while in the water here; multiple moray eels of all kinds of slimy colours and shapes (yellow, brown, orange); a huge sting ray swimming to and fro flapping its huge wings inside a cave; a stargazer which ran out of the sand when the dive-master disturbed it and then swam a little distance and furiously burrowed itself inside the sand to catch hold of unsuspecting victims; the flounder which moves in the sand and is tough to spot but makes you feel immensely satisfied with yourself when you manage to spot one yourself. As I was saying, this whole diving experience was so different from the other places I have dived at and a really memorable experience.

Christmas underwater

Since it was Christmas time, the local people had setup a Christmas tree, with a baby Jesus, Mary and three wise men in the deep waters. We all took photos next to them as a remembrance that we dived there on Christmas Eve. I found it slightly funny, when my diving group were almost apologetic that they were doing this, and mentioned multiple times that I (being a Hindu), did not need to do the same. I felt almost proud of being an Indian, where all religions co-exist and we all have been exposed to all religions while growing up. For me, it was no question at all, I would happily take a photograph with an underwater Christmas tree; where else will I get the option to do something like this again?

The other groups who were diving at the same location also did a couple of celebratory acts given it was Christmas. One of their instructors wore a full Santa costume and dived in to surprise the others with a bell and Christmas gifts! I have over the last couple of years noticed the camaraderie that divers exhibit for each others. A motley group, all from different parts of the world but when they dive together, they follow the same rules, are in the same underwater world and are all there to help each other. Quite an interesting community divers are.

Other than the diving, we spent some time on a couple of other beaches too. Amadores, where we did our diving is apparently very popular with the tourists but to us, it did not seem as inviting. This was one of the couple of yellow sand beaches of the island where the sand has been imported from elsewhere. There were sunbeds everywhere on the beach, and so did not feel like a good place to spend time on.

Taurito beach

Another beach we went to was the Taurito beach which had a resort right there nestled in between cliffs on both sides. It was a brown sand beach, and so not as inviting but we did some jetskiing there which was fun. At the Taurito, they also run jetski tours where a guide takes you around the island showing all the hidden and inaccessible beaches of the island; am sure it would be a fun activity to try. The road to Taurito offered us an interesting drive too, it runs along the mountains just next to the sea and has very nice views on the way. It does seem scary to drive there though, given the sheer fall down to the sea if you give all your attention to admiring the views:).

We also went to the Maspalomas beach one day but as it turned out, the eastern side of the island was facing high winds that day and so we did not get to spend much time on the beach or the water. There are sand dunes just next to the beach which do make for an interesting picture; sand dunes, lake, mountains and the sea. But again, this beach was a brown sand beach and not the yellow sand that one dreams about when thinking about a beachy holiday.

Chilling

Meloneras

The island is full of restaurants everywhere. There are multiple areas which are the hotbed of water activities during the day and eating and dancing during the nights. One of the areas where we had dinner was the Meloneras beach. They have a couple of restaurants next to the beach with live music. Another beach we had dinner on was the Playa de Ingles. All these restaurants serve very average food frankly, a lot of meat and a lot of Italian. The only way these were still fun was because of their location, as all of them were in the open right next to the sounds of the roaring waves plus the Spanish singing and live dancing going on at each of these places. The Spanish are one fun-loving people, they just love to sing and dance whenever they can; which is fun to watch and be a part of.

There are a couple of malls too for shopping. I did wonder initially why would someone come on a vacation and shop? But then once we checked out the malls, we realised that shopping is so much cheaper in the islands, that it actually makes sense to buy stuff from there. Would definitely suggest checking out the local malls, especially Zara stores which being a Spanish brand are much cheaper than elsewhere.

Sightseeing

Guayadeque cave houses

There were a couple of places listed in the tourist guides which sounded worth visiting. But honestly, I was not impressed. None of them were out of the world but they provided us good timepass for the day we were not diving, so we went there nevertheless. One was the Guayadeque caves which are located in the interior hills of the island. They have natural cave formations in this valley where the early natives lived and some people still reside. We went and checked out some of the houses, but not much as it did not seem fair to go into people's houses to see how they live. We did however have a coffee at the cave restaurant which was not bad. The drive to the caves was through narrow winding roads passing through the local colourful spanish villages which provided a nice kodak moment. The capital town of Las Palmas is also supposed to be culturally rich, we however did not get a chance to explore it.

On the whole, the island is good for a winter break as the temperature was in the 20s for most of the day (though it did vary by 3-4 degrees within the island too!). We also met an unproportionally high number of tourists from Norway, because apparently Gran Canaria is the favorite island for Norwegians in the winter months. People don't understand English much but you can get along using hand gestures, so its not as much of a problem. Food is very average, and you do not get tap water anywhere! On the whole, a good winter holiday spot but not much otherwise.

Amsterdam: Venice of the North or Vegas of Europe?

Amsterdam has been on my list of places to go to for a very long time, especially considering its just 45 minutes by flight from London. But as is always true with things which are easily do-able, my trip to Amsterdam has taken a long time in happening. So I was very excited when the trip was finally finalised, a short weekend trip from London, to celebrate my birthday in a different city. In a city that I have heard a lot about for a very long time...

The start of the trip wasn't as great for us though; the cab to the airport did not come on time, the flight got delayed and then we took a very expensive taxi to the city instead of the train that we were trying to take (which we learnt later was because Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards don't work in the machines of Netherlands!). Thankfully, that was not a sign of things to come for the rest of the weekend. Everything else went as per plan starting with our hotel room being upgraded!

For a change, I had spent a lot of time picking just the right hotel located at just the right location to make the most of the two days we were in the city. And turned out I had booked just right. Our hotel, the Albus, was located within the canal zone of the city center, within walking distance of all the places of interest and located right next to the buzzing square of Rembrandtplein. It turned out perfect for us and impressed on me the importance of booking the right hotel for every trip. I had used tripadvisor's 'where to stay' feature and was impressed by how spot-on their description was. Have become a fan of this feature and am planning to use it everytime in the future from now on!

The first thing that happened when we reached our hotel was that it started to snow! It was a big surprise for us given that the weather forecast had predicted it to be a sunny day. It made up the next day though, when a cloudy day turned out to be perfectly sunny and clear. Anyways, the snow did not hamper any of our plans, as we just walked in the snow taking in the views of the brown city covered with white snow.

Dam square

For the next two days, we spent most of our time walking around the city centre, through the small roads next to canals, through the squares and parks; just exploring and feeling the city. We saw the tulip flower market next to the canal, the Dam square which looked like a grand city center and the shopping areas around. Among the places which are a definite visit is the Van Gogh museum which was an absolute treat to visit. Even though the museum is a small two-floor one, there are enough paintings there by the great master to hook you to his work and his life's journey. 

Rembrandtplein

In the evening we had dinner in Rembrandtplein which was a lighted up square with a statue of Rembrandt in the center and multiple cafes and restaurants all around. 

We zeroed in for dinner at an Indonesian restaurant called Indrapura which we had mistaken for an Indian restaurant from afar. Still turned out a welcome surprise for us when the waiter started speaking to us in Hindi! The food also was a huge surprise for us, we ended up having one of the best vegetarian spreads we have ever eaten outside India. There were multiple dishes being served, all vegetarian. Eating that, we realised how much we missed not having variety in vegetarian food when outside India.

There were lots of cafes all around to just sit and enjoy a hot cup of chocolate with the warmth inside while watching the cold snowfall outside. All the places to eat served either Heineken or Amstel; both native beers of Amsterdam. And then there were the coffee shops everywhere where weed was being sold freely. Even though I had heard about it earlier, seeing it in real life still felt unreal and weird.

Since we had gone for a short trip, we did not do a lot of the touristy stuff that is advertised in the guide books. But some of them surely looked interesting and worth doing. Among the museums, there are the Rembrandt and Heineken museums and Anne Frank's house which are worth visiting. Among the places to eat, there is a Supper Club near the Dam Square which looked really interesting. There are many organised day tours also available to nearby places in Netherlands; to the sea dykes, the miniature gardens just outside the city, a peek at the Dutch countryside, views of the local windmills, visit to the Belgian city of Bruges etc.. Maybe some other time.

Centraal station

While leaving back for London, we took the train rather than the taxi and found it to be a lot cheaper and more convenient. Also, the Centraal station added some colour to our photos, and looked quite pretty and bright even though it did not look as grand in reality! I think the sunlight added to the bright look.

Getting around the city was easy; regular trams criss-cross the central city and look fun to travel in. There are lots of locals buys to shop for, Van Gogh memoralibia, Dutch shoes and tulip bulbs. I would suggest buying at least one of these as a souvenir. And the people were all helpful and spoke perfect English, so that was a boon. All in all, was a very convenient city to visit.

But to be frank, my first impression of Amsterdam was not as 'wow'. The roads were narrow, the canals had dirty water and the buildings all looked brown and dirty. It made me wonder why Amsterdam felt so different than a lot of other European cities? It did not feel as inviting or beautiful or warm at all like a lot of the other cities. It seemed almost like a downtrodden city, old and unkempt. As we spent more time, it did grow on me but still, I found it lacking. Maybe its a lot different in the summer?

Cultural learnings in Bangkok

While in Singapore, I got a chance to (finally!) spend time in Bangkok unlike the last few times when I had just stopped there while in transit. And frankly I was impressed even more than I was expecting. Somehow Bangkok as a tourist place always gets overlooked as people prefer to go to the beaches and shopping in Thailand rather than explore its past.

These structures are the symbols
 of Thailand

Anyways I was excited to be in Bangkok and for the first day, we just explored a couple of temples in the city. The first was the Grand Palace, the symbol of Thailand and what a grand place was that! It is spread in a huge area and there are multiple sections and structures within. The first part is where all the temples and other religious places are located. The second is where the royal buildings are located where the king's coronation and other events take place. And then there was the royal palace in one section where the King's royal guests now stay.

Ravana guarding the idols

Each of these sections are full of stupas, temples, huge statues and other religious structures. Each has been exquisitely decorated with mirrors, coloured mosaics, gold plating and carvings. Everywhere in these structures, you will notice multiple influences of Hindu mythology. You find imagines of Garuda, Vishnu and Sheshnag in many of the depictions. There are even statues of Ravana (the good version) guarding their idols!

The first area is where the temples are located, especially the one with the emerald Buddha as well as the royal library, royal chapel, the library, the replica of the Angkor Vat and many others.

Emerald Buddha

The Emerald Buddha is actually not made of emerald but of jade! It is a small exquisite statue of Buddha which was apparently discovered in the ground and has had an interesting sequence of locations it has been to! The Emerald Buddha is also clothed differently in the different seasons of the year. It was a delicate looking statue and the temple around it was well decorated , with artistic and colourful paintings all around shining in gold.

Ramayana paintings

The royal chapel and library are not open to the public. They are just well crafted buildings with an interesting architecture, to look at and admire. As is the stone replica of Angkor Wat, the biggest Hindu temple which is located in Combodia. Just next to the temples is a wall on which are painted scenes from the Ramayana, but of course the Thai version which has some differences from the Indian version that we all are used to.

Royal buildings

The second part of the Palace includes some royal buildings where the royal thrones are and where the coronations happen. All these were closed when we visited but they are open sometimes during the year.

It takes at least a couple of hours to explore this Palace fully and its a heaven for photographers to practice their skills:). There is just so much art and painting (and gold) all around. For  a person  interested in intricate craftsmanship, its the perfect place to get lost and lose all sense of time!

Sitting Buddha

The next temple complex we saw was the Wat Po (or the temple of the Reclining Buddha). It is comprised of 3 temples inside, one of a standing Buddha, one of the sitting Buddha and the main one of the reclining Buddha. The temple of the sitting Buddha has hundreds of statues of Buddha in sitting pose all around the temple.





The Reclining Buddha temple has the statue of the Buddha reclining, but with his eyes open signifying him attaining Nirvana.

The face with half closed eyes

Reclining Buddha

Stupas

Just outside the complex is a Bodhi tree which is supposed to be from the same tree where Buddha attained nirvana. This complex also has many stupas within the compound and 4 big ones dedicated to the kings of Thailand. Am sure there is a lot more to the history of this temple except that our guide was a very old man who could barely speak English, so we did not manage to catch much of what he was trying to tell us!!

Wat Arun

The last temple we went to was the Wat Arun, a tall tower with engravings all around and which you can climb to geta look of the river and the city beyond. The last section of stairs leading up the Wat are very steep and not for the faint hearted. But the view from the top is worth it. You get a view of the river and the other temples and palaces at a distance.

Grand Palace from Wat Arun

The river with the tourist boats

You also get a good view of the river and the expanse of it breaking apart (and joining) the city! The river in Bangkok is a hub for a lot of activities. You can take boat rides on the river which take you through the maze that the river creates. In fact for the same reason, Bangkok is sometimes called the Venice of the East.

Also the ferry across the river is very cheap. We took a ferry to Wat Arun and it costed just about 2-3 THB which is about 4-5 Indian Rupees and some cents or pence in USD and GBP. Had totally forgotten things could be so cheap anymore:).

The modes of travel in the city are numerous. Taxis (even in pink colour!) and tuktuks abound. The tuktuks are cool actually, and their drivers maneuvre it like they was a scooter! Though beware, they charge tourists for their ignorance. And then there is the metro and the ferries to go longer distances or along/across the rivers. So all in all, very easy to go around the town.

Anyways I think this was the end of the cultural aspect of our trip. Thereafter we got what Thailand is famous for, the Thai massage! Its unbeleivably cheap, just about 300 THB for an hour in a good massage place in a mall. Is difficult to imagine this even in India anymore!

View across from the Deck

In terms of eating, we tried a couple of places which were good. One was the Deck near the Wat Po, it was a three tiered restaurant just next to the river with a view of Wat Arun across the river. Though the food was decent, the location of the restaurant is its best selling point. Its nice to sit there in the heat with the river wind keeping you cool. Plus once the lights come on, and twinkle in the water, the view looks even better. The other restaurant we tried was the Nahm restaurant which has some very awesome Thai fusion food. A definite recommend.

For partying we went to an area called RCA, and what a sight it was. A huge street closed to traffic, and a line of clubs playing loud music in the open. There was dancing inside and lot of seating outside. It did seem like a fun place:).

Erawan Brahma statue

Just next to the hotel we were staying in was a very interesting sight, a Brahma temple site called Erawan. There was this open space in the middle of a bustling market place with the statue of Brahma in the middle and people praying in the open. There was a continuous crowd there at night as well the next morning and on one side of the place

Dancers at Erawan

were some Thai dancers also dancing continuously. I found this very surprising, especially since there are so few Brahma temples in India. A lively site nonetheless.

Bangkok is definitely the place to shop. There are multiple malls which sell branded stuff for cheap, as well as the Chatuchak market for branded fakes. In fact, any street you walk on in the central district is full of people on the side selling all kinds of stuff. Its really surprising to see people selling things with no consistency at all!! I missed shopping when in Bangkok this time but its definitely a must-go.

I had also heard a lot about lady boys in Thailand, who are actually men but who dress up and live an ordinary life as a woman. It was a thought which is difficult to imagine elsewhere in the world I guess. But I did see it in Thailand, I met two ladyboys in the airport who no one could have said were not women! I for one found it quite interesting and open as a society.

One disturbing thing I saw in Bangkok though was the number of European men walking around hand in hand with local Thai women. What it stands for makes you feel bad for Thailand as a whole, how sad would it be for a country to have the reputation it has?

People in the city were mostly helpful to us. Even though most of them know some English but still not enough to help you get by comfortably. So many times we found ourselves stuck,  trying to explain what we wanted to and finally giving up. Everytime we were in the cab, we would always pray we reach the right destination since we were never sure if the driver understood what we were saying or not! Also, as tourists, it makes sense to be very careful when in Bangkok. People try to con you all the time. Just outside the Grand Palace, a couple of people told us to go somewhere else as the Palace was closed at that point! Which was not true at all! Wonder why they did that!

Anyways, on the whole loved my time exploring the past of Bangkok and would definitely recommend it to anyone going to Thailand. Do spend a couple of days getting to know and feel Bangkok. It will be worth it!

P.S. We all went crazy clicking photographs when in Bangkok. They are nice ones and thought will share them anyways!

AT THE GRAND PALACE - THE HINDUISM EFFECT

Royal Chapel

Hanuman and demons supporting the stupa

Garudas holding up the temple

Angkor Wat replica in stone

A golden statue

Golden Garuda, carrying Vishnu

TEMPLE OF RECLINING BUDDHA

Stupas of the kings