Kanchanaburi by rail

Sharat: The next stop on our trip was Kanchanaburi. Ever since I saw the "Bridge over the River Kwai" I wanted to go to Kanchanaburi. I had been there last year on a short trip and I really wanted to take Akanksha and go back.  Apart from the Death Railway (made famous by the movie) it is also a lush green hilly part of the country and is not as densely packed with tourists as the beaches of Pattaya or Phuket. We wanted to take the train there and the best way to enjoy the slow three hour journey is by taking the early morning train. The train leaves at 7:50 in the morning so we had an early start.

Akanksha: We set out for Kanchanaburi in the morning. We decided to take a tuk-tuk to the railway station. As we were rolling our suitcases out on to the main street, we were greeted by one of our hotel receptionists. She told us, she'd help us find a tuk-tuk; we thought it was a good idea for her to speak to the tuk-tuk driver because they often quote very high prices if you are not a local or don't speak Thai. So she told him to take us to Thon buri station as we were heading for Kanchanaburi. He nodded is head and very confidently took us in his tuk-tuk, powered by a 1000cc Harley-Davidson engine, as fast as he could possibly take us there.

Sharat: It is kind of nice to be in Thailand on Wan Khao Phansa, or the day that marks the Buddhist lent. It is a day (or rather three days) where alcohol is allegedly "not sold" in the shops (Although you can find it in most tourist bars). More importantly it is a day when you see traditional processions all along the streets. As we were speeding past the early morning streets, we past a huge procession complete with dragon and everything. The trouble is our driver was driving so fast that the best shot we could get of the procession looked like we were travelling in a time machine rather than a tuk-tuk. We were initially worried about getting to the station on time, but our 'faster than a speeding bullet" tuk tuk guy did the journey in 15minutes flat. I felt really pleased with our receptionist for getting us this great tuk tuk guy. I should have waited before feeling that great....

Our breezy look at the Wan Khao Phansa procession

 Akanksha: As we got off the tuk-tuk at the station, we thanked our lucky stars that we had reached in one piece. He sped off after we paid him. We walked towards the ticket counter and asked for two tickets to Kanchanaburi. The man selling the tickets looked at us, not surprised, and told us we were at the wrong station. Apparently, there are two railway stations in Thon buri that are often confused with one another and people new to the country often make the mistake we did. So the money we had saved because of our helpful receptionist was wasted on getting another tuk-tuk to take us to the right station.

At Thon buri station waiting for our train to Kanchanaburi

We were just happy we had reached the correct station in time to get on to the train to Kanchanaburi. Although, Kanchanaburi was once a quiet town outside bustling Bangkok, it now hosts quite a number of tourists. As we moved out of the Thon buri station, I was surprised at how close the trees were to the train tracks. The branches hit our open window. As we moved away from the city, the landscape changed to vast rice paddy fields. It was a nice way to get to Kanchanaburi. Most tourists get down at Kanchanaburi station, but we decided to get down at the next station, the River Kwai Bridge as our hotel was a five-minute walk from there.

Sharat had been to Kanchanaburi before and he had stayed in the same hotel, U. Inchantree. One of the main advantages for us was that the hotel rented out bikes for free. The last time I had actually cycled was probably around when I was 10, so I was a little hesitant at the beginning. But, I adjusted easily to the gears and brakes. Kanchanaburi is the perfectly sized town to cycle in and around. We passed the Bridge over the River Kwai, where the train from Thon buri had originally left us. This bridge was built during WWII by the Allied POWs and Asian laborers in order for the Japanese to communicate easier with its troops in Burma (now also known as Myanmar). The Thai-Burma railway was built mainly using wood and steel. The railway was used for two years until it was bombed by Allied forces. A steel/concrete bridge was later constructed in its place.

As we cycled on Sangchuto street, we stopped at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.  Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is one of the two cemeteries for the POWs that lost their lives while constructing the the Thai-Burma railway. Although, the majority of the soldiers buried there were Dutch, there were also British, Americans and the Commonwealth soldiers. 

WWII war cemetery at Kanchanaburi

One of the many graves of the soldiers that died while constructing the Death Railway

We wanted to find am Aeon bank branch . We asked where the nearest branch was and we were told that it was at the TESCO shopping center. As we were cycling to the ATM, we stopped at a roadside bakery. They were selling delicious stuffed sweet buns fresh and we couldn't resist. We came back to this bakery again because we liked it that much; it was about 8-10 kms away from our hotel, but totally worth it. When we got to TESCO we found no Aeon ATM there. We were told that we should  head straight to Robinson shopping complex, which we assumed was just around the corner. To cut a long story short, after asking many locals as to the location of the shopping center, we finally arrived at Robinson about an hour and a half later. After taking out money from the ATM, we re-hydrated with a Gatorade and cycled back to our hotel. We were tired, but because of our search for Aeon, we had seen half or maybe more of Kanchanaburi by bike.

SUCCESS! We finally found Robinson after cycling around most of Kanchanaburi

We had been out since morning, so we decided to retreat to our room and relax after a nice dinner at the hotel.

Mo Chit and more

Sharat: Our time in Thailand was to be split between Bangkok and Kanchanburi before we headed out to Cambodia. During our long hours spent planning this trip we discovered that we could cross from Thailand to Cambodia by land. The most popular of these crossings is at Aranyaprathet (on the Thai side) - Poipet (on the Cambodian side). While researching I came across this post that talked about a new Thai-Cambodia bus service that connected Bangkok to Siem Reap. Our aim was to get the tickets before we left for Kanchanaburi, and all we knew (from a series of internet posts) was that such a ticket could be obtained at a place called Mo-Chit. Mo-Chit is the northern bus terminal of Bangkok city, from where buses leave for a vast array of destinations inside and outside Thailand. As I rambled my thoughts out loud to Akanksha, she being the more practical one, was planning on how we would actually get to Mo-Chit.

Akanksha: The most important agenda was to go to Mo Chit bus station to book our tickets from Bangkok to Siem Reap.We wanted to book in advance because we did not know what the demand for this bus would be; we did not want to take a chance and leave the booking until the end, and despite all our optimism we weren't actually sure this bus existed. This bus route had only started in March 2013; there were only few buses that traveled between the two countries. We took the Sukhumvit metro line to Mo Chit station. From the metro station’s second level, we saw Chatuchak Park. It was vast and we decided to explore it after we had our tickets.

Sharat: Our internet sources had told us that the Mo Chit metro station is some distance away from the Northern Bus Station at Mo Chit. What we did not realize was exactly how far away. As you get off the sky train you are met by scooter taxis who offer to take you everywhere for prices that are a bit steep. They offered to take us to the bus station for 60 Bahts ahead. We decided to move on and try our luck with a different mode of transportation.

Akanksha: We then decided how best to reach the Mo Chit Northern bus station, by taxi or a local bus. We took the latter option. It took us a while to find the counter which sold the tickets for the Bangkok-Poipet-Siem Reap bus, but we did.

Sharat: Although Bangkok is a tourist town, it can be a bit difficult if you do not know English while attempting to take the local bus or getting around at the bus station. Using hand gestures and making a fool of yourself doesn't really make what you are saying easier to understand, but it often generates enough laughs to have some kind soul take pity on you and find someone who speaks English. While buying the ticket to Siem-Reap, you need to have your passport with you. The man at the counter spoke little English, but he was nice enough to hand over the keyboard of his computer, across the counter so that we could type in our names and passport numbers. Paying up the 750 Baht each for the ticket we headed out feeling rather proud of our efforts at communication! We felt confident enough to take the bus back to the BTS station.

Akanksha: Even though Bangkok is a large metropolitan city, it has several large, green parks all around. We didn't even look for them, we just happened to find them everywhere. Getting off the bus at the BTS station we decided to go into the park we had seen from the train.

Sharat: Chatuchak Park is a nice experience, it is a huge peaceful place with a nice lake in the middle. We had originally planned to spend about half an hour there, but we ended up spending over two hours. Grabbing a quick lunch at the metro station, we decided that it was time to explore the new part of Bangkok. Since we were on the Sukhomvit line, we decided to go to and spend the afternoon exploring Sukhomivit.

At Chatuchak Park

Bridge at the park

Akanksha  Sukhumvit is divided into two sections, North Nana and South Nana. North Nana is culturally diverse, with a lot of Middle Eastern (halal) food available. Most of the store signs were in Arabic. The other side of the street, or South Nana, is a well-known red light district. We had lunch and then decided to head back towards our hotel. But before that, we thought we'd experience a traditional Thai massage. The massage is supposed to combine yoga-like positions with acupressure. It was nice because we had walked quite a bit already and the massage definitely eased the tightness in my legs.

Sharat: The best thing about visiting Nana is that you actually get every possible type of food. Burgers, pizzas, Indian, shawarmas, the whole lot. It was here that we first discovered the joys of The Pizza Company. Putting aside all attempts at cultural assimilation, we settled down to a hearty meal of Pizza and root beer. All through this trip would repeatedly find different branches of the Pizza company in the strangest of places across Thailand and Cambodia and I must (rather shamefacedly) admit that we thoroughly enjoyed the reprieve it offered us from the local cuisine we were so eager to taste!

Akanksha: We took the metro back to get back to our hotel. On our ride back home we passed by the Victory Monument, which was erected in June 1941 after the French-Thai war. In sharp contrast to the Democracy Monument, which has mostly Thai symbols and holds the 1932 Thai constitution at its center, the Victory Monument is completely western in design.

Sharat: The funny thing about the Bangkok metro is that none of the lines actually serve the historical part of the city. The closest we could get to our hotel was Taksin pier. We would then need to take a boat from here all the way to Tha-tien pier. We reached Taksin pier around sunset. No tourist must leave Bangkok without witnessing a sunset on the Chao-Phraya river. As we stood on the pier, we saw the posters for Asiatique.

Akanksha: Asiatique, is an up-scale market which has tons of activities for tourists and is a little town in itself. It is a place that is designed for tourists and is comprised of old warehouses that have been converted into shops and restaurants.

 At Asiatique The Riverfront

One of the many restaurants by the river

Outside a Japanese restaurant

Asiatique Sky (ferris wheel) in the background

Sharat: The old look of the place intrigued me, so when we got back to the hotel we looked it up on the internet. A sign on one of warehouses had said "East Asiatic Company". This really got me thinking. Every child who studies Indian history knows about the British East India Company. The Dutch however had their own East India Company, which in later years was called the East Asiatic Company. Although the company was mainly responsible for trade in the Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia), they had a trading outpost and saw-mill concessions in Thailand. Asiatique is the restored version of these colonial saw-mills. I am not a big fan of turning historical sights into Disneyland, but if you asked the thousands of tourists that flock to Asiatique each night, I am sure they would disagree.

In and around Wat Arun

Akanksha: In the afternoon, we decided to cross the Chao Phraya river to the west bank where Wat Arun was located. A shuttle boat took us from one side of the river to the other at a price of three bahts per person. Wat Arun is a must see, especially after sunset. After the fall of Ayyuthaya, King Taksin in the late 18th century, moved his capital to Thonburi, near Wat Arun. Also known as the Temple of Dawn (from the Sanskrit Arunodaya), this was when King Taksin first witnessed the temple. Although, we didn't get a chance to visit the temple at dawn, it is supposed to be remarkable at this time. Going back to the history, King Taksin then decided to change the name of the temple from Wat Makok to Wat Chaeng. King Rama II and King Rama III later made the central prang and the four spires around the temple. Originally, Wat Arun was the site of the Emerald Buddha, but this was later moved to Wat Phra Kaew located in the Grand Palace complex.

Sharat: The ferry is the cheapest and often the fastest way to cross the river. There are large bridges across the river, however if you are taking a taxi or tuk tuk the ride will involve a long detour. The barges are crowded during the day but if by evening they are a lot less crowded. We had planned to leave by 3pm or so but we were really tired and slept till 5.There are two ways to arrive at Wat Arun. If you arrive by road, then you have to enter through a narrow gully which is lined on either side by several small monastaries. The view from the boat is probably the better one. You get off at Wat Arun pier and then walk towards the inner portion of the temple. Reaching Wat Arun at around 5 or 5:30 in the evening has its advantages and disadvantages. The inner portion of the temple closes by 6pm so you get just about half an hour inside. However, there are a lot fewer tourists, and if you stick around long enough you do get to see the temple all lit up. We passed a few fierce looking stone statues guarding the temple and then we reached the ticket counter and bought our 50 Baht ticket from a fiercer looking Thai lady. Ticket in hand we entered the inner part of Wat Arun.

Akanksha: In order to get to the top balcony, we climbed steep steps which was a challenge going up but more so coming down. By the end of the trip, we were experts at climbing these kinds of steep and narrow steps because of our time spent in the Angkor Wat complex, but at this point the steps certainly looked scary. From the top of Wat Arun, we could see most of Bangkok, new and old. As we climbed down the steps, we decided to stay on the Wat Arun side of the river bank and explore what was around.

Walking down the steps of Arun Wat

In front of the ordination hall

Ringing the bells outside the Wat to ward off evil spirits

Sharat: As you leave the complex, you come across a series of Buddhist bells, which are supposed to ward off evil spirits. Feeling sufficiently armed, we decided to walk along the road that led out from Wat Arun and see where it led us. Most tourists think of Bangkok as a hot,happening city that parties till dawn. However, the traditional parts of Bangkok pretty much empties out after dark. What is a bustling street market by day, turns into a rather quiet road by night.

Akanksha:We walked on a street parallel to Wat Arun. We saw a street map indicating that if we turned left we would see government offices, a mosque and a church. We decided to walk towards them, but as we walked, it didn’t seem like we were reaching any of the original destinations we had set out to see. So we turned back and headed the other way.We passed by a school where musical instruments were made.  As we walked continued to walk under the highway, we passed by residential areas. We saw residents sitting on the streets in summer chairs, Thai flags at almost every house entrance and a small dog which seemed to be domesticated walking down the street. We saw playgrounds for children built below the road above and rusty gym equipment nearby for the residents.  It did not look like the safest place to be, so we hurriedly walked up an open stairwell leading to the main road.

Sharat:  I suppose this might be the rough part town, but it did not seem very rough. All around us, the side-walk cafe's had turned into hang-outs for locals who were playing cards. Tuk-tuks seemed to have become mobile discos with songs blaring from their music systems. The smell of cheap whiskey wafted across from the shops on the street. We were pretty sure these were not the spirits the bells were designed to protect us from so we scooted out.

Akanksha:Whenever I visit a new place for the first time, I always feel a sense of excitement which is unlike any other feeling. I could feel that taking over me and I wanted to spend all my time with Sharat discovering the country. We spent the remainder of the evening walking past Wats and monasteries. As we walked back towards Wat Arun, we realized that we hadn't eaten much the entire day. I'm pretty much a vegetarian so finding food in Thailand was a bit challenging for me. We stopped by a 7-Eleven, (one of the first of many on this trip); we found this franchise almost everywhere in Thailand. I had a green tea idli-like dish (South Indian steamed rice cake) which had a filling inside.

Sharat: If you are a vegetarian, or someone who is particular about halal food, Thailand is a challenge. While the tourist districts will serve you all kinds of food, from Steaks to Shawarmas, getting off the tourist path you are left with precious few options. I always considered myself capable of consuming any kind of food, but the smells of Thai food can be pretty strong for the uninitiated. Another hard lesson one learns very quickly is that  the food in Thailand tastes nothing like what passes off as "Thai" food in the West. In this scenario the menu at 7-eleven is a lifesaver. Filled up on rice dumplings and a cool drink, we walked back towards the shuttle boat. As you go back to Wat Arun pier, you cross the grounds of the temple and can see the temple lit up. The lit up silhouette of Wat Arun is visible from most of the river after dark, but actually walking across the grounds makes you appreciate the beauty of the place even better. Getting back to the hotel, we realized that we had to change our Dollars into Thai Baht. We were informed that we could get the best exchange rate at Khaosan road, so we set off to go see what this much talked about street was all about.

Wat Arun after sunset

Ordination hall guarded by Yakshas

 Akanksha: Khaosan Road is a well-known tourist attraction and is full of restaurants and bars. On the way to Khaosan Road, we passed by Santichaiprakarn Park and from one side of the park we saw the Grand Palace at night. Although, we didn't take pictures, it was a sight to see. If you're ever in Bangkok, definitely try to see the Grand Palace from here, it is memorable. 
When we reached Khaosan Road, we were amazed by the level of activity. There were street vendors selling all kinds of clothes and souvenirs, bars filled with people from all parts of the world singing along to karaoke machines and live music. The middle of the street was the most active; we chose a restaurant towards the end of the street which was slightly quieter. We had a chilled drink and some hot food. 

Sharat: We finished dinner by 11:30, Khaosan road was just getting warmed up but it had been a long day for us. It was hard to believe that just 24 hours ago were still in Bangalore waiting to board a flight to Thailand. We had seen a lot in one day and we walked back towards our hotel, exhausted.

An afternoon in the historical district

Akanksha: When we first left the hotel in the afternoon, we had no particular agenda in mind. Tuk-tuk drivers approached us, telling us that they'd give us a tour of a few temples for a very cheap rate, even for free. The catch was that they would take you to temples and shops that give them a certain cut (for example, gas allowance for bringing people; at times they don't get the cut unless you buy something at the store). There was plenty to see around Tha-Tien, easily accessible by foot. As we started heading back in the direction of the pier, we heard tuk-tuk drivers misleading us, telling us that there was nothing in the direction that we were going. But, we were willing to take our chances and followed map directions, which led us to Wat Pho, almost opposite the Tha-Tien pier.

Sharat: This was not my first time in Bangkok. The last time I was here I made the mistake of staying in the urban part of the city. Many travelers to Bangkok prefer to stay in the Sukhomvit area. New swanky hotels and easy access to the nightlife may be one of the charms of Bangkok but for anyone interested in History, the Phra Nakon district is where you should stay. Old buildings converted into hostels, guesthouses and even hotels give the area a charm of its own . The streets are filled with bustling bazaars in the daytime and there are plenty of eating options for the foodie. The smell of roasting chicken, fish and pork greets you wherever you go. If you want to sit down there are sidewalk cafes and plenty of restaurants. Here again, the smart thing to do (if you haven't already done so at the airport) is to get a free tourist map of the area from any of the hotels or cafes at the area. Our hotel gave us a printed copy with directions on how to get back. The great thing about these maps is that they are bilingual. So if you get lost you can always point to where you want to get to in English and the person you are asking can read it in Thai. Armed with a bottle of water and maps with directions we set out to explore the historical district of Phra-Nakhon. Stepping out of the tiny gully in which our guest house was located the first stop on our agenda was Wat Pho - the home of the giant reclining Buddha.

Akanksha: Located in the Phra Nakhon district, Wat Pho lies just across the street from the Grand Palace. It is also called the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho has within its compound, one of the first Thai medicinal massage schools. We walked towards the entrance leading to the Reclining Buddha. Before we entered the shrine, we were to take off our shoes and carried them in small jute bags along with us. That was a first for me, but they did it apparently to prevent the shoes from being stolen. The Buddha in the central shine left me speechless; it was massive. On the soles of Buddha's feet, there were 108 intricately carved panels, all depicting Buddha in some form. As we put our shoes back on, we sat down and admired how wonderful the Wat Pho complex was. We walked towards the chedis, four of which were large and contained the ashes of the remains of Chakri kings. The 71 remaining stupas contain the remains of Thai royalty.

Chedis (stupas) located in the Wat Pho complex

Sharat: As you go around the buddha you see inside the Wat a series of 108 metal bowls. These bowls, like the carvings on the feet of the Buddha, correspond to the 108 auspicious characteristics of the  Buddha. The more devout among the visitors (or is it the more superstitious) can be seen dropping coins, one in each bowl, to bring them good luck. As numerous as these devout/superstitious visitors is the army of tourists who take pictures on their phones, cameras to record this unique sight. The next logical stop for most tourists is the Grand Palace. I had done the Grand Palace on a previous visit and honestly it is not worth the 400 Baht entry fee for foreign tourists. I was debating the merits (rather the demerits) with Akanksha when, quite by chance, we stumbled across something that would escape the notice of most tourists. 

Tourists are evenly split - the devout are interspersed by an equal number of shutterbugs

Entrance to Saranrom Garden

Akanksha: As we left Wat Pho, we walked towards the Grand Palace. Across from the Grand Palace, was a lovely park; we decided to explore it. We had to choose between going to the Grand Palace and the park right next to it, and we chose the park. Saranrom Garden was built in the 19th century by King Rama IV, as a place for him to stay when his son took over his reign. We had stumbled across this park and it was well worth the visit. We were the only tourists in the park, much to our delight. There was a gazebo close to the entrance of the park, and as we sat down, near us we saw an elderly lady reading a Thai book, deep in thought. As we looked at the ponds around the garden, we saw emerging from them what seemed to be huge iguanas. From a distance, I was the least bit bothered. I was enjoying the well preserved landscape and bridges across the ponds. It was a pleasant respite after our hectic start.

In the midst of all the tourist activity, Saranorm garden offers an almost surreal escape

Sharat: Walking out of the garden you are left walking down a bustling street, filled with noisy cars, noisier two-wheelers and the noisiest tuk-tuks. Unlike the more touristy Grand Palace, when you come out of the garden you are spared the "helpful suggestions" of the tuk-tuk drivers.

Akanksha: We made a quick visit on foot to the old city proper, past the temples and gardens. We crossed a canal and just as we entered the city we realized that it was time to head back to our hotel. We decided that we'd explore the city some other time.



Canal at the entrance of the old city

                                              

Sharat: As we stood across this beautiful canal we realized that the last meal we had eaten was on the airplane (not counting our cold coffee at McDonalds), so we decided to head back to our hotel and get something to eat at one of the numerous side-walk cafes. We found one on the main road just a couple of hundred meters from our hotel. As we ate and sipped our chilled drink sleep gently took over. All we wanted to do next was head back to the room and snooze











                                            

Arriving in Bangkok: Getting around on Land and water

Akanksha: After spending a few days in Bangalore, we boarded our flight which flew directly to Bangkok. This was the first time I was visiting South-East Asia so as one can imagine I was excited, to say the least. We landed at Suvarnabhumi airport early in the morning. The visa requirements were different for both Sharat and I. As an American citizen, I did not require a visa to enter the country. Sharat, an Indian citizen, did require an on-arrival visa, which he received at the airport at a cost of 1,000 baht. We met up at baggage claim as immigration was separate for both of us.

Sharat: If you are an Indian going to Thailand, the visa on arrival can be quite an experience. The procedure is fairly straightforward; stand in line, fill a form with a passport size photo, keep copies of your itinerary (which in my case the officer did not even ask for) and stand in the line. Since most nationalities either require no visa to Thailand or are required to obtain visas from their countries; the visa on arrival line is dominated by Indians and Chinese. The process took about 45 minutes and I was (without choice) treated to the ramblings of a very drunk, middle aged  Punjabi man who kept using the choicest of Hindi/Punjabi expletives to express his views on the efficiency of the Thai immigration official checking documents, and gave a rather graphic description of what he was going to do once he was out of the airport . Once my documents were checked, I was sent to the next counter where I paid my 1000 baht and got my visa stamped. I rushed down to the baggage claim to find Akanksha waiting rather patiently with the suitcases. We then headed down (literally two escalator flights down) to the metro station to catch a train into the city. Before getting on the metro though we picked up a free Bangkok map that was available at the station. All through our trip we were to rely heavily on these free tourist maps.

Akanksha: We chose not to stay in the commercialized area of Bangkok but closer to the historical area in Tha Tien. To get to Tha-Tien from the airport you have to switch from the airport metro line to the Bangkok BTS.We had to switch lines at Siam. We thought we'd stop at Mc. Donalds in the station and ask for a black coffee to wake us up. Surprisingly, they didn't serve hot coffee so we settled for an iced coffee topped with ice-cream (as you can imagine, neither of us was too disappointed with this). As we looked down from the open platform, we saw taxis in shades of bright pink, green and blue waiting at a traffic signal.  The colorful taxis were just the beginning of a trip full of sights which will forever be etched in our memory.

We took the metro up to Saphan Taksin station which is on the banks of the Chao Phraya river. We walked down the steps from the metro station to reach Taksin pier. This was the starting point for the Bangkok tourist boats and an important pier for all boats. From there, we traveled by a "tourist" express boat to Tha-Tien.

Sharat: Bangkok was once called the Venice of the East. Development and rapid expansion away from the river have meant that modern Bangkok is connected by buses, taxis and a very efficient metro. However in the days before Thailand became an "Asian Tiger", the old city (or rather cities) of Bangkok was laid out along the Chao-Phraya river and the canals (natural and man made) that feed it. If you want to experience Bangkok there is no better way to do it than the river. Every historic place has a pier that offers boat access.

The river is still dotted with barges and boats that cater to the needs of local transport. Each five star hotel has its own boat and there are plenty of boatmen looking to offer custom "cruises" not to mention luxury boats offering dinner cruises. However the budget tourist can get on the public boats that will get you to your destination just as quickly and efficiently for a fraction of the cost. While cruising down the river there are two types of boats. The tourist boat; which is a slightly wider boat that has an English speaking guide; costs 40 baht for a one way ticket (regardless of where you get off) and the express boat which is narrower, has no guide and costs just 15 baht. We did not feel confident enough to lug our suitcases on the express boat so we decided to take the tourist boat (although, later on in the trip, we would feel confident enough to lug our suitcases on any form of transportation!). In addition to these boats, each pier has a barge (although they call it a ferry) that crosses the river. River crossings will cost you all of 3 baht (10 cents!).


Akanksha: From the moment we got on to the boat, we were mesmerized. We passed very fancy hotels, situated on the river banks. Continuing further down the river, not too far from the hotels, we saw nearly dilapidated houses on stilts. We passed by government buildings and saw the Wat Arun, the oldest temple in the region. One would never imagine that a twenty minute boat ride could show you just how distinctive and diverse a city can be. Although most tourists would rather take a taxi/tuk-tuk to their hotel from the central pier, we chose to take the boat, and we would recommend it to all, especially if you are staying in the historical area.

We got off the boat at Tha-Tien. The pier in itself looked old and as we walked through it with our suitcases, the wood beneath us creaked, and I began to question whether it was sturdy enough to support our weight. The pier had been transformed into a tourist shopping area and souvenirs of all kinds were available. The end of the pier led us to a street. One thing that is instantly noticeable in Bangkok, is that people are always eating no matter what time of day. As we left the pier, we saw families eating together at makeshift cafes on sidewalks. Passing through the street, our noses stung due to the overwhelming smell of dried fish sold in abundance. We saw fruits that we'd never seen before, such as rambutan, dragon fruit, mangosteen and jujube.

Our hotel was a few meters away from the pier, as stated by Google maps, so we decided to walk. Nobody on the street could seem to pin point where the hotel was located exactly when we asked for directions. All the side lanes seemed to be residential and looked almost identical, and since were staying in an hotel that was quite small, with only eight available bedrooms, we had slight difficulty finding it. As we were walking up and down the side lanes, we came across two young men who asked if we needed help. We inquired if they knew where the Royale Tha-Tien Village was located. They locked their car and hurriedly took us to a small hotel, which we would have surely missed as there was no sign on the door for us to recognize the hotel by. One of the young men introduced himself to us and said with a big smile that he worked for this hotel. What a pleasant surprise! Check-in was at 2pm and it was just 12pm so our room wasn't ready. It didn't matter to us though. We were relieved that we had found the hotel. The staff offered to keep our luggage in the lobby so that we could go and explore the old part of the city. We were off!

Day 2- Mumbai

We had originally planned to make a quick daytime halt at Mumbai because Sharat had some work to complete. But as we contemplated, we thought that it would be better to reach a day earlier and do some sightseeing in addition. It was a great idea. I'm no stranger to Mumbai and would always spend a day or two in the city when transiting from Chicago (where I grew up) to Bangalore during the summer holidays. But traveling in Mumbai with Sharat was a different experience, and I got to see sights that I would have otherwise overlooked. Staying right in the heart of the city was an added bonus.

While over breakfast, we discussed what the possible itinerary could be so that we could maximize the three hours we had before heading to Ghatkopar, a suburb of Mumbai. Originally, we had planned to visit the Prince of Wales museum, but then we decided to spend our time walking around the Fort district as there was plenty to see nearby.


We decided to walk towards the financial district to begin. We passed by the Indian Government Mint, one of the four branches located in India. As we moved along, the road led us to the Bombay Stock Exchange, one of the thirteen sites where the 1993 Bombay blasts occurred. Because of this, security is tight in the area. Later on, we found ourselves at the Gateway of India. This area was bustling with tourists and we were constantly bombarded by men who wanted to take our picture with the Gateway as the backdrop. We took a moment to admire the vastness of the sea before us and turned to the other side of the street witnessing the Taj Hotel. Although, I have never been inside the hotel, I imagine it to be a certain way after having seen movies based on the 26/11 attacks. Mumbai and New York are very similar in one respect, both cities even when faced with incomprehensible destruction were able to come out of it back to normal within a matter of days, showing great strength of character.

The area around the Taj Mahal hotel is a series of sights waiting to be discovered

On our day tour, we also stopped at Horniman Point. Formally known as Bombay Green, this garden at the time of independence came to be named after a Bombay Chronicle editor, Benjamin Horniman, who was a supporter of the Indian independence movement. We passed by the Bombay dockyards, with walls covered with colorful murals, again, an area of heightened security.

We also got a chance to spend some time at Leopolds, a famous restaurant in the region.We were lucky to find a taxi driver who was willing to take us to Ghatkopar right outside the restaurant. Our day time expedition had come to an end. The cab driver got us to the airport just in time and we were off to Bangalore.

A Day in Mumbai

We landed in Mumbai at about 4:30pm, as scheduled. We were relieved and thought that we might even get a chance to go to Leopold’s, a well-known restaurant in Colaba, before visiting relatives. We were glad to be back home and both of us were extremely excited about our time in India and our vacation to South-East Asia. So far things were running smoothly, but not for too long. We breezed through immigration and went to collect our baggage. Unfortunately, we ended up being delayed at baggage claim, an hour longer than we expected. After that, going through customs was relatively smooth. We took a cab from the airport and we were off, or so we thought. About a kilometer away from the airport, we experienced our first traffic jam back home. It took us almost an hour to get to the highway and then it seemed like we saw all of old Mumbai after which we finally we arrived at our hotel, Residency Fort. We chose this hotel because it was centrally located. We were pretty exhausted by the time we reached the hotel. We had forgotten what being caught in peak hour traffic in a big Indian city was like. But we also realized how much we missed the sheer vibrancy of life seen on the streets. Even though we was stuck in a traffic jam, not for a minute were we bored. We was glad to be back.

After dinner with relatives, we walked down Marine Drive, most Mumbaikars would say that if in South Mumbai one must experience this. On our cab ride from the airport to the hotel earlier in the evening, we had traveled on the Sea Link and Marine Drive and from there had, a magnificent view of the Bombay skyline. But we wanted to experience the sights and sounds at our own pace. We walked down the boulevard overlooking the Arabian Sea. We could hear the waves gently crash against the rocks. We saw people from all walks of life enjoying midnight strolls. We walked back to our hotel a few meters from the sea front feeling completely satisfied and looking forward to what lay in store for us over the next two weeks.