Chalo Dilli

While this trip was in September 2017, I have decided to photo blog it after almost a year. This year began with quite a bit of bad news for us-- why so-- We called up Raj, our driver in Delhi to wish him new year and his wife informed us of his sudden demise during Diwali :(( A gentle & kind soul who was working hard for his 2 sons- elder one being an amputee. Now this is the reason I decided to come back to my blog and finish up this blog with whatever I could remember from this Delhi trip. While I would have loved to put down everything I experienced, seems like my memory is already fading away :( I so wanted to record every place we ate, enjoyed the food...places that Raj our cab driver introduced us to. While I started blogging about this trip, I did not find the time to complete this coz of some developments at my workplace.

9 days-- 8 places
Nainital>> Haridwar>> Rishikesh>> Dehradun>> Mussoorie>> Agra>> Mathura>> Delhi

Delhi discussions began the moment I saw Om showing interest in seeing Delhi. We finalized that  Dasara vacation would be the best time to go, neither too hot, nor too cold.

Seeing places, eating, shopping and meeting friends got into our agenda.

Spicejet Flight tickets for 5...a week before our travel dates..cost us 65k- to and fro.

Bangalore- Delhi- September 23 noon

Innova & Raj waiting to take us to Nainital. Lunch at Haldirams-- yummy chana batura, dahi aloo tikki & butter milk. Nainital is all about lakes. "Tal" refers to Lake. Horrible Saturday traffic in Delhi delayed our schedule by more than 3hrs and we ended up reaching our destination- Hotel Palace Belvedere around midnight. Thanks to google maps we were able to take the shortest possible route. Comfortable and quiet hotel...probably quiet because this was off-season. Large rooms with seats by the window giving you a view of the naini lake.



Shiv Ling

Sept 24th @ 9am we walked down to Naini devi temple. This Devi temple has a huge Hanuman welcoming you inside. Large open space right next to the Naini lake. Adding some pics in for you to get a good view of how beautiful, clean & calm this place is. The moment you step outside the temple, its bang opposite of what you experience inside-- with all the hustle bustle of market, vendors, hotels! Post the 'darshan' at temple we went into one of the hotels just outside the temple. Got some hot tasty parathas to eat.



Enjoying our morning tea

That day we toured around Nainital, enjoying the greenery, the landscapes & all the tal's- Bhimtal, Sattal, Saritatal.


From Nainital, next day- Sept 25th we headed to Haridwar & Rishikesh. It had rained when we reached Haridwar, hence the whole place was wet & with muck. Experienced Har ki pauri..ended up paying 2.5k. What should you be aware of-- there was well dressed & well spoken brokers who will approach you for doing Ganga arti. Don't fall for it. They cash in on your emotions and help you lighten up your wallets. Just sit on the 

View of kids @ school playground

banks- stair case and enjoy the arti that takes place...its a divine feeling if you don't feel cheated :) . Post this visit we headed to Rishikesh, but by the time we reached there it was already dark (hence no pic). Chilling breeze on laxman jhoola is what we experienced. Dinner at a hotel next to jhoola and then we headed to Dehradun. 

 



 












Sahastradhara



Sept 26th- Morning was visiting all the places in Dehradun & Mussoorie. Tapkeshwar temple, Sahastradhara, Kempty falls. All of them had rivers flowing near them or through them...clean & cold water. And then the view points & mall road.






Akshardham Temple

Next day Sept 27th- morning drove back towards Delhi and saw Akshardham temple in the evening. It was good that we covered Akshardham this day coz our next 2 days were so jam packed that we wouldn't have got a chance to see it. No camera/ bag allowed here, so I have no pics to show you. Expect to feel lost when you go there..the place is HUGE!





No intro required- Taj Mahal

Sept 28th- Agra & Mathura covered & back to Delhi. This trip even the kids were excited to see, but unfortunately both the kids ended up with an upset stomach but braved it through walking in hot sun and making it to Taj mahal. From Taj mahal we headed to Mathura. Note: Do not give money to the beggars, never know where its going. While we were buying some Mathura peda there was this girl- 10ish standing outside and begging for money-- she kept asking people for money to buy 'atta'. Since we were buying sweets, I picked 1 large gulab jamun for her and went over to give it. She refused to take that and asked for money. When I refused to give money, she arrogantly threw the gulab jamun to a cow which was nearby. That's the last time I have given anything to a beggar.
Thankfully, by the time we were returning from Mathura kids had recovered(post medication & ORS).



Most awaited moment

Sept 29th- Change of driver..bad experience with this new driver..missed Raj terribly. Friends visit- OPS uncle & his family welcomed us with Big smile & a warm hug. Didi specially made us all feel so special. This was my first meeting with them and for my husband & mil meeting after 35 odd years. All old memories to talk through the day. Evening was Bangla sahib gurudwara, Jama Masjid & Lal qila. Night he & I did a quick visit towards Palika bazaar & Cannaught place. Fancy shopping, bling, pub, lots of walking & a chuski paan. Back to hotel room in a cab.



National Museum

Sept 30th- Delhi touring with some yummy food- India Gate, Agrasen ki baoli, Lal qila, Qutub minar, National Museum, Railway museum, Rashtrapati bhavan. Raj ghat unfortunately was closed because of Gandhi jayanti next day.

Oct 1st- Shopping & eating at Karol Bagh & more shopping at Sarojini market. And rushed towards airport for our flight back to Bangalore.

What we really wanted to do during this one week trip was to make sure we visit all the well known important places/ monuments in and around Delhi and visit close friends.

As for Raj- A genuinely nice man who got close to in just 3-4 days time. Mr. Agra (body building) in 1996 or so. May his kind soul rest in peace and may God help & give the strength to his family for the loss they've been through.



@Bangla sahib Gurudwara 





Lal qila rushed up for closure of Ravan burning



Lal Qila

In Riksha on our way to Jama Masjid

Beautiful Architecture of Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid again



Agrasen ki Baoli



Qutub Minar

Qutub minar- loved this pic



India Gate

FIL's office

Rashtrapati Bhavan



 



Mathura

Agra it is



Tapkeshwar Temple



Kempty Falls



Kempty falls





Haridwar



Ganga Arti



Beauty of Nainital

Boating @ Sattal



Ganga Arti



Naini Lake







Railway Museum @ Delhi

Bangkok & Pattaya: Exotic Thailand

VJ & I had travelled to Thailand for the first time in 2015 and since then had been wanting to travel with family. Thailand is infamous for many things and I really wanted to break this notion with my family and show them how beautiful the place is keeping their notions aside. Proposal for Thailand trip was welcomed since it was an affordable trip. Flight tickets were booked by us and I think we got a good deal

All the arrangement at Phuket was done by Mr.Selvaraj of GoZo Tours & Travels. He's our go-to guy for all our international travels.

Day 1: April 27, 2018
We landed in Bangkok at 5:55am and were asked to freshen up at the airport as our first spot to be visited was on our way to the hotel- Sriracha Tiger Zoo. The package at Sriracha included breakfast. This zoo has tigers,  crocodiles, elephants, camels, spotted deers, donkeys, rabbits, pigs and other animals. We left our luggage in the MUV that was arranged for us and went into the zoo.

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We were asked by the tour operator to first finish up the shows. The ticket carries a pamphlet which has the timeline for each of the shows and a route map to navigate through the Tiger zoo. We went in for the Tiger show. This was more like a circus show that we had seen as kids...first time for my kids though. 

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Next we rushed towards the Elephant show to get ourselves a seat with better visibility. Well we did pick front row seats. 

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Next was the Crocodile show- quite a scary one. The stunts performed by the staff kept us looking for more. I personally cant stand the sight of a crocodile, but this was amazing. I wondered if they were actually trained or the staff was just playing along.

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That was a daring act

We also got to see tiger cubs. These tiger cubs are kept in individual cages...and visitors are allowed to feed milk to the tigers in a bottle basis the payment we make. Personally I felt sad looking at all the hungry caged cubs and we picked up two bottles to feed as many tiger cubs we could.

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But then we had some fun too, picture moments with the cub & a large Tiger too. Kids had a great time here. After the shows and looking around the zoo we went back to our car and driven straight to our hotel in Pattaya called Pattaya Sea View Hotel to freshen up and rest until evening. Small yet comfortable rooms.

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a decent pic of the two of us

@the exit

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Pappa & I

Amma & Mummy

Evening we were taken to Alcazar cabaret show at 5:30PM. The show is done by the lady boys and is a 70 mins program. When you enter the place you are welcomed with some bits to munch on and a cool drink to quench your thirst. This is given when you show your entry tickets. Family enjoyed the show, some bit of humour also added in along with cabaret show. The dances performed by the ladyboys are very graceful. Only next day we realised that the hotel we were put up was very close to the Alcazar show. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant nearby.

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Day 2: April 28, 2018

Had an early breakfast and we were ready to be picked up for Coral Island tour at 8:30am. But then it was raining and no boats in the sea. So instead the tour operator proposed that we go to the 3D Art in Paradise. When we were entering we were cursing the weather which had resulted in change of plans, but then after entering we were thrilled to see the place. The pics below will say it all :) It was fantastic. If you are in Pattaya, this place is a must visit- expensive but worth every penny.

By the time we stepped out it was time for lunch. The driver took us to a good Punjabi restaurant on our way to Pattaya Floating market. I had expected market entry to be free, but this place charges you entry fee in a long queue. You can taste authentic Thai food, see wooden houses & boats. You can also do some shopping here, good quality t-shirts. Most areas of market smelt of Durian fruit, and I thought Jackfruit smelt! 

By the time we came out it was dark, dinner was at a nearby Indian restaurant and om our way back all of us hopped into a massage parlour right next to our hotel. Went in for a foot massage. First time for my dadda. Amma decided against it and went straight to the hotel. One of the best massages for our tired feet.

Day 3: April 29, 2018

Initial plan was to leave for Bangkok on road by 12:00PM, but then since our previous days Coral Island tour hadn't taken place, our tour operator accommodated it for today. Left early in the morning for Coral Island tour, lunch was part of the package- what a clean and blue beach. This beach is locally known as Koh Lam and is surrounded by Coral reefs.  All of us had a good time playing in water. 
We also went in for the Underwater Sea Walking experience here. First time experience for all the four of us underwater. Before diving, an instructor will help you to put on a helmet and explain to you how to behave underwater. Helmet happens to be a very safe way to walk underwater. Dont tilt your head up or down and the water doesn't enter your helmet, works on a simple vaccum pressure and the water stays out of the helmet while allowing you to enjoy touching the coral underwater and watching & feeding the fishes. This is on chargeable basis, we wanted to experience being under water but our parents chose to remain in the boat and enjoy the breeze and wait for us.

Waiting for speed boat

Family pic

3 Generations

Him &I

Kids loved the waters

Return journey

Although lunch was part of the package, we were asked to rush back to the hotel to check-out and leave for Bangkok. Just before we could leave we rushed into Family Mart to pick up some stuff to munch on our way to Bangkok. So we just freshened up and had our lunch on the way to Bangkok. Accommodation was at Eastin Bangkok. Cramped rooms as expected, but then centrally located for us to move around easily. 
Next in agenda was Chaopraya Dinner cruise. The dock had huge rush to enter the ship. The whole grandeur at the parking bay kept us in awe.

Except for the rush, this was one of the most relaxed evenings. Good 3-course Indian meal ending with a variety of desserts. The only drawback was the crowd behaved as if they hadn't eaten in days...so even though there were 2 counters of buffet within the boat, there was pushing & pulling :((Put me off initially to the extent that I didn't want to have dinner. Then after a while once the rush died down I picked up a plate for myself. This floor of the boat was meant for Indians only. Non-Indians were on another level.
There was live music & dance on the floor. It was a local Thai musician who sang Thai & English songs initially then shifted to Bollywood hit numbers. Suddenly the floor turned into a dance floor. VJ & I also got onto taking a step or two.

While the inside was Air conditioned with a great view of the outside, outside on the deck it was dark sky with lights coming in only from the buildings & superb views around and Cold wind for us to enjoy. We returned back to our room happy & satisfied.

Day 4: April 30, 2018

Post breakfast we were ready at 8:30AM for Safari world with marine park tour. Lunch included in the package. 

At Safari World, first up was the Orangutan Muay Thai show. The show had some fun elements with Orangutans acting like beach babes, fighting a Muay Thai fight. 

Next we moved over to see the Seal show. This was amazing. For us it was first of a kind show and all of us enjoyed the tricks shown by the seals. Some snapshots of the show captured in the below collage. The seals showed us their tricks by dancing, catching the garland, Rolling the ball on the tip of their nose, jumping through a hula hoop and rolling a barrel. 

Next we were to go for the Hollywood cowboy stunt show. While it started out good, by the end of it we found it a drag. Not a great act while there was good attempt to make it interesting. While we were on your way to these shows we took a look at the birds and animals on the side walks.

Hollywood Cowboy Stunt show

with the Flamingos

Next up was Dolphins show at Marine park. This was undoubtedly the best show I have ever experienced. The whole park was resounding with ooooo's and aaaaaa's once the Dolphins came in.

After we were finished up with the shows headed for lunch and then we went in for the Jungle Cruise, basically the jungle safari. Before we could step out we also got to see Thai cultural dance show. In Jungle Cruise, you have the option of paying up for a bus facility provided by Safari World or go in the cab you have come in. Pics below show the animals and our experiences. Zebras & Deers were by the road, no restrictions for them. 

After the safari we were taken back to our hotel to freshen up for the evening show- Siam Niramit show. Our package included dinner. We were ready in time to be taken to the show. This is a spectacular eye catchy cultural, dance & music show. The 90 minute show keeps you mesmerized and takes you through the history of Thailand. Before we went in to watch the show at the theater we saw the whole setup which basically had some small souvenir shops, huts for us to taste the authentic cuisines of Thailand and displays to see the traditional attire of Thai's. We also finished up our dinner at the restaurant there.

Day 5: May 01, 2018
Today was the day for city tour. We got to see the Chinese Gate at Odeon Circle. 

Chinese Gate

We were at to visit Wat-Traimit & Wat Benchamabophit (Golden Temple & the marble temple). Both clean, quiet and with beautiful architecture. Have tried to capture the essence of the place with the pics below.

Lunch was at The Fifth Food Avenue, MBK mall. Post which kids had some fun on video games and some shopping for us. 

Kids having fun

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Pancake & icecream

Time for some video games

Day 6: May 02, 2018

Had a relaxed breakfast and check-out of our rooms at 12:00PM. We left our luggage at the reception and took a walk to a mall closeby for shopping & lunch. Picked up for airport at 5:00PM for our flight which was at 9:25PM.

All in all a great trip with the whole family with a day just to relax in this place.

Some key pointers that might help:

• Do visit the 3D art paradise. Its a perfect place for all age groups
• If you have senior citizens along suggest you take the big boat instead of the speed boat. The speed boat we went in was really fast cutting through the waves and throwing us up. The old can end up with a sore back.
• Keep a day in your itinerary for city tour & shopping. Bangkok has a lot of malls for you to explore. Dont miss out on the fun. MBK mall is the biggest when it comes to electronics. Each floor dedicated to one type of electronic item
• Carry extra pair of light clothes that you can drape yourself with if you have plans to go underwater sea walk. Toilets on the boat is not something you want to get into for changing, it would be easier to just slip into something on top of your swimwear.
• Carry sunblock cream, hat/ cap, umbrella(it rains sometimes), light cotton clothes, handy towels. We faced all kinds of weather in this trip.
• Definitely try the pancakes.
• Shop for dried fruits (specially mangoes), t-shirts, small biscuits, dried coconut
• Plenty of Indian restaurants in Pattaya & Bangkok. So look around and choose your place to eat.