Men are pinned down by heavy work and need to relax now and then to revitalise their spirits.

My visit to Thailand and Singapore was with a few women and two men. Even women need some rest in life! Thus, we decided to abandon our husbands for a while and flew off to Thailand.

We reached Bangkok (capital of Thailand) early morning by Thai Airways. Our journey from Bangkok to Pattaya lasted for nearly two hours by a van. Excellent roads made the travelling enjoyable. The city is spanned by very long flyovers. Our group stayed at a hotel overlooking the sea. Huge trees form a promenade with rocky lawns on the roads and provide good shelter to pedestrians.

'Katradhu Tamizh' Ram's next Diwali in Suburbs Rajini Still In A Dilemma! அஜீத் பேட்டி? ராம் இயக்கத்தில் சேரன்? கமல் பாராட்டிய டைட்டில்்

Our first place on the itinerary was a boat cruise to Coral Island, a few miles from Pattaya. The sun beat down upon us. Due to excessive heat, our members felt nauseous in the boat. We could see the coral reef through a fibre glass fitted in the boat. Stretches of the reef are exotic. The formation is unique and splendid. After watching the reefs, we were taken for lunch at a seaside restaurant. It was amazing to see that almost half the tourists there were Indians. There was a good spread of seafood but our vegetarian friends had very little to eat.

We came back to the hotel, had a nap and watched the famous ‘Alcazar’ cabaret show. The glitter and exuberance was stunning. Special lighting effects added to the glamour of the dancers. What an anti-climax it was when we discovered that the dancers were men and not women! Wow! We had really been deceived by their appearance.

We had dinner at an Indian restaurant and just wandered on Walkers’ Street aimlessly at an unearthly hour - close to midnight. The pubs and casinos were infested with Europeans. The sound of loud music jarred. We were shocked to see call girls beckoning walkers with placards in their hands.

The elephant show at Pattaya needs special mention because they do acrobatics and dance well. The landscape is visually stunning. The coconut grove added to the beauty of the place. As Thailand is the land of elephants, the tuskers are helping the people earn well.

The ‘Noong-Nooch’ village is a separate entity by itself. In one place in the village there were replicas of autos and trees made of terracotta pots. The tiny pots are knit by an iron wire to make the forms.

Thailand is also famous for martial arts. There was also a show depicting the wedding of the king, performed pompously.

We left for Bangkok that afternoon by road. As we women were in a majority, you can imagine the ruckus we must have created. Left to ourselves, with nobody to restrain us, there was a lot of boisterous laughter.

Bangkok has many skyscrapers. The Chao Pharaya river cuts across the city. The waterway has boat cruises like Venice. While drifting along the river, we can see magnificent landmarks such as the Temple of Sun, Temple of Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace. The Chao Pharaya is the River of Kings. The floating market on ‘Chao Pharaya’ is very famous. It separates the old capital from the new. We were enthused by the traffic congestion in the river. The oldest landmark of Bangkok, including the oldest Portuguese settlement comes to view during the cruising. The sun was slowly setting as we reached the boat jetty.

Textiles are supposed to be cheap in Bangkok. I was reminded of our China and Burma Bazaars in Chennai when I saw the roadside sellers. My friends did exclusive shopping for their families and friends.

The following day, we visited the world’s largest golden teak wood mansion. It is called ‘Vimanek’. We were awe-struck by its grandeur. It is maintained very well and has withstood the fury of nature.

Near the royal residence is the Royal Monastery of ‘Emerald Buddha’. This place is one of the few sacred spots for Buddhists who come and worship Him. The Emerald Buddha is enshrined on a golden, traditional, Thai-style throne made of gilded, carved wood, known as ‘Busabok’. The sacred image is clad with one of the three seasonal costumes (summer, rainy season, winter). The Emerald Buddha is, in fact, carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1436 in a stupa in Chiang Rai.

This huge complex houses several magnificent temples built at different times. The splendour of Thai culture is interwoven with spirituality in the form of Buddhism. Ancient Thais worshipped Garuda (Mahavishnu’s mode of transport) and snake. The statues of demons guarding the temples reminds me of our Hindu temples, where deities are guarded by ‘Dwarapalakas’. Some rooftops are gold plated with tall spires and there is a miniature replica of the temple of Angkor Vat. The Cholas of south India had trade and cultural links with Thailand for quite some time. Buddha held sway over them, for the number of monasteries bears ample testimony to this. Ramayana is still considered a holy text there.

Our visit to gems factory is unforgettable. The factory resembled a small town. Precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emerald are found in plenty there. They charge exorbitantly for the stones. I was spellbound by the varieties available there. Jade, garnet, zircon, American diamonds and emeralds are a speciality. Since each piece was so attractive, we were in dilemma to select one. The strings of jade, pearls, corals and garnet were exquisite. Women who are fond of jewellery should carry extra money just to buy the jewellery here.

Special mention should be made of the ‘Thai cuisine’. Since the coconuts are available in plenty, coconut milk is used in almost all the delicacies. Each menu is carefully made to satisfy all palates. A delightful platter of traditional Thai desserts and fresh fruits rounds off the meal.

Dolphin shows are held under the hot sun and the weather is as bad as Chennai. The dolphins are trained so well that they perform all the jugglery. Travelling in a closed vehicle amidst the animals in the zoo was very frightening. The tigers and cheetahs can be viewed from a close range. It is a spine-chilling experience to be one with the animals.

The marine park has a variety of sea creatures. A James Bond show in a natural scenario is a crowd puller. The troupe uses mountain, cave, lake, boats and waterfalls for props. Tigers and chimpanzee are trained to pose with tourists for photos. This attracted the tourists and we saw many people posing with the tigers and chimpanzees.

The orchid gardens have a good spread of flowers. It was a riot of colours and one should experience the joy of seeing the plants and it cannot be put in words. The exotic flowers made us go crazy. With a heavy heart, we bid adieu to Thailand to go on to Singapore.