Way overdue, but a promise is a promise. Mr. Bansal, this one is for you
There are trips and there are TRIPS..... and this one was the latter!
Flashback: Goa-March 2008: We were on the boat heading back from Goa's so called "Butterfly" beach.(the machwaara uncle told us that's where u find the hot firangs sans the clothes :o. The only topless ppl we found were petu uncles . Bansal felt @home). Anyway, Mr. Microsoft (thats Bansal) decided to tell us about a land of dreams where you get sandwiches of a completely different kind.
May 2009: Bansal, Poddar and I were at the Mumbai International Airport. And yes, we were all set to board the Cathay Pacific flight to Bangkok. Did I mention we got the tickets dirt cheap. Now these Microsofties sure know how to live it up. Bansal flashed his priority lounge card and the feast was on. Cakes, pastas, booze and juices, waiting for us in a nice, plush, exclusive lounge, and free! After eating like we'd never seen food before, we were looking forward to the nice meal on board the plane. Pure gluttony!
Finally, after a long international flight (5 hours is long, ok?), we landed at Bangkok. After Poddar's due dilligence of finding the "cheapest" bus service to Pattaya, Bansal and I decided to take a cab anyway. Now all along the way, the pardes feeling just wasn't setting in, in spite of the nice roads and no traffic. But Pattaya ne hume kya pataya!!! Now that's a view I won't easily forget. Reminded me of the Monaco Grand Prix I've watched so many times. Absolutely breath-taking.
Poddar though was panting for a different reason altogether. Baby Dinosaur sounds were emanating all around....... "Kaaaahhhmm, Kaaaaahhhhmmm" (shrilly and nasal). After a lot of deliberation, we figured this was local slang to allure HANDSOME tourists and actually meant "come, come". For Poddar, this was the reason he undertook this arduous journey in search of inner piece. Thats not a typo! Out of nowhere, we suddenly felt what neither of us had ever before: sharam and haya. We actually felt weird and avoided all eye contact with the dinosaurs, that was till we finally mustered the courage to walk thru an inhabited lane. a brisk walk it was, with our heads held so low, anyone observing would have felt we were just caught doing something very bad.
Now there is way too much censored stuff between the last paragraph and this one. Doesn't that create mystery.... it's our official way of not accepting that our trip was rather uneventful. Although Poddar did almost find us a bhaabhi....Yoovi, was it? Walking Street, what a place to find us a bhaabhi, way to go dude. For those who don't know, try googling "Walking Street, Pattaya" and you'll know what I mean. Anyway, lots of eye popping stuff, but I'll focus on adventure sports of a different kind.
We had hired scooties and went biking quite a distance. Found a nice place for kite-boarding and other fancy water sports. After realizing that some were way too expensive and others we weren't eligible for, we went sailing. Really nice. I'd like to own a boat someday, as long as we can push Bansal off it the way we did in the sea there. And Poddar, i suddenly remember that this was the first time we noticed Bansal's now famous seductive pose, the one u got a pic of ;). Back to Pattaya, we were pretty thrilled when we decided to jump off the 53rd floor of a building. After debating whether we should sell it back home as a bungee jump, we've decided to come out clean. It was more like a really high slide. But that first step off the building sure is scary. Next day, we headed to Koh-Larn by ferry. For Bansal and me, it was the long water-scooter ride and the deep sea walking that made it worth it. For Poddar, it was the sasta price at which we struck the deal. Or was it the free coke we got after spending a grand each. Wait, it was the realization that other Indians were getting completely ripped off for the same stuff, while we weren't. All worth it, I must say.
There were more relaxed, quieter, less exciting moments like the massages, the late night swim in the uncleaned swimming pool of Nantra'de'Boutique, our hotel for the first day and a half at Pattaya. We then moved into Citin's Loft, again a steal deal. This entire trip was about steal deals. Amazing hotel guys, anyone visiting, I recommend you stay there, unless of course u got loads of cash and can afford the spa-resorts. Pattaya was done, I'm sure jucier details shall follow in the ensuing discussion.
Bangkok was all shopping, consciously not eating at the Pakistani restaurant, and bumping into the same Saradar-ji 10 times in an hour. Very India. Bangkok as a city is an obstacle course in itself. i wonder why Hitler built gas concentration camps. The stench in the streets of Bangkok could put the Machi market at Versova to shame. The tuk-tuk was fun, so was our shopping spree at Indira market and the night market, I forget the name. Thanks to Poddar's hour-and-a-half spent buying one pair of chappals, he got called a lady boy by the Thai sales girl. Much needed entertainment for Bansal and me. Don't miss MBK mall, the ferry ride, of which you will hear from Poddar, and the massages. Good things at the end of a long day I say.
Good trip, great friends, and memories for a lifetime. What could be better?
That's what girls would think. For us, it was the FREE BUSINESS CLASS UPGRADE on our way back. I'm sure we looked like bhooka, nanga bachaas who were just given a black forest cake, each!
The privilege lounge was vandalized again by three unidentified Indians. Their loot, about 10 cans of Beer/Coke was caught and detained, however. How cheap.... not that we took the cans, that they kept it!! Damn Thai Airport Security. We faced none of this non-sense at Mumbai.
On our way back, my first Vodka- the Cathay Pacific Special!
Way to go guys............ can't wait for our North-East India trip to Amritsar, Jammu, and Rajasthan :)
Sagar, missed you dude. Seriously, wahaan par bhi we were missing being able to pull your leg. But we made up on our trip to Hyderabad. Bansal, uss par tu likh ek post and I'll pitch in.
Cheers to living it up!
p.s: Microsofties so-called "free" priority lounge card cost us 8 grand a month later. I'll repeat it again, these Microsofties sure know how to live it up. Hum bechaare lut gaye!
