Back Again..

It's been a while since the last post. But then, I was on a holiday....

 It was almost a five year plan.  The visit to the UK to see the elder one and S-I-L.

The visa application had been downloaded so many times in the past.  Filled in too.  And just kept aside. I think the elder one did not take us seriously this year either.  Especially when we had not submitted the papers and hardly a month left before our scheduled date of departure.  She threatened to cancel her leave.

And when it finally did happen, it was one major rush.  The passport with the visa arrived a week prior. The scramble for tickets. The volcanic ash almost playing spoilsport. The on and off  airline strike.  And then, suddenly, it happened. The whole family together after a very long time.

 We were given a day to rest and then we were off to the countryside.  Initially the camera had not a moment of rest.  Until it appeared that every scene had to be captured.  But how many?

A trip to Lake District, and we realise how Wordsworth, who lived here, might have been inspired. The poetry could have been spontaneous. But while he did pen down his words, I was only left speechless. The scenery  so breathtaking.

While we were sad it ended, we were also glad to get back to the routine, however mundane it might be.  I guess that is what keeps one going.

Groan, groan, another boring day...... another menu to think of ...getting ready to work.... until the next holiday.

A Holiday in Thailand

Strange as it may seem, Thailand never figured in the list of 'places I want to visit'. But when you plan a holiday at short notice, Thailand we found was one of the few countries that had a visa on arrival for Indians, everything fell in place in 5 days and we were ready to travel. Thailand it seems is in the news for all the wrong reasons. And many feel that it is not an ideal destination to travel with the family. I think our trip proved this wrong.

The Thai also are a friendlier lot than the Singaporeans or the Chinese. They are very hardworking no matter what they do! Especially the old ladies who have these tiny kiosks on the street. I have come back extremely impressed by the people and the country.

A few sights we enjoyed -

The Pattaya Beach. Looks lovely, but the beach here is rather dirty and nothing to rave about. But you could spend some time just lazing around, weather permitting!
The picture below was taken from the speedboat as we approached Ko Larn Island ( Coral Island). Here the sand is white and the water absolutely clear and very safe to wade and swim.


The Noong Noch Village - Tropical Botanical Gardens was started by a lady ( obviously very wealthy) and spreads over 500 acres. The landscaping is beautiful and has special enclosures for orchids, bonsai, cacti among other plants. And in the next picture, you can see they have recreated the Stonehenge.

Bangkok has over 300 temples and the temple with the Reclining Buddha is very famous. Another temple is the Marble Temple which houses the beautiful Buddha seen below:

Bangkok also has many street stalls. This was taken around 4 pm. Many of the stalls had still not been set up. But a variety of food is sold at reasonable prices. The food is considered safe, but being vegetarians, and not speaking the language was a barrier, but we did have tasty food at the food courts where we could read the contents of the dish ( in English) before placing an order.