Day 1 in South Mumbai I’ve made countless trips to Mumbai but never really got to see some of the sights of Mumbai like a tourist would. Most of our time would be spent in Juhu, Vile Parle and occasionally would reach up till Andheri West or Santacruz for shopping. Not saying that those areas are not fun or don’t have places of entertainment. They do. Our trip to South Mumbai would be to our bank in Nariman Point and back without stopping anywhere in between. During a recent trip that took us to Mumbai for a wedding, insisted that hubby and I stay in Colaba to catch some of sights of Mumbai. Before I get into what we did in Sobo as South Mumbai…
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Continue ReadingIntroduction to Phuket Phuket located on the trading routes between India and China was under foreign influence before the rest of Thailand. Ships would anchor at the safe harbors of Phuket and wait for the North East monsoon winds which would allow the ships to sail to India. The name Phuket is derived from the Malay word bukit, meaning hill. The island was previously named Junk Ceylon on European charts, a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang meaning Cape Salang. Later it became known as Thalang, after the name of the main town on the island. Why should you visit Old Phuket Town? Well, if you’re interested in history then its the perfect place to see Sino – Portuguese colonial mansions, occupied by Tin Barons…
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Continue ReadingAfter our stay at Patong Beach we moved to Old Phuket Town in Thailand. When I booked the room on AirBnB (yes booking rooms on AirBnB can be a hit or a miss!), didn’t even know why we were actually going to Old Phuket town. As the saying goes ‘it was a dart thrown in the dark.’ As soon as we reached The Memory at On On Hotel, we were extremely happy that it had landed on the perfect target. You won’t find too many tourists around Old Phuket town which was a bit surprising to me. The grand entrance to the hotel. This post is just going to be dedicated to The Memory at On On Hotel that we stayed in for 6 nights.…
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Continue ReadingAfter visiting Big Buddha the taxi took us to Promthep Cape (Laem Promthep). Translated it means God’s Cape. For the locals its an important spiritual place. The receptionist at the Crystal Beach Hotel had recommended that we go there to watch the sunset. By the time we reached there it was pretty cloudy and it was crowded. The locals were enjoying a picnic, the foreigners trying to get the best spot to view the sunset. You pass Rawai beach and make your way up to the islands southernmost hill. A huge expanse of sea is what you see in front of you. We saw some longboats and speed boats all going towards the sea with tourists to enjoy the spectacular sunset. As you walk up…
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Continue ReadingPhra Phuttha Ming Mongkhol Akenanakhiri means The Buddha, gloriously honorable, top of the hill of Nakkerd. Some say it means Buddha, happiness on Nakkerd Hill. Don’t know which is right. However, whichever it is, a trip to see this majestic statue is a must. When we saw the statue of Big Buddha from the topmost floor of Phra Mahathat Chedi at Wat Chalong, I was getting impatient to visit the place. Couldn’t believe that such a huge statue was constructed which can be seen from southern parts of the Phuket Island. After Wat Chalong our kind taxi driver ( I just can’t remember her name!) took us to Big Buddha. As we drove up the Nagakerd (Nakkerd) Mountain, the scenery was breath taking, with so much…
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Continue ReadingOur stay in Patong didn’t entirely go in walking on the sandy beaches, strolling through the malls and swimming in the roof top pool. The receptionist at Crystal Beach Hotel was kind enough to arrange a taxi for us to visit the nearby Buddhist temple Wat Chalong, Big Buddha and Promthep Cape to view the spectacular sunset. We hired the taxi for 4 hours but if you want to spend a lot more time in each place then its best to hire the taxi for more hours. Our taxi driver was a lady which was a pleasant surprise. However, we couldn’t have a conversation with her as she didn’t understand English. WAT CHALONG or as officially called WAT CHAITARARAM “If you’ve not set foot in…
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Continue Reading11th April 2019 As sad as I felt leaving family behind, hubby and I were looking forward to our next destination. With mixed feeling we moved forward. Originally we were booked to fly out to Chiang Mai, the land of misty mountains in north Thailand. However plans changed as the pollution level in the area had reached a critical high. The AQI (air quality index) reached 230 at one point, which indicates very unhealthy air quality. It is believed that natural forest fires, intentionally set forest fires and crop burning attribute to this smog every year around Feb, March and April. We were not planning to stay on in Phuket so didn’t really look into making any plans in that area. It was back to…
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Continue ReadingTo all my readers, thank you so much for the encouraging and positive comments for my first travel post. I must admit that Thailand was not on our bucket list as such. Last year we transited Bangkok while going to Bali. The orchids at the airport did impress me but after that didn’t give it much thought. My niece, my sister’s daughter announces her engagement and subsequently her wedding. Jumped for joy as she wanted to get married in Thailand. Why she chose Thailand and they are both from UK is another story which I wouldn’t go into details. 8th April is when packed our bags and moved out of Manathai Khao Lak to go to JW Marriot Khao Lak which was a drive of…
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Continue Reading17th February to 3rd April, hubby and I spent time in Bangalore. Everyone who visits Bangalore complains about the traffic and water issues. Whatever the case, the minute I enter the gates of the complex where we own an apartment, I’m home. I love Bangalore. If you ask me why? I simply cannot answer that in one word or a simple sentence. I love the weather, I love the home, I love HSR layout, I love how it makes life both complicated and easy at the same time, the convenience, the multi cultural factor, the choice of restaurants, the malls. The complex where we own an apartment, Purva Skywood has such huge areas of gardens in between the blocks of apartments. A brisk walk around…
