There is a very interesting fact about Thailand: In this country known for sex-tourism, women are not the weaker sex, they are the stronger. A good part of the service industry is being run and managed by women. Be it tour guides, foot masseurs, restaurant managers or eatery-shop owners, women are just about everywhere.

Also omnipresent is their resentment against the Prime Minister. During our visit just two weeks prior to the coup, we could see that the Thais love their King, Rama IX, as they call him. I don’t think this is what we expected, when planning a holiday to Thailand this August.

“Welcome to the Royal Orchid service”, the Thai Airways flight’s speakers crackled to life, as we were handed a can of chilled Singha beer. One sip from it and the holiday had begun. This was August end, end of Thai rainy season, just before the tourist rush begins in September. On our itinerary was a holiday in the Thai golden triangle—Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

The travel agent friend adjusted the conventional six-night-seven-day trip to a more suitable seven-night-eight-day one. The first two days at Pattaya, the next three in Phuket (because someone told us the place was awesome) and the last two reserved for Bangkok’s malls. And all this for just Rs 34,000 per person, making it one of the cheapest overseas holiday destination for middleclass India.

As we touched down at Bangkok airport, it was 5 in the morning and we queued up for our visa-on-arrival (most Indians take this option, as it saves Rs 750 per head). The mini-coach, waiting for us, straightaway hit the expressway and we were in Pattaya after a two-hour drive.

... contd.