Early next morning, we went to Bangkok for an hour-long flight to Phuket island. Here, we checked into a hotel that’s two minutes away from its most happening Patong beach.

Having soaked up the sea during the day, we enjoyed the best cultural show in Thailand in the evening. The Phuket Fantasea is a fun-and-food park with elephant rides, souvenir shops and a massive stage show, which showcases Thai culture. Next day’s sightseeing included sunset point, zoological parks and a quiet Rawa beach.

On our third day in Phuket, we hopped from one island to another, on a speedboat. The rough sea, with occasional downpours, couldn’t hamper our spirits. We also snorkeled around the Phi Phi island where Leonardo Dicaprio apparently shot for The Beach.

After five days in and around beaches, the flight to Bangkok was depressing. But a visit to the local night bazaar and we were back in form. By the end of this shopping spree, we were starving. Finally, we located a huge food court, about the size of a football stadium, with food counters on our left and bar counters on the right. The icing on the cake was a concert—that went on till 3 am. Why can’t we have this in India? Is anybody listening?

Next morning, we zeroed in on three temples, of the hundreds in Bangkok. The Grand Palace (where the present King doesn’t live) has the Temple of Emerald Buddha (our guide told us Emerald Buddha is actually made of green jade). And the other one is Wat Arun (Wat in Thai means temple), which also has a golden Buddha.

... contd.