Zeroin on BKK

Indian Blonde

Thailand: The land of smiles

#Richvibrantculture, #mouthwateringcuisine, #beautifulwhitesandbeaches, #happypeople, #shopper'sparadise, #affordableprices.

Thailand is a fantastic destination for nearly everyone. With wide range of sightseeing options, activities like wild life safari, water sports for kids, a lot to shop and a lot to eat, many places to party all night, it's an ideal place for someone who wants to really experience a vibrant culture, with a long list of to do things.

Thailand is amazing and is really catching up not just as a budget destination but is attracting many luxury travelers alike. Bangkok especially has become a travel hub for the whole of South East Asia, with flights to Thailand departing every day, and since it's easy to reach: grab that next opportunity and go ...go and explore this amazing place!

As I had been to Bangkok, back in 2012, for an official trip, shooting for my travel show. I loved the place, had only 2 days in the city to shoot for my TV show, so had the opportunity to see the city only from the camera's lens. Whatever little time I could steel out of my shoot schedule I shopped, and hell yes!! I shopped a lot!!

This year 2015-16 for my son's birthday I promised him an international trip. It was a mom-son trip, so the destination had to be safe for a solo female traveler. Remembering my last trip, and looking at my budget I decided on Thailand.

Zeroed down on Bangkok and Pattaya, decided travel dates, and then I booked our tickets a month in advance, with the national carrier of my destination country...Thai Airways. Did all my research online, spoke to some traveler friends making sure there are plenty of things as per my son's interest. Ensuring enough interest points in our itenrary, I now bought a land package from a travel agent in Delhi.

We started off from Delhi, our flight was comfortable and on-time. As we arrived at the Swarnabhumi Airport the statue depicting the legendary Hindu mythological story of "Sagar Manthan' was there, welcoming us. The Devas (God) and Asuras (Demon) looked familiar. And we Indian are good in finding out some 'rishta'(relationship) , this statue immediately made us tie a spiritual knot of familiarity with this foreign land.

Here a few tips I would like to share :

#Going there & looking for hotels is not advisable for solo females. Booking your hotels in advance and your transport from one destination to other keeps you hassle free and sorted.

#Also in Bangkok you can get any decent 3-4 star hotel in the range of Rs.2000-4000 a night with breakfast. So if you are travelling on a budget, but are concerned about the quality of stay, go for these hotels (check reviews online) and try and stay in Sukhumvit or closer as that's the hub , the center of the city.

City :

Bangkok is a bustling modern city in a country where ancient Asian traditions are found mixed with the new world. You can spot monks in their traditional plain gowns, busy on latest mobiles, and bars filled with tourists from all over the world alongside the locals. You will see people trying Thai street food from the countless street stalls. The coconut ice-creams served in coconut shell, fresh fruits cut in style served in a bag neatly, the satays of all kinds, famous raw papaya salad, pad thai, soups & much more....Not only is it cheap, hygienic but it's also sumptuous.

As the political, economical, cultural, culinary capital of Thailand, Bangkok has both old-world charm and modernity, appears chaotic at times, but it always greets you with a gracious smile.

This blog was originally published on 'indianblondeblog'