Recently we (my hubby Debajit, myself and our one year-old son) had a 
wonderful trip to the Orient. Our first destination was Thailand for which we took a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok from Kolkata. After landing at Swarnabhumi Airport we headed straight to Pattaya, a small city whose charm lies in the small roadside shops displaying a wide variety of articles and its lively people. We went to the Tiffany Alcazar Show, a marvellous combination of music, dance and costume. After the show we experienced a relaxing massage at a famous parlour, with my little boy fast asleep by my side.
Early next morning after breakfast we went to Coral (Ko Larn) Island in a speed boat, suitably dressed and enjoyed the the wetness. At the para-sailing spot there tourists were waiting for their turn to come. I don’t have a knack for such sport, but my hubby enjoyed it very much. Then we boarded a glass bottom boat to see the variegated coral formations near the shore. We enjoyed a dip in the sea and feasted on local cuisine, a combination of sea fish and noodles. Our next stop was the Nong Nooch village that showcases Thai culture and tradition through a variety show, including lively elephant stunts. The village has extensive tropical gardens and we had a nice time walking through the flowers and butterfly hill.
The next day we headed to Bangkok enroute the Gems Gallery where we bought precious stones. Bangkok is two and half hours drive from Pattaya. We visited the Wat Benchamahophit, the marble temple, considered to be ‘the perfect architecture of Thai art’. ‘Wat’ in Thai language means temple. Later we visited Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha, which is the largest and the oldest in Bangkok. These temples are examples of exquisite Thai architecture.
The following day we went to the Safari World, Thailand’s largest open air zoo, a drive through which presented the closest encounter possible with rare and endangered species of the animal kingdom. There we also saw the playful ‘sea lion show’, ‘orang-utan boxing show’, ‘cowboy stunt show’ and the friendly ‘dolphin show’ — all brilliant and exciting. We also visited the Platinum mall and shopped.
The next day after breakfast we bid adieu to exotic Thailand boarding our flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian population constitutes mainly of Muslims and a large number of Indians too. We started our city tour with the beautiful Memorial of Commonwealth Soldiers, followed by the King’s Palace, the National Mosque, the National Monument, etc. We also visited the 421-metre KL Tower for a 360-degree aerial view of the city. The whole of Kuala Lumpur was visible from this 56-storey telecommunication tower. It was a breathtaking experience. Then we visited the magnificent Petronas Twin Towers, which at 452 metres is one of the world’s tallest buildings. After dinner, we went to the Independence Square that sports superb buildings.
The next day we were taken to the Genting Highlands enroute Batu Caves, a leading Hindu shrine in Malaysia. To reach it, one has to climb 272 steps. It was raining at that time and so we didn’t venture into the caves. The cable car ride to the highland was a little scary as it was too steep. Genting Highlands is basically an amusement zone replete with theme parks, various rides, casinos, restaurants, shops, etc. We were given maps to help ourselves around and it was quite cold up there. We (especially my son) enjoyed a lot in the family rides. The Snow World there gave us a feel of polar atmosphere to play and frolic with snow. Later in the night we went to the Monte Carlo Casino to try our luck at gambling.
The following day we headed for our final destination Singapore, the amazing of Lion City at the tip of the Malay Peninsula. The drive from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore took us nine long hours that included the breaks and immigration formalities. The symbol of Singapore is ‘merlion’, an assimilation of mermaid and lion, depicting its past, of a fishing village and its present powerful position resembling that of a lion.That evening we took the famous Night Safari tour. Nestled in 40 hectares of lush secondary forest, the Night Safari offers the unique experience of exploring wildlife in a tropical jungle at night. It was a wonderful open train ride through tropical forests and the animals were sitting in artificial moonlit spots. It is a marvellous example of man-made wonder.
Our last day of the trip was hectic as we started early after breakfast for a city tour, followed by a fun-filled day at Sentosa Island. We drove past the Parliament House, Supreme Court, City Hall and stopped for a while in China Town and Little India. Little India is a place mainly inhabited by Indians as the name itself suggests. The famous malls Samsuddin Mustafa and Niranjan are located there. We had a river cruise in the famous Singapore river in the traditional Bumboat. We saw the brilliant skyscrapers from the river.
We reached Sentosa Island by cable car. The island has many tourist attractions. Dolphin Lagoon offered amazing antics by the sea mammal. Tourists were relaxing and playing football at the beach. The crystal clear sea water under our feet and the crispy sand were a soothing feeling for the soul. In the Underwater World Oceanarium, where one can venture into the ocean depths via a moving travellator that ferries one through an 83-metre-long acrylic tunnel, we saw different kinds of fish, sharks and other sea animals. We also had a tram ride across the island with the zephyr tingling my hair and giving me lightness I had never experienced before. The ‘Songs of the Sea’ show in the evening was scintillating. With the help of laser lights, water jet sprays, fire, colour and music, creating an aura of wonder, it narrated the story of a boy who wakes up a sleeping princess with his songs.
The following morning we visited Mustafa Mall and the market at Marine Parade to do some shopping before our departure back home in the afternoon. From Singapore we flew back to Kolkata via Bangkok and reached Guwahati after a ten-day soothing sojourn, loaded with beautiful memories.
Vasavi Acharya Bora