Ice ice everywhere ...and not a single block to melt!

Forecasts were there, warnings were issued. Even the otherwise workaholic managers coming upto desks to ask if we have plans to work from home. But when did I last read a prediction or pay heed to a warning? It was a happy Friday (most Fridays are happy ones unless you have a production release over the weekend!).

7:30 AM sharp, left for office humming the latest Bollywood tune, it was difficult to ignore the early warnings. Yet it was the case of a happy mind over the gloomy weather. As I was thinking about my weekend plans, the first puff of snow kissed my jacket. Ah! I have experienced it before and have nothing to fear. 30 minutes and a bus-ride later, my shoes crushed the fresh ice-carpet as I made the quick walk towards my office building. It had already started to gain momentum. The reception was less noisy than usual and there were more empty seats in my floor. Pluging my laptop to life, I quickly ran through the headlines in bbc.co.uk. Yes, it was true! It was coming big and fast. UK was rapidly painting itself in white. Airports were shutting down, even those contemplating a shut down were running with bare minimum capacity. Busses & trains were off schedule and vechiles were stuck midway their destination. Schools were either closed or were in the process of being declared holiday, not the usual 'rainy day' we get back home but a snowy day. Red warnings were being flashed across Wales & some parts of Scotland by the weather department.

Icy cushions :-)

Ruing my missed chance to take a day off, went over to the pantry for some hot refreshment. Even the common office chit chat had been replaced by talks about transport challenges one might face on the way back. Its just frozen water, a little more but manageable. With a wry smile I went back to work. By mid day the already half capacity had become even thinner, just a few odd heads popping here and there across the 200 seater floor. My line manager, based out of Leeds, had left with a 'wish-me-luck' quick goodbye by lunchtime. In between, I have been sneaking in the news headlines to check how bad it really was. Heathrow already had hundreds of delayed passengers like most UK airports, Birmingham airport was closed till weather improved any further. Icy roads had made driving hazardous and visibility had reduced considerably. National Rail were reporting delays in schedule accross UK. My work-from-home colleagues had already started uploading their snowman photos in Facebook. All I could see of outside from my seat was thick white snow. Temperatures had already dropped to sub-zero. Even the normally busy bars in the town centre were wearing a sullen look.

Snap at lunch time

Finally, it comes...trudging along

By 4:45 PM, decided it was time for me to call it a day. Needless to say that I was easily in the last percentile of people still working or atleast making an effort to, all the while trying to be oblivious of whats going outside the warm cozy environment. Waving my 'brave' colleagues happy weekend, I made my way home. The moment I stepped outside, knew I was in for an adventure. 3.5 miles is not a long way but the reduced visibility due to incessant snowing had made movement difficult. Transport was virtually stalled. Reaching the bus station, I was greeted by some angry waiting commuters, already cursing for the last half hour. Making most of the situation, I quickly took a few snaps to add to my collection. Another 15 mins of waiting and braving the chill, the sight of bus made us happy. Some seemed as excited as a child on getting a new toy. Our joy was shortlived as we were told that due to bad road conditions, the bus would go only as far as Acocks Green town centre, and I would have to walk the remainder of the journey. Some relief still.

While returning home

Having already braved a few snowy winters, knew I had to find my footing on fresh snow rather than the dirty slippery one. On my walk back, the local church that usually wears a serious look, wore a happy look in the new found icy white snow jacket. It was already dark and the street lights were on. A few children armed with a carrot, an old scarf were out trying to make a snowman in playground. A few others were busy in their snow fight. The drizzle had reduced but the after effect was still on. Some faces were popping out from their windows trying to check how badly affected was their car parked outside.


The weekend was coming and with it, more snow. I didn't have to travel to office but that does not necessarily meant that I wanted to be stuck indoors. A recent viewing of  the 'Life of Pi' had steeled my resolution and I was determined give 'Man vs Nature' a go!

Pattaya: seas & more

First impression lasts forever. Arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport, we were ready for our first destination in Thailand - Pattaya. Essentially a fishermen's village, Pattaya has over the years grown to be one of Asia's leading beach resorts and the most visited city in Thailand after Bangkok. We certainly hoped that the rustic charm of this beach city would do enough to sweep us off our feet.

Having already made the arrangements for hotel and transport, we were pleasantly greeted at the airport by our local Thai guide with the traditional "wai" Thai greeting, accompanied by a very pleasant 'Sawadee Krap' (Hello). Surprisingly enough, she spoke good English. A good start indeed. Our transport arrived and soon we were on our way to Pattaya. Our driver, Loesan tried his best to explain us some of the landmarks on the way. Though we were mostly on the highways (Sukhumvit Road and Motorway 7) for better part of our journey, we could feel the high rise buildings and huge billboards of Samsung and Sony slowly giving way to the natural surroundings. Man-made jungle of the busy city life slowly yielding to Mother Nature. Over on the hill tops, amidst the trees we could make out tops of sanctuaries and monasteries. Thailand has a majority of Buddhist population and the entire country is dotted with monasteries - starting from some simple ones to the ones that invite a million footfall every year (The Emerald Buddha or the Sleeping Buddha).




Pattaya Street food

Parasailing

With a quick shower and a change of clothes at the hotel, we were ready for our evening walk. To know a place its important to know its people and their culture. And what better way to accomplish this than to take a walk down the busy Central Pattaya Road in the evening. Shops in Pattaya stay open till midnight enabling the tourists to savour the local flavour after a tired day at the beach. Street food is as exciting as it gets - from fried chicken to sea food to the ones you never thought could land on your plate. If you are prepared to shed your inhibitions and get adventurous, it can be quite a culinary experience for you. Souvenirs shops are ample in number and with a bit of haggling over the price (something we are pretty used to), you can really get a good deal. However, you have to be patient to listen carefully and then negotiate the price as Thais are not good in English, unless you land up in some big supermarket. To solve this problem, they have found out an interesting way out. When you enquire the price of an article, a calculator comes out and the price in Thai Bhats (local currency, 1 Thai Bhat ~ 1.6 INR) is typed into the screen. To negotiate, you have to retype the price and this process goes on till both parties are in agreement. Necessity, indeed is the mother of invention.

The following day we had our plans ready for Coral Island, also known as the Ko Larn. Our guide arrived at sharp 8 in the morning to pick us up and gave a heads up of the day ahead. Dressed in beachwear, we were more than ready to jump into the crystal clear water. Reaching the beach, a speed boat was waiting to take us to the Coral Island. Before us lay the Gulf of Thailand and its vast expanse. With water splashing on our faces, the bumpy speed boat ride was an adventure in itself. Once on the island, we were offered a choice of the various water sports available - each one as exciting as the other. There were people parasailing - wherein you are tied with a parachute to the end of a speed boat that moves at a considerable speed. Once the speed-boat picks up speed, the parachute gathers enough air to pull you up in the sky giving a sensation of flying like a bird. Then all a sudden the speedboat slows down and you hit the water, drenching yourself upto your waist. This process goes on quite a number of times. Some other common rides were - Banana boat ride - where a group of people sit on a banana shaped boat tied at the end of a speedboat, the normal gliding, snorkelling - wherein you are provided an oxygen mask and you dive deep into some selected areas of the sea to see the coral and the marine life around it. Choosing much safer options we went for the submarine ride and a under sea walk. Vimantaitalay tourist submarine offers trips underwater to see corals and marine life just a few kilometres offshore. As the submarine sank gradually, we could witness the colour of the water slowly going darker due to lack of sunlight penetration and the count of fishes increasing. Reaching the sea bed, the view of the coral was just awesome. Shoals of fishes surrounded our vehicle from all sides – something you would get to see in the pages of National Geography. However, the best was reserved for later when we went for the sea walk. Armed with a heavy oxygen mask and guided by an expert diver, we went down 5 metres into the sea. The fishes we saw a few minutes back on the other side of the submarine window were now all over us. When we offered them food (bread crumbs), we could literally feel them nibbling from our own hands. Walking over the sea bed was a new experience for us altogether. What we had so long seen on television screens and magazine’s glossy pages was a reality. Now we could definitely walk the talk. We were sea divers!



On top of the submarine

The later part of the day was spent in relaxing at the beachside and enjoying the sumptuous lunch we were offered. Sea food, chicken – you name it and we had it all. Pattaya is truly an international destination and that was pretty evident from the people we could see around us – Americans, Europeans, Russians, even a few from the middle east and not to forget the Chinese. Also got to meet a few Bengalis too. The fishermen’s village was now a global village.

Coral Island

Sawatdee

Travelling for me falls into 3 distinct categories. First, when we know where to go and its all about planning the dates and itinerary. Second, one that has a purpose - say, a weekend breakway to a nearby hill station or even a simple visit to a kin's place you have been planning for long. The third and the most difficult one is the one for an ocassion. You know you have to go but where? Do you play safe and ask for suggestions from friends and neighbours? Or do you break the boundaries and tread the unknown? Mind you, asking for help in these matters seldom helps. Every other person has a new opinion and at the end you are left all but confused. And when you have a difference in opnion within your travel group, things start getting all the more complex.

Fortunately for me, it was not that difficult. The occasion was one my life's biggest - it was our honeymoon, and like a cup final - glitches were not an option. We were quick to finalise on the destination - it was winter and there was no point in going to the mountains, it had to be the beaches. It also had to be an oft visited one, risking unforseen adventures were not on list for this time. We needed a smooth ride. Knowing ourselves better than the place was the priority. After a week's research over the various travel sites, blogs and tourism homepages, we zeroed in on Thailand. Thailand has rich history (something I love), has a cosmopolitan capital in Bangkok and has its own share of beaches (a mandatory has-to-be from my better half). And the best part is - its as close to Kolkata as Mumbai or New Delhi, which does away with the jet-lag factor.

Bags packed and visas in hand, we were ready for Vijay Mallya's hospitality (aka Kingfisher) enroute to first vacation together. Five days in the land of white elephants had to be special. Though Thailand has an array of hot spots for tourists, we chose two of them - Bangkok, also known as the city of temples, for its rich cultural heritage and Pattaya for its beautiful beaches and coral islands. Interesting, Bangkok and Pattaya-Chon Buri are also the largest metropolitan areas in the land of Siam.

(Sawatdee in Thai means Hello)



Pattaya, Thailand



River cruise on Chao Phraya river, Bangkok





Prelude

No, I am not aspiring to be the next Chetan Bhagat....yes I do have a decent job, a beautiful wife and we both story tell our real life experiences...but thats where the similarity ends. The reason for me writing is pretty evident from the blog name. I am a 'Inspired' do-er...usually do things when something or someone inspires me. But isn't that supposed to be same for most others? We eat at a particular restaurant when we hear good feedback, watch a movie that has a good review and even get our kids admitted to a reputed school. Not all of these fall into the traditional definition of the word INSPIRED but its always fun to challenge boundaries.


Having had a minuscule amount of success in writing - starting from nursery poems in school magazines to FIFA world cup reporting for a regional newspaper, gave the inspiration. And when you have a few admirers to cheer you up....the writer in me was no longer ready to take the backseat.

From travel experiences to new places to events that touch my soul to the latest recipe in my kitchen, everything will eventually find a place in my blog. And not to forget, national religion of India - Cricket (World Cup is just around the corner!). Know it won't be that easy to satiate every reader's appetite but a humble beginning seldom goes waste.

So, its Bon Voyage for me....