Cities Of The World

Great cities around the world..

Travel Experiences- 1 Thailand

I have travelled to Thailand a few times - first for Golf (my DP comes from that trip) and then for a family vacation and conferences, and found it an easy place to travel in. It is tourist-friendly right from the arrival visa, to bus and taxi transport, to cheap hotels compared with India, for the same quality. I found the food tasty too.

Cleanliness is also a virtue, and the malls in Bangkok are of high quality. So is the metro, of two types-under and overground. Pattaya and other destinations now have Indian restaurants too, in case you need them. The Golf courses are, of course, superbly maintained and customer-friendly. Some pics-

 Above- a temple in Bangkok.

 Gallivanting off Pattaya..

 The Alcazar show is completely performed by transgenders- an artist in the pic above. Below, a yummy dish we partook of.

AHTMM 2018 Conference Pics

Conferences are wonderful networking opportunities with global audiences. Proved yet again. I presented a paper co-authored with Aradhya Vats, my student, on Positioning of Travel Brands.. some pics of the Conference in Bangkok, last week. The organiser is from the U.S.

A part of the gathering at the welcome dinner (above). Below, another session in progress.

I introduced myself with this pic from IIM Indore with some champions of the last batch (above).. and below, with a Nigerian (US Based), and a global Indian (Australia-based).

One pic of the presenters of a traditional Thai dance.and another of a fan of Amir Khan films from Turkey..

Bangkok Diary Part 2

Met a couple of directors at Assumption university and discussed possible academic collaboration, thanks to a friend, Dr. Parvathy Varma who is a Professor there. She is married into the famous Ravi Varma family. Ravi Varma was a famous king-artist from Kerala, who has painted some incredible life-like stuff. His "lady with the lamp" and a few other paintings are classics seen in many Indian art galleries and museums. Not surprisingly, we found a few of the reproductions around her house. This is the second Varma that I know now. Nisha is an old friend from long ago, now turned into a Janwadkar, post-marriage. I understand a Hindi film, Rang Rasiya is in the making about Ravi Varma's life and times.

The conference came to a close and we got a chance to explore some more food joints in Bangkok. One highlight was a Bangladeshi restaurant which served some really good fish. We had a Bengali colleague who could speak with the owners, and we had a fish called Pabda in Bengali, apparently the Cat fish elsewhere. It is soft, and has to be cooked just right, so it does not fall away into pieces. It was. Also tried some Thai food including the Pad Thai noodles and Tom Yum soup, which has a distinct flavour induced by some of the stuff put in it. Very good! The shrimp is generally delicious, in any recipe.

There is a new metro from somewhere in town to the Suvarnabhumi airport which apparently takes a very short time to get you into the airport. We need it badly in Bangalore, and a few other places. Delhi apparently has one.

No time for golf this time, but was enjoyable all the same.

Bangkok Diary

Found a surprise on my flight. The boss himself - Mr. Naresh Goyal of Jet airways. Said hello to him and reminded him that he changed the lot of Indian travellers by introducing Jet. He was courteous and said I could call on him anytime.

Visited Assumption University campus which is halfway to Pattaya from Bangkok yesterday. Long drive but well worth the effort. Some 19000 students are on this campus, which is at once majestic and functional. Most of them are doing a BBA< but also engineering, visual arts and so on.

The buildings are huge, and the library building is one of the best I have seen anywhere. Lot of marble is used everywhere. There is a pond and a temple-like structure too, and an innovative glass house which is a cafe. Architects may find it interesting. A huge sports complex adorns the campus too.

The conference kicks off today. Meantime, saw a mall called MBK which is a huge sprawling mass of stores of all kinds. Irresistible for even an occasional shopper like me!

Airport Musings- Start of 2012

This one's from the lounge at Mumbai international airport. Afternoon flight to Bangkok for a conference. Afternoons are a lot less crowded, and immigration is a breeze unlike late night flights, when you are sleep-deprived, edgy, and there's a huge crowd.

Australia seems to have done to India's confidence (in cricket) what we did to them (it seems) eons ago in India. The bowlers are our only hope, as they haven't yet given up. The second test is in its second day as I write, and it looks pretty grim.

The Lokpal agitation had an unexpected finish, with everyone involved taking a deep breath, it looks like. May be for the better if a more evolved thought process goes into the core problem of minimising corruption at various levels. One solution may not fit all dimensions of it, and may not work unless it is well thought out.

Nagpur had a shower on New Year's Eve, and balmy weather thereafter for a couple of days, more like Spring than Winter. Unfortunately for people in Cuddalore, it was a bad start to 2012, with the storm hitting the town south of Pondicherry.