City of Angels

I learnt recently that both Los Angeles and Bangkok mean “City of Angels”. And I also discovered recently that two cities couldn’t be more different. Despite several visits to LA i somehow cannot bring myself to like the city. Bangkok on the other hand is definitely going onto my list of favourite holiday spots.
D and me decided to spend the weekend in Bangkok on our way back from Cambodia. With a couple of her friends joining us , it turned out to be a girls weekend out. Pure undiluted fun.
With just a couple of days in hand we could focus only on two things – the palaces and the malls. Despite having seen the grand palace in various postcard and shows nothing prepared me for the sheer grandeur of the place.
Truly a “grand” palace, this royal residence takes architecture and craftsmanship to a new level. As with their clothes and cuisine, the Thai don’t believe in simplicity or starkness. Filigree, stone work, glass work you name it, they have it. Its truly amazing to see the amount of thought gone into the details



No post on Bangkok is complete without a mention of their malls. Even a true blue shopaholic like me was blown away and now that is something! Each mall has an average of 1500 stores -no wonder thousands of people visit the city every year just to shop.
I loved the fact that the Thai loved their country, king and unique culture and wear it on their sleeve. For the Kings birthday the entire nation male and female, young and old dressed up in yellow. Now how many countries would do that? They are immensely proud that they are the only South East Asian country never to be colonized and take great pleasure in emphasizing that.
Bangkok is one of those cities that you either love or hate, there are no greys. And I’m definitely going for a “love’!

Cambodia

When I told people I was going to Cambodia to see the Angor wat, the most common reaction was "the angor what? " or " but why". Apparently the world didn't share my fascination for the country. Dwarfed by its more glamorous neighbors, Cambodia is sort of like the wallflower at a high school party. Not many people pay attention , but if you did you will find a quaint little charm.

Our first stop was the capital city Phnom Pehn. We did a quick tour of the killing fields of the Khmer rouge. The entire place was was a morbid reminder of the horror this country had lived through. Our next stop the grand palace couldn't have been more different. The palace was quite exquisite and would provide tough competition to its Thai and Indonesian peers.

We moved on to our next destination Siam Reap by rather fancy bus which would put our Indian ones to shame. Siam Reap houses hundreds of beautiful ruins including the world famous Angor Wat -which with its super steep steps ensure all your mountaineering skills are put to test. Surprisingly most temples have the Ramayana or Mahabarata as their key theme.


But my favorite was the Ta Prohm temple. Made famous by the tomb raider movies , pictures don't do justice to beauty of this place. The temple which has been swallowed by the monster sized silk cotton trees was an eerie testament that nobody messes with nature.


A second favorite was the Bayon temple filled with massive faces of King Jayavarman. He must have really loved himself. You see his face all over the place. Sort of like a super sized stalker.

For a country that is poverty ridden and seen the worst horrors of our time, the people are a cheery lot who seem to be doing their best to get back on track. Cambodia is truly proof that the human spirit is always a winner.