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.

Hmmm

So I was at this wedding and watched in amusement as the couple on stage - squirmed in their flower decked seats when the person raising the toast brought up embarrassing events , winced with the interesting choice of music and looked positively harassed with hordes of aunts exclaiming how time has flown.

Which made me think, how much say does one have with his/her wedding?
And nobody agrees with me when I say marriages are scary.

Vicky Cristy Barcelona

A Wood Allen movie after eons. VCB is the perfect weekend movie. A movie about how to love, how not to love and how any kind of love can blow up in your face. There were two reasons why I loved the movie. The movie shot across amazing locales in Barcelona makes you want to catch the next flight to Spain. It totally justified having Spain on my top ten destinations.


The other reason why I liked the movie was I could in some way see myself in each of the leading ladies.

-The "I want to do things right but should I really" Vicky
-The wild spirited but blundering Cristina.
-And of course Marie Elena who doesnt really know what she wants.

Now being able to relate to Allen's characters is actually a scary thing. But for all his whackiness, Woody allen is a bloody genius.

Twisted love stories and eccentric women aside, VCB is a must watch for its quirky narrative and interesting shots.

The curse of the travel gods

No this is not the review of a B grade horror flick. Its the story of my life. ok atleast of the last few days. Two trips that didnt quite happen. But there were consolation prizes

The first was Hampi. After two months of planning and multiple group emails, the rains played spoilt sport. We did however make it to the beautiful chitradurga fort. The ruins reminded me of a greener Golconda. It was the perfect weather for a trek across the fort - cloudy with a slight drizzle. Of course this also ensured i tumbled down the rocks and dragged a friend with me.


The other "so close yet so far" trip was a drive to Nandi hills. Though we didnt make it to the view point on time, the drive was blog worthy. With the wind in your hair and Lennon in the air, one cant really ask for a better afternoon drive.

Till the god decide to lift the ban on me.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Happy birthday to my best friend

OK I the song has the gender wrong. But happy birthday anyway!

Its finally here

Its finally here. My last day at work. I still cant believe I have finally done it. I do feel weird now. A moment of uncertainty with a little sadness. I always thought when I leave this place, I would be really sad. Surprisingly over the last few days I have been counting down to this day. The stress, the work place politics and petty attitudes really started to get to me. But then , it hasn’t been all bad. The three years have definitely changed my life. I never thought that someday I would actually feel passionate about supply chain management. And of course im grateful for the travel this job has brought me.


But the most important thing that I can look back with a sense of accomplishment From a start up to a leader in the procurement intelligence space- I do feel proud to have been part of my company’s growth.

But I think this phase has served its purpose and now its time to move on. Heres to new beginnings!
p.s How could I have missed out the most important change. I m going to have to part with my 24/7 companion. Goodbye my dear blackberry 