The Kuala Lumpur Tower

The Kuala Lumpur Tower at night.

The Petronas Towers

Taken on my last trip to Malaysia. The Tallest Twin Towers in the world.It was the world's tallest between 1998 to 2004. One can never lose sight of the Petronas tower in Kuala Lumpur city. The towers always loom in the distant horizon. 

Top Three Travel Writers

• Bill Bryson
• Paul Theroux
• Pico Iyer

British Foreign Office issues Thailand Travel Advisory

Britain has advised its citizens from traveling to Thailand. The travel advisory asked Britons to not travel to Thailand.

"The situation is volatile and we recommend that British nationals in Thailand or planning to travel to the country check the travel advice on the embassy website regularly for details of further developments," the advice says.

The ongoing political crisis in Thailand continues to take toll on its booming tourism industry

Thai Airways has already reported a drop of 7% in traffic on its India route, which generally booms in the April-May due to summer vacations to schools and colleges in India. THAI has decided to cut 15% of its flights due to the slump in demand.

Bangkok - Political Crisis Intensifies

The political crisis in Thailand has escalated and tourists are strongly advised to leave Thailand or to stay indoors until the situation improves. One should be particularly careful in the capital city of Bangkok as the violence is possibly the worst in the past 20 years. Bangkok continues to remain in a state of emergency after a deadly street battle that killed 21 people. 

The protesting "Red Shirts" are camping in the capital since weeks sleeping near malls and luxury hotels. Clearly tourism in Thailand has been badly hit.

Thailand - A Travel Advisory

Thailand has a long history of political instability that continues to this day. The land of the Sleeping Buddha is in the midst of yet another violent political unrest. As 21 protesters are dead and some 800 injured and the streets of Bangkok are teeming with defiant Thais, we advice travelers to be careful and vigilant.

Hundreds of "Red Shirt" protesters also forced their way into government offices in two northern cities, in what now seems to be long revolt against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his 16-month-old, military-backed government. The Reds, are primarily poor people, who support fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, hailing his policies for the masses such as cheap health care. 

Unites States has already advised its citizens to stay away from popular tourist areas. Travel safe.

Wanderlust

I yearn to be on the road again. In the words of J.R.R.Tolkien,

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea.

The following are my lines,Tolkien is of course a master.

I yearn for leave to leave this land,

I yearn for a peace that never was mine.

I yearn for the sea, the breeze, the sand,

I yearn for some tranquil lonely time.

Thane to International Airport

The journey from my home to the airport was eventful to say the least of things. You don’t really factor in a major traffic jam at Powai and fervently pray that your dad sitting beside doesn’t suddenly start on your inability to ever be on time.  But just then the driver sneaks out in one rapid stroke of maniacal madness and you are bounding out to the airport just in time for your flight. Then it rains!

Dad waved a good bye and a good luck, and I secretly believed he must have a mumbled an atheist prayer. And I was off. To be honest the moment I entered the airport I was terribly disoriented about where to go and all that cheery confidence of the solo trip was waning.  A few creepy thoughts of biting more than I could chew did stream in, but then I sighted a gorgeous Kingfisher air- hostess and I knew everything would be fine!
I had to clear the immigrations check. A few fiddly questions about why you want to leave your beautiful country followed. And then I was off. Hang on! I didn’t tell you about checking in my baggage, did I? I check in my baggage – a brown bag. Then off I go to immigrations. Over the speakers comes an announcement – there’s a brown bag at one of the counters lying unclaimed. Now I belong to that tribe of people who feel whatever evil has to befall on this earth, will unfold upon me. So I suffered a few moments of panic about that bag.
I even had a chat with a Thai flight attendant about the bag. He gave me the look of a sage who had seen many such lost souls and told me that everything would be alright.

As I waited for the flight to board, I lounged around the airport checking out a smoking hot firang with short pants and a Lakshmi printed T-shirt reading Shantaram. I was ready at last to leave Indian terra firma.

Gaining Weight!

For years a lot of people bugged me to take care of my physique. They wanted me to join a gym or do yoga or something. I resisted with vigor.  “I don’t need no gym. I don’t need no weight control. ” I sang in a Pink Floyd like tune. That was until a month back. Right in the middle of fight with my younger brother I realized he was taller than me. Thwack! A punch crashed into my face and I went down to the ground. 46 kgs don’t take too long to touch the ground, eh. Shameful! A little later I watched the 1976’s classic ‘ROCKY’. I felt really fired up. So off I marched to the gym.

A closed white door beckoned me. I opened it and ... no the world didn’t change! Inside were posters of a species of men that could easily pass off as alpha males. Body builders, wrestlers d of course Arnold Schwarzenegger fought for space on the walls. My gym instructor ushered me in. Now my gym instructor looks like he can do all kinds of things. I mean walk the ramp, jump off buildings and save kids, box, wrestle and maybe even lift the earth if Atlas gets bored. Like a Greek Adonis his body is so perfectly proportioned that I wonder whether Michelangelo chips away at his body every morning. As far I am concerned I look like one of those children they feature in the WORLD POVERTY ALLEVIATION ads. Thin mind you, very thin. If you have to compare me to anyone then it would be to a Tolkien’s hobbit.
 But I digress. “Pull-ups”, garbled the instructor. So off I went to a machine and promptly hoisted myself upwards. That’s when in the middle of nowhere I realized I couldn’t bring myself down. My benign instructor promptly pulled me down.
Push-ups next. I managed fine. I was feeling buoyed now.
Well next we moved onto the “DUMB BELLS” and this is where I made a complete fool of myself. The hunk gave me a heavy 5kg one. Mind you I didn’t ask for it. I tried hard to lift it. It dutifully refused to budge from its resting place. I tried harder now with both the hands and I slipped.

Ha-ha! The entire place was abuzz with laughter. The benevolent man again proffered me his hand. My male ego severely bruised and with my ROCKY spirit down in the dumps I got up with war cry ringing in my head. A few quick runs on the treadmill and some more of those bone creaking exercises I was off home.
For two excruciating months I followed the exercise schedule religiously.  For the past two months I have been unable to move any of my arm muscles properly. Instead of developing into big bulging blobs of envy my arms have contorted into something non functional. My whole body feels as if an oxen clog has been made to ride on every sinew. Mind you I am not doing this to feature in some glamorous model hunt for an underwear brand. Ah! That reminds me of something. Why do these fellows with perfect six pack abs and all look so sullen once they are put in front of a camera with nothing but underpants? As if somebody with an even bigger and bulkier frame ran away with their pants. Ok, I digress again.
 One fine day at Thane railway station I decided to do a weight check. Somewhere in my six pockets lay a fortune. I dug out a rupee from it and tucked it into the machine. It said “42 kgs.” Aargh! My weight gain program has reduced me by 4kgs. Wonderful!! Some of my female friends envy me. They say it’s so difficult to have a 24inch waist. Folks say stop worrying and start living. I have stopped gymming and started living.

Travel Resources

I have always wondered if I could find a list of travel resources online and found this rather spiffy one!