First Open Water Scuba Diving @ Pattaya

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. –Nelson Mandela

Courage and fear are strange bedfellows.

We are an adrenaline junkie, a nature-enthusiast and a devotee of peace. We love getting away from the demanding city life and taking on experiences filled with goodness of nature. To experience the height and depth of the earth, we have decided to go Scuba-diving and Sky-diving. And boys are really excited!

I was scared and excited – total mixed bag of emotions, I tell you!

The KINK => I cannot swim, not really. I am scared of water. I can kind of swim but if water splashes onto my face (with goggles ON) – I freak! So yes, there’s a slight problem. Reason for fear of water.

Some days I really don’t know where I find the courage to do the crazy, adventurous things that I do! Especially when I’m afraid of water & Heights. But I guess my crazy friends always give me push to overcome my fear.

After a successful sky-dive experience, the very next day we were ready to explore the underwater world. With sore muscles and a body deprived of sleep, we left our hotel at 8am and reached the Pattaya Dive Center. Even though bhayya was not keeping well, last minute he is ready to join us…..

Since this was our first time scuba-diving, a professional trainer, Andy & Anne, took us under their wing. They prepared the scuba gear bag with all the basic equipment, I was actually the odd one out being the scary cat, while the rest were with full confidence, we were divided into two group, myself, zaheer & Andy our instruction, Bhayya, Vikky & Ann.

It took us about 10 minutes by road and a almost an hour boat ride to reach our first island. As soon as we arrived, we wore our scuba gear, all the equipment and necessary weights on our waist. Although, it was difficult for me to walk in those weights, I had helping hands on-board.

It took me a while to take my first jump. Meanwhile, instructors, kept guiding us to make sure my anxiety did not show in the camera. then they took us into the shallow water for our skill practice session, we have done this earlier as part of our open water dive certification course we acted as if we are the first timers J

We dove off the boat and slowly sank into the sea. There is nothing like breathing underwater. You feel your throat dry up and try blowing air from your nose but you can’t. In the struggle of breathing from your mouth, you can’t help but swallow the salty sea water. And then you make a conscious effort to try and convince yourself to breath from the mouth. Instructors taught us all the basic gear handling techniques and the emergency tips to stay alive in emergency situations. What fascinated me thoroughly was the sound of my own breath underwater – it was hypnotising.

The equalizing was the most difficult. I am not used to breathing through my mouth and try to make my ears pop. Try it yourself. Take a breath through your mouth, try to swallow to get your ears to pop. Remember your nose is doing nothing – no inhale, no exhale. Feels weird, right?!

After approximately 20 minutes of practice and swimming around for a while taking photos, we moved back to the ship and waited for the other divers to come back, we had simple nice Thai lunch on board then ready for the 2nd dive,

We jumped with our gear on this time, first dive bhayya had shoulder issue so he was allowed to wear the equipment on the surface, it was a little scary at first as we were descending into the ocean.  One thing that I kept having to tell myself is to control my breathing and trust my equipment.  I had to keep reminding myself of this the entire time because breathing underwater doesn't feel natural, and it’s a little freaky!  As we descended further and further, another world opened up.  It was stunning & I couldn't keep from smiling to myself in amazement of what I was experiencing... We kept swimming, deeper and deeper and my trainer kept on communicating through hand singles to make sure we are alright with the water pressure. For someone like me, who is impulsive, hyper and over-excited, I had to get used to the slow motions of the water. Everything moved at a snail’s pace. Once we got to the bottom, we took pictures, moved around plants and rocks, tried to swim after schools of fish, and explored the deep waters as much as we could

When I was fully immersed in the ocean, surrounded by sea life, I felt like I was in a completely different realm. Everything was peaceful, mesmerizing. I could stay there for hours, days even. I became a child in a candy store. Fishes swim really fast, a lot of my photos ended up just different angles of coral reefs with maybe a shimmer of a tail or fin. But did I ever enjoy the experience!

The experience left me feeling serene and mellow. Being submerged under water, with heavy weights pulling you down, I was surprised to note that there was absolutely no gravitational pull, despite the heavy weights and gear I was wearing. You can keep yourself in total control, regardless of what level of water you choose to stay at. All I had to keep in mind was that I had to continuously blow air to neutralise the water pressure but I hadn't had enough. I wanted to explore the greater depths of the ocean.

Exploring nature is a meditation in itself. The feeling of power that you experience rejuvenates your inner self again. It’s like a dream you do not want to wake up from; swimming with a shoal of bream, plants tickling your body with the smallest touch and the limitless vision of water all around you.

If it was up to me, I would want to live this dream again and again and again.

Video Link 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa_cFS6hPnE

Tiffany’s Show - Pattaya Thailand

Now when you have decided to visit Pattaya, Thailand, naturally you are looking for ‘brimming with life’ beaches, Sun, water sports opportunities, Good Thai food, fun, entertainment, shopping, nightlife and everything in between.

Every package tour available to Bangkok and Pattaya usually include on the very first day (evening) this famous Tiffany show. Questions in your mind – Is it worth watching? What is so special about this show? I have heard about Siam Niramit Show as well,Which is better? let me tell you one thing, both of these show's are must watch if your in Thailand....

Are you looking for something extraordinary in Pattaya? Fantastic visual treats await you at Tiffany’s Show, one of Thailand’s most famous all-male cabaret theaters located in north Pattaya, Chonburi province. The show became an instant hit after a private performance on New Year’s Eve in 1974 and was voted no. 4 in the world top ten best show. It’s really good and they’re miraculously pretty.

 

Theater 

Once the curtain rises, forget everything you have heard about trans-sexuality. You will be totally captivated by the quality and the sophistication of the performance. The 1,000-seat theater offers an international varied show backed up by superb special effects, fabulous lighting and sound, and numerous colorful costume changes. The show is well choreographed and the “girls “are very talented and they can dance according to what music is being played from classical Thai to Bollywood style. They are so beautiful and feminine you can hardly tell the difference!.

It’s not allowed to take the photos or video’s during the show but I managed few clicks. Thru my usual innocent way.The sets, costumes, dancing and the art of lip-syncing are all top notch and worth going to see. It is an amazing extraordinary show on earth. This is one stage show not to be missed!

Beautifully dressed performers come out after every show for an opportunity to have your picture clicked with them with small fees (No one forgets to leave without taking the photograph and as an appreciation for their brilliant performance.).

Spanish Bullfighting @ Las Ventas - Madrid

That’s at least what first comes to my mind when I think of Spain, but I’ve learned that although its traditional, they certainly don’t represent all of Spain. Let’s start with bull fighting:

Bullfighting has a very glorified public image — it is presented as a contest between the brave matador, who boldly risks life and limb to tackle a mad and ferocious beast. The matador is always dressed in a traditional costume of brilliant colors  the bullfight is seen by many as the mysterious ritual between man and beast, which is an integral part of Spanish culture and custom. For this reason, many tourists who visit Spain feel that seeing a bullfight is a necessary part of their holiday.

Bull fighting is only present in certain areas of Spain (Las Ventas) and is not a part of northern culture. In light of the modern-day animal rights movement, it’s become a rather controversial topic. Fans say that the fight respects the bull, that he dies a noble death. Those opposed to bull fighting point to the obvious torture and killing of the animal. Bullfighting is officially considered a fine art (excellent matadors are awarded artistic honors), but if its future is put to a vote in the European Union, bullfighting will most likely be ill-legalized  Its only happens in Madrid, Barcelona is completely banned bull fighting concept.

I saw a bull fight from Madrid Plaza de Toros Las Ventas , and mostly enjoyed it.For a traditional corrida de toros, three matadors each face two bulls.  Each matador (also called torero in Spanish) has six assistants: two picadores (lancers on horseback), three banderilleros (also toreros, but carry two small spears and no cape), and a sword.  Together, they are called a cuadrilla. Like someone’s entourage.

A classic Spanish bullfight has several scenes before the final act. A corrida starts with thepaseillo, when everybody involved in the bullfight enters the ring and presents themselves to the president and public to the sound of a traditional paso doble. The bull is then let loose in the ring.

The bull first faces off against the matador, who uses his cape to incite the bull into running toward him, Next, two picadors enter the ring on horseback with a vera (long spear). The picadors will attempt to stab the bull in the upper back with spears, and was horrified when one bull was able to topple over the horse and ram him in the belly, the matador will continue to watch the bull very closely  to determine his approach and strengths for when he faces the bull again. These first two blows are intended to weaken the bull and prevent it from raising its head.  In the second stage, three banderillos attempt to stab the bull in the shoulders with two sharp, barbed sticks. the torero will try to stab six metal-tipped spikes into the bull’s shoulder in as clean and elegant a manner as possible. Exhausted and frustrated, This further angers and weakens the bull before the matador faces it.

Picador Stabbing the bull 

The final stage begins when the matador re-enters the ring with a small red cape and sword.  Bulls are not drawn to the cape because of its color, instead it is because of its movements as they are color blind. It is thought the reason the cape is red is to mask the bull’s blood, but today it is matter of tradition.

The matador uses his cape in a series of passes with the bull for two reasons: to wear it down and to produce a display of faena (graceful movements).  Many historians have seen similar movements between a bull fighter and a flamenco dancer as it appears he is gracefully dancing with the bull, sometimes brushing against its side as it passes.

The faena must be done with extreme care because even though the bull is injured and fatigued, it is still very dangerous.  If miscalculated, the bull can charge at the matador and injure him. After wearing the bull down enough, the matador will strike the bull between the shoulder blades in order to strike the bull’s heart.

As it charges, he thrusts his sword between its shoulder blades and, if it is well executed, the bull crumples to the ground.

Bullfighting is an extremely controversial topic in Spain, both among Spaniards and foreigners. It is commonly viewed as an argument between older generations and younger generations, who view it as an outdated tradition that is a form of torture for animals.  Older generations argue it is no worse than killing an animal for meat.

While some view the drawn out stages as taunting or playing with the bull, the bullfighter can be seen as actually formulating a strategy for when he later faces off against the bull.

Bullfighting in Spain adds more than $3 billion a year to the Spanish economy and directly employs more than 10,000 people. It’s not just about the matadors, their agents and bull breeders, it’s all of the activities surrounding it: the restaurants before and after the corrida, the street vendors that sell souvenirs, the transportation to the bullfighting ring, etc.

However, with all the elegance and glamour of the bull fighters, this is a dangerous and violent sport.

Switzerland of India - Auli .....

LIFE IS EITHER A DARING ADVENTURE OR NOTHING……

This trip started on 13th Feb 2014, Reached Dubai International Airport on time, checked in on time (Spice Jet) roamed around the duty free shops then to Marhaba Longue. Flights was on time. First time with spice jet , nice flight good leg space, landed at Delhi 5.20 in the morning, the outside temperature is 8 Degree, it was cold, tolerable and thick smoke was visible when people spoke.

 
Our next destination was Haridwar, the train was at 2.40PM, stored our baggage at metro clock room and decided to take a spin around Delhi, as bhayya promised us to take for the best breakfast in Delhi we moved towards  Paharganj, and we got the worst breakfast :( , then we decided to take a battery riksha and go to India Gate. 

India Gate

Delhi Metro

Cold... Cold.. & Cold

Trying to Escape from the Cold Wind

After Clicking few pics we decided to go to the station as it was raining bad, expecting there will be a nice waiting lounge, but again got disappointed,  we have reached the railway station on time ,  as usual Indian railway train didn't come on time ,train delayed by two hours, it was first time we all are travelling together in a train. 6 hours journey was good and fun. Ate  snacks and dossed off , there was a good competition between kakka n zeddy.. and winner is kakka... :) … about the competition let it be a trip secret……

we reached Haridwar by 11.45 PM, our next destination was Auli, Utterkand , We decided to start our journey only early morning due to the road closer @ Rishikesh. After a quick shower i went off to bed and rest were time passing.....

Day 2

after two hours of good sleep, we were ready to push of from our hotel by 3.15AM, our driver, for coming 3 days, was waiting us there.. nice chap... Sanjay... very careful driver. we enjoyed his company thru our the trip.
we reached Rishikesh about 4.15 AM, but the road will be opened only by 4.45AM hence we had to wait in freezing cold. Temperature would be 6 to 7 Degree Celsius.

The road from Rishikesh ran alongside the river Ganges up to Devaprayag, where the Ganga meets the Alakananda river. At Devaprayag the Ganga came with a lot zeal and energy and met  Alakananda. The two river did not seem to have any commonality between them, expect that they both were in the Himalayas. And then destiny seemed to force them to merge and GOD they did so so gracefully amidst a perfect setting.

The road was pathetic, you need to search for the road a midst the potholes. Our driver was good and used to such roads and hence the drive did not get uncomfortable. We stopped for breakfast close to Srinagar (not Kashmir’s Srinagar, this is halfway to Joshimath). The food wasn't that good, or maybe we did not order the right things.

The drive through the mountains is unlike the ghats we had traveled earlier (i.e, ascending the mountain one way, descending the other). Instead we traversed the perimeter of mountain after mountain after mountain. Seven hours of the same thing.

As we started driving upwards we could see the snow in the distant mountains. We knew we would be there soon. The road became more stiff; part of the road was damaged. The journey was not so smooth it was. The Himalayan beauty is more raw in these areas. Lesser people come here, which means lesser commercialization of the place. Occasionally we passed through villages where we spotted few huts and a few shops, some restaurants.  I have the habit of sitting next to the driver everywhere I go. I feel I catch the best of the views by occupying that seat. There were quite a few places where I feel my heart pounding.

Deep down I could see the snake-like road along the walls of the mountains. There is no room for any wrong turn here.The river which was flowing beside us now looked like a silver thread down below, wriggling somewhere. There is no sound from anywhere. We stopped the music in our car. So, it was sound of the engine of the car and the sound of the Himalayas! A dead silence. I fear to think how the place would be when it is dark. And what about the place centuries ago when our forefathers lived in these areas? How did they survive? Even today saints or sadhus come here to meditate. No wonder this is the place where you get so close to Nature and everything else in life seems so fragile, short-lived and meaningless. Is it worth all the fight for existence in life? The fighting and give-and-take that we indulge in our life and relationships do not bring peace. We get peace here. These mountain ranges have stood here like this for centuries, cradling in numerous  brooks and rivers, trees and animals big and small, least of all one of the oldest civilizations of the world! Time has never been able to wipe it out, neither its contribution. And we are so tiny and insignificant in comparison. I am humbled.

We are almost there. Joshimath, as we know last cable car to Auli is @ 4.30PM we managed to reached there by 3.30 and we were surprised to hear that the cable car is not functional due to the maintenance work, when we booked GMVN Auli Resort they didn't inform us about this, we looked around for the option to go to Auli as only 4x4 can only transport us there as there was heavy snow fall prior to our arrival and 4 feet’s snow on the road towards Auli, we decided to spent one night in Joshimath GMVN and we found someone to transfer us tomorrow to Auli. it was chilling cold... our hotel was under renovation and there was no room heater . 
Going through the torture, we went down to have early dinner and surprisingly the food was better than we expected. It was too cold to venture out for a stroll. With no streetlights it was too dark as well and so we decided to go back to our room.
 It was hard getting hard to used to the temperature , What ever we touched we felt like ice , the wall, the door knob, the key, the bed even, it was hard using the wash room- one has to touch water, The bed and blankets all felt like pieces of ice. Once you have slept in one place, be there. That is the only place that will be warm. Outside your perimeter, its all cold as ice  With this knowledge and two thick quilts over us, we crashed.

Day 3

Good Morning Joshimath..... 

Took us one and a half hour to freshen up and pile on 4 layers of clothing – thermals, sweat shirt, sweater and jacket, followed by two pairs of socks and one pair of gloves and one woolen cap to cover the ears, Gum Boots (This time Dragon Mart Gum Boots helped us a lot ). Breakfast took another half an hour.

All Set for Auli

All are ready for our day 3 adventurous trip to Auli, Our car could not go the last few kilometers of snow-covered slippery road. So we changed our car to 4x4 with snow chain and reached 4KM away from Auli by 11.00AM.

Trekking Started from here... 

Way to Auli

There was couple of feet of snow around. People tried to walk on them. It was very chilly. we had to trek 4KM , thank god we got a porter who can carry our Backpacks if not we will reach may be by sun set, trekking was the tough part, 65 Degree Slops, every 5 Min we needed a short break, we had no water no snacks, i ended up eating snow , it was fun...  some how we managed to reached GMVN Auli Ski Resort ordered hot coffee 

Trekking Break....

Poor Gypsy.... need to wait till snow melts ... another a month may be

Our Hotel out door coffee table and chair

Day 4 - Auli 

Today we decided to try the Ski, as we are @ Asia's biggest Ski resort, we got a Ski Trainer and Equipment for 500Rs per person for a day. 

The first lesson was “Darneka nahi” (do not be frightened) followed by how to strap the ski onto your shoes and what posture to maintain on the ski. So I did about three rounds with the trainers pulling the ski. I had to learn to use the brakes by then (make an ‘A’ shape with the ski). If I wasn’t able to, I should fall on my sides, neither front nor back. It wasn’t easy  to apply the break when you are coming down from slops, after few attempt i was managed to apply the break properly... Phew! Mentally striking off ‘Ski’ from my “To Do” list, it was wonder full experience, remember one things, when you know you will fall down please make sure you fall on the side ways not towards your front (which is really hard) or with your back, you can have serious injury, here is the best example how to fall :P 

we enjoy almost three hours of ski, then decided to go to our hotel and chill our the rest of the day as chair car is not functional due to heavy wind we can not go up to CliffTop to Enjoy the view.  with high expectation about tomorrow we chilled out @ the hotel. 

MEO Ski Team :)

Day 5 : 

Morning Auli....... its good news that the weather is clear and chair car is operating today, but the sad part is that we need to trek about 3 KM down to catch our cab. 

Coming Down.. was easy...

Tired... Waiting for the Driver

we went to cliff top , 4 of us in one chair lift, the view was amazing . there is a small artificial likes which is made for the winter Olympics two years back. we spend almost 2 hours taking photos and decided to head back to the hotel as we know that we need to trek back 3KM and we need to reach the last check point before road closure for the night. 

we managed to get two porter to carry our back pack as it was really heavy. we took almost hour and half to trek down 3 KM due to 4 Feet snow on the road and some parts was very slippery, we didnt take much break as it was downhill. 

we reached our pickup point but our pick up car was not there waiting for the driver almost an hour. finally we reached Joshimath by 2PM and our driver was in hurry. since we have a deadline to cross before 8PM. 

the drive was smooth as usual bhayya was not letting anyone to sleep. poor kaka wanted to sleep badly.  had a quick stop at one of the village for quick lunch, Omlet, Bun and some samoosa's.after 7 PM we don’t know what happened to our driver he was zooming like but very careful  and it was pitch dark, sitting on the front seat at night is not a good place to be , sometime i feel like applying the brakes but sanjay knows what to do and what not to we had full faith in him. and finally we crossed the check point just one minute before the closure, if not we will have to spend a night in some small lodge or guest house and we were sure it wont be comfortable for us. 

finally we recehed rishikesh by 10.30PM, next is looking for the room, we checked couple of hotels near Ganga, but it was really bad , small room n smelly.after checking 3 hotels v got the best hotel (Anadam Resort) just walked in and got good discount from the rack rate and the hotel is really nice, hotel restaurant was closed by then,they were really nice and prepared hot food for us, hot daal curry and rice for the night, as we were really hungry anything was fine with us... zeddy had to go back to home as his dad was not keeping well.. we manged to get a ticket for him next day from Dehradun to Coimbatore. 

after chit chatting about two hours deciding about the plan we slept half past 2........  we were all excited about rishikesh... yes you are guessing right.. we are not there for religious trip.. then what is next??????? bungeee and river rafting...... :) 

it’s a decision making day for me for bungee jumping.. i was in two mood, bhayya was so confident, he was like jessi there is no force or compulsion, if you want to do it with full heart and if you enjoy please do it, i was like i won’t let him do alone...... :) and we dossed off.... next day is rest day for us......