Volume 1 Issue 2
Sangamam Times
Contributors:
• Vidya Tadanki
• vidyataja@yahoo.com
• Ravi kumar.Bobba-
• Ravikumar.bobba@gmail.com
• Niraja Dorbala-
• dorbalan@yahoo.com
• Kavita Paruchuri-
• drkavitank@yahoo.com
• Hari-
• haritreddy@hotmail.com
• Rajaram and Vijaya-
• rkatragadda@yahoo.com
• Sainath-
• saipphy@yahoo.com
Inside This Issue
A Milestone Called
Motherhood
Health Watch
Against All Odds
Hearty Stuff
Life is Love– Live It
About Thailand
Travelogue
May 2008
MATRU DEVO BHAVA - Vidya Tadanki
“ ‘Mother’ is the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind,” said Kahlil Gibran. Each one of us is fortunate to have a great
mother who relentlessly worked over time in mothering, pampering, spoiling, and loving unconditionally. According to Chi-
nese belief, “there is only one pretty child in the world and every mother has it.” That statement encompasses the enormous
love that every mother feels for her offspring. When we think of our own mother, what is the first thought that occurs in our
mind? Her face, smile, gait or her food? As a baby, the first face that we see and the first touch that we begin to notice is of our
mother. Her days and nights were spent nursing, carrying and cleaning of our diapers. Cleaning diapers extended to toilet
training and nursing soon gave way to showing of the moon while feeding “Pappu with tons of ghee.” Our School started and
she experienced her first anxiety pangs.
Personally, Class 1 for me was a year of surprises. I saw my mother in two forms. One was an extremely worried mom when I
broke my leg. The second was that of a relentless slave driver who made me study 24x7 even during summer vacation while
every other kid played, for I failed class 1 because of lack of attendance. My mother Kameswari was so anxious that yours
truly would have to repeat class 1 (which in the Jandhyala family is unacceptable), that she visited all the temples that were in
the near vicinity. My summer holidays that year were a nightmare. It was all study and no play at all. Thanks to my mother’s
prayers, I passed my re-examination with flying colors and thus became the best daughter that any mother could have! Thank
God! I passed that exam and was promoted to class 2! I owe my 1st class triumph truly to my amazing MOM!
Mothers change their expectations and roles as their kids grow. Their showers of love turn into pangs of anxiety. The exam
results of their kids become the focal point of their lives. Comparisons with cousins and peers become their second nature.
Mothers of teenagers know nothing and teenagers of course know everything. Mothers of college going kids become the un-
paid police force of the family and very comfortably assume the duties of night watch women and phone monitors. Mothers of
married children worry about sons losing weight because of their daughters-in-laws cooking. Those same mothers chew their
lips with tension while daughters are left behind in the sons-in-law’s house. Mothers become grandmothers and soon self ap-
point themselves to the advisory board of raising kids. To put it in a nutshell, Pears. S. Buck rightly said “some are kissing
mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together.”
A day honoring mothers celebrated in many places around the world is Mother’s Day. Mothers often receive gifts on this day.
It is interesting to note the origins of this holiday. In Ancient Greece, this day emerged from a custom of Mother Worship to
2 Rhea, Mother of Greek Gods. In Ancient Rome, this day was dedicated to Cybele, the earth mother. In the United States, it is
celebrated on the second Sunday of May. In 1907, Anna Jarvis started a crusade to found a Memorial Day for women. The first
such Mother’s day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on 10 May 1908. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared
the First National Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day continues to this day to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. occa-
3-4 sions. In most countries including India, Mother’s Day is a new concept copied from
western civilization. In Telugu this day is called “Thalli Kosam.” This year
5 Mother’s Day falls on 11th of May.
6
7 While Mothers day is being celebrated on 11th of May, in this issue, we have de-
cided to throw light on our own unique mother of triplets - Niraja. Her delivery of
8-11 triplets, her trials, her joy, and her triumph in raising three angels Akhila, Madhuri,
and Pallavi. To all our mothers and to us (lady readers), we wish a Happy Mother’s
11-12 Day!
The second unique feature is profiling Rajaram and Vijaya’s journey of love. They
are the only ones amongst our classmates who’ve married a fellow Nirmala graduate.
This issue includes Dr. Kavita, with her article on health, Prof. Sainath on overcom-
ing hurdles, Ravi’s travelogue on Bangkok, and finally Hari’s wishes. We hope
Sangamam Times truly captures your attention and inspires you all to attend the
reunion in Vijayawada on 26th & 27th July, 08.
 Sangamam Times
A Milestone Called Motherhood– Niraja Dorbala
Ask any child and it will proudly
declare: “My mother knows
everything!” And why not –
motherhood is perhaps a unique
school exclusively meant for
women. It imparts an education
for shaping a life and making a
future. Find out what our friend
Niraja has to say about her own
wonderful experience of being
the proud mother of triplets.
'Having a baby is a step in an
unending series of transforma-
tions for women'. I cannot agree
more with this statement as it
goes to the heart of my own
process of experiencing mother-
hood.
I am the proud mother of 3
lovely girls. They are actually
triplets. This is a rare phe-
nomenon to most folks. But I
consider myself blessed since I
had to undergo the pangs of
delivery only once. I am sure
the curiosity bug has bitten you
and you are wondering how I
managed to do that. Actually, I
had undergone a medical proc-
ess called In Vitro Fertilization
(IVF) treatment. The kids were
born at 36 weeks weighing al-
most 4 pounds each and they
were in the ICU only for a day.
They were so much like their
mother!
To tell the truth, we were not
expecting triplets. It was there-
fore quite a shock to hear the
news and it took us a couple of
months to get used to the idea
of managing three kids at one
time! We even visited the Neo-
natal care to get ourselves pre-
pared for preemies. I can write
pages and pages regarding my
experiences but I do not want to
bore you all with those details.
My lovely husband helped me
out the first six months. But
little did I know that this was
going to last for 6 months only.
(Ha ha ha)! As all the mothers
know, babies need feeding once
in about 3 hours in the begin-
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ning. My husband would help
me with one feeding session
during the night. Each feed-
ing session took about half an
hour. So there was only
maybe an hour for me to relax
between the sessions, not
forgetting the diaper changes
required in between! Sounds
busy …. but I did not have a
spare moment to think about
all this at that time. My
mother in-law was with us for
a month so I was spared the
chore of cooking for the fam-
ily and could spend my time
taking care of the kids. Feed-
ing and changing were done
at the same time for all the
three kids to ensure that I did
not miss any one!
“Having a
baby is a step
in an unend-
ing series of
transforma-
tions for
women”
More credit has to go to my
parents. My dad used to drop
by almost every day from
work for an hour and spend
time with the kids. That was
the time I could truly relax.
And on the weekends my
mother was there cleaning the
house and helping me with
the laundry.
In the first month I used to tie
colored ribbons on the wrists
of the kids after feeding to
remind me that they were fed.
After that I got used to telling
them apart which meant I did
not have to depend on col-
oured bands anymore! Peo-
ple tell me that it must be
easier now that they are
grown up. It is never easy for
parents at any stage; every
stage has its own tests and
tribulations. We need to
adapt and improvise. I got
used to feeding two kids at a
time after a couple of months.
So I used to put one of them
(Pallavi) in the swing (which
she loved) and after feeding
the other two (Akila and Mad-
huri) I used to feed her. At
six month they got used to
holding the bottle and so I
used to just prop the bottle
which was a further relief.
Mixing the milk was a big
task. I used to mix all the
milk for feeding in the day-
time at one go and another lot
for the night. There were 21
bottles (7 each) which needed
to be boiled and dried out. It
was like a factory’s assembly
line with all the bottles lined
up, measured powder poured
in each, then water added and
finally the mixture stirred up.
I was so happy when they
turned one year because it
meant I did not have to do all
that any more.
I had and still have my own
share of difficulties with 3
kids. But I would not trade
the love and joy that they
bring me for anything in this
world. They are almost 12
years of age now and I hope I
will be echoing the same sen-
timents in future.
After you have a baby, you
may be surprised by the way
you perceive the people
around you. You might find
yourself becoming more in-
terested in the community of
women than you were in the
past. Motherhood does have
its moments!
 Volume 1 Issue 2

Health Watch— Dr. Kavita Paruchuri
I am a practicing Anesthesiologist; attached to a cor-
porate hospital in Hyderabad. I do a lot of Plastic sur-
gical and orthopedic work. Being married to a Plastic
Surgeon and having done a lot of cosmetic surgeries, I
thought something about cosmetic surgery would be
more interesting to you guys. When I said ‘done a lot
of surgeries’ what I actually meant was I administered
anesthesia to those patients and counsel them. (Believe
me some patients are very tensed up before surgery)
They often run high dependency ICUs. They are in-
volved in abolishing pain during child birth and
emergency medicine, resuscitation, major accident
care etc.
Anesthesia is now very safe with almost nil mortal-
ity. This credit goes to our biomedical engineers
who have brought out sophisticated monitoring tech-
niques. With all these modern gadgets any complica-
tions related to anesthesia are drastically brought
down. But as we teach our juniors the best monitor
in this world is the anesthesiologist.

What is anesthesia? This term was coined in the first Any patient coming in for surgery is carefully moni-
century AD to describe some numbing effects caused tored by a competent person and never left alone. I
by a plant. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes An- will explain in brief few procedures of cosmetic sur-
esthesia as a 'defect in sensation'. gery.
The Encyclopedia Britannica
The branch of cosmetic surgery is one of the young-
describes Anesthesia as a est surgical branches. For those of you on the other
'defect in sensation' side of the equator news about cosmetic surgery
must be fairly common. Hearing about Liposuction,
It can be described as a sleeplike state that makes pos- Tummy tucks and nose jobs is not something new. I
sible painless surgery. will briefly describe it in the Indian scenario.
Anesthetic practices date from ancient times, yet the
evolution of the specialty began only in the mid nine- Beauty & Wellness has been so much on everyone’s
teenth century and only became firmly established less mind now as it had never been before. We have been
than six decades ago. practicing for over a decade now and the number of
patients coming in for cosmetic procedures has in-
Anesthesia has been included in general medical prac- creased by about four times. Its like no body wants
tice only after William Morton publicly administered to age.
ether to Gilbert Abbott on 16 October 1846 at Massa-
chusetts General Hospital Boston.16 October happens The most commonly asked procedures in India are
to be world anesthesia day. Rhinoplasty or Nose job
Liposuction
Before anesthesia, surgery was a terrifying last resort, Tummy tuck
a final attempt to save life. Few operations were per- Face lifts thank fully none of us is in that age
formed. Patients were held strapped down, some group)
fainted, and many died.
Anesthesia allowed surgeons to take more time to be I will give a brief description of Liposuction.
more accurate and under take more complex proce-
Liposuction is a procedure for men &women that
dures to save lives.
can help sculpt the body by removing unwanted fat
from specific areas like abdomen, hips, buttocks,
Today anesthesiologists are highly trained and skilled
thighs, calf, upper arms, chin, cheeks, and neck.
physicians who provide a wide range of patient care.
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 Sangamam Times

During liposuction the surgeon removes fat tissue which has a number
Health Watch (Continued) of fat cells. The fat cell mass that was removed does not regenerate,
so the results are permanent. However the remaining cells can con-
tribute to increase in weight if not maintained by diet and exercise.

THE SURGERY

Fat is removed through a small cannula (tube) inserted

through one or more small incisions, placed near the area to
be suctioned. These incisions, which are about 4cm long, are
placed in such a way that they are hidden. The cannula is
connected to a suction device to aspirate excess fat in a pre-
cise manner. Sometimes the fat is reinjected in other areas to
improve the contours. There are many refinements and varia-
tions in liposuction. The surgeon chooses the best technique
suited for a given patient.
As I have already explained, Liposuction is not a procedure for weight
reduction.
We always ask our patients to get active and lose as much weight as
they can before they come for surgery. Definitely a high degree of
motivation is required, but it’s your body and your life. So investing
in just a pair of walking shoes is all that is required. Then give your-
self 30min thrice a week before you seek a Plastic Surgeons’ services.

BEST CANDIDATES
I hope I have given an insight into what actually happens in operation
People with an almost normal weight with firm elastic skin, theatres. I conclude and if any of you need any information regarding
who have pockets of excess fat in certain areas and who are any surgeries or any advice regarding whom to approach please let me
otherwise physically healthy, psychologically stable and re- know.
alistic in their expectations. It may benefit marginally over-
weight individuals, in reducing weight and motivating them
to further reduce weight. But this is not a procedure for
weight reduction.

ANAESTHESIA

Type of anesthesia depends upon the extent of liposuction.

For small volume liposuction, local anesthesia with sedation

suffices. It can be done as a day care procedure.

General anesthesia is required for large volume liposuction.

A hospital stay of one or two days is required.

BEFORE SURGERY

It is necessary to discuss in detail the following issues:

a) Combining other minor aesthetic procedures.
b) Your complete medical history
c) Desire to further lose weight and to undergo other aes-
thetic procedures like tummy tuck and liposuction of arms.

AFTER SURGERY

The following minor inconveniences may be experienced:

#Pain, swelling, bruising, loss of sensation of that area,
numbness.
#you will be required to wear a pressure garment for about 3-
4 weeks.
#you will be advised to under take strenuous exercise after
about 2 weeks.

DURATION OF RESULTS

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 Volume 1 Issue 2

Just to give you all a feel of our astonishment here is what some rudimentary
research threw up. Tobacco consumers in India constitute almost 17% (about
Against All Odds– Sainath 180 millions) of the global consumers. In 1996, almost 800,000 people died
in India from tobacco related diseases; there were 150,000 cases of cancer,
A few months back, I had to visit the district headquarters at Anantapur, 4.2 million cardio-vascular diseases and 3.7 million chronic respiratory dis-
Andhra Pradesh, on some personal work. I had just boarded the bus on eases the same year (Yach and Derek; “Tobacco consumption in India; Jour-
my return journey when I heard a voice ask me, "Excuse me, can I take nal of Public Health Policy, 2003). It is also estimated that about 20% of
the seat next to you?" I looked up and saw that it was a young girl of Indians consume liquor in some form. The number of people consuming
about 18 years. She was evidently going back home after college. I alcohol in India is about 1 in every 20 (“The Globe, Issues 3 & 4, 2001).
moved over and she sat down. She recognized the ensign of my Univer- The official smilingly referred us to the village headman who explained the
sity and started grilling me about various matters related to the field of details to us. Nobody in the village minded a bit of a swig of country liquor
education. once in a while. But there was one sod who drank like a fish and soon had to
kick the bucket with liver cirrhosis. Being a closely knit community, they saw
I then noticed that we had already passed the town and were way out- how his widow had to suffer with her children and decided that they would
side the outer limits. Unable to resist, I asked her where she was going no longer touch liquor or allow it to be entertained in their village. Later on,
to disembark. She told me a village's name and I could not but help when the damages of smoking and chewing tobacco were shown to them,
feeling surprised. It was a clean 50 Km. from her college! A rough calcu- they added tobacco too to the list of banned items.
lation showed me that she had to leave house almost at 6.00 A.M. every The beauty of the whole story was that this principle was totally self imposed
morning, take the return bus at about 5.00 P.M. and would not be home and conducted without anybody administering it. I asked them if it was not
before 7.00 P.M in the evening! difficult to follow it. “It certainly is”, replied the headman.
“But ever since we gave up on liquor and tobacco, we are able to save much
How did she put up with the rough schedule? Did she not find it taxing money. Now we have built our own community hall and also have made our
on her ability to study? "On the contrary," she told me. "I find the chal- own school building without depending on the government. We are waiting
lenge to be a stimulant enough. You see, I want to make something out for a teacher to teach our children.” He further clarified that the saved money
of my life. I have seen how my parents have struggled to make me come clearly gave a better quality of living and the people were beginning to see the
to this stage, how much they have supported me. I owe at least this difference in their lives. So they voluntarily kept away from this stuff.
much to them."
The first victory, like the very first point in the charter of Alcoholics Anony-
I felt very humble sitting next to her. Often in life, we take so many mous (AA), is more of a moral victory and is accomplished by recognizing
things for granted. All the while, out there, there are people to whom life what constitutes a debilitating influence in our lives or by recognizing what
is a constant saga of struggle and strife. In truth, who is really the victor can be a catalyst for a better quality of life. The great sportsman Michael
and who is the one who has lost? Contrary to what most people imagine, Jordan is known to have believed that the odds are always going to be
our defeats are born from within us itself. Thomas Alva Edison was once stacked against us when we set out to achieve something. Self control and
asked as to how he treated his failures. The famous reply was. “There determination are perhaps the only weapons and tools that one needs to fight
are no failures – only steps to the ultimate success.” against these odds, with oodles of patience and perseverance thrown in. Fal-
Stories of success are invariably scripted by people who admit that ob- ling is an agreeable option, but accepting failure is not.
stacles are a part and parcel of life and still plough on with what needs I find no better way to end this essay than by recollecting for all of us, the last
to be done. Self motivation is the key that opens the doors to working paragraph from an inspiring poem (The Winner’s Creed) which was hung in
great miracles. I recollect one incident that took place when we were on the locker room of our University cricket team. It perhaps sums up the right
our annual Village service program. attitude to imbibe when facing the odds:
We had bounced along country tracks and non-existent roads on a trac-
tor that ruthlessly threw us around in space as we hung on for dear life, Life’s battles do not always go
before depositing us into a village - Siddapuram. As we coaxed our bat-
tered bodies back into a semblance of working condition, the revenue
To the fastest, fittest or strongest man.
official who accompanied us revealed something startling. Sooner or later the one who wins is
“Sir, this village is totally liquor and tobacco free” he announced. He who says: “Yes, I can.”
“What?” we all exclaimed. “How is that possible?”

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 Sangamam Times

Hearty Stuff from HARiT.

Good Morning...!!!

Sweet things are easy 2 buy,

But sweet people are difficult to find.
Life ends when u stop dreaming, hope ends
when u stop believing,
Love ends when u stop caring,
Friendship ends when u stop sharing.
So share this with whom ever u consider a
friend.
To love without condition... ......... .........
To talk without intention... ......
To give without reason...... ......
And to care without expectation. ......is the
heart of a true
Friend.......

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 Volume 1 Issue 2

Life is Love– Live It– Rajaram & Vijaya

I am reminded of a par-
ticular tender moment
from the 1989 Hollywood
blockbuster comedy
“When Harry met Sally”.
The character of Harry
Burns meets Sally Albright
and declares, “I came be-
cause when you realize
you want to spend the rest
of your life with some-
body, you want the rest of
your life to start as soon
as possible.” It always
sounded to me as one of
the most memorable thing
you can tell someone you
love.
spond. Find out what they have
to say!
1) What is the single most thing
that you like about Vijaya/
Rajaram?
V: Rajaram is funny and
very easy going.
R: Vijaya is very straight
forward and tells you what is ex-
actly on her mind.
2) When did cupid strike you
both?
No Idea....May be when
we were in class ten.
3) When did you decide to get
married?
When we did not have a
choice....
Haven't come across that place...Yet....
9) How do you relax after a stressful holiday?
By taking one more holiday...:)))
10) Your marriage date?
12/04/1994
11) Who chose your son's name?
We both did. We named him Nathan....
12) Who is the boss in the house?
I guess we both are...
13) What is the secret of your happiness?
Ignoring each other and yelling at each
other....
14) Any message to other married couples?
Life is toooo Short....Have fun & Understand
each other....
The Happy Family

4) What is Rajaram's strength

Well, we are giving below and Vijaya's strength?
an account of some real
Each Other....
candid and tender things a
5) For how long have you known
lovely couple has to say
each other before taking the
about each other. Rajaram plunge?
and Vijaya have been hap-
I cannot remember, I
pily married for 14 years guess it is Thaaat Loooong.....
now and are clearly bask-
ing in mutual admiration
6) The most memorable moment
for each other. Sangamam
When Nathan was born...
Times presented them
7) Give us your birthdays
with a questionnaire con-
Rajaram: 11/09/67..
taining 14 questions – one
Vijaya 10/10/68
for each anniversary they
8) Favorite destination for en-
celebrated together - and
joying a holiday
requested them to re-

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 Sangamam Times

About Thailand– Ravi

I. Introduction to Thailand and Thai Culture

After working for 5 years in Abu Dhabi, I decided to shift to Bangkok. Bangkok has the reputation of being a bad place
for kids to grow up in. However, after staying here for 3 years, I can say with confidence that my decision to shift was not
that bad.
Let me start with briefly writing about Thailand. The country's official name was Siam and was later renamed as Thai-
land (Land of free) and officially called as “Kingdom of Thailand’. Bangkok is the main centre and capital city of Thai-
land. Most of the Thais (except in Bangkok) will call their capital city Bangkok as “Krung Thep” (City of Angels).
Since the political reform of the absolute monarchy in 1932, the form of government has ranged from military dictator-
ship to electoral democracy; but all governments have acknowledged a hereditary monarch as the head of state. Currently
it is His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej “King Rama IX”. Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand and a major-
ity of Thai citizens (95%) follow the same. However, there is absolute freedom for other religions including Muslim,
Christianity, Hinduism or Sikhism. For example one of the most famous temples is Wat Khaek Silom or Sri Mahamari-
amman Temple, dedicated to Goddess Uma, consort of Shiva. It was built around 1879 by a group of Indians and is
popular even with the Thais.
The Buddhist religion is considered sacred by Thai’s. Monks, temples, and Buddha images are everywhere and we should
treat them with great respect. One of the most distinctive Thai customs is the wai, which is similar to the Indian namaste
gesture. On the other hand, a notable social norm of touching someone on the head may be considered rude.
It is very difficult to survive without learning Thai in Thailand. However I have managed to survive by learning just a few
words. I have shared them below for your benefit!
hello sawadee (krup/ka) you khun
how are you sabai dee mai (rising tone) he, she, they kao
i’m fine sa-bai dee us, we rao
thank you kharb khun what is your name khun chuu a-rai
bye bye sawadee yes/no chai/mai chai
see you again pob gan mai (rising tone) you’re welcome yin dee
excuse me / sorry khar toort welcome to… yin dee tawn rap
phom (male) dee chan (female) or simply
I, me never mind mai pen rai
chan

II. Places to Visit in Bangkok

Wat Phra Kaew, Temple of the Emerald Buddha: This is Thailand's most important and sacred tem-
ple. It houses the tiny (60 and 75 cm) Emerald Buddha, which is located high above the heads of
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 Volume 1 Issue 2

the worshippers and tourists. It's thought to have been made in the 15th century. The 'robe'
adorning the Emerald Buddha is changed 3 times each year by the King himself, at the start of
each season: A diamond encrusted gold robe during the hot season, a solid gold robe in the cool
season and a gilded monk's robe in the rainy season. Also in the compound is the Royal Pan-
theon, housing statues of the first seven kings of the reigning Chakri dynasty (Rama I - Rama
VII). The Pantheon is open only on April 6th, the anniversary of the founding of this dynasty.
After exiting Wat Phra Kaew, one enters the adjoining Grand Palace.
The Grand Palace: Despite its proximity to Wat Phra Kaew, there is a distinct contrast in style between the two. The
Grand palace has more of a European inspired design with the roof being an exception. The Grand Palace is nowa-
days used only for occasional ceremonial purposes and is no longer the royal residence.
Wat Pho: This place is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres, it is the largest Wat
in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too, as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's
capital. The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to
illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decora-
tion, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha. The large grounds of Wat Pho
contain more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most from the ruins of the former capitals Ayuthaya and Sukhothai.
The grounds are split in two by Chetuphon road. The northern section is generally the only one most people go to,
and it includes a large bot (temple hall), enclosed by 394 bronze Buddha images. Outside the bot, there are 152 mar-
ble slabs depicting the second half of the epic Ramakian (our own Ramayana).
Thai Massage: Thai massage is quite famous all over the world. Wat Pho also houses Thailand's first university
and center for traditional Thai massage. If you want to experience traditional Thai massage, this is probably the
best place available and is highly recommended, though be aware that it's not exactly a gentle experience!
Floating Market: Totally chaotic, small canals are filled with flat boats piled with fresh fruits / vegetables each jockey-
ing for position and paddled by ladies ready to stop and bargain at a moment’s notice!

III. Places to Visit around Bangkok

Pattaya: Pattaya is a popular resort 150 km south-east of Bangkok and most famous for beaches and for all kind of
sports. However, some of the beaches are lackluster and rampant over-development has long since destroyed any
natural charms they once held. Most are within a 2.5 hours drive from Bangkok and 1-2 nights stay is recommended
for sightseeing. Main places of attraction are Underwater world pattaya, Institute of Marine Science Aquarium & Mu-
seum, Alcazar show (see photo attached), Oasis world, Elephant Village, Monkey Training Centre, International
Snake Show, Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden (see photo attached), Bottle Art Museum, Rip-
ley’s Believe it or Not, Gems Gallery, Crocodile Farm, Beaches (Pattaya Bay, Jomtien), Flying, paragliding (see photo
attached) and Skydiving etc.
Sri Racha Zoo: Sriracha Tiger Zoo is located on the way to Pattayya, just an hour’s travel from Bangkok. Situated in an
area of 10 acres, the zoo consists of more than 200 Bengal tigers and 100,000 crocodiles. In addition to various kinds
of animals, it also provides many activities to enjoy. They have several shows like “Amazing Circus”, “Crocodile
Show”, “Elephant Show” etc.
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 Sangamam Times

Kanchanaburi: A two day stay is recommended here. Khanchanaburi is most famous for the Bridge over the River
Kwai built during World War II along Thai – Burma Railway line, JEATH War Museum, War memorial cemetery
and Water falls. JEATH stands for Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland. It's an exact duplicate
of the huts POWs and laborers were housed in during the process of building the famous bridge. The bridge was of-
ten attacked and destroyed by allied forces during the war. During one such attack the Japanese ordered the POW's
to stand along the bridge as deterrence to the allied fighters and bombers, but to no avail; the bridge was destroyed
along with the POW's. There is still a small tourist train that runs back and fourth across the bridge every fifteen
minutes or so. The Kanchanaburi War memorial cemetery is located on Saengchootoe Road, opposite the Railway
Station. It contains the remains of 6,982 war prisoners who lost their lives during the construction of the "Death
Railway."

Sai Yok Noi Waterfalls: They are located 2 km from Nam Tok station and about 62 km from Kanchanaburi. Its land-
scape is one of the most beautiful places in Thailand.

Phuket: Phuket is a popular beach resort. Domestic airlines operate several flights daily between Bangkok and
Phuket. We should plan at least 2 – 3 days to cover the place. Given below are some of the places one must see while
at Phuket.
Fantasea: Phuket FantaSea bills itself as “the ultimate cultural theme park”. The theatre opens at 20:30 and
guests start filing through security. Cameras and storage devices of any kind are strictly not allowed inside.
In the magnificent Palace of Elephants - a state-of-the-art theater with wonderful acoustics and seating
3,000 persons - baby elephants and young tigers will pose for a photograph with you – for a fee! Starting at
21:00 hours, the theater puts on a spellbinding show combining culture and illusion that is almost beyond
belief. While the eye is treated to modern effects like smoke, explosions, lasers, rain, soaring people, the
brain gets insights into Thai culture in the form of traditional dances from different regions of the country,
shadow puppets, and a fascinating wardrobe of traditional Thai dresses. The show also employs goats, roost-
ers, water buffalo, and doves in supporting roles to elephants!

Patong Beach: Patong Beach is very famous with its white sands and clear waters.

Phi-Phi Island: Phi Phi is Thailand’s island-superstar and has also been seen in a lot of Indian movies. It is
reached through ferry service from Phuket. The calm beaches permit scuba diving. Sheer cliffs tower over-
head and suddenly give way to beach-fronted jungles. Phi Phi is affordable contrary to identical destinations

elsewhere which come with high expenses. You might be surprised – that perfect beachfront room costs much
less than you expect!

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Travelogue– Thailand

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 Sangamam Times

Travelogue– Thailand (Continued)

Floating Market Crocodile Taking Class

Elephant Village Family Photo With Chimp

“Memories are the threads that hold together the patchwork

of friendship”

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