Summer holidays are no longer just about the hills
Way back in the 1970s, we took our summer breaks very seriously. The minute school was declared shut we would pack our bags and go north. From a long train journey to a nausea-inducing car ride, the final outcome was the same. We had to head to the hills till the harsh month of June was over and temperatures had dropped. Of course, since all of Delhi had the same idea, wherever you went there was no escaping the madding crowd. Even if you went as far as Gulmarg in Kashmir—not a chic ski resort then but, more charmingly, down at heel. One time, my parents bumped into very close friends who were evidently together, sans their spouses. The next morning they had disappeared but before they reached home the news was out and their marriages were over.
Come summer, everything was fair game as long as you stayed in the shade. That was then. Now the trend is to head to the beach and get a tan. Uber cool, young India refuses to be left behind when it comes to all things western and as a result “hangin’” by the sea has become the hip, urban thing to do. Girls in their bikinis and men in their checked shorts, skinny legs et al, with customary chilled “brewsky” in hand dominate the selfie landscape. And everyone is swapping notes on Facebook on how they got the best deal on their villa/airfare/adventure sports course. So much so that when you decide to visit Thailand, you find all the flights are full. Not with the old-fashioned sex tourist (though that never goes out of style); the majority is now the iPhone-toting world traveller chalking up yet another Instagram experience for his digital storyline.
I am told by old-time scuba divers that the traffic underwater in the Gulf of Thailand rivals Mumbai’s rush hour gridlock as everyone and their father has access to a PADI-certified course. Which means the already shy Manta Rays are quivering as another school of humans land in Koh Tao in hot pursuit of underwater sightings.
There is really no place like Thailand to have a great holiday. The concept of affordable luxury is inherent in the greeting sawasdee (derived from the Sanskrit svasti meaning well-being). You can get a great room for $100 per night. The food is amazingly good and the variety is fantastic. Take Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village. On our visit about six years ago, it had everything from a Barbie-inspired bar to the best thin crust pizza. Amazing sushi. Delicious Thai curry with beautiful fat-grained brown rice. The bars ranged from ye olde English pubs to super sleazy karaoke type with abundant lady boys. There was something for everyone.
(This story appears in the March-April 2014 issue of ForbesLife India. To visit our Archives, click here.)