Spices and Travel

You are greeted by his fearsome personality in the arrival lounge of Suvarnabhumi international airport. His blue green face, a snarling mouth, and curving tusk-like canine teeth makes you shudder. You meet him everywhere in Thailand, in form of Khon masks, souvenirs, paintings and as guardian of all major temples. Have you wondered about this fierce character? He is Ravana, or tosakanth in Thai, from the Indian epic Ramayana; its main protagonists are King Rama and his wife Sita and the antagonist, the dreaded evil personified, Ravana. Of course, the main theme, as in any classic drama, is the victory of good over evil. The saga began when besotted by Sita's beauty, Ravana, known for his weakness for beautiful women and virility, abducts and whisks her away to his kingdom. There are two significant encounters that would shape the course of Ramayana: Ravana molests Vedavati, the beautiful hermit and forcibly takes her; and, Vedavati prophesied, before killing herself in a pyre, tha

After months of dreaming about visiting Thailand, I find myself living in Ao Nang, a beautiful little village by the Andaman Coast. Its idyllic beaches, limestone cliffs, emerald waters do not seem real. I have to pinch myself at times. The village itself is not spectacular in terms of architecture. The legendary friendliness of Thai people is not an exaggeration though. They welcome you into their hearts and homes, which is a bonus as you get to sample the delicious Thai cuisine - home style… But true to my blog name 'wandering gypsies', I feel restless in my one bedroom villa. I feel too settled. I even have a cat named Trouble… My backpack seems to be gathering dust… it beckons me and yesterday I stuffed it to the brim and it felt good on my back. Maybe it is time to move on again.