Bangkok beckons tourists from India

kT.S. Shankar

CHENNAI: A holiday to Southeast Asia is always high on the priority list of Chennai's youngsters, especially those in the IT and ITES sector seeking to relieve themselves of stress.

Now Thailand, especially Bangkok, beckons revellers. A mere three-and-a-half-hour flight from Chennai, Bangkok promises value for money.

Besides its famous nightlife, Bangkok has newer attractions, including an animal safari and the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden and Resort at Pattaya.

Tourists who land at the newly commissioned Suvarnabhumi Airport at Bangkok, located 25 km east of Bangkok and built at a cost of 155 million baht (local currency), get their visas on arrival.

Four flights are operated everyday by Indian (formerly Indian Airlines) from Chennai, be<109,97>sides Thai Airways, under a code-share arrangement with Air India.

For Indian tourists of all ages, the 600-acre Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden provides an interesting experience as visitors can pose for pictures with live cheetahs, tigers and birds. "It is an ecstatic feeling to hug a tiger or a cheetah, as these endangered animals are tranquilised and freely mingle with the visitors at the Garden," says T.C. Gopalan, a Chennai-based financial consultant and frequent visitor to Bangkok. Apart from the coral island on the Pattaya beach, the two-hour Tiffany Show is a must-see for tourists.

Other attractions include an elephant show, and a children's zoo keeps tourists spellbound in the backdrop of a visual treat of orchids, landscaped flower garden and a cultural show.