Try this idyll worship

Maldives-level chill. Goa-level prices. And quick flights too. Krabi in Thailand is the perfect vacation loophole amid global tensions and the falling rupee

- VIR SANGHVI

I wrote, a couple of weeks ago, about the enduring charms of the Maldives. My purpose was to suggest holiday destinations that were unaffected by the hostilities in the Middle East and were near India, while still seeming different enough to offer some novelty.

Many people who responded to the article said, “Yes, it looks amazing. But have you looked at the hotel prices?”

They were right, of course. The Maldives has been very expensive for a long time, but it may now be unaffordable because of the plummeting rupee. In fact, many, if not most, foreign destinations now seem out of reach because the rupee keeps sinking.

I resolved then to try to find a vacation destination that was beautiful, had good hotels, was unaffected by the Middle East and its tensions and still did not seem too expensive. In other words, a destination where airfare and room rates were the same as they would be in India. (Though if you are really keen on the Maldives, check the net. Because of cancellations from Westerners who are unwilling to travel long distances during the war and amid flight disruptions, there are some good deals to be had.)

Inevitably, my search turned to what may be my favourite country in the world: Thailand. The problem there is that while Thai rates have not gone up by much, the fall in the rupee has made everything seem more expensive. When I first started going to Thailand, one dollar got you 25 baht. Now it gets you around 32 baht. In contrast, the dollar used to be worth around ₹17 in those days. Now one dollar is worth around ₹93. So complete has been the destruction in the value of our currency that everything abroad now seems too expensive to those of us who earn in rupees.