A Thai getaway – full of firsts

Dana was in Bangkok, Thailand for training and even though Bangkok is nearly 1500 miles from Jakarta, it’s much closer than Cairo. So, since he was “in the neighborhood” I took a few days off work to meet him in Thailand. Visiting Thailand: a first for Dana.

Getting into Bangkok on a Friday evening is never a good idea. Traffic in many world capitols is terrible but Bangkok on a Friday evening certainly ranks up there near the top. However there’s a plus side to everything: On my way into the city my taxi was rear-ended but due to the crawling pace, no injuries were sustained. Getting into a traffic accident in a foreign country: a first for Melissa.

We decided that the beauty of the Andaman Sea was just too close to pass up a side trip for some sun and adventure, so Saturday morning we headed to the airport for our short flight to Phuket. Thailand is the land of smiles and they really capitalize on that slogan. Our Thai Smile flight offered a “Smile Drink” and the flight attendants sure did smile a lot.

We had a full schedule of activities planned for our few days in Phuket, so the first day we just relaxed in the pool. Visiting Phuket: a first for both Dana and Melissa.

The next day we went to the Similan Islands, which are located approximately 50 kilometers off the West coast of Thailand. It took an hour and 40 minutes on a speed boat to get there, but it was well worth it! The water was such a spectacular shade of blue! We visited 4 of the 9 islands and went snorkeling and swimming. Snorkeling: a first for Dana; Seeing a turtle in the ocean: a first for both of us.

The next day we had another full day excursion booked and this time we were headed to Phang Nga Bay, which is all on the eastern side of the Thai coast. This bay has the most amazing and dramatic looking limestone islands, the most famous of which was featured in the 1974 James Bond movie, “The Man with the Golden Gun” featuring “Ro Ger Moore”. That’s how our tour guide said it, like it was three words.

We explored the caves at the base of some of these islands by canoe.  Some of the caves were so low we had to lay down flat in the canoe in order to fit through!  It was pretty crazy, but the reward was an amazing secluded area inside the island full of mangroves and the most fantastic stalactites and stalagmites.  We saw a small crocodile, mudskippers, and a few various other critters.  Canoeing into a cave: a first for both of us.

One of the caves we stopped at we got out of the canoe onto a small beach and the plan was to walk up into the cave and find out why it’s call the “Ice Cream Cave”. I got out of the canoe and stepped over a couple other canoes when I realized that I had lost my glasses! We looked all over even out into the water and moved a few canoes around. Finally, just as our group was returning from Ice Cream Cave, one of the canoe guides found them in the sand. Only packing one pair of glasses and almost losing them: a first for Melissa.

Our last stop of the day was just to swim or relax on the beach.  We rented two beach chairs and an umbrella from the locals.  As we were paying for the rental (a whopping $5.00) two young local Thai girl were super intrigued with Dana’s chest hair and asked if they could touch it.  Dana was a bit flustered by this and we all laughed it off.  We went out and swam for a bit even though the water wasn’t as clear blue as it was out near the Similan Islands.  Dana informed  me that he didn’t like to swim where he couldn’t see into the water.  We were having a nice time until Dana managed to step on the only sharp rock in the vicinity and cut his foot.  We made our way back up to shore and to our rented chairs.  I flagged down our tour guide who suddenly became a doctor.  The cut on his heel was not deep but was about 2 inches long and was bleeding quite profusely.  We got it cleaned up and returned to the boat, ready to end our day.  Receiving attention from multiple females for his chest hair: A first for Dana.  

The next day we headed back to Bangkok exhausted but with some great memories of our adventures in Phuket.  We enjoyed a relaxing evening and went to see a movie.  In Thailand, they take their king very seriously and it’s a crime to even say bad things about the king, but Dana didn’t realize just how revered the king is until we had to stand up and pay homage to the king prior to the movie showing in the theatre.  Paying homage to the King of Thailand at the movie theatre: a first for Dana.

The next morning , my flight was super early (Dana wasn’t departing until later that evening) so after an early breakfast we said our goodbyes and I hopped into a taxi hoping for a less dramatic ride to the airport than my ride from the airport a few days earlier.  As soon as the taxi driver pulled onto the expressway, I felt like I should check my bag for everything, ticket, passport, etc.  I was missing a passport.  I frantically searched my bag hoping to be able to avoid turning around, but alas, there was only one passport in my bag and not two.  I told the driver I needed to return to the hotel because I had left something, all the while trying to contact Dana.  Thankfully, Dana was able to recover my forgotten passport and met me in the lobby.  I headed off to the airport again, my hopes for a non-dramatic airport taxi ride having been completely dashed.  I still made my flight, although I was sweatin’ it on the way there!  Leaving a passport behind: a first for Melissa.

We both eventually made it back to our respective residences, Dana to Cairo and myself to Jakarta.  We’ll see each other again in just about three weeks when we are in San Diego for the wedding.  It was a wonderful time to just relax and not think about wedding plans, to do lists, or the stresses of work.

We’ve put some additional pictures from our trip below, if you’re interested.