Allow me to regale you with the tale of my recent escapade to Thailand – a five-day combination of official duty and personal leisure, accompanied by my daughter. From the very moment we set out, it seemed the universe had conspired to present us with a series of, let's call them, interesting incidents:
Starting with a not-so-great feeling and a bout of nausea on the way to the airport, the journey didn't kick off on the best note. Changing clothes in airport bathrooms was an experience I'd rather forget.
Things took an interesting turn at immigration when I realized I had left behind my old passports. The officers asked for the last traveled stamp, which wasn't a part of my plan. I had to persuade them to check their system and find my old passport details, making the process longer than anticipated.
In the midst of all this, I managed to forget to withdraw cash from India to exchange for TBH. Upon reaching Bangkok, my card refused to cooperate at the ATM. A call to customer service later, I finally managed to enable international transactions.
The hotel room on the 17th floor boasted a breathtaking city view, but alas, I couldn't enjoy it due to a jam-packed work schedule. However, the meetings went well, and I must admit, the food and hospitality were top-notch. Kudos to the APAC leaders for organizing a fantastic team event.
Our personal vacation to Phuket with my daughter had its own share of drama. An early morning flight left us sleep-deprived and hopeful for an early check-in at the hotel. Sadly, that didn't happen, and we found ourselves baking under the sun until the room was ready at 3:30 pm. A quick shower and some rest were all we could manage.
Anticipating a great day ahead, we planned a visit to see tigers and cubs. Little did we know, drama followed us there too. My daughter was engrossed in photographing the cubs when a fellow visitor mistook her for photographing her own kids. Needless to say, our mood took a hit after that encounter.
After the tiger adventure, we aimed for a relaxing beach day. Enjoying the sunset and capturing photos like vintage heroines, we thought things were finally turning around. But life had other plans – a sudden encounter with jellyfish left both of us stung and in pain. The irony? We hadn't even ventured into the deep waters. A trip to the hospital and two days of discomfort followed, all thanks to those sneaky jellyfish.
As our saga continued, our time in Krabi was met with rain and room delays due to maintenance. Eventually, we made the best of it, ordering room service and unwinding in the jacuzzi. Little did we know that the AC's resident rat had prepared a surprising noise symphony just for us. Being a light sleeper, I had the front-row seat and center for this peculiar performance, adding another layer of hilarity to our tale.
But the fun didn't stop there. The next day had its own adventure in store. During breakfast, I had a speedy encounter with a waiter who seemed to have a talent for collecting ladles at lightning speed. Left with boiled eggs and a bit of confusion, it made me wonder about the disappearing art of human courtesy. Are we living in the era of automated interactions? Where did basic hospitality go?
The trip to Elephant Care was just fabulous, and of course, we couldn't have drama and miss out on the fun! I was all hyped up to capture the majestic giants on my phone, but guess what? My phone's storage decided to play a little game of hide-and-seek, even after I tried to evict a bunch of apps. Clearly, my phone had its own sense of humor! How convenient!
As we returned to Bangkok, we hoped for a smooth ending to our adventure. But fate had more surprises in store. A floating breakfast request at the hotel turned into a comedy of errors – miscommunication and a surprise guest, a cockroach, on our food basket. Our appetite vanished faster than it took for the basket to float.
A visit to the Buddha temple came with a cash-only entrance fee, leaving us scrambling for the last bit of local currency. As we stood before the Buddha, all I wished for was a safe journey home.
Amidst the ups and downs, we managed to find joy in different cuisines, people, languages, and cultures. And as for the photos we clicked? They tell a story of their own, capturing moments amid the chaos.
Thailand Escapades: More Laughs, Less Luck!!!
Until the next adventure :)
It is very difficult for me to even think about going though a lot of disappointment and frustrations during a leisure work travel. And you have made beautiful memories even out of the worst nightmares and troubles, very optimistic as you are, with clarity and poise. Beautiful Chaos is a captivating and enthralling and you have made a lot of positive outcomes even out of many downfalls and carried your calmness where people will easily breakout. I admire you for that and I keep on thinking how extraordinaryly strong and wonderful woman you are. In the midst of chaos, you found solace, peace within yourself and let it guide through miseries. Can see you have stumbled upon unexpected challenges and…