फ Se Phuket | A Longer-Than-Long Travelogue On My Trip To Thailand
STATUTORY WARNING: This a very, very long blog post. Skip to the places' section directly if you want to know more about the places and not my rambling.
Of course, if you enjoy my chaotic rants, feel free to read everything 💃
"Hey, we've decided. India-Goa bohot ho gaya. We're done. Let's go to Thailand this year. Visa on arrival bhi hai waha pe toh woh tension nai hai. But kaise bhi karke, let's go somewhere. Out of this country."
It was Chavi, one of my closest friends from the fellowship who called me. To tell me that she, Apoorva (our third friend) and I need to go to Thailand before 2022 ends.
On a random November Monday afternoon, right before my first call with my manager at work.
I don't remember exactly what I said, but I think, I might have said, "Oh okay, sounds interesting. I'll check with my folks and let you know."
Internally? My overactive imagination was on an overdrive. I was panicking about my family's reaction to this.
Because, let's face it. I'm no nepo kid from Bollywood. I'm an ordinary girl from a lowkey South Indian family which judges other people for splurging on unnecessary trips or lakhs of rupees on gold for weddings.
(No one needs to know that I am at the forefront of judging my relatives - I do that shamelessly. But anyway, that's not the point).
People like us don't generally announce that we're going off to a foreign country in a week's time.
We plan. And panic. And plan some more. And panic a lot more (If you're like my mother).
Yet, a small voice in my head went, let's do it.
I mean. Life, at that point, was... a bit dull.
Work was good, but since the holiday season was around the corner, I didn't have a lot of new campaigns to work on. So that was quite chill.
You'd wonder why I'd call my life dull then. Work was chill, no?
You thought wrong.
My executive management course in business analytics (AKA the reason why I've not updated my blog since ages) was, as always, keeping me busy (and annoyed). Weekends were now a myth and I was constantly under a lot of stress, mentally crucifying myself because I felt like I wasn't doing enough.
Anyway.
I was tired. And frustrated. Of having to work AND study all the time. Having hardly any breaks and constantly being harsh on myself for not putting my 100% into my course. And constantly worrying about not being productive enough and yapping to my 16-year-old-cousin about it every night.
(She, as always, rolled her eyes at me and told me to get over it.)
So, finally, I decided to go with my friends, Chavi and Apoorva
The reactions I got from my family? Was surprising to say the least.
Right after Chavi's call, I called my mom and told her, "Mamma, Chavi, Apoorva, and I going to Thailand next week."
"What?" My mother responded in a shocked tone, as if I'd asked her to sell her kidneys to an illegal organ donation racket. "Have you asked your father?" She gulped.
(She's never been the one to be scared of my dad. But I could tell that she was hoping that my father's pragmatism would prevail and he would, as always, sarcastically talk me out of this crazy idea)
"I'll ask." And I cut the call short and asked my dad if I could go to Thailand, who was right next to me.
"Have you asked your mom?" My dad responded, his eyebrow raised.
"She told me to ask you." I replied.
A part of me, a chindi, I-hate-spending-my-own-money-for-anything-other-than-my-online-McDonald's-Aloo-Tikki-Meal-delivery-on-Zomato part of me, really wanted my dad to be the rational miser that he always was. And be like, "You're being stupid, Ammuda."
But all he did was smirk and go, "If you do go, you deserve it. You're the stingiest person I know, it's about time you spend on something big and not mooch off money from us."
My grandmother, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered and didn't even see what the point was. "What do you mean, let's go to Thailand? You're a Malayali. You see coconut trees in Kerala so easily - why do you need to go to another country for that?!"
And then, before I could say anything, she surprised me, "Why don't you call your uncle? He went there, years ago. He'll know. If he thinks it's all right, then I don't think there should be a problem."
I gulped.
You see, my uncle is a deadly combination of my parents. He's rational, like my dad. But he also has a tendency for melodramatic panic, a trait which he shared with his sister (more commonly known as my mother.) But unlike my mother, who sounds like a Mallu Meena Kumari while panicking, my uncle sounds like a judgmental pastor, who could curse you into damnation for having the audacity to be so stupid.
When I told my uncle that night, though, that I wanted to go to Thailand with my friends. His reaction surprised me the most.
"Sure! Go ahead. Tell your friends to look up on deals at Agoda.com. You'll get better offers for hotel rooms. And get your forex done from Bookmyforex.com."
I couldn't believe it.
My uncle, who would have had a meltdown if I told him I'm marrying a random stranger and I don't know what that stranger's father was doing, was okay with me going to Thailand on an impromptu trip.
"You're... you're okay with this?" I was... shocked. To say the least.
"He's okay with it?" My mother bellowed, all the more aghast. She probably expected that my uncle would go on his Maya-Sarabhai-esque rant too. Heck, I bet she probably actively wished for it.
"Yeah," My uncle quipped nonchalantly. "Just take the public transport to save on money. Be a real traveler, though. Don't go all fancy like a tourist and don't go for any five star stays."
My cousin, though. Was another story.
"You've officially become 20% cool in my eyes." She said, during our daily video call that night.
"What?" I exclaimed, feeling utterly pleased. Because my cousin, you see, was a very hard person to please. And praises from her were rarer than Eid-ka-chaand. "I'm 20% cooler?"
"20% cool." She responded, slyly. "Not cool-er." And cackled.
It was good to see, though, that some people were still behaving normally to this news.
So off I went, to a trip of a lifetime!
A week later, the next Thursday, I took a flight to Delhi, to stay at Chavi's house and work from there. Chavi, too, was working. And Apoorva, our third friend, was supposed to come later with all the Thai Baht.
While it was an exhausting journey (travelling from Mumbai to Delhi is intense, especially on the travesty that is the GoAir airplane), I didn't feel tired, though.
I was excited. And surprisingly, hyper-productive at work. To the point that I attended five back-to-back calls and completed all my work-related tasks on my To-Do list.
Of course, I had great company. Chavi's mom was, as always, so lovely and so warm. And then there was Chavi's Shi Tzu, Laila, who kept coming and would lie down, by my side. Who wouldn't have a blast with such an amazing colleague by their side?
I don't know how... but time just flew by. Then, by 6, Apoorva had arrived. The three of us jabbered, walked around Haus Khaz in the evening and came back home.
Finally, the clock struck 12. And off we went, to the airport. In the middle of the night.
And my God. We were exhausted.
Our flight was at... what? 5:00 AM or so. And we had nothing to do till then, except for wait in the line, all groggily, or roam around the airport.
I don't know how the time flew by, but before I knew it, we got into the Go Air flight. And I slept. Until we were on air and the Phuket airport was visible through the window.
And oh my God, was it beautiful.
Did you know, dear reader, that the Phuket airport was right next to the coast?
I mean, it was unbelievable. There, I was, utterly groggy eyed. And suddenly, the coastline appeared through the tiny Go Air airplane's window. And I was wide awake.
On one end, you could see the airport - completely clear, completely modern. And on the other, you could see the crystal emerald water, serenely welcoming us.
Everyone else around me, hastily straightened up to take pictures. But I was transfixed.
My phone-obsessed self couldn't bring herself to switch on her phone. It was... so unbelievably beautiful.
And I was so mesmerized that I barely realized that we'd landed. I was still in that zone. How could an airport be so beautiful? Why do people keep raving about Mumbai T2 and the Changi airport? This one is so much more natural and so much more beautiful!
I had to snap out of it, because we had to get our visas on arrival.
Luckily, that wasn't as strenuous or strict as I'd imagined it would be. All they asked us was for a photograph (mine was atrocious), a form to be filled out and 2,200 Thai Baht. And in a matter of 15-20 minutes, we were all set.
Immediately, at the arrival entrance, we saw a government approved taxi booth and booked one car to the hotel, Westin Siray.
And the car ride till the hotel? Reminded me a lot of my ancestral village back in Kerala. And that was, fascinating.
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| Image courtesy: Chavi |
Chavi and Apoorva were talking to the driver and they asked him to play Thai pop songs (which, FYI, are super-duper cute). Meanwhile, I was staring out the window, at the Not-Kerala-But-Might-As-Well-Be-Kerala scenery around. A part of me was fascinated, and another part of me could hear my judgmental mother's voice ringing, 'You shouldn't spend so much money.'
That scenery, though, changed when we went uphill. Because that's where Westin Siray was.
And if I thought the airport was beautiful, Westin Siray was so much more.
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| Westin Siray: Entrance |
It was constructed on over a hill-of-sorts, and it overlooked the sea. So, it was like, for each floor, you'd have to climb up or take a buggy (a cart-like car). And you could climb down the stairs to visit the beach below and just relax or kayak, if you were adventurous.
(FYI, I did not kayak. Because I'm not an adventurous person. It's, unfortunately, a truth, universally acknowledged)
When we arrived, we got a sweet coconut drink that tasted nothing like a coconut. It was sweet, but not too sweet. And you felt thoroughly refreshed when you drank it, it was like a cool breeze had just caressed you and swept all your tiredness away.
Then, after a bit of legendary haggling demonstrated by Chavi to get a better (and cheaper) deal, we went to our room.
Our room, too, was fantabulous. Because we had our mini-infinity-pool, which gave us a clear view of the hill, the green surroundings and the hill below.
And before doing the logical thing (to get ready), we decided to dive in. And click 10,000 pictures.
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| That's me, FYI. Trying to look cooler than I actually am |
After what seemed like forever, we finally got ready to hit the Old Town in Phuket
The Old Town's old-school charm
For most part, Phuket looks like a coastal city (or like a modernized, Thai version of my ancestral city, Kozhikode). But the Old Town is... one-of-a-kind.
Predominantly, though, it is said that it has something called as Sino-Portuguese architecture. The roads are narrow, yet well-made. Everywhere you turn, you're surrounded by vibrant buildings, in striking hues that you'd never see in a concrete jungle like Mumbai. Each building has the intricacies of colonial European architecture but has the Chinese aesthetic.
And meandering around the Old Town? It's fascinating.
First, Chavi, Apoorva, and I hunted for a place to eat. And so, we went to Aung Ku Cafe. Complete with flowers and a kawaii (?) aesthetic, it really looked like a cafe from a fairy tale.
By that point, I was exhausted. I was running around like a hamster on a wheel, been on two flights, completed a day's worth of work. The last proper meal that I had had was sad packet of chips at the Delhi airport.
I wasn't in my senses, let's put it bluntly.
And so, I ordered Tiramusu. And stewed over. Because I really needed my energy back. I was not going to be a grumpy granny throughout the trip and get my emotions get the best of me.
Finally, once I was done (and completely happy, because the Tiramisu was a god-send), Apoorva looked at me sheepishly and said, "Bro, I looked up on the internet... it seems Tiramisu has a very small sa percentage of rum in it."
Normally, I would've gagged. I'm a fussy vegetarian and a teetotaler. Not the best combination if you're someone who wants to travel around the world, if you ask me.
But you can't be too choosy if the last meal you've had is a bag of chips. And I'd reached a point where I wouldn't have hesitated to go cannibalistic and eat my worst enemy alive. So that tiramisu? Was really therapeutic.
So all I did was shrug. And giggle a little bit.
Then, after paying the bill, we went again, meandering around the Old Town at twilight. We didn't do anything in particular, just strolled around and bought some stuff - completely taking in the sights, mentally judging the buzzing tourists abound.
Sunset sail to the Coral Island
We, along with a group of people from across the world, got on a yacht and set sail, in the afternoon.
The water was a deep cerulean blue and looked mesmerizing (I realize that I'm using that word a lot, but ah well). The three of us were super excited, because along with the sunset sail, we could go snorkeling at the coast and scuba diving around the main island.
After an hour or so, the cerulean blue water turned into emerald green.The yacht was then anchored and soon, people around us started jumping into the water to start swimming.
I'm not a swimmer. But I happen to have a miraculous ability to make rash decisions without thinking.
And so, I put an orange, box-y lifejacket over my swimsuit and joined the fun.
Did I go atop the yacht and dove, a la Michael Phelps?
No, I didn't. Instead, I dipped my toe gingerly into the water, like a fattu princess, and cautiously climbed down, after hearing the tour guide and my friends shouting words of encouragement.
When I got in though? I could actually feel what Rose from the Titanic felt when the Titanic sank and she fell into the water with Jack. All of a sudden, there was a pit-ish feeling in my stomach. I felt like I was sinking and flapping my arms and legs like a loon from a teeny toon show.
That feeling of not having a concrete ground underneath your feet? Combined with the weight of the salty water that never seemed to end?
Was terrifying. To say the least.
Luckily, Chavi was nearby, and she held my arm, till I could remember that I had a lifejacket on me. My heart was thudding faster than ever before. But then, that was feeling was replaced by an exhilaration that I'd never ever felt before.
I was swimming in the ocean. I was literally swimming in the ocean.
Okay, well, I wasn't swimming. Floating in the ocean and clinging on to my friend (who probably thought I was insane) would be more appropriate.
But it was...surreal. All of a sudden, nothing mattered.
The pressure of studying 24x7. The annoyance I'd been feeling of seeing random strangers becoming soulmates (AKA married via arranged marriage) on Instagram in a matter of ten dates. Nothing mattered.
I felt like... I was living again. To be surrounded by so much greenery and water and just forgetting who I was, for a moment. That? Was... extraordinary.
Of course, it lasted for five minutes.The euphoria of this moment was soon replaced by my paranoia that I was probably ruining Chavi's experience by clinging to her like Vetal to Raja Vikramaditya. And so, I climbed up.
(Chavi, if you're reading this: even though it's been a couple of months since that trip, I really hope that I didn't ruin your experience while swimming and I'm really, really sorry if I did).
Heart still thudding. But I was glader than glad. That I did something different. And something different that didn't involve adding it on my LinkedIn profile.
(I would've loved to do it but prior to the trip, my uncle and my cousin had said that a non-swimmer like me shouldn't go scuba diving for my own safety).
Meanwhile, I sat on a swing and relaxed. I video called my cousin, sent my best friends pictures of Thailand on our WhatsApp group and just soaked in the afternoon sun.
I wanted to go parasailing too, but I wasn't sure if we'd have enough time to do that because I had everyone's stuff with me.
To catch the sunset, the three of us sat on top of the yacht (is that how you say it?) on the roof and prattled on.
And my, my, was that beautiful. And so, so powerful.
The sky was cloudy (cloudier than it had been in the afternoon). Yet, the sun's rays could be seen strongly. It was as if... we were right next to the sun.
(I know, that's impossible but ah well).
And it felt so surreal looking at it. I couldn't help it but I felt so many complex emotions in that moment, that just went beyond 'OMG, let's click a sunset pic for my Instagram'.
Since the last two years, with the pandemic raging, life had royally sucked. On a personal front, the last two years were... catastrophic to say the least.
I'd lost a lot of family, some due to COVID-19 and a couple due to the shock of it all. Words failed to express how helpless I felt over those two years seeing my relatives (the ones who were alive) grapple with a loss of that magnitude. And there were some of my favourite relatives, like my grand uncle (who always commented on this blog) who were having health issues too.
At home, too, things weren't exactly chill and all. My grandpa is nearly 90 now and he forgets. A lot. While his vitals are fine (touch wood), we have to constantly watch out for him.
Sometimes, though, it really breaks my heart seeing him like this. Because my grandpa was my rock. He was always super strong, no matter what. He still is, but it just isn't the same anymore.
At that moment, seeing the sunset, everything came crashing down.
For nearly two-and-a-half-years, I'd witnessed an overwhelming sense of loss, pain and disorientation. Happiness of just being and enjoying life as it was... felt like a myth now.
Seeing something as magnificent as that sunset at Phuket's Coral Island? Was quite astounding.
And another part of me was remembering Rory Gilmor's quote as I saw the sun set and the clouds take over:
This is one of those moments that everything is so perfect and so wonderful that you almost feel sad because nothing can ever be this good again.
Who would've thought that sunsets could have that effect on you, huh?
Oh, to go boho at the Phi Phi Islands!
Or probably it was that we'd woken up super early and my brain was functioning on half-sleep. Why? We got up to go to one of the most adventurous places in Thailand - the Phi Phi Islands.
These are six islands, made of limestone mountains and long sandy beaches. The water, was perhaps, the deepest shade of emerald that I'd ever seen.
Wherever we turned, we saw influencers from Europe to Korea, in a frenzy: posing, strutting and creating content.
A part of me was amazed - at how every moment, every memory was curated to cater to social media.
But then again, I'm not exactly known for my wisdom, so I, too joined the fun.
The three of us took our spot and took about 5,000+ pictures ourselves. As you can see from the picture on the left, we were pretty Instagram-influencer-y too. 😇
The three of us took our spot and took about 5,000+ pictures ourselves. As you can see from the picture on the left, we were pretty Instagram-influencer-y too. 😇
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| Meet the 'Influencer' who has been bugging you with her blog all these years |
Then, we got on board again, to go see the Monkey Islands from our boat. Through my myopic eye (rather my OnePlus's camera), I could see a band of monkeys, diving into the water and grabbing bananas.
The first time I didn't go, because I was lowkey unsure.
The second time? I strapped the boxy life jacket, put on my snorkelling gear and dove in.
As with the last time, it was overwhelming. I couldn't help but flap my feet around and I hung on to Chavi and a sweet lady from the UK.
Then, Chavi asked our tour guide to send in someone, so that person could help me swim.
Immediately, one of the tour guide's helpers dove in and throughout that half an hour, he helped me swim and instructed me how to snorkel.
At first, due to my legendary lack of experience, it was difficult. The salt water kept entering my nose through my gear. I felt my heart racing again and I was, yet again, cursing myself to not know to swim.
Yet, deep within me, an inner voice went, Don't fuck this up, you idiot. Cherish this experience.
That shut my paranoia up, real quick.
And so, after adjusting the gear properly, and having the helper guide me, I dove in again. And saw a world around me, that I'd never seen before.
All the sound that I could hear, had lulled. I could still taste the saltiness of the ocean water.
But it didn't matter.
All that mattered was the emerald green water that embraced me. And the shoal (or school?) of fishes that brushed past me, completely unbothered to see a stranger like me.
Of course, due to my legendary lack of swimming skills, I had to keep coming up, gasp for air, and dive in. Again and again.
But suddenly, I could get the rhythm of things. I could experience life... again.
Later, we went to the main island, Ko Phi Phi Don. Here, our guide took some of us for hiking. Some stayed, because they were exhausted from the swim.
But I? Am not exactly known for rationality.
So I joined the hikers, all chirpily. Like I was freaking Hoodless-Red-Riding-Hood in a blue swimsuit and cotton palazzos.
And halfway through, I crashed.
I was probably the youngest in the group. But my stamina was worse than my 88-year-old grandfather (who has, FYI, a very good stamina for someone his age - touchwood). My legs hurt. My breathing was hollow, like a Dementor was sucking my soul. And I was, yet again, wondering, why do I derive some masochistic joy out of doing things that hurt me?
After resting for about 3-4 minutes, I took a deep breath and started climbing up. Finally, after a lot of huffing and puffing, I reached the first peak.
Even though it was nowhere near as tall as Mount Everest, I still felt a sense of accomplishment. I felt euphoric that I'd not given up to see such a surreal sight - of greenery and the vast ocean, in sync.
Then, I went inside one of the shops and sat down. There, I (and a couple of our group members) sat down and chatted with the tour guide, Lucky. Lucky was a nice, chirpy guy and perfectly sharp.
It turned out, Lucky was my age. And yet... he seemed so much more older.
Perhaps, that was because he'd seen the devastating impact of the 2004 Tsunami and how terribly it had impacted him and his family. I don't remember this clearly now, but I think he said that he'd lost some family too. Which... made it so much worse.
He spoke about it quite nonchalantly, but I couldn't help but feel sad. To lose so much at the age of 7 and yet, to be so optimistic and resilient.
I've seen people who have lost more than him shatter at the slightest setback. But here he was, happier than ever.
With that thought in mind, I went back to the boat, with the rest of the group. After that, we sailed to the Bamboo Island.
After having lunch, Apoorva and I went snorkeling again. This time, though, the water was a lot shallower, so I felt a lot more in control.
Since Apoorva is a national level swimmer, she very patiently guided me how to snorkel.
As a result, I could steadily follow her lead and go deep till perhaps five-and-a-half feet of water. And I could now clearly see the life underwater.
It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
All Things Thai - Mai Khao, Wat Chalong and Old Town (Again)
After a long, exhausting day, the three of us went to our next stay in Mai Khao, a village near the Phuket Airport.
We were staying at Anantara, where we rented a small villa for two days. It was constructed around a lagoon and looked... quite distinctly like a Thai village. It was starkly different from our experience at Westin, which was like a proper hotel.
Anantara felt like a luxe Thai retreat, where you could just kick back and relax.
Our villa too, was very Thai-like in nature. In fact, it was very reminiscent of the oodu-ittu veedu, a style akin to that of my ancestral home, back in Kerala.
(It's fascinating how the Thai aesthetic has influences of Sino, Portuguese and South Indian architecture)
The first evening, we kicked back and relaxed. But the next day, we lazed around the Mai Khao beach (which, it turns out, was the beach that I saw from my flight to Phuket).
And then, we went to the Wat Chalong temple, which is one of the most important temples of Phuket.
This temple, if I'm not mistaken, holds a very special place in Phuket's history. It is also an ode to Luang Pho Cham and Luang Pho Chuang, They were monks who played a critical role in fighting the Chinese Rebellion in 1876 and healed the injured with their extensive knowledge of herbal medicine.
We stayed there for a little while, just basking in the serenity of the place.
What I personally found was fascinating was how on one of the walls, they'd depicted Buddha's story through paintings. That was so exciting because as an Indian, I'd grown up reading these stories and to see another culture's take on what I'd read about was... amazing.
If you're planning to go to Wat Chalong, dear reader, do wear appropriate clothes. That's one place where you can't parade around in a bikini. So do be mindful and not a moron.
Finally, after our trip to Wat Chalong, we went back to the Old Town to do some shopping and gifting.
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And now, with this, I come to the end of one of the longest blog posts that I've ever written.
If you went through this patiently, dear reader, I salute you.
It's been ages since I've blogged. So I guess I literally went all out, huh?
Anyway.
My trip to Thailand last year was very important for my growth as a person.
With the pandemic and the trauma wreaked upon all of us, I (like many others, I'm sure), forgot what it was like to just sit back and not think. My thoughts just revolved around my work, my studies and the acute sense of fear I had for my loved ones.
I forgot how it was like to be carefree again.
In that sense, just disconnecting and immersing myself in a unique environment, was important. It helped me realize how life is...
So much more than hustling 24x7 at work.
So much more than worrying about not finding love.
So much more than so many petty insecurities that creep up within us, as a result of social media.
It was not a trip on my bucket list. But it was a trip that I needed.
Thank you, once again, for reading this.
Stay happy, always.
Much love,
Archie <3
I am mighty glad that you refreshed yourself. May be you will get a chance to learn swimming. Yes, a lot of people get into rather introspevtive melancholy mood looking at sunset. Your writing is chirpy and interesting. Keep travelliing if possible once in While.
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