by Izsvák Adrienn
PureTravel Writing Competition 2024
The story starts with my friends from Chicago and me in Seoul. We were hanging out, having fun, and joking about going to Thailand. That tiny, innocent idea turned out to be one of the best adventures of my life.
At this point, I had already spent 3 months in Seoul studying at a university and just making it through every week with my strict budget. However, how could I have said no to a 150-dollar round ticket to Phuket, right? So we had the destination, the economical tickets, and as I was feeling like I had defeated the overpriced system, I realized I would be flying to another country in three days. So there we were, at 2 am trying to put together a plan for another foreign country, all caused by a good offer and so-called wanderlust.
96 hours seemed plenty of time at first, but in reality, it was just enough to buy a pair of shorts and to nervously pack my bag. Frankly, I could have organized my schedule better or procrastinated less. But I was experiencing that notorious roaring-twenties-feeling, that “I can do anything”-feeling that led me to find myself on the way to the airport with my backpack checking if I actually needed a visa to enter Thailand.
The first part of the plan went surprisingly smoothly except for the part where I had no idea in Asia you are allowed to have two bags with you, one carry-on and one personal item. My first rookie mistake.
We arrived in Bangkok late at night and tried to find some hidden spots at the airport for the next hours before our next flight at 6 AM. Although I could sleep two hours maximum with my blanket made from my T-shirts I still don’t know how I got through the second flight but there I was on the island of Phuket, Thailand.
After finding a taxi that I am sure ripped us off, we set off to our 5-star hotel. It sounds fancy and it was indeed, however astonishingly affordable. My first time in a resort. We got the princess treatment that I did not mind at all. They took us on a mini golf car to our room, where just the bathroom was bigger than my room at home.
We did not have ample time on our hands. After going for the famous Thai massage, of course, that would have been a sin to miss that out, it was time to enjoy ourselves in the infinite pool during happy hours. I still remember how lucky and outwardly grateful I felt that day.
The second day, our last day in Phuket was packed nevertheless. We went to an elephant sanctuary. My first time seeing elephants in real life. They were huge, massive, and adorable. They showed us how to feed them while keeping our feet safe. We were enlightened about their hardships. Some of the elephants were still suffering from past traumas and we were advised to avoid doing certain moments not to trigger them. I was moved by seeing the locals taking care of these beautiful creatures and giving them the love they deserved.
In the afternoon after a long search, we found a cafe where you could see supposedly the world’s biggest water lilies. The scenery was indescribable and harmonious. Sitting there I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let myself be sunk at that moment. The next time I opened my eyes we were again heading out to the airport with our little morning boxes.
After landing again now in a familiar airport my first thought was “Bangkok and 24 hours”. Hardly enough to taste the wildness of the capital city but more than enough to make me grasp how hot and humid a city can be. Even standing still outside made me drenched and exhausted. Thanks to our lack of research we did not know what we should see. That’s the thing about spontaneity. Luckily I did get my hands on my fourth sticky rice and mango combination that numbed the pain caused by the climate.
At that point I was tired but I felt like “Man, I’m in Thailand—there’s no way I’m not going to make the most of it!” so I set off without a plan. I just took the next air-conditioned subway and went to explore the surroundings. The streets of Bangkook reminded me of Romania, run-down, and old but filled with history and life.
Understandably I could not stay in the scorching sun for long so I ended up in a small local cafe serving the best matcha cake ever and had a nice chat with the owner. He showed unexpected hospitality and shared some local stories with me. Until this day, I have no idea where this cafe was but I still appreciate the eye-opening memory I gained there.
Time flew by and there we were again, at the airport where we had just taken a nap 72 hours ago. We took the 5 hours flight and the Korean climate hit me in the face making me realize what had just happened within a couple of days.
Spontaneity is the only word I would not use to describe myself. This trip reassured me, that I am indeed not a spontaneous person, or rather I am not fond of it. I like planning and searching for sightseeing, and restaurants. However, I chose to tell this teeny story since I got to experience a lot of “my firsts” with this trip. Also to show the world, that it is worth trying to be spontaneous, brave, and adventurous. It is not just about having these stories to tell our kids, and friends or scare our parents, but to see, that the world doesn’t want to frighten us away, instead it offers so much to experience.
Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash
