Great travel stories...

One man's disaster is another man's travel story

We hosted 30 people during the week of Cyclone Gabrielle - the bitch!! 

Most of them were international travelers that now have a wonderful travel story to tell their family and friends back home. It will be an experience that sticks with them. 

After all, it's not every adventure that has you stuck in a 3 story hostel with 30 others, no power and no way out of the area. We all just had to chip in and wait it out.

Walking along the beach and being amazed at the debris, of which we now know was a considerable amount of forestry slash. 

Gazing in shop windows waiting for them to re-open, the city like a ghost town for a few days. 

Getting just a little bit day-drunk...oops, that was me - not so much the guests.

Anyhooo...we did have some fun. Card games were played A LOT. Board games too. Two English travelers had what seemed like a whole backpack of travel games. Cards and dice based mostly. I think every time I sat next to Jen or Shannon they were presenting a new game. Honestly, Every time.

It got me thinking this week about some of my travel adventures. 

In Australia, I got drunk in town and missed the bus back to my live-in job so accepted a lift with some random I met at the bus stop. It went well, but even thinking about that now, I would not recommend it  An hour in a car, through the country, with someone you don't know is not good practice for a young 20's chicky still in night club attire.

Don't do that ladies. Wait for the next bus.

In Turkey, for ANZAC Day at Gallipoli, the British Tour Company had private hire of a night club in Istandbul, for the few hundred on tour. It was fun. All of our bus went and we met loads of other folks. Drank, danced... didn't worry about the liquor laws of the land. 

Then the club caught fire!

Someone threw a small barrel out a window and we clambered out onto what seemed to be a partially demolished building semi-attached to the building we were in. We made our way around the rubble to the front of the building. There were several fire units and people coming down ladders from the front windows. I remember being glad I took the store room window and rubble option as coming down that ladder in a skirt would have been awkward. Funny the things you think about in unusual situations.

The next morning we watched the news report. Not a single westerner in site. No mention. Just a building on fire,

I got stuck in Thailand once, well, sort of. I had another week before my flight out. Bit of a
rooky error but I was fast running out of funds. I tried to change my flight to get out earlier. No luck.  

You'll need to go to the airport and wait on stand-by. That was the advice. Seemed better than spending more funds on accommodation, cheap as it was for the little room with only 3/4 high walls and no fan.

So, off to the airport. Taxi was my option of choice. I don't recall if there were other options but into a taxi I got. He was a lovely driver. We chatted. I told him of my plan to wait on stand-by. He didn't seem overly confident it was a good plan. 

How long will you wait?

Not sure. I can't spend money on accommodation so I guess I'll just wait till there is a plane.

Hmmmm

Oh great! Clearly he thought this could be some time...like days?

We pulled up at the airport. He took a wee clay disk off his dashboard and pressed it into my hand.

You hold this and get home safe.

OK. Thanks.

Waiting on stand-by sucks. Bangkok airport is large. Quite long and narrow from memory and as it turns out, takes about 15 mins to sprint from the stand-by desk to the gate that had a plane, that had a seat for a wee Kiwi stranded at the airport for 2 days.

So, how it played out...I went directly to the stand-by desk. Please, get me home as soon as possible. Details taken, paper work, blah blah...Take a seat miss.

Airport seating is not meant to be comfortable. 

They know!!! you could be sitting there for ages, but you can't LOOK like you've been there for ages. (Actually, same thing happened in a bus depot in Spain). So after having a security guard suggest I sit up and look respectable I decided to go find a wee corner no-one cared about. I lay on the floor under a window. I slept.

When I woke, surprised that I had actually gone to sleep and nothing appeared to be stolen. I figured out I'd been in the airport for near on 24 hours. OMG! I hope I didn't miss being called!

Back to the stand-by desk. No. Missed nothing. You're still on the list.

Hours go by. Bored. Uncomfortable. Hungry. 

And then....Ruthie....please report to the stand-by desk.

Ok, we have a plane but it is waiting to leave. You have 15 mins to get to gate whatever.

Which way

That way. The other end of the airport.

Right! Thanks. See ya...actually...I hope I don't.

And I ran! Like a scene from a movie. I traveled light in those days. My backpack wasn't heavy, it got heavy!! I ducked and weaved and apologized over my shoulder as I kept going....

Made it. Only seconds to spare. I walked down that plane isle with the biggest grin on my face. Of course other passengers didn't know I had just broken light speed to get there, they just registered that the plane had been waiting for a late person...clearly me. Ooops, sorry, not sorry. I'm going home!

I got settled in my seat. Took a deep breath. And then...opened my hand. How could that be? The wee clay medallion from the taxi driver was still in my hand. I tried to recall how exactly I had gone the past 24 hours without dropping it, or remembering it was there. It was the strangest feeling and to this day, I have no idea how it stayed in my hand. I quietly thanked the taxi driver.

I still have the medallion. It now sits on the dashboard of my car. 

Continuing to keep me safe and bring me home.

Cause google is my friend.....and this is most likely why I was able to break land-speed records in Bangkok airport. And stay safe. And get home.

What is the meaning of Thai amulets?

Many Thais believe that Buddhist amulets endow wearers with supernatural faculties. Some amulets are thought to bring success and happiness. Others are believed to protect the wearer against disease, witchcraft, and misfortune.