Asia Adventure

by Rye Taylor (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

A leap into the unknown Thailand

This is a short story from Thailand that I keep telling everyone who is asking me about the unforgettable travel experience. I will never forget the frightened, old Thai lady that we met on the flight from Phuket to Bangkok. As we’ve been traveling on a budget we thought it was a good idea to spend a night at the airport before catching our early morning flight. When we finally boarded, all I was dreaming about was a nap. At that time, I didn’t know that it will never be going to happen. I was about to spend this short flight with the most annoying, yet cute co-passenger that I will never forget. When I finally found my seat and was ready to start my awaited nap, SHE sat next to me. Imagine the lovely 60-70ish Thai woman who is giving you a massage in Thailand. This is how she looked like. She wasn’t smiling though. Her entire body was shaking, she was TERRIFIED of the upcoming flight. She couldn’t speak English but it was clear that she’s never been on a plane before. Even though she was talking all the time, I didn’t understand the word. She was hugging me, scratching me, and nestling into my scarf for the ENTIRE FLIGHT. I felt sorry for her but on the other hand, she was violating my personal space. Her behavior was way out of my comfort zone. When I finally found my seat and was ready to start my awaited nap, SHE sat next to me. Imagine the lovely 60-70ish Thai woman who is giving you a massage in Thailand. This is how she looked like. She wasn’t smiling though. Her entire body was shaking, she was TERRIFIED of the upcoming flight. She couldn’t speak English but it was clear that she’s never been on a plane before. Even though she was talking all the time, I didn’t understand the word. She was hugging me, scratching me, and nestling into my scarf for the ENTIRE FLIGHT. I felt sorry for her but on the other hand, she was violating my personal space. Her behavior was way out of my comfort zone. Finally, when this nightmarish flight was coming to an end and the plane landed, a Western guy approached me. He said ‘thank you for taking care of my future mother-in-law’. I was shocked and all I could think about was: ‘WTF?” The plane was NOT full and I am pretty sure he sat on the other side of it only to get rid of his girlfriend’s annoying mom…