As always, I kept my New Year’s tradition and decided where to go in December. I’m not usually a last-minute traveler, but for some reason, for the last 7-8 years, I’ve always decided where to go in late-November or early-December. That’s how the circumstances play out.
All the decisions I previously made abroad have all been spot on. I’ve always gone to Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil at the last minute, and I had a wonderful time on New Year’s Eve. Part of my heart lies in Latin America, that’s for sure, but this New Year’s Eve, I felt like I wanted to do something different.
For some reason, the Far East always came to mind. The Far East held a certain appeal for me. Of all those places, I’ve only ever been to India, again for work, to market Hitit Solar’s technology. Four times, in fact. Marketing CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) Parabolic Trough (Direct Steam) generating technology in a price-driven market like India wasn’t easy. Nothing came of it, but it was a rewarding experience. I’ll write about my experiences at Hitit Solar in the future.
Of course, while India boasts a vast culture, the Far East is a region beyond it. The places I was most curious about in the Far East were Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I initially focused on three countries but then changed my mind and settled on Thailand and Singapore. My main reason for going to Singapore was business-related. A major photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer in the region had a factory in Singapore. Naturally, I arranged a meeting with them.
I organized the actual vacation in Thailand. There are a few reasons I chose Thailand. It kept coming up in my friends’ stories, and they always spoke highly of it. Secondly, Thai cuisine is one of my three favorite cuisines in the world (the others are Peruvian and Italian). Furthermore, the surrounding islands have even been featured in Hollywood productions. I was particularly curious about Phi Phi Island after watching the movie The Beach.
I focused on two cities in Thailand I’d heard about before: Phuket and the capital, Bangkok.
A vacation that began with work
While making reservations, I once again randomly looked at hotels. I came across a local chain in Phuket: Dusit Thani. It sounded interesting. I decided to try a local chain and booked. My first impression of the hotel remained unchanged. It was a nice hotel, but not a great one. The lobby, pool, and beach were nice. The rest was just okay. Ultimately, it met my needs. We had a pleasant time at the hotel.
Thai musician in the lobby
As you exit the hotel to the garden
General view of the hotel from the background
I landed at Phuket International Airport via a connection immediately after my flight from Bangkok. Crowds of tourists from all over the world were crowding the airport. My first impression of Thailand’s world-famous tourist island wasn’t very positive. Don’t let the word ‘international’ in the airport’s name fool you; it was small and crowded. The driver who was supposed to meet us kept us waiting for 40 minutes, and we waited in the heat for a long time, amidst the crowds and chaos, late into the night.
The next day, I worked until three in the morning. There were things to do. I was physically in Phuket, but my mind was still in Istanbul. Beyond routine work, two important transactions were about to be completed before the end of the year: the capital increase for the wind project company on one hand, and the registration of the merger between EkoCC and Vodasoft on the other. Naturally, I was answering all the calls, following up on the work involved, and taking care of other chores before even getting down to the beach at the hotel. I also caught the flu somewhere on my last day before my vacation, and I felt sick on the plane. By the time I arrived in Thailand, the flu had already taken over. So, I was working and trying to relax at the same time.
Burning sea, itchy sand
We finally completed our studies successfully, and the first thing I did was launch myself into the sea. The beach looked wonderful. White sand, crystal clear water… First, I put on sunscreen, walked along the beach for a bit, and then I leapt into the warm waters. Not even 15 seconds later, my whole body started burning. Suspecting something like an allergy, I asked my friends who were with me. When they started having the same reaction, we started to think we’d contracted something from the sea. That’s when our Far Eastern friend next to us told me it was sea lice. (Sea lice are plural sea lice. For those interested in reading more, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_louse. ) Apparently, these invisible parasites only appear during a certain season and infest the human body. Because you can’t see anything in the sea, you suddenly feel like your body is burning. Isn’t that weird?
I was relieved to ask our friend and learn that these parasites were harmless, but we got out of the sea together after a short while to avoid further burns. Then, as we walked along the sand, our feet started itching. They told us there was some kind of insect in the sand. I remember thinking, “Now I get why there’s such a beautiful beach and nobody in the sea!” Thank goodness there are no sea lice or beach bugs left on you after a shower.
Even the sea lice and beach bugs couldn’t spoil our fun.
I told my friends, “We’d better hang out by the pool like those Germans and Russians over there.” We went for a drink by the pool.
A selection of delicious delicacies
Outside, everyone was getting massages in plain sight. The air was like lemonade. My body was relaxing, but my mind was still busy. So, on the evening of a beautiful, calm day, we went to a typical Thai restaurant called ‘Tawai.’
Entrance to Tawai
When we first arrived at the restaurant, the waiter asked if we could eat spicy food, and with the confidence of my father’s ancestry from Gaziantep, I replied, “Consider me a Thai who loves spicy food and bring the food accordingly.” I couldn’t help but say this not for myself, but for the people around me. The food was delicious. Everyone at the table had tears in their eyes and a clear sinus while eating these delicious dishes. Frankly, I really enjoyed the food. Even though we had Far Eastern friends at the table, the conversation wasn’t about them, but about me, saying, “You must have been Thai in a previous life.” It was a real treat for me.
I’d like to share my favorites with you. My favorites:
– Tom Yum Soup (Spicy shrimp soup)
– Phat Thai (Thai-style noodles)
– Larb Moo (Thai-style meat or chicken salad)
My favorites:
– Tom Kha Gai (Chicken soup with coconut milk)
– Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai (Green curry with chicken)
– Kai Phat Met Mamuang Himmaphan (Chicken stir-fried with cashews)
– Kaeng Phanaeng (Beef curry in coconut cream)
For dessert, I recommend sticky rice (khao niao).
After this feast, I spent most of my time at the beach to welcome in the last day of the year, swimming again despite everything, and spending time at a beachside restaurant. Imagine a man desperate to swim, hoping his horse would die of a cold snap, rushing into the sea despite the sea lice and beach bugs. After a quick one-minute swim, he jumps out of the water and hurries to the shower. Meanwhile, I discovered something else: It doesn’t hurt as much if you don’t wear sunscreen. So, these sea lice probably attack the sunscreen because of a substance in it. So, I continued swimming without applying any sunscreen.
And before we knew it, New Year’s Eve had arrived. We attended the “White Party” at Dream Beach Club in Phuket for New Year’s Eve. Just before New Year’s Eve, three of us, including myself, let off some ‘sky lanterns’ from our table. We had a truly wonderful time at this party, where everyone was dressed in white. The seafood dishes before the party were delicious, and the music was top-notch as we danced until late into the night.
Entrance to the Dream Beach Club
A photo taken before the entertainment, before the food.
While doing your business in this elegant entertainment venue, I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this sign above the urinal, indicating what you should and shouldn’t do.
A view from inside.
Then, the series of events described in my previous article, About Life unfolded. For those who haven’t read this (http://serhansuzer.com/tr/hayata-dair ), I’ll reiterate the relevant section:
The morning’s tragic news
I returned to the hotel after a very enjoyable night.
After about two hours of sleep, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to go to the Phi Phi Islands the next day. Just as I was brushing my teeth, my phone started ringing. I looked at it to see who was calling at this hour. It was my father. Given the four-hour time difference between us and Türkiye, it wasn’t unusual for my faher to call me at 2:30 a.m. Turkish time.
The following conversation took place between us:
−Son, where are you?
−I’m in Thailand.
−Oh, thank God.
−What happened?
−They raided the Reina, dozens are dead.
− What do you mean?
− They went in and massacred dozens of people.
− I can’t believe this. Anyone I know?
− I don’t know, it just happened. I haven’t heard from anyone yet.
− Oh no, oh no. I know most of the people who work there. I hope it’s not serious.
After hanging up the phone, I immediately went online and started looking at the newspapers. For 15 minutes, I was trying to keep up with the news while preparing.
There may be those who turn up their noses at Reina and criticize its style, but the Reina has a unique quality. My guests from abroad, no matter where they hear about it, always ask me, “Can you take us to Reina?” So, Reina is an internationally renowned place. It has established itself as a tourist attraction and globally recognized destination. That’s why, for the last 10 years, I’ve always accompanied my foreign guests to Reina. For this reason, in my opinion, the attack on Reina, which resulted in the massacre of dozens, is tantamount to stabbing Turkish tourism in the back. Case in point, the messages I received from abroad after the Reina incident confirm this. I cannot comprehend the brutal murder of people whose sole purpose was to have fun. I pray that those who perpetrated, planned, and supported this incident will suffer the consequences.
Before embarking on the tour, I considered calling the owner or general manager. However, because the situation was still so fluid, and I was abroad and had no choice, I didn’t call at that moment, hoping not to be a burden. Besides the sadness I felt at that moment, I also remember muttering, “It must be because I’m in the Far East, it’s a white night. This time, it’s like in Far Eastern culture.”
The next day, I spent a wonderful day on Phi Phi Island, completely surrounded by nature. My mind was stuck on Reina. That day, I also texted Ali, the general manager of Reina. I am truly sorry. I take this opportunity to offer my condolences to those who lost their lives at Reina and in previous terrorist attacks, and to those who are left behind.
Tourists who turned monkeys into monkeys
To reach Phi Phi Island, we first drove an hour from our hotel on the island’s west coast to the east coast. We took a large speedboat from a yacht marina there, arriving at Phi Phi Island in 1.5 hours. The crew on the boat was very friendly, especially our tour guide, Kiki. She was well-versed in every detail and single-handedly led the entire tour. Thai people are generally respectful and hardworking.
The marina in Phuket from where we departed for Phi Phi Island.
A selfie we took with the crew after the tour. Behind me is Kiki. Behind her is the boat captain, and behind her is the deckhand.
Among the tour guests were Australians, Germans, and us. Of course, we chatted about Gallipoli with the Australians. They were a delightful group. I invited them to Türkiye.
After a rather rough and tumble journey, the atmosphere on Phi Phi Island captivated us all. First, we went to Monkey Beach, where the monkeys hung out. There were flocks of wild monkeys everywhere. Tourists, especially Westerners, were feeding the monkeys and posing for photos on their shoulders. Our guide warned us, “Don’t do these things. These are untamed monkeys. You never know what they’ll do; they’ll bite.” To see how serious he was, I asked him, “So, as a Thai, you don’t go near these monkeys?” He replied, “No, I don’t. We Thais leave monkeys to their natural habitat,” and unlike the other tourists, I put aside any idea of interacting with animals.
My aunt used to have a monkey in our family. His name was Boncuk. He came from India. We had so much fun together. But Boncuk would bite anyone she didn’t know or like. She was a very funny animal. Being a female, she was jealous of my father and me. She wouldn’t let women or girls near us. She was no joke; she would bite.
The chaos that is Phuket City
After Monkey Beach, we stopped for lunch at a quiet beach. It felt good to take a nap for an hour after dinner. After spending some time at this beach, we went to other places. Each time, I jumped into the sea without hesitation; my back was still itchy and burning, but that’s okay, the water was wonderful. Fish of all colors swam beneath us. Besides Monkey Beach, the other places we visited on the Phi Phi Island tour were Viking Cave, Pi Lei Bay, Hin Klang Reef (shallow reef), and Maya Bay. They were all beautiful. I’d like to share some of the photos and video I took on this trip:
The monkey and I
The monkey climbed onto the back of a British tourist.
Monkeys emerging from the sea
The quiet beach where we ate
Pi Lei Bay
After a wonderful day, we dined at the Siam (Thailand’s former name) Supper Club on the recommendation of a Canadian friend. The Supper Club manager, a Frenchman who greeted us at the door, was initially irritating, as usual, but by the end of the night, he had become our best friend. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
Entrance to The Siam Supper Club
After dinner, we headed down to the center of Phuket City. What a sight! Huge crowds, chaos, everywhere teeming with tourists, a veritable meat market.
There were many things I didn’t like. I won’t go into detail here. You just see a different side of humanity, especially Western tourists, there.
For some reason, I envisioned Phuket as a special place. However, I experienced the best of mass tourism there. The quality was quite low; there were even döner kebab restaurants from Türkiye. I can’t understand why Turks always open low-quality establishments abroad that represent us poorly. You can gauge the extent of mass tourism there from here.
We still enjoyed ourselves, without worrying about anything else. The next day, it was time to go to Bangkok. We had a great time. Still, when it was time to leave, I was thinking about seeing everything I had to see in Phuket and, if I ever went back to Thailand, I’d go to Krabi, a place my Far Eastern friends had raved about. There are so many destinations and beautiful islands to explore there. They gave us a warm welcome from our hotel with their usual hospitality. The journey to Bangkok was relatively comfortable.
In my next post, I’ll write about Bangkok, the capital and most populous city of Thailand, this beautiful Southeast Asian country, and dive into other details about Thailand.
See you next week. Stay well!
Tag: excursion
