Light breaks over the horizon, amber at first and then slowly illuminating the world. The plane drops lower and I can start to make out land forms – first the coastline and then rivers and estuaries take. Soon enough, dark silhouettes. Unmistakeable. Beneath a few wispy clouds, limestone towers soar skyward from waters of Phang Nga Bay to welcome me back to Thailand.
When I first left for Asia in the fall of 2018, Thailand was my first stop. I’ve always had a fascination with the country – ever since I can remember. The general allure is obvious: tropical weather, gorgeous beaches, and amazing food. It went deeper though. There was something mystical about it for me. I was headed Thailand fist and foremost. Everything else was just ancillary.
And for almost two years I crisscrossed the continent, but Thailand was always home base. In fact, I kept returning to the same hostel every time I passed through Bangkok, the name of which is Home Base. Returning now, post covid, unquestionably has the feel a homecoming.
Thailand was the first country in Asia to open up for international travel post-pandemic. The country is heavily dependent on the tourism. In 2019, travel and tourism represented almost 22% of Thailand’s GDP and they welcomed about 40 million visitors. In 2021, there were only 300,000. For a country so reliant on foreign dollars, the pandemic was devastating.
Thailand was really the first country in in the region to “do” tourism and they still do it the best. Compared to its neighbors, it’s cleaner and far more efficient to navigate. There are more English speakers here and you can pretty much eat the street food without running to the bathroom all night afterwards . It’s also got an incredible PR machine. When people think Myanmar or Cambodia they picture of war ravaged countrysides and brutal military regimes. Think Thailand and you’re sipping a mango smoothie after a deep tissue massage on a virgin beach. For the uninitiated westerner, Thailand is the perfect place to take the plunge.
When cooler heads began to prevail last year, Thailand created the “Phuket Sandbox” to jumpstart their crippled tourism industry. Essentially visitors undergo a covid test and, if negative, can enjoy the island of Phuket. After a second test and a week at an approved hotel, you’re free to move around the rest of the country. By late 2021, they ramped up with “Test and Go”, whereby you can test on arrival in Bangkok and only need to quarantine for a day. That was my plan.
Long story short, Test and Go crumbled under fear of the new Omicron variant, so I pivoted to the Phuket Sandbox. Phuket is the Cancun of Thailand. It’s beautiful, but completely overrun with tourists and lacks much true Thai culture. Patong, my destination, is the worst offender. With its garish nightclubs and overpriced restaurants it’s the epitome of everything I hate about Phuket. On my last trip, I lasted all of two nights. For an “approved” hotel though, the price is right. I would rather save than spend my money in Phuket.
Twenty-six hours after my departure from St. Louis, I land at Phuket International Airport. To ensure “social distancing”, we deplane one row at a time. This, after being crammed in the an aluminum tube with the same people for the past 7 hours. Oh, and I’m in the 43rd row.
My position on the plane becomes inconsequential the moment I get into the terminal. The entire concourse is filled with a sea of arriving passengers. Thousands of them sit anxiously in row after row of evenly spaced chairs.
Thai women, clad in full hazmat suits, make a cursory check of our paperwork and police the crowd for line cutters. Some passengers, fed up with the wait, leave their seats for an advancing line. Eventually the temptation is too great for me too – I can’t stop thinking about my prepaid taxi leaving because I don’t appear. When the coast is clear, I carefully evade the fierce little women and join the forward-moving queue.
The system is actually actually rather efficient. Thais are nothing if not efficient. Thousands of people descend every day on this little airport. For a while it was the only one open and officials keep it moving at a pretty impressive clip. I have a sheaf of papers documenting everything I can think of. Once processed by the covid council, I hurdle through immigration, take a very abrasive PCR test, and I’m on my way.
The tropical heat is a special kind of heaven for me. It’s a warm blanket after leaving winter in the Midwest. When I step outside, it’s the smell that gets me, grabs me, and rockets me back like a time traveler. I can turn some experiences over and over again in my mind’s eye. I can recall a mountain vista in Colorado or a Sri Lankan sunset, no problem. A smell though is more elusive, the memory hard to conjure.
Under the tropical sun, the odor hits me in the most visceral way. Every country has its own smell. I assure you, not all are agreeable. Thailand’s though, is entirely pleasant. It’s a melange of sweet tropical flowers, spicy street food, musky incense, and salty sea air.
Before I taste my first curry, hear my first “sawasdee ka”, or lay my eyes on a white sand beach, I know with a whiff that I’m back in the Land of Smiles.
And man, is it good to be back.
Christopher’s Travels 