I had been planning yet another trip to Thailand for my 30th birthday, at least in part with the fully conscious intention of soothing the inevitable psychological trauma of entering my third decade with being mistaken for someone in her early twenties by twentysomething backpackers. This was to be a solid 2.5 week trip, so I thought I’d throw in a new destination to which I’d never been but of which I’d heard tell: Ao Nang, Krabi. I could also conveniently fly straight to Krabi airport from Kuala Lumpur without any ferries.
In my usual fashion I was keen to stay near a party/social hostel but without having to sleep in a shared room. Consequent Google Maps Street View-assisted research led me to discover a real gem: Fullmoon House and Resort, which was right across the road from the lively (noisy) Slumber Party hostel, but which consisted of lovely, quiet bungalows that stretched up a lush, green hillside. The low price no doubt reflected that it was rainy season, but for just over $20 per night I was staying in probably the best accommodation I have ever experienced in Asia: a huge, completely self-contained, air-conditioned bungalow with fridge, TV, big wardrobe, giant bathroom and a huge veranda on a hillside.
On the evening of my arrival day I proceeded to walk over to Slumber Party and join the socialising, which on the first night was a pub crawl. Unfortunately, however, only a few hours before I boarded my overnight flight I seemed to have been hit by hypotension, presumably caused by mixing medication I had recently started with a couple of wines at a trivia night. It seemed to strike again at the pub crawl (I feared interaction with alcohol), sending me home to my bungalow for a restless night.
The next day I joined the Slumber Party ‘Island Awesomeness’ tour around some nearby islands. It was a bit rainy (well, a lot: we actually got drenched while boarding the boat – but it cleared up somewhat); and the focus and crowd was a bit too intense-partying for my preferred style (despite the drinks being only individually-purchased beers). I didn’t drink due to my presumption that I couldn’t, but that was fine; and I was content to crash that night after two pretty sleepless nights and failed daytime napping without much FOMO as I walked to my bungalow past the lively Slumber Party.
The next day I had booked onto the hostel’s ‘Jungle Awesomeness’ tour, but was disappointed and mildly annoyed to learn that it was cancelled due to the weather, which was no worse than the day before. I suspected it was really because there was a boxing match on (about which everybody else seemed to care) so the whole hostel was watching it.
That evening was another pub crawl. I was resigned to not drinking again but was pleased with how this didn’t matter: the hostel bar gave me a non-alcoholic cocktail bucket without blinking, and I was having a perfectly pleasant time – until the same waves of unwell-ness that had hit me on Friday night hit again. I was disturbed and annoyed, as I had thought that it had then been caused by mixing alcohol with my medication, and I hadn’t drunk a drop since then. I went back to my accommodation to lie down, thinking I was having a hypotensive episode.
Unfortunately, I felt worse; and scared to be alone; so I walked back over to Slumber Party to ask for help after someone sitting outside at my accommodation (I think the European husband of the owner) was not particularly helpful. Luckily, one of the workers there, Tate, had previously worked in the ambulatory field. He took me seriously and on his motorbike to a clinic after the one to which he had hoped to take me was closed.
Then a surprising turn of events: as the doctor took my blood pressure and did other tests we were surprised to learn that all my vital signs were normal. Tate confirmed this. The doctor sent me on my way with some tablets “for relax”: I couldn’t believe that I had been taken so completely out of action due to anxiety!
Immediately, my symptoms faded as relief washed over me: I had been experiencing a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby anxiety about my medication’s side effects was causing anxiety that mimicked the side effects themselves. Now, knowing there was nothing physically wrong with me I felt almost completely fine again.
As I walked out of the clinic to consider my next course of action, I saw the pub crawl almost exactly across the road at their second venue. And – why not – I joined them. After arriving at the third venue I did have to take a taxi back to my bungalow to freshen up and get some cash, as I had spent it all on the doctor; but the taxi waited and before long I was joining everyone and finally having a proper night. Indeed, after two nights of being unable to join in the merriment, I was extra excited to be finally joining in, and relieved that I wasn’t going to have to abstain from alcohol during my long-awaited birthday trip.
The next day, far more relaxed, I wandered down to the beach and ate lunch at an overpriced Indian restaurant (whoops). The overcast weather probably didn’t help, but I wasn’t particularly thrilled with Ao Nang compared with elsewhere in Thailand.
I was, however, pleased to be back in action and back on another pub crawl that night. We ended up at roughly the same places, but I met some friendly people and revelled suitably.
