Yesterday I crossed the Cambodian/Thai border, legally, and had a short(ish) drive to Bangkok. Our original plan was to spend 2 nights in Bangkok and fly to the Maldives at 09:25 1st November, but AirAsia rescheduled our flights to 22:00 that evening so we changed them to 31st October to get an extra night in the Maldives at the expense of one in Bangkok.
This was the last night of the tour which had taken us from Ho Chi Minh to Bangkok. We had an emotional farewell dinner, followed by drinks at the hotels rooftop bar with stunning views of the city. I’ve never had the pleasure of travelling with such a collectively wonderful group of people before led by the most incredible guide - Bamboo.
If it weren’t for Bamboo, I’d be stuck in a Vietnamese immigration detention centre dying of anaphylaxis. He made sure I exited Vietnam and got into Cambodia (his home country). Despite having minimal experience of dealing with severe food allergies he made it his business to learn, and at every meal ensured the restaurant staff fully understood what I couldn’t eat, and how my food should be safely prepared. On the one occasion where a restaurant made an error he made sure it was immediately resolved and stayed with me whilst the reaction was being managed, frequently checking up on me via Ben and Clare. No favour was too much for him. It was his job to take us through Vietnam, Cambodia and to Thailand but he didn’t have to make such an extra effort to teach us about the culture, history and food of his country - but he did, happily. The world would be a better place with more Bamboos in it.
I’m now at Bangkok airport with Ben and Clare, ready to fly to the Maldives for the final leg of our adventure.
Love Emily x
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