<p class="bodytext">Thailand ranks 101st in the world in English proficiency, and the ability to converse in English is mostly limited to front-office staff at hotel receptions. The man selling speedboat tickets in Phi Phi would have found it helpful to read my query on his mobile phone in the Thai language with Google translation’s aid. But his overconfidence in his language skills was such that he confidently misunderstood my query about a joyride on a speedboat and promptly informed us that we must rush to the speedboat to catch the last ride of the evening. </p>.<p class="bodytext">We had reached Phi Phi island’s Ton Sai pier that morning from Phuket, riding the slow ferry along beautiful small islands. The ferry was delightful, but we had looked enviously at the speedboats leaving big, frothy waves in their wake as they overtook our slow ship. We wanted to take a short ride in a speedboat in the evening just for fun, and now we were all set for the thrilling joyride with tickets printed in Thai language in our hands. </p>.<p class="bodytext">After a hearty breakfast at the Phuket hotel that morning, we had no appetite for anything more than light snacks as we loitered on the Phi Phi beach in the late afternoon. We had left our mobiles, credit cards, and passports in the locker in our hotel rooms, and between the four of us, we were carrying just a few hundred Thai Baht. This was required for the speedboat tickets, a few pint bottles of the local beer, and some snacks after the ride. We hurriedly boarded the speedboat, which indeed left the pier only a few minutes later. The ride was even more fantastic than we had imagined. My friend and our wives kept reminiscing about the roller coaster rides made in their younger days, and I remained lost in the memories of flying in the Indian Air Force planes a few decades back. Our speedboat was faster than we had expected, and we enjoyed every bit of the thrill until it finally stopped. None of us had realised while we were lost in savouring the beaches and the lush green mini islands rushing past that our speedboat had maintained its direction throughout and never turned back after half the joyride. Only when it stopped did we realise that it had berthed at the same Rassada Pier of Phuket that we had left in the morning on our way to Phi Phi. </p>.<p class="bodytext">We were dumbfounded to learn that it was indeed the last ride of the day. Returning to Phi Phi Island would be possible only the next morning. The ordeal of staying overnight at the pier with very little cash for food and return tickets, no credit cards, no mobiles, and no Thai language skill while our checked-in rooms in the PHI PHI hotel remained unoccupied was horrifying. Surely, the most unforgettable Miss I have ever met was our Miss-adventure in Thailand. </p>
<p class="bodytext">Thailand ranks 101st in the world in English proficiency, and the ability to converse in English is mostly limited to front-office staff at hotel receptions. The man selling speedboat tickets in Phi Phi would have found it helpful to read my query on his mobile phone in the Thai language with Google translation’s aid. But his overconfidence in his language skills was such that he confidently misunderstood my query about a joyride on a speedboat and promptly informed us that we must rush to the speedboat to catch the last ride of the evening. </p>.<p class="bodytext">We had reached Phi Phi island’s Ton Sai pier that morning from Phuket, riding the slow ferry along beautiful small islands. The ferry was delightful, but we had looked enviously at the speedboats leaving big, frothy waves in their wake as they overtook our slow ship. We wanted to take a short ride in a speedboat in the evening just for fun, and now we were all set for the thrilling joyride with tickets printed in Thai language in our hands. </p>.<p class="bodytext">After a hearty breakfast at the Phuket hotel that morning, we had no appetite for anything more than light snacks as we loitered on the Phi Phi beach in the late afternoon. We had left our mobiles, credit cards, and passports in the locker in our hotel rooms, and between the four of us, we were carrying just a few hundred Thai Baht. This was required for the speedboat tickets, a few pint bottles of the local beer, and some snacks after the ride. We hurriedly boarded the speedboat, which indeed left the pier only a few minutes later. The ride was even more fantastic than we had imagined. My friend and our wives kept reminiscing about the roller coaster rides made in their younger days, and I remained lost in the memories of flying in the Indian Air Force planes a few decades back. Our speedboat was faster than we had expected, and we enjoyed every bit of the thrill until it finally stopped. None of us had realised while we were lost in savouring the beaches and the lush green mini islands rushing past that our speedboat had maintained its direction throughout and never turned back after half the joyride. Only when it stopped did we realise that it had berthed at the same Rassada Pier of Phuket that we had left in the morning on our way to Phi Phi. </p>.<p class="bodytext">We were dumbfounded to learn that it was indeed the last ride of the day. Returning to Phi Phi Island would be possible only the next morning. The ordeal of staying overnight at the pier with very little cash for food and return tickets, no credit cards, no mobiles, and no Thai language skill while our checked-in rooms in the PHI PHI hotel remained unoccupied was horrifying. Surely, the most unforgettable Miss I have ever met was our Miss-adventure in Thailand. </p>
