The Thailand diaries continue! To read past posts in this series, click here.
In the most recent chapter in this series, the youngest daughter and I had just visited Big Buddha, a religious site in Phuket, Thailand. Thankfully, we found our driver waiting for us in the parking lot, just as he had promised. (Phew.)
Until that moment I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to book the return part of our little excursion. I assumed I’d just book a ride on the Thai-Uber app and that he’d be the driver, but I wasn’t 100% sure.
As we approached the car, he turned to me and made me an offer: If I just paid in cash, he’d take us back to our residence but include a stop at Wat Chalong, a historical landmark and Buddhist temple in Phuket. The dollar figure would be the same as what we’d paid for the drive there.
I briefly conferred with the youngest, checked my cash reserves, and agreed to the deal. After all, we were planning on visiting a temple at some point, right?
THIS IS TRUST, MY FRIENDS.
But the youngest was not happy with me.
“Mum,” she said afterwards. “If I accepted a ride in a foreign country and paid under the table for it you would probably be mad.” Then she pointed out that ride-sharing apps have security features built into them. If we went missing we’d have a record of the transaction as well as our route. (In other words, plenty of clues for the Thai police to follow if we went missing.)
Of course she was right, but this conversation didn’t happen until we got home.
The drive to Wat Chalong was as scenic as the drive to Big Buddha. And when we arrived, well, let’s just say I was agog the entire time. It was so gorgeous I have no words to describe it. It was a postcard come to life.
So, yes. I took a chance and no one died!
That night we went to Patong Beach and marvelled at a sunset that glowed with a million colours. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.
