Stranded in Paradise: "Can you hear me calling out SOS"

Day three. You could imagine our sheer shock when we realized that the protesters against the Thai government had taken over the airport and effectively shut it down. We weren't going home??? Could this be true. By 6pm, the news was confirmed. All flights had been cancelled and the next available date was in December. There were reports of firings where protesters had been injured and possible bombings. But, where we were, there was nothing but peace. We were actually shocked to see how much devastation the Thai economy was to suffer in the next coming days. BBC reported that the country faced a worse future than the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997. The protesters through peaceful measures want to topple the government and weaken it to its knees. It worked. For nearly a week, these protesters organized the shut down of one the largest airports in South East Asia. They were well prepared with access to first aid, food, clothing and sleeping arrangements. Peacefully, they called for a dissolution of government and never gave up.

For us, it meant the stress of dealing with our respective embassies, trying to figure out if our expenses would be covered and when we could leave back for our respective countries. Honestly, I was happy that I got to spend more time in Thailand but at the same time, I really wanted to return to India and continue with my internship. Moreover, it would mean that I would be missing World AIDS day in Delhi, something I have been involved in the planning phase for the last month.

After the last day of the conference, the Indian delegation was lucky enough to find out that the travel agent in Ottawa had actually automatically re-booked us on the first available flight (December 4th!!!!) . For the rest, they weren't so lucky. I felt so bad with all the uncertainty because we all had jobs, school and exams awaiting us on our return. Although, the city was very peaceful and we didn't have to worry about our personal safety, we were all under the same pressure to get back home.

Again, I have to say this even though it was a saving face measure by the Thai government, I still cant express how thankful I am and how happy I was when I found out that the Thai government would be kind enough to provide accommodation and all food expenses at selected hotels (including ours) until the protests ended and the airports were re-opened. Now, which government in the world would ever offer to do that for their stranded tourists. I cant think of any other.

For us, it meant a couple extra days to see the city, have fun and wait until we could fly home.