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Home » Destinations » Asia » Thailand

Crunch! Another One Bites The Dust

Published: Aug 15, 2008 by Dave Lee |

 

View of Thong Nai Pan Soi (south) from resort's pool

The day after the bar crawl, it was Elizabeth's turn to feel unwell. Aside from a few hours of dice with Nienke, it was a low key day and night. In the morning, I joined them both for breakfast on the beach and we said goodbye.

Cocunut dessert

I decided to walk along a rickety old boardwalk that leads to a fancy resort between the north and south beaches. The hotel grounds were stunning. It was clearly the type of place that attracts couples and families instead of us cheapskate backpackers. The pool was gorgeous, as were the views from the restaurant's patio, so I decided to indulge in a tasty lunch of yellow curry with chicken. The splurge came when I decided to order the coconut dessert. Soooo creamy and delicious. Desserts have been real hit or miss affairs in Thailand and this petite one really hit the spot.

View of Thong Nai Pan Noi

After lunch, I walked back along the boardwalk and decided to take some photos from one of the adjacent boulders. As I lept off the wooden walkway, I heard the board under my foot bend. I could tell it was literally pulling the old nail up from the vertical support beam. Thankfully, momentum was on my side and I landed safely on the rock.

I took a bunch of pictures, and as I was putting my camera back in the case, I heard a crunch. If you've ever heard the sound of your own bones cracking, the sound which instantly sets off pulses of adrenaline, then you know what it sounded like when those little camera gears which control the zoom lens snapped and popped.

Enjoying my bungalow's hemp hammock

I immediately assessed the damage. I could manually zoom out slightly to get a clear shot, however going any further, it was all out of focus and if I went all the way, then I was forced to restart the camera. The lens was no longer able to fully retract either. I knew it was a total loss. I would need to buy a new camera just 3 months after coughing up $300 in Kathmandu.

Surprisingly, I wasn't too pissed off about the situation. I knew I could and would get a new one once I arrived on Phuket, it was just going to be a matter of how much I'd have to shell out. My mind was already piecing together how I would be able to cover some of the cost with the month's advertising revenue and money earned from completed dares.

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About Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 68 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

Comments

  1. clair says

    August 15, 2008 at 10:07 am

    That first photo is postcard-perfect, love it. And that coconut dessert looks heavenly. I'm getting hungry just staring at it :oops: .
    So sorry to hear about your camera. But then, Phuket is a shopping paradise, I'm sure you'll have fun looking for a new camera :smile: .

  2. clair says

    August 15, 2008 at 5:07 am

    That first photo is postcard-perfect, love it. And that coconut dessert looks heavenly. I'm getting hungry just staring at it :oops: .
    So sorry to hear about your camera. But then, Phuket is a shopping paradise, I'm sure you'll have fun looking for a new camera :smile: .

  3. pam says

    August 15, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    You have my sympathy - I snapped my telephoto off in Bangkok. Yeah, it's an awful noise, that's for sure. Luckily, it was three days before I flew home, so it wasn't a big deal. Painful, still.

  4. pam says

    August 15, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    You have my sympathy - I snapped my telephoto off in Bangkok. Yeah, it's an awful noise, that's for sure. Luckily, it was three days before I flew home, so it wasn't a big deal. Painful, still.

  5. Suz says

    August 18, 2008 at 10:41 am

    I guess the impact of traveling for an extended period of time on your cameras wasn't part of what you factored into your pre-trip budget. Hope it doesn't put you to far off, my sanity needs you to keep traveling *Grin* perhaps I should send you some money.

  6. Suz says

    August 18, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    I guess the impact of traveling for an extended period of time on your cameras wasn't part of what you factored into your pre-trip budget. Hope it doesn't put you to far off, my sanity needs you to keep traveling *Grin* perhaps I should send you some money.

  7. Peter says

    August 29, 2008 at 9:19 pm

    It was fun reading your diary :)

  8. Peter says

    August 29, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    It was fun reading your diary :)

  9. NewWrldYankee says

    September 22, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    Ok, seriously what camera do you use - STUNNING!!! I need one. Do you sell prints. Yes?

  10. NewWrldYankee says

    September 22, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    Ok, seriously what camera do you use - STUNNING!!! I need one. Do you sell prints. Yes?

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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