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After sailing from the east side of Thailand (Koh Samui) to Singapore and Malaysia, we returned to the west side of Thailand and Phuket. Phuket is both a southern province and Thailand’s largest island. The area is known for its beaches.
We were both lucky enough to be assigned to the six-hour “Coral Island by Speedboat” excursion.
The “speedboat” part of the excursion was not quite what we expected. This was a 20-minute ride from Chalong Bay to Koh Hey island. Unfortunately, this was not a small speedboat where we felt the wind and ocean spray in our faces. Instead, it was a large, covered speedboat where we were lucky to see outside. (Fortunately, we sat in an open space near the back.)
On the other hand, Coral Bay was terrific. Viking had reserved a portion of the beach for us, including rows of beach chairs and a buffet lunch. We spent the day walking the beach and wading in the warm, clear water.
Sadly, the day ended badly for Gail. While wading in the water, she felt a fish brush against her leg. Instinctively, she took a step sideways… and stepped right onto a sea urchin. She ended up with three spines in her heel. The beach attendants immediately did two things. First, they washed her heel in vinegar to counteract the venom. Second, they had her strike her heel repeatedly with a wooden stick. This is to break up the calcium in the spines, so the body will dissolve them sooner.
Back aboard ship, the doctor echoed this treatment. You can’t do anything to pull the spines out, as they are barbed to go in but not come out. Instead, you have to wait for your body to absorb the calcium in the barbs.
In the meantime, Gail is currently limping around. Fortunately, our next two days are sea days, so she can rest up again.
