'Wish Someone Warned Me': Tourist Hospitalised After Swimming At Thailand's Monkey Bay - News18 (2025)

Last Updated:April 22, 2025, 15:36 IST

Angela Giakas took to Instagram to share the experience and to issue a warning to tourists visiting Thailand.

Angela Giakas accidentally ingested a bit of water while swimming in Monkey Bay. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

A vacation always seems like a fun idea that is filled with adventures and relaxing moments. But there are times when things don’t go as planned and this is what happened recently with an Australian woman during her visit to Thailand. She contracted a bacterial infection after swimming in one of the country’s popular spots, Monkey Bay. Angela Giakas went for a swim at Monkey Bay. There, she accidentally ingested a bit of water while swimming, which led to a serious infection. Less than 16 hours later, she found herself in the hospital with a drip in her arm.

Giakas took to Instagram to share the experience and to issue a warning to tourists visiting Thailand. “Just an FYI to anyone travelling and swimming around the shallow bays & beaches!! I only ingested a little bit of water in monkey bay but it gave me a bacterial infection," she wrote.

The doctors explained to her that such infections are not uncommon, especially during the high tourist season. “According to the doctors, this happens a lot in high season as there aren’t enough treatment plants around the Phi Phi islands to handle the tourism," she added.

Giakas, who still encourages others to visit Thailand, made sure to share this important advice.

“I wish someone warned me so I’m gonna be the one to warn you bc I don’t want you to also end up like me. Thailand is one of the most beautiful countries and I encourage everyone to visit. You should just always be cautious of any kind of water," she concluded.

See her post here:

The video has gained over twenty million views since it was posted. In the comment section, many agreed with her and shared similar experiences while others offered different perspectives on the issue.

One user commented, “FYI as someone who’s Thai and has lived in Thailand my whole life, the locals have a different immune system so I can comfortably swim and eat whatever but any of my friends that have come here ended up getting sick – the local bacteria isn’t harmful, most foreigners just don’t have the immune system for it."

Another added, “As a Southeast Asian – It’s hilarious seeing all these white people get sick the moment they touch something, meanwhile our immune system is so used to it that we don’t even care."

“I made the same error. Don’t go swimming where there are restaurants and boats. Hope you got better," someone shared.

“I got sick swimming in Thailand too, and later on in Vietnam. Nothing wrong with it, we just don’t have the same bacteria inside our gut as Thai people," a person pointed out.

Last year, a popular British influencer named Sam Pepper visited India and tried bhang from a local vendor. At first, he enjoyed the experience but things soon got worse. He ended up with a high fever and a bad stomach infection and had to get medical help.

Location :

Delhi, India, India

First Published:

April 22, 2025, 15:36 IST

News viral 'Wish Someone Warned Me': Tourist Hospitalised After Swimming At Thailand's Monkey Bay