Moment Brit backpackers scream as cobra and '2,000' moths swarm hotel room

30 May 2024 , 11:03

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Moment Brit backpackers scream as cobra and '2,000' moths swarm hotel room

Two Brit backpackers were left in tears after a cobra and “2,000 moths” invaded their hotel room in scenes that were like “something from Jumanji”.

Jemma Sayer and Lydia Ramsey-Stewart were travelling in Asia for their gap year after finishing sixth form last May. The 18-year-olds had already backpacked through Cambodia and Vietnam when they were faced with the “horror film” scene on their first week in Pai, Thailand, last week (May 22).

At first, they noticed a small hole in the door of their jungle bungalow that had allowed a couple of months to come in, so the pair decided to open the door to wrap a towel around it. However, when they went to deal with their moth problem the pair were confronted with what they claim was a cobra snake hanging down from the door frame before “more than 2,000 moths swarmed into their room”.

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.Jemma Sayer and Lydia Ramsey-Stewart have embarked on an adventurous gap year of travel around Asia (Kennedy News/@jemmasayer)

Recalling the horrifying incident, Jemma, from Ipswich, Suffolk, said: "As we opened the door, this cobra snake was dangling from the top of the door with its mouth open. We thought we were going to die, we were petrified. I've never ever been so scared in my entire life.

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"It launched towards both of us, it literally launched towards my friend's head. This is when the moths all came in as well, they just swarmed over us. We both screamed, I don't think I've ever screamed so loud. It probably woke everyone up."

Jemma said the snake had lunged at Lydia's head with its mouth open, while the moths "made a nest" in her hair. The distraught pair locked themselves in their bathroom while Jemma called the hotel who sent a man with a baseball bat and head torch to get rid of the snake.

The 18-year-olds had been through Cambodia and Vietnam before arriving in Pai, Thailand, last week (Kennedy News/@jemmasayer)

She added: "I grabbed my phone and we ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. We locked ourselves in there. We were crying our eyes out because we were so scared.

"I quickly, in a panic, called the hotel reception and said 'please come, there's a massive snake in our room and about 2,000 moths'. They came in about 30 seconds. The man came in with this bat and a headtorch, ready to whack the snake.

The plague of moths combined with the snake prove too much for the teens (Kennedy News/@jemmasayer)

"It was like something from a horror film. There were so many comments saying it was like something from Jumanji." Lydia believes the snake was just 30cm from her head when they opened the door and the pair claim the hotel staff confirmed it was a cobra.

While the best friends did consider getting a flight home to the UK after the close encounter, the hotel upgraded their room and they have now continued their travels to Bangkok, although they did admit they struggled to sleep for the week after.

Jemma said: "We were going to drive and go to a completely different hotel but luckily we did get upgraded after that. As we were packing our bags, we were just getting hit in the face by all these moths. By the end of it, there was like a nest in my hair of all these moths. It was so bad."

The hotel dispatched a man with a baseball bat to deal with the snake (Kennedy News/@jemmasayer)

"I think because it was night time and it's the rainy season in Thailand, that's probably why they came in. They came in so fast as well. We couldn't sleep for that whole week. Every movement we heard we were like 'what was that?'

"We were ready to book a flight home, this is our first properly scary story but we live to tell the tale. It hasn't put us off too much. We've loved travelling so far, it's been a great experience, apart from that one."

Jemma posted a video of the moths online with the caption: "The man with the bat just says it all [skull emoji] #backpacking #thailand #trauma."

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One person commented: "The way I would just die." Another said: "I'd get on the next flight home." One wrote: "What in Jumanji is this?" A final one put: "The stuff of nightmares…I’d be in panic mode immediately!

Eleanor Wood Bowyer