UK granny’s Bangkok nightmare. 61-year-old Janet West woke to learn her hallucinatory dream of wandering stark naked in a hotel was shockingly real. Fueled by cheap booze laced with methanol, the four-hour sleepwalking escapade left her shaken but warning others.

A globetrotting UK granny made headlines this week by warning of the dangers of cheap shots in Thailand. Sixty-one-year-old Janet West recalls with a shiver the moment on New Year’s Day 2019 in Bangkok when she discovered a hallucinatory dream of walking publicly in her hotel stark naked was not imaginary. It was what had happened the night before, leading to concerned hotel staff escorting her back to her room. Ms. West spent four hours wandering the hotel stark naked and, at one point, even attempted to exit through the main door onto a busy Bangkok thoroughfare.

UK granny, high on cheap booze, left wandering around a Bangkok Hotel stark naked after going to bed
61-year-old Janet West, who last visited Thailand in 2023, recalls her 2019 New Year’s Eve experience after drinking bucket drinks on the capital’s buzzing Khao San Road. The now solo globetrotter warns visitors to beware of cheap drink offers after last year’s tragedy in Laos, where six young foreign tourists died from methanol poisoning at a hostel. (Source: Daily Mail and New York Post)

A 61-year-old Swansea grandmother has become a worldwide internet sensation after revealing a highly embarrassing faux pas while celebrating the New Year in Bangkok in 2019.

Certainly, it was the last great record year for Thai tourism, though since then, Janet West has returned to Thailand regularly.

Her last trip was in 2023. The former army worker, barwoman, and telephone sales executive is presently solo touring the world in her retirement.

Swansea grandmother reveals sleepwalking mishap after drinking whisky buckets in Bangkok hotel

On the night in question, after retiring with her then-boyfriend to bed in a Bangkok hotel, she emerged sleepwalking while stark naked. Indeed, staff at the hotel had to usher her from the front door as she attempted to enter one of Bangkok’s busy roads.

Earlier, Janet had been drinking buckets of Scotch whisky and Coke with friends. They were certainly celebrating the laid-back and freestyle nightlife in the capital on its trendy Khao San Road.

However, later, Janet learned that the cheap, free-flowing drink was laced with methanol. She had been drinking whisky and Coke from bucket containers with straws. Later, after going to sleep, the fun-loving woman had a vivid dream that she was in pregnant danger, urgently in need of a hospital delivery ward.

Hence, she emerged from her room naked and tried to exit the hotel. Janet’s wandering in the hotel reportedly lasted four hours.

Hotel staff escort naked tourist back to room after four-hour sleepwalking incident in Bangkok

She was subsequently escorted back to her room by concerned and sympathetic hotel staff. Afterwards, she dreamt of the incident, and when she woke the next morning, she thought it had all been a horrible nightmare.

It took until breakfast time for the shocking realization to set in. This came as Janet was reminded by the hotel management that the events were certainly no hallucination.

It was true. Janet was left shivering. Not only from embarrassment but also from the potential danger she may have opened herself up to.

The Swansea grandmother was speaking this week about the recent tragedy in Laos.

In that incident, six Western tourists—two Danish, two Australians, a British national, and an American—died after drinking copious amounts of alcohol at a hostel. Later, the bartender and manager of the hostel was charged. In short, he had used methanol, which poisoned the young tourists.

Warning issued about risks of cheap alcohol in Thailand following tragic Laos poisoning case

“I was lucky to survive and to have no side effects, but I’m frightened to drink the local spirits in Thailand now,explained Janet this week.The local alcohol is not distilled properly. Although it’s cheap, it’s not worth the risk—stick to imported spirits or bottled beer.”

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Ms. West warned visitors to Thailand about letting their hair down too much with cheap booze offerings.

“Other tourists on that trip told me about people dying or going blind after drinking from the buckets.”

It’s really difficult because shots are just poured down your neck in Thailand. They just knock on your door shoutingfree shots,and nobody questions them.”

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Further reading:

Six Vietnamese tourists found dead at a luxury city centre hotel in the Pathumwan area of Bangkok

Not Scotsmen but Cameroonians who had already fled Thailand after committing foul murder and theft

Manhunt for two Scotsmen wanted after the murder of a Burmese businessman in Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Bangkok Police seek arrest of white Westerner linked to the hotel murder of a Taiwanese man

Japanese man tells Chiang Mai police his 25-year-old girlfriend strangled herself with a cable in hotel room

Spanish chef murdered gay lover on Ko Phangan, cut him into 14 pieces and left him as garbage

Killer Spaniard surprised naked Chilean man at his home on Ko Phangan and knifed him to death

Prachinburi police launch murder investigation as German teacher found stabbed in bed at his home