He and Christchurch property development manager Bryan Perring arrived in Bangkok on Sunday, November 23 and four days later embarked on a 1500km mission that would ultimately lead them to Malaysia.
The friends were returning from Dubai, where Mr Perring (35) had a job interview and were due to fly out last Wednesday.
Upon hearing the airports were blockaded by anti-Government protesters they sought to avoid the chaos and bartered a 900km taxi ride down to Phuket, where they hoped to continue their planned route to Singapore with Air Asia.
"We thought, `we need to get out of here'," Mr May told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
"Locals suggested that it could possibly escalate to civil war."
The $NZ450 journey south turned into a 10-hour trip with the "taxi driver from hell" tailgating vehicles and passing in hair-raising spots.
"We will be just happy to get there alive" became the pair's mantra.
Arriving in Phuket, they learned all Air Asia flights were cancelled for five days.
The pair then took a double-decker bus for a further 600km through Thailand's volatile southern regions to the southern Thai town of Satun, and from there by boat to the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi.
The New Zealand Embassy "officially advised us not to go, as 2700 people have been killed on these roads in the last two years", Mr May said.
From Langkawi, Mr May finally boarded a flight to Singapore, then flew on to Brisbane, arriving back in Wanaka on Tuesday. Mr May credited Mr Perring with getting him home safely.
"I couldn't have done it."
