We have finally come to the last day of the Phuket trip and as it's a morning flight home; there's not much i would be covering as the crucial thing to do then was to take last-minute photographs of Swissotel Resort (Patong Beach) for the purpose of a review in this blog!
After experiencing the value for money airport transfer from Phuket SRC Travel on the first day, we decided to engage the service again; the chauffeur arrived on time to pick us up and we were on the road shortly after to Phuket International Airport.
Drive along the one-way road parallel to Patong Beach; at this early timing, many shops remained closed and compared to the night; way lesser people!
For those coming to Patong, the dolphin-statue signalled the entry to Phuket's most touristy enclave. Despite its 'touristy' tagline, i didn't regret my stay in the area as there's so much to see and do; those looking for a slower and more relaxed atmosphere would be better off in other parts of the island.
Views of the bay of Patong Beach; including sights of a large cruise ship on the water and Patong Tower Apartment, Phuket's tallest building.
One good thing about vacationing in Phuket is the wide choice of accommodation and given the stiff competition; prices could actually be reasonable compared to what we have in Singapore!
Spotted elephants on their morning walk! How often do you see that?!
Random - the one thing i kind of regretted not going for is the Phuket FantaSea show! In my first trip to Phuket, i watched the show and was impressed. Thought of bringing my dad this time but the high price coupled with claims on animal cruelty deterred me from doing so.
Bay of Kamala Beach - this area is just north of Patong Beach and touted as a quieter, less-seedy place for tourists; there's actually another Swissotel resort located at Kamala marketed for families with children.
Seeing how enthusiastic i was with taking photos, the chauffeur decided to have a short stopover at Laem Sing View Point; that's in fact super kind of him as sending us sooner to the airport means he would have more time to take in extra work!
The view of the Kamala Beach area and this unknown beach right in front. Taking this advantage to have dad modelling for my blog again!
Our transport from Phuket SRC Travel; if you wish to take a look at the kind gentleman who chauffeured us, do check out his cool-looking picture here.
Photos taken while on the road - second picture is a scene you don't see in Singapore; raw pork sold on the street. Due to hygiene reason, raw pork sold in Singapore's markets has to be refrigerated and this regulation was put in effect about two decades ago i think.
Shortcut to Phuket International Airport!
It was pretty scary as the roads were relatively clear of motor vehicles and in a foreign country, we really shouldn't take things for granted. But it's really a legit shortcut although i don't know how much time was saved due to it.
Arrival at Terminal 2 (for International Flights) of Phuket International Airport! The time we took, from Swissotel Resort (Patong Beach) to the airport, was slightly more than an hour.
Thinking we would have time to spare as we reached the airport two hours before the scheduled departure, i was aghast to find a long queue at the check-in counter! And it didn't help when a few travellers ahead of us faced issues of overweight baggage!
50 minutes later; clearing immigration after securing our boarding tickets!
A short 'tour' of the departure area before joining yet again another queue at gate 15 for boarding. To find out what are available at the departure area, click here.
Pegasus Airlines?! It's not for promotion okay; a real budget airline from Turkey. I would have thought it's from Greece actually.
Our scoot plane with a tiger tail. Officially known as Scoot Tigerair now, the merger between the two Singapore-Airlines-owned companies was completed in 2017.
Given a window seat with scratches on the window! :( It would have been fine for most people but i love to take photos in the air and having the scratch marks would be unsightly.
Interesting airlines found at Phuket International Airport; apart from Pegasus Airlines, there's this Thomas Cook Airlines with the logo of a heart!
Airport is just adjacent to the Nai Yang beach and i hope to check it out on my next trip to Phuket; imagine having the airplane flying right over your head! Must wear ear plugs though.
Plane was delayed and it took off about 30 minutes after scheduled departure at 11.09 am. Beautiful views from the sky at Phuket and more photos can be found here.
Full flight!
Bought the beef and mushroom lasagna from the in-flight purchase. Food was okay although you have to be careful when removing the plastic top. There's a chance you have the sauce splashing all over the place despite following the "hot tip". Increased chance if you are as clumsy as i am.
Photos taken along the plane ride. If i recall correctly, the last two photos were taken somewhere around Batam / Bintan Island in Indonesia.
Home sweet home! For the photos taken right before we landed at Changi International Airport, click here under the label "the eyes in the sky".
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Detailed Postings for the Day