Top Destination - Thailand

Thailand

Arriving in Phuket

As you fly down the Thai-Malay peninsula on the way south to the holiday paradise of Phuket these strange but beautiful jungle covered islets appear out of the blue , not large enough to support human life but an amazing habitat to the numerous sea birds and other exotic flora and fauna . These islands are honeycombed with caverns. It is from these caverns that for centuries the guano has been collected for the South East Asian delicacy of birds nest soup. The caverns are guarded quite zealously as the current price for this commodity is around fifteen hundred dollars per kilo. It is also a very dangerous occupation as the collectors have to scale rickety wooden scaffolding hundreds of feet up in the dark caves to collect their prize. These little islands stretch as far as the eye can see all different shapes and sizes but all draped with a luscious greenery.

As we come in to land some one hour twenty minutes later you can see the main runway on this tropical paradise stretches from one side of the island to the other it’s so bright and alien compared to the beautiful blue of the sea and the luscious vegetation. We touchdown and taxi to what appears to be a brand new terminal building. This time they have installed jetways so you can walk off the plane straight into the building; last time I was here we had to walk across the tarmac in the blazing sun. There are several airlines that can get you from Bangkok to the island including Bangkok Airways, Phuketair and of course the national airline, Thai airways. I have always used Thai, the flights are frequent throughout the day, the service is brilliant for such a short flight and the Thai crew are lovely, very courteous and nothing is too much trouble.

The terminal building is immaculately clean and cleaning people are scuttling around always on the lookout for something they may have missed. As you get into the terminal building you are a bit spoilt for choice as regards banking facilities for changing up your currency, but all have very similar rates so really it is which has the smallest queue. We wait in the line for immigration, there are a dozen counters but only three or four manned and as you can imagine a plane load of people and the queue soon builds up. At last I have to stand on these strange foot prints marked on the floor, look this way!!! They have just taken my photo, now cross-checking my passport with their central computer. They remind me more of the military, the officers are in uniform which is a cross between police officials and army outfits they all carry side arms. I get waved through now , I head to collect our baggage,” the usual half a dozen baggage carousels and a mad rush to get a trolley “God I could do with a smoke, I find the smoking room more like a bus shelter with glass on all four sides and smoking room is really what it is! as you go through the door the smoke comes out to greet you a culmination of camel, Bensons, Marlborough and some strange Japanese cigarette smoke and standing room only God that’s good my first cigarette in thirteen hours. A cleaner sidles their way in to the sand topped ashtray and with a pair of what look like kitchen tongs carefully takes each cigarette end out of the sand then with a paint brush sweeps all the ash up into a little shovel and then with the greatest of patience centres a round stamp into the middle of the sand saying AOT. Funnily enough everything has AOT pasted all over it stands for “airports of Thailand”. It is the public owned company that runs all the airports here. Anyway cigarette finished, the bags are off the plane and coming around the belt. We collect them and then proceed through customs - anything to declare ? They are looking really for anyone smuggling drugs into the country but also food stuffs and other illegal articles. Woe betides anyone who does try to smuggle drugs because the Thais’ take it really seriously, and you’re more likely to face the death penalty than long prison sentences for drug related crime. Don’t get me wrong they do have drugs but with such a serious consequence they don’t hit you in the face with it, but has with anything illegal if you want it, you can find it. Be warned no drugs or you get a short stay in the not so hospitable Bangkok Hilton and then your neck stretched.

At last we are through and next you get the chance to buy inbound duty free goods. Jolly civilized if you ask me, you get the chance to buy any forgotten cigarettes, spirits, perfumes and other luxury goods all at the Thai duty free price and not at the inflated prices we pay in European duty free shops. It also saves you having to lug extra plastic bags around on the plane journey. Next you’re through into the Arrivals Hall, it’s just the same as any throughout the world but cleaner. There are people milling about all over waiting for family members to arrive from a short trip, hotel staff waiting for guests, the usual taxi touts and Holiday reps from companies I haven’t even heard of.

There are all sorts of facilities in the Arrivals Hall, the same array of banks to change up your money, desks for booking a hotel if you haven’t already you are ok to use these but I suggest only booking the first couple of nights this way, as negotiation with the hotel direct is cheaper as these desks do include a commission fee in their price. They generally have a great selection of hotels and resorts to cater for every taste, age and price range. There are desks which run the official airport taxi companies whether you need a normal car or a mini bus, they can sort you out. I tend to patronise these people, because although they are slightly dearer than just getting a local taxi outside, you are guaranteed to get to where you want to go. There is also the usual array of airline ticket desks and convenience shops and a couple of cafe type facilities.

500 baht - (about 8 pounds) the ticket is bought, and you are shown to your waiting car, they are all alike, 90% of the cars over here are Japanese or Malaysian. The one thing you do notice as you drive out of the airport gates is how new everything seems, nice new road surfaces, new buildings and there are huge advertising hoardings advertising everything from a new hotel and beach resort, to a new golf course, to the new Lotus (which is a shopping mall which Tesco owns in the centre of the Island) all with roadside precedence. The trip is going to take us about an hour by road but the island is not that big, it is just the roadways meander around. After the initial couple of hundred yards you notice that the nice new road and modern buildings have given way to older roads and older buildings. There is plenty of new and regeneration work going on but due to the poor economy of the working classes, all private building work takes ages.