Kolkata to Phuket - Our journey

Our flight was at 00:15 hours from Kolkata international airport. It was a spice jet flight. What I learnt, one must do web check in and then just drop your luggage and go straight to the document verification. Physical check in is painful. Standing long in queue and getting seats at the mercy of the staff there. Everything went smooth and we reached Bangkok very early morning and collected our luggage. Here I must mention, if it was a fly thru ticket with a single PNR, we need not to waste time for luggage collection. In such case the luggage automatically goes to last destination.

However, our ticket to Phuket was separate. After luggage retrieval we went for immigration. It was little difficult as none of the airport staff at Bangkok understands English. Later I learn it is better to communicate with them with sign language. It took time but done easily. A small paper slip was given in flight. We were required to fill that up. That was immigration slip.  We didn't know that. We thought that was a feedback sort of paper and ignored. Luckily we didn't lose that. It was again checked in hotels and during exit from Bangkok. So tiny paper!

First thing I did in Bangkok Airport after immigration, I bought a SIM card with internet. Reasonably priced and worked very well throughout the trip. All settings done at the counter. I purchased DTAC card. One word of caution is don't forget to prefix the code for ISD dialling, otherwise it is very costly. I didn't know, only realized after finishing the initial balance so quickly!

Breakfast option in Bangkok airport is plenty. It is not that costly too, but you need to choose the outlet carefully. Our next flight to Phuket was at 9 am. It was domestic flight , so no more official hassle. It was Thai airways. The difference of comfort was evident. We landed at Phuket at right time around 12 pm.

Phuket airport is small. There are few stalls at the exit who books the conducted tours at Phuket. They started offering their rates and if we book with them transfer to the hotel is free! Not bad! But their rates were not good. I knew the rates and its higher and lower range. I bargained hard and they understood I know the rates and lowered their rate to acceptable level. Still a little higher side I booked Phi Phi Island trip with them for the next day and came to hotel by their van. Phuket traffic is also bad. It took more than an hour to reach the hotel.  my next post will be hotel experience and Fifi tour. Read on...