17 October – I’m on a plane!

I always forget how exhausting sitting around with nothing to do for eight hours can be. Maybe time has just mellowed my memory, but my flights on Qantas and Singapore Air between Sydney and Jakarta were nowhere near as depleting or annoying. The food was tolerable, but they managed to run out of chicken (does anyone voluntarily take the fish, ever?) before reaching our seats. Between movies (on demand, which is a nice improvement over the last time I flew), I got some nice photos out my window.

We arrived in Bangkok, crossed immigration/customs without any issue and shuttled immediately to our connecting flight to Phuket, which seemed to take almost as long. By the time we arrived, it was past midnight but our hotel transfer was awake and waiting for us. And then, the real journey began! I think P would have preferred to pass out until we got to the hotel, but the local driving was hair raising, even by my standards which were hardened in the peak hour madness of Jakarta. Lane markings aren’t even a guide, let alone a rule!  It’s as though everyone in Phuket is a part-time rally driver out to perfect their speed curves on the main streets. And yet, despite (or perhaps because of) all of this, traffic flows for the most part safely.

Finally at the hotel, we checked in and collapsed without any further incident. After the cramped confines of airplanes, the king bed and soft pillows were a welcome comfort.

18 October – Kata

We definitely chose a great hotel in the Centara. How do I know? Because when we woke up and opened the blessedly effective blackout curtains, this is the sight that greeted us: