Yes, we did the booking and so we went. Everything was smooth and we glad that there is nothing much happen throughout the trip and we hardly feel that there is protest going on but we need to take extra careful and try not to go near places where mob gather like in Chid Lom, Ratchadamri Rd and Silom. This 3 places is the business center having few of the famous hotel and shopping complexes like Central World, Zen, Siam Paragon closed down thus leaving us only to others shopping mall like Platinum Mall (wholesales store)

We @ Bangkok for 5 days 4 nights but only 3 full days in Bangkok as touch down at Suvarnabhumi International Airport around 12 pm Thai local time, Malaysian time is 1 hour ahead so is 1 pm. Getting out from Airport to hotel, check-in already about 3:30 pm including having lunch at Airport. Can’t wait to get food in town as we were very hungry end up having our lunch in Cafe’ Nero by Black Canyon. I like their coffee very much, taste like those coffee bean and star buck but low in sugar where you feel the strong coffee taste.

The hotel we book together with AirAsiaGo package includes flight + hotel and we have choose The Ecotel Hotel, we search the internet review are not bad about this hotel only thing that it does not have much facilities, just plain room and a mini mart at the lobby. Luckily we have printout the location map from the internet provided by The Ecotel Hotel written in Thai language on the direction,as some taxis driver doesn’t know Ecotel hotel so it’s very handy with the location map. The taxi driver from the Airport doesn’t know the location and we show him the map, he look at the map quite sometimes and we started to worried whether the hotel is a hotel or motel ?? The taxi fare cost 400 baht that is  much cheaper than here.

Once we check-in to the hotel, took some rest and head down to find the nearest mall or places to hang around for half day since almost dawn. When we come out from the hotel, there are many tuk-tuk driver will approach you to offer ride. Here you have to bargain and make yourself clear on how much they charge before jumping into tuk-tuk else you are paying more than you should. We consider lucky that get approached by honest and nice tuk-tuk driver manage to bring us go round the town just cost 10 baht with condition that he will drove us to 3 stores in order for him to claim petrol when he bring visitor to their stores.

He bring us to Gems Stone Jewelry, Diamond Jewelry and Fashion Taylor, you doesn’t need to buy but just take a look will do. Gems and Diamond store you still manage to spend more time since there is so many design and you eyes will not stop seeing all those stones.. blink blink!!. The toughest is the Fashion Taylor where you need to spend at least 10 min there in order for tuk-tuk driver claim petrol, we don’t have any intention to make any suite or shirt and we have to pretend like to get one. All the sales guy are from Middle East and i find the guy not really friendly sounds like forcing you to get one on the spot without much thinking.

The tuk-tuk driver name is “Kit” sounds like Chinese and I got to know that 70% of Thailand is Chinese, no wonder we saw many thai’s skin color are very fair especially those leng lui. Saying about leng lui, almost every corner you manage to find one with the model look and my eyes non-stop drooling… it also can gives you energy to walk around . Kit also gave us his mobile contact in-case we need his service and we did call him to drive us few places where we find you charges not expensive compared to others after surveying.

The hotel is not too far from Platinum Mall its about 20 min walk from the hotel and you can enjoy the local food along the road. We did not walk there, we want to save our energy on the shopping mall rather on the road side end up taking Tuk-tuk cost only 20 baht. On the first night, we had McDonald Samurai Pork burger as our dinner where this was not sold in our country. We took 1 burger only and continue to the street for Thai local foods like noodle soup, bbq pork stick, fried oyster, tom yam gong and etc. During the stay we hardly feel hungry, you can get most of the food almost on every street so not so easy to get starves there.

We fly Air Asia as we manage to get the free flight ticket last year, 1 thing about Air Asia that is the flight schedule will changed every now and sometimes you will get the notification about the changes and sometimes you won’t. As for our return flight was re-schedule from 4:30 to 9:05 pm but my uncle was not so lucky when he was in Hanoi where he did not get the notification and cause him stay another night at Hanoi where he only know the return flight was change to tomorrow afternoon as there is no longer night flight, that’s what Air Asia crew said. I re-check my schedule again few days earlier before take-off here see if they have any other changes and you can also use the same link to check your flight info as well.

We reach @ Phuket International Airport around 7:40 am (local time 8:40 am) and head out to look for transportation after getting the luggage. Once out from the arrival hall there are many taxi driver asking whether you need a taxi service and cost around 650 to 750 baht depend on the area you going. So we look around to look for budget alternative that is bus, good thing is their busses is not really a bus but is a van and the price per person 180 baht. It takes about 1 hour drive from Airport to Patong, Karon and Kata Beach as our hotel in Kata Beach. After few min from the Airport the van stopped at their office, said they need to know which hotel we were going to so they will arrange which route to go. But they also showing us the island tour package to Phi Phi, Phang Nga island tour and we got ripped off there as they said the price include full day onboard with lunch, elephant trekking and taxi back to airport when we back. The deal was quite attractive as i’ve check online the price is ranging about 2,800 to 3,000 baht and they offer us about 2,200 baht per pax, so we grab the offer didn’t think off checking few places first that’s our mistake. On the day 3 post will tell you more on the package.

It really took about an hour drive only reach the Peach Hill Resort @ Kata Beach and we check-in around 12 noon while waited the bell boy to bring us to our room. We ask the reception on what is the best place to go and pricing about the taxi service and the hotel staff recommend us to their hotel taxi service to check how much is the price for a full day sight seeing, bring you to see most of the traveler will visit. The initial price was 1,800 baht and we manage to negotiate to 1,000 baht but scarifies a bit on the place to visit. The taxi driver Mr Prasit was very friendly and driving his old Volvo 850 for our tour but who cares as long as we manage to get to the places right. So we plan to get the taxi service for the second day trip as the Phi Phi island tour was on the third day. Mr Prasit also told us that on every sat and sun they will be a night market near the Phuket town as that day was sunday, so we ask him how much is the price to go there and the price was 700 baht that’s the best bargain we can get as for Tuk tuk famous transportation in Thailand also cost 500 baht 1 way trip but we paying 700 baht for return.

Night market is the place you have to go as you can get to see many daily usage item by thai and also some of the local food that is so delicious that we can’t get em hold on too. We had BBQ pork (pork satay although swine flu not yet reach Phuket it should be safe to eat pork), seafood cracker, noodle (serve in Keoy Teow or bihun), thai dim sum and Phad Thai. BBQ port taste like satay in M’sia but it slightly sweeter as they put honey and the meat cut into thin slice and barbeque it to perfection..yummy as for the noodle it had crispy pork, pork intestine (such as liver, stomach, kidney) and meat with the tasty soup smell like Bah Kut Teh in M’sia but it taste just perfect with all the ingredient. Other than food on the night market, you can get to buy local made neglects, shirts, bags and etc…mostly suite for girls and for me food is the best…

Before heading back to hotel, we stop at the local hypermarket BigC to get some mineral water, fruit juice, yogurt and tidbits for our 5 days stay as the tap water here is not safe to drink where hotel only gave 1 bottle of 1.5 liters a day that’s not enough for both of us. After that we head back to hotel and prepare our self for the day 2 schedule.

Stay tune for the rest of the days…