Yea!!! Today we travel! We’re up around 2:30 am, and are walking out to a taxi at 4:00 am. There are two parked out front of the apartments, and both drivers are in their passenger seat, with the seat propped back, sleeping. I knock on the window of the first one in line, and he groggily wakes up. After a few minutes of language struggles, we’re driving away. There is no traffic this time of the day. We saw a traffic accident site for the first time in Beijing on the way to the airport. It looked like the driver might have gone to sleep and crashed into the side railing. As crazy as the traffic is in Beijing, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more.
Airport arrival and check-in is smooth. We make the long trek to our departure gate, through Immigration and then through Security. We get to our gate after another long walk. This is a really big, new, wide-open terminal. About a half-hour before our flight is scheduled to depart, Judy realizes she can’t find her phone. She races back so security, thinking maybe she left it there. She returns 10 minutes later empty-handed. They needed her passport and also wanted to see her bag. I go back with her this time. Her phone shows up on the “Find My iPhone” app on my phone, and the map shows it’s in the airport terminal. Back at security, they scan Judy’s bag and check her passport. Then they scan my bag and check my bag also. They want to make sure it’s not hidden in our bags somewhere. Now, the “Find My iPhone” app map shows Judy’s phone near the gate. We’re beginning to think she put it in her coat sometime in the taxi ride. She put her coat in her suitcase right before we checked the bag. We won’t need coats in Phuket. As we board the plane, the app still shows the phone close by. The phone has got to be in the suitcase (we hope). We’ll find out in Phuket.
No problems at the Bangkok airport. We make the transfer to our Phuket flight smoothly. No sign of any political unrest. The flight path into Phuket comes in over water. I was beginning to wonder if we had pontoons on our plane. It’s a small airport, with only one runway, shared by incoming and outgoing flights. After we disembark and get our luggage, we run the gauntlet of taxi entrepreneurs. I find one with a price close to what I understand is the standard fare, and it’s air-conditioned. It’s definetly warmer here (around 85 degrees F). There’s not much need for sweaters and layering now.
The ride to the Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa is about 20 minutes. We arrive and it’s gorgeous. Cold face towels and fruit juice greet us at check-in. We make it to the room, and it’s equally luxurious. NEWS FLASH: WE FOUND THE PHONE IN THE COAT! We have a great view of the lobby and restaurant from our balcony. Our first job is to rest. It’s been a long day of terminals and flying. The combined flight time of our two legs from Beijing to Bangkok, and then Phuket is 6½ hours. It’s been a long time since 2:30 am in Beijing. We begin enjoying the resting part of our vacation immediately. We’ll explore the area tomorrow.
The lobby area as we drive up
Our room, as viewed from the lobby: top floor, 4th from the left.
View from the room back towards the lobby