When I watched Leonardo Dicaprio movie "The Beach", I can't catch the story, for me it was so confusing, but one thing I noticed about the movie, the place where the movie describe as uninhabitated and forbidden beach, is the most beautiful place I ever seen. Since that time I list it as one of my dream travel destination.
So after I had only 2 experienced went to abroad (travelled to China for work all arranged by others and visited friend in Singapore), in late 2013 , I planned a trip to Phuket, and one of friend willing to join the trip with me. So after did so many research , we decided to arrange travel by ourself without any travel agent. We decided the date was 26 -31 March 2014, only short visit since my friend want to visit Bangkok also (me and my friend work at diff place, so it was hard time to combine the date, and she had only little permittion of leave work too).
So here was the itinerary we planned :
Jakarta-Phuket, by plane, 3 days in Phuket (26-28 March )
Phuket-Bangkok,by night bus, 2 day in Bangkok (29 -31)
Bangkok-Jakarta,by plane on 31 March
I buy one way ticket AA Jakarta- Phuket IDR 700 K, but when I wanted to buy one way ticket Bangkok-Jakarta, unbelieveable, it was far expensive , about IDR 2000 K (becoz that time was Indo peak season),way too expensive for budget traveller like me. When I search the flight, I use round trip search and I found the flight cost was cheap, but apparently it was diff when u buy one way ticket, its far expensive. So I search for other flight company, and found that TA had cheaper cost flight. It was IDR 1200 K. But the problem was, the TA system reject my passpor that will expired on August 2014. And I only can renew my ticket at least 6 month before expired , that mean on late february 2014, and it took 2-4 week for renewal and that mean I can buy plane ticket on March 2014 , and that time the flight will be more and more expensive becoz it was near the due date.
So after thinking the alternative and search the AA flight route from Bangkok, I found that Bangkok -Kuala Lumpur flight was busy route (many times a day, once per hour) , and Malay had diff holiday with Indo, so the flight cost still cheap. And there is direct flight from KL to Bandung, no need to stuck in Jakarta-Bandung Traffic Jam. I rather feel sorry why I didnt find that alternative before I buy Jakarta-Phuket ticket, so instead of wasting time to travel Bandung -Jakarta who can took more than 5 hours by car (and may be more becoz we cant predict how bad traffic jam in Jakarta) , I can take Bandung -KL, KL-Phuket flight.
So finally this was the final itinerary..
26 March : 10.am-3 pm : travel car Bandung-Jakarta (IDR 100 K)
5 pm -8 pm : Jakarta -Phuket,AA flight (IDR 700 K)
8.30 pm -9.30 pm : airport-hostel at Bangla Road, rental car (600 bath)
27 March : Phi-Phi Tour
28 March : James Bond Tour, Simon Cabaret Show
29 March : 5 am -6 am Hostel - Phuket Airport, rental car (600 bath)
7 am -8 am : Phuket-Bangkok, AA flight (IDR 600 K)
8 am - : Chatu Chak Market, Madame Tussaud, Khaosan Road
30 March : Bangkok Tour and culinary , Wat Arun, Wat Pho, The Palace,Asiatiq
31 March : 8 am-10 am : Bangkok- Kuala Lumpur ,AA flight (IDR 600 K)
10 am - 8 pm : KL tour
10 pm - 12 pm : KL-Bandung, AA flight (IDR 500 K)
All the flight without baggage, we just use backpack. For rental car dan tour in phuket, all served by Ms Ladda. I got information about her from kaskus, one of Indonesian's forum who discuss about anything,and many recomended her, she has blackberry number and email (billyladda@windowslive.com).When I invited her pin BB, it was not active, and then I email her, but it was late reply. One more person who kaskuser recomended is Noi Phuket, she has facebook with the same id, and the respond was faster. But some of kaskuser said that the Phi-Phi tour from Ms Ladda better becoz the famous Maya Bay from the Beach Movie has the best view in the morning , and tour from Ms Noi had Maya Bay in the afternoon. So I decided to take Ms Ladda Tour. Actually, if you have enough time its cheaper buy island tour when you reach Phuket . There was so many tour agent around, I saw many in Patong. One of Indonesian group I met when at James Bond Island 's Tour got 2500 Bath for Phi-Phi Tour, James Bond's Island Tour and Simon Cabaret Show . But some not recomended too becoz may be with cheap price, the tour will far diff from deal(like buying cat in the sack, u will not always lucky, right?). And about the Airport transport to Phuket town or Patong, I read that there some rental car cost about 150 bath/person or some bus. But we wanted the easiest way, so we used rental car.
Day 1. 26 March 2014
We were lucky that day. The travel car from Bandung to Jakarta Airport was so empty, only me and my friend and the driver. And that day, the traffic was good too,so we arrived at the Soetta Airport at 2 p m. Had lunch at the airport, and the flight was not delayed. Ms Ladda ask me to send email if our flight was on time or delayed.
Around 8 pm, we arrived at Phuket and passed the imigration. Phuket Airport was small one, similar with Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung. We search for all the fetcher with my name's sign, but after a while, we found none. A little nervous becoz we didnt anticipate this condition. We decide to phone her, but my indonesian number not active in Thailand ( i didnt plan to use my indo number in Thai, so I didnt search information about it). We walk around to search a counter that sell Thai's number,but finally after some minutes there was a man with my name's sign approached us (may be he can predict becoz we look lost).
I ask some question to the fetcher, but he just quite . We wonder if he cant speak English or my poor english he cant understand. Finally he gave me his phone with Ms Ladda on it. Ms Ladda said sorry becoz she cant pick us herself becoz she must go to herhometown , her mom was sick. She advice me to buy Thai Number so we can communicate well. She said that she will meet us when she fetch us to the Airport at 29 March.
After 1 hour journey, we arrived at Patong. We booked Kool Backpacker Hostel at Bangla Road from Agoda, we read that it was strategic place, near the beach, and the mall, and the busiest street at Patong. With our tight schedule, we just need cool place to sleep and shower,and strategic place with affordable price. Its about IDR 200 K per person , so for 2 person you can have nice hotel with that price but far from the beach (we rather not!!!). The fetcher brought ask to one crowded street, the closed street with so many people and pub around. He said that our hostel was in the middle of the street ,in front of Tiger Pub , and the car cant reach it becoz the street was closed, so we should walk (he finally speak, and he can speak English??)
We not imagine that our hostel was in the middle of night life in Phuket. It more alive than Legian street in Bali. And at Legian, I didnt see ladyboys too, or scammers. Here so many people approaches us to offer "show". After splitting the crowth and ask few peoples, we find our hostel. We check in, had shower, and our roommates , a girl from Beijing China offer to show us around. Her name was Katy (her English name) and she was very nice and speak English very good (in my experience when in China, most Chinese not speak English), and that was her first experience went abroad. Woow, first time and Solo traveller, and left her job for travelling. She had funny question, if we were student of work?LOL,with our old face, we can be student? We walk around the street, watch nighlife in Phuket,had dinner and went to seven eleven at Jungceylon Mall to buy happy tourist simcard (with a lot of internet quota and speaking credit, and its cheap too, but only 7 day used, suitable for short visit tourist). We talked a lot in our room, and she was surprised when we said we will go to Bangkok on 29 March, becoz on that day there will be big demonstration, anti government. So all peoples from all Thailand will come to Bangkok. She adviced us to change the itinerary. Well, all ticket already purchased, we didnt know what to do next.
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