Calator in Thailanda 2. Zborul, dus-intors / Traveller in Thailand 2. Return Flight

It was the first time for me to fly AEROSVIT. In their magazine on board I read that they will start to cease offering meals on board on the domestic flights. It is no wonder as every flight company struggles with the crisis but to offer only fish, with no other choice, as long as there are people who do not eat fish...Besides, I had a problem with the behaviour of the stewardeses. They were very bossy, quarelsome, with their own people (I mean Ukrainians) and I didn't like this. The stewards were more agreeable.


On our way to Bangkok, the Boeing 767 we flew from Kiev was full. A lot of Ukrainians were going to holiday in Thailand. Few westerners and even less Thai people were in the plain. What a difference toward our flight to Delhi, in 2010, when the departure terminal in Istanbul was full of Indians, working in Europe and taking advantage on the Christmas holiday to visit their homes!

Our places have been in the middle of the plane, so I couldn't take photos. We arrived at Suvarnabumi airport at 4.30 in the morning. We changed money firstly in order to pay our on arrival visas. Then, we took our luggage and went to the domestic flights area, as we flew further, to Chiang Mai. A lot of people were there and due to the formalities it was just possible to skip the flight. So, if you have an internal flight, be there more in advance!

We flew Air Asia to Chiang Mai, one and a half hour. The town from Northern Thailand welcomed us with sun and warm weather, so we felt the "summer" has begun for us. After the days we spent there, we moved forward to Sukhotai, by bus.

The two days spent in Sukhotai and Si Sanchanalai went by rapidly and we flew again to Bangkok. This time it was a private company, Bangkok Airways, which is in business since 1968. They built their own airport in Sukhotai from where they operate two flights daily to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The airport is awesome, I may say. It looks more as a resort than as an airport. The waiting room is open, furniture is Thai, lotus ponds and even a small chedi create a nice atmosphere. The plain is colorful, a real vacation plane!

On our return flight from Bangkok the plane was not so full but the long flight (11 hours) was tiresome. Then, from Kiev again, there have been only one and a half hours to Budapest. On the airport I spent my time looking at the people. From Budapest we still had almost 5 hours driving to Timisoara, my home town. The sunset was beautiful as to say us that our journey came to an end.

Asa cum am scris in postarea anterioara, am calatorit spre Thailanda cu AEROSVIT. Este prima data cand folosesc aceasta companie. Nu ma plang prea mult de serviciile la bord, fiindca toti fac acum economii, unii mai mult decat altii. Intr-o revista aflata la bord am citit chiar ca AEROSVIT se pregateste ca, din acest an, sa renunte la orice masa oferita pe zborurile interne... Se simte deja si la cele externe...De fapt nu am termen de comparatie fiindca n-am mai calatorit cu ei, dar sa oferi numai peste, fara optiune, cand nu toata lumea mananca peste, nu mi se pare normal...Ceea ce lasa de dorit este comportamentul stewardeselor care se adreseaza rastit calatorilor si au niste mutre cam acre, exceptand momentele cand vorbesc intre ele in timp ce ii servesc pe pasageri. Stewarzii (si au multi) sunt mai atenti si mai simpatici.

La dus, in Boeingul 767 care a plecat din Kiev spre Bangkok, nu era loc sa arunci un ac! Era plin ochi de turisti ucrainieni, care plecau la plaja. Mai erau si ceva occidentali, dar putini, iar pe thailandezi i-am numarat pe degetele de la maini. Ma gandesc ca anul trecut, cand am zburat de la Istanbul la Delhi, calatorii erau predominant indieni care mergeau acasa, fiind vacanta Europa in care munceau...Am avut locuri in mijloc, asa ca nu am putut face fotografii din avion.

Am ajuns pe aeroportul Suvarnabumi dimineata, la 4.30. Un aeroport imens, cum ne-au obisnuit deja orasele asiatice vizitate (Beijing, Delhi, Seoul), foarte curat, cu multe flori si foarte bine organizat.

la sosire, pe aeroportul Suvarnabumi

Am mers mai intai sa schimbam bani pentru a putea sa ne platim viza. Cursul de schimb era de 28.95-31.39 baht pentru un dolar si 38.99 baht pentru un euro. La "Visa on Arrival" (viza la sosire) am platit cate 1000 baht pentru o persoana, plus 200 baht "taxa de urgenta". N-am prea inteles de ce trebuia platita asta, fiindca oricum ti-o dadea pe loc, nu te tinea trei zile pe aeroport si mai ales de ce nu se dadea nici o chitanta pentru aceasta suma?! Ne-am ridicat apoi bagajele si ne-am indreptat spre partea de zboruri interne a aeroportului, intrucat urma sa plecam peste cateva ore la Chiang Mai.

Desi era inca noapte, aeroportul era plin de lume si cu tot check in-ul electronic pe care l-am facut, tot a trebuit sa stam la un rand kilometric ca sa predam bagajul Daca nu esti atent la factorul "aglomeratie", risti sa pierzi avionul! Bine ca atunci cand se apropie ora plecarii unui avion, niste tinere se plimba cu pancarte printre pasageri pentru a-i scoate din rand pe cei care au bilete la zborul iminent si a-i duce in fata, pentru a urgenta formalitatile.

Spre Chiang Mai am zburat cu Air Asia, cam o ora si jumatate.

 se pregateste avionul nostru spre Chiang Mai

 Suvarnabumi, de sus

 in imprejurimile Bangkok-ului

 printre nori

 deasupra Chiang Mai-ului

am aterizat la Chiang Mai

Dupa zilele petrecute in Chiang Mai, ne-am deplasat la Sukhotai cu autobuzul, urmand ca de acolo sa zburam din nou spre Bangkok, cu un avion al unei companii private, Bangkok Airways. Aceasta opereaza pe piata din 1968 si este singura care opereaza in Sukhotai, avand doua curse pe zi, la Bangkok si Chiang Mai. In acest scop si-au construit propriul aeroport, mic si elegant, care arata mai degraba ca resort decat ca aeroport.  Avionul colorat are si el aer de vacanta. Din pacate, geamul meu era foarte zgariat si pozele sunt brazdate de linii. Am incercat sa decupez macar una, facuta in apropiere de Bangkok.

 aeroportul din Sukhotai

sala de imbarcare

 imbarcarea in avionul colorat

 o stewardesa amabila

 in apropiere de Bangkok

Pentru plecarea spre casa am ajuns la aeroportul Suvarnabumi dimineata, foarte devreme, cand acesta abia se trezea.

 intrarea in aeroportul Suvarnabumi, noaptea

 un interior ca de nava spatiala

Zborul lung si obositor, de 11 ore, ne-a adus din nou la Kiev de unde am plecat a doua zi spre Budapesta. De data asta intr-un avion mic. In fata aeroportului, un brad mare. Timpul de asteptare mi l-am petrecut studiindu-i pe ceilalti calatori, atat de diferiti unii de altii.

avionul nostru spre Budapesta

Zborul scurt, de o ora si jumatate, s-a sfarsit repede. 

 deasupra Kievului

 ne apropiem de Budapesta

umbra avionului nostru deasupra pistei

In  drum spre Timisoara, soarele a apus, marcand si sfarsitul calatoriei noastre.