Krabi in 2015: A quick getaway

For a quick getaway, SEA really has a myriad of choices. I once contemplated Boracay, with its powdery beaches. However, flights to Kalibo involve a transit at Manila, stretching more than 5 hours, implying that one day will be lost on flying alone and hence defeating the purpose of a quick getaway.

So we considered Bali. Then the volcano erupted, periodically shutting down the airport. Next, Langkawi, fairly good choice because of the falling ringgit, if not for the visa requirement.

Then, it appeared that Krabi might be a good choice. Its proximity to Singapore, its less crowded beaches, and the flexibility to visit nearby islands. Best part, Air Asia was doing a discounted sale of SGD102 for a return trip.

The hotel was decent, despite the room being on the small side.

Then again, given the price we paid of about ~SGD 80 per night, this is a reasonable offer. Furthermore, the front-desk gave us a complimentary upgrade.

The interesting part is this bath-hub on the balcony. While the hotel, being built on a hill, is indeed secluded, it still feels weird.

However, I must give the hotel credit for living up to its name. The Ao Nang cliff is indeed visible right from the balcony, although the beach is blocked from view by the traveller's palm. Perhaps beach view is reserved for guests paying to stay at pricier suites.

Given that it was a late afternoon arrival, we strolled around the night markets, which was fairly touristy, though I got a cotton shirt for THB 200. Of course, a trip to Thailand would be incomplete without a visit to the massage parlours, especially when you have a day packed with intensive activities ahead. And with prices for a 60 minutes session at THB 200~300, it was almost a given that we patronise one.

The next day was spent island-hopping, starting with a 25 min ride on a fishing boat (the locals insist it is a long-tail boat).

Although we visited during the rainy season, the skies were clear and weather was sunny and warm during most of the trip, which was great for water activities.

However, sometimes when the sun get scorching hot, one needs to count on inner peace to maintain a peace of mind :)

Flying: Scoot B777-200 Economy Class Singapore to Hong Kong 2015

A point worth noting is that check-in for Scoot flights ends 60 minutes prior to departure, unlike 45 minutes for most other airlines.

At check-in, I was disappointed by the counter staff informing me that the aircraft has been changed to a 777-200 instead of the 787-9 originally scheduled for the route. I had been wanting to experience the mood lighting and (presumably) increased legroom on the Dreamliner.

Scoot 220
Singapore (SIN) – Hong Kong (HKG) 
Friday, Jun 5 2015
Depart: 01:55AM
Arrive: 05:40AM
Flight time: 3hr45min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200

I suppose because the carrier was trying to save on fees, it used one of the gates that was the furthest from the terminal.

We pushed off from gate F60 at 2:06AM, slightly behind schedule, but given the wee hour departure, there was minimal traffic at Changi and we took off after a quick taxi at 2:16AM.

Given that it was a late night departure, the load was fairly light, with about 70% of the seats filled at a cursory glance. 

Since it is a budget carrier, the service was absolutely no-frills. And since it was almost a red-eye flight, I dispensed with all meals/drinks and set out to sleep through the journey, hence essentially experience close to zero service. Having said that, the hard product is decent, with a fair amount of leg room.

Perhaps due to the light load, the air-condition made me feel rather cold and for a moment I regretted wearing berms, though with a jacket it became quite bearable. By this time it was almost 2:30AM, I quickly dozed off while the cabin was still dim from take-off, and managed to stay asleep until we are on the final descent into HKG.

Despite the late departure, we landed on time at 5:36AM.

Coming out of the aircraft, I realised that the plane was again parked at one of the gates that was the furthest from the terminal.

At such early hours, immigration was a breeze and within half an hour I was on the airport express heading down to the train station in Kowloon Tong for the trip home to Guangzhou.

Flying: Finnair A340-300 Economy Class Helsinki to Singapore 2015

The layover at Helsinki airport was a short one with only less than an hour before the boarding time for my next flight, so I was kind of in a rush to clear immigration and save some time for a quick meal and charging my phone.

However, I made a silly mistake at the border control by showing my passport to the immigration officer, without presenting the residence permit issued by the St Gallen cantonal immigration department. So I was admonished by the border guard for nearly activating an alarm for over-stayers.

As usual I was among the last passengers to board the aircraft, though I made it a point to say hi to the pilots when walking down the jet bridge. 

I was greeted at the cabin by a steward and a stewardess. I couldn't help but to notice that unlike my outbound flight in February, this flight was staffed by an all Asian crew.

Finnair 81
Helsinki (HEL) – Singapore (SIN) 
Tuesday, May 31 2015
Depart: 11:55PM
Arrive: 16:40PM (+1)
Flight time: 12hr20min
Aircraft: Airbus A340-300
Seat: 31A

This time round the flight was less full so the crew was making announcements over the PA offering economy plus seats with additional legroom.

We pushed off at 12:04AM, slightly behind schedule. The continuous daylight was indeed fascinating, since it was approaching summer solstice, with the sun still not fully set by mid-night. We had a quick taxi in the continuous daylight and took off at 12:14AM.

Dinner was served about an hour after take-off. The bread was actually delicious, though the main course is only passable. The dessert however, really pales in comparison the blueberry cheesecake on the outbound from Singapore.

Again I had a Finnish beer to accompany. I guess I am beginning to fell in love with this bear brew.

Snacks were set up after meal service at the galley, though I was a little amused by the consistency of the catering both flying into and out of Helsinki.

When I woke up again we have just crossed India, with about 4 hours left before arriving in Singapore. My seat mate glanced over and told me that how amazed he was that I managed to stay asleep for nearly 6 hours continuously. I smirked and told him I managed more than 7 on the outbound from Singapore in February. 

I managed to wash up before the other passengers wake up as the cabin lights were turned on and breakfast was served.

Well, I suppose the only compliment that I can give to the breakfast was that it was perfectly edible and fully heated, which is significantly better than some lukewarm servings elsewhere, or worse cold sandwiches.

As the MBS towers began to appear on the horizon it's again the final descent into Changi. 

Conclusion

From a value for money perspective, I am well-satisfied with the service from Finnair. Granted, the Middle Eastern carriers may offer comparable fares with newer aircraft and sometimes better catering, the value proposition of Finnair is really in the short transit time in its Helsinki hub, as well as the small size and ease of navigation in the airport.

Furthermore, since I cleared Schengen immigration in Helsinki, it saves me the hassle of clearing immigration at my final destination, which can be a huge relief if arriving in CDG or FRA, where immigration queue can sometimes be quite insane. 

In addition, while it can sometimes be quite difficult to credit miles for the Middle Eastern carriers, and often the miles are discounted, I received full credit for the miles flown on Finnair, all duly credited to my American Airlines AAdvantage account.

Flying: Finnair E190 Economy Class Zurich to Helsinki 2015

Arriving at ZRH, bidding my final farewell to the SBB Flughafen Bahnhof, I was pleased to find no one at the Finnair check-in counter. However, the process did not go as smoothly as I had expected, given the counter staff here are a lot more stringent then the ones I was used to at Singapore.

Finnair 864
Zurich (ZRH) – Helsinki (HEL) 
Tuesday, May 31 2015
Depart: 7:10PM
Arrive: 10:50PM 
Flight time: 2hr40min
Aircraft: Embraer 190
Seat: 4F

There was a change of boarding gate from A63 to A62 due to operational reasons, and almost everyone else had boarded by the time I realised the gate has changed. Then again, I never bothered with boarding early.

I can't help but to realise we parked right beside a Swissair 330 and what an apt way it is to say goodbye to this country. Soon the door closed and we pushed off at 7:03PM. 

It was a fairly full load, with all but a handful seats taken up. Then again, the E190 is a small plane.

A 2 hour flight would have called for at least some refreshments such as sandwiches or snacks, and if one were travelling on a full service airline in Asia there might even be a dinner service, albeit truncated. Well, guess I would have to make do with a cup of blueberry juice.

As we started to descent after crossing the Gulf of Finland, it suddenly struck my mind that it was the moon outside the window, not the sun.

Frankly, I was already used to long daylight in summer Europe, with the sunset at 8~9PM in St Gallen. However, as we approached the polar circle, the daylight was almost lasting the entire day.

We landed slightly ahead of schedule at 10:33PM. A couple of months back when I first arrived in Helsinki, the airport was stilled covered in heavy snow, and today it was lush green patches beside the taxiway.

Somehow I just felt that planes taxi faster in Europe than in Asia and we arrived at the terminal after barely 10 minutes of taxiing, pulling over right beside an A340, which is probably the plane that's going to carry me to Singapore later.

Home Bound

Due to the lack of foresight, I booked a return ticket to take advantage of a price discount, and hence the limbo in Europe for another week.

 

Closer to departure, I again received an offer from Finnair, this time round for an upgrade on the Zurich - Helsinki leg.

While I might struggle to make a decision had it been an offer for the Helsinki - Singapore leg, it was almost a no-brainer to turn down this offer.

1. It is a 2 hour short-haul flight
2. Business class on most intra-Europe flights is essentially economy class with a blocked middle seat
3. Hence it would be ridiculous to pay EUR69 for such upgrades, given that an one-way trip would probably cost less than that.

Day trip: Zurich

It all started with an errand to buy a watch, and given the boutique in St Gallen only has a fairly limited selection, I decided that I might as well visit Zurich on a day tour.

Coming out of the Zurich Main Station

As the restaurant was a fair distance away from the city centre, I took the tram back to the train station, and strolled along the canal in the bright afternoon sun.

 

Not forgetting that the mission for today, I headed down to Bahnhofstrasse for the Bucherer boutique. This is where Google maps failed to work (or I failed to understand its directions). So I approached an elderly gentleman and asked for the directions. It turned out that he was half Scottish and spoke fluent English.

 

He was heading in a similar direction so we walked along the cobblestone pavements, and along the way he kindly introduced some of Zurich's sights as we walked.

 

 So after traversing a few alleys, I arrived at Bahnhofstrasse, a street filled with boutiques. 

 
In the "Mission Accomplished" mode, I guess a cup of coffee is in order  :)

 

Counting down

As we thread into May, my days in Switzerland is essentially on a countdown mode, whihc is hastened by the upcoming exams.

So I am actually quite torn. On one hand I am really looking forward to return to Singapore. Heck, if not for the fact that I made the mistake of booking a non-refundable return ticket I would have just flown back as soon as the exams are over. On the other hand, since the exams are over, I was actually able to slow down and enjoy the tranquility of this small country and even smaller city.
 

Whether it was the elderly couple in traditional Swiss costume that I bumped into at the train station; 

 or the clear blue sky and the lush canopy on the uphill climb to the university;

or the beautiful sunrise when looking out from the window in my flat at dawn

 

or the equally beautiful sunset when looking out at dusk



Flying: Singapore Airlines A380 Economy Class Singapore to Zurich 2015

I made a silly mistake of forgeting to select the seats and had to call Singapore Airlines to block seat 32A.

As was the case for most flights bound for Europe, it was a late night departure from Changi. There wasn't any queue at the counter and I got my boarding pass in less than 5 minutes.

Immigration was a breeze thanks to the automated channels, and the gate was just a few steps away.

Singapore Airlines 346

Singapore (SIN) – Zurich (ZRH) 

Wednesday, Apr 22 2015

Depart: 1:20AM

Arrive: 8:00AM

Flight time: 12hr40min

Aircraft: Airbus 380

Seat: 32A

Boarding was from one of those centralised boarding Lounges in Terminal 3. As flight SQ322 to London, which was boarding a nearby gate, was delayed by a couple of hours, the area was slightly packed, given that the lounge was used primarily for A380 flights which explains the sheer number of passengers.

It appeared that the gate staff was a little short handed, since the flight to London was delayed and another flight to Beijing was boarding at the same time. Boarding for our flight was called at about 1:20AM, which was supposed to be the takeoff time instead. Had I known that Boarding would be delayed, I would probably have stayed landside for a bit longer.

Again I was among the last passengers to board the aircraft. This time round I was less lucky, and did not have the luxury of an empty middle seat. I was seated beside two French speaking ladies, whom I woke up many times throughout the flight so that I could get out to use the bathroom.

While waiting for the cabin doors to close, hot towels were offered. We pushed off at about 1:30AM, had a fairly quick taxi and tooked off at 1:42AM. Supper was served about an hour after take off. I had a fairly full dinner and hence declined supper, though I again snacked on a rather weird combination of nuts and Singapore Sling.

Perhaps it was the influence of alcohol, I dozed off fairly quickly when the lights were dimmed after meal service.

I approached the galley to grab some snacks, and was offered a sandwich and some juice by the stewardess.

Soon after breakfast, we entered Swiss airspace and began to descend. I looked out from the window the Alps were already visible.

Landed at 8:19AM, we had a quick taxi and parked at the same gate E67 beside a Swissair A340.

Conclusion

While the A380 was a much more passenger friendly jet, somehow I failed to catch as much sleep as I had on the previous Finnair flight to Helsinki.

Flying: Singapore Airlines A380 Economy Class Zurich to Singapore 2015

Again arriving in Zurich Airport at 9:43AM on the Intercity train from St Gallen, I proceeded to the check-in area to get my boarding pass printed and luggage checked-in.

There was quite a queue at check-in, thankfully I had already selected my seat and checked-in online, and therefore was able to use the bag drop counter and avoid the queue.

Singapore Airlines 345
Zurich (ZRH) – Singapore (SIN)
Thursday, Apr 16 2015
Depart: 11:45AM
Arrive: 5:55AM (+1)
Flight time: 12hr10min
Aircraft: Airbus 380
Seat: 32A

Boarding was from gate E67, a far flung corner of the terminal, so I had to take the Skymetro and traverse a subterranean path before arriving at the cluster of gates E, used for non-Schegen flights.

Since I was seated right at the front of the economy cabin, I was among the last group of passengers for which boarding was called, though I personally had no qualms with that, since I see no incentive for early boarding when flying economy class.

Perhaps it was just me being away from home for so long, I really felt at home the moment I stepped into the cabin and was greeted by a leading stewardess and steward.

The load wasn't exactly full, with about 80% of the economy cabin filled. I shared the row with another Swiss guy with an empty middle seat between us.

I settled down in my seat and began flipping through a copy of the Business Times, which featured several interesting articles I was hoping to catch up on. While waiting for the cabin door to close, hot towels were offered to passengers. Menus were distributed subsequently, together with... a pair of socks.

Suffice to say it's a palatable offering, complete with a fairly extensive beverage menu printed on the overleaf.

We pushed off from gate E67 at about 12PM, and began to taxi to the runway. While Zurich Airport was rather small, we had a rather long wait at the apron, before continuing the taxi to the runway.

We took off at 12:13AM behind an United B767, which was in turn waiting for a Swiss A321 taking off from the intersecting runway.

The take-off roll is long, though the climb out was smooth and the engine was really quiet for a beast of this size.

Shortly after takeoff, drinks and snacks were served. As usual I ordered a Singapore Sling, which was promptly served together with nuts.

I had the beef brisket with noodles for lunch, the beef was a little too salty for an Asian palate, though perfectly tender and juicy. The syrah which I had to accompany the dinner was also great with a fruity aroma.

Drinks were offered continuously throughout the flight, with stewards or stewardesses making a tour of the cabin carrying a tray of juice and water every 30 minutes or so.

I was trying to adjust back to Singapore time and hence decided to wait till 11PM Singapore time, which would be halfway through the flight before sleeping. In the meanwhile, I plugged my laptop to the inseat AC inlet and started working on an assignment on leadership aspirations for a couple of hours.

Running out on inspirations after a few hours, I decided to catch a movie before sleeping, and selected "The Crossing: Part One", which I had seen a poster of before I left Singapore in February but had not managed to catch. As I was in a window seat, I decided against waking up my seat mate and pressed the call button to order some snacks instead of going down to the galley myself.

While I only ordered some nuts and chips together with another Singapore Sling, the stewardess generously offered me some chocolate cookies and other tidbits along with my order.

While the movie was okay, it failed to hypnotise me sufficiently and I woke up after a mere 2 hours in slumber. So I walked up to the galley and tried to get some sleeping pills from the stewardess, who seemed horrified by my request. Apparently they do not have a stock of such drugs on board, which was to my disappointment though I certainly understand that it wasn't a routine request, and neither was it a fair expectation.

So I asked for some alcohol instead, hoping to get tipsy and knocked out. At this point a steward came in and offered to make me some camomile tea instead. The Stewardess also got me a pair of eyeshades and ear plugs. I thanked her for the eye shades, but declined the ear plugs since I had my own.

About two hours before landing, the cabin lights were turned on and breakfast was served. A hot towel was again offered before the meal service.

 

This time round the meal service began from the back of the cabin instead, so only one of the two options was available by the time the stewardess reached our row.

We landed ahead of schedule at 5:20AM and had a quick taxi to Terminal 3. Since boarding was from door 2L, I was among the first economy class passengers to get off the plane.

Conclusion

Despite being a Singaporean, I seldom fly SIA since most of my travel involve regional rather than ultra long haul flights, and I could not justify paying a premium for it. However, on long haul flights I think it's really worth it. The service of the crew really made a huge difference between a torture of being stuck in a tube and a relax, well-rested journey.

It's interesting to note that SIA charges a premium for flights departing from Singapore as compared to inbound ones.