Waiting here in Nanjing for news of flights to exotic destinations has become tedious to say the least; many locals now have expired passports! So there is joy at news there shall very soon be flights between Nanjing and the paradise of Phuket.
Commencing as soon as the day after tomorrow, Chinese New Year’s Day, the island jewel that is Phuket off the southwestern coast of Thailand shall be within direct reach of Nanjingers.
从后天大年初一开始，泰国西南海岸的普吉岛这座海岛明珠将可直达南京人。
It’s also something of a travel bonanza, given that not one, but two airlines, are to start multiple-weekly flights between the Southern Capital and the Land of Smiles’ escape made famous worldwide by a 007 film.
这也是一笔旅游财富，因为不是一家，而是两家航空公司将每周开通往返于南方首都和因 007 电影而闻名于世的“微笑之国”之间的航班。
Starting things off is Juneyao Airlines, which will fly an Airbus 320 out of Nanjing Lukou International Airport on Sunday, 22 January, at a planned-departure time of 12:10, to touch down in Phuket at 16:25 local time.
首先是吉祥航空，该公司将于 1 月 22 日（星期日）驾驶一架空客 320 从南京禄口国际机场起飞，计划起飞时间为 12 点 10 分，于当地时间 16 点 25 分抵达普吉岛。
That flight, numbered HO1639, shall return as HO1640, departing Phuket at 17:30, with a scheduled arrival in Nanjing of 23:25. With each taking around 5 hours, Juneyao’s flights are scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
该航班编号为 HO1639，回程航班为 HO1640，于 17:30 从普吉岛起飞，预计于 23:25 抵达南京。吉祥航空每周一、周三、周五、周日都有航班，航班时间约为 5 小时。
Following their debut, China Eastern Airlines shall then commence its services between Nanjing and Phuket on 26 January, with flights each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, as the Amazing Thailand official WeChat account has revealed.
据神奇泰国官方微信公众号透露，首航后，东航将于1月26日开通南京至普吉岛的航线，每周二、四、六都有航班。
Also using A320 equipment, flight MU2813 from Nanjing to Phuket shall depart Lukou at 12:40, for a 17:00 arrival at Phuket International Airport, while the return leg, flight MU2814, will leave Phuket at 17:50, getting back into Nanjing at 23:30.
同样使用A320设备，从南京飞往普吉岛的MU2813航班将于12:40从禄口出发，17:00抵达普吉国际机场，而回程MU2814航班将于17:50从普吉岛出发，于23:30返回南京。
It’s a very pleasant 30 degrees Celsius almost daily in Phuket, meaning that many will be coming for the area’s pristine, if at times crowded, beaches. Yet, Phuket has much else to offer, including the the so-called Sino-Portuguese town houses that line the City’s streets, many of which are now museums.
普吉岛几乎每天的气温都在 30 摄氏度，非常宜人，这意味着许多人会来到该地区的原始海滩，尽管有时会很拥挤。然而，普吉岛还有很多其他景点，包括街道两旁所谓的中葡联排别墅，其中许多现在都是博物馆。
However, there is no escaping the fact that some headed for Phuket shall have included on their itinerary a visit to James Bond Island (real name Koh Tapu; “Nail Island” in Thai; pictured). Made famous worldwide in 1974’s “The Man with the Golden Gun” starring Roger Moore, the splinter of rock that rises out of an emerald sea was partly instrumental in kick starting Thailand’s international-tourism industry.
然而，无法回避的事实是，一些前往普吉岛的人的行程中应该包括参观詹姆斯邦德岛（真名 Koh Tapu；泰语“钉子岛”；如图）。 1974 年，罗杰·摩尔 (Roger Moore) 主演的《金枪人》让这片从翡翠海中升起的岩石碎片闻名于世，在一定程度上推动了泰国的国际旅游业的发展。
Finally, but still with the movies, it’s a rather-expensive day trip from Phuket by speedboat (40 kilometres into the Strait of Malacca) to the beach made famous by “The Beach”. The 2000 blockbuster, starring Leonardo diCaprio, became controversial for environmental damage caused by the filmmakers and the follow-up explosion in tourism to the area as a result. But 2 decades have passed and, as Thailand Dialogue points out, “Evidence of these changes is difficult to find anymore”.
最后，但还是为了看电影，从普吉岛乘坐快艇（进入马六甲海峡 40 公里）到因“海滩”而闻名的海滩是相当昂贵的一日游。这部由莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥主演的 2000 年大片因电影制片人造成的环境破坏以及随后该地区旅游业的蓬勃发展而引起争议。但二十年过去了，正如泰国对话所指出的那样，“这些变化的证据已经很难找到了”。
