Wow. I Slept Through An Entire MONTH That Time...

This man could have undoubtedly have found a more peaceful place to be snoozing than along a walkway in the departures terminal of Taoyuan International in Taipei... but there he was.

Most of you have heard the expression "be careful what you wish for", and I'm here to bear witness it might be something we'd all be wise to take to heart more often.  This past few months I'd been happily bobbling along, working on three of my five regular, ongoing projects and trying to convince myself I didn't truly need to visit Asia as much as I wanted to. Friends in the Land of Smiles would regularly send tempting emails about one enticing festival, event or place they thought I ought to be at or a part of, but I managed to stay on task... until the middle of January, anyway.

Then one day about seven weeks ago an excuse came to light, an opportunity arose, an airfare I couldn't resist popped up and - after a 20 hour voyage - I found myself again trudging along through the arrival corridors of Suvarnabhumi International Airport. It was a somewhat spur-of-the-moment decision, and while I don't regret making the trip it was another whirlwind series of adventures that find me in somewhat of a damp heap today; back at home with a pile of laundry needing attention, two full notebooks and another daunting heap of pocket notes, scribbled on whatever happened to be within reach at the moment. 

So, now that you know where I've spent the past five weeks or so, I'll try to fill you in on more of the details as time allows.  Now that I'm home my life will return to what passes for normal here, so while I'd like to post like I used to, that's not going to happen. I'll make an effort, though. 

This trip I caught up with a precious few of my Thai friends and only three of my usual farang contacts, but I did meet some new folks, ventured off to some new spots with a couple of old stand-by friends and stayed in a handful of new places. As usual, I took a lot of pictures - in fact, I believe I set a new record with close to 8,000 in five weeks - but then I was slowed to a near-standstill by a cold for about four days.  

So, let's give this another kick in the butt and see what happens. It's nice to be stateside again. To those who sent email and other messages asking where/how I was - thank you.  

To those who wrote saying they wished I'd begin posting stories and photos again: be careful what you wish for!

Unexpected Layover at Taoyuan International, Conclusion

Our service in the boarding gate was nowhere near this polished, but it was appreciated.

[Part 2 of a story begun last Friday. Part 1 is here]

OK, where were we?  Ah, yes... my aircraft had experienced some technical difficulties, and I'd been disembarked (along with more than 300 others) back into a boarding gate at Taoyuan International airport in Taipei, Taiwan. We should have taken off for the West coast of the USA several hours before, but here we sat. I'd already taken a sleeping pill for the long haul, and had been fighting sleep off for a couple of hours. All of us were a little displeased, at the least; some more vocal than others. There. That's the Tweet Version. Here's the rest of the story:

By now we were well past 02:00, and my sleeping meds were in full swing.  My head dropped down any number of times, and occasionally I'd wake myself back up with a loud snort - to the delight of two nearby Chinese children, grateful for any kind of diversion in this bare gate environment. It took another 20 minutes or so for the rumbling at the counter to die down, but many of the people weren't placated by the assurances of the gate employees, and they continued to grumble as they found a spot to sit and stew in their own juices.

Speaking of juices, shortly after we'd plopped into the gate chairs to wait, carts from the plane (I guess) appeared, serving us all juice, water and soft drinks.  Wisely they didn't choose - or weren't allowed to - serve alcoholic beverages, and who could blame them? Irate travelers in the wee small hours are difficult enough; boozing them up wouldn't make things any easier for much of anyone.

I toyed with the idea of hauling my camera out and documenting this misfortune, but 1) there really wasn't much to see, and 2) the people around me were not festive folks.

About 30 minutes or so later EVA carts with what would have been our flight meals came wheeling off of our plane, with the stewards and stewardesses pushing them along.  When you're in your seat as the meals come by you don't get much of a look at the boxy carts they push along the aisles, but out in the open in the gate area they look pretty beat up, most likely from being slid in and out of racks on- and off-board. At least, that was my guess by the scrapes along the sides.

Dining in an airplane seat behind First- or Business-class can be an adventure, depending on the over-spill from passengers seated next to you. Sit between two wide-body travelers and you're likely to end up eating your meal looking rather like a preying mantis. In the gate area there were people sitting in chairs, on window ledges, on the floor and a few actually stood, balancing their tray on one hand while eating with the other.  This led to further entertainment for the nearby kids, as one tray tipped and its cargo slid noisily to the floor.  Woke me up, anyway.

To a captive audience, most anything's entertainment...

I don't know where they found the replacement aircraft - and I probably don't want to know - but with EVA's main hub being there at Taoyuan International it was probably just a spare of some sort.  A round of applause rose as we saw it pull up to the jetway, another 75 minutes after the food had rolled off of our first "ride" and it had been taken back to the stable, so to speak.

Announcements for boarding were made, and a worse-than-usual crushing queue of passengers assembled to get back on board and be on their way.

Strapping myself back into my seat I was fighting sleep big time, but I did pull out a pen and paper to note the time on my boarding pass: it was now 05:34, and the sky was beginning to glow on the Eastern horizon. The entire mess had taken a little over six hours, and has been - so far - the most strange flight delay I've been a party to.  The loudest of the "I'm gonna be late" guys was still going on about it, vowing to get free flights out of the mishap, and perhaps he did. There were gracious offers made when I wrote a letter or two to the Northern California and Taoyuan headquarter offices, and I just as gracefully accepted.

Those letters, though, would come a few days later. Now I just re-set my watch to "home" time, put in my ear buds, leaned against the bulkhead by my window and was out in a minute flat. I slept through take-off and whatever else happened for the next eight or nine hours, waking up to the smell of breakfast somewhere late in the afternoon, according to my watch.

So, not quite an unexpected overnight layover, but a layover nevertheless. I don't remember when I've been as happy to stand in line to have my passport stamped and hear the agent say "welcome back."

That extended and unexpected layover was an experience, but I don't need to have it pop up again any time soon.

Immigration at SFO

Getting Laid (Over) At Taoyuan Airport, Taipei

It had been a wonderful month in the Land of Smiles, but I had run myself ragged, as usual, so I was quite ready to return home. The privilege of travel is a valued commodity - in my mind, anyway - but at the end of it there's truly nothing like getting back and sleeping in your own bed.

Wistfully, I sat in the Taipei EVA lounge, watching people in the immigration lines one level down. "One more long nap and I'll be doing that," I thought to myself, polishing off the last of my pork bun and salad before folding up a Chinese newspaper for a friend back home, tucking it into my book bag and getting up to head out to the boarding gate, down the escalator and through the assortment of boutique name-brand and duty free stops. It was closing in on 23:00, or 11:00pm.

I don't know about you, but that stretch through the airport - in my case from upstairs at the lounge, out along the gate walkways and down to where you check in for the flight home - can sometimes seem like a couple of miles.  The excitement that makes the outbound journey has faded, I suppose, replaced by travel fatigue and the knowledge that the realities and responsibilities of life are about to take their standard stranglehold on my time. On the outbound legs I walk with a spring in my step, but on the way home I tend to shuffle a bit. Or a lot.

A little different view of some of the duty free shopping at Taoyuan International in Taipei

The flight from Suvarnabhumi to Taipei had been on time, and after a reasonable layover I was scheduled to leave on a later flight home from Taoyuan this trip. I was looking forward to the longer flight so I could adjust to the time difference and just maybe cut down on some of the jet lag I usually wrestle with. Boarding began, and I settled into my seat.

Because I don't sleep as soundly on planes as some folks I know I take advantage of an aid prescribed to me by my old "family" doctor.  By "family" I don't mean he's a relation, but let's say he'll never marry and sire children like many of my friends have. It was one of the reasons I started seeing him 30 years ago. For the first handful of years, when I lived a more colorful life, I was probably a difficult patient. Since I've changed habits we now have a deal that he rarely prescribes anything I'd likely want more of, and if he does it's with good reason, and in a limited quantity. I sometimes get an odd look from the pharmacy folks when I turn in a prescription for four sleeping pills before a trip, but so it goes.

This time I was glad to have them, and as I headed to the gate I washed one of them down with the last of the water I'd picked up in the lounge. The aircraft that was waiting when I got there, and I was happy to see that the staff were already shuffling papers as I waded in among the other 300-plus passengers. Soon a young woman took the microphone to announce they'd begin boarding shortly, and most of the crowd rose as one to press toward the boarding queue, as usual.

I waited until the wheelchair folks and "those traveling with small children" were taken aboard, and then joined in at the back of the bunch. When my class was called I worked my way through them, boarded, and settled in for my trans-Pacific nap. I don't often eat much of the meal served after take-off if I'm planning to sleep, so I buckled my seat belt and watched the ground crew scurry around on the tarmac around our aircraft for a few minutes before closing my eyes and cat-napping a bit.

The cabin crew going through snapping the overhead bins shut soon woke me up, but as the regular announcements were made and I felt the gentle push of the plane's movement away from the gate I again closed my eyes.  We moved out along the tarmac towards our departure runway, but stopped just short of actually heading out to it.  There we sat for about 10 minutes before the announcement was made: "Ladies and gentlemen - we're experiencing some technical problems with the navigational system of our aircraft this evening, and the captain is trying to isolate it. We appreciate your understanding while we try to resolve this problem."

OK, I thought. Just a short delay. Another 10 minutes passed before the next announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. We will be taking off shortly. Flight crew: please prepare for departure." Having missed our original place in line we moved out and joined the back of the queue of waiting aircraft.

Shortly before I'd have guessed we'd be next to turn onto the main departure runway there was another announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen - we're still experiencing some technical problems with our aircraft this evening, and we'll be moving out of the queue to resolve it. Our captain has elected to re-boot the main computer system." While this announcement was being made you could hear the engines powering down just after we'd turned onto the last possible side area so as to allow other aircraft to pass us. There we sat for another 15 minutes. Finally the engines apparently began to rev up again, and a collective murmur of relief went up throughout the cabin.

Most of us aboard probably thought as I did: we were moving along to circle back and re-join the departure queue, but that wasn't the case. The public address system popped on and off a couple of times, and then there was another announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen - our captain has decided to return to the gate to allow a maintenance crew to come aboard and check the systems. Please remain seated and we'll keep you updated." Didn't bother me... I was close to zoning out, anyway, but I pushed myself to stay awake so as to hear what the problem was. After all, this was the metal tube that was to hurtle me five thousand miles across the ocean at 30,000 feet, and I'd rather have them find out what's wrong before we take off... wouldn't you?

We sat. And sat. And sat. For nearly an hour.  Finally, the words none of us wanted to hear crackled from the speakers above: "Ladies and gentlemen - we're sorry to tell you that our captain has decided we will be taking another aircraft this evening, so we'll be asking you to disembark from this aircraft and return to the boarding gate. Another aircraft will be brought to that gate as soon as possible."

As the ground crew moved about frantically below to attach the jetway and begin the process of removing all of the baggage and cargo a low, rolling round of complaints began to rise from folks in the cabin around me, with "You've got to be kidding me" and "I'm going to miss my connecting flight" seeming to be the loudest. One man stood up, shouting, and banged his head on the overhead baggage compartment above him, which didn't improve his mood any. Somewhat bent over he loudly went on to the people in the rows behind him about missing his flight, as if anyone sitting there listening to his tirade could do anything about it - or, indeed - cared.

It took a while for them to prepare for our disembarkation, and as is often the case people assembled their carry-on items and packed into the aisles, pushing toward the front exit doors and packing themselves in a fashion those of you who are familiar with military basic training may remember as "nut to butt".  I sat in my seat, figuring that due to our circumstances we were going nowhere fast. I let the thundering hordes off ahead of me and then took my time getting off the aircraft.

Once off the jetway we were directed into another boarding gate to wait. People jockeyed for position at the counter, waiving their arms and creating a somewhat musical cacophony of concerns and complaints. "Two parts Stockhausen, one part Yoko Ono, and a smidgen of some other form of concrete," I said to myself, but out loud. The man next to me almost made the connection and replied with "Sounds more like a bunch of cats in a burlap bag being soaked with a hose."  He might have been closer than I was.

[The conclusion to the story on Monday]

Cambodia, Pt 2: Arriving At PNH International, Phnom Penh

I flew into Cambodia from Suvarnabhumi International in Bangkok. Not because I didn't want to make the trip by bus from the border, but because of time limitations. One of these trips I'll make the overland route instead of the over land one, because you do see much more by car, train or bus than you do from a plane.

If you fly, you'll have to decide for yourself which airline you choose to deal with. Bangkok Air long had a lock on flights from BKK to Siem Reap (currently between $123 and $241 round trip, depending on the type of ticketing), but now there's also Cambodia Angkor Air (between $100 and $390), so Bangkok Air has had to compete.  Flying into Phnom Penh from Bangkok adds the possibilities of Air Asia and Thai Airways, too.

I flew into Phnom Penh with AirAsia to avoid the (then) high Bangkok Air fee into Siem Reap, but they now fly from the old Don Muang airport and still only into Phnom Penh... but things can change... so unless money's no object, shop around.

My AirAsia flight was on time and comfortable, and my Thai friend was pleased I'd bought the better seats so he could stretch out while watching the clouds roll by. The food was basic, but decent. I don't remember much about it, to be honest. We arrived on time, and it was a quick trip across the tarmac from the plane to the arriving area.

Leaving Phnom Penh International, looking for a taxi

There are two ways of going through Immigration at PNY, Phnom Penh International: prepared in advance, and at the arrivals counter.  My guess is it's much the same at the Siem Reap airport or at the border if you're arriving by land.

If you decide to take the easier route, you can go to their Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-visa page and take care of it before you go. That's what I did. As it turned out there was quite a line, so it saved me a lot of time. You upload a photo when doing the e-visa and print the thing out to bring with you.

If you want to fill out the form like the one below (or something similar) when you arrive, just make sure you have a passport-type photo along with you and be my guest. My Thai friend held up his Thai passport and was processed almost immediately, no extra photo was needed.

The "On Arrival" Cambodian Immigration Visa form

While there is (naturally) a Cambodian currency, you're not likely to need much of it, as the US Dollar is not only widely accepted, it's often preferred. The country runs on them, if I may generalize.  ATMs give you US dollars, but do some research on banks and ATM fees. I've heard some horror stories from folks from Australia, Canada and other places, so read some travel forums and be informed.

Personally, I brought US currency from home for anything I figured I couldn't use a credit card for.  As always, I'd suggest notifying your card issuer before you travel the dates they may see charges coming in from a foreign country.

OK, so that puts us on the ground in Cambodia. Have a good weekend, all.  Super Bowl Sunday coming up, and I intend to catch up on some reading!

Visiting Thailand: Travel Reference Links

Upstairs airline lounge area at Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei

In the post a couple of weeks ago about finding cheap flights to Thailand I mentioned following up with some links I've found helpful for travelling, so here they are today. I'll update and add to these again as I remember others, but this is a start.  Mainly gleaned from my own experience, but some also recommended by friends and other travelers I've met while on the road. Feel free to suggest others.

Travel Insurance
Purchasing trip insurance is a choice, naturally, but with life being the unexpected ride it is I think it's more than just prudent to have some; it really falls under the "common sense" heading. Insurance is all about "the transference of risk"  (in insurance lingo), and a comfort level with that is a personal choice. I urge you to explore and compare between at least two different companies.

I've used a few companies over the years, but the last couple have been Patriot Travel Medical Insurance , a part of IMG/International Medical Group and Travel Guard, a part of the Chartis Group. Both offer varying levels of coverage for both medical and other eventualities.

Your regular home insurance policy may cover you, but be sure. While there is reasonably priced and competent medical care in Thailand you don't want to be stuck with the bills. Some credit cards also provide coverage, also - worth checking out before you book your trip.

One rainy night in Bangkok

Worldwide Weather Sites
There are many weather sites. Many I know like the Weather Channel's site, but if you don't already have a favorite, I'd suggest Weather Underground - the cleanest I've found so far. Rather than just getting a report for, say, Bangkok, you can specify several different areas within the city, i.e. Suvarnabhumi International airport, Don Muang airport, etc. Naturally, no one site fits all, but I'd suggest starting with this one.

International Time / Clocks
A simple site with a convenient alphabetical table of the current time city by city is here: The World Clock. There are a variety of layouts available, and you can customize it to your needs, too.

Screen capture of the site

Flight and Airport Information
Naturally, you'd think the airline you booked with would have the best source of airline and airport information, and many times that's true. If you plan to hold someone responsible for the times, they're the logical sources. I still browse a couple of others, though, if for nothing else than the additional info available. One of the newer ones (to me, anyway) I've found handy is iFly.com.

We'll cover other reference links again soon. Feel free to alert us to any of your favorites.

Finding Cheap Flights To Thailand - An Overview

Dawn one Thailand-bound morning as I waited for my connecting flight

The internet can be a marvelous tool for doing research, but advertising and deceptive linking have almost given it more drawbacks than benefits.  Take airline tickets, for example - and we will, today. I can suggest the sources I've used in the past, but since those are only based on my experiences you'll unfortunately have to do some of the legwork on your own.

Online travel forums can be a help, but sometimes the best references can be people you know and trust on one level or another, especially if you consider those sources with some amount of care.

Travel agents can be an enormous help if you're brand new to the idea of international flight, but you still have to do some research yourself if you intend to make an informed decision. Different travel agencies can be allied or connected to different outlets for blocks of discounted seats, and that can be a big help - if you know where to find them.  I'd suggest trying several different places, and advice from other travelers can again be the key here.

Dealing directly with the airlines themselves is another way of looking for deals, but fares can change with the direction of the breeze on any given day, and you need to be aware of that and, if possible, do some checking on fares over a period of a couple of weeks. Change your travel dates in their search engines, too, because different days will give you different results.  There are also often "classes" of tickets that are priced differently based on the miles awarded for each leg of your journey.  If you're one who enjoys that cat and mouse game that adds another dimension of probable frustration; I usually choose not to pay all that much attention to whether I'm getting 100% of my flight miles credited or, say, only 80% of them.  It's almost too minor a difference for me to worry about, but that may only be me.

I choose to get to Thailand comfortably, but that level of personal comfort is a relative thing, I know.  What may seem fine to me may seem hellish to others.  Still, I'd always choose not to spend my holiday money on more of a flight than I need; there are many other things I'd rather spend it on. That said, here are some airlines I'm familiar with, and how I'd rate them overall:

JAL - Japan Airlines - B+
I found the ticketing process, the on-time dependability and the employees I met to all be exemplary.  They also did deals with an agency I dealt with about a decade ago, and I got a round-trip economy seat for $610 round trip, with all fees and taxes included.

EVA - EVA Evergreen Airlines - A
My old standby, and where I tend to look first.  Booking directly through their site is often fairly simple, and they offer specials from the West coast of the US, especially from LAX (Los Angeles). The cabin staff are very attentive, and they offer a wide range of amenities - especially if you join their free frequent flyer program.

United Airlines - C
Domestic (for me here in California, anyway) airlines are just that: domestic, basic, little or no frills or amenities unless you popping for First Class, and the employees all too often tend to act as if they're doing you a favor by giving you much of any dollar value. I've actually had surly flight attendants. The cabins haven't been up to snuff - for my money, anyway - and I don't find much value to them period.

Cathay Pacific - A
A little more expensive than EVA, but their reservation system, staff, cabin crew and amenities by class are all on the same level as EVA.

If you're concerned about safety overall, you can do a Google search for airline accident rates and find several sites that list safety issues by airline and by region of the globe. I figure any time I'm hurtling along at 500 miles per hour 30,000 feet off the ground in a metal tube I'm literally flying on faith that the damn fool thing won't suddenly plunge to the ground, but there's no need to ignore safety records to save a few hundred dollars, either.  Do some investigation.

If you intend to book your own tickets, again do some checking on forums or travel sites to see which days of the week (and times of the year) are better buys.  Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays I've found to be the more reasonably priced days to fly.  I've heard from several sources that the best time to be checking for ticket prices is Tuesday 12:00 East coast time, or 09:00 West coast time.  Prices can change not only from day to day, but within the same day - for the same identical flight.

Booking well in advance is standard advice worth noting, but there are also "last minute" fares when an airline is trying to fill a flight before cancelling it altogether, too.  And then there's just plain old dumb luck...

Let this merely be some food for thought, since some of you are thinking of the cold weather ahead and the warmer days in Thailand. We'll come back to it again with some sources for you at the beginning of next week.

As always, you input is welcome!

Trip Report 3: Bangkok Ho!

Panorama section of the Bangkok skyline from Baiyoke Tower

[This is Part 3 of a trip report about my most recent visit to Thailand. Part 1 is here, and part 2 is here.]

Because of the delay in boarding at Taoyuan International in Taipei we were almost an even hour late arriving at Suvarnabhumi International in Bangkok.  This time I moved along in a more sprightly manner and still had a bit of a problem keeping up with my friend. He was quite the excited bunny to get out on the town for the night, so I did my best.

The first ramp up to Immigration, on a regular day

It was just past lunchtime when we got off the plane and stayed ahead of the pack from our flight, but it ended up being a moot point when we arrived at the left turn from our gate lane into the arrivals area of immigration; the lines were not only filling the normal area "queue up in a line and wait" area, a solid mass of humanity had spilled out and down two thirds of the carpeted incline. I'd never seen it so bad.

By the way - the ramp image above is from the February 3rd, 2011 "Arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport" post. If you're a true "newbie" I'd suggest slogging through that in addition to other reference sites.  Really.  It'll save you time and trouble.

The orange icons are immigration - arriving from the E, F, or G gates most people would stop at the first area to their left, but sometimes it's better not to.

Remembering that there was another area a bit further along the gate lane; another 50 yards or so, and also to the left.  My friend didn't want to try it, but having spent over an hour in line in the past I figured I'd find the alternate area.  When I got to it I was pleasantly surprised to see more or less normal lines, and I was through and heading to the baggage carousel in about 15 minutes. Where I came through was down near the lowest-numbered baggage carousels but I strolled over to #22 where our bags were going around and around.

Luggage carts are free - as they ought to be everywhere, in my opinion - and after collecting our stuff and having nothing to declare we headed towards the logical lane to exits, those marked "Nothing to Declare". For some reason there was only one of those open that day, and there were several folks ahead of us with at least five oversize bags apiece that agents wanted to look into.  We waited.  And waited.

When my turn came, luck was evidently on a break of some sort and I was asked to open two bags, the first time in well over a dozen arrivals.  They didn't do more than paw through the first couple layers of each, so it didn't take long - and after the delay caused by the people ahead of us it didn't seem much of a bother at all.  The agent picked up a couple of the toys I'd brought for some of the orphanage kids so I asked if he had kids.  When he said yes I handed him a few, and he thanked me.  Waved along we walked out into the Arrivals hall.

The "approved" taxi stand issues you a ticket at the counter

At the taxi stand in front of the terminal at ground level we hired a ride for the 40 minute (more or less) ride into Bangkok proper, arriving at our first stop on the trip: the Trinity Glow Silom hotel.
As we were only going to be there for two nights I didn't fully unpack, but I did shower and rested for an hour or so, until it was getting closer to dinnertime. It was only a little after 6:00pm, and we had our first night in the Big Mango still ahead of us.

Although my friend and I would be having very different adventures on this trip, we were both ready for them to begin... and they did, soon after.

The lights just beginning to show at dusk in Bangkok

Trip Report 2: Transferring In Taipei

A New Year dragon greeted us past the security checkpoint at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei

[This is Part 2 of a trip report about my most recent visit to Thailand. Part 1 is here]

Deplaning after a long flight is usually a relief for me.  Sometimes I'm able to sleep sufficiently on my own, but not consistently, and slumber via prescribed pharmaceuticals isn't proper sleep for me; it merely passes time. The old saying about sleeping best in our own beds is, I believe, a valid one, but not something that keeps me from throwing my circadian clock off with the reckless abandon of a college-aged kid when the opportunity arises to jump a dozen time zones or so. 

That said, I'm usually a little dopey as I make my way along the breezeway from the plane to the arrival gate at Taoyuan International some 13 hours after boarding in San Francisco, my preferred departure point. In addition to the signage directing you to the transfers area there's often an EVA employee there to wave you in the right direction.  It felt so good to move around more than one can on a plane, even though I make an effort to get up and stretch at least a couple of times on a flight as long as this one is.

I had dawdled a bit getting off the plane (talking to a stewardess), so although we were seated near the front there were quite a number of folks who'd gotten off ahead of me.  My friend was a bit ruffled by the time I got to the arrival gate, but so it goes.  I heard a lot more about it when we got to the security area and caught up with the others from our flight, all queued up in a surprisingly orderly single-file line, but it was a good 50 yards long, stretched down a hallway. The transfer security area is a limited affair; two belts for your carry-on stuff and a single scanning doorway, so it can be slow.

Large illuminated signage clearly show you where things are

We got through security and made our way to the EVA lounge, which is just a hundred yards or so from where you enter the terminal from the transfer security area. The dragon up top was there to welcome us, floating near one of the main information booths and next to a seating area where folks watched TV, read, toyed with electronic devices or dozed. There were also a few terminals for folks to access the internet, as you can see in the photo below.

Taipei being home turf for Evergreen/EVA the lounge is larger, better stocked and better staffed. I can't compare it to others there, but perhaps someone will comment on their favored lounges in Bangkok, Taipei or other locations. Anyone?

A small portion of the complimentary food and drink area.

One side of the seating area in Taipei's EVA lounge

On the left of the photo above you can just barely see the magazine side of the literature wall that separates the buffet from the seating area.  There are multiple copies of a wide range of titles in both English and Chinese, and if you don't finish one you're welcome to take it along.  The other side of the wall contains eight to ten different local and international newspapers.  

The wireless internet is free and usually fairly fast, and time passed fairly quickly before it was time for us to leave and head to the gate.  

Looking down from lounge level

Just as we arrived at the (full) boarding area they announced that the flight would be delayed by about 45 minutes "due to traffic control", so we just cooled our jets and waited. At least we weren't put onto a plane festooned with Hello Kitty, like the one below that taxied by as we waited for our ride.

I passed the time visiting with a husband and wife from Vancouver who were coming from Hong Kong where they'd visited her family, as they do every two years. Now they were making a stop in Thailand for a break on Koh Lanta, which they highly recommended.  I'll look into it for a future destination, too.  Also on the Malacca Straight it's to the Southeast of Phuket.

Finally aboard our flight to Suvarnabhumi International I got myself situated for the final leg of the journey, listening with one ear to the familiar safety lecture. I've heard it so often that I'm well aware of where the emergency exits are; the more worrisome thought is the distinct probability of being trampled to death on the way to one by other panic-stricken passengers.

Raindrops skittered almost horizontally across my window as the wind outside pushed them along while we roared into the gray sky and were - finally and truly - Bangkok bound. Just another four hours or so to go...

Duty Free Shopping 2 - Taoyuan Airport, Updated

Gucci galore in this shop

A slight detour from the Trip Report begun yesterday. We've already covered beauty supplies and makeup available in the duty free areas of Taoyuan International in Taipei, but having a little more time than usual at my transfer point this trip I did a little more wandering around to see what sorts of shops there were there for fans of duty free and other shopping while traveling.

When I showed them the image one man said he'd prefer not to be shown, so he's blurred out per his request

I've received a few messages asking what was actually available there - evidently by people planning to be there at some point - so this time I took a closer look.  I only took photos of a small fraction of what's available, but it wasn't difficult to see Gucci bags in one shop, Gucci watches in another, Burberry in a third and Borsalini in a fourth.  Nothing that I'd purchase myself, but many appreciate the brands so I'm happy to share the images, if it helps.

Not exactly cosmetics, but more of a mix in this shop

The first post about the duty-free shops there had more to do with the beauty supplies, cosmetics, perfumes, toilet water and the likes; what my brother used to call "foo-foo" when we were kids, for some reason.

Brands like Lancome, Biotherm, Estee Lauder and Shiseido rule supreme at a few shops, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I've purchased foodstuffs at Tastes of Taiwan and found them reasonably priced and a nice change from some of the usual things I bring back stateside for people. They had no problem taking US dollars, but I can't vouch for any other currencies. There are at least two locations in the airport.

There's also a Hello Kitty store, but as I don't care for that empire I didn't take a shot of it. There are dozens of other shops, too.

There are also locations to purchase electronics, and the pricing is reasonably good, from what I'm told. I didn't do any comparison shopping there. I'm adding a few more images here as reference; hopefully they'll be of use to some of you out there. They were an opportunity to take some longer exposures in lower light, but they don't quite fit into the Night Photography folder. Anyway, I'll try to get back on track with the story tomorrow.

And, probably only second to beauty products are the shops that sell cigarettes, cigars and all manner of liquor.  Be advised you can only bring one liter (33oz) of alcohol into Thailand, if that's your destination.  You can also only bring 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of cigars or loose tobacco.

Trip Report 1: Bangkok Bound

Night shot of SFO International by Hakan Dahlstrom 

Since I often learn a thing or two from people's travel or trip reports I'm offering one here myself.  I'm not in any danger of Frommer's or Lonely Planet calling to beg me to join their team but I have made enough trips to have learned a few things. No need for some of you to recreate the wheel, as the saying goes - and if this helps anyone, it's worth the time.  It may well be broken up into a few installments, but we'll see how it unfolds as my schedule drags me along this week.

So, here's Part One...

My friend arrived along about 5:00pm as I was doing my final departure review.  As he sat and double-checked our flight information in-between his more recreational web surfing I went over my packing list one last time; trying to avoid minor past mishaps. [If you're new to the fold here I'd suggest reading the post about packing your bags. It may well make things easier for you if you don't already have your own routine as a seasoned traveler.]

Packing for a longer trip (such as this 3-plus weeks in Thailand) begins a week or so in advance, when I put a suitcase or two onto the bed in the guest room and start adding things as I think of them.  Socks, underwear, my swim suit and other things that are OK with some wrinkles can go in early; shirts and other things can wait on hangers until the day of travel. 

Gift-type items can also be packed early. Expatriated friends often have things they'd appreciate me bringing along, such as items covered in the post "As Rare As Hen's Teeth" in January.  Items for established friends are easy enough to pack ahead of time, too.

As covered more thoroughly in the packing post if you expect to meet or make new friends where you're going you might want to take a few small tokens of friendship as gifts along with you. Things that represent your area are often appreciated; scenic calendars of California have worked for me. I'd purchased a half-dozen of them late last Autumn and tucked them away in my office, where they damn near won the game of hide-and-seek.

Expect unusual items to raise the curiosity of the TSA inspectors. I often travel with enough wires and electronic cables for various devices that it usually earns me a tag like the one to the left.

I'm a "roller" more than a "folder" for clothes that will wrinkle. You can find lots of info about both online - including YouTube video demos - but if I take my time and do it properly I've had the best luck with rolling clothing to pack.  If you find you absolutely must take a suit (you poor bastard!) there's an interesting clip below.  Naturally, taking a suit to some Asian countries is akin to carrying coals to Newcastle.



Bags finally packed and ready I checked my carry-on to make sure I hadn't missed anything that would slow me down at the security checkpoint and assembled my junk by the front door, remembering for once to take the Swiss Army knife out of my pocket and put it into an outside pocket of a bag I'd check. I'd rather not say how many I've had to toss into collection bins at security over the last 11 years.

My best friend - who doesn't care to travel but is fine with house-sitting - helped the two of us load into my car and we were off on our long ride to San Francisco International. The plan was to arrive there the suggested two hours ahead of flight time (standard for international flights) and we were a half-hour ahead of schedule when we were dropped off at the curb at SFO.  Pre-printed documents in hand we rolled our way to the EVA check-in counter, were waved over to a premium window that wasn't busy and were on our way to security within five minutes.  A good start, I thought.

This is a good example of NOT traveling light.

An advantage of flying in the off hours is shorter lines at the security check. It's not fail-safe, but from my experience if staffing is as it should be you're more likely to be through the humiliating process faster if you hit there in the late evening.

We had a large group of folks (more than 10, but less than 15) on their way back to Taiwan that didn't seem to understand the process and repeatedly set off bells and buzzers. After struggling along putting things into bins to ride the x-ray conveyor they themselves had to go back and forth through the scanning archway. Finally they were diverted - one by one - through that "hands in the air" body scanner device.  I think they should take a quick snapshot from the waist up of everyone in it and sell them somewhere further along the line; somewhat like they'd do in an amusement park near the end of the roller coaster.  Might afford them enough money to hire a few more employees to speed things up.  Just a thought.

If you're not a member of any sort of frequent flyer point group I strongly suggest you do some research to find the one best for you and sign up. I earn generous points from a credit card deal that's still paying off after a decade, and I tend to stick with EVA for a variety of reasons, so I have quite a number of flight miles with them.

One of the perks is admittance to the business/elite/travel lounge (all located past the security checkpoints), where you can wait in comfort for your boarding time.  There's a lot about those here.

Part of EVA's lounge at San Francisco International

My travel companion wasn't yet an EVA member, but he was given the option of joining me anyway - for a fee of $25.  That seemed excessive to me, but 1) you can't easily put much of a price on comfort, 2) he was on vacation and entitled to some extravagances and 3) the call liquor is free.  My friend doesn't drink, but if someone did they could do up that amount and still weave to the plane.

Knowing there was a meal coming about an hour after take-off I didn't eat in the lounge, but I did have some tea, read the paper and took a dose of "Airborne," a vitamin boost supplement that allegedly helps one fend off illnesses shared by the other 400 souls seated around you on the plane. It may all be psychosomatic, but I take it.  More on staying healthy on planes here.

I watched a man in an aloha shirt, shorts and sandals go back and forth to the Johnny Walker, each time a bit slower and less steady.  I didn't ask, but my bet was on him joining the legion of guys who'd soon be on the beach with a rented admirer by their side and looped by noon daily.  I felt kind of sorry for him when he was denied permission to board the plane with us, but all of life is choices and I guess he didn't think that one through very well. Security helped him choose how to leave the boarding gate area.

Settled into my window seat (I sleep better being able to lean) I looked at my watch as our plane began to back away from the gate right on schedule.  I looked back to my friend across the plane and a row back, gave him the "thumbs up" signal, and we both smiled.

We rolled our way out to Runway 25, and as the pilot gunned the engines and we began to rumble and roar our way North along it my mind raced with anticipation of the weeks ahead. When the heavier vibrations stopped as the wheels left the runway I leaned my head against the window, watching the Bay Area slip away from us until we entered a layer of fog and all went dark.

For the next 12 and a half hours or so we'd sail along at around 33,000 feet through the black night sky; the outside temperature hovering near -6F.  I stayed awake long enough to eat some of the meal they brought around, but I'd already taken the sleeping pill my doctor gives me for such flights, and I went to sleep soon after; waking up as we cruised over Japan.  Most of the people of Sendai, Yonezawa and Nagano far below us were probably sound asleep as we sailed overhead at a ground speed of 500 miles per hour.

A couple of hours before we were due to land at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei the lights above me on the left side of the plane began to emit a reddish glow, and over the next ten minutes or so changed gradually to pink, orange and yellow, moving across the width of the cabin as though the cabin ceiling was the morning sky.  Soon the cabin was lit normally, and the smell of omelets and congee filled the cabin as the breakfast cart was wheeled through.

Repeating a previously used image for the newbies

We landed slightly ahead of schedule, and it felt wonderful to get up and be able to walk about freely as we set foot in Taiwan, on our way to our connecting flight to Bangkok.

Thailand Immigration Forms

The Arrival and Departure cards should be available on your inbound flight.  Ask the steward(ess) if  you missed the distribution

An email came in from a newer reader who reminded me about something I'd left out of the post Arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport: the Arrival and Departure forms you have to fill out and provide the agent at the counter, both coming and going. Not that he'd had a problem (other than needing a pen, something I always suggest carrying) but he'd had a clumsy time filling it out in line. The comment was that an image would have been nice.

Rather than re-word it, this is what was in the post from February 3 of last year about them...

"One thing to mention, though: you'll probably be given an "arrival/departure" form to fill out on the plane. Do it on the plane and don't expect to be able to do it at the passport desk when your turn comes. You will be directed to a counter some distance away to fill it out and will not be allowed back to the front of the line. I've heard some people try (with raised voices, in a variety of languages) and thankfully the boorish fools were politely but firmly moved along and out of the way of we good children who'd done our homework."

The agent at the Arrivals counter will staple your departure form onto a page of your passport. From stories I've heard it can be a nightmare if you lose it along the way, so take good care to protect it.  The easiest way to do that is to simply leave it in your passport.  One visitor there told me they'd taken theirs out and put it in the safe in their room to keep it safe, and - you're way ahead of me here, aren't you? - they either forgot to lock their safe or it was broken into, one or the other, and the slip was gone.  They missed their flight during the ensuing fun while trying to get home.  At least they still had their passport.

Thanks for catching that, Dennis.  I'd meant to go back and amend that post when I got the form scanned, but instead added another brick on the road to Hell, if it is indeed paved with good intentions.

If anyone has a story about problems entering or exiting Thailand you can either leave a short one in the comments or email me at the address to the right.  I'd love to hear them.

Airline Lounges: Fine Places To Wait For A Flight

EVA's lounge at SFO

Many of you reading this don't fly often enough to earn sufficient miles for membership in frequent flyer programs - and regulars know I'm nothing close to an elitist, so this this isn't an attempt to show off - but there are enclaves where you're far less likely to be trodden upon by the thundering herds of people storming off to their respective boarding gates. Been there and done that, bought the tee shirt and have already sold it at a yard sale.

Three of six free X-Box360 stations
in their own enclave in Taipei

Once there they'll sit on rock-hard seats specifically designed to discourage sitting for an hour or more before filing onto their flight to sit for another dozen hours to Asia. With the under-staffed security and check-in staff being tithed with ever-increasing workloads the time spent in lines (or queues to some of you) continues to increase as well, and the old standard advice of arriving two hours before an international flight can now lead to some dedicated nail biting time as you wait... and wait... and wait your turn.

To avoid starting off a journey stressed I prefer to arrive at the airport at least two hours before boarding, but that's a lot of time to fill before attempting to board amid a crush of people who haven't yet grasped the concept that "now boarding rows 20 to 40" doesn't also include anyone from row 63 who can manage a flying leap into the wedge of people already confused enough by the idea of a line being one person in width.  That's another rant, though, so I'll climb off my soap box.  Sorry.

A portion of the hot and cold food buffet in Taipei

On my first few trips I sat in one of the public dining areas and waited, usually eating or drinking something I neither needed or wanted just to fill time and listen to people's unruly offspring, but I soon learned that there were small pockets of calm where, for a fee not much more than my outrageously priced "snack" and reading material I could sit in comfort: the airline lounges.

Different airlines naturally have different rules and regulations for membership, but some - for a fee - also welcome visitors.  Trust me on this one: it's well worth contacting the airline you're considering or have already booked with to see if you have the option of using the lounge.

After a boarding announcement two dozen Chinese broke away and left this screen

Really... wouldn't you rather be waiting for your flight in a leather lounge chair with free WiFi, newspapers, magazines, hot food and unlimited drinks (some with top shelf booze) instead of dealing with the relative insult of the public waiting areas and the overpriced food and drinks there?  Frankly, even if you did have to pay $25 - as EVA charges for admittance to their VIP lounge - I'd suggest considering it a minor add-on to the cost of travel on your undoubtedly well-earned vacation.

The lounge in Taipei was under the siege of "Linsanity" when I was passing through a few weeks ago, and both of the big LCD televisions were tuned to news of the hoopster they're most proud of at the moment, but usually there's news at one end of the lounge and some sporting event at the other. If you're a reader there are always at least a couple of dozen newspapers and magazines, and a half dozen copies of each.

The staff is attentive, it's safe to leave your bags while you go get another espresso or plate of dim sum, the rest rooms are spotlessly clean and well-stocked, there are ample plugs to re-charge your electronics and if you let them know what flight you're on they'll even come wake you up if you nod off in your comfy chair.

If you fly regularly so there's no charge it's a no-brainer.  If you have to pay for it and don't mind the usual waiting spots, more power to you.  I'm not judging anyone here, and $25 buys quite a bit in Thailand, too.  It is - as are most choices while traveling - up to you, but I'd suggest at least checking out the option.