ICN to TPE on Asiana 767

Incheon - Taipei

Asiana 711

767-300

ICN claims to be the best airport in the world, 10 years running. It was about a 5 minute walk  from the lounge to the gate. It looks more shopping mall than airport.

Surprise! At the gate our A330 had been switched out for an aging 767. Pretty similar seat, but showing its wear and tear. The business cabin is a 2-1-2 layout. If you sit in the middle you are sort of in a Star Trek like captains chair.

We were seated in 3A and 3B, the last row before the economy cabin. With just 3 other people in the business cabin, it was pretty quiet. We were given a cold towel and a pre-departure glass of water. 

It was starting to rain pretty hard outside but we left on-time with no problems.

Up in the air we got menus and lunch. I had the tofu and seafood and Melisa had the Bulgogi.

Both electrical outlets didn't work at our seat. I watched the airshow and played poker on the entertainment system. It was a pretty short international flight at 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Approaching Taiwan we did some circles over the ocean. The captain said this would go on for 20 minutes due to "traffic" at TPE. 20 minutes later we were on the ground. 

Transit through Incheon

We arrived in Incheon about 5:30pm in Saturday and our next flight to Taipei is scheduled for 10:00am on Sunday. 

A little tired and blury eyed, but excited to get off the plane.

The goal was to get some rest, acclimate to Asian time and eat some Korean food. We stayed at the Hotel Queen Incheon in a little neighborhood called Unseo about 10 minutes from the airport. I chose this hotel because of the location and price. It's popular on Tripadvisor. 

I called the hotel from the information desk and they sent a van to get us within 15 minutes. We were at the hotel by 6:30, which was within an hour of our arrival.

Unseo seems to cater to transit travelers with coffee shops, bbq restaurants and convience stores.

We walked around and ate some excellent bbq. It was about 8:30pm now and although we wanted to stay up, we went to sleep. and that didn't go so well since we were wide awake at 3:00am!

The highlight of Hotel Queen was the steam sauna in bathroom. I got a good steam in at 5:00am. 

We got some good reading in before the sun came up and then went back to the airport at 7:00am.

We had boarding passes from LAX so we went straight to security, which took awhile, and then on to the Asiana business lounge. 

The lounge wasn't very crowded but was disappointing. No where near on par with Singapore, EVA or ANA. The eggs ran out when we got there and were never replenished. 

It does have a nice view of the planes and good Wifi. 

At 9:30am we headed down to the gate. So long South Korea.

Santa Barbara to Seoul on the Biggest Plane in the World

Getting to LAX seems to get easier and easier with cheap airport parking and now cheap one way rentals. We scored with Alamo on Costco travel... $40.27 for a one way from SBA to LAX. Plus, when I got in the car there was only 6 miles on the odometer: a brand new Dodge Dart!

Two hours later we were relaxing at the Star Alliance Business Lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal. They have a nice outdoor terrace where you can see planes come and go. 

We spent about an hour - had a snack and looked around - in the lounge until they called our flight. The lounge is on the 6th floor and you board your plane from the 4th floor. The new TBIT is pretty nice, but no where near as impressive as some of the big Asian airports.

Asiana 201

LAX-ICN

A380-800

We walked from the looks lounge, I took this picture and then we were on the plane. The A380 has 2 jet bridges - one each for upper and lower decks. We were sitting up top and took the escalator up to the plane.

You usually turn right when flying domestic, but we turned left after entering the plane and found our seats in 10G and 10K.

Asiana's a380 is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration. I had the window and Melisa sat next to me across the aisle. 

We didn't take off until 1:20pm. The Korean Airlines a380 that departs at the same time left first.

About an hour into our flight "Lunch" began. I had the fish and Melisa had the Korean dish.

That was a lot if food! Then they brought dessert and espresso. 

And these things which looked, and tasted like, plastic.

12 hours on a plane is a long time! I played with the entertainment system and watched The Natural. Then I slept for a couple hours. Then I walked some laps around the plane and played with the inflight map.

Somewhere between Alaska and Asia I had some spicy Ramen.

There is also a lounge in the front of the business cabin which was good to stretch out in. I think I was the only one to use it.

About 2 hours and 30 minutes out, the lights came on and another round of hot towels and drinks.

Then more food...

The flight attendants turned off the IFE and collected headphones about 40 minutes before arrival which was kind of annoying. I realized I hadn't looked in the amenity kit. I was hoping for some Chapstick.

From boarding to when we walked off in Incheon, we were on that plane for almost 13.5 hours. It's a huge plane, but unless you look out the windows, it feels small with how each cabin is separated from the others. 

The Long Way to Palawan, Philippines

At the end of hot, steamy Asia, we planned several days of tropical beach weather at a resort on an Island near El Nido, Palawan in the Philippines.

To get there was quite a trek.

Thai to Bangkok - a night at the Mariya Boutique Hotel by the airport - back to the airport in the morning - breakfast at the lounge (no massage as the Spa wasn't open yet) - Thai Airways to Manila - cab ride around the airport to the Island Transvoyager Inc (ITI) terminal - ITI flight to El Nido - overnight at Bill Tourist Inn in El Nido - Van Ride to Tay Tay - boat ride to Apulit Island.

Green Curry in Bangkok


Morning flight from BKK


Manila airport immigration


I liked this sign in the immigration area and had to google "Wang-Wang" to know what it meant. This was the word of the year in the Philippines last year and apparently means civil disobedience.

Boarding passes for our ITI flight.


Bill Tourist Inn: good for one night in El Nido.



Pilipino dinner in El Nido








We went back to the airport in the morning to take a van to Tay Tay, 68 km away, but 90 minutes with dirt roads plus potholes, chickens and dogs to avoid.

We then transferred to an outrigger boat to get to our island.


It was windy and choppy during the hour long ride, but the island looks pretty awesome approaching.


All the rooms sit on the water - the view did not disappoint.


We were almost as far as you could get from the center of the resort which was nice. The first night it seemed like there were very few other guests.


In our room was a checklist for all the animals that you might see on the island.


We saw most of them and plenty more including the biggest bats I've ever seen at night and a sea snake.

We spent 3 days island hopping, snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, pool, playing banagrams and enjoying the islands - no TV or wifi here. I really wish I had a waterproof camera. The wind would really pick up in the afternoon making a big swell on the sea.

We made one snorkeling trip out to a place called Lopez Reef mid afternoon. While on top of the water rough, underneath had fish and coral and was pretty amazing.

Each trip had a guide and security guard that would accompany you on the boats and into the water. It seemed unnecessary, but was nice and the guides were cool guys in general. On the trip to Lopez Reef there was a couple that had trouble swimming, and I understood why they got in the water with you.

I think that 3 days was the perfect amount of time. We wore out all the activities and managed to get some sun. A family we went on a trip to an island called Isla Blanca said they didn't get any sun during their 4 days - all clouds and rain.

The last evening we watched a pair of blacktip reef sharks swim around our room.

The Apulit Island Resort is a bit pricey but, stunningly beautiful and away from the city or any people for that matter.

Kathmandu to Bangkok on Thai Airways

Kathmandu International Airport is about 20 minutes by taxi from Thamel.

To enter the terminal, you show a passport and receive a thorough pat down. The Thai desk was packed, and we made our way to the Royal Silk Check-in.





Boarding passes were issued with a lounge invitation. The next stop was immigration and then the small cramped Royal Silk Lounge. We had a snack and watched CNN.

The lounge is on the land side of the airport, so about 30 minutes before departure we went through security to the air side. The waiting area was pretty cramped and hot. After about 10 minutes they opened the doors and everyone pushed towards the plane.












We sat in row 11 - essentially row 1 - of the Royal Silk Cabin. Hot (very hot) towels and drinks were provided.












And menus were distributed.





Only 9 of the 30 seats in Royal Silk were occupied, so the middle section held our blankets and pillows.





We were scheduled to depart at 1:35. Doors closed at 1:37 and pushback was at 1:51. Goodbye to Tribhuvan International Airport and Nepal.





Other planes on the tarmac: Air India and Bangladesh.





Nepal's military?





After a long wait, we taxied out to the end of the only runway, made a complete u turn and started rolling for take-off at 2:12.






After take-off we made a hard right and circled back over the Kathmandu valley.






I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Himalayas, but we only saw clouds.

The seatbelt sign went off 8 minutes after take-off and drink service started at another 10 minutes later. I had iced tea.






Salmon and salad and some garlic bread from the bread basket.






Chicken curry for Melisa.





Red snapper for me.





Dessert





There were some strong turbulence over Myanmar. I watched "The Bag Man" with John Cusack and Robert DeNiro.






The captain announced we would be landing in 25 minutes and the flight attendants ran around opening window shades and collecting glasses. We touched down at 6:26 pm and were at the gate at 6:35... 20 minutes late.