Trip Report: Fifteen Hours In Seoul

Fifteen hours are not sufficient for a traveler to appreciate a travel destination, but when you have an international travel planned for every month for the remaining of the year, you will have to make do with that little time you have to appreciate a city that you have yet visited. In my case, this city was Seoul, Korea .

Hour 1 (5:00am): Arrived in Seoul from Hong Kong . Only slept for a couple of hours since it was a red-eye flight. Accessed the Airline lounge for some coffee and breakfast.

Hour 2: Asked tourist information counter at airport the best/most economical way to travel to Seoul . Also asked which areas I should hit mainly. Girl at counter (Miss Kim) spoke fluent Mandarin (the Beijing kind; not surprising given the Chinese Capital’s proximity to Seoul ) and provided some clear directions. Took bus 605 to Dongdaemun Market.

Hour 3: Slept through the entire bus ride

Hour 4: Arrived at Dongdaemun Market. This is the shopping area famous among tourist, according to Miss Kim at the tourist information counter. Was unimpressed with Dongdaemun (The Eastern Gate). It needed a pain job badly. Most shops were closed since it was still early in the morning. Walked around to experience the morning calmness of Seoul .

Hour 5: There were more shops that were open and there were more people on the streets (mainly those rushing to work). Went to Pyeonghwa Fashion Market and Dongdaemun Shoes Market – both places were clothes and shoes bazaar offering affordable merchandise. Not my cup of tea though.

Hour 6: Had breakfast from streetside vendor. Sign language came in handy. Had a piece of egg toast with ham (Korean version of croque madame I guess). Also checked out a few shopping malls in the area.

Hour 7: Took the subway to the Cheongdam area to meet up with Sang for lunch. The subway system in Seoul was extensive. The subway car seemed clean and the travel from Dongdaemun to Cheongdam took almost an hour ( Seoul is apparently a pretty big city).

Hour 8: According to Sang, the Cheongdam area was the hippest area in Seoul , offering a vast array of luxury shopping malls and hip restaurants. Drove around the area in Sang’s vehicle made by Samsung (first time riding the car manufactured by a company known for its mobile phones, at least in the US )

Hour 9: Had lunch at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant located near Itaewon that was popular among locals. They served thinly cut meat that you cook yourself at the table then dip it in a very tasty soy sauce. They also served this very yummy miso based soup with tofu. Of course Sang did all the ordering and I didn’t even bother asking him what the name of the restaurant was. He also paid for lunch. I felt blessed.

Hour 10: Hung out at the Itaewon area. According to Sang, this is an area famous among foreign expats and tourists alike. This area is filled with restaurants, bars, traditional Korean bathhouses and hotels. Had coffee at a French restaurant.

Hour 11: Insisted that Sang should go back to work and not hang out with me. Walked around by myself and came across a traditional Korean bathhouse. Since the admission was only $4, it was worth checking out. It looked highly in need of a renovation. Spent 30 minutes dipping in super hot then super cold water with four other 60+ year old men. The bath really helped invigorate someone with a serious lack of sleep from the night before.

Hour 12: Took the bus from Itaewon back to the airport. Had a great conversation with this Kiwi next to me who now lives in Fiji (I was truly envious of him). Also dozed of for half an hour during the ride.

Hour 13-15: Did some work at the airline lounge. Cleared many emails from my inbox before getting back to work once I arrived home.

Seoul seemed to be a very nice city to visit but its pace was a tad slow for my liking, especially when I had spent the last four-five days in a place like Hong Kong before going to Seoul.

Flight Report: OZ204 ICN-LAX

Carrier: Asiana Airlines
Plane Model: B777
Flight Class: Business Class
Sleeper Seat: Yes (angled lie-flat)
Duration of Flight: 10 Hrs 45 Mins
Date of Travel: Sep 19, 2006



After a brief visit to Hong Kong and Seoul , I was ready to return home to do some work that were piling up at my desk while I was away. I was very much looking forward to flying with Asiana Airlines again and trying out its new business class seat. Asiana is now my favorite airline, much better than Singapore Airlines or Thai Airways if I may add.

The Asiana lounge (separated into First and Business Class) at Incheon International Airport was big (unlike the one at LAX). This is not surprising since this is the home airport of Asiana Airlines . Not only did the lounge offer free wireless internet connection, a variety of food and beverages, shower facility and a pianist playing soothing music, it also offered lockers for guests to store their bags. The lockers really do come in handy when you want to do some duty free shopping and do not feel like lugging your bags with you.


Boarding for the flight was smooth. Security was tighter on this flight than others as usual since it was US bound. Upon boarding, the chief purser came over and greeted me in Korean (she, as well as many in Seoul , thought I was Korean because of my last name). She quickly apologized after finding out I wasn’t. She then informed all her flight attendants to address me in English so that I didn’t have to explain myself again. This was really impressive. Asiana flight attendants pay attention to every little detail and possess such a pleasant, friendly and sincere demeanor when they work onboard a flight -- something that even the flight attendants of other Asian airlines should take a note or two, let alone those crappy senior citizens who work on US carriers.

The seat was indeed the new business class seats (I was given mixed messages about this from the Asiana reservation agents – some said the flight had new business class seat and some said the reverse). Actually you can find this out easily. If the business class section has 4 rows of seat (no row #5), then it has the new business class seat. If the flight has 5 rows of seat, then it is the old business class seat. Asiana is introducing the new seats in all of its long haul B747 and B777 progressively. The seat was the angled lie-flat style and it provided much lumbar support hence very comfortable to sit on / sleep in. The monitor was much bigger than that of Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines. The only difference was that this was not an AVOD style in-flight entertainment. Food offered was great and tasty. There were a few choices but I opted for the traditional Korean meal consisting of bim-bim-bab, side dishes and a bowl steamed rice. The portion was generous and the food was delicious. I fell asleep for 7 hours after the meal and woke up to the flight attendants serving the meal prior to arrival. The choice was between roast chicken with potatoes and fried grouper with rice. I picked the latter. It was a tasty choice.

Before landing, the chief purser went from one business class passenger to another asking them if they had enjoyed the flight and if there was anything she could do for them prior to landing. I was really impressed by that since I have not seen flight attendants of other Asian carriers doing that (let’s not even mention those in the US !)

We arrived on time and I got my bags in less than half an hour after going through immigration. From now on I think I am going to use Asiana Airlines when I travel to Asia . Little things matter when it comes to delivering exceptional customer service, and Asiana Airlines appears to know this really well. Now if Asiana can have new business class seats in all of its long-haul flight then it will definitely give Asian leaders Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific a run for their money.

Flight Report: OZ724 HKG-ICN

HKG-ICN Service (OZ724)
Carrier: Asiana Airlines
Plane Model: B747
Flight Class: First Class
Sleeper Seat: Yes (lied flat)
Duration of Flight: 2 Hrs 55 Mins Date of Travel: Sep 19, 2006



Check in at the HK Central terminal was a breeze. I had heard great things about Asiana Airlines but had never traveled with them before, so this was my first flight with them and I was really looking forward to it.

Asiana uses Dragon Air lounge at HKIA and this lounge was pretty basic. There was no internet wireless connection and the food served was similar to those of US airline lounges (only one hot food item was available).

Boarding went smoothly and as soon as I boarded the two flight attendants greeted me with the most sincerity. They even chatted with me for a bit. As this was a night flight, only a light snack was served and one of the options were prawns with rice (actually it looked more like a full dinner). I went with the prawns and they were tasty. The flight attendants at Asiana really do render their services from the heart (unlike the Singaporean Girls that seem very robotic these days).

The seats in first class were old style lie-flat seats but they were very comfortable nevertheless. I slept for a good 2 hours (even through the rather lengthy turbulence we experienced due to the weather)

We arrived 5 minutes ahead of schedule. All in all this was a very comfortable flight for me. I think I have found my new favorite airline.

Flight Report: SQ19 LAX-SIN

Carrier: Singapore Airlines

Plane Model: A340-500

Flight Class: Raffles Class

Sleeper Seat: Yes



I had traveled on the Singapore Airlines (SQ) non-stop EWR-SIN flight several times before but had never tried its similar service out of Los Angeles . So when I had to travel to Hong Kong a day earlier and this was the only award travel ticket that was available, I took this as a good opportunity to try out the LAX-SIN flight. Check in at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal was a smooth process. The agent was very friendly and chatty. Singapore Airlines uses Asiana Airline Lounge at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal for its Raffles Class passengers. This lounge has got to be one of the most unimpressive and small lounge I have ever seen. Compared to the Swiss Air Lounge that SQ uses for its premium class passengers at JFK, this lounge does not serve any hot food at supper. It also looks very dingy and old. In fact the whole Tom Bradley International Terminal looks dingy and old. It is crying for a major renovation!

Boarding for the flight was prompt and done in an orderly fashion. The cabin crew greeted us with a warm smile and in a manner very typical of Singapore Airline (perhaps a tad robotic). Pre-takeoff drinks were served and reading materials and a packet consisting of eye cover/sock were handed out. The captain announced that the flight time would be 16 hours and 20 minutes. Interestingly, the EWR-SIN flight would usually take 17 hours and 30 minutes, and considering the flight from New York to the West Coast usually takes 5-6 hours, the EWR-SIN flight really cuts down a substantial amount of travel time by flying the polar route. Coincidentally, one of my acquaintances was co-piloting this flight, something I was not completely aware of until after I boarded the flight.

Raffles class was full on this flight save one seat, and I happened to be the lucky passenger seated next to the empty seat. The configuration is 2-2-2, and I highly recommend taking the two seats in the middle (D/G). Best ones are 12/14 D/G.

The flight attendants also handed out the menu. The choices for the meals offered on this flight were as follow:

Dinner:

Appetizer (Warm Thai Style Crab Cake, Teriyaki Chicken and Picked Turnip Maki, Rice Cracker with Smoked Salmon)

Caesar Salad

Entrée choices include:

-Duck Breast Stuffed with Porcini Mushroom and Wrapped in Bacon with Olive and Pine Nut Relish

-Stir Fried Beef

-Braised Northern Halibut in hot garlic sauce

-Pan Seared Lamb Chops
Dessert (Haagen Dazs Ice Cream)

Light bites between Meals:

1. Rice Porridge
2. Basil Pesto Omelette
3. Braised Egg Noodles
4. Spaghetti

Breakfast

Starter (An assortment of juice, mango and pear salad, candied ginger)

Choice of Cereals or Yogurt

Entrée Choices:

1. Seared Sirloin with Red Wine Butter, Sauteed Fine Green Beans
2. Selection of Dim Sum
3. Scrambled Eggs
4. Sweet and Sour Salmon
5. Freshly Baked Pastries


I actually did not take any dinner entrée choices above since I had pre-ordered my entrée from “Book The Cook” Program reserved for Raffles and First Class passengers. I ordered the Black Peppercorn Chicken which was delicious. I also recommend the Slipper Lobster Thermidor if it is offered as part of the program on one of your future SQ flights.

Service of the cabin crew is much better than that of many US airlines (as well as some Asian carriers). If you had taken SQ flights before, did you ever notice SQ’s inflight announcements were always made by female flight attendants (perhaps to keep up with the “Singapore Girl” image) in an English that is pronounced in a unique manner?

The inflight entertainment offers a broad array of audio, movie and game choices to keep the passengers occupied if they don’t feel like sleeping or reading. I slept for at least 7 hours in the comfortable spacebed. Even though SQ’s angled lie- flat bed is of an older generation compared to those offered by many of its competition, it is still one of the most comfortable lie- flat bed I have experienced inflight. I took a tour of the premium economy section and sat in one of the unoccupied seats for several minutes. The premium economy seat offers plenty of leg room and great head/leg support. It seems to be a very smart choice for a transpacific flight.

We landed at Singapore Changi Airport a little ahead of our schedule. Overall this was a very pleasant and enjoyable flight. It did not really seem like a 16 hour flight at all. Some people have mentioned that Singapore Airlines has lost its five-star touch, I disagree. I still think this is a very exceptional airline compared to many of its peers in the industry.

Trip Report: Good Morning Hanoi!

I love Vietnam . Frankly, I have a lot of respect for her people. I see myself being similar to them in some aspects. They are Asians. So am I. They work hard. So do I (I think). They love their pho bo and pho ga (soup noodles). So do I (but then again I love all kinds of food). They were fucked over by the French and Americans. I was… ahem, never mind that. I also see myself being different from the Vietnamese in some aspects. The men are skinny (looking almost malnourished if I may say). I am not. They speak Vietnamese. I do not. They have lived a very tough life. I have not (unless you count paying expensive rent and putting up with the closet apartment space as one).

After visiting Ho Chi Minh City last year, I decided to make a trip to the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi in early July this year. Much like the Chinese government, The Vietnamese government no longer enforces traditional communism on its people. In fact, it is now a free communist country. Nevertheless, you can still witness traces of communism in the country especially in northern cities, such as Hanoi . This is the very city where the much revered late leader/father of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh (also known as “Uncle Ho”) was buried. The name Hanoi is similar to the mandarin pronunciation that means ‘inside the river’. Hanoi, which is also the capital of Vietnam, is located in a bend of the Red River .

There are a few sightseeing spots not to be missed in Hanoi . Honestly you only need a full day to cover all these spots. Because I had my folks with me and the weather was exceptionally hot and humid, I hired a tour guide to take us on a city tour in a private car. The cost was very reasonable, only USD35 per person including lunch (but not drinks or tips, as stated on the invoice in bold text as if you would accidentally forget about that). We checked out Uncle Ho’s embalmed corpse at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex. Frankly, at the risk of sounding disrespectful to Uncle Ho, he looked more like a wax figure at Madame Tussaud’s Museum. We also visited The One Pillar Pagoda, The Temple of Literature , Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the famous Hoan Kiem Lake. The highlight of our day was the “cyclo” ride. It’s a pretty fun activity if you don’t mind risking your life by inhaling the bad air and having the crazy locals drive their $200 Chinese made motorcycles into your cyclo. We ended our first day by attending the much celebrated water puppet performance at the Municipal Water Puppet Theater.
The Vietnamese worshipping culture is a tad different than the rest of Asia . Besides worshipping the different deities, they also worship their late kings and emperors. Vietnamese house and worship the statue of their deities in pagodas but do the same with the statue of their late kings and emperors in temples.

Our city day tour came with an English speaking tour guide, a local named Hoang Long. He was funny, caring and really knew his stuff. We liked him so much that we hired him to take us to Halong Bay the following day. I would recommend using him if you visit Hanoi in future. His email address is longtakraw186@yahoo.com

So after a much needed rest and cooling off in our air-conditioned hotel room following a full day of touring the city, we went to Halong Bay the following day. Designated as Vietnam’s second world heritage site, Halong Bay is simply magnificent and offers such spectacular sights. Picture 3000 plus lime-stone islands rising from the water of the Gulf of Tonkin ! I wanted to go there as soon as I saw the pictures of Halong Bay on my guidebook. It reminded me of Guilin, China . We purchased a package through our hotel (using the same tour guide as the one for our city day tour). It was USD75 a person. The package included our own mini-van, boat and a seafood lunch served on the boat (again, drinks and tips not included, as stated in bold text on the invoice). The drive was three-hours each way and the cruise was about four-hours long. There was also an added bonus with the tour which came in the form of hair-raising thrills offered by our driver. The freeway, if you can call it that, for most of the journey to Halong Bay was a single lane road and we faced countless slow moving trucks en route. Drivers of smaller and faster vehicles, such as ours, would get impatient and attempt to get ahead of these trucks. Doing this occasionally is acceptable, but our driver did this for 90% of the journey. Often a time the oncoming vehicle was only within inches away. It got so bad at one point that I started praying to Buddha for our safety (as a fail safe plan, I also prayed to Jesus and Allah). Our driver, on the other hand, chatted on his cell phone and wore no seat belts. Doing this was apparently part of his daily routine.

If there is one thing about Vietnam that aggravates me, it is the way the locals drive their motorcycles and cross the streets. Cabbies honk their horns every two seconds (believe me, it’s worse than the ones in New York City ). They have to do this because the motorcycles, and there were tons of them here, would come out in the middle of nowhere and ignore the cars. The pedestrians are as bad as those riding the motorcycles. They would cross the roads or even the freeways by holding out their hands infront of the cars and expecting the traffic to stop. I am sure there are a lot of accidents involving motorcycles or pedestrians here. Unfortunately we witnessed a couple of them during our stay here.

As for the food, Vietnamese food is delicious as usual. Pho (noodles) is a must to get, as well as the appetizing salad made with lotus roots and peanuts. I did discover that there were a lot of demands for dog and cat meats here in the city which is disturbing to say the least. Because our stay in Hanoi was short, we did not get to visit many restaurants, but we did go to a few notable ones:


Indochine,
16 Nam Ngu St

, Hoan Kiem District, Tel. 9422097 ( Set in a beautifully restored colonial home; Food tuned down for foreign palate, but done well; Hard to find, located on a small alley).

Pho 24, multiple locations (Serves great chicken and beef broth noodles; Cheap, only a couple of dollars per bowl)

Brother’s Café,
26 Nguyen Thai Hoc St, Tel 7333866 (Offers Lunch/dinner buffet featuring typical Vietnamese dishes at a very reasonable cost (USD6 for lunch and USD12 for dinner, excluding beverages); Set in a courtyard of a beautifully restored 250-year old Buddhist temple).

All in all, this was an enjoyable, albeit sweaty, trip. I am glad I got to spend some quality time with my mom and dad. Although not as popular as Thailand, Vietnam definitely has a lot to offer to tourists. You will appreciate the reasonable prices, spectacular sights, great foods and rich culture here. Like any Southeast Asian country, Vietnam is hot, humid and rainy during summer. I have a lot of praises for Vietnam , but I have visited this country twice so I think it will be a while before I make another trip here, despite my affection for the country and my admiration for her hard-working and resilient people. Now I just need to convince some of my Vietnamese American friends that have never been to Vietnam to pay their mother country a visit. It’s well worth the 14-17 hours flight.

Special Report: I Met Ang Lee!

Ok, this is not any special travel report but I feel it deserves its place here. Tonight I went to the 2006 GLAAD media award ceremony for New York City held at the Marriott Grand Marquis. Among those honored were Ang Lee for 'Brokeback Mountain'. Now I have been a big fan of Ang and his work since 'The Wedding Banquet'. He actually gave a very moving acceptance speech tonight. He said that this was his last award for Brokeback and he was so glad it was from GLAAD since GLAAD had honored him twelve years ago for 'The Wedding Banquet' and this meant a lot for him. He did mention the picture missed a big award (he was referring to the Oscar) and he said it wasn't a big deal (jokingly of course). The award was handed out to him by Michael Douglas.

There were many people that approached him afterwards but I managed to cut the line and stand next to him quickly thanks to my friend who worked for the platinum sponsor Absolut Vodka. I chatted with Ang and his wife in Mandarin briefly and I told him how much I admired his work (I even trembled a bit like a little girl - couldn't help containing my excitement!). I even got to talk to the comedian Bruce Vilanch who hosted the event. He was hilarious!

I've not had this much fun in a while!

Trip Report: Surprisingly, It Was Sunny in Dublin

A USD280 fare is too hard to pass up when you can actually fly to a different country in a different continent. So when United/BMI offered this super low fare to Dublin, Ireland, I took it up without much hesitation. After all it was President’s Day weekend and Dublin, for its lack of tourist attractions, would make a perfect relaxing holiday destination over a long weekend.

As usual my friends, at least those who have yet gotten used to my travel style, thought I was crazy to fly to Europe just for a weekend. It turned out that I was not the only one doing so. On my flight from London Heathrow to Dublin, the other two passengers seating next to me were also heading to Dublin for a long weekend. Both from Chicago, one was here to drink beer (yes, that is the highlight here) and the other one to see her boyfriend (aw… sweet).

There is not a whole lot to do in Dublin for a tourist (except for drinking) but there are definitely a few things to check out here. First there is the Dublin Castle. Frankly, It pales in comparison to the other century-old Castles that I have been to in Europe. There is also Trinity College and its famous old long- room library. For avid dark beer drinkers, you have to pay a visit to The Guinness Storehouse. The National Museum and National Gallery charge no admission fees for those who want to learn the history and art of Dublin. Shopperholics will enjoy the pedestrian only Grafton Street (which frankly is much shorter compared to other shopping streets I have visited). Nevertheless, they can find a few designer and boutique stores here offering quality and fashionable merchandise. For park lovers, you have St. Stephen’s Green (a much smaller version of New York’s Central Park). Lastly, for the ultimate pub crawlers, you have the entire city of Dublin offering you traditional Irish pubs for your enjoyment, especially in the Temple Bar area. This area reminds me a lot of the neighborhood that I reside in New York (Gramercy Park) since it is filled with Irish bars, especially on the strip of Third Avenue between 14th and 34th street. Dublin is also a very walker friendly city, with a few spots to avoid however, especially late at night.

The Irish are not known for their foods unless you are a big fan of corned beef and cabbage. Fortunately there is a growing appreciation for ethnic food in Dublin in recent years, mainly Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. When travelling abroad, Chinese know never to visit a Chinese restaurant that, in its attempt to "chink-up" the place, displays Chinese characters that are completely wrong on its window. Unfortunately there is a lot of these authentic wannabes in Dublin. Refusing to give in to the low standard of Chinese and Asian food in this city, I survived on Middle Eastern food and pizza during my stay here. They were delicious and reasonably priced. Speaking of price, Dublin is not that inexpensive of a city to visit. Food prices here are comparable to those of New York City.

No one can visit Dublin without visiting its bars/pubs. Under the assumptions that Irish were heavy smokers, I was a tad worried when I realized I had forgotten to bring my bottle of Febreeze only to breathe a sigh of relief when I found out the pubs/bars here were all smoke free. Apparently they passed the no-smoking law back in 2002, way earlier then when New York started enforcing that law. The bars/pubs here stay open until 2:30am-3:00am. Of course beer is the most common beverage ordered here, even at gay bars. There are only five gay bars in Dublin, the most famous ones being The George and The Dragon. They are both located on S Gt. George’s St., not too far from each other (both of the same owner apparently)

There appears to be many Chinese workers in Dublin. From shopping malls to gay bars, I saw many Asian faces performing chores like busting tables, checking in coats, cleaning hotels and collecting money to the bathroom. I also saw them biking everywhere and that reminded me of a typical Chinese city. I asked a local why there were so many Chinese migrant workers here. Apparently the Irish government allows foreign students to work up to 20 hours in this country. Unfortunately, many of these students abuse the system and work more than the maximum hours allowed. Many of them also signed up for English classes with institutions here but did not bother to attend classes. These institutions did not report their truancy to the government since many were set up to make money from these foreign students whose main purpose of coming to this country was to work. Well, I am sure some of them would argue that it was more effective for them to learn English from their jobs than from a lecturer. Besides the Chinese, you will see a lot of Polish migrant workers here too. They mostly work in construction and are needed to support the growth of the Irish economy.

I never had so much beer in one night until this trip. I am actually "beered" out! It also did not help that the bartender at one of the bars I went to was a Chinese guy. I spoke to him in Mandarin and he started pouring me free beer all night (never underestimate the power of Mandarin when you travel). The Dubliners are very friendly people. They also drink a lot. Who can blame them with such constant gloomy and rainy weather they get? Fortunately for me, the weather was sunny during my entire stay here. Yes I lucked out on the weather indeed.

All in all this was a relaxing trip. I drank and slept a lot (actually, passing out after getting intoxicated was more like it). I also ended up with a bigger beer gut than what I had wished for. It is time to dust off my gym membership card and put it to good and frequent use.