dukeman

Tuesday February 21, 2006

PHL-ORD-NRT-BKK
After a late night of packing, well ok didn’t really start packing until 9:30pm. The alarm at 5am is not exactly a welcome sound, but, there is something different about the alarm clock when it isn’t prompting you to get up for work! So after a shower and a few last minute items it was time to head for PHL. Like any good FTer I quickly logged on and checked flight status and also ITN trying to determine if my awaited upgrade to UA F would clear for my trans-Pacific leg. I should comment here that as you can see in my profile I am a US CP and while I have flown several codeshares on UA I have never flown UA Int’l or on a 3-class plane. Thanks to a successful CC arrangement I had 2 SWUs requested for our outbound trip which was booked in Class D. Against the comments here on FT the NRT-BKK segment cleared immediately into NF while the ORD-NRT segment did not and unfortunately my PHL-ORD shared the same flight number as my ORD-NRT segment. I know most FTers would blast me for choosing these flights; however; it seemed the lesser of 2 evils. If I chose the other flight ORD-NRT it would share a flight number with the flight from NRT-BKK. So, I chose what I felt was the best option to maximize my mileage. I tried to get the segments broken and/or use a different flight PHL-ORD, but good news/bad news the PHL-ORD flight that “continues” onto NRT was $500 cheaper than the next closest fare because it shares the flight number with the Int’l flight there is C and more importantly D availability on the domestic 733 which would normally only have F. I really can’t complain with the fare. ~$3000 all in in C – I know others have reported better luck with fares, but I was quite satisfied considering we only put this trip together in the beginning of February. This trip came up suddenly because of an injury. Some of you may have read my TR last year about the Antarctica Marathon. I am on a quest to run a marathon on all 7 continents. Since running Antarctica, I completed Europe by running the Dublin Marathon in October 2005. I was planning to run a marathon this spring in South Africa, but have been sidelined with an IT band injury for the past few months. So with a Spring Marathon out of the question….when an invitation arrived for the 2006 Cornell Hotel Society Asia/Pacific Meeting in Bangkok it seemed like a great opportunity for a vacation. So, here we are today at 8 am arriving at PHL. UA check-in was a little chaotic. There was a 1K/Star Gold check-in line, but there was also a separate small line for Air Canada (evidently UA handles AC check-in). It seemed that AC pax actually were given priority over the UA pox….. At least we weren’t in the regular check in line. We were finally checked in and headed through security with our BPs and a DM card for the upgraded from ORD-NRT. Security at PHL was quick for a change and we spent a few minutes in the RCC before heading to the gate. What a dreary RCC. Hopefully now that UA is out of BK they will spend some money to fix this RCC up. Went down to gate D9 for our flight. What a zoo. They called for 1st Class, and UA GS, 1Ks and Star Alliance Gold and Silvers to board. I think ½ the plane boarded! Settled in to 2 C and D and watched as boarding continued and continued, and continued. I didn’t think that many people could fit on a 733! The last 20 people that boarded had to gate check their bags and that held things up for a few minutes. Finally we were loaded and read to go. Gotta love channel 9 – pushed back from the gate and taxied towards runway 27L where ATC announced us number 8 for departure immediately followed by announcing a ground stop. Luckily the stop was -lived and we were soon following an AA 757 into the air. Those of us in 1st class were served a meal of Special K with 2% milk, yogurt, and Danish. The flight to ORD seemed longer than normal at 2:05 thanks to some strong headwinds, but we were soon on the ground and heading to the RCC in terminal C. I’ve heard the horror stories of the UA RCC matrons and luckily didn’t experience any such behavior. Upon presenting our BPs we were offered 2 drink chits each and welcomed into the Club. I checked at the desk about our upgrade to 1st and was told that we were on the list, but that the gate would handle it from here. Made a few phone calls, had a drink and watched the other NRT bound flight UA #881 a 744 at gate C18 load and push for the 6700 mile trip and then headed towards gate C29 in hopes of an upgrade. Got to the gate to see a message on the monitor for Mr. dukeman and Mrs. dukeman to please see the GA. I presented our BPs and DM card to the GA who said “We’ve been waiting for you. How about 2E and F? I happily accepted and gave him our BPs for 14 A and B. The trip was starting off well. The monitor said boarding would begin in 10 minutes. Just enough time to pick up a book, a bottle of water and of course a Chicago style hot dog. I can only imagine I am in the minority of UA F pax that stop for a hot dog before a 13 hour flight with 5 course meal service. Returned to the gate in time to hear them call for First and Business Class pax to board. Walked down the jetway and happily made a left turn at door 2 to take my first steps on a 777. This was an XP version of the 777-200. F was filled to 9 of 10. During the flight I would walk the plane and see that Business was mostly full with the exception of the middle seat in the row of 3 in the middle. None of the middle seats were filled. Coach was probably 60% full and people were scattered about the cabin sleeping in many different positions.

Service on this flight was impeccable! The purser introduced himself to us and made us welcome. He took our lunch order before we pushed from the gate. I would soon discover that we had 17 FAs service us today! Normally the 777 has 11 or 12, but we had 6 FA trainees right out of the academy. Needless to say service was outstanding with the veterans showing the trainees the proper ways of service. I even showed one of the trainees how to properly make French clips using 2 utensils. She was very nervous and I hope that I helped to calm her down. I had heard many stories of the old matronly FAs on UA, but we had a very young crew. Here is the menu from Lunch:
To begin
Join us in a sampling of appetizers:
Hot Crab and scallop strudel with dill cream sauce
Stuffed Roma tomato with Tuscan bean salad
Prosciutto wrapped Gorgonzola with fig and arugula, Balsamic Dijon vinaigrette

Salad
Fresh seasonal greens with spaghetti carrots and croutons
Hot garlic, cilantro and lime shrimp
Roasted garlic red wine vinaigrette or classic Caesar dressing

Main Course
Braised short ribs of beef with red wine demi-glace
Dijon and panko-crusted breast of chicken with roasted shallot sauce
The above entrees include your choice of:
Creamy cheddar potatoes au gratin, sage and onion stuffing soufflé, or steamed rice
Asparagus with lemon brown butter or a California stir-fry with mushrooms

Peking-style pork chop with sweet and tangy sauce
Egg noodles with baby bok choy in garlic and oyster sauce

Japanese Obento selection
An appetizer of crabmeat in layer eggs, shrimp sushi, chicken sansho-yaki, scallions with miso paste, broiled tuna and cha-soba noodles
A main course of beef tenderloin with mushrooms, steamed snapper, five-kind mixed vegetables, hakusai with fried bean curd and sesame steamed rice
Served with green tea

Dessert
International cheese selection
Havarti, Longhorn Cheddar and Danish Blue cheese

Ice Cream with Sundae toppings

Fresh seasonal fruit

Midflight snack
Please help yourself to assorted treats between the two main meals.
Hot sandwiches or noodles are available upon request.

Prior to arrival
Barbecued pork with braised cabbage and onion on roasted Portobello
Provolone cheese and a fresh fruit appetizer

Or

Fresh seasonal fruit plate with yogurt

After lunch I watched March of the Penguins and then took an Ambien. 8 hours later I would get up for a snack of BBQ Pork. We went through a lengthy sequence for arrival into Narita and after landing on runway 16L made our way to the gate. I really liked the 2 jetbridges that opened at doors 1 and 2. We made our way through the terminal following the signs for connecting international passengers. After a quick security screening we presented ourselves at the RCC and were given an invitation to the International First Lounge. First order of business – check out the Amazing Beer Machine. We only had 30 minutes in the lounge. Time to have a few beers and send off a few emails before making the long walk to gate 44. Only in Tokyo will you see a sushi stand having a 20% off sale and would even consider stopping to buy some.

Boarding was quick and efficient and soon the 744 was ready to go. We were in 4E and F. F was booked full. I must admit that while it was comfortable, I prefer the F cabin on the 777. There are no storage bins in the middle seats on the 744 like on the 777. Here is the menu from dinner:
To begin

Salad
Fresh seasonal greens with red radishes, spaghetti carrots and croutons
Hot lemon herb shrimp
Soy Vinaigrette or Caesar dressing

Main Course

Tandoori chicken
Sautéed spinach with garlic and oven roasted three potato hash

Herb-crusted grouper with passion fruit sauce
Chinese greens with oyster sauce and steamed rice

Shrimp, scallops and cuttlefish with Chinese noodles
Vegetable stir-fry with peas, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnut

Soup and sandwich platter with fresh fruit
Chicken and mushroom soup with baked ham and provolone sandwich with lettuce, tomato and a honey Dijon mustard and mayonnaise sauce

Dessert

International cheese selection
Sharp Cheddar and Camembert cheese

Tropical sherbet medley
Orange, mango, and raspberry flavored


The flight into BKK was approx. 7 hours and following dinner I dozed and listened to channel 9. Lots of different airlines and callsigns in the air and it made the last few hours of the flight interesting. Soon we were cleared to land in Bangkok and the Purser announced that we would actually be parking at a real gate and not using airstairs and a bus. Immigration was quick and we were soon at baggage claim. Evidently Priority tags really mean something in BKK as our bags were among the first on the baggage belt. It was midnight in Bangkok and I was happy to have a car service waiting to take us to our hotel.

I should note that while we are on vacation in Thailand the catalyst for our trip was an invitation to a conference. The Cornell Hotel Society’s annual Asia/Pacific meeting was being held February 23-26. Our host hotel was the Sukhothai. Although a little out of the center of the action in Bangkok the hotel was great. Very understated, but the service was very good. The conference was great and as Hotelies the food and drink were excellent! We had a traditional Thai dinner at the hotel the first night. Friday was a day of educational seminars and wine tasting. One of the speakers was Mr. Srisook Chandrangsu the Chairman of the Airport who briefed us on the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. It should be pretty nice when it opens. Friday night we ate at Sirocco and although the reviews in various publications were mixed we had a very good meal and the views from the 68th floor were excellent as was the live jazz with a blues singer. Saturday we were taken on an all day tour to Ayutthaya (the ancient city) followed by a dinner and auction at the Jim Thompson House. Sunday was a day for relaxing before we embarked on the rest of our journey.


Monday February 27 -- Off to the Golden Triangle

TG 132 – BKK-CEI
737-400

Check-in was quick and efficient in the Star Gold line of the domestic terminal and we were pointed towards the lounge which was landside. The TG lounge was very crowded and seemed rather run down. I suppose TG isn’t going to renovate and I’m sure the new lounge will be nice when the new airport opens later this year. Evidently TG doesn’t like single digit numbers because row 11 on the 737 was actually the bulkhead in First Class. Even on the short one hour flight a snack was served on real china. Again Priority Tags worked and our bags were the first few on the baggage belt. A driver from the Four Seasons was waiting for us landside and we were offered chilled towels and bottles of water and were soon in a new Land Rover 3 for the 80 minute drive to the new Four Seasons Tented Camp. Upon arrival at the dock we were again greeted warmly with cold towels (we will experience the cold towels repeatedly for the next 3 days). We were soon in a long-tail boat for a 5-minute ride from a dirt road to the camp. We were greeted by the Asst. Camp Manager and offered some lunch while we were checked in and signed the liability waiver. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a waiver at a Four Seasons Hotel! We were then presented an agenda for our stay. While you can make changes if necessary – this was a nice touch in order that all activities can be experienced. Next we were taken to our tent. Yes, it really is a tent, but by far the nicest tent I’ve ever seen. The floors are all teak, and the tent is air-conditioned and heated, has electricity, 2 sinks, a huge bathtub, and a separate toilet area and also an outdoor rainshower. They thought of everything. All tents have wi-fi! The only thing that the tent did not have that most 5-star properties have is a TV. When I spoke with the Camp Manager one evening he indicated that they needed special dispensation from Four Seasons to not have TVs. The nice thing about the Tented Camp is that while expensive, it is an all-inclusive resort. All meals, drinks, and activities are included. The only exceptions are spa treatments (1 was included free per person in the 3 night package), and some premium wines, spirits (As a scotch drinker the included brands are fine – JW Black, Glenfiddich, etc. -- premium = JW Blue, Reserve Vintage Ports), and cigars. All tents have a mini-bar stocked with soda, beer, liquor (375ml bottles – not airline minis) and snacks and are all included. The nicest thing about the all-inclusive factor is that once you arrive you do not need to carry any cash; in fact we never even signed a check. I heard the computer print out tickets, but never saw one. The resort is small (15 tents) which means that even when full there are only 30 guests.

Our first afternoon was spent relaxing and unpacking. Every evening the guests would gather at the Burma Bar for “sundowners” and hors d’ouevres. And even though the country is officially Myanmar everyone at the resort calls it Burma, and the tented camp is literally 20 meters from Burma separated only by the Mekhong River. The 2 main buildings on the property are at opposite ends of the camp. The restaurant Nong Yao and main building are near the dock and the Burma Bar is at the far end of camp. The 15 tents are in between. After 90 minutes of drinks we were escorted via lantern to Nong Yao for dinner. Twelve of us ate at a communal table and another four people ate separately. The chef came out and introduced himself and we decided to allow him to just send out some food. Dinner was very good and the wine kept flowing. Soon after dinner we retired to our tent for the night. I must say there is something about having a tent with a King sized bed with Frette linens! Morning came quickly as the birds and other creatures awoke pretty early. Around 9 am we wandered down to Nong Yao for some breakfast prior to our day of Mahout training (elephant riding). This was the coolest part of our experience. But it was done in a Four Seasons way…..we were put into longtail boats for the 5 minute ride to the elephant area. There they were 5 elephants. After cold towels we were introduced to our elephants by Yo the chief Mahout. He sized each of us up and assigned us an elephant. We were shown how to get on. The elephants lifted a leg to lift us up and then we pushed up to jump onto the elephants. We were literally riding on the elephants head with our knees tucked in behind their ears. I’ll post photos at the end of the report. Before we knew it we were led into the Mekhong river on the elephants to give them a bath. What a ride….the beauty of it is there was no time to be scared. Within 2 minutes of being on the elephant we were in the water. After the bath we were brought back onto land and dismounted from the elephants. In true Four Seasons style we were given cold towels and fed a snack of fresh fruit, nuts, and sandwiches. As if we were hungry less than an hour after breakfast. After 15 minutes of snacks which gave the real Mahouts the opportunity to brush and feed the elephants. Next was our chance to ride the elephants solo around a small obstacle course to practice our skills with the Thai commands. After steering our elephants around the course for 10 or 15 minutes we again were given towels and snacks. And then we mounted the elephants for an hours ride around the grounds. We were then dropped off at the Burma Bar and we walked back to Nong Yao for some lunch. A few hours later we were to rejoin our elephants at the Burma Bar for another cruise around the resort. After another 90 minutes on the elephants we were again dropped off at the Burma Bar and we headed back to our tent for a shower before heading back to the Burma Bar for sundowners. After cocktails we were led down to the elephant camp for some champagne among the elephants – quite a spectacular scene. And shortly after we were all seated and served a wonderful meal from the grill. Chicken, beef, lamb, shrimp, accompanied by steamed rice in a banana leaf and other vegetables. And again the wine kept flowing…..


The next day we had a free morning which we spent walking about the property after breakfast. The spa was not finished yet, but the 2 treatment rooms should be completed shortly and are in a pretty remarkable setting in the forest. Following lunch we were led to a long-tail boat for a ride up the Mekhong. We went to the “Golden Triangle” where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar all intersect. At this wider part of the river we docked and switched to a different boat (larger – better on the choppier waters). We were given a tour of the area and then taken to a little shopping village in Laos. We never officially entered Laos and the village was quite honestly a tourist trap. We bought a few t-shirts and other things for a total of $10 US. This shopping trip should probably be cut by the Four Seasons as most people at the resort agreed it wasn’t really appropriate. However, in true Four Seasons fashion – the trip around the river was First Class. We had our own boat with a personal guide and a driver. After we walked around the Laotian village with our guide we were offered cold towels and some snacks (brought in a cooler and set up on a picnic table with linens as only Four Seasons can do. Shortly we were enroute back to the resort with a stop to switch back to the long-tail boat. Time for a quick shower and off to the Burma Bar for another sunset and cocktails. After 2 hours of drinks and hors d’ouevres we were escorted by lantern back to Nong Yao for another communal dinner. Another excellent meal and shockingly (not) the wine flowed. I should note that in addition to the “regular” guests there was also a photographer and a writer from Travel and Leisure present. They traveled separately and I was surprised to learn that very rarely are a photographer and a feature writer on site at the same time. Between the two we heard some interesting stories and learned a few “tricks.” After dinner a few of us retired to the adjoining bar for after-dinner drinks and cigars. Finally around midnight we headed off for our last night in the tent.


Thursday morning we woke up and brewed coffee in the tent. As I indicated the tents are very well stocked. Large bottles of water are provided for coffee or tea. There is an electric tea kettle for boiling water and an assortment of teas and coffees. Coffee is made in a French Press once the water is boiled. We began to pack our bags for the next stop on our trip and at 9:30 the 2 masseuses arrived for our 90 minute Thai Massages. The massages were given on the 2 massage tables located on the deck of the tent. The massages were excellent and I found myself quite relaxed at the conclusion. It was a little difficult to shower and finish packing before heading to Nong Yao for one last meal. After a nice lunch we were led to one of the long-tail boats for the ride back to civilization. When we arrived at the dock – the Land Rover 3 was waiting with our luggage already loaded (must have been sent on a boat before us). We were offered water and climbed in to the LR3 for the 4 hour drive to the Four Seasons Chiang Mai.

Upon arrival at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai we were greeted with what else? Cold towels and cold drinks. The General Manager came out to personally welcome us and tell us a little about his property. He also asked about our stay in the tented camp. We were soon led to our room where our luggage was already waiting. There was also a nice amenity tray with Singha beer and a few snacks. The room itself was very nice, but very normal. It reminded me very much of the Four Seasons Hualalai in layout for both the room and the bathroom. The Four Seasons property in Chiang Mai is very nice set amidst rice paddies and lush tropical foliage. Although a large property we almost never saw another guest during our 2 nights there. We signed up for the Friday cooking class with the concierge. I must admit the service at the FS was impeccable. We went to the concierge a few hours after arrival to inquire about the cooking school. We asked to make a reservation for the next day. The concierge picked up his phone and called and immediately confirmed us by name and room number to the person on the other end of the phone. When he finished the call – I asked how he knew who we were. He never asked our names or room number. His response: “I am the concierge – it is my job to know who you are Mr. dukeman. How was your stay at our tented property?” I was floored. This level of service was experienced with every single person on staff at the property. On our day of departure both Mrs dukeman and I had carry-on bags that we did not send with the bellstaff. We were stopped twice on the short walk to the lobby by a gardener and a housekeeper if we needed help with our bags. Kudos to the GM for having such cordial, well trained staff. Let me say that the staff were equally well trained at the Tented Camp, but that is a much smaller property and the Tented Camp has 150 staff for the 15 tents! One day Mrs. dukeman left her sunglasses on the table at lunch. Later she went to ask if the staff had found them. The waiter said he gave them to the front desk and escorted us there. The front desk had already delivered the glasses to our tent!

The cooking school was great. We were greeted in the lobby at 7am (yes 7am) for a trip to one of the local markets. There were only 3 of us signed up the class which can accommodate up to 15, and the other woman was one of the guests we met at the Tented Camp and we had gotten to know pretty well. We purchased a few ingredients, but for the most part it is more for the education of learning about Thai markets, spices, herbs, etc. Our guide showed us everything and bought lots of little things for us to taste. We returned to the hotel around 9:00 to meet the chef. It was great being in a small class – very personal. The chef started with some basic knife skills and then would demonstrate how to prepare an item. All the while there were a few sous chefs who put all of our ingredients together for us all measured out. If only cooking at home were so easy. We still had to chop and dice, but no measuring and no dishes to wash. Today’s class was how to make Thai appetizers and we made a total of 4. The class took about 4 hours and at 1pm we sat down to eat our creations. We were presented certificates from the chef and following lunch had a short vegetable and fruit carving lesson. We were also presented with full recipes from the class along with a list of substitutions if we couldn’t find the ingredients back home. The entire day in the kitchen was also in typical FS style. Our water glasses were never empty and there were plenty of towels.

Saturday we departed for 2 more nights in Chiang Mai, but at the new Mandarin Oriental. Wow! What can I say, the Four Seasons is a very nice property, but the MO absolutely blows it away!!! It is perhaps the most stunning hotel/resort property I have ever seen. The resort is a recreation of an entire Thai village. The property showcases various architecture and styles. The property is still under construction. Currently there are 65 villas operational. There are another 65 rooms and suites that will be opening sometime in this year. The staff said they are supposed to open in April, but there is not a chance that is going to happen. We booked under the Amex Plat FHR program and were upgraded to a 1 Bedroom Villa with an outdoor Jacuzzi. This is a 2 story villa with a living area and powder room on the main floor along with an outdoor patio and tub. The bedroom and walk-in closet and huge bathroom are on the 2nd floor along with an indoor shower and an outdoor shower and another outside sitting area. The villa was easily 1800 square feet. We were in Villa 1 and although it did not come with a private pool it adjoined the main resort pool. The main pool is divided into 3 sections. The sections are on different levels and we had direct access from our patio to one section of the pool and nobody else had access to our section. Our own private pool but really part of the bigger pool. The service at the MO was very good, but not nearly as polished as the FS. If the MO could get their service up to the level of the FS they could be huge!!!

Monday March 6, 2006

Today we must depart Chiang Mai for Bangkok for one night. United has only one flight per day BKK-NRT and it departs at 6:40am, too early for a connection from CNX. So we spent most of the day at the Mandarin and departed at 2pm for the airport. We were taken to the airport in the MO’s stretch Mercedes. Someone from the MO actually took us to check-in, got our BPs and took us to the security line before bidding us farewell. Went to the TG lounge and it was packed and had little to offer other than some snacks and drinks. Our flight CNX-BKK was scheduled for an A330 and from the windows in the terminal all I could see were the winglets. Boarding began and as I neared the end of the jetway I could see stairs. Hmmmm… aircraft swap and we were on a 747-400 with the new TG seating. For less than $100 US I had a nice business class seat for the hour flight. Service was good and again a snack was served on real china. Upon arrival at BKK we were met by someone from the Westin Grande Sukhumvit. We were taken to a waiting Mercedes and headed into town. Upon arrival at the hotel I received the nicest SPG Platinum welcome. We were whisked from the car directly to our room bypassing the front desk. I had reserved a regular room and was upgraded to a corner suite. There was a fruit plate and a note from the GM waiting. The agent that took us to the room reminded us that although not on the Club Floor we had access and should feel free to visit the Club if we needed anything or for a snack or a drink. The agent soon left and within 2 minutes the phone rang. It was the same agent who apologized that she did not inquire about which Platinum Amenity I would like. I like most FTers took the 500 points. The Club was very nice and had a nice array of snacks, both hot and cold as well as drinks that evening. After dinner in one of the hotels restaurants we were off to bed since we had an early wakeup for a 4:30am car to Don Muang. I know there are various discussions on the SPG board about the Westin Grande v. Sheraton Grande, but I would not hesitate to stay at the Westin again.





Tuesday March 7, 2006

BKK-NRT-ORD-PHL

At 4:30 am downtown Bangkok was starting to become alive. There were many merchants in the area surrounding the Westin who were setting up their booths or shops at this early hour. We were soon on the tollway to Don Muang and arrived at the airport just before 5am. There was a pretty long line for United check-in. It took quite a few minutes for the security screeners to search our bags before allowing them to go through x-ray prior to check-in. All check-in lines were long. Even the F line had 5 or 6 people queued up. It took about 15 minutes to get checked in at the Business Check-in counters. We were issued our BPs for the Upper Deck (I have never flown on the upper deck). We paid our departure tax of 500 Baht each and went through immigration control and were soon at the Red Carpet Club. The RCC in BKK is nothing to write home about as many FTers have indicated and on this day it was extremely crowded. In fact we entered looked around for a seat and finding none turned to leave. The agent at the desk stopped us on our way out and said she was looking for us. Weird – the other agent at the desk had just checked us in and didn’t say anything. The agent indicated that the flight was oversold and would we be wiling to trade our seats on the Upper Deck for F seats for the flight BKK-NRT. I thought about it for a few seconds and accepted. I’ll have to ride the upper deck another time. I was surprised to receive the op-up to F as I’m sure there were plenty of 1Ks on the flight, but perhaps my CP status on US and the D fare helped. If anyone from United knows how op-ups are prioritized please let me know. So we wandered around the terminal for a few minutes and spent our last few baht before heading through security and down to the gate where boarding was just beginning. There were lots of people in the boarding area and they were all doing the gate crush as First and Business were called along with UGS and 1Ks, Prem Execs and Star Golds. Had to fight through a crowd, but made it through and was soon taking the first jetway spur into the F cabin. The captain announced flying time of 5 hours 45 minutes and we soon pushed a few minutes early. Sadly Channel 9 was not on for this flight. The flight was full! Every seat on the plane was full and there were a few non-revs who I believe were commuting or dead heading to NRT and they all had to sit on the jumpseats. Most of the cabin crew was Asian and the service was excellent. Breakfast was served shortly after takeoff. Here is the menu:

To Begin
Your selected entree will be served with fresh fruit, cold cereals, fruit yogurt and breakfast breads.

Main Course

Spanish omelette with Mornay sauce
Grilled pork bacon, roasted potatoes with paprika and buttered asparagus

Coconut waffles with mixed berry ragout
Grilled veal sausage and carmelized orange zest

Thai egg-fried rice with curried chicken
Sauteed long beans

Prior to Arrival

Thai crab cake with black mushrooms and chicken and beef satay
Sweet chili sauce

or

Thai pomelo and coconut salad with grilled prawns
Mango salsa with mint

Dessert

Chocolate pear tart




I watched a movie and then it was time to eat again! 2 meals on this relatively short flight. Drinks were offered along with hot nuts and then some crabcakes and satays. The FAs kept the drinks coming which was great despite the early hour (well it was afternoon in Tokyo, but not in Bangkok). I knew I had a 13 hour flight to ORD next and would be eating again and then taking an Ambien. We landed in NRT and had a short taxi to the gate. I love looking around as you taxi and the smallest plane around was a NW 757. Almost all of the aircraft were widebodies. Tons of 777s, 747s, 767s, 330s and 340s. We were among the first off the plane and were quickly through the transit line and security. Time for about 30 minutes in the RCC with the amazing beer machine before heading to the gate. After a few beers and a little email it was time to head to the gate.

My timing was pretty good and boarding started about 1 minute after we got to the gate. Again people crushed the gate at boarding, but they at least enforced First and Business before continuing the boarding process. Back on the 777 to ORD This would be the first of my long-haul segments in Business the other 3 were in F. I admit I felt a tinge of jealousy as I boarded through 2L and looked left. This was an XI version of the 777 and when I booked the only 2 seats together were in the larger of the C cabins towards the rear. We were actually in the last row of C. Oh well, while I felt jealous of the F pax for a few seconds that quickly passed when I looked back into E+ and E-. Pre-departure beverages were offered and one of the FAs immediately came up to us and said “I remember you from my flight a few weeks ago (ORD-NRT). How was your trip?” Awesome! She was working with some of the trainees in F on that flight, but was serving us in C today. She and her partner took excellent care of us throughout the flight. Channel 9 was on and we were soon taxiing towards the active runway. Lunch was served shortly after departure. Here is the menu:

To begin
Sauteed shrimp with cilantro and prosciutto appetizer
Cocktail sauce, fresh lemon, black olive and a seaweed and carrot mix

Fresh seasonal greens
Creamy tarragon or Asian citrus dressing

Main course
Pan-seared filet mignon with roasted shiitake mushroom cream sauce
Asparagus with semi-dried tomato and herbed Parmesan sautéed new potatoes

Macadamia nut-crusted breast of chicken with mango lime sauce
Herbed rice pilaf with a carrot, pumpkin and zucchini medley

Japanese Obento selection
An appetizer of spicy vinegared horse mackerel, shrimp with lily root, shiitake mushroom stuffed egg, simmered sweet potato and udon noodles
A main course of silver cod is soy mirin sauce with shimeji mushrooms, vegetables, ginkgo nuts and steamed rice
Served with green tea

Dessert
International cheese selection
Gruyere, Brie

Apple tart

Midflight snack
A variety of fruit, sandwiches and assorted treats
Hot noodles are available upon request

Prior to arrival
Cream cheese scrambled eggs on Canadian bacon
Hollandaise sauce with a fresh fruit appetizer

Or

Fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt

Shortly after finishing the port and cheese course I brushed my teeth and popped an Ambien. Wow! 8.5 hours of great sleep! Soon it would be time for breakfast. Here is the menu:


Soon it was time to head down into O’hare for an early arrival. It is amazing how such a huge airliner can land so gracefully. Soon we were parked at the International Terminal and deplaned. Unfortunately they didn’t seem ready for our arrival. There were a few other flights that had arrived and there were only 3 Immigration Officers processing US citizens! It took well over an hour to get through the line and effectively kill our early arrival. Luckily bags were soon on the belt and we transited to Terminal 1 for our flight to PHL. We killed an hour in the RCC and headed to our 733 for the short flight to PHL. And this is where our streak of early or on-time departures and great flight crews came to an end! We boarded the plane on time, but were soon advised of a mechanical issue and that maintenance was on the way. Whatever the problem was they quickly fixed it and were able to push just a few minutes late. Ramp control passed us to ground who advised the captain to contact Clearance Delivery for a re-route. I assume the FO monitored Ground while the captain went over to Clearance Delivery and that was on Channel 9. The captain was asked if he had the chart for the Philly Swap South Route. It took him a few minutes to pull it out of the bag and he asked why that was necessary as it was quite a deviation. Evidently NY Center was having communications troubles and was not accepting arrivals into its airspace. This swap route would take us South over Louisville, Kentucky before turning and coming in over Northern Virginia in into PHL from the South. The captain switched back to ground and asked for place to park for a few minutes. He came on a few minutes later and advised Ground that we needed to return to a gate for more fuel. UGH! It took a few minutes to find us a gate and we were given taxi instructions. The captain was very good at communicating with the passengers about the delay and when we parked we were told to stay in our seats that it would be just a few minutes for refueling. Well a few minutes turned into 90 when one of the fuel gauges was inop and they had to measure the fuel manually using some sort of dipsticks. There were about 5 or 6 ground personnel huddling under the wing and doing what appeared to be math for a while and then consulted with the Captain a few times. The entire time on the ground the FAs did nothing but sit and talk. No drinks offered in F and this was after no pre-departure drinks either. This was a lazy, unhappy, unfriendly bunch of FAs! Finally we were ready to go again. Of course by now NY Center was accepting arrivals, so we had a nice full tank of gas for the original easterly route to PHL. The only nice thing about the delay was listening to ORD Ground for the 90 minutes. Those controllers are amazing! Non-stop talking, issuing directions and they were always aware of where the aircraft were and where they were going. Routine flight into PHL with 1 round of drinks served in F. I know every organization has bad apples, but this group of FAs was pitiful and tarnished UA’s rep. Every other flight crew I encountered on this 20K mile trip was great except for this crew for 678 miles……We arrived in PHL a little after 7pm (originally scheduled in at 5ish). Time to head home and see my very excited dog who hadn’t forgotten us after 2 weeks away. Time to plan the next trip soon.

plagioia

dukeman - Thanks for the great report! I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. I’ve less than a month to go before I leave for almost the same trip (with the addition of Vietnam). I'm really hoping that the tents are the highlight of the trip and it does not sound like they will disappoint.

Fliar

Woaw, awesome trip. Would love to try the tented camp some time...but at those prices that may have to wait a while. Good to hear it was worth it though!

kudzu

Thanks, dukeman, for an excellent, detailed report. I was most interested to read about the UA flights from your perspective as US CP as I haven't flown with them in years. As for the 4S tents and the MO in Chaing Mai (never been), must visit there the next time in Thailand!

stimpy

Thanks for the report. I'm planning on hitting the MO Chang Mai in August.

mag

dukeman, thanks for a phantastic and detailed report. i visited chiang mai, chiang rai and the triangle as well and enjoyed it, but the FS was unfortunately out of reach, financially. glad you enjoyed it.

sftrvlr

Wow! What a fabulous trip report. Shame about the last leg. I didn't know FS had a tented resort up there. Prices may appear steep at first, but are a relative bargain for what you get. I love that area around Golden Triangle.

Thanks for sharing.

dukeman

Thanks. The new Tented Camp actually just opened in February.

flamboyant 1

Nice report, thanks.

Seems like the MO CNX is getting very good reviews on FT.

http://web2.flyertalk.com/forum/show....php?p=5608947

view

Great report, loved the detailed reviews of those fabulous properties. FS Tent Camp is definitely on the list, I noticed FS offer a package staying at the tent camp and then transferring to FS Chiang Mai. From reading rave MO Chiang Mai reviews lately, I guess the Oriental is not to be missed.