Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong! (JL/CX F, BR Hello Kitty C, lots of city pix)
Nov 23, 2014, 10:17 pm
#31
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: LAX,BUD
Programs: AA EXP,SPG G
Posts: 249
Nice TR and love your foodie pictures too.I'll be flying JL F in 6 weeks,looking forward to it.How was the IFE btw?
As for T-mobile I just switched from ATT and tested it in the UK and in Hungary.London was completely fine but in Budapest it was functional but closer to dial-up speed,i don't have high expectation on my Vietnam,Cambodia trip in january
As for T-mobile I just switched from ATT and tested it in the UK and in Hungary.London was completely fine but in Budapest it was functional but closer to dial-up speed,i don't have high expectation on my Vietnam,Cambodia trip in january
Nov 23, 2014, 11:42 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Nice TR and love your foodie pictures too.I'll be flying JL F in 6 weeks,looking forward to it.How was the IFE btw?
As for T-mobile I just switched from ATT and tested it in the UK and in Hungary.London was completely fine but in Budapest it was functional but closer to dial-up speed,i don't have high expectation on my Vietnam,Cambodia trip in january
As for T-mobile I just switched from ATT and tested it in the UK and in Hungary.London was completely fine but in Budapest it was functional but closer to dial-up speed,i don't have high expectation on my Vietnam,Cambodia trip in january
JL's IFE interface was fantastic but I honestly can't remember anything about the selection. I don't think I actually watched any movies, none of them interested me.
You can see the selection online actually: http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inflight/int...2.html#magic_3
I watched Boyhood on my return flight on CX, great film. Reminded me a lot of my youth in Texas.
Nov 24, 2014, 9:50 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Part 5.1: Taipei's Night Markets
I visited a number of night markets in Taipei during my four days. Shilin, Keelung, Raohe Street and Tonghua.
Keelung was up first. A port city north of Taipei, Keelung hosts a large night market. Clearly heavily touristed, every stall had an English sign.
The place gets pretty crowded.
On to the food.
Grilled meat on the stick. Hard to beat that.
Wrap stuffed with meat, peanuts, peppers and onions. Fantastic, almost like a pad thai burrito, just to butcher a few different cuisines.
Some sort of dumpling soup. Anyone care to figure it out?
Sweet peanut soup. Goes great with a squirt of lemon juice. Once again, names are welcome.
Taipei's most famous market is Shilin. Don't go there, trust me. Not even worth posting photos.
Raohe Street, on the other hand, is absolutely worth your time.
Yeah, don't remember what this was either. But it was tasty.
Stood in line for about 15 minutes to get these dumplings.
Followed that up with a delicious oyster omelette. The red stuff is strawberry sauce, better than it sounds:
Was too full to try this but it looked good:
That's one way to make a living.
The final market was Tonghua. Not nearly as large as the others nor does it have has many food options but if you're in the area anyways, you could do worse. It's not too far from Taipei 101.
Up next: Hong Kong, we finally meet
I visited a number of night markets in Taipei during my four days. Shilin, Keelung, Raohe Street and Tonghua.
Keelung was up first. A port city north of Taipei, Keelung hosts a large night market. Clearly heavily touristed, every stall had an English sign.
The place gets pretty crowded.
On to the food.
Grilled meat on the stick. Hard to beat that.
Wrap stuffed with meat, peanuts, peppers and onions. Fantastic, almost like a pad thai burrito, just to butcher a few different cuisines.
Some sort of dumpling soup. Anyone care to figure it out?
Sweet peanut soup. Goes great with a squirt of lemon juice. Once again, names are welcome.
Taipei's most famous market is Shilin. Don't go there, trust me. Not even worth posting photos.
Raohe Street, on the other hand, is absolutely worth your time.
Yeah, don't remember what this was either. But it was tasty.
Stood in line for about 15 minutes to get these dumplings.
Followed that up with a delicious oyster omelette. The red stuff is strawberry sauce, better than it sounds:
Was too full to try this but it looked good:
That's one way to make a living.
The final market was Tonghua. Not nearly as large as the others nor does it have has many food options but if you're in the area anyways, you could do worse. It's not too far from Taipei 101.
Up next: Hong Kong, we finally meet
Nov 25, 2014, 2:28 pm
#34
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: MSP
Posts: 482
I just tried mine for the first time earlier this month. It worked amazing in FRA, BUD, and MUC. A little slow, but very usable.
Nov 25, 2014, 3:33 pm
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Nov 29, 2014, 9:38 pm
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
(Now that I've woken up from my turkey coma...)
Part 6: Hong Kong, glad to finally meet you
I visited Hong Kong once about two and a half years ago but I only had one night. Originally I was supposed to arrive at 6PM and depart at 1PM the next day. I figured I'd have enough time to go up to the Peak, have a good dinner, maybe a drink, wake up for a dim sum breakfast and get back to the airport for my flight to BKK. United, of course, had other plans for me as our 744 went MX for six hours and I didn't arrive until midnight.
This time, my flight to HKG was a quick hop in BR Y. Check-in took slightly longer than forever. I have no idea why but everything was done with pen and paper—at their TPE hub! Maybe systems were down. Check-in took at least half an hour since I still had to pay the fare difference for my date change, it hadn't been collected in advance. The check-in agent couldn't take payment so I was sent off to another desk, then sent back to the first desk to actually check in.
At least I was able to get an exit row with no seat in front of me. ^
Blew my remaining NTD on more candy and treats for friends back home. Mini red bean cakes were all I bought at first. My flight was delayed an hour and I still had about US$10 worth of NTD in my pocket at the gate so I stepped into the adjacent store and decided to buy the oddest thing I could find. Wound up with a box of plum wine jelly. I assume this is basically a Taiwanese jello shot?
Arrival in HKG was a bit of an ordeal. Ping-ponged around a few ATMs before I found one that would take my Schwab card and then the MTR machine wouldn't take my brand new HKD bills so I had to wait in line at the manned counter.
Once I reached Hong Kong station I still had to get to the Conrad. I knew the shuttle bus was suspended due to Occupy so I was planning to take a cab but our delay pushed my arrival into rush hour so I wound up jamming myself and my suitcase onto an absolutely packed MTR train. Finding that was also complicated: the machine next to the fare gate between Hong Kong and Central stations only takes coins, not notes. An employee saw about ten tourists standing there—all of us fresh from the airport with no coins—and manually opened the gate. No one thought about this?
Got lost a few times in the Pacific Place mall before I finally found the entrance to the Conrad. I had the same problem last year with the Conrad Seoul, it's mall entrance is also hard to spot the first time through.
As a Gold member I was upgraded to an exec room with a partial harbor view. I was at the very end of the building (which is shaped like a long pointy oval) so I could see both Victoria Harbor and Victoria Peak. ^
I was very pleased with my stay, though it wasn't as nice as the Conrad Seoul, I thought the staff at that location were more proactively helpful than here. The location is great though. Right on top of an MTR station, five minute walk to Wan Chai, not too far from Soho.
The rooms could probably use a refresh.
The marble in the bathrooms is a little gaudy for my taste.
I was given a daily amenity of a fruit plate.
I took breakfast in the restaurant the first four days, free as a Gold member.
I do not recommend sitting outside.
On my final morning I ate breakfast in the lounge:
I also tried the afternoon tea one day:
In true FlyerTalk fashion, you can earn CX AsiaMiles for doing laundry at a shop in the attached mall.
Owned by Swire Group, also the largest shareholder in CX.
Overall, I probably wouldn't rush to stay at this Conrad again unless I found myself with a glut of HHonors points or they had a really great rate. That said, the location is very convenient for tourists (though given how simple HKG transport is, that can probably be said of most hotels). The fitness facilities weren't great (though at least not as jam-packed as the Grand Hyatt Tokyo's weight area!). I didn't feel as welcome as I did at the Conrad Seoul, where the on-duty manager welcomed me on arrival, the lounge staff helped me plan my day and provided all manner of maps and information. Here I sometimes felt like I was inconveniencing the staff. Perhaps these are just cultural differences. I don't need to be fawned over but I wouldn't mind a smile...
Up next: Occupy Hong Kong
Part 6: Hong Kong, glad to finally meet you
I visited Hong Kong once about two and a half years ago but I only had one night. Originally I was supposed to arrive at 6PM and depart at 1PM the next day. I figured I'd have enough time to go up to the Peak, have a good dinner, maybe a drink, wake up for a dim sum breakfast and get back to the airport for my flight to BKK. United, of course, had other plans for me as our 744 went MX for six hours and I didn't arrive until midnight.
This time, my flight to HKG was a quick hop in BR Y. Check-in took slightly longer than forever. I have no idea why but everything was done with pen and paper—at their TPE hub! Maybe systems were down. Check-in took at least half an hour since I still had to pay the fare difference for my date change, it hadn't been collected in advance. The check-in agent couldn't take payment so I was sent off to another desk, then sent back to the first desk to actually check in.
At least I was able to get an exit row with no seat in front of me. ^
Blew my remaining NTD on more candy and treats for friends back home. Mini red bean cakes were all I bought at first. My flight was delayed an hour and I still had about US$10 worth of NTD in my pocket at the gate so I stepped into the adjacent store and decided to buy the oddest thing I could find. Wound up with a box of plum wine jelly. I assume this is basically a Taiwanese jello shot?
Arrival in HKG was a bit of an ordeal. Ping-ponged around a few ATMs before I found one that would take my Schwab card and then the MTR machine wouldn't take my brand new HKD bills so I had to wait in line at the manned counter.
Once I reached Hong Kong station I still had to get to the Conrad. I knew the shuttle bus was suspended due to Occupy so I was planning to take a cab but our delay pushed my arrival into rush hour so I wound up jamming myself and my suitcase onto an absolutely packed MTR train. Finding that was also complicated: the machine next to the fare gate between Hong Kong and Central stations only takes coins, not notes. An employee saw about ten tourists standing there—all of us fresh from the airport with no coins
—and manually opened the gate. No one thought about this?Got lost a few times in the Pacific Place mall before I finally found the entrance to the Conrad. I had the same problem last year with the Conrad Seoul, it's mall entrance is also hard to spot the first time through.
As a Gold member I was upgraded to an exec room with a partial harbor view. I was at the very end of the building (which is shaped like a long pointy oval) so I could see both Victoria Harbor and Victoria Peak. ^
I was very pleased with my stay, though it wasn't as nice as the Conrad Seoul, I thought the staff at that location were more proactively helpful than here. The location is great though. Right on top of an MTR station, five minute walk to Wan Chai, not too far from Soho.
The rooms could probably use a refresh.
The marble in the bathrooms is a little gaudy for my taste.
I was given a daily amenity of a fruit plate.
I took breakfast in the restaurant the first four days, free as a Gold member.
I do not recommend sitting outside.
On my final morning I ate breakfast in the lounge:
I also tried the afternoon tea one day:
In true FlyerTalk fashion, you can earn CX AsiaMiles for doing laundry at a shop in the attached mall.
Owned by Swire Group, also the largest shareholder in CX.
Overall, I probably wouldn't rush to stay at this Conrad again unless I found myself with a glut of HHonors points or they had a really great rate. That said, the location is very convenient for tourists (though given how simple HKG transport is, that can probably be said of most hotels). The fitness facilities weren't great (though at least not as jam-packed as the Grand Hyatt Tokyo's weight area!). I didn't feel as welcome as I did at the Conrad Seoul, where the on-duty manager welcomed me on arrival, the lounge staff helped me plan my day and provided all manner of maps and information. Here I sometimes felt like I was inconveniencing the staff. Perhaps these are just cultural differences. I don't need to be fawned over but I wouldn't mind a smile...
Up next: Occupy Hong Kong
Nov 29, 2014, 11:41 pm
#39
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: YYZ
Posts: 1,666
Amazing, keep it up! ^ Love the food pictures!
I am super jealous you got to eat to Sushi Iwa - it was indeed a blessing that you ordered the omakase there.
You are in for a treat if you're flying NRT-ORD in JL F again, I guarantee you that the western meal catered out of Tokyo is miles better!
I am super jealous you got to eat to Sushi Iwa - it was indeed a blessing that you ordered the omakase there.
You are in for a treat if you're flying NRT-ORD in JL F again, I guarantee you that the western meal catered out of Tokyo is miles better!
Nov 29, 2014, 11:45 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Amazing, keep it up! ^ Love the food pictures!
I am super jealous you got to eat to Sushi Iwa - it was indeed a blessing that you ordered the omakase there.
You are in for a treat if you're flying NRT-ORD in JL F again, I guarantee you that the western meal catered out of Tokyo is miles better!
I am super jealous you got to eat to Sushi Iwa - it was indeed a blessing that you ordered the omakase there.
You are in for a treat if you're flying NRT-ORD in JL F again, I guarantee you that the western meal catered out of Tokyo is miles better!
Nov 30, 2014, 12:04 am
#41
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Part 6.1: Occupy Hong Kong: The Umbrella Revolution
I'm *not* going to talk at all about politics. For one, I don't know enough about the situation. Two, I don't want to get into OMNI territory. Just going to talk about how it affected my stay and include a few photos.
As mentioned before, the first impact Occupy had on my stay was the suspension of the shuttle from Hong Kong station to the Conrad. Annoying but it wasn't a huge deal.
My first sighting of Occupy was from my hotel room:
For the most part, my trip wasn't affected at all. Sorry if you were hoping for drama.
I did walk around the Occupy site in Central on Connaught Rd. The other big site was in Mongkok but I didn't go to that one.
The site was a five or ten minute walk from the Conrad.
Everything seemed pretty calm. At first I was a little unsure of myself but once I realized nobody cared that I was taking photos I just walked around for a bit.
An impromptu speech, from ground-level and above.
Virtually every inch of wall space was covered in posters.
The skywalks above the protest site had a few tired protestors sleeping in tents. The railings were covered in posters and, err, declarations: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryan_t...57649373810441
(That one has non-FT approved language, so link only)
Having been to other protest sites around the world, this was definitely the cleanest. I was in Marseille when Sarkozy tried to raise the retirement age and all the garbage collectors went on strike—I've got photos of tear gas being thrown from that trip.
A sea of tents filled with protestors. I never felt unsafe. There were a few police officers off to the side, they seem to have brought their own folding chairs and were really just hanging out laughing amongst themselves.
Up next: Looking around Hong Kong
I'm *not* going to talk at all about politics. For one, I don't know enough about the situation. Two, I don't want to get into OMNI territory. Just going to talk about how it affected my stay and include a few photos.
As mentioned before, the first impact Occupy had on my stay was the suspension of the shuttle from Hong Kong station to the Conrad. Annoying but it wasn't a huge deal.
My first sighting of Occupy was from my hotel room:
For the most part, my trip wasn't affected at all. Sorry if you were hoping for drama.
I did walk around the Occupy site in Central on Connaught Rd. The other big site was in Mongkok but I didn't go to that one.
The site was a five or ten minute walk from the Conrad.
Everything seemed pretty calm. At first I was a little unsure of myself but once I realized nobody cared that I was taking photos I just walked around for a bit.
An impromptu speech, from ground-level and above.
Virtually every inch of wall space was covered in posters.
The skywalks above the protest site had a few tired protestors sleeping in tents. The railings were covered in posters and, err, declarations: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryan_t...57649373810441
(That one has non-FT approved language, so link only)
Having been to other protest sites around the world, this was definitely the cleanest. I was in Marseille when Sarkozy tried to raise the retirement age and all the garbage collectors went on strike—I've got photos of tear gas being thrown from that trip.
A sea of tents filled with protestors. I never felt unsafe. There were a few police officers off to the side, they seem to have brought their own folding chairs and were really just hanging out laughing amongst themselves.
Up next: Looking around Hong Kong
Nov 30, 2014, 4:51 am
#42
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wimbledon, UK
Programs: Budding BA Bronze, MPC Gold
Posts: 370
Superb photos again. Making note of all the spots when I get to HK and Taipei in February.
Dec 1, 2014, 7:25 pm
#43
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NYC
Posts: 213
The meatball is called "ba wan": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba-wan.
The pink sauce on your oyster omelet should just be a very sweet (and pink) chili sauce and shouldn't have strawberries.
The pink sauce on your oyster omelet should just be a very sweet (and pink) chili sauce and shouldn't have strawberries.
