JVPhoto

So this trip starts off at home in MRY on my nephew's first birthday and ends with me heading back just before Christmas.
The main purpose is to be in Chiang Mai to do a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course for 4 weeks. Since I was already down there and had the time I decided I may as well finally visit and shoot in Perth.

Four Points Sheraton SFO & UA J p.s. SFO-EWR
Hotel NobleDEN NYC
British Airways F Lounge JFK & ANA F JFK-NRT
ANA Suite Lounge NRT & Thai F NRT-BKK
Thai J BKK-PER
Rendezvous Hotel Scarborough & Perth
QANTAS Club PER & Thai J PER-BKK 787
St. Regis Bangkok & Thai J BKK-CNX
Chiang Mai Pt 1 (Loy Krathong)
Thai J CNX-BKK + Le Meridien Bangkok + Thai Wedding + Thai J BKK-CNX
Chiang Mai Pt 2
Thai J CNX-BKK + The W Bangkok
Thai Royal First Lounge BKK & Thai F BKK-NRT
ANA Suite Lounge NRT + ANA F NRT-SFO

JVPhoto

Four Points Sheraton SFO + UA J p.s. SFO-EWR

I did another one way rent from MRY to SFO so I could pick up the car in the morning and then drive up that evening after my nephew's first birthday party.
I book the cheapest car but got a Nissan Maxima which was an upgrade I believe. However, they tried to fleece me by charging for NeverLost which I didn't ask for nor do I need so it took about 2 min for them to re-update my booking to reflect my original price.



Looking at SPG the Four Points was the cheapest so I went for that. Got up there about 9:30pm while booking a regular room they upgraded me to the 2 floor duplex room. Nice but unnecessary for the 7 or so hours I would be using it.







The room faced the freeway exit and was fairly noisy.

Quick enough around 4:30am getting through security and pre-check. No Club visit as the lounge opened more or less at boarding time.
Stocked up on an extra meal and made my way to the gate where the lice were already lined up.



Boarding was quick and didn't have any issues pushing back.
This was my first p.s. flight since the transition to EWR.

No menus were passed out for the 3 breakfast choices (my meal, waffle or cereal). No basket with the toiletries/amenities was passed around. After the meal service I asked one of the FAs for the tooth brush kit and got a quizzical look and then 5 min later one was finally brought to my seat.

It took about 1:45 for the first "course" of the meal tray to be dropped. Crew was just slow. The fritatta was brought out at about 2:05 in.

Food was decent I mostly just picked at it not needing all the grease/fat/salt.


Opted for some of my own a little after the meal.





The flight got me there but it was certainly the least premium of the p.s. service flights I've been on in the past 4 years.

JVPhoto

Hotel NobleDEN New York

Decided to try something new, quite literally with Hotel NobleDEN in New York (Grand btwn Mott/Mulberry) on the Little Italy/Chinatown cusp.
I had a fair amount of Expedia points to use to cover about half of the stay instead of booking Marriott or SPG.

The hotel just opened in August. I believe it is Chinese owned (just got that vibe plus in the lobby they are opening a Hot Pot place). The staff was SUPER friendly and welcoming. Professional but cordial, could tell they wanted to make a good impression on guests.
The room reminded me a bit of the Ovolo I stayed at in Hong Kong.









Two bottles of Evian when you arrive. A mini fridge (not stocked). Free coffee and tea in the lobby downstairs. For about $215/night I thought this was a pretty good deal for the location, service and quality of the room.

The purpose of being in NY was mostly to see a few friends I haven't seen since I left in August, tidy up a few loose ends from my final move after 10 years...and of course do a few of my favorite Soul Cycle & Barry's Bootcamp classes with my favorite trainers.

I also ended up going to Bowery Crossfit a few times. If anyone is looking for a drop in, Allison doing the mornings was great.





It was nice to walk around the city with the leaves and colors...pop on Ramble On and you had a good soundtrack for the day.


The last of any permanence in New York. My storage unit is cleared.


Had to of course visit Souen for the macro plate lunch.


Also did Vietnamese one night at Omai in Chelsea which is great for a little more upscale ambience.


Eye roll.


Double eye roll.


Monday through Friday did me well but it was time for the real fun (and trip) to begin.

roadwarrier

I am interested as to how the TEFL programme pans out.

Plus, Chiang Mai is in such a beautiful region of Thailand. Always love going there. Have a great trip.

LH4116

I've been waiting for this JV!

I found it quite interesting that you brought your own food onboard United. But seeing how unhealthy the food onboard was/looked, couldn't you have ordered a special meal like a low calorie or seafood meal?

Can't wait for ANA F!

Madone59

Really looking forward to this TR, and your wonderful photos ^

JVPhoto

British Airways First Class Lounge JFK + ANA FirstSquare JFK-NRT


I arrived about 2:15 before departure and nothing to deal with in terms of lines. IIRC when I flew JFK-NRT in March 2013 on the afternoon flight I got there at about 3 hours before check in (when the counters open) and it was pretty full.




The lounger is kind of a snoozer. If I wasn't too lazy to get up I probably would have gone to the J lounge. But again when I was there last time it was in the afternoon when more flights were using it and had a decent amount of options. The F lounge seemed to be pretty much just for the NH flight at this time (I counted 17 people so must have been a few Diamonds) with some mediocre sushi, fruit and ramen.





NH has someone at the front manning the desk with BA making announcements and such. At the time I was the only white person in the lounge and I heard him start to speak English and thought...oh great. Sure enough it was me being called up. He asked to check my visa for Australia and I mentioned it is an e-Visa and I showed him a print out of the confirmation page. He looked back and forth at the computer screen and then seemed fine. Now I recall during check-in when the agent just asked me if I had a visa for Australia and I said yes.


There was a single gate louse, he must be a UA flyer.


Promptly taken to my seat and given the run down and asked if I wanted to change into my PJs. They take you to the larger of the 2 F bathrooms that has a little fold down platform for you to stand on when you change.


I don't mind that they switched from Rimowa to a new exclusive Samsonite case. I have actual Rimowa luggage so I don't need to vicariously live through amenity kits. I love The Ginza products in side so I was happy about that.



Plane boards and pushes so quickly it gives me a quick scare or a second that we are actually moving and didn't get hit by a catering truck.




I've been laying off the sauce the past few months but couldn't turn down to treat myself to some of the hooch. Had Krug for PDB and first drink and then switched to quite a few glasses of the (excellent) Houken sake.








I think the FAs took most delight in this gaijin loving Japanese food when they would ask me about it or when my eyes lit up as they delivered courses...especially surprised I ate the natto.

Good.

Ok.

Ok.

Good.

Excellent.

Great.

Good.

Good.

Good.




Leaving at 11am this was a tough flight for me to sleep. I think I got about 2.5-3 hours and then maybe another 1.5 hours of laying with my eyes closed. The rest of the time I was up. I had some of my own bars and snacks to eat but about halfway in I got the curry and some of the sake accompaniments.






Hit the spot before landing.




Now for about a shower and a 2 hour lay over at NRT.

jacobac00

I love your photos JVPhoto.

I always appreciate your writing style. You appreciate the partner benefits UA status brings, yet call them out on the areas they need calling out on.

JVPhoto

ANA Suite Lounge NRT + THAI F NRT-BKK A380

Transit security was a breeze there was no one in line and we arrived at a gate that was only a 2 min walk away and then puts you out on the floor with the F lounge.
A blue, white and grey afternoon at NRT.




I've only been in the F lounge as first departing from Tokyo so I hadn't used the showers (compared to J several times). Happy to see they are stocked with some of the same stuff (love the rose skim milk thing) but they also give you an extra little amenity kit of soaps which I just gave back to them.

Had to appreciate the overhead lights and the past few months of less drinking and smarter eating (on planes too!). Hoping in a month a bit bigger and tighter after CNX.


The standard m.o. at the F lounge is to be welcomed, seated and then brought a drink. After that you are on your own. No problems with that. Went and picked up a bunch of little snacks which they have in addition to the noodle bar, sweets and some other foods.


I left the lounge 5 min before listed boarding time. I confused the gate numbers and went down and saw the board said the flight was for Manila. After the split second of a panic attack I looked at my BP and realized I was 2 gates off. Boarding would be delayed a bit which I thought may be the case since sitting in the lounge I saw the plane pull up and didn't think they could turn it that quick. Delay was now about 25 min so I went back to the lounge. I went back down after and they announced about another 10 min which would basically put boarding at departure time.
The F/J/*G line was growing huge by this point. I saw a woman milling about that had an actual TG name tag and I asked (knowing what I was doing hehe) "Do First Class passengers use this line?" She looked at my BP and perked up and said "No no! I will escort you onto the plane. Do you want me to get you from the lounge?" I declined and just waited off to the side and we ended up starting to board about 5 min before that. 3 western gents who were standing at the front of the line from the original boarding time gave me a glare or two.




I was escorted to my seat and within a minute was presented with a bottle of Dom. I was going to pass but my nerves were getting worked up as I was doing a bit of math in my head about the flight time and arrival.



My original connection in BKK was 1:25. We were leaving about 30 min late...and then as we turned the corner to taxi I was able to count about 7 planes ahead of us.






The crew was great. Everyone was friendly and talkative. The cabin was full.

Now for TG F meal service. I've said this before and it still holds...the style just seems dated. From the paper doily bread basket, to the actual dishes to the food choices (liver terrine). I get that they have somewhat of a Francophile thing going (French champagne, L'Occitane products, French-Western food) but it makes me think of what someone would consider haute dining in the 80s.





The prawn/Thai main was good. The rest of it was just food. I would rather see them doing something a bit more exotic or bolder in terms of style. Hell lay a banana leaf down now and then.

Now feeling pretty tired and reclined and before I knew it I was wiping drool off my cheek and pillow as I felt one of the FAs covering me up with a blanket.

Now a little sweat as I saw more or less our arrival time of 11:05. My flight to Perth departs at 11:55 (so boarding axed at 11:45). I knew I had two things going for me...I was going TG-TG and I was transiting in F at BKK.

Getting off the plane I found the man with my name on a sign (and two other F pax who were transferring to CDG). We came in to E4 and was leaving from D1.

JVPhoto

THAI J BKK-PER 787

I had no notions in my mind that even with my original 1:25 connect this would be a lounge/spa visit. At this point I was just happy to be making my flight.

I got through transit security and to the gate at about 11:35.


...which was a bus gate.




At 11:45 we pulled off and I feel we must have been parked in the furthest corner of BKK.



On board had another great crew. At midnight they were all great and throughout the red eye flight in good spirits.


This app was actually much better than the thing from F.

Came out VERY hot. Not much flavor other than the little bits of ginger.



Once the door closed I took the bulkhead. There were only about 7 people in the J cabin and I was in one of the middle 2 right next to someone so we each had more privacy and I had more footwell space. No the slippers were not given out. I typically always snag the extra pair in the hotel for events like this.







Now I know people don't like the shadeless windows of the 787. I for one love them. Something about them when you are flying in the early hours and you look out and see the world cast in a strange hue it has a haunting but beautiful effect. When the sun becomes a perfect circle because of the filters on the window and it begins to warm up in color it makes me think of the dream Sarah Connor has in Terminator when the nuke goes off (without the death and all of course).



We touched down in Perth a little early but sat for about 15 min because a JetStar plane was taking up our gate. Once out we were the only people in the airport, I was able to use the SmartGate (successfully...worked once and failed once in SYD). Now I thought...well did my bags make it?? BKK is pretty big and time sure was tight...so I pre-empted waiting and went to the baggage counter and said I had a tight connection can you see if they are NOT supposed to be here...guy said all looked good so I waited. The *A orange tags came off...bag wasn't on there. Waited more and more, thought well who knows where it is given the time and I saw 2 more J pax waiting for quite a bit. About 20 min later they finally came off. At NRT they also added the TG Royal First tags to them and I noticed it also had a BKK inspection sticker over the latch. Happy with that I headed out to the arrivals hall to Hertz to get the keys. I had rented the BMW 1 hatch back thing or whatever but they gave me an Audi A3 which I was happy with. 2800k miles, still had the new car smell, nav system...not bad for a Sunday-Friday rental for about $185 (US).



Someone wrote the stall number backwards and upside down so I spent an extra 3-4 min trying to figure out why they gave me an Avis stall and then eventually just went around checking plates since there were about 3 Audis there.

JVPhoto

I visited in March and really fell in love with it. I liked the vibe, the pace, the people and location.
I actually visited the TEFL (and Thai language school) I'm going to which also helped seal the deal because I spent about 3 days reading things online trying to weed out the fly by night scams and what not.
The medium term plan is to do the TEFL, come back for two ~3 month periods next year learning Thai, 2017 maybe more Thai language/visa and then eventually working on starting my own photography tours/classes/workshops in Thailand.

I would still need more food to eat. I'm not going to risk ordering a special meal when I can just smartly eat what is being served and then also my own food.

Thank you for the compliments re: photos...if you've followed my other TRs you probably get the idea that it's more at the destination when I take the "nicer" photos vs. spending time and effort composing photos of my grapes and cheese.

I appreciate flying and while I am not crazy in the "mileage game" I try to abate my sense of "entitlement". UA is my primary carrier and I fly that to 1K so I can get my GPUs (which I've always had clear given advanced flexibility). With that I'll ..... about UA when I see fit or things come down to it...however, in the past years I really haven't been left in a lurch or had any horrendous travel issues. With that and the GPUs aside I still do pay for TATL F/J on LX, LH, UA and don't mind racking in all the extra RDMs at 13x ticket cost. That then lets me do something like this as an award to which I am not going to write posts about how it is a TRAVESTY that NH has switched from Rimowa cases or that OZ F doesn't use a MoP spoon for caviar service like you see from some milage scam...errr travel bloggers.

LH4116

That was a very long trip JV! Almost 13000 miles. How did you manage it time wise, e.g did you stay awake the whole flights or did you sleep through them? At least considering the first one was a daytime flight.

ANA First Class looks amazing once again, and I like how they write out the calories on the menu. Though they don't do that for the Japanese menu, which is strange. But then again the food looked quite healthy. Did they do the catering well ex-JFK?

Looking forward to my first ANA flights next summer, only in Business Class though but I'm still very excited.

JVPhoto

The Rendezvous Grand Scarborough Beach & Perth



A few people I know from Perth recommended the RG. After landing I actually went to Myaree to workout with my friend and then to the health store he works at in Gosnells killing time waiting for the room to be ready.
I arrived at the hotel and went to the desk agent gave my passport, CC and said I was checking in for 5 nights.
No welcome, no thank you, no niceties....simply "You are early for check-in".

Well geeeee thaaaaaaaaanks this is actually my first time in a hotel, I didn't know you couldn't show up whenever you wanted and in that case I even heard nasty rumors that sometimes if you are a little early (in my case 1:40 min) that rooms will be ready!
No eye contact, I asked if I could use the wifi in the lobby while I waited and was just given a paper about premium wifi purchases. A friend was coming to meet me so we ended up going outside to Nando's and when I came back at 2:50 the same agent said "Well, let's see if it is ready."
In my best sarcastic ....... manner I said "10 min before check-in? Your maids must come right down to the wire."
I booked this on Expedia and they sent a thing about check-in because apparently this is an Elite + Gold + VIP+ or whatever they call it.
I mentioned the lackluster agent and that no perks or anything were offered.
Later that afternoon...with my Do Not Disturb sign on the door someone started knocking and it was a bell hop with a bottle of wine, a bar of Margaret River chocolate and a card from guest services manger.



As for the rest of the hotel it was fine. The room was clean, it was big...I just recall the website seeming a little more plush. The saving grace was that I really liked everything around the hotel.

A mix of jet lag and meeting a friend at 7am to train most mornings I ended up awake about 5:30am.





That made for some nice walks on the beach while I waited until 6am until BoHo Espresso opened and I could get the amazing green bowl for breakfast (I had it everyday).



Across the street and attached to the hotel is Health Freak Cafe which was also great for lunch or other snacks during the day.






I went to Crossfit CooEe twice while I was there which is in Claremont at the showgrounds. Really friendly and welcoming group of people. Aside from that I worked out at Greenzone Fitness north of Scarbs which is apparently owned by some famous boxer named Danny Green.



My friend who grew up in the area took me to Tropico and Voyager Cafe in North Beach for breakfast after training. Both were equally as good.




Spied during lunch some military transport buzzing the beaches.


STRAYA


Didn't venture out too much. I went to the top of Reabold Hill to the look out for a bit and after into Mount Lawley to Solomon's which was a great health food (raw/vegan-ish) cafe.




No Rottnest Island or other things on this trip. Mostly just to see some a friend or two and to shoot a few people that I've been wanting to for a while.





I will probably be back within the year. If I'm going to be spending more and more time in Thailand it is not hard to get to (6-6.5hours) and flights are not that expensive or are great at 60k UA miles for a round trip in J.

JVPhoto

QANTAS Club & THAI J PER-BKK 787

Dropping off the car in the morning was quick and painless.
Only the Thai flight it looked like was going on so hardly any lines at all through security and passport control as well.



Admiring this guy's 4 phones and need to carry cologne on his person.


At check-in they direct you to the QANTAS Club. There is also a SQ lounge but I feel it is not open during the TG flight. Also, I probably would have gone to the QF lounge anyways given the location and it being the "home" airline.



Decent amount of food out including eggs, beans, sausage. A panini press and the fruits and mueseli. Bar was also set up for self serve and they have a barista making drinks as well as an auto coffee maker.





Boarding was delayed a few minutes. They called J/elites and then after mentioned in economy that the last few rows would board first and then everyone else.



Crew was friendly and smiles during boarding passing out drinks. The amenity kit had the same contents but was Samonsite with Thai branding on the inside compare to the Thanin kit on the way down.





The fritters were good...maybe because I haven't had much friend in the past year.


The shrimp and scallops were okay...the "salad" was more cheese than anything else.


Not the best masamam beef in the world but it was good and tasty for an airplane.




Flight went fast, leaving at 9:10am not really a sleeper flight. May have dozed off for about 45 min or so and then mainly just watched some movies. Landed in BKK and a few other frequent fliers I could hear talk about if we were going to get a bus gate or a terminal...we didn't have to bus.

The passport lines were crazy (Friday afternoon much?) and luckily it only took about 10-12 min waiting in the F/J/Diamond line. By the time I got through that and exchanged some baht the first J bags were coming out and it was down to a taxi.

Was a little worried as he didn't know the hotel (can't fault him for that) but even when I pulled up the map and showed him literally we were going to the Ratchadamri BTS station he seemed a little hesitant wanting to know which Soi (the hotel actually sits on the main street not the alley). That I figured wasn't the big deal...I was nervous for a sec because he conveniently had a bunch of prayer flags and charms hanging from the rear view mirror covering up the fare meter. I know he turned it on and when he made a turn or two fast it would swing and I could take a quick peek but was worried it may be running up pretty fast.
Luckily as we pulled up to the hotel he finally pushed it aside and it was just under 300 baht.
While I paid one bell hop took out my bags and another porter did not let the taxi leave until I confirmed I had everything (bags and pockets).

JVPhoto

The St. Regis Bangkok & THAI BKK-CNX







Greetings from Chiang Mai. Been a pretty intensive 3 weeks with the TEFL course but also enjoying my time exploring the city.


Pulling up to The St. Regis bags were taken care of and greeted by two young women in white dresses directing me to the 12th floor to reception. There I was met by a very enthusiastic (and fellow friend of Dorothy...not sure if that helped my upgrade chances) receptionist who informed me they upgraded me to a Metropolitan Suite. I didn't know SPG Gold got an actual room upgrade I thought it was only better views/corner rooms/higher floors but still in your same category of room.

Long foyer and big living room

Amazing bed

And the crown jewel

Turn down treats


The butler service offers unpacking which I didn't need for 2 nights and are happy to bring you coffee/tea anytime you would like. Spot on service and beautiful. Sort of sad I didn't rebook it for my next 2 stays in BKK but keen to try out other properties. When my parents come to visit I am for sure putting us/them up here.

After working out I did enjoy the pool for a bit. Decent size area, not huge but only had maybe 5-7 people around.

Thai food at 4x the price it costs on the street.


On the pool level there's a relatively decent fitness center staffed by 1 or 2 dashing young Thai guys.



These two nights in Bangkok were to see a few friends and have a little fun.



And that I did. Just your average drag show in Soi 4.







I was on the hunt for a pair of slacks and a health shop (yes they have GNC here but it's not the same) so I figured I would head to Siam Paragon.
I didn't buy slacks nor did I find a health shop (there is a tiny GNC in Central World).
But, I did find some great almond milk.

And had some khao soi.

And skewers.

And a juice.






THAI BKK-CNX

Late Sunday morning traffic wasn't bad so we made it to the airport in no time. That meant I would have about 1:45min to sit in the domestic lounge which if anyone had been before knows is about an hour too long.

No one in line at J/Gold check in

Monks and well-wishers packing the other side


The lounge isn't bad. Fruit, buns, salad, sandwhiches, ramen, banana leaf sticky rice, tea, coffee and in the morning a pancake maker. No beer, wine, spirits.




While the plane was there...a new 773 with staggered J cabin was there we boarded about 20 min behind schedule. There were maybe 10 people in the J cabin. FAs were friendly with towels and drinks. Lunch was a fried rice I forgot to take a photo of and 50 min after leaving BKK we were touching down in CNX.