South Pacific, Israel, Lebanon - 6 Weeks - 71,500 miles - 24 countries
Dec 3, 2014, 7:03 pm
#166
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XXXI. Daytrip to American Samoa with Polynesian Airlines
Made it to the tiny Fagali'i Airport on Samoa about 65 minutes before my flight...and the flight was still not open for check-in! I guess that's how it works when the entire airport is one little room! I did still have to pay for my return ticket, so took care of that while I waited. Why didn't I just buy a roundtrip online? Well, see, Samoa and American Samoa sit on opposite sides of the International Date Line, despite only being 50 miles apart. I was departing Samoa at 12:30 pm one day, and arriving at 12:05 pm the PREVIOUS day...a full 24 hours and 25 minutes before I'd departed! I would be returning the day before I left...and you can't buy a roundtrip ticket where the return date is earlier than the departure date. Crazy!
Eventually check-in opened, and through immigration and security in less than 2 minutes, and time to wait for the flight.
Polynesian Airlines flight 240
Fagali'i Airport, Samoa (FGI) to Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG)
Depart 12:30, Arrive 12:05 Previous Day, Flight Time - 35 minutes
Dehavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Registration 5W-FAY, Manufactured 1980, Seat 2A
Old-school handwritten boarding pass:
Today's flight was packed with all 15 or so seats taken, and soon we were off. Views of American Samoa on approach:
Just 30 minutes flight time (max) and we were on the ground. I snapped this picture of the inside of the plane as we left:
Talofa! Welcome!
Immigration took longer than it should have for 15 people, and I think they were mostly just curious what the hell I was doing there. I guess not many tourists show up from Samoa for the day "just to see it" - especially ones with US passports. CBP doesn't run the show here so no Global Entry kiosks, so it was the full questioning. America, but felt like "not America" at the same time.
Outside the airport, my next task was to either rent a car or taxi for four hours. I didn't know where I was going so thought a car would be a bad idea, so I started negotiating with the taxis. In the US mainland a taxi would ask hundreds for four hours, and the first guy I approached wanted $100. The second guy tried $75. The third asked for $60. I probably could have gone lower, but honestly for four hours of driving me around and playing tour guide I thought that a pretty fair price.
First stop, an ATM, since I had no US Dollars to my name to pay him...and look, it's right next to a Ford dealership. We really are in America!
After the ATM I told the driver I just wanted to see the island, and needed a good lunch, so we set off. You can see the close ties between Hawaii and Samoa...
Most of the drive was right alongside the ocean, with terrible views:
Despite massive cutbacks in recent years, the economy of American Samoa is largely dependent on the tuna industry, and on StarKist in particular. You can smell the factory long before you get to it:
StarKist workers outside waiting for a bus:
For lunch, my driver took me to Tisa's Bar & Grill:
Can I get a menu? No, we have fish today. Ok, I'll have the fish! Delicious grilled fish marinated in coconut milk, citrus juice, butter, and spices. It was amazing. The thing on the right is a local sweet potato that grows straight up out of the ground:
View from Tisa's deck:
After lunch I stuck around for a bit and chatted with Tisa and Chef Candyman who'd made my lunch. We talked about American Samoa, how things had changed, how Tisa had gone to LA for a few years and hated it, so came back to Pago Pago. After a large group of US National Park collecting tourists left (see, people collect things stranger than countries) it was nice to hear their perspective in life on the islands and why they'd chosen to live there.
Soon it was time for a bit more driving before heading back to the airport:
Most...exotically-furnished...bathrooms ever:
Check-in area. This is the BUSY day too with a flight to Honolulu:
I asked for seat 1A this time so I could watch the flight deck, and they had no trouble giving it to me. Unfortunately, at boarding, I got moved back to 3A for weight and balance reasons. Bummer. We were booked full again except for two seats.
Polynesian Airlines flight 269
Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG) to.Fagali'i Airport, Samoa (FGI)
Depart 16:30, Arrive 18:00 Next Day, Flight Time - 350 minutes
Dehavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Registration 5W-FAY, Manufactured 1980, Seat 3A
Nice quick flight back to Samoa on the little plane held together by wires, and it was time to go pick up my bags at Aggie Grey's, check out, and head to the airport for my flight back to Auckland.
Eventually check-in opened, and through immigration and security in less than 2 minutes, and time to wait for the flight.
Polynesian Airlines flight 240
Fagali'i Airport, Samoa (FGI) to Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG)
Depart 12:30, Arrive 12:05 Previous Day, Flight Time - 35 minutes
Dehavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Registration 5W-FAY, Manufactured 1980, Seat 2A
Old-school handwritten boarding pass:
Today's flight was packed with all 15 or so seats taken, and soon we were off. Views of American Samoa on approach:
Just 30 minutes flight time (max) and we were on the ground. I snapped this picture of the inside of the plane as we left:
Talofa! Welcome!
Immigration took longer than it should have for 15 people, and I think they were mostly just curious what the hell I was doing there. I guess not many tourists show up from Samoa for the day "just to see it" - especially ones with US passports. CBP doesn't run the show here so no Global Entry kiosks, so it was the full questioning. America, but felt like "not America" at the same time.
Outside the airport, my next task was to either rent a car or taxi for four hours. I didn't know where I was going so thought a car would be a bad idea, so I started negotiating with the taxis. In the US mainland a taxi would ask hundreds for four hours, and the first guy I approached wanted $100. The second guy tried $75. The third asked for $60. I probably could have gone lower, but honestly for four hours of driving me around and playing tour guide I thought that a pretty fair price.
First stop, an ATM, since I had no US Dollars to my name to pay him...and look, it's right next to a Ford dealership. We really are in America!
After the ATM I told the driver I just wanted to see the island, and needed a good lunch, so we set off. You can see the close ties between Hawaii and Samoa...
Most of the drive was right alongside the ocean, with terrible views:
Despite massive cutbacks in recent years, the economy of American Samoa is largely dependent on the tuna industry, and on StarKist in particular. You can smell the factory long before you get to it:
StarKist workers outside waiting for a bus:
For lunch, my driver took me to Tisa's Bar & Grill:
Can I get a menu? No, we have fish today. Ok, I'll have the fish! Delicious grilled fish marinated in coconut milk, citrus juice, butter, and spices. It was amazing. The thing on the right is a local sweet potato that grows straight up out of the ground:
View from Tisa's deck:
After lunch I stuck around for a bit and chatted with Tisa and Chef Candyman who'd made my lunch. We talked about American Samoa, how things had changed, how Tisa had gone to LA for a few years and hated it, so came back to Pago Pago. After a large group of US National Park collecting tourists left (see, people collect things stranger than countries) it was nice to hear their perspective in life on the islands and why they'd chosen to live there.
Soon it was time for a bit more driving before heading back to the airport:
Most...exotically-furnished...bathrooms ever:
Check-in area. This is the BUSY day too with a flight to Honolulu:
I asked for seat 1A this time so I could watch the flight deck, and they had no trouble giving it to me. Unfortunately, at boarding, I got moved back to 3A for weight and balance reasons. Bummer. We were booked full again except for two seats.
Polynesian Airlines flight 269
Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG) to.Fagali'i Airport, Samoa (FGI)
Depart 16:30, Arrive 18:00 Next Day, Flight Time - 350 minutes
Dehavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Registration 5W-FAY, Manufactured 1980, Seat 3A
Nice quick flight back to Samoa on the little plane held together by wires, and it was time to go pick up my bags at Aggie Grey's, check out, and head to the airport for my flight back to Auckland.
Dec 4, 2014, 3:52 am
#167
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Nice update! I've always been vaguely curious about American Samoa, but there's very little information about it to be found.
I hope your delays and complications are now behind you for this trip. I didn't realise that some of Air Fiji's intra-island hops were so unreliable. I thought they were a reasonably well-run airline - at least their long-haul and Australia/NZ services are fairly well regarded, especially since the recent rebrand and A330 fleet upgrade.
I hope your delays and complications are now behind you for this trip. I didn't realise that some of Air Fiji's intra-island hops were so unreliable. I thought they were a reasonably well-run airline - at least their long-haul and Australia/NZ services are fairly well regarded, especially since the recent rebrand and A330 fleet upgrade.
Dec 4, 2014, 3:05 pm
#168
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XXXII. Apia to Auckland with Air New Zealand
I'd arranged a taxi to meet me at Fagali'i Airport, and was back at Aggie Grey's way before my flight to New Zealand. Since I'd already checked out in the morning before heading to Pago Pago, decided to grab a small appetizer at the hotel restaurant and enjoy one last sunset beer. Hotel provided a free shuttle to the airport about two hours before the flight, and in no time I was there and checking in. Nothing exciting, immigration and security were a piece of cake, and soon I was in the departures lounge. The duty free store was all sorts of festive:
Our plane arrived from Auckland about 30 minutes late, giving us only 30 minutes to turn it around, so it was becoming clear we'd be slightly late. Of course, they waited until the scheduled departure time to tell us it was going to be "a little late." A little late became a little later. And a little later. An hour after departure time, I was getting worried the turnaround crew would go illegal, so asked the gate agent what the story was. Appears there was only one working lav on the entire plane, and they were doing their best to fix it. 90 minutes past departure time they gave up, and we decided to board:
<b>Air New Zealand.flight 997
Apia, Samoa (APW) to Auckland, New Zealand (AKL)
Depart 21:45, Arrive 00:45 next day, Flight Time 4 hours
Airbus A320, Registration ZK-OJC, Manufactured 2003, Seat 11C</b>
As we were boarding, the flight attendants informed us there would be a one beverage limit per passenger "except in case of emergency" due to the fact there was one working washroom for over 150 passengers. It was a completely full flight except for four seats, and coincidentally all 4 seats were in the same row...a row which according to ExpertFlyer became completely empty 10 minutes before departure, and then they placed one passenger in the middle seat of each row. These passengers were very chatty with the gate agent, and it's a safe bet they were either friends or employees. Rather sad.
Before takeoff, it was time for the most epic safety video ever:
Some thoughts on the flight:
It was only about four hours, which is about the limit of what I can tolerate in economy, even in the exit row. Fortunately my row-mates were polite and not overly large, so it was a pretty good flight. The odd thing is, how the food on the flight works. You only get free food and drinks if you purchase a more expensive fare, which appears to be approximately a Q fare or above. I figured this meant very few people, but it looked like nearly half the passengers were offered a meal. Everyone else had to pay for something from the buy on board. The meal was actually decent, certainly on par with what you'd get in domestic first in the states.
The coolest thing about the plane was that you could order drinks or make requests through the seatback touchscreen. It even knew what fare you were on, and if you needed to be charged for your request or not. After dinner, I decided to try my luck and order a second glass of wine. The very friendly flight attendant appeared with it about 5 minutes later, and reminded me it was only one drink per passenger except in case of emergency. I smiled at her, and said "it's dark...I won't tell if you don't tell...and plus...the wine volume in my blood is getting dangerously low...almost to emergency levels!" She laughed, and just said to use the touchscreen when I needed more. Needless to say, a great crew can make an otherwise average flight great!
Landed quite late, just after 2am local, and fortunately immigration and customs was a short wait. Took the airport bus downtown to my hotel, and was finally in bed just after 3am. Was very glad I'd canceled my kayaking trip the next day due to rain, since it would have been a very very short night otherwise. I was staying at the SkyGrand hotel, and for some reason they'd kindly upgraded me to a nice corner room where I promptly passed out the moment my head hit the pillow.
Our plane arrived from Auckland about 30 minutes late, giving us only 30 minutes to turn it around, so it was becoming clear we'd be slightly late. Of course, they waited until the scheduled departure time to tell us it was going to be "a little late." A little late became a little later. And a little later. An hour after departure time, I was getting worried the turnaround crew would go illegal, so asked the gate agent what the story was. Appears there was only one working lav on the entire plane, and they were doing their best to fix it. 90 minutes past departure time they gave up, and we decided to board:
<b>Air New Zealand.flight 997
Apia, Samoa (APW) to Auckland, New Zealand (AKL)
Depart 21:45, Arrive 00:45 next day, Flight Time 4 hours
Airbus A320, Registration ZK-OJC, Manufactured 2003, Seat 11C</b>
As we were boarding, the flight attendants informed us there would be a one beverage limit per passenger "except in case of emergency" due to the fact there was one working washroom for over 150 passengers. It was a completely full flight except for four seats, and coincidentally all 4 seats were in the same row...a row which according to ExpertFlyer became completely empty 10 minutes before departure, and then they placed one passenger in the middle seat of each row. These passengers were very chatty with the gate agent, and it's a safe bet they were either friends or employees. Rather sad.
Before takeoff, it was time for the most epic safety video ever:
Some thoughts on the flight:
It was only about four hours, which is about the limit of what I can tolerate in economy, even in the exit row. Fortunately my row-mates were polite and not overly large, so it was a pretty good flight. The odd thing is, how the food on the flight works. You only get free food and drinks if you purchase a more expensive fare, which appears to be approximately a Q fare or above. I figured this meant very few people, but it looked like nearly half the passengers were offered a meal. Everyone else had to pay for something from the buy on board. The meal was actually decent, certainly on par with what you'd get in domestic first in the states.
The coolest thing about the plane was that you could order drinks or make requests through the seatback touchscreen. It even knew what fare you were on, and if you needed to be charged for your request or not. After dinner, I decided to try my luck and order a second glass of wine. The very friendly flight attendant appeared with it about 5 minutes later, and reminded me it was only one drink per passenger except in case of emergency. I smiled at her, and said "it's dark...I won't tell if you don't tell...and plus...the wine volume in my blood is getting dangerously low...almost to emergency levels!" She laughed, and just said to use the touchscreen when I needed more. Needless to say, a great crew can make an otherwise average flight great!
Landed quite late, just after 2am local, and fortunately immigration and customs was a short wait. Took the airport bus downtown to my hotel, and was finally in bed just after 3am. Was very glad I'd canceled my kayaking trip the next day due to rain, since it would have been a very very short night otherwise. I was staying at the SkyGrand hotel, and for some reason they'd kindly upgraded me to a nice corner room where I promptly passed out the moment my head hit the pillow.
Dec 4, 2014, 3:11 pm
#170
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I actually returned from the South Pacific 11 days ago...just catching up on the blog.
I've even done a full roundtrip to Israel in the meantime.
...and now I'm about to board a flight to finish up this trip report...off to Lebanon!
I've even done a full roundtrip to Israel in the meantime.
...and now I'm about to board a flight to finish up this trip report...off to Lebanon!
Dec 4, 2014, 3:16 pm
#171
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Dec 4, 2014, 3:31 pm
#172
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XXXIII. Two nights in Auckland
Fortunately, due to my late arrival the night before, I managed to sleep in a bit the next morning. After a bit of Starbucks to attempt to wake up my brain, I went for a bit of a stroll around Auckland. I was considering a haircut, but decided asking for a "little off the top" might be interpreted the wrong way at this place:
I was just in relaxation mode and wandered around the city just seeing what I might see. Found a delicious lasagna for lunch, and a new beer which Untappd informed me was the 500th unique beer I've tried. Hah!
It's Christmas in Auckland!
After an afternoon of walking, and as the sun was setting, I found a place right by the cruise ship terminal serving craft beer samplers. Major props to them for a super creative holder!
It was getting really cold out at this point, and the wind was kicking up. Temp dropped to maybe 15C with a wind, and it was time to find some food and get in teh warms. I was craving Thai food after being away form home so long, and one of the highest recommended restaurants in Auckland on TripAdvisor was Thai, so I decided to go for it. Plus, it gave me another chance to figure out the busses. The inner loop bus served me well, and soon I was at Blue Elephant Thai, where the footprints on the ground led you down the alley to find it:
Delicious chicken satay starter:
Tasty penang duck curry...ordered mainly because I've never seen anyone offer duck before. It was quite tasty, but not really a traditional penang curry. Regardless, it was tasty.
I somehow resisted the mango and sticky rice for desert, because for the past week I'd been thinking of the delicious gelato I'd had previously at Giapo. Headed back there after thai for a little dessert before bed, and once again wasn't disappointed. One of the flavours was "Hokey Pokey" which they described as the "national flavour of New Zealand." It was vanilla ice cream with honeycomb toffee in it, and in true Giapo fashion they topped it off with some caramel piping, crumbled chocolate cookies, and some more honeycomb crisps. Absolutely amazing.
It was a reasonable walk from Giapo back to my hotel, and as I approached the hotel there were police everywhere, and swarms of people. Clearly something was up. The closer I got, the thicker the police and people got:
Noting all the Chinese flag, and that most of the people looked Chinese, I asked one of the police what was up. "We have a VIP guest." Based on the level of security, my DC-radar told me it could only be a head of state, and most likely President Xi was about to show up at my hotel.
The strange thing was, the police could have cared less about my keycard, and anyone could walk into the hotel without showing ID. I'm not sure what the point of hundreds of police was if they weren't checking people going into the hotel, but there you have it.
When I got up to my room, checked the news online, and confirmed that President Xi was indeed arriving in Auckland that evening and it appeared likely he was staying in my hotel. That would explain the unexpected upgrade...most likely he didn't want to be in a corner room with so many exposed windows.
Crashed the minute my head hit the pillow...it was going to be an early morning flight to Tokyo!
I was just in relaxation mode and wandered around the city just seeing what I might see. Found a delicious lasagna for lunch, and a new beer which Untappd informed me was the 500th unique beer I've tried. Hah!
It's Christmas in Auckland!
After an afternoon of walking, and as the sun was setting, I found a place right by the cruise ship terminal serving craft beer samplers. Major props to them for a super creative holder!
It was getting really cold out at this point, and the wind was kicking up. Temp dropped to maybe 15C with a wind, and it was time to find some food and get in teh warms. I was craving Thai food after being away form home so long, and one of the highest recommended restaurants in Auckland on TripAdvisor was Thai, so I decided to go for it. Plus, it gave me another chance to figure out the busses. The inner loop bus served me well, and soon I was at Blue Elephant Thai, where the footprints on the ground led you down the alley to find it:
Delicious chicken satay starter:
Tasty penang duck curry...ordered mainly because I've never seen anyone offer duck before. It was quite tasty, but not really a traditional penang curry. Regardless, it was tasty.
I somehow resisted the mango and sticky rice for desert, because for the past week I'd been thinking of the delicious gelato I'd had previously at Giapo. Headed back there after thai for a little dessert before bed, and once again wasn't disappointed. One of the flavours was "Hokey Pokey" which they described as the "national flavour of New Zealand." It was vanilla ice cream with honeycomb toffee in it, and in true Giapo fashion they topped it off with some caramel piping, crumbled chocolate cookies, and some more honeycomb crisps. Absolutely amazing.
It was a reasonable walk from Giapo back to my hotel, and as I approached the hotel there were police everywhere, and swarms of people. Clearly something was up. The closer I got, the thicker the police and people got:
Noting all the Chinese flag, and that most of the people looked Chinese, I asked one of the police what was up. "We have a VIP guest." Based on the level of security, my DC-radar told me it could only be a head of state, and most likely President Xi was about to show up at my hotel.
The strange thing was, the police could have cared less about my keycard, and anyone could walk into the hotel without showing ID. I'm not sure what the point of hundreds of police was if they weren't checking people going into the hotel, but there you have it.
When I got up to my room, checked the news online, and confirmed that President Xi was indeed arriving in Auckland that evening and it appeared likely he was staying in my hotel. That would explain the unexpected upgrade...most likely he didn't want to be in a corner room with so many exposed windows.
Crashed the minute my head hit the pillow...it was going to be an early morning flight to Tokyo!
Dec 4, 2014, 4:55 pm
#173
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You were lucky. I was in NYC staying at the Sheraton when Obama paid a visit. It was like TSA all over again with the addition of Snipers and Spotters on the roof.
Dec 5, 2014, 9:57 am
#175
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Berlin
Posts: 1,765
Too bad you weren't able to get over to 'Eua while in Tonga. An interesting ferry ride and a really amazing island. That palace in Tonga is the old one, he was probably staying in the giant one near the middle of the island. Really not into staying in one place very long, but you took it to the extreme.
Dec 5, 2014, 1:37 pm
#176
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XXXIV. Auckland to Tokyo with Air New Zealand, overnight in Tokyo
Slept through my first alarm, and was running late in the morning. As I rounded the corner from my room, I saw the elevator there and people heading for it. I picked up my pace a bit and ran for it, putting my hand in the doors to keep it open...which caused a flurry of Chinese and some excitement from the already fully elevator. Given the earpieces and the way they all freaked out, I'm pretty certain I was in the elevator with President Xi, lol. You'd think they'd control the elevators so they don't stop or something?!
Checked out, stopped by Starbucks to fuel up, managed to find the airport bus, and given the relatively early hour it was a nice quick traffic free drive to the airport. Check-in was pain-free as well, and I had a time for a quick snack in the lounge before boarding. I just had a small nibble at it, knowing there would likely be more in flight:
Got to the gate just as boarding was starting, and was one of the first on board to grab a photo. I've actually never taken a business class flight before with herringbone seats, and was curious how I'd like it. Generally, I strongly prefer planes with all-aisle access business class so I'm not having to either climb over people or have people climb over me.
Air New Zealand.flight 99
Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Tokyo/Narita, Japan (NRT)
Depart 9:45, Arrive 16:55, Flight Time.11:10
Boeing 777-200, Registration ZK-OKG, Manufactured 2006, Seat 4K
First thought, these seats look crammed in there and people are right on top of each other:
I usually am very meh about amenity kits, but these came with awesome socks that matched my shoes. Everything goes better with bubbles:
Looks like two full meals today, breakfast and dinner:
As soon as we took off, the crew came around with a tray of blueberry and banana smoothies for everyone:
Next up, the starter of muesli, yogurt, and fruit:
Pain au chocolat...on a plate!
Champagne brunch...once I broke the ice I swear another 10+ people asked for champagne as well. I love setting a good example.
After brunch, I kicked back and watched maybe four hours of tv or so. Halfway through the flight the crew came through with a cart of sandwiches and ice cream as a mid-flight snack. Not this United nonsense of throwing out a snackbasket for you to fend for yourself, it was a full on proper snack service. Pay no attention to the white wine. I don't drink white wine. The purser insisted I try New Zealand's white wines, and I have to admit I enjoyed it.
After the snack, a few more hours of tv and movies for me, before it was time for the main event. Dinner service. They had garlic bread...I was in Heaven.
The desert wine and the desert were phenomenal:
Plus a full-on cheese course with fig jam. YUM.
Overall impression on Air New Zealand: I was worried about the seats being a bit crammed, but I loved them. Full aisle access, reasonably private, nobody climbing over you, and decent sized video screen. The crew? Absolutely amazing, and possibly the best in flight crew I've ever had. The perfect mix of friendly, professional, and just a joy to be around. They were always there when you needed them, and any and all requests were met with a smile.
The food was over the top for business class, and I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds on this flight alone. I'm used to longhauls having one meal and one snack, but two full meals plus a full-sized snack was awesome.
Verdict: far and away the best business class I've ever flown anywhere in the world.
Landed right on time in a cold and rainy Tokyo...and when I say rainy I mean absolutely pouring rain. I was through immigration and had my bags in less than ten minutes, and then it was off to find an ATM and the bus to my hotel. From previous trips to Japan I knew that ATMs in the city don't often accept foreign cards, so you need to get out any cash you might want at the airport. Had no problem there, and finding the shuttle bus to the Hilton was easy as well.
I had originally planned on staying in Tokyo at the Sheraton, but given a 5p arrival and early afternoon departure the next day, spending the time and money on the trek into Tokyo seemed to be silly. On top of that, hotels in Narita were over $100 less expensive as well. Since I'd never explored Narita before, I decided to stay at the Hilton Narita for the night.
...and good thing I did...I got a fabulous upgrade:
Caught the hotel shuttle into Narita city, where I did a bit of wandering about. The shuttle was airline crew central, and I think 99% of the people on it were pilots and flight attendants who are in Narita frequently. After being in the rain for 20-30 minutes I was pretty soaked, and picked the first place that had a reasonable number of people in it for dinner. They had an omakase menu, so that made ordering easy. Starter:
Main course:
It was super tasty, reasonable (about 4500 Yen), and hit the spot. I was ready to crash after a long day on the plane, and headed back to the hotel and passed out. Breakfast is included at the property for Hilton Diamonds, and they had tater tots and bacon. Most awesome hotel ever!
After breakfast I did a bit of catching up on work before catching the shuttle back to the airport. It was time to head to Seoul!
Checked out, stopped by Starbucks to fuel up, managed to find the airport bus, and given the relatively early hour it was a nice quick traffic free drive to the airport. Check-in was pain-free as well, and I had a time for a quick snack in the lounge before boarding. I just had a small nibble at it, knowing there would likely be more in flight:
Got to the gate just as boarding was starting, and was one of the first on board to grab a photo. I've actually never taken a business class flight before with herringbone seats, and was curious how I'd like it. Generally, I strongly prefer planes with all-aisle access business class so I'm not having to either climb over people or have people climb over me.
Air New Zealand.flight 99
Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Tokyo/Narita, Japan (NRT)
Depart 9:45, Arrive 16:55, Flight Time.11:10
Boeing 777-200, Registration ZK-OKG, Manufactured 2006, Seat 4K
First thought, these seats look crammed in there and people are right on top of each other:
I usually am very meh about amenity kits, but these came with awesome socks that matched my shoes. Everything goes better with bubbles:
Looks like two full meals today, breakfast and dinner:
As soon as we took off, the crew came around with a tray of blueberry and banana smoothies for everyone:
Next up, the starter of muesli, yogurt, and fruit:
Pain au chocolat...on a plate!
Champagne brunch...once I broke the ice I swear another 10+ people asked for champagne as well. I love setting a good example.
After brunch, I kicked back and watched maybe four hours of tv or so. Halfway through the flight the crew came through with a cart of sandwiches and ice cream as a mid-flight snack. Not this United nonsense of throwing out a snackbasket for you to fend for yourself, it was a full on proper snack service. Pay no attention to the white wine. I don't drink white wine. The purser insisted I try New Zealand's white wines, and I have to admit I enjoyed it.
After the snack, a few more hours of tv and movies for me, before it was time for the main event. Dinner service. They had garlic bread...I was in Heaven.
The desert wine and the desert were phenomenal:
Plus a full-on cheese course with fig jam. YUM.
Overall impression on Air New Zealand: I was worried about the seats being a bit crammed, but I loved them. Full aisle access, reasonably private, nobody climbing over you, and decent sized video screen. The crew? Absolutely amazing, and possibly the best in flight crew I've ever had. The perfect mix of friendly, professional, and just a joy to be around. They were always there when you needed them, and any and all requests were met with a smile.
The food was over the top for business class, and I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds on this flight alone. I'm used to longhauls having one meal and one snack, but two full meals plus a full-sized snack was awesome.
Verdict: far and away the best business class I've ever flown anywhere in the world.
Landed right on time in a cold and rainy Tokyo...and when I say rainy I mean absolutely pouring rain. I was through immigration and had my bags in less than ten minutes, and then it was off to find an ATM and the bus to my hotel. From previous trips to Japan I knew that ATMs in the city don't often accept foreign cards, so you need to get out any cash you might want at the airport. Had no problem there, and finding the shuttle bus to the Hilton was easy as well.
I had originally planned on staying in Tokyo at the Sheraton, but given a 5p arrival and early afternoon departure the next day, spending the time and money on the trek into Tokyo seemed to be silly. On top of that, hotels in Narita were over $100 less expensive as well. Since I'd never explored Narita before, I decided to stay at the Hilton Narita for the night.
...and good thing I did...I got a fabulous upgrade:
Caught the hotel shuttle into Narita city, where I did a bit of wandering about. The shuttle was airline crew central, and I think 99% of the people on it were pilots and flight attendants who are in Narita frequently. After being in the rain for 20-30 minutes I was pretty soaked, and picked the first place that had a reasonable number of people in it for dinner. They had an omakase menu, so that made ordering easy. Starter:
Main course:
It was super tasty, reasonable (about 4500 Yen), and hit the spot. I was ready to crash after a long day on the plane, and headed back to the hotel and passed out. Breakfast is included at the property for Hilton Diamonds, and they had tater tots and bacon. Most awesome hotel ever!
After breakfast I did a bit of catching up on work before catching the shuttle back to the airport. It was time to head to Seoul!
Dec 5, 2014, 6:40 pm
#177
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Overall impression on Air New Zealand: I was worried about the seats being a bit crammed, but I loved them. Full aisle access, reasonably private, nobody climbing over you, and decent sized video screen. The crew? Absolutely amazing, and possibly the best in flight crew I've ever had. The perfect mix of friendly, professional, and just a joy to be around. They were always there when you needed them, and any and all requests were met with a smile.
The food was over the top for business class, and I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds on this flight alone. I'm used to longhauls having one meal and one snack, but two full meals plus a full-sized snack was awesome.
Verdict: far and away the best business class I've ever flown anywhere in the world.
The food was over the top for business class, and I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds on this flight alone. I'm used to longhauls having one meal and one snack, but two full meals plus a full-sized snack was awesome.
Verdict: far and away the best business class I've ever flown anywhere in the world.
Re the herringbone seats, I really like them, especially for sleeping in. You might not have tried it, since it was a day flight, but with the memory foam sleeping pad they give you, those are the most comfortable beds in the sky I've ever had the pleasure of trying (and that includes a few first class products). As seats for lounging in they are a bit more limited, but I still find them comfortable and I *love* the fact that you can recline them while still on the ground. The refreshed version on the B773s and refurbished B772s fixes one of my two gripes, which is the low-res TV screen and laggy IFE. The other gripe is that it's very difficult to look out the window... but that's not a huge problem in the scheme of things.
I'd like to try the reverse herringbone a la CX, new AA etc and I think those seats might be even better, but until then these are my favourite (and that includes plenty of flat bed options, including some of the 'staggered' designs).
I love how you effortlessly segued from "I ate three full meals on the flight and I'm sure I gained weight" to "I arrived in Narita and went straight out for dinner"...
Dec 6, 2014, 9:13 am
#178
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,531
Dec 6, 2014, 1:46 pm
#179
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,531
XXXV. Tokyo to Seoul in Asiana business, overnight in Seoul
After a nice relaxing breakfast, it was time to catch the hotel shuttle back to Narita. Got there a bit early, so mainlined some Starbucks while I waited and very slowly came back to life. Soon Asiana check-in was open, and the line next to me provided "Happy Mom Service." This is a thing? Seriously?
At check-in I got the bad news that Asiana had eliminated first class service on regional routes, and I'd been downgraded to business. GRRR. Not to worry though, it was still the same plane so I'd get a first class seat with business class service. No first class lounge, however. Yuck. The great thing at check-in, however, is that the agent was willing to check my bag of scuba gear all the way to DC so I didn't have to pick it up for three days....and I was back in the land of carry-on only. Thank God!
Through immigration, where you must remember that transporting crabs is not permitted!
Explored the United Club lounge, had one beer because...well...automatic beer machine...before retreating in fear to the ANA lounge. It unfortunately, wasn't much better. I'd never been in either of these lounges before, having always used the ANA First (now suites) lounge on my previous trips through Narita. The ANA lounge was fairly ok, but neither lounge was anything to get there at all early for.
I decided to head to the gate on time, and of course, boarding was thus delayed for 20 minutes. Just my luck. Our plane had arrived slightly late from Seoul, but was nice to get a good pic of her:
Right around the time we were scheduled to leave we finally boarded.
Asiana Flight 101
Tokyo/Narita, Japan (NRT) to Seoul/Incheon, Korea (ICN)
Depart 12:30, Arrive 15:10, Flight Time.2:40
Boeing 747-400, Registration HL7423, Manufactured 1997, Seat 3A
Boarded and the crew extremely graciously brought menus rather quickly:
I chose the Korean option, however, I noticed the crew being rather uncomfortable with the last passengers. I called the FA over and asked if I could switch to the western meal, and she gave a big smile and said of course. When I don't really have a preference I like to make the crew's life easier, and it was nice to help them avoid an uncomfortable situation a bit.
It was a good choice, and rather tasty:
My help provided me with several timely champagne refills, which helped the flight go by quite quickly. I'd saved my Air New Zealand socks just for the occasion:
The crew actually closed the curtains between first and business class during the flight, so other than the fact that the food and wine were slightly below what they would have been in first...and the lounge issue...it felt more or less like first anyways with the seat and service, so it wasn't too much of a let down.
Immigration was pretty quick, and with no luggage checked I was outside waiting for the Korean Airlines Limo. Took a few minutes to buy a ticket and find the right route, and after about 15-20 minutes a bus came. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get to my hotel, but I seemed to remember it was a bit over an hour. Unfortunately, I hadn't counted on the fact it was rush hour, and it took nearly two hours to get there. Ugh. At least the bus was empty so I had two seats to myself.
It was a bit after 6pm when I finally got to my hotel, the W Walkerhill. I knew this wasn't in the best location, however, I knew it would be relaxing and my first choice (the Westin) wasn't available the night I needed. I got lucky, however, and received what was for me a rare W upgrade to a Cool Corner Room. The check-in agent was really helpful, helped me figure out all my transportation questions for using the hotel bus plus subway to get to dinner, which was really awesome. Strange furnishings outside the room should have warned me things were going to get weird:
I'll save the room details for later. I headed out to meet some friends for a light dinner and drinks in Gangnam. Bright lights! Heeeeeeey sexy lady!
After dinner and a few drinks, these dancing soju bottles looked about as goofy as I felt:
I'd had just enough to drink, and made the mistake when asked what our next stop should be of saying "I want a traditional late night experience." Then I made the mistake of saying I would "eat anything." Off to the fish market we went...where I was introduced to sannakji...or live octopus. It gets chopped up while alive, and you eat it while the tentacles are still thrashing from electrical impulses:
What they DON'T tell you, however, is that the little suction cups still work, and attach to your throat on the way down in an attempt to hang on. Fortunately I avoided choking despite the amount of soju we'd consumed, and managed to make it back to my hotel...where the oddness of the room somehow seemed not quite as weird.
The Austin Powers bed. Unfortunately, it didn't rotate:
Living area, and walkway to the walk-in closet, door, and washroom:
Walk-in closet:
Strange uber-modern washroom:
...you can't give me a goofy red robe and slippers that match the decor and expect me NOT to put them on:
The octopus had finally settled down for a bit, so settled down to get some sleep before what would be an unfortunately very early flight the next morning.
At check-in I got the bad news that Asiana had eliminated first class service on regional routes, and I'd been downgraded to business. GRRR. Not to worry though, it was still the same plane so I'd get a first class seat with business class service. No first class lounge, however. Yuck. The great thing at check-in, however, is that the agent was willing to check my bag of scuba gear all the way to DC so I didn't have to pick it up for three days....and I was back in the land of carry-on only. Thank God!
Through immigration, where you must remember that transporting crabs is not permitted!
Explored the United Club lounge, had one beer because...well...automatic beer machine...before retreating in fear to the ANA lounge. It unfortunately, wasn't much better. I'd never been in either of these lounges before, having always used the ANA First (now suites) lounge on my previous trips through Narita. The ANA lounge was fairly ok, but neither lounge was anything to get there at all early for.
I decided to head to the gate on time, and of course, boarding was thus delayed for 20 minutes. Just my luck. Our plane had arrived slightly late from Seoul, but was nice to get a good pic of her:
Right around the time we were scheduled to leave we finally boarded.
Asiana Flight 101
Tokyo/Narita, Japan (NRT) to Seoul/Incheon, Korea (ICN)
Depart 12:30, Arrive 15:10, Flight Time.2:40
Boeing 747-400, Registration HL7423, Manufactured 1997, Seat 3A
Boarded and the crew extremely graciously brought menus rather quickly:
I chose the Korean option, however, I noticed the crew being rather uncomfortable with the last passengers. I called the FA over and asked if I could switch to the western meal, and she gave a big smile and said of course. When I don't really have a preference I like to make the crew's life easier, and it was nice to help them avoid an uncomfortable situation a bit.
It was a good choice, and rather tasty:
My help provided me with several timely champagne refills, which helped the flight go by quite quickly. I'd saved my Air New Zealand socks just for the occasion:
The crew actually closed the curtains between first and business class during the flight, so other than the fact that the food and wine were slightly below what they would have been in first...and the lounge issue...it felt more or less like first anyways with the seat and service, so it wasn't too much of a let down.
Immigration was pretty quick, and with no luggage checked I was outside waiting for the Korean Airlines Limo. Took a few minutes to buy a ticket and find the right route, and after about 15-20 minutes a bus came. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get to my hotel, but I seemed to remember it was a bit over an hour. Unfortunately, I hadn't counted on the fact it was rush hour, and it took nearly two hours to get there. Ugh. At least the bus was empty so I had two seats to myself.
It was a bit after 6pm when I finally got to my hotel, the W Walkerhill. I knew this wasn't in the best location, however, I knew it would be relaxing and my first choice (the Westin) wasn't available the night I needed. I got lucky, however, and received what was for me a rare W upgrade to a Cool Corner Room. The check-in agent was really helpful, helped me figure out all my transportation questions for using the hotel bus plus subway to get to dinner, which was really awesome. Strange furnishings outside the room should have warned me things were going to get weird:
I'll save the room details for later. I headed out to meet some friends for a light dinner and drinks in Gangnam. Bright lights! Heeeeeeey sexy lady!
After dinner and a few drinks, these dancing soju bottles looked about as goofy as I felt:
I'd had just enough to drink, and made the mistake when asked what our next stop should be of saying "I want a traditional late night experience." Then I made the mistake of saying I would "eat anything." Off to the fish market we went...where I was introduced to sannakji...or live octopus. It gets chopped up while alive, and you eat it while the tentacles are still thrashing from electrical impulses:
What they DON'T tell you, however, is that the little suction cups still work, and attach to your throat on the way down in an attempt to hang on. Fortunately I avoided choking despite the amount of soju we'd consumed, and managed to make it back to my hotel...where the oddness of the room somehow seemed not quite as weird.
The Austin Powers bed. Unfortunately, it didn't rotate:
Living area, and walkway to the walk-in closet, door, and washroom:
Walk-in closet:
Strange uber-modern washroom:
...you can't give me a goofy red robe and slippers that match the decor and expect me NOT to put them on:
The octopus had finally settled down for a bit, so settled down to get some sleep before what would be an unfortunately very early flight the next morning.
Dec 8, 2014, 6:23 pm
#180
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,531
XXXVI. Seoul to Frankfurt in Asiana 747 First, overnight in Frankfurt
Woke up pretty early, and considered taking the hotel shuttle down to the subway station to grab some Starbucks, but it was absolutely pouring rain out, so rested around the hotel a bit before giving up and catching the KAL Limo Bus back to the airport. I was the only one on the bus until the last stop, so had my own luxury coach:
No traffic at all, took barely an hour to get to Incheon Airport, where Heaven awaited me:
I've had every name under the sun on my Starbucks glasses - Justin being the most common, but also Jadon, Trason, Mason, you name it. This was a new one, however:
Friends had told me that after check-in, Asiana agents would escort you through security and passport control, all the way up to the lounge. Well my agents were friendly and helpful, but after they escorted me to the security line they left. No big deal at all, and I actually get kind of uncomfortable with people being overly helpful, but was just surprised based on what others had told me.
I had about two hours to kill in the lounge, which was nice, and I had a couple glasses of champagne while catching up on this blog a bit, and soon it was time to wander to the gate for the main event. Again, I'd been told there was an escort from the lounge to the gate, but no such thing was mentioned.
Asiana Flight 541
Seoul/Incheon, Korea (ICN) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart 12:50, Arrive 16:35, Flight Time 11:45
Boeing 747-400, Registration HL7418, Manufactured 1994, Seat 3A
Not one, but two stellar champagnes were on offer. Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2000 and Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaire 1995. I give Asiana a lot of credit for not taking the easy way out with Krug or Dom, and offering two different stellar champagnes. I went with the Pol Roger, and wasn't disappointed at all.
Pajamas. And yes I wore them.
What's to eat today?
The fois gras mousse to start, with another glass of the Pol Roger:
Table set and ready for lunch/dinner. The rose is a nice touch, and not only was there a bread plate, it was a fancy shape:
Mmmm, caviar. Yes, I asked for a second serving, but unfortunately they couldn't offer one.
Next up was the salmon carpaccio. Simple, yet very good:
The creamy chicken soup. It was quite good, and just the right amount.
I wasn't overly impressed with the salad. It was a couple of lettuce leaves drizzled with olive oil and a pile of mushrooms. Nothing very creative there, but not bad.
Palate cleanser...never seen another airline go this far.
Grilled wagyu beef skirt. Honestly, the most disappointing part of the meal. I was getting pretty full so didn't .bother asking for anything else, but it was cooked nearly well done and pretty tough. The sauce was good though and made it edible
Simple fruit and cheese course. Again, nothing imaginative or ultra creative with the cheeses.
Delicious tart to finish off the meal, with a delicious glass of ice wine.
Stuffed and happy, I passed out for about four hours of solid sleep. When I woke up, literally after about two minutes - the perfect amount of time to become conscious enough for a simple conversation - the flight attendant was there asking what she could bring me to eat. I said I was fine, and she'd have none of it. Not really a croque monsieur, but delicious:
Watched some tv for a few hours, before it was time for the arrival meal. Beat and quail egg salad to start, which was fantastic. Note the glass of Johnny Walker Blue. I asked for it with one ice cube, which she had trouble grasping the concept of.
The lamb tenderloin, which was a nice medium and way better than the beef from the main meal.
...and desert. Note that even on the third try, she just could not get the concept of "Johnny Walker Blue, one ice cube."
All in all, an excellent flight. Comparing it to my ANA first flight, I'd say they were roughly on par with each other. Both crews were outstanding, and provided the perfect service that was always there when you needed it, refined and polite, but not the least bit intrusive or overbearing. Tie on the service...both were outstanding. I'd give a slight edge to ANA on the meals, but a slight edge to Asiana on the beverages. On the seat, ANA definitely wins with the cube suites while Asiana still has old school first seats. Sure, they are individual and go flat, but there's little to no privacy.
Quick trek through immigration, and since my scuba gear was still en route to DC I didn't have to wait for bags and was quickly on the S Bahn to my hotel, the Le Meridien Park Hotel, Frankfurt. I'd never stayed here, but a friend recommended it to me as his favourite SPG in Frankfurt so I decided to give it a try. When I found out it was only two blocks from the Frankfurt Hauptbanhof that was even better.
I was less convinced, however, by my room number:
The room itself was fine. Average since, nicely refurbished and everything was clean and new. I turned down the junior suite upgrade because it was in the historical wing and not refurbished. The room was nice enough, the location was great, internet was fast, and the staff was very helpful...especially for the price, can't say enough good things about this hotel.
Jumped on the S-Bahn and headed to.Zu den 12 Aposteln for dinner. I found it online as "Frankfurt's only brewpub" and was pretty impressed. Very good beers, sausages, and people watching:
Decided post-dinner to go for a bit of a walk back to the hotel since it was a nice cool late fall/early winter night and only maybe a 2km walk or so. Hauptbanhof looked nice all lit up:
I was exhausted at this point since it was nearing 4am in Seoul or 7am in Auckland where I'd been 48 hours prior, and I collapsed into bed before getting ready to take the last segment of what had been an epic five week trip.
No traffic at all, took barely an hour to get to Incheon Airport, where Heaven awaited me:
I've had every name under the sun on my Starbucks glasses - Justin being the most common, but also Jadon, Trason, Mason, you name it. This was a new one, however:
Friends had told me that after check-in, Asiana agents would escort you through security and passport control, all the way up to the lounge. Well my agents were friendly and helpful, but after they escorted me to the security line they left. No big deal at all, and I actually get kind of uncomfortable with people being overly helpful, but was just surprised based on what others had told me.
I had about two hours to kill in the lounge, which was nice, and I had a couple glasses of champagne while catching up on this blog a bit, and soon it was time to wander to the gate for the main event. Again, I'd been told there was an escort from the lounge to the gate, but no such thing was mentioned.
Asiana Flight 541
Seoul/Incheon, Korea (ICN) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart 12:50, Arrive 16:35, Flight Time 11:45
Boeing 747-400, Registration HL7418, Manufactured 1994, Seat 3A
Not one, but two stellar champagnes were on offer. Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2000 and Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaire 1995. I give Asiana a lot of credit for not taking the easy way out with Krug or Dom, and offering two different stellar champagnes. I went with the Pol Roger, and wasn't disappointed at all.
Pajamas. And yes I wore them.
What's to eat today?
The fois gras mousse to start, with another glass of the Pol Roger:
Table set and ready for lunch/dinner. The rose is a nice touch, and not only was there a bread plate, it was a fancy shape:
Mmmm, caviar. Yes, I asked for a second serving, but unfortunately they couldn't offer one.
Next up was the salmon carpaccio. Simple, yet very good:
The creamy chicken soup. It was quite good, and just the right amount.
I wasn't overly impressed with the salad. It was a couple of lettuce leaves drizzled with olive oil and a pile of mushrooms. Nothing very creative there, but not bad.
Palate cleanser...never seen another airline go this far.
Grilled wagyu beef skirt. Honestly, the most disappointing part of the meal. I was getting pretty full so didn't .bother asking for anything else, but it was cooked nearly well done and pretty tough. The sauce was good though and made it edible
Simple fruit and cheese course. Again, nothing imaginative or ultra creative with the cheeses.
Delicious tart to finish off the meal, with a delicious glass of ice wine.
Stuffed and happy, I passed out for about four hours of solid sleep. When I woke up, literally after about two minutes - the perfect amount of time to become conscious enough for a simple conversation - the flight attendant was there asking what she could bring me to eat. I said I was fine, and she'd have none of it. Not really a croque monsieur, but delicious:
Watched some tv for a few hours, before it was time for the arrival meal. Beat and quail egg salad to start, which was fantastic. Note the glass of Johnny Walker Blue. I asked for it with one ice cube, which she had trouble grasping the concept of.
The lamb tenderloin, which was a nice medium and way better than the beef from the main meal.
...and desert. Note that even on the third try, she just could not get the concept of "Johnny Walker Blue, one ice cube."
All in all, an excellent flight. Comparing it to my ANA first flight, I'd say they were roughly on par with each other. Both crews were outstanding, and provided the perfect service that was always there when you needed it, refined and polite, but not the least bit intrusive or overbearing. Tie on the service...both were outstanding. I'd give a slight edge to ANA on the meals, but a slight edge to Asiana on the beverages. On the seat, ANA definitely wins with the cube suites while Asiana still has old school first seats. Sure, they are individual and go flat, but there's little to no privacy.
Quick trek through immigration, and since my scuba gear was still en route to DC I didn't have to wait for bags and was quickly on the S Bahn to my hotel, the Le Meridien Park Hotel, Frankfurt. I'd never stayed here, but a friend recommended it to me as his favourite SPG in Frankfurt so I decided to give it a try. When I found out it was only two blocks from the Frankfurt Hauptbanhof that was even better.
I was less convinced, however, by my room number:
The room itself was fine. Average since, nicely refurbished and everything was clean and new. I turned down the junior suite upgrade because it was in the historical wing and not refurbished. The room was nice enough, the location was great, internet was fast, and the staff was very helpful...especially for the price, can't say enough good things about this hotel.
Jumped on the S-Bahn and headed to.Zu den 12 Aposteln for dinner. I found it online as "Frankfurt's only brewpub" and was pretty impressed. Very good beers, sausages, and people watching:
Decided post-dinner to go for a bit of a walk back to the hotel since it was a nice cool late fall/early winter night and only maybe a 2km walk or so. Hauptbanhof looked nice all lit up:
I was exhausted at this point since it was nearing 4am in Seoul or 7am in Auckland where I'd been 48 hours prior, and I collapsed into bed before getting ready to take the last segment of what had been an epic five week trip.