Korean Air First Class

Pictures speak thousand words. So, I will post some photos taken on Korean Air.

KE 642 (Singapore - Seoul)
- First Class Sleeper Seat on 777-300: our party of 4 were the only one in First Class section (12 seats total)
- Dinner Service on 5h30m flight: service was attentive, but sorta mechanical
- Food was good ... not sure if I will order the Korean dish again!
- No In-flight Wireless Internet
- No AVOD
- Silver Spoon as a gift
- No amentities

First Class Lounge @ ICN
- Beautiful Lounge
- Good food (provided by Hyatt Regency)
- Clean and spacious shower facility
- Free Wi-Fi

KE 25 (Seoul - Seattle)
- First Class Sleeper Seat Cocoon Style on 777-200 (This is the new style seats) ... The control is just horrible, it was so difficult to press the control bottons! However, it is a lie-flat (180 degree) seat! There was 6 passengers total; 2 appeared to be non-revenue (the plane has a total 8 First Class seats). The best seats are 2A or 2J (more room on the side for misc. items).
- Dinner and Breakfast Service on 9h40m flight: service was very attentive, but again not very friendly
- Food was excellent!
- Free In-flight Wireless Internet (Got the free access card from the First Class Lounge @ ICN): had no problem, speed was good.
- AVOD - many selections
- Gianfranco Ferre Pajama (no silver spoon)
- No amentities

Penang & Singapore (Justin)

Three weeks quickly flew by and I am back on US soil. Anyway, here is the recap of the last segments of the trip.

PENANG

Flight out of Saigon on Tiger Airways, the “Southwest” airlines of Asia, was quite an experience. First, the airline limited each passenger to 15 kg of checked luggage and 7 kg for carry-on luggage. We, of courses, had tons of stuffs with us (all checked luggage weights a total of 98 kg!). Tiger Airlines charges $5 USD for each kg! After repacking and negotiating with Tiger Airways rep., we had to pay $150 USD for excess luggage charge! And of courses, Tiger Airways at Saigon Airport do not accept credit card, just cash! Running around the airport looking for ATM that actually works was another story. None of the ATMs near the international section of the airport were out of order. The only ATM that worked was located in the domestic section. And if you have never been to Saigon airport, it means that I had to pass through a sea of people to get there!

Fight for a decent seat on an air plane is not my cup of tea. So, no more Tiger Airways from now on! (I am not a big fan of Southwest Airlines either!) The flight to Singapore was a quick 2-hour and it was eventful. From there, we transferred to a Singapore Airlines to Penang. This flight is 55-minute and yet they offered special order snack! (I ordered seafood … it was smoked salmon … and it was bad!). Singapore Airlines lives up to its reputation! All flight attendants were extremely nice, and even offered to help customers with carry-on luggage … even for economy class! (I have never seen this before on Northwest Airlines … with the exception when I flew WBC to Manila … forcefully … another long story, so I saved it for next time!).

Penang was much bigger than I imagined. The city is quite modern, along with the old section. We stayed at the beach resort area. And wow, the hotel, Grand Plaza Parkroyal, is beautiful! The breakfast buffet was amazing, probably one of the best on our trip. The highlight of the trip was the tour to Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (or the Blue Mansion where the film “Indochine” was filmed) and Kek Lok Si Temple on Penang Hill. Just in front of the hotel is the night market, where I bought most of my DVDs.

SINGAPORE

It rained for most of our time in Singapore. But it didn’t deter Singaporeans from going shopping and getting ready for the Lunar New Year. It was quite festive in Chinatown. So, I basically shop, shop, and shop in Singapore.

That is how the trip ended. The next blog will be about my First Class experience on Korean Air, which I have never flown before.

Hoi An (Continued) & Saigon (Justin)

HOI AN (continued)

Shop! Shop! And Shop! That was what we did the last 2 days in Hoi An. Alright, we went to My Son Sanctuary, another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Vietnam. And that side trip was a disappointment (the old ruin there was built before Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, but they were not impressive since most were destroyed during the war. I was surprised that some shopkeepers still remember me. After shopped in Saigon, Ha Noi and Hoi An, Hoi An tends to be the cheapest of all places. So, shop in Hoi An!

Shipping back is another story. I spent my last hour in Hoi An at the post office. I bought a painting that wouldn’t fit and I didn’t want to carry it around for the remainder of the trip. I basically had to fill out numerous forms, for the post office, for customs …and then they didn’t want to take credit card … But none of the ATMs in the area worked! After another fifteen minutes or so, the post office in Hoi An reluctantly accepted my credit card. BTW, the cost of mailing is about the same as the painting itself!

SAIGON

Wow! What a different one year can make. I was surprised to see the change, more vehicles on the road, more shops, more tourists, more nightlife! And the hotel we stayed, Spring Hotel (Khach San Mua Xuan), even had free wi-fi! On day one, I sent John’s parents to my favorite bar, Saigon/Saigon, on top of Caravelle Hotel since John wasn’t feeling well at all. Then, I met them for dinner at another favorite restaurant on Dong Khoi Street. On day two, we met a friend of mine from CA who was also on vacation in Vietnam. We tagged along his family for a general tour of Saigon, including the War Museum (talk about propaganda!). The last day in Saigon, we went to the Mekong Delta in the morning and shopping in the afternoon and evening. I ran out of time to shop in Saigon! Too many cool shops to look … and too little time there. Next year, I guess!

Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Ha Noi & Hoi An (Justin)

Okay … I made a fool out of myself. The passport was in my bag pocket, and I have never put anything back there! Relief and embarrassed! The Bangkok Airways ground agent was nice enough not to make a big deal out of my mistake. Bangkok Airways gave us a hotel voucher (which we still have to pay at a discount price). The hotel is Asia Airport Hotel, which shows its age, and desperately needs update. Fortunately, it is on top of a huge mall and a night market. So, at least we were entertained for the evening.

LUANG PRABANG

Things went much smoothly on our second attempt. The flight to Luang Prabang was uneventful and ontime. The Apsara Hotel is a totally hip and beautiful hotel on the bank of the Nang Khan River. It is owned by a cool British guy. John’s parents totally love the hotel and the ambience there. We visited one of the most beautiful temples in Luang Prabang, Wat Xieng Thong, and the temple lives up to its reputation. It is breath-taking. Afterward, John and I visited Mount Phousi for a sunset panoramic view of Luang Prabang while John’s parents went back to the hotel and rested. Of courses, the view on top of 355 stairs is incredible; however, we had to share this view with over 100 other people.

On our second in Luang Prabang, we chartered a boat to visit Pak-Ou Caves. Life along the Mekong River is quite fascinating. The caves are just ordinary. I expected thousand Buddha statutes to be huge, but they are miniature versions! I wish that we can extend our time in Luang Prabang, but because of hotel arrangement, we had to say “good bye” to this peaceful town.

VIENTIANE

Vientiane is the capital of Laos, but it felt like a little town. We got to Vientiane around 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005. So John and I had dinner at Sticky Fingers Restaurant. The food is very good there, and their signature cocktail, “Tom Yum Martini” is excellent!

We visited Wat Si Saket & Ho Phra Keo. Both are some of the oldest temples in Laos. They are now museums, so monks no longer live inside those temples. The Morning Market is the main market in Vientiane where you can basically buy anything, didn’t live up to its reputation since the weekend market in Bangkok or the central market in Saigon is much better, in my opinion.

HA NOI

Ha Noi is still chaotic as I remember. The Old Quarter is still full of noises and people. The streets there are package with motorcycles. We had dinner at “Ngan An Ngon” which was just opened there. The food is excellent, but it is extremely crowded.

On our second in Ha Noi, we visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, and Old Opera Hotel. This is the day where we spent the most money on food, over $200 USD. We had a wonderful French lunch at Café de Arts in the Old Quarter and dinner at The Press Club near the Opera House.

HOI AN

Still we didn’t buy airlines tickets in Vietnam until we arrived in Ha Noi, we had to buy Business Class tickets from Ha Noi to Da Nang. Business Class on Vietnam Airlines was decent, much better than domestic First in the US. Our checked luggage was the first to come out. They truly tried to separate Business and Economy Class for this 55-minute flight.

We went to a tailor shop what I had some clothes made before. The salepersons there were as charming as I remember. Perhaps, the people in Hoi An is the reason why I like about this little town too much!

I am sitting on the porch of the hotel watching people starting their day, while disco music is playing in a restaurant across the street.

Time stays still in Hoi An!