There’s nothing like the day of a big trip. I mean, it’s even better when it’s vacation,
but I don’t even mind work trips.
Especially if they’re somewhere interesting. And even better if it’s in business class.
Heading to SFO
 |
| Getting carsick to SFO |
I arranged a car to take me to the airport. Sometimes it’s a hit-or-miss adventure with
the drivers. This time was for sure a
miss. He took a very random and
roundabout way of getting on the highway, and then stomped on the brakes a
bunch the entire drive to the airport. I
was pretty carsick by the time we got there.
You win some, you lose some.
Massive Luggage
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| Big Bertha Weighs In |
Since I’m going for almost 2 weeks, I checked a bag. For some reason, this bag weighed a whopping
55 lbs. I’m not exactly sure why--I
packed a pretty standard set of clothes and shoes. Maybe an extra pair of shoes? Some workout clothes? But 55 lbs worth? Whatever.
Dropped of my bag and decided to wander to the pre-check line at the
domestic gates because there isn’t one in International. It was absolutely worth the 5 minute walk to
not wait in line, not take anything out of my bag, and, most importantly, not
take my shoes off. Getting Global Entry
basically gives me pre-check on every flight, and it was absolutely worth it
for $100 for 5 years. It’s saved me a
ton of time.
Lounging
 |
| POG and cheese |
I also like getting to the airport early and do some walking
around the terminal. I make a visit to
duty free (and buy nada) and then get my legs moving. Great people watching. Since I had business class seats, I went to
the United lounge for a few minutes and got a POG juice--Passion-Orange-Guava
and some snacks. That lounge is
seriously always super crowded, so I tend to not stay long.
Backwards
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| The view from 13B |
Boarding was uneventful.
I had made an extra effort to get a seat on the upper deck since I’m
flying a 747. It’s fun. A little bouncier of a ride. I found my seat in 13B and got settled. It’s a backwards facing seat, so that feels
weird on takeoff. There’s a new amenity
kit that is city-based and kind of a fun metal pencil-box type of kit. Definitely a keeper.
Mealtime
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| Japanese Selection |
Since the first leg was to Japan, I tried my luck at getting
the “Japanese Selection” meal--and won!
Wooo! It’s a nice touch on UAL
flights. The meal was pretty
good--certainly better than my other choices of a pork chop, chicken, or seafood
stew (my second choice). They usually
are pretty limited in their Japanese meals, and it’s pretty popular, so I was
actually surprised when the flight attendant brought my tray.
The appetizers were good--small dishes. I didn’t eat the carrots or the chicken
bits. The fish and soba were tasty, and
the soup was ok--a little to strong of a seaweed flavor. The rice was not good, but packaged in a fun
wrapper. Just enough food, not too rich,
overall a good choice. And then the
dessert carts kept coming…cheese plate?
Yeah, ok. Ice cream sundae? Sure.
Yum. And more green tea. Maybe that’s why I stayed awake most of the
flight?
I settled in and napped a little, but not my usual power
sleep. I ended up having more food--a
hummus and pepper jack sandwich and chips--when we passed Alaska. I’m getting back on the workouts
tomorrow--even brought my exercise bands.
Tight Connection
 |
| Sadness. No Green Tea. |
We departed late, so I only have about 45 minutes or so to
enjoy Narita. That includes de-boarding,
then getting through security again and mayyybe making it to my favorite ice
cream vending machine. Fingers
crossed. I suspect there are a bunch of
people on this plane who are going to have to make the BKK connection, so I
won’t be alone.
Time for more food (more!!) and maybe doing some reading
before landing.
Narita to Bangkok
Thankfully, Narita is efficient--I was able to get off the
plane, go through security, and get to my gate to see that (sadly!) no green
tea ice cream was to be had. Not sure
why I enjoy the ice cream from the vending machine at the airport, but I do.
The flight to Bangkok was pretty uneventful. The food wasn’t great (salmon in a weird
carrot-y sauce) and I napped for most of it.
And then my biggest pet peeve on arrival--parking at a remote gate and
having to bus to the main terminal…when there are plenty of jetways open! What about bussing a 747 full of people makes
sense? At midnight. Why? It
is seriously something I find incredibly annoying.
On Arrival
 |
| Morning in Bangkok |
Once in the terminal, it was a bit of a cluster to get through
customs. I had an “express pass” for an
express lane that didn’t exist. I tried
to pick the best line, but I don’t seem to have luck with customs lines. Once through, my bag was already there and I
was on my way. Bangkok is a bit of a
sprawl, so it took a good 40 minutes to get to the hotel.
I checked into the hotel in a fog. All I remember was friendly staff quickly
whisking me up to my room, which was huge and has great views of the city.
Pooltime!
 |
| Pooltime! |
The next morning was quiet--a chance to enjoy the breakfast
buffet, get in a workout, and meet my colleagues and a client at the pool for
some relaxation before meetings started in the afternoon to prep for our 2-day
session. I’ll be heads down until Tuesday
night, where I hope to be able to do some exploring.
