Sawasdee Krung Thep

Aside from the crazy flight attendant bitch... I still stand that EVA airways is legit!

 I always check in online cause there's a line specifically for online check ins at Tom Bradley International and I always request exit row seating. I reserved my seat online just in case exit row is not available, and since you can't request it online, I request it at the counter while checking in my bags. If they have it, they're more than happy to assign it to you... Only condition is that in case of an emergency you must be able and willing to assist others off the plane before yourself yadda yadda.... Yea I'm prepared to help others in order to get more leg room 

As I've been made aware from my recent travels... People still don't know how to go through TSA, so get there early! And don't be the douche that still doesn't know what to do! Then train your friends and loved ones!

After take off, the crew will prepare to serve food and beverages, there are several new release movies you can watch on board as well as TV! I watched Gravity while I ate my midnight snack, unfortunately it wasn't in 3D...

Food options can be made at the time of ticket purchase online if you have dietary restrictions but otherwise they give you 2 options to choose from, choose wisely. 

This meal choice was between Pork and Rice or Fish with Pasta… I went with the pork only because I had fish for dinner

Pork belly and onions with rice and veggies, melon fruit, orzo pasta with really fake looking chicken, and a crumb cake of sorts

It's always a pretty complete meal... Main dish, side item, fruit, dessert, and roll. Beverage options are soda, juices, water, hot tea and coffee… I've never ordered an alcoholic beverage on an international flight, I know they have it, I just don't know how much they cost… Who knows, it's only the first leg... Things may change and I may need a drink haha!

After snoozing (yea that's what I'll call it, cause it wasn't sleeping) for almost 9 hours I watched Captain Phillips while waiting to be served breakfast. If you haven't watched Captain Phillips, do it! It's such a good, riveting movie! 

Breakfast choice was between Chicken Porridge and Scrambled Eggs… Previous experience tells me to steer clear of the Western options, especially when it comes to breakfast! 

Chicken Porridge with citrus fruits, fungus and goji berries, fish floss and coffee!

Although my neighbor has chosen the other choice for both meals, they actually looked good!

Chicken porridge had pickled vegetables, if you add the fish floss (dried up fish pulverized into powder form-they also make pork floss, it's made the same way) it adds some depth and saltiness to the porridge. Don't be afraid of the fungus, it's just mushrooms!

For people who don't find this to be enough food, I've seen people ask the flight attendant for another tray of food, they almost always have extra food and are willing to oblige

After breakfast I started to watch Thor - The Dark World but was rudely interrupted by having to land 

Taoyuan International airport is easy to navigate as there is English. There is also staff members directing people to baggage claim or transfers. It was here that I requested exit row seating for this next flight, again if it's available they will assign it to you. Once you pass security (not as strict as US, maybe cause we already came from US security haha!) you enter this cute and interesting terminal. Each gate is a different theme and they have many many shops to browse in and restaurants to lounge in. After brushing my teeth I browsed the terminals, for those who don't know, Taiwan loves Hello Kitty.. Their aircrafts have Hello Kitty characters on them and they have a whole gate dedicated to it (the breast fedding room is Hello Kitty'd out!)!

This place offered samples 😁

AND there's free wifi!!! My layover is 3 hours and I've found many ways to kill time here. 

After a gloomy morning in Taipei, I was on my way to the motherland. The flight is about 4 hours so I finished watching Thor and they served lunch

Fish and Spaghetti with fruit, chicken salad and a chcolate chip crumb cake

This time I chose the Western option only cause the other was pork and rice and I've already had a pork and rice dish on this flight. It was a nice filling dish and it tasted good enough. After lunch I took a nap and waited to land in BKK 

Bangkok (also known as Krung Thep) - the land of smiles 

Sawasdee - A Thai greeting equivalent to hello. Usually accompanied with a "wai" which is a namaste pose where your palms are pressed together at the chest and you bow. Mostly it's for people you're meeting for the first time, family members, people who are older than you... It's a sign of respect and to my mom it's a sign that she's taught her children well. (She would always ask if we "wai" such and such yet? Did you Sawasdee so and so?) You also use it to say thank you or good bye as well... But not in situations like going in to a store or restaurant, yes you don't know these people and you can just say Sawasdee but you don't have to "wai" them. When you're done you usually say Sawasdee and they will usually "wai" you as a sign of respect for your patronage. 

#Fun fact about Thailand# they love LOVE LOVE their King.. He's the longest reigning monarch in history, he's in his 80s and to his people he will not pass (you don't speak of it, you don't dare think it). No one speaks ill of the royal family or there are repercussions... Serious! I heard of a senator making a comment about the royal family and he was outed the next day... A Thai guy living in America made a comment about the King on Facebook, when he took a trip to BKK the authories were waiting for him at the airport!! There are pictures of him or him and the queen everywhere in Thailand, before you can watch movies in the theater, you must stand and pay respect while his song plays. Be respectful and do not speak ill of the royal family! You were warned! 

Suvarnabhumi International airport is the 16th busiest airport in the world by volume… in other words it's really damn big! Actually it's just long… one end of the airport services domestic flights and the other end services international flight so it's kind of a hike to get from the gate to the center where you go to customs and baggage claim… ah customs, my dear friend… more on that in a bit

I don't know why this is so, at least for me, but Taipei airport didn't have a smell but as soon as I exited the aircraft in Bangkok the air was thick and it smelled like Asia... Don't get me wrong, it's actually quite nostalgic to me... It's like a weird trapped water smell... I don't quite know how to describe the smell but it doesn't smell like America

There are many beautiful art works on display throughout the airport

Customs

Since I am staying for a while I thought it wise to renew my Thai passport as my American passport only allows me to stay in the country for 30 days (you can request an extended visa at the Thai consulate in Los Angeles or you can border hop, renewing my passport was easier and cheaper) and I'm so glad I did it too. Let's just say I can grow old waiting in the line for foreign passports holders. There's a separate area for Thai passport holders and all I do is stick my passport picture page into the machine, hand my declaration form to the agent, walk into the booth, put my index finger on the scanner and smile for the camera and off I go to collect my baggage!! It took longer to collect my baggage than it did to go through customs! 

Now lunch!

I used to come to this place as a kid! It's exactly the same way that I remember it!

They specialize in beef noodles so I got beef noodles! (Also known as boat noodles but since we're not in a boat, they're not boat noodles)

Fried peanuts and grated coconut on a betel leaf

Dinner - Jae Cai Seafood Restaurant

Select from their abundant options, tell them how you want it cooked and enjoy

The grill and cockles... I don't know why cockles aren't commonly known in the states but they're delicious! They taste like the ocean and have the texture of clams 

Grilled fish and cockles with chili, garlic and lime sauce (they call it seafood sauce)

Grilled fresh water prawns... Gigantic and sweet like Santa Barbara spot prawns 

Dinner consisted of a veggie, a stir fried squid dish, a stir fried pork belly dish, 2 lbs of cockles, 3.3 lbs of prawns and a grilled fish for $64 including tip for 5 people!!! That's less than $13 per person!!!

Before going to bed, my mom made sure I made merit with the spirits of the house… No my house isn't haunted! It's just customary.... Every house or business has a spirit house on the property, Thai people believe that there are spirits all around and if you make merit for it, it will look after you. So this is a spirit house 

My parents' house has 3, this one is for the spirit of the house, we have one for my grandparents, and another for Buddha... I had to make merit for all 3. All 3 received a glass of water, a fresh flower ornament, and incense. The amount of incense burned depends on the level greatness, I guess that's a way to descibe it... Are you praying to a CEO, a mid-level manager or an assistant? Hahaha… so I offer the water, pray with the random amount of incense I'm told to pray with and the flower ornament… asking for things like good luck, long life, good health etc... Then I offer the ornament to the spirit and post the incensce somewhere close to the house (sometimes there's a metal bowl for incense or you can post it in the dirt) and I "wai" one for time and I'm done 

After almost 24 hours of traveling and so much delicious food, I am beat! I can't wait to show you what else I experience during my time here

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