The Aeroplane over the Sea

If you ever find yourself looking for a flight to Asia I would suggest trying China Airlines. I am formerly a big Lufthansa guy, but I converted in the last 24 hours to China Airlines. Not because of the smelly Taiwanese man next to me or the distance between seats that is perfect if you are 5'6" or shorter, but because of the entertainment. Each seat has an individual 5" flat screen TV. You might say it is "Pimp my Ride" airplane style. Also each seat has a neat little remote that not only controls the light and stewardess button, but gives you access to about 15 on-demand, new release movies, dozens of on-demand CDs, 15 radio stations, and about a dozen different games. Also there is Berlitz language learner available. After watching "King Kong", "Glory Road", and "Chronicles of Narnia" I was brushing up on my Chinese, Russian and learning some Thai. I can now say hello, thank you, and just about count to ten in broken Thai which no one will understand.

After arriving exhausted from the 13 hour flight, I decided to rest a little in the Taipei airport. I had about an hour before boarding on the flight to Bangkok, so I arranged the benches in the waiting lobby for optimal relaxation. I was determined to rest, but not sleep, so I wouldn't miss my flight. My plans were foiled and I woke up to find the lobby entirely empty. One lonely stewardess stood at the gate just wrapping things up before take off. I immediately panicked and jumped to my feet only to find both legs were asleep. I caught myself on the chair and hobbled/dragged myself to the counter to give the stewardess my boarding pass. It seems like all of my worring was in vain, because I had a full ten minutes before take off to get on the plane and find my seat.

The leg of the trip from Taipei to Thailand is mostly a blur, because I spent it sleeping, only waking to shove a meal in my mouth and move to allow the lady next to me to use the lavatory. I arrived in Bangkok at about 1:30 AM Tuesday night. On a scale from 1-10 I would give the flight a 8.5.. Overall a good experience.