Thailand 2012-onward
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:05 pm
So I got accepted to grad school in Bangkok, thus will be staying here for the next couple years.
Probably good place to start as any would be the trip.
Departing Kansas City.
Landing in O'hare.
What boggles my mind about this airport is that at Terminal 5 (the international terminal), there are no places to eat past security. Think of KC, how there is a couple fast food places pre-security and a single kiosk past security, but expand it for the entire terminal (btw, the number of kiosks doesn't expand with the terminal size, there is still just one single kiosk). So one has to choose between getting a bite to eat and hoping the lines will be decent, or biting the bullet and waiting it out. The thing is that one can't give the excuse that it is for security as international flights depart from the domestic terminals, which are full of dining places past security.
My distaste for that airport seriously knows no bounds. The only upside of the experience was since I got there early, there was nobody going through security, which made that part a breeze.
Possibly the only cool thing about the airport is that it has a Brachiosaurus skeleton from the Field Museum on display in the United terminal.
The international leg of the voyage was done by Asiana, which is a South Korean airlines. In general, my experience with them is one that was exceedingly positive.
It is clear that they take service very seriously. This is to the point that if you get to the check-in early (while my baggage was checked-in and taken care of at KC, I was required to check-in at O'hare to receive my boarding pass), when the attendants come out to start working the counters, all will simultaneously bow and do a Korean greeting. They were also very professional and friendly when dealing with the travelers. I did not realize that there were stricter weight requirements for carry-on (10 kilos) on international flights than on domestic, so I was a couple kilos over the limit; however they just provided me with a shopping bag to redistribute the weight and get around the weight limitations so I wouldn't have to gate-check.
The service on the flight was also top notch, even enough for me to overlook my general problems with traveling on long-haul economy flights (practically zero leg room, stiff seats, etc). The food (I got bi bim bap, which apparently is the one constant on that airline), was actually pretty good, as was the entertainment (interactive setup with movies (edited of course) airing before home release, plus games). The attendants were very helpful as well (sometimes as much as they can due to occasional language barrier), constantly doling out snacks and drinks throughout the flight (which you also get at the galley). All in all, I can see this becoming my go-to airline.
Entering Korea.
I made my feelings on O'hare very clear. Seoul-Incheon is a complete 180 from that. It, by far is now probably my favorite airport. Very clean, has free high-speed wifi, and, like many Asian airports, the departures terminal is practically a mall with Plaza-caliber stores/restaurants that are actually decent priced. This among a whole lot of other amenities: smoking rooms (which were interesting in that they had living walls), playgrounds at every other intervals, fully-stocked cafes at every interval, etc. Oh and the airport was very aesthetically pleasing.
The only issue I had with the airport is that after you land, all the people needing to transfer to another international flight are forced to go through a single security station, which naturally causes quite the traffic jam. The nice thing though is that once you reach the station, the process is very smooth and the people recognize computer parts as legit instead of requiring you take it out to physically examine.
Probably the most interesting part about the airport is that they have a Korean cultural center (where you can make little free pieces of art or trinkets), sell crafts, and do cultural events throughout the terminal.
Tired and sick (a combination of allergy season back home, lack of sleep, and the conditions of airline travel), I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport. Fortunately, since I got my student visa, the immigration process was very smooth. Baggage claim... not so much, as apparently my two checked luggage got split to different sections of the plane.
A part of a mural at the baggage claim.
Coming up: settling in Bangkok.
Probably good place to start as any would be the trip.
Departing Kansas City.
Landing in O'hare.
What boggles my mind about this airport is that at Terminal 5 (the international terminal), there are no places to eat past security. Think of KC, how there is a couple fast food places pre-security and a single kiosk past security, but expand it for the entire terminal (btw, the number of kiosks doesn't expand with the terminal size, there is still just one single kiosk). So one has to choose between getting a bite to eat and hoping the lines will be decent, or biting the bullet and waiting it out. The thing is that one can't give the excuse that it is for security as international flights depart from the domestic terminals, which are full of dining places past security.
My distaste for that airport seriously knows no bounds. The only upside of the experience was since I got there early, there was nobody going through security, which made that part a breeze.
Possibly the only cool thing about the airport is that it has a Brachiosaurus skeleton from the Field Museum on display in the United terminal.
The international leg of the voyage was done by Asiana, which is a South Korean airlines. In general, my experience with them is one that was exceedingly positive.
It is clear that they take service very seriously. This is to the point that if you get to the check-in early (while my baggage was checked-in and taken care of at KC, I was required to check-in at O'hare to receive my boarding pass), when the attendants come out to start working the counters, all will simultaneously bow and do a Korean greeting. They were also very professional and friendly when dealing with the travelers. I did not realize that there were stricter weight requirements for carry-on (10 kilos) on international flights than on domestic, so I was a couple kilos over the limit; however they just provided me with a shopping bag to redistribute the weight and get around the weight limitations so I wouldn't have to gate-check.
The service on the flight was also top notch, even enough for me to overlook my general problems with traveling on long-haul economy flights (practically zero leg room, stiff seats, etc). The food (I got bi bim bap, which apparently is the one constant on that airline), was actually pretty good, as was the entertainment (interactive setup with movies (edited of course) airing before home release, plus games). The attendants were very helpful as well (sometimes as much as they can due to occasional language barrier), constantly doling out snacks and drinks throughout the flight (which you also get at the galley). All in all, I can see this becoming my go-to airline.
Entering Korea.
I made my feelings on O'hare very clear. Seoul-Incheon is a complete 180 from that. It, by far is now probably my favorite airport. Very clean, has free high-speed wifi, and, like many Asian airports, the departures terminal is practically a mall with Plaza-caliber stores/restaurants that are actually decent priced. This among a whole lot of other amenities: smoking rooms (which were interesting in that they had living walls), playgrounds at every other intervals, fully-stocked cafes at every interval, etc. Oh and the airport was very aesthetically pleasing.
The only issue I had with the airport is that after you land, all the people needing to transfer to another international flight are forced to go through a single security station, which naturally causes quite the traffic jam. The nice thing though is that once you reach the station, the process is very smooth and the people recognize computer parts as legit instead of requiring you take it out to physically examine.
Probably the most interesting part about the airport is that they have a Korean cultural center (where you can make little free pieces of art or trinkets), sell crafts, and do cultural events throughout the terminal.
Tired and sick (a combination of allergy season back home, lack of sleep, and the conditions of airline travel), I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport. Fortunately, since I got my student visa, the immigration process was very smooth. Baggage claim... not so much, as apparently my two checked luggage got split to different sections of the plane.
A part of a mural at the baggage claim.
Coming up: settling in Bangkok.