Once upon a time, many years ago, traveling was considered a whole experience. It wasn’t just the experience of actually being somewhere else; getting there was part of the experience too. Nowadays, the journey to wherever you’re going to is considered a hindrance (or a necessary evil), hopefully disposed of as quickly as possible.
I was asked recently about my travel addiction and the discussion turned to airlines.
Tokyo Subway Resource
Toward the end of my last stay in Tokyo, I wound up helping an American serviceman find his way to Ueno and the Keisei Skyliner while we were on the Yamanote (The Skyliner is a waaay cheaper way to get to Tokyo from Narita, best if u dun have an expense account or a JR Pass).
He was a bit flustered as he ran in the car (getting his arm caught in the door in the process). Seems that he was trying to get to Narita and got the JR (Japan Rail) and the Tokyo Metro mixed up. Here’s some general rules about rail in Tokyo.
JR usually runs above ground. The Yamanote and the Chuo/Chuo Rapid are JR Lines. At JR stations, you go UP to the platforms.
Tokyo Metro generally runs underground. You go DOWN into the Metro station and usually once there, you go DOWN again to get to the platforms. This is the rule in central Tokyo, although as you head further out, some Metro lines become elevated.
To make things even more confusing, Tokyo Metro as it’s known by everyone, is actually run by two operators. The actual “Tokyo Metro” which makes up most of the subway lines on your map is operated by a private company while several lines (Oedo, Asakusa, Mido, Shinjuku) are known as the Toei Subway, which is run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Why this matters is because the fare structure is slightly different between the two systems. However, if you have a Suica or a Pasmo, which are prepaid transit cards, it’s not an issue. You can purchase these at JR or Tokyo Metro stations respectively.
Transferring about can be a challenge if you’re not competely familiar with the city (as I’m not, at least not yet!). I found this page run by Tokyo Metro that helps you transfer between the two subway systems.
Neat, wish I knew about this site while I was there! Live and learn and know for the next visit…
Delicious Air Travel Tidbits (safe for eating)
Writing from the Signet Lounge at Tokyo Narita, after arriving on NH 812 in Y from HKG, connecting to my flight back to SFO (groan)
Possibly one of the brighter (and very simple) ideas for seatback tables. There’s a hole in the table! Whatever for?
Especially useful when the ride gets bumpy. I’ve worn Diet Coke (erm Pepsi) before on SWA and UAL when we hit turbulance. Eeeeee-splash.
The economy meal from HKG. You can guess this because of the brand of water and one of the meal choices on this morning flight was DIM SUM!! This is the first time I’ve ever had dim sum on the plane. Granted, it was just two pieces each of siu mai and har gau and a baby joong along with the ANA standard issue cold soba and salad. Could you imagine a full dim sum service on a plane? Hella cool!!
And oh yah, my flight NRT-SFO is booked solid in steerage. So I reluctantly accepted being bumped…to BUSINESS CLASS AGAIN! Op-ups helped by being 1K.
Writing from 30,000 feet on NH8, NRT-SFO
Here’s the Business Class dinner.
Wah! I love this airline! Ya dun hear ppl saying that about UAL, do ya? =P
More Useful HKG advice: Cash when you arrive and how to spend it when you depart
When you arrive at Hong Kong Station (Airport Express) from HKG, you will need money. There’s a Citibank on the first mall floor (IFC 1) which is in the same building. Get your money there. If you have an HSBC account in the states, there’s ATMs in the arrivals hall near 7-11.
Leaving…If you have a morning flight, splurge on the cab ride to the AeX station. It’s only about HK$40 (US$5.00, give or take) and it will save you a lot of effort. Traffic doesn’t really begin to suck until 0800 or so, if you’re earlier that should be fine.
In-Town check in: the greatest boon to travellers since frequent flyer points. Use it. Then you can putter around the airport, relatively stress free, once you get to your terminal building. Speaking of that:
Once you get to the Airport, make all due haste to get to the correct building. If your gate is a higher numbered one, you’ll have to take a shuttle and walk a bit. Maybe about 10 minutes added to your journey.
Just some things to keep in mind should you arrive or depart all flustered and confused.
Comfort Food
One of the things that I would miss (besides good Mexican food) when I eventually go overseas is In & Out Burger.
They rock! Why, you ask? It’s hard to explain in so many words. Ask anyone who hails from Southern California. Over the past 10 years, I&O has made it up to Northern California where there are two opinions; either “they rock” or “what’s the big deal, it’s from LA”.
The normal ritual for me when I return from overseas is: Get out of the airport. Go to In & Out.
Before, that meant going all the way to Serramonte. Now, there’s one in Millbrae, 5 minutes from SFO!
Wah! That’s just like the I&O just outside of LAX! 5 minutes away!
And they make money too! Yum!
New Cans (headphones)
If you spend time on flights that last more than 2 hours, noise cancelling headphones are in order.
You. Need. These. Trust me.
You will feel much better when you land because you won’t be tired out due to all the cabin/engine/crying baby noise that make up long hauls. Besides, it’s nice to be able to hear your iPod/Powerbook when you’re flying.
The gold standard are the Bose Quiet Comfort cans (headphones). They work great. Really great. And if I didn’t have to spend US$300 towards the plane ticket, I’d have a set. In other words, they’re the best out there and the price shows it.
As you go down in price, basically US$150 and below, there are many options from the major electronics manufacturers and others that range from almost as good as the Bose to “WTF? Does this work? Ripoffripoffripoff!”
My current set are these, the Sennheiser PXC-250. Despite the fact that the noise reduction unit is the size of a penlight and that they’re “over the ear” headphones, they sound great and filter out much of the rumbling of the treadmills and ellipticals at the gym. Until I get my butt on a plane, the gym is where I’ve been using these. These retail for US$150 but I was able to grab them on Ebay for US$80.
My previous set, Sony MDR-NC11 earbuds work better in some ways. You have three sets of earbud cushions that you use to create a seal in your ear canal. Once sealed, you can (not) hear the noise reduction work and your music. They worked great during my last two Asia trips. My gripe with these are that the earbuds are kind of big because of the noise reduction circuitry and if you move any faster than walking, the seal breaks in my ears.
I can honestly recommend any of the cans mentioned in this post because they work. I’ve owned two of them (only because the first are waaay outta my price range). And I’m pretty darned finicky!
Waaaaaah!
Geez Louise!
Began pricing tix for the spring “get out of town before tax day/allergy season” trip. Tix to Singapore are US$850 for the first week of April!
What gives? Thought they WANTED ppl to fly!
OTOH, flights to Paris are US$500. If only that pesky Euro wasn’t so overvalued…
Churchill Museum
When I was in London last year, my favourite museum was the Imperial War Museum.
There was a lot of hardware there as well as a lot of well thought out exhibits.
I also visited the War Rooms, which are still in the condition that they were in when they were used for the last time in 1945.
Both museums give (rightly) Sir Winston Churchill due credit for saving Britain AND the world from the Nazi and Communist onslaughts.
His museum is now complete. Here’s a report on it. Here’s the official site. A WaPo article.
Now this is a reason to brave the horrible prices and exchange rate of the United Kingdom. To visit this place. And to respect the deeds of the great man.
Beijing Wi-Fi hotspots
Here’s a list of free wi-fi hotspots in Beijing. Considering how friggin’ big that city is, it’s good to have this list and a very accurate map to find things.
Also be savvy on how to connect yourself to the net. Chances are you ain’t gonna get any help to do it. Even if you need it!
Annoying Legislation
Soooo the TSA has made yet another decree.
No lighters shall be brought on board an airplane.
This falls under the category of “annoyance” because I see the reasoning behind it. I just don’t like having to leave my trusty Dupont lighter at home when I’m heading overseas to meet with friends and to enjoy a cigar or five.
How is this going to be enforced? Where is the accountability (regarding sticky-fingered TSA inspectors)? And what happens if I’m in Paris or Seoul and I happen to purchase a Dupont? What happens then?
More questions than answers. That’s why it’s an annoyance…
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