I flew AirAsia from KUL-SIN last weekend.
AirAsia A320 really close to the doors!
This is a big deal because this is the first carrier that has been able to break the price barrier between the two cities. For over 30 years, Singapore Air and Malaysia Air have operated an oligopoly, keeping prices very high between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. And despite MAS’ loud objections, AirAsia and JetStar have been allowed into the market, albeit with only two flights per day in each direction.
It’s still cheaper though. I was able to purchase a 3 week advance one-way flight from KUL-SIN for just under US$60. Beats the SQ price of US$300!!
One thing to keep in mind that AirAsia IS a low cost carrier and flies from KLIA’ Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) which is located in the boondocks of KLIA, near the Malaysia Pos building and the kargo warehouses. It’s almost as they’re ashamed of LCC flyers and somehow it will ruin their “Best airport in Asia” ranking that they got two years in a row..
Anyway, as soon as you get off the bas and enter the warehouse LCCT, it’s like entering a very clean Chinese train station (and keep in mind how oxymoronic THAT statement sounds).
Clean, yes?
To its credit, the LCCT recognizes that people here need to eat and that’s not a privilege granted to passengers who fly out of the real KLIA. There’s a Coffee Bean, a McD’s, a Secret Recipe and the usual Duty Free shop. If you’re hungry, best eat first before clearing immigration because there’s only a coffee shop and another Duty Free on the secure side of the terminal.
When you check in, you get your bags scanned but once you’ve checked in, you can step out back into the main hallway. Passport control is facing the check in area from the opposite side of the building.
Looks like a train station in China. Except it’s more clean than a Chinese Train Station will EVER be
Once you’re there, it looks like a train station. It reminded me of the Shanghai South railway station (except it was a whole lot cleaner and better ventilated). There’s no skybridges here; this IS a LCCT and these passengers don’t deserve shelter from the heat and/or rain!!
The doors to the plane…
You WALK onto the tarmac, partially protected by an awning. Once that awning ends after about 20 meters, there’s a lot of umbrellas that are handed to you to make the final dash to your flight where you surrender the umbrellas back. No free souvenirs here!
Now about the AirAsia experience. They have a STRICT 15KG checked baggage limit. Any more and its something like 25 ringgit/kg over. Hella expensive. If you’re flashpacking here, use a backpack or get one of those fancy new unbreakable light polycarbonate plastic suitcases. My Kirkland 26″ roller weighs close to 8 KG by itself so even with only three day’s worth of clothes and stuff, I still went over by 2 KG. Also, splurge on the Priority boarding. It’s truly worth it because it’s practically a scrum boarding the plane and it’s all open seating. Note: Get the bulkhead seats; they have more room and these were the first seats gone. 1C was taken by yours truly. Other than that, the stewardesses were pleasant and professional and the flight took off and landed on time. And the best thing was getting off the plane at Changi’s T1. Beats the LCCT any day!
Everyone here was going to SIN; the priority line is on the right!
How to get to the LCCT: From the KLIA Ekspres stop at KLIA it’s another 20 minute bus ride (and 1.5 ringgit!) and more waiting around. Or you can get up hella early, pay 9 ringgit and take the bas ekspres that goes direct to the LCCT.
A word of advice: getting up early is worth it because there’s NO traffic on the road at that hour and the 75 minute transit time I was told was only 45. Which kinda tells you how bad the traffic is over there.
Yebisu Beer Girl
My favorite beer! Delivered in my favorite way!
The A’s and the Red Sox brought their mascots along with the rest of the team. This is Stomper, the A’s mascot. He’s an elephant. Here’s Stomper, passing along some A’s baseball cards to a very confused Yebisu beer girl (the same one).
Stomper also attracts fans that jump up on the dugout and yell and dance along with him.
The neat thing was that when the cops showed up, they waited for him to finish his singing. And after a round of applause, he jumped down and walked off with the cops. No handcuffs or fighting. How civilized!
And now for something kinda different
Well, I figure this would happen eventually. Parts of my life colliding in print. I luurve ramen, I have a Boblbee backpack (but not these fancy ones) and Star Wars. Behold!
Stormtrooper eating ramen
Cuz even Stormtroopers, the defenders of the Galactic Empire, need ramen! Of course, this has been done before by Tokyo’s Stormtrooper in Residence. One megacity, one stormtrooper.
The ad is for a limited series of Star Wars 30th Anniversary commemorative Boblbee backpacks. Only available in Japan, natch! I picked this ad up when I was in Tokyo last November and stumbled upon Waseda University’s 125th Anniversary party.
Baseball beer here and there
Part of the fun of going to a baseball game in Japan is appreciating the differences in how the game is enjoyed compared to back home.
For example, let’s look at the consumption of beer or “ビール” as it is known over there. For example, at PacBellPark, where the SF Giants lose play, the beers are close to US$9.00 for a small cup, the kind of beer dependent on where in the park you buy it. Some of the kiosks sell PBR and Bud for that price and others sell Sierra and other microbrews. Best to hunt around because I’m not going to pay THAT price for PBR!!
An example of the lack of service culture that pervades the west is that you have to get up from your seat and actually hunt down a kiosk that sells your particular brand of tipple, thus missing the game from the comfort of your seat. Did I mention the 7th inning cutoff? No more beer after the 7th inning. BS!
“hey there, you KNOW you’re thirsty! You want a Suntory MaltS!”
Compare this attitude with how beer is served at Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomuri Giants. Unlike in the US where you have to get up and miss the game, annoy other patrons and risk spillage to get a beer, in Tokyo, the beer comes to you. The Tokyo Dome beer girls, each one representing a different brand (Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo, Suntory, Yebisu plus Coca-Cola beverages and others) work the aisles, hawking beers, beverages and snacks that can be thrown. All the major brands are represented by these girls who use minikegs worn like backpacks to dispense beer. How refreshingly progressive!
Besides beer, the girls have snacks too.
Make it Suntory time! Try getting THAT at a MLB game in the US…
This was the first beer of the night for me…a Kirin!
…must concentrate…
There’s other silliness that happened at the game that will be written about later!
Tokyo 警視庁 Bikes
During my last visit to Tokyo, some motorist got pulled over by two of Tokyo’s finest for some reason. The real reason, I think was so I could continue the semi-regular installment of “world’s police bikes”.
When I came running out of the restaurant (where I was having a snack) with my camera, the cop waved me off until I asked him if I could take pictures of the bikes. He then gave me a thumbs up and stepped out of the way. Guess it happens a lot.
I like the Suzuki! I have one, ya know…
Sakura in SF
Saw this the other day while riding by (and made an illegal u-turn to photograph!)..
This sakura, one of many on the block, bloomed first because it gets the most sunshine. Too bad you can’t have hanami out here. You’d get a ticket first then you’d have to pour out all the booze…! Bleah.
I luuurve Advertising (again)!!
Continuing my series on excellent advertising…here’s a couple that were plastered all over JR Akibahara eki.
This one I took as I was going down an escalator
This was the other one. I couldn’t get a picture of it (too many people to explain why I’m taking pictures of adverts) so I pinched it from here.
This ad is part of a spring campaign. It’s sakura season in Japan, ya know! Deets on the ad campaign here. Minami Akina’s (the model) website here.
GT-R on the street!
While on an expedition on Kappabashidori for rubber nigiri and beer (not for me, I’m on a diet), I came across this Skyline GT-R parked on the street.
This is the color scheme I would get for this car if I were to get one
Unlike practically everything else on this street, it was not rubber or kitchen related.
Back from Japan (whoopee)
You know you’ve left Japan when the showers and baths don’t seem as hot, efficiency is a lost concept, the people aren’t as nice (in all ways) and rudeness and stupidity rule the day.
On the plus side, my iPhone works, I can drive here and my broadband connection is stable.
(sigh) welcome home…
A’s lost at home in Tokyo
Well, sorta. I’m out here in Tokyo to watch the MLB opener against the Boston Red Sox. Natch, the A’s blew the lead in the bottom half of the game.
Here’s how the tickets looked like.
And here’s a very confused clerk at the New Otani Hotel who I asked to hold the tickets.
They’re not THAT precious…!
Here’s the World Series trophy. It seems the the Red Sox take it everywhere they go. For many Japanese fans, this is the first time that they will see the actual trophy in person.
The point of coming out here was to experience the Japanese twist on baseball. This began the opening ceremony with Awaodori dancers. They danced to an beat that was piped throughout Tokyo Dome and I swear that there were members of Edokko-Ren present!
Down where our seats were, there were dancers in the aisles!
Both national anthems were sung, first the Star Spangled Banner by some jazz vocalists than 君が代 was sung by a Japanese opera singer. Since she was singing toward center field, all I could get was her back. But her voice gave me goose bumps!!
Speaking of seats, ahem, our seats were just to the right of home plate, 7 rows back from the dugout! Talk about the benefits of commitment!!
The view was sooo incredible here. In sooo many ways!
Despite this technically being a home game for the A’s, the crowd was pro-Red Sox and the only people cheering for the A’s seemed to be the 50 or so people in our section. Go figure. Of course, you can figure out why since Matsuzaka Daisuke (松坂 大輔) was the starting pitcher for the Red Sox.
An obviously pro Red Sox crowd
There’s more to come, this entry may be updated later.
Bye!