Note: With two notable exceptions below, I always ask one of the flight crew if I can take an airline safety card. Would you really want to take an airline safety card as a souvenir? They’re typically cooped up in one of those seat-back pockets, one of the nastiest places on the plane. Not to […]
Chinatown Around the World
As a child, I used to think that the Manhattan Chinatown was one of the coolest neighborhoods to wander around. Whether it was the detailed writing system, the food, or the history, I was enthralled. But how would it compare with other Chinatowns around the world? After starting to travel, I realized that New York […]
Metro Access to Istanbul International Airport
If you, too, are as interested as I am in mass transit, then I’ve got some good news– there’s now metro access to Istanbul International Airport (IST). On 29 January the M11 metro line, connecting IST to Gayrettepe transfer station near downtown Istanbul, started operations. For your reference, I’ve added a snippet of the official […]
Japanese Preclearance Being Trialed in Taiwan
It’s more like Japanese preclearance light. For the entire month of February, Japan will be trialing its own flavor of overseas immigration checks at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). But don’t get your hopes up too much. Here’s why– Firstly, there will only be 10 airports in which this Japanese preclearance applies. All are located […]
Korean Carrier T’Way Air Starting its First Flight to Europe
Starting right before summer, you will be able to fly T’Way Air to Europe. More specifically, from Seoul to Zagreb, Croatia. T’Way Air? Whuh? That’s a fair reaction. I tend to think new airlines appear every other day in South Korea. It’s as if offering a route from Seoul Gimpo to Jeju Island — the […]
Taiwan’s Back in the News, so Here’s a Brief History of KLM asia
In 1995, KLM set up KLM asia specifically to fly to Taiwan. This was because the Chinese government wouldn’t allow national carriers to fly to both Taiwanese and Chinese destinations. Basically, to capitalize on growing business and tourism demand from both Taiwan and China, a number of airlines set up subsidiaries to appease the mainland; […]
Four Street Foods in Manila
After years of meandering and eating my way through Jakarta, Bangkok, Shenzhen, and other East Asian cities, it was about time to revisit the street food in Manila. Manila isn’t particularly pedestrian-friendly, nor is it heaving with standard issue points of interest. However, if you are in to Spanish colonial history, check out Intramuros, and […]
Aviation Art: Niigata Airport’s Stained Glass
The Niigata Airport stained glass is some of the coolest artwork I’ve seen outside of a museum. Or a Jakarta underpass. After disembarking from my Sapporo flight and making my way to the Niigata city airport bus stop, I had a few minutes before the bus left. While stretching my legs, I came across this […]
