Let’s have some fun with airline route maps. With any luck — and memory — this will probably be a thread I’ll continually update, especially once I’m able to find the Delta inflight magazine that showed Kampuchea instead of Cambodia, or the one where Xian, China is listed as the more archaic Chang’an. Until those […]
Border Crossings
Crossing China’s Newest Border with Hong Kong
Last week, after flying in to Hong Kong, I wanted to use the new(est) China Hong Kong border crossing to reach Shenzhen. For background, the Chinese side is called Liántáng (莲塘), and the Hong Kong side Heung Yuen Wai (香園圍). It is located in the Luo Hu district of Shenzhen, in a more residential part of town […]
Trip Report: GX Airlines, Nanning NNG to Bangkok BKK
Here’s a new carrier for BoardingArea trip reports– GX Airlines. In this post, I will be covering my flight from Nanning, in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, as well as the sole airport lounge in the international wing of Nanning Wuxu International Airport. But first, a warm tip for potential visitors […]
No More PCR Tests to Enter China, But …
No more PCR tests will be needed to enter China, as of 29 April. Indeed, with regards to COVID-19 entry requirements to China, things have come a long way, even since the first quarter of 2023. In other words, it’s no longer a sisyphean task to enter the country, particularly as a non-resident. The […]
Next Month, Japan Is Eliminating All COVID-19 Restrictions
Japan eliminates all COVID-19 restrictions … that has nice ring to it. Especially after all of those months of waiting in vain for the country to open (i.e. to reciprocate). And then seeing it open to badly planned tour groups. And then this: Yep, that was back in September 2022. I was able to get […]
How Awecool: China is Reopening to Tourism
After nearly three years, it’s finally happening. It’s time to dust off those Chinese tourism visas. Starting from 15 March, China will once again be accepting applications for tourism visas. Better yet, if you had a Chinese tourism visa issued before 28 March 2020 — that is, the date China sealed itself off from the […]
Brandenburg.2: The EU Again Threatens an Entry Fee Starting in 2024
For the title of this post, I was wavering between the current one, and Brandenburg.2: Electric Boogaloo. For some background, Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) was slated to open way back in 2011, but due to a number of issues, only opened on 31 October 2020. Similarly, the European Union’s has frequently delayed its plan […]
My Favorite Outdoor Artwork in New York City is a Map
I really like maps. I like pointing out when they’re missing something, I like that many are controversial, and I like comparing them with former (and future) maps. Yes, yes, a good map would let you know where “north” is, and contain things such as a legend and a scale. But when your phone is […]
