2018-11 - Hong Kong

Taking the morning flight to Frankfurt will allow for a quick trip to the city before the adventure begins!

I got a few boxes of the amazing pralines that SAS serve to go.

After making my wallet €9.55 lighter, I could head towards Frankfurt city to meet a friend for a few hours.

Ice cream and beer, breakfast of champions.

Back at the airport, the First Class check in felt anything but premium.

But I got my boarding pass(es) issued!

A quick stop in the Air Canada lounge before boarding. I’d do anything to have a model like that at home.

My home from FRA to ICN.

I asked for a “fusion”, meaning starting with the western starter (caviar), then going for the korean menu. I was very unsure about eating caviar with chopsticks, so I left them for the main. They were replaced though, so I guess I was supposed to use them.

Their flag dish, the Korean Royal Cuisine (‘Bibimbap’) and grilled cod. Hands down the biggest and most interesting meal I’ve ever received on board. Steamed rice, various kinds of vegetables and minced beef mixed with red pepper paste (‘Gochujang’), sesame oil. Accompanied by grilled cod, assorted side dishes and soup.

Immigration vent very smooth, and after a quick Airport Express (AREX) ride, I reached the hotel for some well needed sleep.

It wasn’t long until the phone started vibrating like crazy, receiving a bunch of alerts like this one. Me, waking up in panic, rushed down to the lobby and asked what was going on, just to be told that “oh, everything in Korea is emergency, go sleep again”.

After a night in Seoul, and me almost missing the AREX I was supposed to take in order to not miss my flight, I was back at ICN to fly to Hong Kong.

Pre-departure rehydration.

The A330 business class on Asiana. I managed to get an hour of sleep though, the chairs were pretty comfortable.

There’s something about the neon signs in Hong Kong that always impressed me. Such a shame they’re being replaced by LED in quite a fast pace.

After a few days in Hong Kong, it was time to head back home. This time through Taiwan, first time trying out their well-renowned carrier, EVA Air. The first leg was on their two-week old (new?) 787.

Their latest collab brew, which was not to my taste.

I had planned to go through immigration and visit Taipei as I had a 8+ hour layover.

But that did not happen as I apparently had a slight fever. I was given a mask and told to wait airside. That gave me time to (while practicing social distancing of course), try out all the lounges I had access to.

Pre-departure drink - no champagne this time, instead I went for a sparkling water with lime.

Dinner service started with a foie gras. The cabin service was on top, during the entire flight I never had to wait longer than 3 minutes 50 seconds (yes, I timed) to get a refill of beverages or plates taken away when empty.

And then, some Taiwanese spicy fish and seafood, which was very tasty. There was also garlic bread, but me being crazy about that forgot to take a photo before i devoured it.

EVA’s 777-300ER features a starry night sky.

I had a hard time sleeping, though, so I decided to watch a movie instead. Less than two minutes after sitting up and browsing the IFE, I was carefully approached and asked if I would like something to drink. I was offered the Veuve Clicquot 2006 La Grande Dame, something I cannot reject.

2006 La Grande Dame.
The only thing I was a little disappointed about was the IFE content. I turned to watching movies on my iPad instead.

Fresh fruit for breakfast is something I really miss on some airlines.

Another Amazing thing about EVA is that you get a (very comfortable) pyjamas in Business class. Passed immigration quickly and boarded the flight to Zurich. I managed to fall asleep as soon as I sat down in my chair and woke up after touchdown.

Bye, Zurich!

Very unsure what the food was supposed to be, but it was quite tasty. However I’ve never had a tasty dessert on board Swiss.

Back on Swedish soil!

Bye until next time!