Thailand Again?!

I like to tell people I’m repeating my January 2006 trip. But that wasn’t so different from the January 2005 trip, and really is just a longer version of my January 2010 trip. So actually this is my fourth journey down the Andaman coast for days of snorkeling and nights of feasting. Does this slender peninsula really merit so much attention: 15 weeks of my life?

In a word, heck yes. It can be uncomfortably hot, and my Thai is terrible so communications are challenging. But the ocean is terrific here during the dry season, the food ranges from tasty to amazing, the vendors are friendly, and Kasma’s groups develop a wonderful camaraderie (setting aside the few people who don’t get along with one another). Even if I insist on checking email, it’s a great break, so here I go again.

EVA Air (1/26/2012)

I’ve flown Taiwan-based EVA Air several times now. The seats in its premium economy cabin (“Elite Class”) are a modest improvement over coach, but the real upgrade is the more personal service: you don’t feel like just another seat number. Because it’s such a long flight, the small premium for premium economy is worth it. I have enough miles to upgrade the shorter leg (Taiwan to Bangkok) to business class, where the seats and the tea are far superior. I can hardly wait.

My supper this evening (at 1:30am Pacific time) was a somewhat dry pork chop over rice, smothered in a tasty dark brown gravy fragrant with star anise. Quite edible. The overcooked vegetables, under ripe fruit, sickly sweet cake, and somewhat harsh red wine were gentle reminders that I’m still in economy, despite the improved seat.

My seatmate was a Californian who ended up working for a tech company in Taiwan. Although he is prized for his flawless English and given several perqs as a result, he still makes far less than he could working in California. It’s the price of experience. (Just think of all the great dumpling meals he must be able to have.) We chatted about various nerd stuff.

After many failed attempts to sleep comfortably, and sampling a few minutes of various movies, it finally was time for breakfast. I opted for the Chinese breakfast of rice porridge with chicken and mushrooms. Although gingery, the porridge seemed underseasoned in every other respect. In Thailand, a tray of toppings always seems to accompany a bowl of porridge, so I won’t be having this problem during the next month.

Taipei Airport (1/27/2012)

I have some errands to run: Must. Check. Email. Must. Eat. Dumplings. Must. Take. Shower. Not necessarily in that order. Every time I fly through this airport, I eagerly anticipate a visit to Honbaryu, a casual restaurant that steams up delicious xiao long bao (pork meatballs with savory broth in a delicate skin) to order. When I reached gates C3-C5, I was horrified: I cannot find it. Instead, an immense Hello Kitty family lounge and several shops seem to have replaced it. Nor does it appear to be in the old food court.

I visited the EVA Air lounge, first for a shower, and then to sample some stir-fried items, the fried rice, a siu mai dumpling, and a Tainan-style pork meatball. The latter is something I first tried on my June 2010 trip to Taiwan. A little pork patty is enclosed in or buried under a thick glutinous rice wrapper, steamed until tender, and topped with a peculiarly tomato-y gravy. The lounge version was a little tough; presumably it was steamed from a package rather than made fresh. The airport directory shows a branch of Du Hsiao Yu, which is famous for its “slack season” noodles and Tainan-style pork dumpling. Although it’s in a different terminal, I’m going to try to find it on the way home.

From the lounge window, I spied a new food court operated by (or licensed by) imei, which I recognized as the maker of steamed bread products, plain or with various fillings. They had a “Good Morning” special of 8 xiao long bao and a bowl of warm soy or rice milk for US$6. The dumplings were good, with ample broth inside, balanced flavor, and a thin enough dough that I wolfed them all down without pausing. The vinegar or soy sauce had a hint of star anise, which is odd, but perhaps there was some cross-contamination on the condiment bar. The large bowl of sweet, thickened, vaguely chocolate-y rice milk was a truly odd companion, but I assume this is a favorite among local travelers, or it wouldn’t be special #1. All in all, worth eating, but I miss Honbaryu where I could see the dumplings being made and steamed in their open kitchen.

Pausing at various places in the terminal, I read and replied to emails by phone using the various available wi-fi hotspots. All airports should offer free wi-fi. I reached the departure gate about 15 minutes prior to scheduled take-off, and settled in.

EVA Air (1/27/2012)

I had accumulated enough EVA miles to upgrade my second leg to business class (or, more precisely, Premium Laurel Super Business Class). The seats in this class feature a large shell, and a transformer-like seat that reconfigures itself into a bed with one touch of a button. I don’t plan to nap, but definitely need to give it a try.

First up, though, is some more eating, less than 60 minutes after my last two meals. My seatmate is following the opposite plan: he is saving his appetite for his long layover in Bangkok. Hmmm… he must not have an infinitely expandable abdomen. I’m certainly looking larger after my rice cracker snack, shrimp cocktail, roll, main course of beef and noodles, and fruit and cake plate. I had special ordered the beef and noodles online thinking it was a soup, but instead it looked like all the ingredients you would put in a soup (noodles, beef shank, beef tendon, beef tripe, sauce flavored with star anise), without the broth. Maybe I just invented a deconstructed soup by having the broth in my dumplings an hour ago? Anyway, it might have been a struggle to make room for the soup.

Only a couple hours until we arrive in Bangkok. Before leaving, Accuweather listed a “Real Feel” temperature of 100 degrees Farenheit. That probably will relax me!