Craven Asia 2023 TR

[craven morehead]

When sailing in Malaysia and Thailand, our standard crew order is several of those large bottles of beer (or a tower of Tiger with in-built cooling system ) plus an ice bucket to keep bottles cool. Supplied glasses are small like your example and more often than not, stamped with eg Asahi, Tiger, Heinekin, Carlsberg etc.
Sort of like ordering a jug of beer with your mates in north Queensland and drinking from a pony glass (~140ml)

Yes, I remember the towers of Beer Chang in Thailand with the inbuilt ice core. Great idea for these types of climates.

 

[craven morehead]

Righto, it's time to play tourist. Jumped on the MRT and off we go to Taipei 101. The Taipei 101 station is basically on site.

Impressive looking place.



We had pre-purchased skip the queue tickets and they worked a treat. We went up and down with no more than a minutes wait.
The tickets were double the price IIRC ~AUD$60 but compared to big line ups pfft

Quick trip up 380m



Some views from the inside.





I thought the twisted building in the middle was pretty groovy.






Up to the 91st Floor outside Sky Deck

No surprises with the wind





Stating the obvious



Looking out towards Taoyuan Airport.

 

[craven morehead]

Once we were satisfied we'd seen everything of interest, we stopped to have a coffee at one of the 2 outlets up on the 89th Floor.
They give you a TWD$100 voucher at one place and TDW$50 at the other, but as always there's a catch. You have to buy the coffee/cake combo to get the $100 discount on the overpriced to start with product

So, I got the coffee & cake combo so I could give the missus the cheesecake to go with her hot chocolate.



Jamaican Coffee for me



Coming out soon on Cat Steven's new CD Get on the Pleace Train Baby



Now, this Wind Damper was very interesting. We could get a look at it on the 88th Floor.



Some interesting numbers.













Time to head back down and find some tucker.

 

[craven morehead]

Heading down to the 4th floor after getting off the Observation lifts which start and finish on the 5th floor.

There is a shopping mall spread over a few levels and then the food court on level 1 from memory.



Chose this place for no particular reason other than it looked ok. There was heaps to choose from in the large food court.



AUD$18 fed both of us The food was quite good.



You could even buy hot meals from these flash vending machines.



After our late lunch, it was time to head back to our hotel on the MRT.



They really have done a great job with their MRT

 

[craven morehead]

So, tonight I gave Mrs. CM free rein on choosing dinner.

Well, basically her choice, gave me the cough$

Welcome to the Modern Toilet

I was taking one for the team and in the name of research, butt, this could end up being a very rough date!

Pull up in the taxi and spot a huge Loo protruding from the second floor.



About to enter the Cistern Chapel



They were obviously lacking confidence in their offering



They graciously showed us to our table. What a cough show! I was slightly concerned when they offered to push my stool in



If you're not flush, there's Y seating 3 abreast.



The hand basin in the actual toilet.



Ordered a beer and a coke and this arrived:



Surrounded by the stuff!



I'm struggling for a dollar by this stage and now drinking from the bowl. At least it was prime Gold Medal Taiwanese piss.



To top it all off, the food was coughpy. Note the toilet brush on the toothpick It's a gimmick no doubt, and that's about it. Don't do it to yourself people. Stay away and save piles of money!



The things you do in the name of a TR

 

[craven morehead]

Another excellent meal we had was at Menya Itto a Japanese Ramen Chain.

We'd gone looking for another Ramen place which ended up being closed this night. So typed Ramen into Google Maps and lo and behold after doing a lap of the block, this place ended up being across the road from our apartment





Ground level -



Most of the dining area is on the second floor -



Looking at the restaurant from the park.



Looking back across the road at our digs



I must have been sidetracked or just hungry because I can't find any other photos.

You placed your order via a QR code, and it was delivered to the table very promptly. You could have your choice of Noodles and how you wanted them cooked as well as normal egg or wine infused egg etc etc.

Their system worked well, and you paid downstairs on the way out

The Ramen was excellent as was the chicken rice. We shared the food, had a beer and coke and all up the cost was AUD$24.




Tomorrow, we head to Japan via Hong Kong.

 

[craven morehead]

CX489 TPE-HKG on A333

10 Aug 2023

Taipei (TPE)

Hong Kong (HKG)

A333 (B-LAN)

1:15

10:55 AM

11:14 AM

12:55 PM

Landed 12:30 PM

Even though the Zhongshan MRT station is not far from our digs, we caught a taxi to Taipei main station. This was necessitated by Mrs CM's large Samsonite suitcase arriving in TPE missing a wheel. Trying to maneuver the bloody thing around at 28kg was like trying walk a 3-legged dog the size of a cow. So, taxi it was

Taxi dropped us right where we needed to go, swiped the Easycard, and off we headed to Taoyuan Airport for today's flight to HKG (transit) and ultimately ending up in HND in the evening.



Lovely to see some huge market gardens being tended in the city.



Arrived at Terminal 1



Easy check in at the deserted J queue.



They ask you to watch your luggage go through the X-Ray machine at the end of the check in counters before heading to immigration just in case you get pulled up. No worries for us at all.





Quickly through and sniffing out the lounge.





Work area to the left just as you enter.



Setting up with Champers to do some more work on TR

Note, the power points slide out from the table.



Not sure why, but the lounge was a lot bigger than I was expecting.

 

[craven morehead]

CX Lounge TPE photos cont:



















Bit of a late breakfast. Wonton and noodles for me and an omelette and pancakes for Mrs. CM



All in all, a decent place to spend a few hours

 

[Matt_01]

All in all, a decent place to spend a few hours

It does look respectable, I was hoping to take a look in June but it had not reopened.

 

[craven morehead]

CX489 TPE-HKG on A333

10 Aug 2023

Taipei (TPE)

Hong Kong (HKG)

A333 (B-LAN)

1:15

10:55 AM

11:14 AM

12:55 PM

Landed 12:30 PM

Off we go for a transit through HKG and a visit to The Wing enroute to HND





Our A333 chariot for today.



Nothing wrong with these seats. First row in the mini cabin.



Cheers from the bearded one I'm not averse to a Piper-Heidsieck or 2 whilst seated in 19G.







Barbequed chicken thighs for Mrs. CM



Stir fried shrimps for me.



Both meals were excellent somehow my mango cheesecake jumped across to the brides table when I wasn't looking



And with a flight time of only around 1hr 15 minutes, we were literally there before we knew it. The crew did well to serve these meals and clean up on such a short flight.

Next: Our first visit to The Wing.

 

[Flyfrequently]

CX489 TPE-HKG on A333

10 Aug 2023

Taipei (TPE)

Hong Kong (HKG)

A333 (B-LAN)

1:15

10:55 AM

11:14 AM

12:55 PM

Landed 12:30 PM

Off we go for a transit through HKG and a visit to The Wing enroute to HND

View attachment 339677

View attachment 339679

Our A333 chariot for today.

View attachment 339678

Nothing wrong with these seats. First row in the mini cabin.

View attachment 339675

Cheers from the bearded one I'm not averse to a Piper-Heidsieck or 2 whilst seated in 19G.

View attachment 339676

View attachment 339680

View attachment 339681

Barbequed chicken thighs for Mrs. CM

View attachment 339682

Stir fried shrimps for me.

View attachment 339683


Next: Our first visit to The Wing

Enjoying your TR @craven morehead , looking forward to your impressions of The Wing.

 

[craven morehead]

Enjoying your TR @craven morehead , looking forward to your impressions of The Wing.

Many thanks

 

[jase05]

Enjoying your TR @craven morehead , looking forward to your impressions of The Wing.

X2 and yes the CX lounge at TPE is nice.
Taipei is a seriously underrated destination IMO so your TR brings back plenty of fond memories and reminds me it’s been too long since our last visit

 

[craven morehead]

This is my first visit to The Wing and first time in HKG as a WP. Have done 2 other CX lounges as a SG flying in J. The Deck and I can't remember the other one Warning: A bottle of 2017 Drappier Champagne may have been harmed whilst sourcing material for this TR



Pretty quiet today:





Certainly, plenty of room in the lounge.



Nice Pods for want of a better word, where one has ample space to get the laptop out.







A work/business station is available.



Expansive views.



Trying to catch up on this TR



Certainly, it's a very, very nice lounge with its open and different areas available. We didn't get to try out The Haven restaurant as we'd eaten on the way over and would be chowing down again in a few hours enroute to HND. There was probably 15 people in The Haven and next to no one outside of it. I did have a small serve from the buffet which was ok. We also didn't make use of the Cabanas or Shower Suites. Maybe next time. I'm not sure if I was expecting a bigger wow factor, but it was still a lovely place to spend a few hours and relax.

Next up CX542 HKG - HND

 

[Scash]

Great TR @craven morehead! Love your sense of humour and your appreciation of a glass or two of the bubbly stuff . We’ll be transiting through HKG early September (have a 5 hour layover) and can’t wait to visit the various lounges and sample the champers.

 

[craven morehead]

Great TR @craven morehead! Love your sense of humour and your appreciation of a glass or two of the bubbly stuff . We’ll be transiting through HKG early September (have a 5 hour layover) and can’t wait to visit the various lounges and sample the champers.

Thank you, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on The Wing or whichever lounge you choose to abuse!

 

[Scash]

Thank you, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on The Wing or whichever lounge you choose to abuse!

Me thinks I would enjoy a glass or two with you. I’m guessing from your report that you’re from Emerald way. We live on the sunshine coast but have been to Emerald a few times over the years. If you’re ever on the coast let me know and maybe we can arrange a catch up with yourself and other sunshine coasters.

 

[craven morehead]

Me thinks I would enjoy a glass or two with you. I’m guessing from your report that you’re from Emerald way. We live on the sunshine coast but have been to Emerald a few times over the years. If you’re ever on the coast let me know and maybe we can arrange a catch up with yourself and other sunshine coasters.

I'm ex-Sunny Coast @Scash. Moved out Emerald way in 2000 for work. Happy to catch up with you and any other AFFers on the coast mate if I get a chance. I'll hopefully get down once before Xmas. I have a pretty full book with work & travel for the rest of the year.

 

[Scash]

I'm ex-Sunny Coast @Scash. Moved out Emerald way in 2000 for work. Happy to catch up with you and any other AFFers on the coast mate if I get a chance. I'll hopefully get down once before Xmas. I have a pretty full book with travel for the rest of the year.

Sounds good. We’re not back till early November but have nothing after that. We’re retired so very flexible. We live at Marcus Beach (half way between Noosa and Coolum) but happy to meet whereever. I’m not sure how many AFF’rs are on the sunny coast but I do see posts from @drron and some others.

 

[craven morehead]

CX542 HKG-HND A359

Our ride departing from Gate 7



Row 19 again, but this time at the rear of the main J cabin.



Plenty of room to relax in these seats and decent size screens.



CX supplied headphones weren't too bad at all.



More Piper-Heidsieck



A movie to accompany the booze



Mrs. CM's starter. Smoked Salmon with green apple, fennel and celery salad. Seasonal Salad and Japanese plum soba noodle with egg.

She absolutely loved the noodles!



For me: Japanese boiled shrimp, duck breast and tuna tataki as well the noodles etc. It was delicious



Mrs. CM's main - Red wine braised beef with roasted mushrooms on truffle mashed potato. She also enjoyed this feed.



For me - Baked yuzu and pepper chicken with mixed vegetables and Japanese steamed rice. Once again, a quality meal. I'm on a mission to not use cutlery for the entire trip if at all possible



We departed 2 minutes early at 16.18 and arrived on time at 21.35 in HND at Terminal 3. A pleasant flight in a time of 4 hours & 17 minutes.