Travel China!

Advice on dealing with luggage at S.Korea’s Incheon Airport

2010-06-15T03:43:50Z

Earlier last week I posted my account for the recent flight on Korean Air and how incredibly weird the handling of carry on luggage is with that airline. Now I wanted to continue with another idiosynchrosy of Incheon airport. As I was leaving for Narita on a JAL flight, I checked in at the JAL counter, verified that I have only carry on luggage and proceeded to security for screening. At the Incheon airport (similar to the process at Hong Kong airport), you first have to go through a couple of folks sitting outside a door leading to the security screening area. As far as I have been able to assertain, the sole role of those folks is to
(a) check you have a valid boarding pass and passport
(b) ensure that no large suitcases make it through…

So after checking in at the JAL counter and ensuring that I can proceed with my carry on luggage (my usual / trusted 22 inch roll on-board suitcase) I proceeded to the entry of the secure area. Needless to say I was stopped by this Korean lady who inspected my ticket and proceeded to tell me in broken English — “check in counter…” and pointed at my luggage. I told her “Yes, I was there :-) And they approved of me bringing my luggage on board”
To which she replied “Check in counter” and pointed for me to go back.

I quickly got annoyed as after I explained to her in as slow as possible english that I was allowed to bring my luggage by JAL, she did not register any cognition of having understood me — so finally in exasperation I just stated “No, I am not going back…”

Surprising for me she capitulated — and let me go forward….! Surprise — being pushy actually paid off. So word of advice — as much as you think it is worth — when you encounter these situations DO NOT GIVE UP. If you believe you are in the right, and you probably are (otherwise the counter personnel would have stopped you before getting to security) — just insist on your position and do not take NO for an answer!

Happy travels! (I certainly was happy I did not have to deal with checked in luggage on two consequtive flights)

Advice on how to NOT check in your carry on luggage - How to save yourself the hassle of lost luggage

2010-06-06T15:52:19Z

Flying on some airlines around the world is an “interesting” experience. Why? Well, here are two recent experiences:

* just this week I needed to take a flight from Taipei to Seoul. The airline which was my carrier this time was Korean Airlines. I had not flown on Korean for a very long time - about 3 years (previous flight was Seoul to Beijing). So here I was at the airport check-in counter and once my boarding pass was ready, I was asked if I had luggage to check in. I always use my trusted 22inch roll-aboard suitcase as I prefer if at all possible NOT to check-in my luggage… (Believe me - it takes only once for your luggage not to make it with you and you start packing as efficiently as possible to avoid check-in luggage).
Well, this time my suitcase which has traveled over 1M miles by now, was deemed “must check-in” - so the big commotion started — a manager was called etc. as I did not want to relent… There was no way I was going to arrive in Seoul at 11pm and look for a lost suitcase. I made that point to the manager on duty and after about 5 min of air sucking and head scratching and once I made a comment to the effect of “Please give me your name card and you can check in my bag, but if it is lost I will be using you as a reference in a complaint to Korean Air”… That worked like a charm — the manager quickly decided that he can make an exception :-)
What worked me up was the fact that I have flown on tons of different airlines and unless I am in a small regional jet my suitcase works perfectly in the overhead bins — any Boeing 737 or Airbus A310 and above jet is just fine….Yet the Korean Air manager kept telling me “This is a small plane — a Boeing 737 — no space to put your suitcase”
Once I got on board — there was absolutely no problem — I put my suitcase even with wheels first fashion — the most challenging way — into the overhead bin and it closed just fine….

So word of advice — as long as you have a suitcase that was built for roll-aboard (i.e. not to exceed 22 inch) do not give up. You can win the argument. Remember — always use the card of “Who will be responsible for my lost luggage” or something similar….
What I have observed is that I am yet to find the manager who is willing to be the person who gets pointed to in a passenger complaint…

In my next posting I will summarize my other observation about how to deal with overzealous airport employees who want to separate you from your carry on luggage… Stay tuned

The Austin Music Scene is Vibrant…

2010-05-02T20:31:58Z

Well folks, I thought of sharing with you one of two clips I had captured in late March / early April at Austin’s Central Market Saturday night music performances. This band which was performing (I do not recall its name) was quite good and playing various Louisiana music as well as other Cajun stuff….(I think)

“>Here is a link to the clip I captured

Enjoy

Smoking in China - Is it going up or down in numbers….?

2010-05-01T15:03:17Z

A posting on the recent issue of City Weekend (here it is: http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/articles/blogs-beijing/beijingologist/heres-to-a-more-smoke-free-beijing/#comment_73299) was discussing the question / suggestion for “Smoke Free Beijing…”
I agree with the writer — it seems like while more and more media is talking about the dangers of smoking, and regulators are increasing pressure on the tobacco companies, the Chinese consumer is “lighting up” more and more frequently. Every time I pass through one of the European airports I am impressed and amused by the HUGE letters spelling the warning on the cigarette cartons…but you do not see this in China….. I wonder WHY???

Another example of how smoking is treated in China is how the restaurants approach the requests for smoke free sections. In almost all cases when you go to a restaurants (in many cases with my family (including young kid) ) and you request a table in the non-smoking area you would most likely receive a pretty ridiculous answer - e.g. “This table is non-smoking…” while surrounded by tables with people puffing with great intensity….

No need to say more unfortunately…. :-(

Interesting Comparison and Results: GM Auto Sales in China vs. GM Automobiles Predicted Reliability and Value

2010-04-11T22:26:04Z

Just this past week Forbes Magazine published an article “Worst-Made Cars On The Road” which article (actually a set of slides) presented a pretty bad picture of the vehicles made by Detroit — primarily GM and Chrysler (there was only one Ford vehicle in the list that I saw).

The article surprised me a bit. Why? Because GM is growing fast in China!!! Signs of that are both in the reports published by industry analysts as well as in the actual cars on the road :-) GM cars are everywhere…

Per published statistics GM has been gaining market share steadily in China. Business Week also published a brief article showing large numbers for GM — growing fast in China with 60+% growth in sales in March…!

So the real question is what comes next — the Chinese consumers driving the fortunes of global automakers up?

(Side note:It is not only GM that is showing such huge gains in sales in China — Toyota, Hyundai among others are also growing fast…)

Using my blog to capture some interesting Internet Statistics - Internet Explorer vs. Mozilla Firefox vs. Chrome

2010-04-10T22:18:50Z

It has been over three years since I started publishing information on our blog so now we have statistically significant data :-) on the behavior of Internet users — in this post I wanted to provide a snapshot of the current ratio of usage of different Web browsers:

Browser Percent Internet Explorer 62.37% Mozilla Firefox 30.1% Safari 4.51% Opera 1.13% Chrome 1.02% So, if you consider the population visiting this blog as a representative sampling of the Internet traffic, you have a relatively long run results here — Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox retain leadership position…
RV’s are the future and they have nothing to do with the USA! 2010-04-09T12:10:01Z Hello chinafinds! My name is Marlan and I’m a friend of Nikolay’s and I author the blog at http://www.rv52.com. He asked me if I would write an article and I jumped at the chance! I was thinking about RV and China (a place I’ve never visited) and I was thinking about the idea that what if I could only write one article and transmit one major idea… what would it be? So I decided to try to get people to think about RV (recreational vehicle) in a very new way. I’m going to do that by trying to put forth several concepts and see where this takes us. When I’m done, I’m hoping that you’ll see that an RV changes your mind, changes your view of space and time, and is substantially ‘greener’ than you might think. False for different reasons : RV’s are gas hogs. This is only partly true. For example, an RV ONLY consumes fuel when it moves. For people who live in RV’s full time, they can move the RV close to their work and reduce the gasoline consumed by commuting. The only time the RV consumed fuel was when it moved. Also, modern self propelled (Class A , Class B, or Class C) diesel powered RV’s will achieve around 12 miles per gallon which is pretty good. Not so True : RV’s are small. Modern RV’s have a device called a ’slide-out’ which literally is a part of the RV that slides out to create a larger area. Modern slide outs are about 3-4 feet wide and 10 feet long creating an additional 40 square foot of space. A 36 foot long RV (36 * 8) would only provide 288 square feet, but with two or three slide-outs that can be increased up to 380 square feet. While I’ve never been to anywhere in Asia, I have it on good authority that the majority of people have very small living quarters so this is not that small comparatively. Also RV’s have built in furniture and many space saving concepts that make a 380 square foot RV seem every bit as spacious as a 1000 square foot apartment or home. False : An RV is only for wealthy people. I’ll use economics from the United States. An RV can be purchased from $2,000 to $50,000 (actually much more, but I’ll stop @ $50K) that can be very reasonable to live inside. A 5 year loan for a $20K RV (very realistic) could run around $300/month and you will consume about 1/2 of the RV’s value (they always depreciate). A pad (the spot for an RV) can cost around $200-$1000/month (depends on where), but in Texas, lets use $500 (a little high) a month. So my monthly expenses are now $800/month. I’m paying $1200/month in rent so living in an RV will save me $400/month. Furthermore WiFi is typically included as well as electric, water, and sewer, which should save another $100/month. Add in that given the smaller space, you will naturally spend less and RV’s are a very economical form of living. True : You eat healthier in an RV. This is embarassing, but for American’s this is a really important thing to know. Because RV’s are smaller than the CURRENT mainstream houses in America, you will keep less food on hand and the food you DO keep on hand will be healthier. I don’t know why, but I see this as a pervasive theme in all the reading I do regarding RV’s. In America, I see RV’s as the future because they are the ultimate living quarters for a mobile work force. Additionally, I believe America will be less wealthy and American’s houses will be smaller than they have been for the last 40 years. Believe it or not, houses used to be small in America and large houses are only a recent phenomena. RV’s will be more green, consuming more solar power using panels on the roofs, be constructed with green materials and techniques, naturally encourage people to consume less (by the small space, by eating better, by getting people outdoors more), and several other reasons I can’t remember to write here. So if you look at it, an RV can be a GREAT way to live that is economical, futuristic, and that can be in any continent of the world! Do You Think RVs (Recreational Vehicles) Are Popular in China 2010-04-08T03:20:50Z Well folks within the next few days I will have a guest writer on this blog — one of my close friends from Austin, Texas will write about the RV lifestyle and the latest and greatest in the RV world and more specifically about going around in RVs in Texas…. You would probably ask — why write about RVs on this blog? After all this blog is about China and Travel Around the World….. Hm — you just sort of answered the question. This blog is about TRAVEL. RVs are all about TRAVEL…..And then, there is an interesting phenomenon occurring in China — Yes, RVs are being promoted and tradeshows about them are popping up. According to http://www.chinarvandcamping.com/rv-china/show-review?start=8 — one of the first shows on RVs in China (Not sure if this is the first one) happened in 2008 and that included 28 Chinese exhibitors and 5 foreign ones. 1100 people visited…. The 2010 Show will be held in the Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Center. Here is a link to it: http://www.chinasportsandrecreation.com/rv-china-2010?format=pdf At any rate, I look forward to the RV postings… Please let me and the author know of your take on the RV experience in China. How many of you have thought about it…? Have you actually tried to look into it? How about taking an RV tour in Texas? Who Says Austin, Texas Does Not Get Snow — Look at the Photos 2010-03-20T16:18:17Z Well, I was on the flight to China, while in Austin, TX suddenly the winter brought a white surprise — SNOW!!! The tail tail signs of the snow started while I was in the plane on the tarmac at the Austin Airport waiting to take off for Dallas…. We were delayed to take off….because…..of having to have the plane deiced!!! By the time I hit Taipei about 26 hours later, I was emailed photos of our yard in Austin covered in SNOW! And a snow that stayed for more than 24 hours. Take a look at the photos — I think they are pretty neat. Especially the blooming jasmine bush covered in snow flakes :-) More about Qingdao - A Winter Day in this interesting city… 2010-03-18T02:40:18Z This is my second posting from Qingdao — I spent three days here and enjoyed a stay at the Grand Regency Hotel on Hong Kong Street (丽晶大酒店), which is a nice hotel for the price. The rooms are large and nicely furnished (although the overall furnishings are a bit tired). Here is a photo of the insides of the room I stayed in So on Sunday I decided that it is time to explore the city — no matter how cold it was…After a hearty breakfast in a Chinese buffet - yes, this hotel is Chinese owned and run and with a different view of the breakfast buffet vs. the Grand Hyatt Taipei let’s say… No pineapple here :-( but still had my fried eggs and lots of dumplings…and coffee was OK. Then after doing some work I braved the howling wind and headed out in the town - the objective was TianHou Temple and the downtown pier at the bay. Today was a sunny day, but the wind made it still freezing… After a cab ride, I reached the temple and was pleasantly surprised - not crowded and relatively colorful. Bought some Year of the Tiger charms from the monks, and came across a small shop of a paper cuts artist - bought a paper cut of the year of the tiger and she gave me a sheet of her biography - very nice lady. Then I walked for a mile to the bay with a pier that reaches pretty far out in the sea. On the pier there were all sort of people trying to sell stuff - mostly it appeared illegally (as they hurriedly collected their wares a couple of times while I was there on what appeared the approach of police). I saw a guy display on the boardwalk sea stars (I think that is what they were called — I took pictures) pulled fresh out of the bay. They were beautiful - yellow undersides and blue-purple tops… I heard one of the mulling people asking or concluding “yes, they are good eating…” — oh, well too bad for the creatures… Given the freezing wind, it was amazing how many people were on the pier - my guess many of them visitors from the country side - the local Qingdao crowd was probably staying warm at home ;-) as the rest of us visitors were trying to catch a view of the ocean and city…and I don’t blame them - after about 10minutes on the pier I was ready to head to a warmer place… That turned out to be the local Parkson Dept. Store…after a quick walk through it - I headed out again and continued my walk along Zhongshan Lu and the near by streets. A detour brought me to an imposing church built on a hill of Zhongshan Lu…a remnant of the times the German residents occupied a large chunk of downtown Qingdao…(The story goes as such - Qingdao was surrendered to Germany in the late 18 hundreds after two German monks were killed in the city and German troops marched here) Took a lot of pictures - the architecture along side Zhongshan Lu is very interesting - you would think you are in a European town… By 4:30pm I was finally too cold, so I hailed a cab and headed back to the hotel. The cab was a VW Passat - admitedly a bit nicer than the VW Santana cabs which are prolific - but I had an interesting surprise - “luxury” comes at a price - the meter of that cab was quickly running up the tab… When I asked the driver “what gives…?” - his response was “well new model cab - new price…”. He sounded almost apologetic. By the time I got back to the hotel the meter was at RMB26 !!! While at noon the same trip cost me RMB17!!! What is that - over 50% markup… Another interesting observation - the paper cut of the Chinese Zodiak Year of the Tiger in a frame done by a local artist cost me RMB25 …hm…?!?! Peculiar…!?!? The difference between the local and global economy…

Browser	Percent
Internet Explorer	62.37%
Mozilla Firefox	30.1%
Safari	4.51%
Opera	1.13%
Chrome	1.02%