Terrible In-Flight Meals and Hello Kitty

So here I am writing about my trip on the connecting flight to Bangkok. I have officially traveled forward in time (crossed the date line). So far, I've seen a few drinks, met some interesting people, had a few political conversations, eaten some questionable food, and experienced firsthand what it feels like to be sleep deprived.



My first flight, which was 13 hours long, was very interesting. I sat next to a man who was flying to Vietnam to visit family. This guy was really an interesting person. He really gave me an insight to what it is like in Vietnam along with giving me a few travel tips for when my friends and I get there. This guy was a Berkeley grad just three years after I was born!! He told me about his time in Berkeley, his various careers, and his coffee plantation in Vietnam.

The man next to him was from Cambodia and was retired, traveling around the world and enjoying the wonders of NOT WORKING. These two gentlemen were very eager to talk politics with me. We spoke about things like the Cambodian Genocide, the Vietnam War, Japan, Thailand (of course), and so many other things. They both seemed so eager to tell me what they thought about these topics. It was so awesome to see how friendly they were. Everyone I have run into so far has nothing but smiles and warm greetings. It is so refreshing to meet people like this who are completely opposite of the grouchy and antisocial people I run into occasionally back home.

I can say that I have never ever seen such disgusting airline food. I had some chicken and noodles for the first meal that was without a doubt the grayest/fattiest chicken I've ever had. My second meal was supposedly some sort of rice dish which was really some sort of rice sludge (porridge from what I've been told). There was some sort of weird “potato/eggplant/grey-green tofu” looking item on the plate as well. I stupidly tried it. What a mistake that was.

My layover in Taiwan was very interesting. Getting off the plane and rounding the corner I saw a Hello Kitty lounge. Wow. It's funny to see that Hello Kitty is still around. I had some Taiwan Beer (at 6 o'clock in the morning) along with some amazing pork dumplings of which I had to go back and get seconds (the dumplings and the beer).



The political situation in Bangkok right now is very unstable. The military has designated the protest areas as “Live Fire Zones”. Rest assured though, my friends and I are avoiding the Bangkok area until we have to return to go to school. We are looking into going to Phuket (I love incorrectly pronouncing that) to see some beautiful beaches and some amazing scenery whilst enjoying the lovely beverages the city has to offer. We are all hoping that the situation back in Bangkok settles down before we have to return for the summer session at Thammasat University. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Time to stow away my laptop before I get yelled at by the oh so friendly stewardesses.

(I'm uploading two posts at once-I've been away from internet access as well as a converter for my dead laptop for a few days now)