Posted by Jeff on Nov 17, 2009 in
Travel,
food Arrived at Hangzhou airport too early. They check by flights at the desk, not by airline so I can’t check in yet. So, I’m going to eat a little. Just had a confused exchange with the waitress. The menu said dumplings and 15 in one column and 58 in the other. I asked for dumplings and she asked how many. I assumed maybe it was 1 for 15 and so many for 58. I tried to find out how many for 58 and she kept saying 1. Then I asked about 15 and she said 1. It was a bit like who’s in first. I think we finally agreed that it was 1 order of 15 dumplings for 58 rmb. I guess I’ll know soon when it arrives! I also ordered coffee. Typical me, there is no such thing as just coffee. I settled on milk coffee on the menu. I’m hoping that means coffee with cream, but it might also be a latte. Or perhaps a coffee flat white as they say down under.
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Dumplings for breakfast
Argh…I was writing this on my phone using the new WordPress 2.0 app for iPhone. It doesn’t seem to work as well, imho, as the last one. It lost the end of my post and two photos I took of breakfast…fortunately, I took some back ups on the phone using the regular camera app.
White Coffee
By now, I’ve made it to Seoul, and have taken advantage of the nicest waiting lounge space I’ve seen in any airport anywhere. Air Korea maintains a lounge which wasn’t overwhelmed with people, for reasons unknown, that included places to get food, an Internet cafe, tv/movie space with cushy chairs, large lounge chairs built to take naps on, free showers, and a place to get a massage. I availed myself of the napping area and the massage…who can resist?
Now I’m “stealing” power from a telecom provider that has a posh setup with a bunch of MacBooks on nice tables to use for free. One of their stations is without a MacBook, buy the MagSafe connector is still here bolted to the table. I forgot and I packed into my check bag the converter for Korea, so I’m unable to plug in otherwise. Good thing I found this place. I’m surprised they use Macs as people told me that Korea is almost entirely PC-based…at least in schools that was the case.
Anyway, I am getting weird looks from the women who work here…I think they are not happy with me squatting in their space with my laptop. I think I’ll post this and move on…I can’t get enough power to be truly useful anyway since this flight will be 15 hours long, and I won’t have a power plug on board. Hopefully I won’t be sitting between two huge men like last time! Next stop New York City!
Tags: food, Hangzhou, Seoul
Posted by Jeff on Nov 11, 2009 in
Travel Tuesday night we all went out to a show. Called Nanta! it is a local variation on Stomp! The basic theme is a group of cooks who dance, act, and drum there way through a dinner preparation using kitchen knives, brooms, and more. The show was terrific, and a lot of fun. Fortunately, only a show like this, filled with loud drumming and funny antics could have kept me awake as my jet lag was killing me that night.
If you are in Seoul, I would highly recommend it for an evening’s excursion.
Many of the group were pulled on stage, and I managed some photos of Gavin and SoHee, but then got scolded for taking pictures!
Gavin and SoHee performing in Nanta!
Tags: Nanta, Seoul
Posted by Jeff on Nov 11, 2009 in
Travel 
Kim Chi! (translated: Cheese! OK not really...)
We ended the conference with a nighttime dinner cruise on the Han River. Thanks to our friends from Intel for sponsoring the fun for the evening
The cruise took us down the river and beneath many of the 20+ bridges that span the river Han that splits Seoul into two halves. On one bridge at 8:40 pm every night they have a water show. The bridge is equipped with water jets and lights that put on a waterfall show somewhat like (but not as spectacular…sorry my friends in Korea!) as the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
A bridge over the River Han
Tags: Han River, Seoul
Posted by Jeff on Nov 11, 2009 in
Travel,
food I arrived at the gate at the airport for my flight to Shanghai, and what I’d I find? Dunkin Donuts! Unfortunately the girl did not understand my order so I have coffee with cream and sugar instead of just cream. So, while it really does taste like Dunkin Donuts Coffee, my run of bad coffee incidents on foreign soil continues!
Things on Asia are smaller. I’m tall out here, and the large coffee is not so large 
Prior to finding the gate I stopped off for a bite to eat. 6000 won which is less then $5 and I got a nice serving of steamed dumplings. American airports could learn a little about food service from Asian airports!
Tags: coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Seoul
Posted by Jeff on Nov 8, 2009 in
Travel,
food Breakfast in the hotel consisted of a big buffet with a combination of Korean offerings, Japanese, Chinese, and “western” foods. Great juice bar where they were making fresh juices including kiwi, pineapple, orange, and grapefruit.
I continue to be coffee impaired on foreign soil. Not as bad as my inability to get coffee in Australia, but after my first cup the waitress gestured to my empty cup. I said yes and nodded, but I think she was asking “Are you done?” and not “Would you like another cup?” because after she took the cup it never returned!
Tags: breakfast, Seoul