Laura's Trip

On the way over, I was able to fly business class.  Mind you, it's not first class (At least not on United. No worries, I'll switch to Delta from now on since they don't make a distinction between the two), but it is ultra fancy.  How fancy?  Well:

And that's just the airline club for business-class ticket holders.  Seriously though, it was a nice lounge with a selection of fresh foods and beverages, an assortment of international magazines and a nice place to sit and wait.  I tried some vermouth and found it to be actually kind of nice.  

The flight was all right.  They've got these seats that are really a sort of electronic recliner.  You can get them to be a flat bed, but they're still sloped at a 10 or 15 degree angle which is a bit distracting.  I didn't sleep terribly much, but got in a few hours between movies.  

The food was done well.  I had an appetizer of mozzarella and pate, a light salad, sea bass and roasted vegetables, with a dessert of cheesecake.  The beverage list was long, but when I saw an ice wine available, I asked for a glass.  It turns out ice wine is best enjoyed in a very very small glass, which is not what they served.  Fruity and sweet, I was unable to finish the entire glass, and felt bad about wasting it.  Mid-flight they offered ramen, fruit, and paninis.  Near the end of the flight they offered roasted chicken with potatoes and a custard tart with candied fruit on top.

After the flight, Miki (my coworker) rented a local phone for our project work, and I found an ATM to get some cash.  The airport was pretty large, and midway down the arrivals area, there was a group of four male vocalists giving a concert on a stage.  The concert was well attended, and they seemed fairly good at what they were doing.  I can't speak for the Korean songs, but the ones they sang in English were good.

Miki and I explored the airport, walking around the restaurants and shops.  I found out where Ian was going to come in, and went to meet him with a sign.  An hour later, he came out from a different arrival point.  Apparently the officials directed him out through an alternate gate.  I guess when you get off the plane makes a difference in the length of the lines at customs and immigration.  After that, we took a train to a train to a cab to the hotel.  Despite flying in more cramped conditions, Ian was the only one to stay awake on the bullet train to Asan, but he made sure we were all ready to get off in time for our stop.

It was a long trip, but we made it.