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Japan Jaunt to Okinawa (China Airlines economy with a bonus)

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  • #16
    Blue Okinawan sea.






    Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, the 3rd largest in the world. The stars of the aquarium are the 2 gigantic whale sharks.






    And the popular dolphin show.




    Dinner at a busy local joint.




    Sea grapes or Green caviar. A local delicacy, which is actually a type of seaweed found in Okinawan waters.




    Squid ink risotto, also a popular Okinawan dish.




    Fried fish and Grilled Agu (Okinawan pork).




    Kokusaidori in the day.




    Salted softee with salt toppings to cool down? Weird as it may sound, but it actually tasted quite nice!




    First Makishi Public Market.

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    • #17
      Seafood sold in the market.










      There are also various eateries above the seafood market.




      Chose to eat at this stall. Had a selection of Okinawan cuisine. The weirdest was the salted moonfish on tofu... acquired taste...








      A stall famous for its Sata Andagi (Okinawan deep-fried doughnuts).






      Another view of Naha city




      Simple Mos Burger meal

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      • #18
        Making the trip back to Naha Airport via monorail again. Extension is being built at the International Terminal.




        The current terminal is rather small. There was a long queue for baggage screening before the entrance into the check-in area.




        Very busy at the CI check-in counters as well for the B747 load of passengers.




        Boarding passes for both sectors and a ticket jacket issued.




        Bit of a queue at security screening before immigration but it moved fast.




        The departure lounge was just a row of gates with seating and a few duty-free shops and eateries. Very basic layout.






        Limited edition Royce chocolates only sold in Okinawa!




        Arrival of the grand dame from Taipei.








        Boarding gate.

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        • #19
          13 August 2017
          China Airlines
          CI 121
          Naha Okinawa (OKA) - Taipei Taoyuan (TPE)
          B747-400
          B-18208
          Economy Class (Business Class cabin)
          Flight Time: 1H11M



          Time to board. As you may have noticed, I would be seated in the Upper deck Business Class cabin again!






          Hong Kong Airlines A330 parked beside.




          To the Upper deck. This aircraft was retrofitted with the newer angled lie-flat beds, which are similar to those on some airlines such as on Thai B747s and Turkish A340s. However the overhead bins were still of the older and smaller verison. Again, pillows and duvets were pre-set on each seat.








          Seat controls.




          Noise-cancellation headphones were also available, and ads were running on the much larger IFE screens.




          View from the window.




          Upper deck was rather full on this sector. Observed that the purser also came around to welcome the status passengers. Doors closed and we pushed back.




          A short taxi to Rwy18 for departure to Taipei.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1au7db3_bo



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          • #20
            Climbing out of Okinawa.






            Same retro-looking headsets but with updated IFE handset.




            Finishing up on the movie which I had still yet to complete.




            Meal service commenced immediately and we were served by 2 crew on the upper deck, one of whom is a Japanese crew. Service was friendly and efficient.




            Unlike the previous flight, the refreshment was served in a paper bag. It consisted of a piping hot pizza puff, a botthle of water and a cookie. Coffee and tea was also also offered. The meal was acceptable for the short sector, but not as tasty as the hot main on the previous flight.












            Overflying one of the Okinawan islands.




            Visit to the lav, which was stocked with the Business Class amenities.

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            • #21
              View of the cabin. A Taiwan customs information video was being played just prior to descend.




              Connecting gates information was available on the IFE.




              Descending into Taipei.




              Crew making the Japanese arrival announcement.




              Approaching Taipei, flying pass the Tamshui district. Lover's Bridge could be spotted.






              Landing on Rwy23R.

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-59_Dxd2Owg


              Parked at the gate.




              Last look at the cabin during disembarkation. Not sure when would I have the chance on fly on a B747 upper deck again in the future...






              It was a great ride on the majestic B747!




              Again a very pleasant flight on the CI B747, especially with the chance to fly on the upper deck in the Business cabin. Totally enjoyed it!

              Had a 2hrs transit in Taipei and went to the Plaza Premium Lounge again. As the next flight departs from Terminal One, I went to the T1 lounge instead. The Plaza Premium T1 Lounge has slightly different offerings from the T2 Lounge.

              Interior of the lounge.



              Last edited by ycp81; 31 August 2017, 12:37 AM.
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              • #22
                The food offerings in the Plaza Premium T1 lounge is different from that in T2.












                Departure gate for the last sector.




                Boarding had just commenced. It would be a very full flight.





                13 August 2017
                China Airlines
                CI 751
                Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) - Singapore (SIN)
                A330-300
                B-18351
                Economy Class
                Flight Time: 4H03M



                The aircraft operating the TPE-SIN-SUB flight.




                Queuing to board.




                Boarding the aircraft and proceeding to my seat in the rear economy cabin. As usual, pillows and blankets were pre-set on each seat.





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                • #23
                  Boarding in progress




                  View out the window.




                  Inflight magazines and headset. Unlike the SIN-TPE sector, we got proper headsets this time round with much better sound quality.






                  Boarding completed but there were 3 "lost-in-transit" passengers and their bags needed to be offloaded.




                  Bags offloaded, doors closed and safety video was played.

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzIUoXG73sU




                  Taxi to the ruway.









                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO-g5Am1TEw


                  Takeoff from Rwy23L bound for Singapore.

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2_IYZ2Z7k

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZEVfhVE-xQ

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei2KpIQ2cF4



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                  • #24
                    Climbing out of Taoyuan airport.








                    The IFE screen, though small, had better resolution on this newer aircraft.




                    A bar run was conducted. I had an apple juice with the delicious rice-crackers snack.




                    Overflying the southern port city of Kaohsiung.






                    Meal service started shortly after we left the coast of Taiwan. Service was very friendly and warm by the crew. Interestingly, there were 2 Thai crew (it was announced) among the crew onboard. On there SIN-TPE sector, there was one Thai crew as well.




                    Meal selection was either Chicken with pasta or Seafood curry with rice. I chose the pasta. Came with starter, fruits, warm roll with butter and a dessert cookie (similar to the OKA-TPE sector). The main course tasted rather bland as compared to meals served on the previous sectors.







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                    • #25
                      The other choice was the Japanese Seafood curry with rice.




                      Spent the flight watching a Korean action comedy.




                      Flight path






                      Descending and landing into Changi Rwy20R, almost 30min ahead of schedule.













                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrTiGLB8ZQw


                      Taxied to and parked at Terminal 3. The aircraft would have an hour's stopover before continuing to Surabaya.




                      Disembarking




                      My first experiences with China Airlines has been rather pleasant. Service is generally good and catering is decent. Cabin interiors may not be the newest (depending on the aircraft) but the "upgrades" to the upper deck Business cabin on the B747 sectors is definitely a huge bonus especially for the fare paid! Definitely will have no qualms flying with China Airlines again in the future.
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