Toronto to Taipei - Eva Air Business Class | Travel Blog

Toronto to Taipei - Eva Air Business Class

 Toronto to Singapore via Taipei Nov 23, 2018

 Getting a boarding pass at the business counter at Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1 was a breeze. Eva Air business calls their business class Royal Business Class. There is no 1st class on this Boeing 777-300ER.

Plaza Premium Lounge

 The lounge Eva Air uses at Toronto Airport is the Plaza Premium lounge. The lounge is rather small and made up of only 2 sections. One is for dining and the other is for resting. Food selection was lacking.

 However, there is a shower facility, but you need to book first before using the shower. The overall lounge experience was not bad. Food tasted good and the lounge’s cleanliness was good as well, including the washroom.

 At the Gate

 I have noticed a lot of customers, mainly senior citizens, at the boarding area in both business- and economy-class lines. What struck me is that I have never seen this many senior citizens boarding on one plane before.

 My guess is that probably most of these senior citizens are leaving Canada to spend the winter in warm places in Asia and they will be back once winter is over. Toronto was very cold, reaching -20 on this date.

 Inside the Business Class Cabin

 Eva Air business class configuration is 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout. All lie-flat seats offer aisle access, so regardless of where you sit, you will have full aisle access. I chose a window on the left, so there was no one sitting next to me.

 The Amenity Kit

 The amenity kit provided 3Lab toiletries and there are 2 pouches. One is a smaller one made of leather-like material and the other one is made of fabric. Both of them look like high-quality products.

 Also, the sleeping set came with pajamas and a sleeping shirt.

 Food & Drinks

Food and drink selections were great. My main course was Lotus root and Shimeji Mushroom with Dan Zai Noodle. My dessert was fruit mango Charlotte Cake.

 After waking up from an hour sleep on the flat bed, my pre-breakfast was a beef burger with fries and coffee. My full breakfast was an Asparagus and Brie Omelette with Turkey sausage and Roesti potatoes.

 I don’t drink alcohol while flying, but for those who are interested, I picked some of the drinks available below.

 Champagne/Wine

 Veuve Clicquot La Geande Dame 2006 - Champagne

Comte de la Perriere-Silex 2017 AOC Sancerre - French White Wine

Chuteau Larmende 2011, Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux - French Red Wine

 Cocktails

 Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Gin Martini, Aurora, Passion Island

 Spirits

 Kavakan Single Malt Whisky

Glenfiddich Reserve Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Royal Salute 21 Years Scotch Whiskey

 Liqueurs

 Campari

Khula

Baileys Urish Cream

 This is not the full list. I just picked the top 3-5 from the list.

 The Washroom

 The washrooms were extremely clean and well-maintained. I had a feeling that after each use, the attendants cleaned and made sure everything is in order. Each time I visited, I found it spotless and things in place.

 The washrooms had one time toothbrush & toothpaste, mouthwash, and other female necessities. There was lotion, hand wash, cologne, and face spray in containers as well and I found them always full and no after-use dripping signs.

 Entertainment System

 There were fairly recent movies and TV shows, I watched Mission Impossible Fallout. Eva Air does not provide free WiFi in business class like Turkish Airlines.

 Final Thoughts

 My flight had a night mode feature on the ceiling, creating stars in the night sky. It looked really good when all lights were out and I liked it a lot.

 My overall business class flight experience with Eva Air was pleasant and satisfactory. This is my first time flying EVA AIR and I am looking forward to my next flight from Taipei to Singapore.

Chiang Mai; The Rose of the North

Chiang Mai - Best of Both Worlds

The world in which we live is such a diverse planet that even the most committed travelers will never get to see it all. This could easily be a depressing thought; that one life is not enough for us to see everything, and that no matter how far we travel and how much we spend we will still leave something undone. What it means, in practice, is that we have to pick and choose where we go. We need to decide what we want from our travel portfolio and leave undone some of the things that do not quite come up to the standards offered elsewhere. For some of us, it is enough to see a few countries of choice; for others, to see at least one country on each continent; still others, to see as much of the world as funds and free time permit.

More and more people are of the opinion these days that, no matter where else you visit, Thailand is a country which simply has to be visited. Positioned in a continent which already offers the wonders of Japan, Korea, China, India and Pakistan among others this is no small thing. There is already so much to see and do in Asia – what makes Thailand so special? For many of us, the answer is simply in a glance. Just to look at Thailand is to see a country which combines modernity and bustling metropolises with something that is becoming harder and harder to find in this world – sheer, unique natural beauty.

Thailand is one of the world’s most beautiful countries, with simple bucolic scenes as far as the eye can see. Among this, the metropolitan area of Chiang Mai allows the traveler the best of both worlds – indeed, the best of a number of worlds, with the aforementioned natural beauty adjacent to shopping that compares favourably with many other cities, and the amazing old-fashioned buildings which are Thailand’s hallmark – beautiful Buddhist temples and traditional settings which are always worth visiting. There is much to see and do in Chiang Mai. Festivals are frequent and showcase the best of the region – from classical dance and music to traditional handicrafts – as well as the wonderful cuisine of the region.

Chiang Mai is one of Thailand’s most diverse regions. With a population in the metropolitan area of close to one million people, there are residents from a number of different tribal backgrounds. There is however virtually no clash of cultures, simply a peaceful co-existence which would make most visitors from the busier cities of the world somewhat envious. This may be why another one million people pour into the city every year from all over the world. If the mere feeling of good-natured welcome is not enough to put you at your ease, Chiang Mai is also one of the best places in which to experience the wonders of Thai massage – if you have time you can learn the basics yourself, otherwise why not simply put yourself in the hands of an expert and feel your worries float away?

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on Sep 26, 2009.

Why Should You Visit Bangladesh Now?

Bangladesh Ranks Lonely Planet Best Top Ten Value Travel Destination

Lonely Planet is a well-known travel content-providing company that publishes travel guides, online publications, travel videos, and much more. Each year, Lonely Planet comes up with Top Ten travel destinations under several categories, and for 2019 Bangladesh takes 7th place as the top value travel destination for 2019.

This totally coincides with my recent Bangladesh trip. Bangladesh is not well known as a tourist spot in the world yet, but that definitely will change in the near future.

The main advantage of visiting Bangladesh before it gets too popular is the rarity of tourists. Places to visit in Bangladesh are still not crowded and you will hardly come across too many foreigners except in the capital Dhaka. Locals consider foreigners as guests and the celebrity-like treatment you will get everywhere you go is hard to find anywhere else on earth.

Bangladesh has endless attractions, both natural and historical, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The world’s longest sea beach at Cox’s Bazar, the mangroves and Royal Bengal tigers in Sundarbans, Ratargul Swamp Forest, Saint Martin Island are only a few to mention.

But if you need only one reason to visit Bangladesh before anything else, that would be the value you will get out of your own currency. This is one of the most inexpensive countries on earth and a dollar stretches beyond imagination. A cup of tea or a bottle of water costs 25 cents, a street food full-course meal costs $2 to $3, a fancy restaurant full-course meal costs $10 to $15, a first-class luxury train berth sleeper (it’s like train’s lie flat business class) from Dhaka to the other region in Bangladesh costs $12 to $15; the same trip by plane costs about $30 to $35. Are any more examples necessary? I don’t think so.

I have lots of Bangladesh Travel Videos from my trip and I am planning to visit this great country, which is not a popular travel destination yet, in the near future.

This Is Where Gandhi Stayed His Last 144 Days

Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum

Gandhi Smriti (used to be Birla House) or Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum is where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on 30 January 1948.

Gandhi, a noble man who was the epitome of piety, goodness and unselfishness, and who professed peace and non-violence, was shot dead after he had said his prayers.

There are footsteps that show the path on which Gandhi last walked from his residence to the garden. This is where this symbol of peace and non-violence was murdered.

If you are in New Delhi, visiting Gandhi Museum should be a must. But for now, you can watch my video of the Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum. During my India trip, I made several videos of historic sites such as the Taj Mahal, India Gate, Gandhi Museum, and much more. All these videos from my India travels can be found here:

India Travel Vlog | Destination New Delhi & Agra

India Gate Tour, New Delhi | Travel India

India Gate Tour

India Gate, also known as Delhi Memorial or All-India War Memorial, was built in 1931 (designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens) to commemorate the 70,000 Indian and British soldiers who gave their lives fighting for the British Army during World War I between 1914 and 1919.

The sandstone arch monument memorial in New Delhi is about 138 feet (42 metres) in height and bears the names of more than 13,500 British and Indian soldiers inscribed in smaller letters on the monument.

An eternal flame burns 24 hours under the arch to remind us of the soldiers who gave their lives for a better tomorrow.

Watch my India Gate Travel Video to experience this historic monument. Follow me on YouTube if you’d like to keep updated with all my travel videos around the globe.