Our trip began with a 14-hour confinement aboard an EVA air 747. Unlike my previous flight, the plane wasn’t crowded and we had our pick of the seats. For practicality’s sake, I choose to sit in the aisle seat of an exit row; A position which afforded me a luxurious amount of legroom for my 6’3″ frame.
The only problem was that we were very near the galley and the stewardesses had a regrettable tendency to step on my feet when they exited carrying trays of food. What this says about the stewardesses’ gracefulness or the size of my feet, I cannot say. However, on more than one occasion they tried to convince me that I’d be happier in one of the other “normal” seats. How little they understood my situation!
This was my first flight on EVA airlines and I only had Singapore Airlines as a comparison. The EVA Air crew were very professional and efficient, but the service lacked the polished edge of Singapore Air and the food just wasn’t as good, but I really had no complaints. We took off and landed on time and the fare was quite reasonable.
We arrived late at night on the 15th of December at the Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport outside Taipei. We caught a bus to the Leofoo hotel in the city arriving just minutes after midnight. The MacDonald’s down the block had closed their doors at midnight and I was left to go to sleep hungry contemplating the posters for the new “Peppersteak Hamburger” that adorned the MacDonald’s windows.
Notes from the 21st Century
As you may detect from the text of this narrative, the final draft was written after my return from this trip. I’ve chosen to re-post them into the blog on the day the events took place.