Category: airplane flights
Lost Luggage and Found…Managing Travel
December 13, 2018
How to keep track of your luggage
We decided to spend Christmas in Asia with our daughter this year. Rather than spend a long time in one place, we chose to spend a week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2 weeks travelling through Vietnam, then a final week in Bali. We selected one piece of luggage each and packed only what was necessary. When we arrived in Bangkok, both our suitcases were missing. Managing luggage before, during and after a flight whether lost or found, require a few planning steps.
Packing
Although we are travelling for 5 weeks, tropical countries don’t require the layers of clothing that Canadian winter does. We decided that a carry-on might limit space for things we might buy along the way since the countries we are visiting sell clothes in their markets for very reasonable prices.
I travel with my computer and camera equipment in a daypack so it is usually at its weight maximum once I add a few things I don’t want to be without on arrival. I chose a medium, solid side wheeled suitcase, and Peter chose a soft duffel bag with internal backpack straps. We knew that we had several flights and car rides to hotels every few days. We also had 3 people in a vehicle. Smaller seemed wiser. Compared to the 2 large and full bags I took to Cambodia last winter, this was a real downsizing for.
Carry on necessities
In addition to my camera, laptop and external drive, I include in my carry-on luggage anything I feel I wouldn’t want to replace. My contact lenses in their case come with me, but not the bottles of solution. The cleaner I use is not available in Asia so I pack big bottles in my checked bag. This is another reason that just a carry-on is too challenging for me).
Beijing, China was our layover on the way there and that airport is not very warm. My sister had to buy a parka for her layover a couple of year ago. I packed a fleece jacket, toque and gloves for our short stay there since it was December. I didn’t need the gloves, but the toque and jacket were very welcome. Most of the staff in the airport were in what we would consider “outside coats”.
The other items in my carry-on included my jewelry, my Kindle reader, a water bottle, a neck pillow for the plane and my noise cancelling headphones. Any medications would be advisable to include as well.
Of course I also bring along any travel documents, including my passport, boarding passes and my e-visa for Viet Nam. I usually take along a travel toothbrush when we fly for more than 12 hours, but somehow it didn’t make it this time.
You can really tell what you value most when you see what you pack in the bag that is going with you.
We’re in Bangkok…Our luggage is in Vancouver
We travelled from Calgary to Vancouver, Canada to Beijing, China to Bangkok, Thailand before carrying on to Chiang Mai, Thailand the next day. Our first leg was delayed while WestJet tried to sort out a mechanical issue. Eventually they put us on another plane to Vancouver where we arrived 40 minutes into our 79 minute layover.
It would appear that our bags never made that flight and were a day behind us all the way. After completing our time in the immigration line in BKK, the luggage carousel was pretty empty. Although we flew WestJet to Vancouver and AirChina the rest of the way, Thai Air was responsible for writing up baggage claims.
The agent not only wanted our baggage claims, but he also wanted all the boarding passes from our complete journey. I assumed that they served no purpose after you found your seat for each flight, but I was wrong. The baggage claim stickers were on the back of the first boarding pass. Usually I like to have them on the back of my passport so I know exactly where they are. I will check on that next time.
Lost luggage–Found!
The agent told us our bags had not made the AirChina flight to Beijing after only one quick phone call. Both suitcases would arrive at midnight the following day, about 24 hours after our arrival. As we would be in Chiang Mai by then, the agent told us they would be put on the first morning plane and be delivered to our hotel about 10am.
Montreal Convention 1999
We were not offered any compensation information and were told to contact the AirChina number written on the claim form. I looked on their website but missing luggage compensation was not described at all, except to say that a claim for lost luggage could be mailed to them. I am still not sure if the responsibility was actually WestJet’s.
The Montreal Convention 1999 is a legal document that protects passengers’s rights when flying. There are lots of good blogs explaining the details, but is essentially requires an airline to reimburse you up to about $1000 for items that you require between the time you arrive at your destination on an international flight, and the time your luggage arrives.
I only bought a couple of toothbrushes and some paste since I had everything that was important to me.
Amazingly, our suitcases were delivered right to our hotel within an hour of the time given to us. Both bags arrived with several RUSH tags affixed from each of the airports we had visited.
Plan ahead
Because we had all the paperwork required by the airline, and we had packed our carry-on with the things we cared about most, wearing the same clothes for a couple of days was not a big deal. Our itinerary was on our phones so we were able to start our next adventure without our luggage.
Luang Prabang, Laos…a visa run holiday
January 28, 2017
Since our visa extension was expiring soon, (see the blog on Travel Documents for Thailand), we decided to take a trip to Luang Prabang, Laos and have a visa run holiday. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, the town was described by the global body as “an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its unique, remarkably well-preserved townscape illustrates a key stage in the blending of these two distinct cultural traditions.” We can certainly see what is special about it and I want to share that with you.
Trip to Laos
Laos Airlines flies directly from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang every afternoon. It only takes an hour and cost us $234 USD each which included a box lunch on the plane. It was a propeller plane, but saves a stopover in Bangkok and it was an easy flight over the forested mountains into Laos.
We had completed our visa forms and arrival/departure cards on the plane. Since I amazed myself by packing some clothes and my camera gear into my daypack, we were quick to arrive at the visa line. We had pictures, passports, forms and $42 USD ready to go and moved quickly into a new country where we would be allowed to stay for 30 days if we wanted to.
A puzzle we haven’t been able to solve is why it costs more for Canadians to enter Laos than it does for anyone else in the world. It is $35 for Americans and only $40 for citizens from Afghanistan. Another part of the puzzle is why you pay in American dollars. They do accept Thai Baht, but the exchange rate they offer would discourage most travellers so have American currency. Fortunately we exchanged some Thai money for American at the airport in Chiang Mai.
Laos Money
Money in general is challenging to sort out here. The kip has been so devalued, that $1 CAD is the equivalent of about 6000 kip. A million kip is about $160. Although they have a 100 000 kip note, the bank machines often run out of cash. Many places take Thai baht or American dollars, but few places take credit cards. Once you leave the country, there are few places that will take kip in exchange for another currency.
The money exchange offices do a good business exchanging mostly American dollars into kip. We didn’t bring cash except for the visa payment so we used the ATM to take out money from our account at home. The exchange rate was much better for us than if we exchanged it at the booth. We did discover, however, that the ATM’s close to the money exchangers charged a 3% fee to withdraw funds. The bank ATM’s charged a flat rate of 20 000 kip (about $3). I read later that a bank machine near the market doesn’t charge any fees for withdrawals. This could be related to the company or bank that owns the ATM, but it would be worth paying attention to the fees, depending on whether you are taking out a large or a small amount of cash.
Phonesaseuth Guesthouse-link
I found a guesthouse on TripAdvisor, but chose to book it directly through the guesthouse website. I had also emailed the owner to let him know when we were arriving. For $35/night we got a room with a king size bed, tv, fridge and shower. It also included a hot egg breakfast with a large warm, white baguette and real drip coffee. The use of a bicycle and pick up and delivery to the airport were also part of the package. The webpage describes the bridge across the Nam Kham (the route to the main part of the city) as a rickety, rackety bridge. It was surprisingly sturdy, however. They have to take it down in the rainy season or it would just wash away.
The guesthouse is only 6 years old and was built where a coconut forest used to exist. It was built in the French Colonial style to match the UNESCO preservation expectations. It feels old but has wonderful wood stairs and dark furniture. The front staff here speak excellent English and went out of their way to make us feel welcome, even returning our missing phone to us at the airport.
Laos Expectations
I knew that Laos was a poor country with the GDP only $3000 per capita. During the Viet Nam War, this country was hit with more bombs by the Americans than Germany received during WW 2. The number of people living in poverty is very high as are illiteracy levels. I expected something much different that what I saw.
People here live in a fertile land. Forests cover the mountains and the Mekong River provides water, transportation and fish. The rainy season renews the land. Tourists flock here to see the old French buildings and experience a part of Asia that moves much more slowly and quietly than most other towns and cities.
The people themselves are so resourceful. Old houses are converted into guesthouses and cafes serve french food, Laotian food and even wonderful fusion food using fresh local ingredients. Silk, cotton and bamboo from Laos are woven into beautiful handmade scarves, bags and wall hangings. The textile industry is bustling here but you might not notice it for the artistic appeal of the products. Even old bombs are used to make metal items like spoons. There is a day market and a night market where they sell these products. Check the travel menu page for more pictures and details on Laos Textiles.
French Architecture
Farmers have terraced the land and grow lots of rice. Other fields are divided into small raised beds and grow lettuce, herbs and other fresh vegetables. We saw a water buffalo dairy on a side trip.
Kuang Si Waterfall
We rented a scooter and rode to a Natural Preserved area about 25 km away. The road was pretty smooth, although narrow considering it is the main road through the country from China to Cambodia. There were a few potholes but we did ok. The views on each side of the road were quite a contrast. The infrastructure still needs some work in Laos.
-
- Left side views
-
- Right side views
Bear Rescue Center
There was a village outside the park with lots of stalls selling fruits, grilled meat and locally made textiles. We had to pay about $3 to get in to this Area. The first thing we saw were bears! I love surprises.
The Bear Rescue Center was similar to one we visited for grizzly bears in West Yellowstone a couple of years ago. They rescue Asiatic Bears that trapped by poachers or whose mothers were killed. They are on display in large natural areas part of the time and in cages the rest of the time. We watched as a keeper placed food around the enclosure for the bears to find. These animals seemed pretty comfortable and I didn’t see any clear paths where they had been pacing. They were sleeping, eating or wrestling with each other. We saw about 12 bears altogether.
Waterfall
The park had many groups of people from all over the world. They were swimming in the pond, walking along the paths, taking pictures of the waterfalls and just enjoying the beauty of nature. The park contained several picnic tables, pathways, bridges, changing rooms and signs describing the importance of the many plants and animals. Like many of the places we are finding in Asia, this park could be anywhere in the world.
The falls themselves drain the mountains and eventually the water ends up in the Mekong River that starts in Tibet and after flowing through Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, passes through Viet Nam into the South China Sea. In this area, the water flows over limestone. As the rock breaks down from the flow of water, it gets carried along. The light reflects off the calcium carbonate in much the same way as the light does on glacier water in the Rockies, giving the ponds a lovely blue color.
The overall drop is 85m. If you look carefully you can see some swimmers standing 2/3 of the way up on the highest falls. In other places, it looked like the water was just flooding into the jungle. It is such a spectacular place that is so well preserved in a part of the world where people are more attuned to trying to feed their families.
I will leave you at the park and continue in another post describing the Royal Palace and some of the amazing food we discovered in Luang Prabang, Laos.
The truth about sleeping on a plane and how we got on the Great Wall of China
November 2, 2016
Experimental Selfie before take off.
Sleeping on a Plane
I follow @JohnnyJet on Twitter. He offers travel tips and ways to save money on travel. I have appreciated many of his suggestions, except for a couple on this trip. He tweeted his views on how to sleep on a plane. They made so much sense as I read them. Bring slippers or cozy socks. He talked about business travellers changing into pajamas for the flight, then changing back into their suit just before arriving. He shared his views on using a sleep aid like melatonin as something that might make you too dopey in case of an emergency. Since we had a 12 hour flight from San Francisco to Beijing that left at 1:30 am, I was so ready to try all of these ideas.
Now I have to say that the suggestion to have noise cancelling headphones was fantastic. I found some Bose comfort 20 in ear headphones. They were expensive at $279 but I can use them for everyday music listening and they really did cancel the engine noise on the plane. This plane still used the double holes for the headphone plug. Bring an adapter if you have one.
I also brought a neck pillow. It’s old but it clips onto my day pack and is filled with little beads. I saw some at the airport that were inflatable that would take up less space, but I haven’t tried them for effectiveness. A light neck scarf helped me when the temperature fluctuated on the plane. Air China provided us with a small pillow, that I kept in the small of my back, and a blanket. I had brought a pashmina to use as a blanket or to pad the armrest, and it would do double duty as a wrap in Thailand if I had to sit in air conditioning too long.
The cozy socks were an epic fail. I did take my shoes off, but once the plane takes off, you can’t get at your feet to put anything else on. Maybe passengers in business class can manage it, but I couldn’t.
The thing I would add is to put all of your sleep-on-the- plane items in one mesh or plastic bag. You can then pull everything out and leave it under your seat while your carry on or day pack goes in the overhead bin. Otherwise, 12 hours is a long time to sit with a big bag stuffed in the little place where your feet are supposed to go.
We sat in a window and middle seat so one could lean against the wall, as recommended, but our aisle seatmate fell asleep at takeoff and awoke 8 hours later. He didn’t drink a single thing on the plane and never had to get up to use the bathroom. I hate to wake someone up, but there is no way to get out of an economy row otherwise. Getting out to change from pajamas to clothes would be right out of the question. We are sitting in the 2 aisle seats in the center section when we return, which should solve that problem. Even 2 seats together in the center section gives you 2 options to exit for a stretch.
And lastly, take a full water bottle. Those little cups they serve don’t hold nearly enough to keep you hydrated for your adventures, even if you do have to get up and use the washroom as a result. I must admit, however, that I did sleep for about 6 hours of the flight. They served dinner at about 3:30 am but I had a pretty decent nap after that.
Our plane took off for Beijing on time and I was surprised at the flight path. It followed the coast of North America, crossed over the Aleutian Islands and flew through Russia to China. I guess it is shorter over the northern part of the globe and this route was reassuring as we were always fairly close to land.
Going to Beijing
I know you have been wondering why we flew to Beijing on our way to Chiang Mai. It is story on its own, but I have other stories ready that come later so I am combining this one with the flight. The main idea is that you just never know how things will turn out when you talk to people.
We met Michael and Grace in September in Kicking Horse campground near Field, BC. They were from Beijing and were camping for the first time ever Their stove and fuel bottle didn’t match so they wanted to cook over the fire. The problem was wet wood, no ax and no fire building skills. Grace saw our fire and came to borrow our ax. The way she picked it up showed definite inexperience so Peter-Bachelor of Phys. Ed. in Outdoor Pursuits- offered to help. Grace had stumbled upon the best fire maker in the campground They enjoyed the fire but cooked their meal on our back up stove, which we sent with them for the remainder of their trip through the Rockies and all the way to Yellowstone.
They returned the favor by cooking us a Chinese breakfast the next morning. We had fried eggs with soy/fish sauce, smoky pork sausages, pickled kelp and noodle soup, which isn’t breakfast food usually but it was on this day. When we explained our plans to travel to Thailand, they invited us to visit if we came to Beijing.
The most suitable flight for us from San Francisco included a 13 hour layover in Beijing, China. I thought that was enough time to either sleep or go out and do something. You can book tours to the Great Wall from the airport. I emailed Michael and Grace to see if this was the best use of our time and they offered to pick us up and take us there themselves. That is how we got a personal tour of the Great Wall of China on our way to Thailand and that is the subject of my next blog.