Asia Pacific, it has been a long time!

July 24th, 2016.

Though i guess the day started on July 22nd, 2016. A Friday. The US to Asia flights typically leaves during the wee hours of the morning. Our flight from SFO to Taipei was no exception. 0140 hour departure on July 23rd required us to check in at the China Air counter on the evening of July 22nd 2016. So, there we were, just shy of 2200 hours on July 22nd, getting out boarding passes for the trip. Just the bits that concerns getting from SFO to Singapore (SIN... rather funny). We will need to repeat the process of boarding pass getting when we fly from SIN to Taipei and then, finally, Taipei back to SFO.

The trip is in two parts. The first being a visit to the Biopolis and the Singapore Bioprocessing Technology Institute specifically. Dr. Andre Choo, a long time collaborator of CanFel and someone i first met during the days at Raven, and his lab are the reasons for the visit. i am to abuse their flow cytometers to better characterize some of the CanFel cell lines and, most importantly, make the personal connection with one and all. Along the way, Jenn and i got roped into giving a talk as well. Well, i got roped in, Jenn, defying expectations, volunteered. The second part of the trip is to visit Taiwan, my home country that i have been absent from for 13 years. There will be visits to my relatives in the southern city of Kaohsiung and we will just catch my cousin Paul returning from the US in Taipei before we leave. So, all the relative bases covered i think.

Because this was in part business, Jennie had insisted on purchasing the plane tickets with her RMB earnings working as an advisor for Rong Hao's concern in China. There is some rule in China about how she can not take the RMB she earns in China out. Well, at least not easily legally. It being China and her people being Chinese, there are probably a myriad of ways but there is no amount of money to wash away that feeling of yuck and eww. So, as a way to spend her monies, she bought us tickets in Business class for the flights out to Asia. Extravagant, i agree, but for a 14 hour flight, i am quite glad that she splurged. It just means that i am that much more guilt ridden.

i've always enjoyed the experience flying China Air. Say what you will about their pricing and what not. Their service is still one of the best in the business and the food is quite delicious. Well, i should say that i have been lucky enough to fly business every time i've flown China Air so... yeah. The egalitarian side of me is cringing. Well, cringe aside, the flights this time were not to disappoint. i've never slept well on planes. The cabin is always too warm to sleep comfortably for me, and something about flying just doesn't give me good sleep. However, since there is that talk hanging over my head, and the fact that i am giving it in the afternoon of the Monday that i am here, and the fact that i somehow confused the dates and thought i had more time to work on the slides, not being able to sleep is great. i worked on the slides. Until breakfast is served. Breakfast on China Air. That is what i look forward to. The white rice porridge. With all the add-ons. i remember not liking it as a kid since that was what we had most weekend mornings. However, now that i am older and haven't been home in 13 years (and before that only in 2-5 year intervals), the act of eating it is an act of remembrance and fondness. It was good. It was very good. It was very very happiness inducingly good. In the 13 years' time, they have not changed it very much. i was so excited eating it that i had dumped all the pork floss onto my bowl of porridge before i even remembered to take a photo of it. Ah well. Well worth it!

White rice porridge for the win!

Taipei was a mere layover on this leg of the trip out. However, it did suggest the type of climate we will be looking forward to in a week's time. Hot and sticky. As we landed, the announcement pegged the weather as overcast and cloudy with the temperature of 86*C. It was 0630 hours. Sun rise had just happened not an hour ago. The air in the jet way was heavy with moisture. It was the tropical summers of my childhood all over again. Except for the fact that i had not experienced it since i came to the states. Most of my visits back being around the Christmas holidays. The business class ticket allowed us access to the China Air lounge, which was an escape from the heat and humidity. However, being dark and, in many places, rock lined, it felt like a strange cool cave. Then all thoughts of cave went out the window when we settled down to the food offerings at the lounge. i have a soft spot for Asia ketchup (runnier, tangier version of what Heinz tastes like, it is an Asian thing... or British, since Brit ketchup has a similar flavor profile) especially when it is on well fried hash browns. The food offerings had both those items. Then there was the noodle station. So yeah, pretty much honed in on the noodles (dry noodles with Taiwanese braised minced pork and bok choy (to which i added a bit of sesame oil, chili oil, and hot sauce). Then we split a bowl of beef noodle soup sans noodles (i guess just beef soup?). It was a nice repast before another flight. The 4 hour flight form Taipei to Singapore. When we got to the departure gate and sat down, i took this quick snap just because it was the weather. The gate area was cooled by three giant air conditioning units (didn't help that the gate areas were built back before A/C were common and were thus all very high ceilinged). The cold temp of the A/C cooled gate area transferred itself to the glass which has, on the other side, the tropical humidity and heat of Taiwan summer morning. This photo was taken on a rainless, overcast day at around 0710. All that condensation was extracted from the outside air hitting the cooler glass of the gate window.

Now, we are in Singapore, and, along the way, had a rather nice luncheon served on board as well. The luncheon had a rather strange tourine. Duck liver mousse in the center surrounded by compressed chicken and bits of vegetables. Quite tasty really. Though neither the Chinese nor English description suggested such an item of food. It was also supposed to be sitting atop a pumpkin avocado salad. What was served was a pumpkin salad that was presented in a way reminiscent of potato salad. Nothing in that salad suggested avocado. Which i am not sure is a bad thing. The most interesting thing about the salad was the miniature corn, as you can see in the more salad focused photo, it was neatly blackened on one side!! Of the choices offered (shrimp, chicken thigh, or pork), i chose the pork. In a sauce that reminds me of bulgogi but with a nice robust kick of ginger to it. Quite pleasant. Dessert was a cheesecake with sour cherries. Jenn's server brought her a bowl of fruits but mine didn't (they each had one side of the cabin, Jenn's server's side of the cabin were all fruited, my side were all sans fruit... it was quite funny). However, since Jenn is allergic to pineapples and the fruit consisted of a slice of pineapple with a slice of guava (oh, tropical fruits, how i have missed you) and two slices of dragon fruit, Jenn gave the fruit bowl up to me to finish.

Taipei to Singapore luncheon is served!

And now, we are checked into the hotel. There is tropical rain/thunderstorms coming and going. Here on the 17th floor, however, it is quite a nice view of the city of highrise buildings Looking forward to exploring in the coming days!

grilled baby corn!

mmmm... dessert!