I've often said that most folks, when asking about my adventures, are most interested in things that go wrong and in that regard the start of this adventure was more adventurous than I prefer: The Ventura Shuttle from Ventura to LAX raced the 30-something passenger van down Highway 1 like he was trying to escape from a chase -- throwing us from side to side and squealing the tires. About the time I decided I'd had enough and was going to speak up, we were close to getting to the end of this "thrill" ride -- so I disembarked with a commitment to myself to spend some time both letter writing and making Trip Advisor and Yelp reviews. Not that it will do any good but unfortunately for the driver, I like to write. In addition, the experience will encourage me when planning for future trips to, when possible, use Amtrak/Metrolink and the LAX FlyAWay bus. When faced with the same trek in the future, I'll arrive prepared to use my phone video to capture and report the crazy-ass shuttle driver who wasted lots of time loading 19 prepaid passengers at a snail's pace and in passing out promotional pens, luggage tags and business cards. Somehow the business hasn't gotten the message that what really earns repeat business is good customer service and comfort, not promotional knick-knacks.
Now for the good (pessimists among you can skip the rest of this posting!). I was delighted to connect with Todd at the International terminal as prearranged and begin the brothers' adventure. And with a little good luck on timing, we were able to access a nearby lounge (a benefit of some legal credit card "hacking" l will post about another time) and enjoy free beers, snacks, and comfort, to toast the start of this "Wild Idea" trip.
Given my enjoyment of easy access to toilets by aisle seating, I booked adjacent aisle seats -- but good luck was with us as they closed the aircraft door with the middle 4 seats to myself allowing us to take the center section aisle seats with two empty seats between us. The adequate knee room seating, meals, entertainment system, and attendants left us impressed with China Airlines on the very new Boeing 777. We each managed a few hours of sleep on the 14 hour flight. In our 3+ hour layover in Taipei we enjoyed another airline luxury lounge with lots of free food and drink again courtesy of the same credit card promotional benefit mentioned above.
The 5 hour flight from Taipei put us back on another beautiful China Airlines 777 where we had adjacent aisle seats and enjoyed the same great amenities. I am writing this as we prepare to land in Bali.
