Himalaya climbers and armchair enthusiasts alike have no doubt heard of Miss Elizabeth Hawley, the 84 year old woman who has become THE athuority on Himalayan climbing and climbers. She's a legend in Nepal and the climbing community in general, and you haven't officially summitted if Miss Hawley doesn't say so.

Alan has a great post about her today on his Everest 2007 page and his description of his first encounter with her had me chuckling out loud.

Miss Hawley has been the chronicler of Himalayan climbing for more than 45 years and has released her detailed and accurate, though unofficial records, in a book and CD-ROM that follow climbing in the region from 1905 to 2003. Her Himalayan Database is considered to be the authorative source of information on Himalayan climbs.

Just a few quick pictures to whet your appetite while I work on getting things back to normal in resuming my usual posting schedule. I took these two shots while on safari and I think they turned out really well. They are two young male lions, both of them were hunting together, and while we watched them, they stalked a small hard of wildebeasts for about twenty minutes or so.

More to come soon, I promise! :)

Yes, that looks pretty nasty above: those chunks of chicken were huuuge! Well, this was United Airlines' rendition of "Singapore Chicken Rice." To my surprise, the rice wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, as they actually put a reasonable amount of flavor in there. But alas, ultimately this was still not the real thing, especially since the chili sauce was sweet. It's funny; one would have thought that their caterer in Singapore would have known how to make this more authentic...unless that's what United intentionally tried to avoid?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
The answer? It depends.

This time, I'm not referring to visual plagiarism but to the imitation of style and copying of unimaginative itineraries in the travel photography tours/workshops industry.

Many travel photographers recently awoke to the fact that tours and workshops can add a little something to their bottom line (actually, big and small name photojournalists are doing it as well), and their offerings are all over the internet. Their target market is made up of working and non-working photographers, who seek to build an inventory of images, either to show friends and neighbors, enter and hopefully win competitions, or to sell as stock and to publications.

All this sounds lovely but regrettably, the disease currently afflicting photojournalism seems to have spread into travel photography as well. It's rather disconcerting to see a lack of imagination in many travel photography tours, a frequent "borrowing" of regular tourist itineraries, and the liberal sprinkling of the sentence "photo-shoot" and "wake up at dawn" and similar verbiage in the marketing blurbs, as if that's enough to give legitimacy to the notion that these trips are really tailored for photo enthusiasts.

As regular readers of this blog know, I've swatted off a number of attempts by established travel photographers to either flagrantly filch my itineraries (inclusive of hotel names) or to get a copy of my mailing list for my photo~expeditions, or to join that mailing list to get advance notice of my itineraries. Oh, yes...corporate espionage is alive and well in the travel photography workshop business, but that's par for the course.

Have I consciously imitated any other travel photographers as far as itineraries are concerned? Sure, I may have been inspired by some, but I always avoided cookie-cutter itineraries (excepting Bhutan, where these are based on annual festivals), and I consistently base my itineraries on what and where I want to photograph...not on what and where others want to photograph. And the formula works...with my expeditions often with long waiting lists.

Speaking of inspiration: 24 months ago, I introduced multimedia storytelling tutoring using Soundslides on my photo-expeditions, so I'm chuffed to see others have just started to offer it as well. Soundslides...not SlideShowPro, Final Cut Express or other software choices.

Dwindling viable opportunities, reduced prices for images, tougher competition and increased costs are the reasons many travel photographers cut corners, and look for guidance, inspiration and successful examples to emulate; and as a result, some cross the invisible line and become unimaginative imitators.

So back to my question. Is imitation flattery or buggery? It depends on how the one being imitated actually views it, and what is being copied. Some will consider it a rip-off...others -as I do- consider it the sincerest form of flattery.

You see, it's not buggery unless one is willing to be buggered...but let's also remember, taking without giving back is bad karma.

Lets wrap up the week with another beautiful timelapse video from Iceland. The landscapes there never fail to amaze and no matter how many photos or videos I see from that country, the more I'm captivated by its beauty. I really do need to get there at some point. It looks like such a wild and untamed place, and this particular video does an exceptional job of capturing that spirit.

Waterfalling in love with Iceland from GAntico on Vimeo.

BackPackingLight.com the propoents for going "fast and light" while in the backcountry have launched a cool new series which will follow Matt Hage and Agnes Stowe as they attempt to climb Denali while carrying little more than 30 pounds of gear.

The two are scheduled to go to the mountain in June, when the climbing season there begins, and will attempt the West Buttress route, the most popular on the mountain. Typically, the packs loaded down with gear on Denali weigh in the 60 pound range, but obviously this being Backpacking Light, they'll be traveling with much less gear that would probably be called minimalist at best.

There is a podcast interview with Matt on the page I linked to above. This will be his fifth Denali climb, and he has summited once before. For Agnes, this will be her first go at the highest mountain in North America. In the podcast, Matt talks about their gear, the food they are bringing along, and their thoughts on how they will approach the climb. They are expected to check in by Sat Phone several times throughout the climb.

This should be fun to watch. Good luck Matt and Agnes!

Spanish climbers Manu Cordova and Javi Bueno are well known for putting up new routes in their home country and the Alps. When the weather turns bad in they favorite climbing spots, they head to the Sierra de Guara to find new challenges. The video below is a fantastic short film about their exploits and one of the better climbing movies that I've seen in awhile. The region that they are climbing in looks simply amazing, with plenty of excellent routes to explore. If you have 20 minutes to kill, I definitely recommend checking this video out.

Historias de cordada from Boreal Video on Vimeo.

If you'd like to see daily images and information on Ireland's incredible heritage sites please consider following us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+

North Cork is a beautiful part of the country, and alongside the banks of the River Funcheon that winds its way through the rich pastureland you can find Glanworth, a village full of heritage and history with a number of great medieval buildings to explore.

Glanworth is thought to be associated with a branch of the Eoghanacht, the ancient ruling dynasty of Munster during the early medieval period, however no visible remains from that time can be seen today. Instead much of the historic structures in the village date to the medieval period, following the Norman invasions. This area of Cork was granted to two brothers called de Caunteton (whose later descendants became Condon). They constructed a castle with a manor and town. By the end of the thirteenth century, Glanworth passed into the hands of David Roche through marriage, and his descendants remained there until they lost their lands after the Cromwellian confiscations in the seventeenth century.

 

The first place we stopped at Glanworth was at the medieval friary. This was founded by the Roaches for the Dominican Order in 1475. Unfortunately only the church remains of the monastic site as there are no above ground traces of all the other monastic buildings including the dormitory, cloisters and refectory. The church is quite plain, a long rectangular building with a tall tower. It does have a very fine window on the eastern wall and is well worth a visit if you’re in the village.

The fine gothic east window in Glanworth Friary

You can access Glanworth Castle through the grounds of the lovely Glanworth Mill. The castle is strategically positioned high on a rock outcrop and would have been an effective defensive position overlooking a key crossing point of the River Funcheon. 

Glanworth Castle positioned high on the limestone outcrop

It was first constructed by the de Cauntetons in the thirteenth century. Archaeological excavations at the castle revealed that the castle was constructed in four key phases, the first phase was a simple rectangular hall-keep surrounded by a strong wall which had a gatehouse in the western side. The main structure was the hall-keep, which served both as a defensive redoubt and a lordly residence, 

The hall-keep at Glanworth

this type of building was usually split into two floors with the ground floor being defensive and the upper floor containing the great hall and domestic quarters. You can see other similar examples of Glanworth’s hall-keep at Rindoon in County Roscommon and at the Rock of Dunamase in County Laois. Soon after the first phase was completed, the gatehouse was extended and converted into a domestic residence. During the fifteenth century in the third phase of the castle, the gatehouse was transformed into a fashionable towerhouse. During the fourth and final stage of construction at Glanworth in the early seventeenth century, a kitchen was constructed inside the walls. The castle was badly damaged by the Cromwellian General Ireton’s artillery in 1649, and never recovered as a defensive site.
You can get some lovely views over the River from the castle, where you can see the beautiful sixteenth or seventeenth century bridge.

Glanworth Castle

We did not get a chance to see it ourselves, but the ruined nineteenth century Church of Ireland church is on the site of where the medieval parish church would have been, and apparently you can still see traces of this earlier church, with medieval graveslabs reused as headstones and parts of medieval walls are still visible. 

The town of Glanworth is certainly worth a visit, and there are a number of great heritage sites nearby too like the impressive Labbacallee Wedge Tomb.

If you have a suggestion for a site I’d love to hear it, please let us know by dropping us a line at info@abartaaudioguides.com or on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, where you can keep up with daily pictures and information about wonderful heritage sites in Ireland.

If you’d like to support us please consider downloading an audioguide from my website www.abartaaudioguides.com. They are designed to be fun and informative whether you are at the site or from the comfort of your own home. Try our audioguide to Glendalough, available for just €1.99 from www.abartaaudioguides.com

Glanworth Castle

Photo © Kate Baumgartner-All Rights Reserved
Kate Baumgartner describes herself as an avid photographer, and that may well be an understatement.

Based in Hong Kong, she photographed to Cambodia, Burma, India, China, Namibia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam...returning with splendid photographs, like the one above of the Cao Dai monks. Cao Dai is the relatively new, syncretist, monotheistic religion established in 1926 in Vietnam.

Take a look at Kate's gallery of photographs under the Religion category, and you'll find many of the different faiths and traditions of Asia, including the unusual rituals during the Thaipusam festival in Singapore, which is celebrated mostly by the Tamil community. On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads and undertake a pilgrimage during which some will engage in self-mortification by piercing their skin, tongue or cheeks with skewers.

India Khumbamela from SENSES on Vimeo.

Here's a movie by Spanish photographer Luciano Rodriguez Pena, made during a recent trip to India. It features two main events during the first three months of this year: Haridwar Kumbh Mela and Holi. I liked the colors (as befits a country such as India) and the tremendous energy which the movie imparts. I wish there was a different soundtrack to it, but the stills and the movie make up for that.

Luciano is a Nature & Travel photographer, and teaches digital photography in various photography schools in Madrid.

Holi is a festival of color and was recently celebrated all over India. It's an exuberant festival which aims at infusing fresh hope to people as it marks the end of the winter days and the start of summer. The Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is a three month-long bathing festival along the Ganges river which occurs every 12 years, and about 50 million Hindu devotees performing their prayers and washing away their sins in river's waters are expected in this holy city.

Thailand's welcome mat rolled back in

Last night Roland drove his friend to LAX. His friend bought a home and a business and is moving abroad, to a smiley, peaceful country we visit all the time: Thailand. When they got to the airport they were informed that there are no flights being allowed into Bangkok and that both its airports are closed. There are rumors of a military coup as protesters seem to have forced the government to have fled to Chiang Mai way in the north. Protesters say they will keep the airports closed down until the government resigns. The government says it won't resign. Government supporters are threatening violence.

Thailand’s tourism minister, Weerasak Kohsurat, said the government would soon begin flying thousands of stranded tourists out of the country using military bases near the Thai capital.

Tourists would be flown by Thai Airways to Singapore or Malaysia for connecting flights, The Associated Press reported.

Government officials also said Thursday they would allow commercial airlines to use one of the military airports, U-Tapao.

Used by the United States military during the Vietnam War, U-Tapao can handle only a fraction of the daily average of 100,000 passengers who flew in and out of Suvarnabhumi International Airport last year.

U-Tapao’s terminal has the capacity to hold 400 people and the parking lot has about 100 spaces. The airport is about 120 miles from Bangkok, a two-hour drive.

There have been a couple of explosions and some gunfire at the main international airport and a few injuries, and thousands of stranded tourists. Normally, Thailand is one of my favorite places to go for a vacation. Reports from stranded tourists all seem to agree on one point: the airlines are hopelessly unhelpful. Tourists seem unsympathetic with the protesters-- or at least with their choice of tactics. I'm sure glad we picked nice peaceful Mali this year. Meanwhile, Roland's friend was offered a flight to Taiwan and one night free in a hotel and the best wishes of the airline that the airports will be open by Saturday. It could be worse; he could have been in Mumbai.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
The troubling events in the streets of Bangkok reminded me of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near the capital, which is a must-stop for foreign and local tourists, as well as food lovers. I've visited it almost every time I stop in Thailand, when I'm en route to Bhutan, Cambodia or Bali.

Yes, it's a tourist trap to a large degree but the food served by the women on their floating dugouts-kitchens is spectacular. I'm told that getting there very early in the morning will ensure a tourist-free experience, but I doubt it.

I'm traveling today, hence this short post.

With the Summer camping season just about to get underway, Gadling has a couple of tent stories for us today.

First, check out this tent that comes with a seven inch installable solar panel to collect the sun's rays during the day, then use them to light the tend after dark. The article says that the stored up energey can be used to power the "tent's integrated LED rope lights; to operate the removable hand-held flashlight that hangs from the center of the tent; or to charge a completely separate set of batteries."

Obviously this thing is aimed more at the camping crowd than the backpacking set, but still an interesting option. The four person version of the tent runs $206 while the six person model is $250.

If the solar powered tent doesn't work for you, perhaps you can find what you need on FindMeATent.com. As Gadling notes the site allows users to compare more than 800 different tents, from 57 brands, and read a growing library of user posted reviews. I'm sure you'll be able to find a tent to suit all your needs.

In the summer of 2008 the mountaineering world was shocked at the events that unfolded on K2, the second tallest mountain in the world at 8611 meters (28,251 ft). Over the course of a few days, running from July 31 to August 2, a total of 11 people died on the mountain, most following a successful summit bid. In the months that followed, many stories of heroism and survival followed, as did a bit of controversy, as the climbers, along with the rest of the world, attempted to figure out just what happened.

The events that took place on K2 during that fateful season are the subject of a new film entitled The Summit, which as been in theaters for the past week. Over the weekend I finally got the opportunity to catch this powerful documentary and although I went into it knowing most of what happened, I still found it to be extremely tense and enthralling.

For those who aren't familiar with the story, on July 31, 2008 a large group of climbers moved up K2 amidst great weather on a summit bid. Over the course of the following days, a series of events led to the worst tragedy that the mountain has ever seen. Everything from logistical errors to late summits conspired to put the climbers in danger, but the situation was made all the worse when a large serac hanging over a portion of the mountain known as the Bottleneck, collapsed down the face, sweeping away the fixed ropes that the teams would need to descend. Some managed to down-climb without the ropes, others fell to their death. By the time the dust had settled, 11 people were killed and several more were injured or suffering from exposure.

The film does a good job of blending actual footage from the 2008 season with scenes that were reenacted for dramatic effect. Director Nick Ryan fills time between those scenes with interviews with the actual survivors, each of whom shares their own very personal experiences from those difficult days on the mountain.


Over the course of the film's 1 hour, 40 minute run time, the tale unfolds in stilted fashion. At times the main focus is on what exactly happened on those disastrous few days but numerous flashbacks to weeks – and in some cases years - earlier help to fill in some gaps. Much of that information provides context and history on the mountain and the climbers, but there were times when it felt shoehorned in to add padding. This was especially true of the scenes that featured legendary Italian climber Walter Bonatti, who was there to discuss the first successful climb of the mountain in 1954. But because his tale isn't told very well, his presence in the film probably left some audience members wondering exactly why he was in the film.

Because I wrote extensively about the tragedy back when it happened, I had a good idea of what went down before I ever set foot in the theater. Still, The Summit did put everything into perspective as the story more-or-less unfolded in chronological order. It helps to put the perspective exactly what happened, which essentially can be broken down to being a series of unfortunate events. There wasn't one or two big mistakes that you could point to that led to the disaster, but instead it was several small choices and decisions that were eventually exasperated by the collapse of the serac.

If you have followed the story over the years, you probably know that some controversy erupted after the fact due to shifting stories by Italian climber Marco Confortola. One of the casualties on the mountain that day was Ger McDonnell, an Irish climber who was much loved in the mountaineering community. In the aftermath of the K2 disaster, Confortola said he and McDonnell attempted to help injured Korean climbers down the mountain but due to exhaustion and the lack of fixed lines, they were unable to help. Marco then claimed that he tried to get Ger to go down together, but he instead inexplicably turned back up the mountain, where he died. McDonnell's friends and family don't believe that is the case however, as they have asserted that the Irishman would have stayed to help the injured climbers. They suspect that he was there, with the Koreans, and that Confortola abandoned him and went down on his own. It was later reported that McDonnell was seen being swept up in another ice collapse.

What really happened that day will remain a mystery, as Confortola is sticking with his story – at least for now. But the film seems to have two agendas, the first is to tell the story of the tragedy and the second is to clear McDonnell's name. It succeeds to a degree in both areas.

So, is The Summit worth seeing in the theater? If you're a mountaineering junkie, then I'd say without a doubt. It puts into context the events that took place on K2 five years ago and fills in some gaps of the story. It also allows us to see the mountaineers that were there in a very real, human light. Watching Ceclia Skog talk about the final moments of her husbands life was incredible moving for example.

I do think the film does a good job of explaining most things for non-climbers to absorb what is happening as well, although it probably won't shed any clarity on why mountaineers go to these big, dangerous mountains in the first place.

It is difficult to say that you actually "like" a film like this one. After all, it is about the real life deaths of 11 climbers. Still, it is easy to recognize that it is a well made documentary that treats the subject matter with respect and reverence. It is a also a powerful film that will stay with you after you've left the theater, which is exactly what it is meant to do I suppose.

Find out more at the film's official website, including where it is showing near you.

The very active week in the Antarctic continues today with teams making slow, but steady, progress across the frozen continent. Everyone seems to be falling into a rhythm now and even the weather seems to have improved. But, as with all extreme environments, that can change quickly and no one seems to be getting too complacent with the current conditions.

As expected, Richard Parks relaunched his bid to set a new speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole yesterday. He reports that he faced a strong headwind for most of the day, and of course he is skiing up hill at the moment. Still, Parks managed to cover 31.5 km (19 miles), which is a solid start for his speed attempt. He'll need to pick up the pace in the days ahead, but for now he seems content with his progress. Just 1118.5 km (696 miles) to go and the clock continues to tick.

Jumping over to the Beardmore Glacier, the Scott Expedition has been forced to abandon their skis for now and don crampons instead. They've hit a large expanse of blue ice, which is incredibly hard and smooth, leaving no traction for the skis. It has made pulling the sleds a lot easier, as they effortlessly glide across the ice at the moment. The team started at along the coast at 43 meters (141 ft) above sea level, but have now climbed up to 1014 meters (3326 ft) as they continue to make their way up to the Antarctic Plateau. They've now been out on the ice for 43 days and still have about 2092 km (1300 miles) to go on their round-trip journey to the South Pole and back to the coast.


Aussie Geoff Wilson was dismayed to discover the promised winds have not appeared as predicted. You may recall that he is kite skiing to the South Pole and had hoped to be making great progress on that journey, but unpredictable winds have stymied his attempts so far, leaving him no choice but to ski along like everyone else. The doldrums continued today with practically no wind to assist him, which is disheartening for Wilson, who may not reach his goal if the winds don't turn in his favor. Sadly, the forecast doesn't look great in that regard for the next few days either. Geoff also reports that he had a call on his sat phone from Faysal Hanneche, who was also attempting to kite to the Pole. It turns out Faysal has injured his knee in a fall during the high winds of a few days back and won't be able to continue his expedition. Details are scarce at the moment, but it seems he'll be evacuated from the ice as soon as possible.

The three teams racing in the 2013 South Pole Allied Challenge get a much needed break today. This is their first mandatory rest day in which all teams must take 24 hours off before resuming their race to the South Pole. This is day 5 of the expedition and they still have 10 or 11 days to go before they are done. They happen to be well ahead of all of the other skiers because they started their journey at the 87th degree, rather than along the coast. Still, they are making good time and progress has been steady, if exhausting, for the skiers so far.

South Pole cyclist Daniel Burton continues to struggle. Yesterday he was battered by katabatic winds that made it nearly impossible for him to make much progress. With that in mind, he set up camp early and tried to stay out of those winds as best he could. Later in the day, when they had died down, he resumed his ride, albeit at a painfully slow pace. Once he hits the plateau, things should improve somewhat, but until then it is an uphill battle.

Finally, 16-year old Lewis Clarke has been making steady progress on his attempt to become the youngest person to ever ski the full length to the Pole. He and his guide, Carl Alvey wont' be setting any speed records, but they are putting in the miles they need to complete the journey in a reasonable time. So far they've been covering 21 km (13 miles) per day as they struggle up to the plateau as well. They should pick up the pace nicely once they reach that point and again as they get closer to their destination. Good weather has been on their side so far though and we all know that won't last for long in Antarctica.

That's all from the frozen continent for today. I'll update again next week as the news merits it.

National Geographic Adventure has posted an excellent interview with rock climber Mike Libecki about a recent climb he made in South America where he not only had to face the challenges of the rock, but also nasty ticks, deadly scorpions, and leaping tarantulas.

Libecki is a well known and experienced rock climber who has put up routes all over the World, but this one sounds like it was pretty amazing for what went on off the rock as well. In total it took about two weeks to make the climb, as he and his partner Kyle Dempster, had to shuttle their gear in through dense jungle. But once they were assembled in camp, it took about five days to scale the 2000+ feet to the summit.

Libecki also discusses his love of climbing solo, his own "logistical checklist", his thoughts on the one piece of gear he can't do without, and the proverbial "what's next" on his list of places to climb. In this case, the answer Papua New Guinea. Interesting stuff.

The Grand Trunk Road played an important role in India's history at every step of its way. Some 3500 years ago, with the Aryan invasion of the subcontinent, it served as a corridor starting at the Khyber Pass winding eastward between the Himalayas and the Thar Desert onto the Gangetic plain. Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism spread through it, and Muslim proselytizers traveled on it. Since 1947, Pakistan controls the 300-mile segment between Peshawar and Lahore, while the remaining 1,250 miles link six Indian states, making it lifeline of northern India.

Nowadays, the road used by Alexander the Great, Ibn Battutah, Mughals invaders and other conquerors and the just curious, is ruled by truck drivers roaring through countless tiny villages.

NPR features a hybrid multimedia project in which its journalists travel the route and tell the stories of young people living there, who make up the majority of the populations in India and Pakistan.

GPS technology company Garmin has released yet another GPS watch for consumers to ponder over. This time it seems less fitness/sports oriented and more aimed at a law enforcement/military crowd, although it brings a host of options that I'm sure many outdoor enthusiasts will find appealing. It also happens to deliver them in quite an attractive package.

The new watch is called the tactix and it retails for $450. It sports a high-sensitivey GPS sensor with automatically calibrating altimeter and a 3-axis compass. It's built in memory allows the device to store up to 1000 waypoints and 10,000 track points, and allows the wearer to quickly and easily retrace their steps back to previous positions. In a nod to its military roots, the U.S. version of the watch is preloaded with tidal data and all versions include Jumpmaster software for airborne personnel. It also features sun/moon data and a calendar for hunting and fishing. A stopwatch, countdown timer, world clock, and alarm functionality are all built in as well of course, and as with most GPS enabled watches, this one will tell you distance traveled, speed, calories burned, etc. The tactix will also pair with Garmin's heart rate monitor and bike pod to measure performance and will even control the company's VIRB and VIRB Elite action cameras.

The tactix is designed to be rugged and survive in the outdoors. Its case is tough and durable, making it water resistant down to 50 meters. It's all black styling is designed to be non-reflective and subtle in nature, while the built in battery can reportedly go 50 hours between charges with GPS enabled and 5 weeks when being used as a standard watch. That performance is actually quite good for a watch of this kind.

The new watch is available now.

This news is a week old now, but sue me, I've been busy. ;)

Martin Strel has completed his 5,265km swim down the length of the Amazon River according to the Globe and Mail.

I first reported on his attempt a few months back, and now he's done it. The swim began in Peru and proceeded through Brazil, and along the way he encountered piranha, sickness, and exhaustion as he averaged more than 80km per day. At one point, he was even told by doctors to give up on his quest, and yet he pressed on, setting another world record for long distance swimming.

I can't even imagine swimming that far. The endurance and determination for such a task is simply amazing. Congrats Martin!

Thanks Adventure Blog

Actually, it wasn't even until today that I realized that the name of this airline is pronounced in terms of an acronym (E-V-A) rather than one of the Desperate Housewives. Anyway, the last time I took this airline was many years ago...far before they joined Star Alliance. That was also when they were one of the first airlines to have a premium economy seat; I could hardly remember what it was like, but surely the current premium economy seat has changed since then. It's now called Elite Class, for starters.

Interestingly, our corporate travel team found that Elite Class was still far cheaper than SQ Economy Class. Of course, these were not business class seats, but they were far better than SQ Economy (or UA Economy Plus). You actually got a good six inches or so of an armrest between you and the person next to you, not to mention a rather comfortable cradle position if you wanted to recline and kick your legs up halfway. Sure, the food was forgettable, but I'd still much rather take this than SQ Economy. Gotta love Star Alliance!

It might be interesting to see if these guys are worth taking to the US next time, assuming that the layover in Taoyuan isn't too painful. Oh - and in case you're wondering what that green drink is above, it was their "Evergreen Special," which I ordered out of sheer curiosity given that it was named after their corporate parent. It turned out to be a rather off-putting combination of Midori and vodka, but nonetheless I guess I can see the corporate color scheme that they were trying to go for with this thing.