The travel day started out stupendously well.
We had a leisurely, unrushed morning with a seamless shuttle transfer to the airport at 12:00nn. Check-in at the ANA counter took 5 minutes. No wait at security. Passport control was totally digital, and everyone was clued in on how to use said passport control. We were left with the perfect amount of time to putz around the airport while getting to our gate 15 minutes before boarding.
A smooth travel day was a relief considering the day before easily makes my “top 5 most chaotic travel days” list.
On paper, the plan was beautiful. Jeremy and I would catch our 12:45pm flight from Chiang Mai to the Don Mueang International Airport. Collect our luggage from storage. Hop on the shuttle to BKK, then catch the hotel shuttle to the hotel. We’d be there by 5pm. 6pm tops. Just in time to check out the near-by night markets for a final Thai food feast.
Nature had other ideas.
The flight was delayed 45 minutes, and when we landed we got the notification that there had been a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar. The effects rippled all the way to Bangkok. Buildings shook, and Chatuchak building completely collapsed. With the possibility of aftershocks, the city went into lockdown mode. Malls and offices closed, meaning tens of thousands of people were now out on the street. All train lines stopped, meaning all of said people were either on the road or in need of Grabs (the Uber of Thailand) and taxis to get home. Major roads transformed into parking lots.
Back ups stretched across the city, and the airport was in total chaos.
The queue to get a taxi was over 100 people deep with a, “Maybe 4 hours?” wait time. Over a hundred more travelers waited on the sidewalk, desperately trying to get a Grab. The people manning the transfer buses between airports had no idea when the buses would be running. And of course the MRT was down.
AKA, there was no way out.
We spent three hours in limbo, bouncing between waiting for the transfer bus and trying to call a Grab. Finally, we just got on the first public bus we could find with a “we need to get out….” approach.
The jury is still out on if “out” was better. We got off the bus near a mall foolishly thinking, “surely there will be a taxi stand!” There was a taxi stand. But hundreds of people sitting on the sidewalk watching traffic creep by in defeat. Jeremy went to 7-11 for waiting snacks, but the shelves were totally empty.
We lugged our 4 massive suitcases away from the crowds. I worked on getting a Grab, Jeremy tried to hail down cab after cab. An hour later, someone took my Grab request.
It took nearly 90 minutes to get 22 miles to the hotel. Total time from landing to getting to the airport: 7 ½ hours.
And all of this was happening in Bangkok, which is 830 miles away from the center of the earthquake.
If Bangkok was in total chaos, I can’t even begin to fathom the utter destruction in Myanmar. I was stuck in traffic for a few hours. Hundreds of thousands of people had their lives totally crash down. Not to mention the country has been enduring a violent civil war since 2021.
Mainstream media has already shoved the story aside to move to something new and shiny. If you feel inclined, Sonne International and Partners Relief and Development seem like trustworthy organizations to donate to.
Now I suppose I should segue back to the point of this post: a ANA economy class food review.
Snack 1: Crunchy Mix
Soon after the “fasten seatbelts” sign was turned off, the ANA staff jumped into action to handout little toilettes followed by a crunchy snack mix. It had wasabi peas, sesame sticks, among other little bits that taste like Japan.
The Main Meal
The flight attendants had a laminated paper showing the two ANA economy class food options. Simmered deep-fried chicken in soy-based sauce or sautéed whitefish with dill cream sauce. Neither perked up my taste buds so I opted for the safer bet: chicken.
The main dish had two pieces of chicken I’m hard pressed to believe was ever fried along with veggies and rice. Rice and veggies always tend to be fine, and the chicken wasn’t nearly as offensive as it looked. Once I got the skin off, the thigh meat was decently tender for plane food.
There were 3 little side dishes including a pasta salad, a side salad, and pickled veggies. I wasn’t mad about the pasta salad, and the pickled veggies weren’t half bad. Lettuce and raw veggies are an immediate no-go for me. The ever allusive “they” say that most food born sicknesses come from raw veggies due to the water they are washed in. ANA is a great airline, and I’m sure they take appropriate precautions. But the piece of lettuce and kernels of corn didn’t seem tasty enough to take the risk.
Dessert was chocolate chip ice cream. Who doesn’t love chocolate chip ice cream?
Snack 2: Croissant Sandwich
The ANA economy class food continued with a croissant sandwich that came down the aisle an hour or so before landing. The mystery meat, lettuce, and tomato were uninspiring. But given the fact it was 9pm with no shot at any more food for the night, I ate a bit and live to tell the tale.
I can’t say the ANA economy class food is the best I’ve ever had.
But it certainly wasn’t the worst!
(Ready my review of my Qatar Airways economy class food on the way to Nepal HERE!)
