No Exploding Suitcases, Please

This photo was taken in Hangzhou near a pedestrian underpass.

After trying both, I give the gold medal to Orange Chicken with Beijing Beef taking the silver and the Kung Pao chicken not even making it to the final round.

On a related note, a representative from Boingo wifi promptly commented on my last post and stated that they were looking into the firefox compatibility issue. I was impressed by their prompt response (someone at Boingo must monitor Twitter or google) but still surprised that this was the first they had heard of the issue.

On my return trip through Houston I didn’t check into whether or not the issue was resolved, I discovered the free wifi available from the Continental Presidents club you can use if you sit at the Gloria Jeans Coffee between E11 and E12.

I decided to take a last minute trip to Belize with Lisa to meet up with Jed who has been traveling around Mexico for the last few weeks. Lisa found a $360 ticket at 8 PM leaving at 12:30 AM so we packed, hit up a Taqueria for a goodbye burrito and beer and BARTed to SFO.

I had some last minute work I had to get done this morning, and a 3 hour layover at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. I haven’t jailbroken my old-school iphone since I upgraded the firmware, so I didn’t have a good way to tether it to my laptop, nor did I have an SSH application on my phone, so I had to buy the $7.95 airport wifi provided by Boingo.

I opened up firefox and after sitting through a flash intro on the boingo website, I entered my credit card info. After a confirmation screen, I was presented with the data I had entered and asked to download the GoBoingo Utility, an application that could run on my PC and notify me whenever I am within range of a Boingo hotspot. Clicking “Download and Install” was the only way to continue purchasing internet access.

Only after beginning the download was the page redirected to the page announcing that my credit card info was incorrect. I retyped my info and even tried a different credit card with no success. Noticing how quirky the website was, I decided to open Internet Explorer just to see if perhaps this form couldn’t be completed in Firefox.

After downloading the GoBoingo toolbar for the 6th time (this time in IE) I was given a page showing that my credit card details had worked.

Not only did they make me download unwanted software (note: you just had to download the .exe file, it is up to you to install it) but I had to use IE. What if I was using a mac? Would I have been locked out of wifi at George Bush Intercontinental?

I was able to complete the necessary work before getting on my plane to Belize. If you ever run across a boingo hotspot, make sure you are using IE.

So far its great. Virgin America flys out of the international terminal at SFO. This is the closest terminal to where BART drops you off, so its more convenient than most other airlines off the bat. SFO still doesnt have a bridge from the skytrain to the terminal, so flying most domestic airlines you’ve got to trek up and down the elevator. Virgin America had the desks right next to security and had carpeting and flowers set out, which was a nice touch. There was not a line, and a man helped me through the echeckin while the lady at the first class checking waved a coach passenger to her.

The boarding passes are a sensible size, smslle than usual so they fit in your pocket. They also are very clear to read without many of the codes and lines you get on typical boarding passes.

There was no line at the international security checkpoint at 7 AM, so I was at the gate within 15 minutes of getting off Bart. The gate agent announced that anyone wearing red or with a red bag could board with first class. Because were in the international terminal there is ample seating in the gate area for this small domestic flight.
Virgin America is great thus far.

An extension cord- There seem to be only 3 outlets on the train and they are not placed in areas where you could sit and work. Also, one with multiple ends will allow you to make friends by sharing the power.

Food and water- the food on board is neither good nor cheap. Get some food and drink youll like, and maybe some extra to share if you want to make friends.

A blanket- I was ok in the summer, but in the winter youd probably want something to curl up under.

Eyemask & ear plugs- My earbuds kept things quiet but it would have been nice to shield my eyes from the interior lights.

Something to read- When your electronics run out of power you’ll need something to do while delayed 5 hours on a mountian pass. I was able to borrow a book on the great speaches of the 20th century.

All in all, this was an impressive trip and n interesting, albeit slow, way to see the country.

Having the iPhone has made this trip much more tolerable. During the trip, both facebook and netvibes launched iPhone versions of their sites, both of which are great. Hopefully yelp and others do this soon.

Train food has not impressed me yet, I think that was the worst bratwurst I’ve had. I was hoping for a gas station or grocery store, and had we stopped in Reno this long it would have been no problem. With my quick winnings at the craps table it might have been free.

Almost time for lunch.

I’m en route to Chicago from San Francisco (well, really Emeryville) to visit my brother. I’ve got my iphone which I hacked last night to allow my laptop to use the Internet via ad hoc wireless. I’ve got 3 full batteries, so we’ll see how long I can keep the trainblog going.

Hour 1: Left Emeryville. I could see the skyline, Berkeley marina, Carquinez straight and San Pablo bay. The ATM at the station qas broken so I had to rush out and find a gas station so I could eat for the next 55 hrs. We’ll see how on time this train thing is.