Thursday, 2 June 2011
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Bangkok - Day 1 - Spain to Bangkok via 6 hour stop off at home...
Hello people.
So as I sit here a little groggy from a combination of a battle with time zones and a few beers last night I thought I should take a few moments to do a quick entry.
On Monday morning I woke up in Estapona in southern Spain on the last day of my holiday with my family. The journey home thanks to a beautiful balance of sleezyjet's inability to flex for both children and wheelchairs combined with not really leaving early enough meant a fair amount of stress was in order. For example in Malaga airports wisdom they decided that because we had a disabled person with us that our party had to be split at every given opportunity, so we are constantly in seperate queues for security / boarding etc and the paperwork is all together with one person so how does that work? anyhow we got back to Gatwick and then home and although I moan about the journey, all in all the holiday was great, good fun, surprisingly relaxing given the 17 month old in tow.
6 hours at home flew by... (oh the irony, you sit on planes and it feels like forever, you sit at home and time actually seems to speed up)
I was getting picked up for my trip to bangkok at 8pm, well at least that was what was in my diary and had been planned. Like a good little boy I took my stuff and waited outside as we'd left it fairly tight for the flight at 10 anyway...8.05...8.10...8.15 so I thought I'd just check, called the car company we use and surprise bloody surprise 'sorry sir we have no booking for you / no car available' followed by another call of 'seems we had the email but missed it and now cant do anything about it' Joy of sodding joys just what I needed when I'd already been travelling for 8 hours that day... so anyway I called a cab and set them the challenge 'how fast can you get me to T3?' and a mildly grumpy but very helpful cab driver rocks up 5 minutes later and hurtles (best word to use) up the A3 / M25 to the airport, I get there 50 mins before flight and just get to the gate in time... phew...
This was my first time on a 747 Jumbo. Ive managed to go on almost every commercial plane in use I think from a little focker 50 prop through to the amazing new A340-600 (prob my favourite plane so far) but I'd never managed to get on either of the bigger craft 747 or A380, My hope was with this trip and my New Zealand trip next month I'd get on both. I'd never truly appreciated the size of a jumbo until I got up really close at the gate and then boarded. It is an amazing feat of engineering that we take for granted every day, how something that big and heavy stays up at 39000 feet still amazes me (yes I know it's basic physics, but some of physics seems like magic no?)
The flight itself was pretty smooth, the great thing about these night flights are they are pretty conducive to sleep, something I've always struggled with on a plane, Im getting better, almost every flight I feel my fears ebbing slightly which I can only see as a good thing, but I'm still far from a 'happy flyer' and anything that helps is good, so when the BA cabin crew start plying you with alcohol and food whenever possible then shut all the lights down so everyone can sleep it enabled me to get at least 4 hours kip.
This is also how I beat jet lag, for me it's all about 'tactical sleeping' so when we land at 3.30pm Thai time ive been up long enough on the plane to feel like it could be the afternoon. kind of works for me...
The entry into BK (no not Burger King you pleb) airport was amazing, it's rainy season here which as far as I can tell seems to mean baking sun accompanied with occasional mental thunderstorms then back to baking sun. The BA Captain obviously has the remit to avoid the thunderheads as we approach, weaving in between the clouds like a computer game, it was great fun and an amazing set of clouds to look at. Unfortunately I forgot to get my camera out of the hold so don't have any picks of the journey, apologies!
So anyway, a nice cab ride (if you can call a BMW 740 a cab) to the hotel, I'm still getting over the fact that the cab had wifi in it...I felt like a nerd in an even nerdier world.
So anyways that was the journey, all went pretty smoothly, ill talk about the hotel etc in the next entry.
Cheers
Joe
So as I sit here a little groggy from a combination of a battle with time zones and a few beers last night I thought I should take a few moments to do a quick entry.
On Monday morning I woke up in Estapona in southern Spain on the last day of my holiday with my family. The journey home thanks to a beautiful balance of sleezyjet's inability to flex for both children and wheelchairs combined with not really leaving early enough meant a fair amount of stress was in order. For example in Malaga airports wisdom they decided that because we had a disabled person with us that our party had to be split at every given opportunity, so we are constantly in seperate queues for security / boarding etc and the paperwork is all together with one person so how does that work? anyhow we got back to Gatwick and then home and although I moan about the journey, all in all the holiday was great, good fun, surprisingly relaxing given the 17 month old in tow.
6 hours at home flew by... (oh the irony, you sit on planes and it feels like forever, you sit at home and time actually seems to speed up)
I was getting picked up for my trip to bangkok at 8pm, well at least that was what was in my diary and had been planned. Like a good little boy I took my stuff and waited outside as we'd left it fairly tight for the flight at 10 anyway...8.05...8.10...8.15 so I thought I'd just check, called the car company we use and surprise bloody surprise 'sorry sir we have no booking for you / no car available' followed by another call of 'seems we had the email but missed it and now cant do anything about it' Joy of sodding joys just what I needed when I'd already been travelling for 8 hours that day... so anyway I called a cab and set them the challenge 'how fast can you get me to T3?' and a mildly grumpy but very helpful cab driver rocks up 5 minutes later and hurtles (best word to use) up the A3 / M25 to the airport, I get there 50 mins before flight and just get to the gate in time... phew...
This was my first time on a 747 Jumbo. Ive managed to go on almost every commercial plane in use I think from a little focker 50 prop through to the amazing new A340-600 (prob my favourite plane so far) but I'd never managed to get on either of the bigger craft 747 or A380, My hope was with this trip and my New Zealand trip next month I'd get on both. I'd never truly appreciated the size of a jumbo until I got up really close at the gate and then boarded. It is an amazing feat of engineering that we take for granted every day, how something that big and heavy stays up at 39000 feet still amazes me (yes I know it's basic physics, but some of physics seems like magic no?)
The flight itself was pretty smooth, the great thing about these night flights are they are pretty conducive to sleep, something I've always struggled with on a plane, Im getting better, almost every flight I feel my fears ebbing slightly which I can only see as a good thing, but I'm still far from a 'happy flyer' and anything that helps is good, so when the BA cabin crew start plying you with alcohol and food whenever possible then shut all the lights down so everyone can sleep it enabled me to get at least 4 hours kip.
This is also how I beat jet lag, for me it's all about 'tactical sleeping' so when we land at 3.30pm Thai time ive been up long enough on the plane to feel like it could be the afternoon. kind of works for me...
The entry into BK (no not Burger King you pleb) airport was amazing, it's rainy season here which as far as I can tell seems to mean baking sun accompanied with occasional mental thunderstorms then back to baking sun. The BA Captain obviously has the remit to avoid the thunderheads as we approach, weaving in between the clouds like a computer game, it was great fun and an amazing set of clouds to look at. Unfortunately I forgot to get my camera out of the hold so don't have any picks of the journey, apologies!
So anyway, a nice cab ride (if you can call a BMW 740 a cab) to the hotel, I'm still getting over the fact that the cab had wifi in it...I felt like a nerd in an even nerdier world.
So anyways that was the journey, all went pretty smoothly, ill talk about the hotel etc in the next entry.
Cheers
Joe
Monday, 30 May 2011
Just a quick update
Just got back from malaga holiday with family too much to blog so instead im saving that pleasure for the trip to bangkok which is...now just boarded my first 747 so will update when there is something other than...im knackered to say!
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
It's been a while, but I'm off again
So my fly boy jet setting 5* luxury lifestyle continues, I did go on a trip to Milton Keynes a few weeks ago but to be honest I could not bring myself to grace my travel blog with a tale of Milton Keynes, It seemed to me I would be cheating on my other destinations by doing so. But here is a brief overview
Drove there, work stuff fine, hotel average, gourmet burger ok but dodgy belly and boring on own, tried to take photos, dull, latin food place nice and client for company, home. That's it.
So anyway I move on to somewhere much more glamourous, exciting and interesting, Bochum, again!
I really should learn Deutsche, I come to germany at least 5 or 6 times a year and every time feel embarrassed that my grasp of their language ranges from counting to about 50 to asking for a beer. Last trip I learnt Ich gehe nacht hause which means (i think) I go to my house, not particularly useful lingo. In truth I probably do know quite a few words but its like french, stringing them together is a totally different ball game.
Ok so here is the thing, 'in my 30s' which are rapidly approaching like a stampede of smug laughing buffalo I will learn to talk either french or german to a more sophisticated level than le chat sud le table. Ideally both...
Anyway back to bochum, I was lucky this time, BA had some route deal going so ended up flying business for cheaper than economy, however I've realised something. On short flights, business class is a little pointless. OK so you get access to the lounges at T5 which are nice, but as soon as you get a 'silver' card (not there yet) you get access anyway. Long haul totally different ball game, If you can afford it, do it, makes flying almost pleasurable and thats coming someone who feels closer to death every time he gets on a plane!
So here I am again, sorry not a particularly amusing entry, but excuse my tiredness the 1 hour difference weirdly gets me every time!
Joe
Drove there, work stuff fine, hotel average, gourmet burger ok but dodgy belly and boring on own, tried to take photos, dull, latin food place nice and client for company, home. That's it.
So anyway I move on to somewhere much more glamourous, exciting and interesting, Bochum, again!
I really should learn Deutsche, I come to germany at least 5 or 6 times a year and every time feel embarrassed that my grasp of their language ranges from counting to about 50 to asking for a beer. Last trip I learnt Ich gehe nacht hause which means (i think) I go to my house, not particularly useful lingo. In truth I probably do know quite a few words but its like french, stringing them together is a totally different ball game.
Ok so here is the thing, 'in my 30s' which are rapidly approaching like a stampede of smug laughing buffalo I will learn to talk either french or german to a more sophisticated level than le chat sud le table. Ideally both...
Anyway back to bochum, I was lucky this time, BA had some route deal going so ended up flying business for cheaper than economy, however I've realised something. On short flights, business class is a little pointless. OK so you get access to the lounges at T5 which are nice, but as soon as you get a 'silver' card (not there yet) you get access anyway. Long haul totally different ball game, If you can afford it, do it, makes flying almost pleasurable and thats coming someone who feels closer to death every time he gets on a plane!
So here I am again, sorry not a particularly amusing entry, but excuse my tiredness the 1 hour difference weirdly gets me every time!
Joe
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Krakow Feb - March 2011
Awkward, thats how I describe this trip. Everything about it has some element of that word in it...
Ill apologise now for the fact that this blog entry is a little more of a rant than usual...
Also Im having to go slightly out of sync with my order of events. Had a lovely time at my sister and law's wedding this weekend but Im holding back on the photos until they return from honeymoon so expect a belated thorough blog entry accordingly. The fact that the very next morning I had to get in a car at 5.30am was...well.....
Right back to Awkward Poland...
Firstly the journey here involves flying from heathrow to munich then munich to krakow, direct flights from gatwick were an option until i saw the times were pretty much useless for a business traveller. Easyjet have obviously made the strategic commercial decision to prioritise stag and hen parties over business travel.
Oh and by the way the return is via frankfurt, not munich just to make it more....you know.
Next is the currency. Its demotivating, let me explain. It took me a while to get my head around the euro, and dollars but they are nearer a ratio to the £ than most. Indonesia with its 1:1 squillion ratio was so far out there it was fun working it all out. But the polish Zlotty, its 3.8 to the £, thats just an awkward number. because you look at a meal menu in a restaurant for example. and a burger is 25 zlotty, but my western europe brain can't help but for a second follow this thought process...
25, thats a might expensive burger... dammit thats actually only £6.50
so what you think, right? well its the fact that Im doing it with every thing I see, so Im constantly thinking damn this place is expensive followed by damn your an idiot that cant do maths quick enough, awkward and demotivating.
Then there is the language, It's not the fact that its so very different to western european languages you cant have a diddly squat clue about what is being said, its the fact that even if you attempt to learn any of it there are so many ZXYQXZZZXXX's in it that your primitive monolingual english brain just doesnt have the filters to absorb it.
so far Ive learnt that about 10 words are all written as "ZSYCHZZSZZZ" and these happen to be 10 of the most common words, so frankly, its awkward and I give up...
Enough of the negativity... I have one positive story to tell before I quit and make my way home.
In the room next door to the training I'm doing yesterday, was the Wisla Krakow football team. (one of the biggest football teams in Poland) It was their cup final last night against some second devision side called "ZSYCHZZSZZZ" and they were doing their pre match planning. I sat and listened to the manager give his pre match talk through the dividing wall and it went something like this...
"Even if we are losing 3-0 in the final minute, don't lose focus, we only need one goal to have a chance"
Now pardon my ignorance, I'm no Sir Alex, but surely thats a little 'glass half empty'
He also uttered the words (and I'm not kidding here) "stick it in the goal" and "if you get the ball shoot"
by the way...they lost 1-0 to ZZZZYYYCCCCSSS utd.
I had the amusing situation where I was in the bar of the hotel, and they chose to show the chelsea v man utd game over their own cup final. combine that with the fact that we had lunch with the players and some of the polish colleagues I was working with were loudly slating them, polish football and anyone in association with it, it didnt paint a pretty picture. We think english football has issues!
Right so I'm off home soon, so far now signing off...
cheers Joe
Ill apologise now for the fact that this blog entry is a little more of a rant than usual...
Also Im having to go slightly out of sync with my order of events. Had a lovely time at my sister and law's wedding this weekend but Im holding back on the photos until they return from honeymoon so expect a belated thorough blog entry accordingly. The fact that the very next morning I had to get in a car at 5.30am was...well.....
Right back to Awkward Poland...
Firstly the journey here involves flying from heathrow to munich then munich to krakow, direct flights from gatwick were an option until i saw the times were pretty much useless for a business traveller. Easyjet have obviously made the strategic commercial decision to prioritise stag and hen parties over business travel.
Oh and by the way the return is via frankfurt, not munich just to make it more....you know.
Next is the currency. Its demotivating, let me explain. It took me a while to get my head around the euro, and dollars but they are nearer a ratio to the £ than most. Indonesia with its 1:1 squillion ratio was so far out there it was fun working it all out. But the polish Zlotty, its 3.8 to the £, thats just an awkward number. because you look at a meal menu in a restaurant for example. and a burger is 25 zlotty, but my western europe brain can't help but for a second follow this thought process...
25, thats a might expensive burger... dammit thats actually only £6.50
so what you think, right? well its the fact that Im doing it with every thing I see, so Im constantly thinking damn this place is expensive followed by damn your an idiot that cant do maths quick enough, awkward and demotivating.
Then there is the language, It's not the fact that its so very different to western european languages you cant have a diddly squat clue about what is being said, its the fact that even if you attempt to learn any of it there are so many ZXYQXZZZXXX's in it that your primitive monolingual english brain just doesnt have the filters to absorb it.
so far Ive learnt that about 10 words are all written as "ZSYCHZZSZZZ" and these happen to be 10 of the most common words, so frankly, its awkward and I give up...
Enough of the negativity... I have one positive story to tell before I quit and make my way home.
In the room next door to the training I'm doing yesterday, was the Wisla Krakow football team. (one of the biggest football teams in Poland) It was their cup final last night against some second devision side called "ZSYCHZZSZZZ" and they were doing their pre match planning. I sat and listened to the manager give his pre match talk through the dividing wall and it went something like this...
"Even if we are losing 3-0 in the final minute, don't lose focus, we only need one goal to have a chance"
Now pardon my ignorance, I'm no Sir Alex, but surely thats a little 'glass half empty'
He also uttered the words (and I'm not kidding here) "stick it in the goal" and "if you get the ball shoot"
by the way...they lost 1-0 to ZZZZYYYCCCCSSS utd.
I had the amusing situation where I was in the bar of the hotel, and they chose to show the chelsea v man utd game over their own cup final. combine that with the fact that we had lunch with the players and some of the polish colleagues I was working with were loudly slating them, polish football and anyone in association with it, it didnt paint a pretty picture. We think english football has issues!
Right so I'm off home soon, so far now signing off...
cheers Joe
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